Dan Tobacco Tordenskjold Virginia Slices

Golden brown thin flakes that beg to be rubbed out, at least somewhat. I sort of folded the flakes in half and they disintegrated to a broken flake. It performed best in this manner for me, smoking a bit cooler and slower but still with excellent flavor. Did not need much drying time - was ready to go almost from the tin.

I did not smell or taste chocolate but there was a mild casing that was still quite noticeable, both in the tin aroma and the taste. It was lightly sweet, beyond the normal capacity for virginia tobacco. The perique was barely noticeable and if I did not know this contained perique, I would have guessed it didn't. There was no fruity spiciness that I associate with that condiment. This one worked as a lightly cased straight VA, and it performed admirably. Snorking really brought out the range of flavors this blend possesses. All the tastes were sweet and they ranged from corn syrup to vanilla to brown sugar, but with that natural VA haylike quality.

This blend makes my rotation due to its simplicity and excellent taste but also because it provided me with one of those rare moments where the stars align properly and the smoking experience transcends the typical and jumps into the sublime. A lot of excellent smokes in my tin, and one perfect one. Highly recommended for fans of light VA's with a subtle casing that highlights rather than overpowers the tobacco.

I had this in the cellar for years. Basically I forgot about it until I was looking for a change of pace from the last few months of almost all English and Balkan blends. Tin note is of fermented prunes and figs, with a slight sour (but pleasant) note. Flakes are a bit drier than I am used to, but near perfect smoking condition. Rubs out quite easily, packs nice and lights with ease. The first few bowls seemed to be prevalent with Perique, but subsequent bowls it was more muted. The Virginias are superb, and balance quite well with the Perique. They get sweeter as the bowl progresses, as long as you aren't an aggressive smoker. I'm not sure if I am detecting a casing, or if it is a natural occurring flavor from the aging process. Either way, it is unique.

I can see how this could bite if provoked, but for the most part, it was pretty easy on my tongue. Definitely not the cheapest and most affordable flake, but one definitely worth spending the few extra dollars.

Edit: I am almost 100% positive this is the base tobacco of Dan's Blue Note. It has the same Va aroma, and behaves the same way in the pipe.

The slices are a mix of gold and brown. They are easily broken or rubbed out for packing. Moisture content is medium so the tobacco lights easily. The aroma is sweet tobacco. The flavor at the first light is pleasant and develops into a very tangy citrus like taste. It is not overly sweet and very much the taste of a natural Virginia. Perique is in the blend for character, but it is not noticeable in the flavor. In other words, it is there but I really don't taste it. I like this tobacco any time of day, but especially in the morning with a good cup of coffee. TVS is an excellent summer smoke because of its full flavor without the heaviness that English blends have when the temperature is hot. TVS is up at the front with another half dozen of my favorite Virginia blends.

I bought this on a whim at a local B&M. Like the rest of their tins, this one has some indeterminate age on it (probably around four years).

I'm relatively new to Virginias but have begun to appreciate their multifaceted complexity. That said, this one exhibits an uncharacteristic natural sweetness I haven't encountered before (my experience being mostly limited to McC bulk VAs and Brown Clunee).

The flakes are loose and medium-dark in color. They rub out easily or smoke fairly well as-is. Tin aroma hints at the sweetness to come.

At the match, TVS releases vast plumes of smoke exhibiting a room note hinted at by the tin. It lights easily although I found it to require relights depending on the pipe it is smoked in.

TVS burns down to a fine, light gray ash. The flavor deepens as the bowl progresses all the while maintaining its pleasant demeanor. The perique provides a bit of backbone throughout the bowl but is surprisingly subdued in character. Unlike some of my esteemed fellow reviewers, I didn't find this particularly strong, and I'm prone to notice such things -- strong blends send me into orbit!

I've purchased a tin of more recent vintage. Once I pop it, I'll revisit this review if the differences warrant it. Highly recommended, indeed.

Tordenskjold Virginia Slices. The tin contains two rows of thin, medium brown, slightly mottled, perfectly moist, flakes. I like to fully rub my flake tobaccos and these do so with brilliant ease. Tin-note is slightly plummy/fruity.

The smoke is a lighter kind of VaPer. The Virginia accounts for a much higher proportion of the flavour, and the smoke's delicately seasoned with Perique; so, it isn't vinegary, sharp, or a spice-bomb. Subtle plums, and dark fruit, rather than a caustic addition. The star of the show's the Virginia, being more of a fresh-hay flavour, than stickily over-ripe. The burn can't be criticized, nor can the temperature.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: very pleasant. A four star VaPer:

Highly recommended.

I was recently gifted this one. I hadn't heard of it prior to receiving it so had no idea what to expect from it.

The tobacco itself I found a strange shape, more like some new age leatherwork bracelet than a sample of the naughty leaf. The rubbing out, packing and lighting are easy enough. The flavour itself is of something sweet and citrus with small hints of something earthy. It's medium strength and is a slow smoker.

This is a cracking tobacco that is good for those moments when you want to sit back and take a good while over your smoke. It nicely balances the virginia with the perique. To be honest, I don't know what to compare it to as I've come across no other tobacco quite like it. That's a shame really as it seems to be unavailable here in the UK. I guess I'll have to keep a sharp eye out for it on the off chance of that changing.

Hmmmm, the tin states that there is Perique in here but I just do not smell it or taste it in the blend. Even with most blends that claim to have a “whisper” of perique you can still detect it in there but not in this one. With that aside this is a very enjoyable blend to smoke without a lot of maintenance needed.

I have had a tin of this laying around for almost a year so one night I was digging through the cellar looking for something different when I came upon it. I believe that santa may have sent this to me last year (Thank you Santa). I popped the tin and a figgy, straw-like aroma met my nose. It smelled like a great Virginia but like I stated above I could not smell any perique.

This is a flake blend with an appearance and size very similar to Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake. The moisture amount was great and this broke apart very easily. I still let it sit out for about 15 minutes before loading it into the pipe.

Lighting this blend was extremely easy and once lit this blend did not need much help. The taste and aroma throughout the whole smoke was pure Virginia. It smokes down to a whitish, gray ash. While not as flavorful as Full Virginia or Best Brown this blend definitely came in 3rd for my favorite Virginia blends for right now. I have since finished the tin that was originally opened and I have a pound of bulk on the way.

In summary, this is a really, really good Virginia. It actually surprised me with how good it is versus how much a tin of this blend it. It is currently less than $7 at smokingpipes.com. I will be stocking up on this for my Virginia fixes. If you have not tried it yet then I would definitely give it a whirl however I would not recommend this as a VaPer to anyone however.

Dan Tobacco - Tordenskjold Virginia Slices.

The tin contains two rows of thin, medium brown, slightly mottled, perfectly moist, flakes. I like to fully rub my flake tobaccos and these do so with brilliant ease. Tin-note is slightly plummy/fruity.

The smoke is a lighter kind of VaPer. The Virginia accounts for a much higher proportion of the flavour, and the smoke's delicately seasoned with Perique; so, it isn't vinegary, sharp, or a spice-bomb. Subtle plums, and dark fruit, rather than a caustic addition. The star of the show's the Virginia, being more of a fresh-hay flavour, than stickily over-ripe. The burn can't be criticized, nor can the temperature.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: very pleasant.

A four star VaPer:

Highly recommended.

I'm mad at my taste buds for loving this stuff. It has a stronger note of hay than I usually like - it's not as well rounded as I usually like - and it doesn't evolve as much as I usually like. Having said all that, this flake is delicious. A fairly strong note of hay with a nice hit of citrus. I can get just a hint of darker fruit from the Perique whose spice only shows toward the end of the bowl. There's something in the extremely mild topping that makes this for me. Can't identify it, but that's what makes this delicious. Wish I knew what it is. 4 stars.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is extremely mild. Burns great.