Dan Tobacco Patriot Flake

I recommend this highly, especially if you store it for a year or so. It definitely gets sweeter and gentler with age.

For a pure Virginia flake, this is really great. A lot fo people complain about these Dan blends being too pricey. Buy them at smokingpipes.com (8 bucks per 50 gram tin as opposed to twelve most other places). I'm not affiliated with the company, but I patronize them more often than any other.

Patriot Flake is a most enjoyable smoke that is smooth, mild and flavorful. As advertised, it is both sweet and (subtlety) spicy. The flavor intensifies as you progress down the bowl. With the orientals, this is a very nice change from pure VA blends. It packs well, burns well and doesn?t ?nip.? There is no sharpness or harshness upon first light that is prevalent with some other VA blends. The only negative, as others have noted, is its price: this tobacco should be called ?PaY?triot Flake.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.1 out of 10.

this is a full-bodied virginia pressed flake tobacco with a pleasant sweet sorghum-like pouch aroma. it packs well, lights easily, and has a very even burn down to a fine gray ash at the bottom of the bowl. the flavor is full, and has a creamy taste that i like very much. the oriental tobaccos make a very pleasant mix with the virginia burley. this one would make a great all-day smoke. the only negative i can find with it is the price. at nearly $10 for a 50 gram tin, this is a very expensive smoke. i give it 3 stars, but i sure wish i could buy it in bulk to save money! maybe craig tarler can come up with a C&D blend that is similar.

Patriot Flake is pretty much what I would expect a Virginia/Oriental blend to be - as the promo says: "sweet and spicy". It is also high quality. Anyone who likes their Virginia blends to be "easy" would probably consider Patriot Flake "right on the edge". As noted by others, there is an interplay between the "sweet" of Virginias and the "spicy" of Orientals. For me, a person whose primary Virginia smoke is #5100 Red Cajke (straight red Va) - Patriot Flake is like adding the Italian Sausage to the pizza - a notch up in taste and tang but not so far that it becomes a chore to smoke or like. The room note IS something to watch out for, there will almost certainly be some aftertaste (though not bad) and, at full retail this is a very pricy blend. Fortunately, one of the major on-line tobacconists has recently had Patriot Flake available at about $8/per 50gr. instead of $12-$13. I smoke Va-predominant blends in limited quantities but would certainly recommend Patriot Flake to any Va. lover. It's very good.

Tiger

Beautiful tobacco. Quality taste, smell and texture. Reminds me of Marlin Flake, which is a high recommendation. Comes in a 50g tin with that great picture on the top. Might be the fastest I ever smoked a complete tin even though I usually have five tobaccos opened in a rotation (three in bulk containers and two tins). The only drawback to smoking more of this fine leaf is the cost.

This one is awesome! I always have a tin of this stuff around. I love everything about this one. The only reason that I stated that I smoke this one on occassion is due to the fact that I rotate through a variety of VA blends because I tend to get tired of the same stuff after a while. This VA blend gives a nice sweet spice that is quite pleasant in the nose and on the tounge. I have a passion for the more natural tobaccos and this one certainly fits the bill. This stuff is pricey but, CAO/DAN really take care to present the smoker with a quality product. This blend is easily rubbed out and burns consistantly time and time again. If you like VA I bet you'll melt over this one the only problem is that the price may melt your wallet as well but, for flavor like this I'll stretch the budget a bit.

At first I didn't like this one because I had never tried a Virginia flake before. But as I continued trying to finish the tin, it grew on me. I like it best when smoked from my C.A.O. meershaum. I find this one now to be a nice hit of nicotine and a fantastic blend of subtle flavors. A bit pricey at $11.00 a tin. UPDATE: This is a pretty good flake but, not worth the price tag. I've tried many other virginia flakes now and found the cheaper ones to be just as good or better at half the price.

CAO again presents us with a nicely prepared flake of golden to medium brown VAs. The tin moisture content is higher than I prefer and resulted in a wet smoke especially towards the end of large bowled pipes. With some drying, I obtained a better smoke and still had easy packing, lighting and an even burn rate. I found the taste ~ to another German blend, Dan's Hamborger Veermaster, and sensed just good quality tobacco taste without any casing. However, with this blend, the orientals are evident but still remain in the background and do complement the overall taste. Unfortunately, I believe that they also influence the room aroma which did not receive good reviews on the homefront. I don't need another blend that is relegated to outdoor smoking by my family members. Overall, a relaxing and enjoyable smoke but not in my top 10 of VA flakes.

This is one I would place in the same category as Hamborger Veermeister and Honore.

The orientals soften the VA's without upstaging them. This blend may not have knocked my socks off but I don't feel cheated spending a little time with it. A reliable smoke. For VA smokers, reliability is a big bonus.

4 out of 5.