Former Private Flake

Found this on sale and thought that someone who makes pipes that nice might know a thing or two about Va flakes. I was wrong, as other reviewers have said, this is a nice Va flake of medium strength, but the casing just ruins it for me. I agree that it tastes like mixture 79, and as I don't like that tobacco either due to the perfumey taste I cannot recommend Private Flake.

A highly anticipated Christmas gift from my room mate, this tin of tobacco was a good gift for me. It came highly recommended by our local tobacconist; for smoker who wants a full flavor smoke, but also wants mild strength. I'm also not the best with flake tobacco, as I tend to prepare and pack them terribly. However, I did okay with this one. The tin note was very familiar, and much to my surprise, a friend of mine across the room got a whiff when I cracked the seal, and told me precisely what it smelled like before I could figure it out for myself: Fig Newton cookies (or biscuits for all of you British Blokes). Now, Fig Newtons are delicious on their own, but I've never smoked one, so at this point in the game I was a little worried. As I analyzed the scent a bit further, it was clear that Hans Nielson (Best pipe maker alive, produces pipes under the brand Former) likes his Virginia flakes. This blend certainly smells woodsy, nutty, fruity...so many things going on all at once. I lit it up and it tasted very good. It has a prominent nutty flavor and a slight fig-like taste as well. It's how I imagined Virginia flakes to taste when they're not loaded with ameliorates. I like it okay, but it takes some getting used to. The closest thing I can equate it to is Peterson's Sherlock Holmes. Mild, pleasant, cool smoking, but full enough to get a good taste. Perhaps I'll do to Former's Private Flake what I did with the Sherlock the next time I smoke it: Drink a good bourbon or dark rum with it. I've found that flavorful dark liquors such as whiskeys and rums bring out the full rich flavors in Virginia blends. All in all, I'd say it's a solid choice. It tastes pretty damn good. Oh, and for all you Aromatic puffers out there who are trying to like English blends but don't like the Latakia? Try this. I'ts a far cry away from the wet smoking, flavor-loaded Aromatic tobaccos that tend to smell better than they taste, and it certainly doesn't kick your tongue where it counts with overpowering Spice Tobaccos. Very good transition blend. Don't worry, it doesn't bite or pack the punch of Latakia, so if you want a gentle, natural, English blend, you will most certainly not be disappointed with Former's Private Flake. Sounds like Mr. Nielson knows what the hell he's doing when it comes to pipes.

Very nice.

A "plain" tobacco with a very pleasant taste.

One of my favourites.

I recently obtained a small sample of this blend straight from the tin. The tin aroma is intriguing with a strong Virginia aroma plus a casing that is not that noticeable. This is a light colored blend. There are light ribbons and flakes with a bit of a somewhat darker but still light ribbon components. This looks like a blend that is really going to bite. As soon as the flame hit, I immediately became aware of a strong aromatic that was not that noticeable in the pouch. The taste was familiar. I have to rely on a 30 year old memory for it has been that long since I smoked a blend with this flavor. The taste is somewhere between Erinmore Flake and Mixture 79, or even a combination of both. The description reads "The casing conists of several extracts like fig-tree-fruit,tamarind, nut, truffle, apple syrup finally rounded with Irish Top-flavour". Add to that description a hint of Irish Spring soap. Whereas Erinmore and #79 leave unpleasant memories, Private Label is a little more subdued. I don't mind this as much. And, there is bite, but a little less than I expected. It burns clean and dry to a darkish gray ash. I would not mind smoking this on rare occasion, but it would not be a regular for me. I would only smoke this in a Meerschaum. The aromatic will flavor a briar, and be very hard to remove. I can possible recommend this to those that do not find Erinmore overbearing. If the thought of Erinmore Flake heads you for the exits, pass on this.

First, considering the Danish tradition of pipe tobacco, this is not exactly an aromatic in the popular sense. It is a traditional Virginia blend with a very mild toping on it. What that toping is was very hard to figure out without reading the description. It had a bit of a sharp note of some type of liquor and a citrus casing, but aside from that, it felt like a mishmash of all kinds of things.

It was also hard to keep lit and caused some tongue bite and so I found that crumbling the flake and living it about 30-40 minutes to dry did the job. That also made most of the toping disappear, but that's alright with me.

What was left was grass and citrus. The Burley is only noticeable as an ingredient that rounds up the whole thing and prevents a tongue bite.

Once dried up, it was easy to pack and smoke without any relights. The smoke was similar to many Mac Baren and Kohlhase & Kopp Virginia blends. It was a nice smooth grassy and citrusy blend with an added sweetness. The sweetness disappeared towards the end and I found that I got the most out of the blend in a small bowl.

It smokes at a moderate pace and only worked for me as an all-day blend once left to dry. Otherwise, it required constant attention to keep it lit.

Mild in body and strength, not complex, unless you try to figure out the cocktail of added flavors.

Without drying it up it's an ok blend. Once I prepared it the way I like it it was a pretty good one. But there are many others that I like a little better such as Capstan and John Aylesbury Classic Flake and so I'll leave this one three stars.