Mac Baren Original Flake

Rather close to St-Bruno RR, but less strong. Again, the strength in nicotine overrules the actual taste of the tobacco. If you enjoy St-bruno then I believe you will enjoy this offering as well. For British OTC, I will stick with the excellent Condor RR and Long Cut.

Walnut Flake is a strong, mildly scented tobacco. Though the scenting is mild it is tenacious. Not only does it become a durable resident in the pipe, affecting many subsequent smokes, it also affects the palate and, on the day, you taste any other tobacco through the imprint of Walnut Flake. You either like the scenting, or not.

The flakes come dry and crumble easily. They burn very well and slowly, but very cool, leaving a very fine, dry ash. Inspite of these virtues the over-all experience is of a somewhat coarse, unrefined smoke. I have smoked this blend after seven and a half years. Those years seem not to have made any difference to the tobacco.

A little dissapointed in this one, instead of tobacco, all I got was soap and berries, all be it somewhat mildly, but enough for me to not want to try it again after only one pipe full and discard the rest. This may ring some bells, but not mine

Febuary 2004. Ogdens Walnut Flake. The flakes look good and smell great,not to moist and not to dry. I have twisted folded and also tried rubbing out the flakes when loading the pipe bowl,any technique results in easy lighting and smoking. Taste is definitely virginia with the added taste of burley bringing a low key spice to the almost even background.The virginia and burley two go well hand in hand compilmenting each other. The taste is consistant right to the bottom of the bowl leaving a grey white ash. If your looking for a very simple tobacco that offers old world charm and without all the additives and sweetners,then this may very well be it. Contains a very earthy taste right to the bottom of the bowl,which maybe a little dull to some. If you have a sweet-tooth look else-where. 4 out of 10.

Smells like St Bruno, tastes like St Bruno and vice versa.

The pouch note is more vinegar than plums and figs, there is not the nearest hint of any walnuts. There seems to be something going on whereby one blend of tobacco is being sold under various names by different companies which makes me think they are all made the same, in the same factory but that could just be my old, cynical side coming out to play.

There’s not much to separate this from Bruno or, for that matter, Condor long cut original, which is a shame.

It’s nice enough but I think it was probably better when Ogden’s made it but I can’t be certain because I never tried the old blend.

Update - I have now had this jarred up for nearly two years and there are some interesting developments. There is a floral/fruity note that now comes in to dance on the tongue. It is similar to SB but it has a different finish - I am finding it quite sour when a lot is smoked in one go. This is definitely becoming a blend that I can enjoy lighting, taking a gentle chuff or two and then letting it sit. I find I can repeat this until the bowl is finished and have a more enjoyable smoke. To the reviewer who said “can leave a flavour in the mouth that no other tobacco can move” I agree - the flavour is one that hangs around for quite sometime but that, with constant smoking, may well become the flavour that keeps me coming back.

This flake is cut very nicely, but it somewhat dry.

The smell is quite sweet, hints of toffee I would say.

Rubbing is quite easy, filling the pipe as well.

I don't know if it is a coincidence, but there is a certain nutty flavour to the smoke. But also, it is somewhat bitter, and since the flake is a bit too dry, I felt that the smoke was slightly just slightly hot.

It is a nice tobacco to try, but honestly, nothing too special about it.

What is this talk of Lakeland scents this is a British industrial flake tobacco nothing more nothing less. Made for the masses in the 60s and still being produced as a poor copy. There are much better tobaccos to be had than this. Just because it is hard to get in the states doesn't mean it is good!! Buy condor long cut instead if you want a good working class British traditional tobacco. This I am afraid falls way short of the mark.

I can't get excited about Walnut flake.

I suppose if you like Bruno flake then you should try this too. If your tobacconist stocks this then they probably also stock something more interesting as well.

Notes: This is a sample of the readily available British flake, which after a period of unavailability is again being manufactured by the British tobacco conglomerate, Imperial. Not available at all in the USA, it should not be confused with the American drugstore blend by Middleton, also named Walnut, but being an entirely different blend. I smoked this in a few pipes and it seemed rather the same in all of them. I enjoyed it most in a Size 4 patent Dunhill with a large bore shank.

Appearance: A firmly pressed four-inch flake of light to dark brown with some deep reddish strands here and there. The individual strands are fairly thin and the tobacco rubs out very easily. It gives the appearance of being a fairly solid block or plug, having some density.

Aroma: The first thing I thought of was the old red leather booths at the diner in the town where I grew up. Ripe black cherries, milk chocolate, damp autumn leaves after raking, river stones drying in the sun, the embers of the campfire in the morning, Jamaican cigars, tree bark.

Taste: Walnuts. Walnut shells. Walnut oil. The flavor was a big surprise, as the aroma did not suggest it. The first thing I thought was: Ugh! I won?t be able to finish this! My mouth was expecting something similar to St. Bruno based on the smell and appearance, but instead it tasted like I had just eaten a big mouthful of stale cigar butts and campfire ashes. After disconnecting my mind from my expectations, however, I could taste the tobacco on its own terms. Not at all sweet. Undertones of cigar leaf and iodine. Somehow capturing every aspect of walnuts: dry shells, slightly bitter oils, and rich savory nut meats. It burns quickly if you rub it out fully. It is rich and satisfying to the palate. It has some nicotine in it, but is not at all overwhelming.

Comparisons: This is like St. Bruno?s in its burning characteristics but not in the flavor, which is far more austere and not at all sweet -- less of that sweet cherry topping that gives St. Bruno its Virginia sweetness enhancement,d espite its being a burley-heavy blend. It reminds me of the Dunhill blend, Mr. Alfred?s Own, with it?s stale seaweed-y cigar leaf flavor.

Bottom Line: A nice traditional British burley-Virginia pressed flake. If you found St. Bruno and Condor too sweet and strong, this is a possibility. If you have a love for the now long-gone cigar leaf blends, like Dunhill?s Mr. Alfred?s Own or Cuba, this is definitely a blend you ought to try as it really evokes that flavor in some ways. As for me, stiff upper lip, I?ll get by without somehow.