J. F. Germain & Son Germain's Medium Flake

I am a huge fan of Germain. Be it their Esoterica, Smoker's Haven or in-house tobaccos, I consider them my favourite blender by a large margin.

Does that mean that Medium Flake is amazing? Well, no. Is it good? Well, yes. Really good? Well, kind of. It's subtle, fruity, and I love the cut. If you don't know Germain, you have to understand that the way they cut tobacco is rather unique. Their flakes look like shag. Their ribbons look hair-thin. Their cakes look like ribbons. Uncanny.

Back to Medium Flake. It's a fine, mild, fruit-flavored VA. Tin-note reminds me of fresh pineapple juice. But that's about it. Do yourself a favour. Get a tin of Capstan Gold instead and buy yourself a cold one with the remaining change. If you're expecting an epiphany with Medium Flake because it's Germain, you're in for a slight disappointment.

That's the problem with Germain. Now that everybody is fighting to get a tin, most forget that they also do tobaccos that are just fine without being incredibly good.

Having had a string of Germain's tobaccos recently, I picked this one for no particular reason other than not already having tried it. Given the appreciation I've developed for all the other offerings I have sampled, I had some expectation for this, I'm not sure this met or fulfilled the anticipation but am not completely disappointed.

The tin aroma was very pleasant, possibly lemon with hints of pineapple perhaps, made me think a little of Holger Danske's Royal Navy Flake with the flakes looking not too dissimilar. The tobacco rubs out just fine and lights just as well. The fruity flavour comes through nicely initially, not wildly exciting, just nice. A little of the tobacco comes through, but it's not hugely noticeable. This pleasantness, though does dip about a half to two thirds into the bowl into some kind of... mild unpleasantness is the only phrase that springs to mind, not sure if I can place it but there becomes a certain roughness and mucky taste to it that brings the the whole smoke down a peg or two.

I've found myself getting strangely bored of this. That first half of the smoke is pleasant enough, might have been enough to warrant three stars of it kept on going to the bottom of the smoke. That last third to a half though, while not necessarily that bad per se, is enough the bring the smoke down a notch. It's telling that, judging by the info above, that this is the only Germain's I've had that hasn't been blended by them and simply carries the badge. Will I buy this again? Probably not. Would I smoke it if I got given it? Probably, and I'd enjoy it in much the same vain as I have now. Two stars is about right.

A light to mid brown flake, I'd say 100% Virginias, and the tin note having some citrus quality to it. The cut is thin, like flakes used to be before the EU "1.5mm or more thick or get taxed at the much higher cigarette rate" rule came in. Maybe Germain's get away with the cut because although Jersey is a possession of the British Crown, the British monarch being Duke of Normandy since 1066, Jersey isn't part of the UK or EU. Anyway, on with the tobacco.

Very easy to load, though does take a few lights to get going. I bought a couple of tins of this while looking for a replacement for Orlik Golden SLoced which Orlik ceased selling into the UK a couple of years ago. And there is a definite similarity to OGS. The citrus notes are quite pronounced, whether from a topping or the tobacco itself.

As a mild, light flake it's very good. However...

Firstly, this tobacco bites like no other and does so ferociously. I can't smoke it at all without a filter and even with one have to smoke very carefully. I normally don't use filters and smoke a lot of Va based flake, but for Germain's Medium Flake I've found a filter or Peterson system pipe is essential.

Secondly, I have had the current tin I'm smoking open for a couple of months now and the contents are showing little to no signs of drying out. Which makes me suspect there's a humectant added to keep it moist - which may well be making the bite problem worse. I've not encountered this with any other Germain blend I've smokes, and I smoke a lot of their Brown Flake and Perique mixture. I've seen it said that Medium Flake isn't produced by Germain's but is made for them by one of the big European manufacturers. True or not, I don't know, but the blend and humectant do remind me of Danish-style aromatics.

If this didn't bite me like mad I'd give it three stars. But because of the bite I'll say I certainly recommend it as a tobacco worth trying if you like light Va flakes, but be aware that you might not get on with it.

My review of Medium Flake is based on tins that are eight and fourteen years old, so put it in the “for what it’s worth” category. Not uncommon with Germain flakes, it can be difficult to remove the entire flake from the tin. I use look thin strips to pack each bowl. The tin note is inviting. There are more high notes in this blend offering some hay like flavor. It’s straightforward in flavor and medium in body. Surprisingly, even with age, the overall sweetness is lacking compared to other similarly aged flakes. I am less than impressed with the overall taste although those that prefer more hay-like flavor may disagree. Medium Flake seems to follow a similar pattern with Germain blends for me personally in that I find the products that they produce under other names (Smoker’s Haven, Esoterica etc) to be more of an attraction for me.

First, I don't get any of the "Fruit" flavor. I was expecting that orange or lemon flavoring but I can't find any, the tin note is apricots. That being said, this is good tobacco on its own. A well mellowed Virginia that smokes cool, no bite and a sweet flavor. Although it is listed as "Medium" this has plenty of flavor and "N" for the first 2/3 of the bowl. I would call this a rubbed out flake that has been pressed again into the tin ( Oh, great little tin that seals well and can be slipped in your pocket). Allow this to breath and dry a few weeks to bring out the best. It doesn't have the high notes of say a Mac's Virginia #1 or the "green" flavor of Orliks "red", but it is good. I find that it loses sweetness as you get to the last 1/3 of the bowl and gets ashy. I would rate this as a 2 1/2 star as it has a slight snuff component that I don't care for.

Oranges, thats the impression I get, I've just lit up a bowl of orange Juice ! then it settles down, but with still a note of orange, eventualy this too dissipates leaving an o.k. virginia tobacco taste, but not a dramatic one. I waited a long time to try this and was sadly dissapointed. I will finish the tin, it is certainly smokeable, but I will not be buying more. Therefore, two stars if you like orange flavour for starters before the rather, and I hate to say this, insipid main course.

Final note: As with many others who tried this, I found the contents to have been cut in the flake style, but to have settled into a solid brick.

Earthy hay with a topping of citrus and slightly darker fruit, possibly apricot. Minimal sweetness and a touch of spice. A floral hint on occasion. The earthy hay tends to take over in the second half of the bowl. It's a decent smoke, but that second half tends to bore me.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavorings are mild. Burns very well.

This flake comes packed tightly in the tin, and pulls off easily in long strips. Rubbing it out yields a nice blonde/straw colored shag that packs without effort. Some drying time is definitely required. The tin scent is of rich lemon cake. The lemon topping comes through in the taste for the char light, and for the first 1/3 of the bowl. The VA gives nice gentle notes of earth and dried hay. The last third of every bowl I smoked gave a peppery tingle on the tongue and palate. The smell is light tobacco, and this one got no complaints from bystanders. This blend is mild-medium in body and will bite if not sipped judiciously. I wont be buying this particular blend again.

smokeable out of the tin, granted you can decipher the single flakes... it's all one big wad of flakes that are hard to take apart without breaking each. that's not too bad though. it's very soft, not too moist, not too dry. perfect.

the tin aroma is delicious - it smells of figs and raisins and hay, like most virginia flakes I know (so far).

and that's pretty much the taste as well. kinf of citrusy, kind of hay-like, kind of sweet, but not overwhelmingly so.

it's easy to fold and stuff and then light with two matches. it stays lit the whole way down. it smokes sort of quickly for a flake, because the strands you manage to get out are long and thin. almost like a fine or shag cut.

it's nothing special, but I still enjoy it very much when I do smoke it.

great on a really hot summer day. not 3 stars because it's not that special. good, not bad, not supergood.