Peter Heinrichs Dark Strong Flake

There is something very special about this tobacco. The tin note is amazing...like a sugary bread baking. That sweet yeastiness comes though in the flavor as well. While not overly stout, there is a strength to this blend that some may find overwhelming. Smoked as a flake, the flavors are subdued. Rubbed out, its a myriad or sweetness and smokiness. The flakes tend to fall apart, separating into small, narrow flakes, of alternating light and dark. One of the best tobaccos out there...

Wow, the reviews are all over the place for this baccy. I for one, absolutely love this blend and have spent the last 6 weeks finding as many tins as I could buy. In fact, I have smoked this almost exclusively for 6-7 weeks. I find the taste full with little nicotine. I love Petersons Perfect Plug and Old Dark Fired but the nic hit is too much for me. If all I could smoke was this and McClellands Christmas Cheer 2011, I would be a happy camper. 2/21/2016- here it is almost two years after my first review of this tobacco and I still love it. I do get some inconstancies from tin to tin but not necessarily in a bad way. Aging does help to mellow this tobacco and most of my tins have been aging two years or more. Still a favorite, one I like to stop smoking for a month or so and then have a bowl which brings back the full flavor that seems to dull on any tobacco that is smoked often.

This is one of a kind. The square flakes with one half dark and one half light is unique in my book.

I had ordered Orlik's Dark Kentucky once and then been told that it was discontinued. So I was happy to hear this was the same manufactured fo PH.

I found the tin a bit difficult to open with a coin. The tin aroma reminded me of Amphora Black Cavendish: licorice. The flakes were on the dry side and ready to smoke immediately.

The DFK has a good presence that envelops the tongue with a taste of aged BU - nutty & spicy - and I can taste the licorice which is not overwhelming but definitively present.

Smokes well, has a sweet side from the casing and does not bite.

I like this flake very much. It brings a nice balance between my liking for an aromatic and a tobacco without a casing. And the vitamin N is just right.

This is my 1st venture into the world of P.H.tobaccos. First off, love the paint can tin! Seems to seal better than most onced opened. The cut of the tobak is beautiful as it is similar to others in this category. Upon opening the tin, it is a bit on the moist...and yes fruity side. After the charring light, it is a bit spunky but, can be tamed with a slower draw. It seems I have to really hit this one to get any real flavor going. Just not what I expected but, who knows, a little more age might do it justice. Only available in 200g/100g tins. Silver Flake is a better choice IMO.

This is a great blend, which would have 4 stars had I not tried Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky while finishing this one up. The two are very similar; however, I like the Orlik offering better. Under a strict reading of recommended and highly recommended, I feel it only right to offer one of these four stars and that will be the Orlik by the slightest difference.

Both of these flakes look identical. A squarish flake that might as well look like a slice from an oreo cookie with dark leaf sandwiching a light colored leaf in the middle. And although the appearance of a flake should be secondary to the performance and flavor, these are some pretty cool looking flakes. I can only assume the dark on the outside is the Kentucky and the lighter stuff, Virginia leaf.

With so much Kentucky in the mix one would likely expect it to overwhelm the palate. I believe this is where the mild molasses topping comes in to work with the Virginia to sweeten the experience. It is in the taste where I find the Orlik to excel by the slightest margin. I felt the Orlik offered a deeper and sweeter smoke than the PH offering. I tried them side by side and there was little doubt the Orlik was better to my tastes and YMMV.

As for strength, neither of these are wallflowers. If you don't like strong blends, you shouldn't order something called Dark Strong Flake. It is strong, but not overwhelming in the HH Bold Kentucky way. It is probably perfect in nicotine for myself. I noticed no difference in strength between this or the orlik.

So three stars for this one which would be 4 if I had never tried the Orlik product. If you like burley, you won't be disappointed with either one.

Exactly the same tobacco as Orlik's Dark Strong Kentucky, the only difference being that Orlik retains perfect unbroken flakes for the tins whereas this version by Heinrichs appears to be all the flakes that got broken in the manufacturing process. No harm in that - actually this Heinrichs version is the better buy because its the same tobacco in broken form and at a cheaper price.

The only other difference is that the Orlik version comes absolutely awash with a Molasses/Liquorice flavoring and is very wet in the tin; this Heinrichs version is slightly less wet but has the same flavoring.

Both tobaccos are easy to smoke, but the experience is close to an aromatic due to all the flavorings.

This seems very similar to Orlik's current version (see my recent review of it for tasting notes). The main difference here is the topping I think. This smokes hotter and seems to have a more predominate licorice taste which gets bitter at about the half way point. The room note seems more cigarette like and is not all that appealing. This is still a smoke that I could somewhat recommend to others who enjoy this blend type but there are better options out there and Orlik's is very similar if not identical save for the top note to this. I do prefer the Orkil version to this one hence a slightly lower rating.

Dark-fired Kentucky is perhaps my favorite base tobacco, so how could I not give this one a shot? My favorites are in the vein of Mac Barens ODF and BK and Petersons Irish Flake. Finally got it in stock after months of backorder, so I quickly snatched a 200g tin. Immediately on opening, I'm hit with a fragrant blast of anise/licorice heavily sweetened by molasses. It's not off-putting...I dig that aroma. Orlik dark strong Kentucky has much the same profile, and I enjoy it. The half and half tan and black flakes are mostly intact, and pretty neat to look at, but quite a bit thinner and more fragile than Orlik.

It's after lighting up that the disappointment begins to build with this one. The smoke is not billowy, but rather flat and thin. There's barely any flavor to savor either, and what flavor I do get tastes like slightly sour or bitter licorice, if you can even imagine what that would taste like. And hot hot....boy does this tobacco ever burn hot. I've smoked about half the tin in a plethora of different sized and shaped pipes, even cobs and meerschaum. I am here to say if this tobacco doesn't have the capability to cause a pipe burnout, I don't know what would. May as well pack your pipe with an oak ember and have at it. I never have gotten severely bitten, which I find odd (likely attributable to the alkalinity of burley), but the heat and dry mouth is enough for one negative experience.

I can't recommend this one, and I'm afraid I must give my first ever 1 star rating. As much as I hate to. But this simply is not even a slightly pleasant smoke...I've had bad aromatics I'd reach for before this. Give Orlik Dark Strong a try if you're in the mood to try something similar. I'm willing to bet the lack of availability is the only thing driving demand for PH.

UPDATE 7/31/16: Still working my way through that 200g tin, holding out hope I may find an acceptable smoke in there. No luck, however, this stuff gets more bitey the older it gets. Seeing the positive reviews, I've often wondered if maybe I just got a bad tin. Even if that were the case, however, I'd not buy this one again. I only buy from blenders who have good consistency. Not one to waste money or baccys, I've donated the remainder of this batch, although I felt almost bad for the recipient in doing so! Perhaps he'll find enjoyment, and perhaps my tongue will begin to heal from the torment and burn scars of my DSF experience.

Dark strong flake. Simply put is a virginia dark fired Kentucky flake. There is no casing on this tobacco and is simply a good tobacco taste. The sweetness of the Virginia and the smoke from the Kentucky leave you with a serious anise taste (black licorice). This is simply the best flake I have had and really a go to for flake lovers. The flakes are similar to the flakes in the smaller tins of orlik blends. I do believe this blend is made by orlik for Peter heinrichs. Overall a good tobacco for a pipe smoker looking for good tobacco taste.