Peter Heinrichs Dark Strong Flake

I am a noted Latakia fiend. This tobacco has none, so I had my doubts. I find the mild sweetness pleasant. When I retrohale I am reminded of old leather bound books. It is a cool smoke. This is the first non-Latakia blend I have like. I will buy more.

Reminds me of Orlik's D-K's little brother who just has not come of age, he's trying, but still can't get the girl, join the squad and has to stay home on weekends and play videogames all night. The flavor was ok, the burn and smoke volume were soso but if I had my druthers, I'd just smoke Orlik.

Smoke in peace, brothers and sisters of the leaf.

I enjoy this blend terribly. I get a slightly different experience with each pipe I try it with, and I am never displeased. And I have found the best way to smoke it. After a big draw, exhale half through the nose, then through the mouth. I swear that combination tastes just like a fresh cup of coffee!

This does indeed come in a nice paintcan tin and the seal is great. It is very attractive with the flakes being very light on one side and then darker on the other side of the same flake. This looks and smells just like Orlick's Dark Strong Kentucky, only this is sooooo flat...insipid...boring...a waste of time. I loved the aroma, but there was nothing for my palate. It burned well enough and yes there was some sort of sweet casing...maybe maple? I found this to be just so flat, so minimally satisfying that a second and third bowl did nothing, but start to give me slight tongue bite. This reminds me a great deal of MB's Navy Flake, another ho-hum flake. Decent volume of smoke, but not as much as I like. It burned well and relights counted not many. I won't be buying this again but thought the sweet/nutty aroma saved this blend and earned it two stars.

Note this review is based on tobacco as is now, not influenced by how it was in previous iterations. Tin note of sweet plummy dark fruit, spices and hay. Tobacco is a flake of light tobacco on top of dark tobacco on bottom, the light tobacco is tan and yellowish brown, and the dark tobacco is reddish brown and dark brown. Moisture content is great. No drying needed. Tobacco flakes need a little effort when rubbing out. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. Sweet plum/dark fruit topping detected; flavoring died relatively fast. Taste is medium and somewhat consistent, with notes of tart and tangy dark fruit, spices, dryness, floral peaty vegetation, mild nuts, bitter citrus peel/zest, very earthy, a mildly spicy, sweet fermented grassy background note, and a peppery retro. Cavendish treated Dark Fired Kentucky (guessing) is leading with Virginia supporting and Flavoring supporting very little. Room note is tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

I recently came back to pipes. I began smoking pipes in the Mid 70's when the Tinder Box stores were everywhere and it seemed only to stock aromatic, so there fore that is how I began. Over the years, I was in the US Navy for 21 years and of, course being a young lad got into cigarettes and then cigars. But now, I'm really enjoying pipes as a pleasant pleasure which evokes deep thought and a calmness when I relax. I just got a tin af PH dark strong. I've never smoked anything of this caliber and as I said earlier I was an ARO smoker. WOW WOW WOW, what a nick hit. But as I smoke it, the tobacco starts to take over with flavors that I recognize from my youth. Licorice, honey and a deep prune flavor. I'm enjoying the aroma and it has stayed lit very nicely with only a few relights at the onset. I rubbed it out and it packs very well. A new compliment to my new found love for pipes.

Presentation: Unabashedly simple. Something about it draws me to it. I have the 200g sized tin for this blend which does not come in the "paint can" tin. The top to this tin is akin to what would be on a G.L. Pease Blend.

Cut: Small, thin, neat flakes approximately 1.5 inches in length. Easy to rub out but upon rubbing out, it leaves a slightly sticky feeling on my fingers. Blend is a touch on the moist side.

Tin note: Has a creamy, dark fruity sweetness.

Tasting notes: On the draw it has a ketchupy sweetness, instantly after blowing out the smoke a spicebomb hits me. I love this but it might not be for everyone. This blend is spicy and will give your nose a tingle too! There a nice leathery note here and there as well. As the bowl progesses the sweetness goes away almost completely and a smokiness comes in. The spiciness stays consistent throughout. You will also find deep earthy notes here and there throughout the bowl.

Mechanics: It took me a while to get this blend evenly lit -- a minor annoyance but I'm sure with some dry time allowed it would light just fine. Takes a little effort keeping the blend lit.

Extra Remarks: Full flavor delicious blend. Not the most complex, but what it offers it does in spades. 4 stars.

3rdguy

I gave the Orlik version 3 stars, I would give this 3.25. Main difference to me is the licorice taste is a tad more palatable IMO. The Orlik I ended up finding had a more chemical note to it. You can get this in the 7oz tins so it may be a tad cheaper then Orlik version per ounce.

Good once in awhile smoke but nothing that I would personally cellar deep.

Peter Heinrichs- Dark strong flake

What an interesting mixture, jarred since JuL2019, a blend I have yet to acquaint myself with entirely, this long weekend should suffice.

Upon opening the jar I was greeted with a strong figgy, plum note mixed with syrup or molasses. I was completely unaware that these components made up the blend but upon closer examination I can see burley Kentucky and a long middle strip of cavendish. This blend comes in short rectangular flake and are easy to rub out. Has the appearance of orlik’s Kentucky flakes.

This has been sitting a little while and has dried appropriately but I still gave it an extra 15 minutes of air time, lights relatively easily and stays lit.

Initial light I get spiciness and some sweetness, I get a faint scent of licorice as the blend begins to burn down the bowl. The Kentucky is there but not bold, get more spiciness than the normal tobacco flavor.

This is a good change of pace blend for me, slightly aromatic but not overpowering. I will try the Orlik dark strong Kentucky as I suspect they could be related not just in appearance, if so that blend is the cheaper option by far.