Details
| Brand | Wessex |
| Series | Brigade |
| Blended By | Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.54 / 4
|
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 11 - 20 of 65 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 28, 2015 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
This has the very best tin note in recent memory. Maybe raisin? Not exactly sure, but fruit and, well, tobacco smelling in the very best way. I rubbed this out pretty fine and packed loosely. Easy packing, single light burned for almost half the bowl until I had to set it down and do a thing. Moisture was a little wet, but a loose pack had me fine without drying it any further. No gurgle.
I'm slowly coming around to straight Virginias after years of VaPer love, blends like this make it a tremendous ride. I've been buying and trying a lot in the Virginia family for the last year or so after few really great Va smokes, this being the new favorite. It's my first time with Wessex and I lucked upon this for a great price in a smoke shop that sells a lot of cigarettes . I'm saying its new, because I didn't age it, though I imagine the seller has had this for some time.
There may be a flavor, I said mild because I don't trust my tongue enough, but it's definitely a sweet smoke. Fruity, but not in a way I would immediately think of as cased. Dark, like a fig or a fruit infused chocolate. There are definite hay notes, but very little of the citrus I think of with some Virginias. It's a not very complex, malty sweetness. Molasses has been a descriptor before and I won't argue it. Hard to say this, but very clean tasting giving a brightness to it, though I'm repeatedly saying it's a darker flavor. I hope that made sense.
Room note raised no complaints, though no compliments either. Grey/white ash and it was fairly even through the bowl, only muting somewhat in the middle half, and by muting I mean it lost a hair of the cleanliness I already poorly described. The flavors went perhaps mono-chromatic for a few minutes. In the first three bowls I smoked I had a similar experience. The last two it stayed clear throughout, perhaps even a little brighter, Apple sweet, toward the bottom.
No tremendous nicotine hit, no tongue bite. Again, I packed it looser than I thought I should and it seems to have payed off.
Very highly recommended and I'll buy this when I can find it.
I'm slowly coming around to straight Virginias after years of VaPer love, blends like this make it a tremendous ride. I've been buying and trying a lot in the Virginia family for the last year or so after few really great Va smokes, this being the new favorite. It's my first time with Wessex and I lucked upon this for a great price in a smoke shop that sells a lot of cigarettes . I'm saying its new, because I didn't age it, though I imagine the seller has had this for some time.
There may be a flavor, I said mild because I don't trust my tongue enough, but it's definitely a sweet smoke. Fruity, but not in a way I would immediately think of as cased. Dark, like a fig or a fruit infused chocolate. There are definite hay notes, but very little of the citrus I think of with some Virginias. It's a not very complex, malty sweetness. Molasses has been a descriptor before and I won't argue it. Hard to say this, but very clean tasting giving a brightness to it, though I'm repeatedly saying it's a darker flavor. I hope that made sense.
Room note raised no complaints, though no compliments either. Grey/white ash and it was fairly even through the bowl, only muting somewhat in the middle half, and by muting I mean it lost a hair of the cleanliness I already poorly described. The flavors went perhaps mono-chromatic for a few minutes. In the first three bowls I smoked I had a similar experience. The last two it stayed clear throughout, perhaps even a little brighter, Apple sweet, toward the bottom.
No tremendous nicotine hit, no tongue bite. Again, I packed it looser than I thought I should and it seems to have payed off.
Very highly recommended and I'll buy this when I can find it.
Pipe Used:
Various
PurchasedFrom:
Local b&m
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 20, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Im surprised this doesnt get straight 4 stars. I mean if there are better straight Virginia flakes out there I'd like to see them. It is simply sublime. That is, if you are a Virginia flake smoker. Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake has always been sort of the gold standard, rightly or not (though its very very good, no question) but this might be better. Reminds me, too, of Butera's stoved Virginia. Its a very complex smoke for a straight Va. A lot of deep buried sweetness, fruity at times, and the flavors come in layers. If there is a casing (and many confuse fermentation for casing) it is very very very mild. One could accuse every Va flake of having some casing (as Greg Pease pointed out)...but this , if it is there, is extremely mild. I dont think there is one...I think its the natural pressing and ferment. McClelland's Blackwoods is similar, too. This is stoved, and hence there is a quality of fermented sweetness but I detected no casing. The nic hit is about the same as Blackwoods and a bit more than FVF. doesnt ever lose flavor. Just a great Virginia flake.
The pantheon of Virginia flakes: Gawith's FVF, Pease's Union Square, McClelland's 1776 and Blackwoods Flake, and Astley #44...and probably Butera's dark. Maybe half of McClelland's flakes inf act. This is as good as those. Id say 1776 might actually be best tasting, while Union Square is the strongest....but smooth all the same.But Wessex...a darker flake, like Astley's...is the equal. Not as strong as the Pease...but more so than FVF I think. I might add JF Germains medium flake, too. These are the best out there IMHO.
The pantheon of Virginia flakes: Gawith's FVF, Pease's Union Square, McClelland's 1776 and Blackwoods Flake, and Astley #44...and probably Butera's dark. Maybe half of McClelland's flakes inf act. This is as good as those. Id say 1776 might actually be best tasting, while Union Square is the strongest....but smooth all the same.But Wessex...a darker flake, like Astley's...is the equal. Not as strong as the Pease...but more so than FVF I think. I might add JF Germains medium flake, too. These are the best out there IMHO.
PurchasedFrom:
4noggins
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 09, 2004 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Scrumptious. In structure, this is similar to Marlin Flake: a long strand of flake coiled up inside the silver Brigade Series tin, darker in color, with bits and pieces of an almost black hue. It is supple and easy to break up and light. Not as tasty as Marlin Flake, and a tad stronger, it nevertheless delivers a wonderful Virginia flavor that hovers somewhere in between Astley?s 109 (with a lot more body) and Gawith?s Full Virginia Flake (smoother, deeper).
The quality of this tobacco is unimpeachable. It burns evenly, without a bite. The flavor remains consistent throughout most of the bowl, but it is not a boring smoke; every now and then there are notes of roasted chestnuts and a slightly bitter sweetness, that provide a greater density without making it overwhelming. Personally I am fonder of Astley?s 44 or Rattray?s Hal O? the Wynd, but this comes as a close second.
Dark Flake is a very rewarding medium to full bodied smoke. If inclined to straight Virginias, I am sure you will find this tobacco delectable. Highly recommended.
The quality of this tobacco is unimpeachable. It burns evenly, without a bite. The flavor remains consistent throughout most of the bowl, but it is not a boring smoke; every now and then there are notes of roasted chestnuts and a slightly bitter sweetness, that provide a greater density without making it overwhelming. Personally I am fonder of Astley?s 44 or Rattray?s Hal O? the Wynd, but this comes as a close second.
Dark Flake is a very rewarding medium to full bodied smoke. If inclined to straight Virginias, I am sure you will find this tobacco delectable. Highly recommended.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 26, 2014 | Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
The description on the tin is maybe for the past rendition. There are molasses and a cocoa topping, or should I say casing, that you can smell from the tin and it faithfully translates into the smoke. A meaty broken flake that looks very good but unfortunately comes short of a pure and true brown flake Virginia. It's cloying sweet, with cocoa accents and not much else. This is what a quality Aromatic should taste like, but I was supposedly smoking a " Dark brown Virginia, full bodied and smooth". After managing to get my hands on a tin and waiting on purpose to savor it... well you can imagine my disappointment.
Update: After some drying up, the sweet/cocoa topping is receding and this allows for a better smoke, closer to what a Virginia Brown Flake is supposed to taste for me.
Virginia lover
Update: After some drying up, the sweet/cocoa topping is receding and this allows for a better smoke, closer to what a Virginia Brown Flake is supposed to taste for me.
Virginia lover
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 24, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Considering all the fuzz raised about this tobacco, I must admit I was fairly disappointed with Dark Flake. I have patiently monitored online retailers' websites in order to grab some. After almost a year, I was able to secure 6 tins at Pipe & Leaf. I cannot think but make a link with another tobacco making waves - Dan Tobacco's Hamborger Veermaster - which has also deeply disappointed me. Don't get me wrong, Dark Flake is not bad. But it did not amaze me, considering the efforts I deployed to get some. I think it's very similar to Rattray Marlin Flake as I can see, and taste, the Black Cavendish in it. But it's not dark in colour over all. At least, it does not bite. It's not quite sweet and not quite spicy; i will not deny the quality as it's obvious. But it's nothing to go crazy over, in my modest opinion.
Pipe Used:
Rattray
PurchasedFrom:
Somewhere
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 20, 2012 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Original Review- This is an excellent Virginia flake. Mature with a nice molasses sweetness, no bite, smooth and easy to smoke. I found this to be great on the relight as it doesn't get ashy. Sweeter than Samuel Gawith's Best brown and I will use this as a substitute for Solani Silver Flake depending on price.
Updated 2/7/15- I've been trying to obtain more of this blend over the past year and it has been in very low supply. The new batch, that I just obtained, was a disappointment. I find it kind of bland and lacking in sweetness. Perhaps my initial tin had more age . I will have to cellar this batch. I'm moving this down to 3 stars
After 6 months cellar time ,this is still a disappointment from my original tin. Is Wessex taking some shortcuts to meet supply ? Still 3 stars
Updated 2/7/15- I've been trying to obtain more of this blend over the past year and it has been in very low supply. The new batch, that I just obtained, was a disappointment. I find it kind of bland and lacking in sweetness. Perhaps my initial tin had more age . I will have to cellar this batch. I'm moving this down to 3 stars
After 6 months cellar time ,this is still a disappointment from my original tin. Is Wessex taking some shortcuts to meet supply ? Still 3 stars
Pipe Used:
cob
Age When Smoked:
new/6 months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2011 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is a wonderful flake. In the tin it has the new mowed hay aroma consistent with aged Virginia. The tobacco is mottled with black, red and bright leaf. I let the tobacco dry for a day, finding it improves the smoke greatly. It burns well to a dry white ash, rubbed out or chunky. I really enjoyed this flake - It was smooth, sweet, cool and complex from top to bottom with a variety of wonderful flavors. This is a top shelf tobacco.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 06, 2006 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake along with Old Gowrie are my first straight Virginia blends. I agree with Pipestud, Gae and Tantric. This is a great blend. Like OG, BCDF is a very nice change from the Latakia blends that I normally smoke, and will be a definite addition to my tobacco rotation. Great flavor, cool and clean burning. I tasted what I perceive to be an oats and molasses flavor, very nice. Every pipe smoker should try this at least once, if nothing more than to try a quality blend with no casing and no artificial flavoring. Those new to the pipe might be forewarned, however. Smoke it gently at first, or you will learn what tongue bite is. Being a pipe smoker for over 30 years, I experienced no problems with bite, heat, or gurgle.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 23, 2022 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Does campaign dark flake surprise me? Does it stray in any way from the German/Danish tradition of lightly flavored and thoroughly consistent if sometimes boring monochromatic virginia flakes? Nope.. not at all.. it fits right along side dunhill dark flake, astley 44, and marlin flake.. a virginia delicately trained to spotlight the deeper chocolate and molasses side of virginia.. maybe just a touch of spice and underlying fruitiness.. Although it doesn't surprise, it is tasty.. Maybe even a sweet treat.. Does it deserve the high praise it gets? In my opinion, not really.. it isn't something that requires any special thought or analysis.. just a decent smoke with a nice dark tone.. surely will improve with age.. Im neither disappointed nor deeply impressed.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 2018 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Sometimes a blend doesn't have to be complex to excite you and this one is a great example.once the tin breaks a very natural aroma consisted of grass ,sweet and sour notes comes out.the flakes are very manageable either to rub or to fold with a bit moisture so some drying time helps with the packing and the lighting.while burning the flavours are clear and very natural.grass,citruses,sour and bread notes from the brown virginias combine well with dark fruits,earth and molasses that come from the dark virginias.the sweetness of the blend is more than expected so i guess a mild sweet topping is added that works very well with the tobacco flavours without tonning them down.generally the flavours are very natural and satisfying .burns slow and medium hot to total ash with a lot moisture being created at the filter.the nicotine level is medium and the aftertaste pleasant.room note is ok withput a chance of tongue bite.an all day easy going and very smooth blend !totally recommended!
Age When Smoked:
1 year cellared
target="_blank"
