Former Straight Grain Flake

Nice!

The flakes are broken and rub out easily if that is your preference (it is mine). The Perique comes through in gentle, soft waves while the Virginia is more demanding of your attention. I can't place my finger on the flavor as it is quite unique. Oriental undertones? Nah.

I think this will be a wonderful tobacco after a few years in the cellar. It's just a smidgen rough around the edges but provides an otherwise stellar smoke.

I must give Former's other offerings a try - and soon.

The appearance in the tin of this blend is similar to Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake but a lot darker. The tin aroma is a mix of the dark, tangy, sweet Virginias along with the underlying spice of the perique. There is also a hint of leather in there as well. This is one of my favorite smelling blends in the tin. It doesn't really smell like any other blend. I opened several other Vapers and stuck my nose in all of them and none of them smelled as good to me as this one.

I rubbed out the flake a little but to dry for a few minutes before packing this in. I have started using the Air Pocket Method for my flakes and broken flakes and that is what I used with this blend. I smoked this in a Peterson 268 Zulu shape as it seems the best for me with this blend.

Lighting was very easy. Once rubbed out this blend is made up of very narrow strips of tobacco which take to flame very easily. This blend has a very dark Virginia taste to start off with. There are some lighter flavored Virginias in there that provide high notes, perhaps Red or maybe even Lemon Virginia. I'm not sure but they are delicious. The perique is there in the background but it really comes to the forefront after about 1/3 of the bowl. Then it kicks in and rounds this blend out very nicely.

It has a fuller taste and strength than a lot of the blends in this showdown. Now this is not to say that this is a nicotine bomb like Night Train seems to be but it is definitely more full than any of the Hearth and Home blends. The taste and strength last through the rest of the bowl and never turns sour near the end.

Overall this is a very, very enjoyable blend. While it is not my favorite smoke it is definitely in my regular rotation. It is also one of the better bargains out there and I will be ordering more tins throughout the years to lie down in the cellar. This will be one that really gets better with age in my opinion.

I did not find this as full tasting as other reviewers.

My one tin of Straight Grain Flake had 4-5 years of age on it. The nose on opening was of tobacco & fruit - especially apples - and some plum notes. The flakes were slightly messy and broken, with lots of black, brown and blonde colours. This is great smelling stuff in the tin, if you like those sorts of smells.

Lightup is sharp and bit thin - lots of citrus and apple tastes coming through. SGF really responds well to some resting time, and that is how I tended to consume it. The apple additive was tenacious, only dispersing after the half-way point of a bowl. The overall presentation is of a decent va/per, a bit stringent, but certainly in the 'good' spectrum. Nicotine strength was below medium for me, and the blend required an easy hand in stoking - lots of potential for bite here if overpuffed.

I enjoyed my tin, but find many other va/per offerings reach greater heights than this, so I will not be in a hurry to restock.

3 stars seems fair.

Very nice tobacco! East to light, burn well and a great taste! I got and old tin! I think is it about 10 years old. Absolutly no toungebite at all!

I cellared 5 tins of this dated from 2005. The age has darkened the tobacco quite a bit. This comes across as a spicy VaPer with definite sour notes. I do not like it as much as the Former Cross Grain Flake, which is milder and sweeter, so I am going to let the remaining tins age for a couple of more years before trying it again.

I really like this tobacco. It is a wonderful Virginia perique mixture. Upon opening the tin you are hit with pungent aroma of fine aged Virginia and a deep and I mean deep odor of prune/raisin. There seems to be an added flavoring to this blend and I would guess it is prune juice. I say that because the prune fragrance is very dominating. If I'm wrong on that point then the perique must be plentiful and of the highest caliber. This is similar to St. Bruno just a wee bit milder,however the main difference being Bruno is obviously very British and this is, well not. For those of you who smoke English made tobaccos you probably know where I'm coming from. Great smoke, great vaper. Come to think of it, this blend is an older brother to Royal Jersey Perique and a younger brother to St. Bruno flake. Highly Recommended.

Unlike certain well-known people with no redeeming qualities who nonetheless attempt to dominate the public consciousness through the leasing of their already over-promoted name, Former actually does have talent and actually does produce quality work deserving of his reputation. This is why I thought it odd to find a blend with his name on it. A cheap marketing ploy? Does he actually smoke this stuff himself? I remain skeptical.

Otherwise, this blend is good. Maybe not deserving of the name we associate with some of the finest pipe craftmanship in the world, but not terrible. Perique people will very much like that the perique is very round, fruity, and forward in both tin aroma and flavor. The VAs are on the bright end of the spectrum and are frequently overshadowed by the PER. Slight topping too - nothing that steps forward, but there is definitely an additive that leaves "that" sour-dryness on the tongue. I agree with Jimijinks, I would not be surprised to learn of some small amount of Cavendish hidden in there somewhere.

The flakes are broad, as you'd find with Dan tobacco. Moisture is right, behaves very well. In all, not a YUGE, GREAT blend, but I'm not SAD I tried it!

I have highest respect for Former, his carving skills are undoubtedly superb. One would not judge of personal taste however, because that is subjective. This blend is a vaper indeed however it feels and taste young. Nevertheless it do taste good but just harsh around the edges. The flakes comes in the tin broken not ready rubbed and dry enough to pick and pack. Burns slow and relatively cool to fine ash, mildly sweet and it certainly have a casing of some sort (think erinmore vs grousemoor) but not as strong, more detectable in tin note, if thats off putting to you then be warned. Dan tobacco genre is typical just like any other manufacturer and if you like their flakes you will love this one because it is a refined version. It did not knock me out so it not heavy but then again that make it an all day puffer. Al janabi