Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake (No. 403)

I’ve smoked a lot of this stuff over the years, and I keep coming back for more.

The jar note is very sweet; bright grassy-citrus Virginia’s which are further sweetened by the cavendish. Not a lot of earthiness compared to other Virginia blends, and very little Perique detected.

The bright Virginia’s lead the way in the smoke, the Perique adding a little spice. I find this combination can get a little harsh and ashy when the tobacco is fresh, but it mellows out considerably when aged a bit. The cavendish is what really sets this blend apart. No matter how you prepare the coins, you always seem to hit a pocket of the stuff when smoking. This cool sweet spot acts as a palette refresher which further enhances the citrus spice notes of the other components.

This is simply a quality blend with a unique presentation and an affordable price. Throw some in the cellar, it’s a four star blend once it rests for a year or two.

This stuff is nice. Fair price and high quality. The taste is natural tobacco taste, nice and sweet without being overwheelming. The ratio of each leaf is perfect, you can taste the grassy virginia without being overwheelmed by it, while the perique adds a touch of natural sweetness that reminds me of an aromatic (although it is very clear that this isn't an aromatic). The cavendish is there but barely, it does't make the smoke overly sweet; it only rounds it up.

I highly recomend this blend. If you are new to pipe smoking and are still stuck smoking very sweet aromatic blends then don't try this just yet because you might find it boring. If you are ready to move to more natural tobacco taste then go right ahead, it won't let you down.

Tin note is all Virginia, hay, new grass, a hint of spice and bread. A really good smoke with the somewhat bright and zesty Virginias up front A little Perique spiciness and mellow mild sweetness. Burns cool with little re-lights needed. Creamy and mellow yet very satisfying. I’ve smoked it from a Carey apple, a Savenelli New Art and a Peterson Churchwarden....all good with this tobacco. After a year of aging in a jar. Tin note has deepened. When smoked a Nice raisin and fig coming forward. Perique has become more noticeable. Virginias have deepened and become sweeter. Midway thru a bowl and smoke blends well with components melding into a very satisfying smoke. After a 2 year aging in jar, Perique has almost equal footing with Virginia. Has become very tangy and spicy. Flavors are all much deeper and robust. An overall great smoke with subtle complexities.

I attended a tasting at my local B&M and had an opportunity to meet and talk with Erik Stokkebye. In talking with him he ask some of my favorite tobaccos and one of them I named was Three Nuns (old blend) telling him how much of a Perique fan I was. He mentioned their Luxury Bullseye Flake and proceeded to give me a rather nice sampling of it. After he explained the characteristics and history behind it, I was a bit excited. The next day I decided to give it a try, and I've been enjoying it every since (that was in 2014). It really is a nice VaPer blend with just the right amount of Black Cav. I will say this is for the more experienced puffer. This is a tobacco you have to understand to enjoy, and by understand I mean you have to have an awareness of tobacco taste, strength, combinations etc. It has a spicy "hit" to it, and just a little bite, but nothing major. If you're not a regular VaPer person and want to try it, I would encourage you to rub it out and start with half a bowl initially. Btw, I tried it folded and rubbed and I prefer this tobacco folded. Very nice smoke!

I am starting to expand my tobacco horizons and smoke other blends than my usual Frog blends, the few English blends I have and the stand-by aromatics I stocked up on to smoke when I was still working. Saturday I took a leap and bought some Bulls-Eye Flake and fell in love with it! My first impression from the bag was the aroma..a deep sweet smell...not an in your face sugary sweet smell but something that came to me after a few whiffs and lingered in my nose afterwards. Both my kids wanted to smell the tobacco in the bags and said it smelled like fig newton bars or a box or raisins which I must agree with. First the coins rubbed out with ease and packed nicely in the bowl and after lighting I was treated to billows of wonderful smoke. The tobacco offered a deep sweetness that crept in after the first minute of smoking and stayed throughout the whole smoke. There it was again! That sweet taste of dried fruit...Figs? Prunes? Raisins? I am not sure which one it was or maybe it was all of them that made this such an enjoyable smoke. Not once did it bite my tongue or make my mouth feel like I ate a too hot slice of pizza and the roof of my mouth is melting from hot cheese. I smoked this blend outside in my MM Devil Anse cob while watching fireworks and found it to be a "thoughtful and relaxing" blend,one that should be smoked when I wish to relax while fishing or reading a book. One thing I noticed is the pouch aroma and taste of the tobacco while smoking it were quite the same; Smooth, deeply sweet, quite and refined. I found this tobacco quite nice and will be buying more of it as soon as I place my next order!

I purchased this tobacco in bulk from one of the CI Superstores in PA. Having never tried a medallion flake, I was quite excited given my liking for Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake.

I was not disappointed. The basic flavor profile is much the same as PS LNF, the Cavendish adding its typical sweetness. The main flavors consist of Virginia sweet/citrus/hay and Perique savory/tart notes. The only reason I put any flavoring in the rating is because Black Cavendish is technically speaking a flavored tobacco.

It smokes exactly the same no matter what pipe it's in, or how you pack it. Rub it, fold it, or palm load. Makes no difference. Takes a few lights to get going, but once it's properly lit it stays lit. I will note that it burns a little hot in the bowl, but that doesn't translate to hot/bitey smoke.

Some people say they get a massive kick from it, but having smoked 4 flakes worth in my oversized GBD I just don't get that. I can feel something, but nothing really worth reporting.

Overall, I enjoy this blend. It's a solid VaPer with a pleasant hint of sweetness that I can see myself coming back to.

A cheaper alternative, but not replacement, to Escudo. I like to carefully pull the cavendish center out and rub the rest out. I will add a bit to the heel of the pipe, and add a whole "cavendisk". Add some more rub, and another "cavendisk" I add the leftover on top and light. I enjoy the sudden sweetness when the cavendisk begins to burn. try this method, you may enjoy it.

Solid 4 stars!

I bought a box, the 24 ounce box, of this stuff right before the SCHIP kicked and certain retailers were trying not to be sitting on inventory. There are a few reasons I bought that much untasted other than price. One is I like the way Peter Stokkebyes treats tobacco, I?m always willing to try a blend from a name I don?t know or haven?t liked past offerings from, but I prefer sticking Brands I know and have respect for. The other is I like that cut of tobacco. My experiences with the cut have been Escudo, of course, and Davidoff Flake Medallions.

Comparing Escudo to LBF seems inevitable, I?m going to say it?s like comparing apples to apples, Granny Smiths to McIntosh, like em both, one?s sweeter, the other tarter. The closer comparison would be Flake Medallions as they both have that Cavendish in the center. Flake medallions taste a bit more refined, I don?t know how to translate flavor into money, but, at least where I shop, the Davidoff is considerably more expensive. For comparison purposes, I can?t imagine anyone enjoying any one of these and not the others. It?s not like the Cavendish is cased, though I can understand someone preferring Escudo for a lack of sweetness.

The presentation in the box of LBF is beautiful, rows of coins lined up like in a large change maker. The coins themselves darker flake spun with some lighter flake and rolled around a black center. Mine came almost at a perfect moisture level, ready to smoke with only a little bit of drying out. I have no idea if this is a fluke or not. It?s stupid to mention this, but you have to like a VA/PER to like this, if you?ve tried other VA/PER?s, good ones, honest ones, and didn?t like them, this fancy coin is not going to change your mind. There?s nothing more complex than good Virginian a nice pinch of perique and a dash of unsweetened Cavendish. I?ve said that twice, unsweetened Cavendish, I?m going by my taste buds, if someone wants to challenge this I?ll defer.

There?s no reason not to recommend this as highly as Flake Medallions or Escudo, it?s a fine, well behaved, good tasting, good looking flake, solid smoke with occasional bursts of a little sweetness and a little pepper. Burns to a fine white ash with no dottle. I?ve had this for a few days, cellared about half, and have smoked it in a very large Castello sea rock, a group three (or single x) Ashton Canadian, a knock about meerschaum, a midsized radices egg, very consistent in all shapes and sizes.

There is no question that this is a lovely looking tobacco--a mottled swirl of golden yellow and brown around a dark chocolate core. It's downright pleasurable to prepare a pipefull of this stuff. But I have to disagree with most of the high ratings this has received. It's pretty, but it's got all the depth of a puddle.

Like the rest of the Stokkebye bulk offerings, this comes in at the right price--far less than familiar VaPer touchstones like Escudo, Solani 633, or St. James Woods. The idea, however, that this might function as a replacement for any of them, or even operate as a close-second-value-alternative, is crazy-talk (I say imperiously). The tobacco is just too youthful, too bland, too unexpressive. It's not a bad tobacco, of course, but I think it's wonderfully modest price has led to immodest praise.

I've been trying to figure out how to make the best of the generous quantity I ordered and I've found that a dash of more mature Virginia and a dash of Blending Perique can lift the mixture to the level of half-decent VaPer. And though this might satisfy my Scottish half, my baccy-loving half is still a little disppointed.