Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake (No. 403)

I'll give this tobacco 2 stars, although it's well crafted, and is of good quality. I like VAs a lot, I like Perique also. What I don't like in this blend, it's black Cavendish. Black Cavendish puts some darkness in the smoke, that reminds of the danish style aromatic junk. Especially the artificial flavor in them. Spiciness of the Perique is mitigated and darkened by the Black Cavendish. It's balanced, with the Cavendish, but in a way ruined. Vapers are to be wild and unbalanced, and that's the beauty of them. This one didn't achieve my expectations. About packing and burning quality, it's awesome. Burns perfectly and doesn't require any effort. I've had over a friend who never smoked a pipe in his life, and tried some of this, his first bowl of tobacco ever. He tried a full bowl of this, no relights, no heat at all, he liked it a lot. It was a revelation for him. We drank scotch, and Periquish spicy note really supplemented the drink. I smoke it now with black coffee, (smoked it with tea also) and it fails to astonish, moreover you don't get rid of the artificial cheapness that is present all the way. This is an excellent smoke for beginners, but not my cup of tea. If you are a beginner, this is top recommended. If you are experienced smoker, don't go for it, you'll stay disappointed.

A pleasant Virginia-Perique flake. While less enjoyed than the very similar Twist Flake, Bull's eye flake is also very beautifully presented and enjoyable to smoke. Puffed slowly, the flake will produce a sweet smoke with the subtle piquancy of perique.

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.

The coins are fairly loose and tend to fall apart at the edges. The tobacco is mostly chocolate brown with a smattering of bright leaf throughout. The cavendish core is approx 5mm diameter and can be easily pushed out if desired. The cavendish is neutral in character, having no aroma or taste that I could detect. It is slightly sweet.

This tobacco smokes with a pronounced acidity, reminiscent to me of green apples. As the smoke progresses it develops some plum and pepper flavours along with a distinct harshness. It has a sidestream aroma, and corresponding room note, with all the charm of burning charcoal briquettes.

Not a bad tobacco by any stretch, and certainly great value, but not something I could smoke a lot of.

My first Impression was very positive, however, I now find this a "Dark & Bitter" blend. The cut burns fast and can turn even bitterer if pushed. Take some extra time to properly rub out the "Bull's-eye" and disperse into the rest of the tobacco before packing. I find this blend to be very mild and lacking in big flavor and I find myself pushing the bowl to get more flavor. Fast puffing will result in a hot ashy smoke.

I have to agree with reviewers, "DrT999 05/19/2013", & "DK 02/19/2009"

This blend was mediocre for me (in every department, taste, sidestream, smokability, etc.). When it comes to flakes, there are a lot of others I'd rather be smoking (such as, Luxury Twist Flake, Yeti Flake, Orlik Golden Slices, Capstan Gold, Full Virginia Flake and others). Luxury Bullseye Flake is a middle of the road blend that I will not be smoking again.

I was quite surprised to find this to be a very boring smoke for me. For me (and apparenty only me), the Cavendish just dulled the VaPer flavors witout adding anything interesting. Without the Cavendish center, this was a decent VaPer, but there are lots of others out there I enjoy more.

It's hard not to compare this to Escudo, which I think is the "king of the coins." I am a fan of some Stokkebye blends, but given the competition in this category I think that Bull's Eye simply falls short. It lacks the depth of Escudo and to my surprise, even with the cavendish, I don't think it is as sweet as Escudo. Davidoff's Flake Medallions I also find to be a more well rounded smoke. I find the Virginia's to be much sharper in taste as well. Given the fact that BYF comes in bulk, its not a bad tobacco at its price point and maybe some time in the cellar will smooth out the edges. Somewhat Recommended.

I'm a fan of Stokkebye because of their outstanding Balkan Supreme. So, I decided to try this tobacco and Mike at Mars Cigars sent along 2 OZ for me. I've been smoking the tobacco a few days now and ,overall, find it a pleasant enough blend even though I don't like perique.The presentation is very nice, moisture in my sample right on and an easy rub out into the pipe. I use a smallish bowl pipe and one little circle of Bullseye fills it just right. Charring light provides a pretty strong taste which settles down somewhat after the second light. The toppings or casings , if there are any, seem to be so mild as to be overwhelmed by the tobaccos. It isn't, to me, a very complicated tobacco blend since both the VA leaf and perique are softened by the cavendish. You get a smokable item but as for enjoyment, there isn't much to be said. I think I'll buy a little more just to mason jar it up and leave for a couple of years. There are much better VA/PER/CAV blends out there.