Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake (No. 403)

Up front, what you need to know about the reviewer:

I'm a lover of VAs, Burleys, Englishes - this tobacco should be right up my alley.

I'm a very slow smoker - typical bowl takes 1hr45min. I sip my pipes, I don't guzzle the smoke.

I'm a complete nicotine whimp. Yup, when it comes to nicotine, I'm a girly man.

The pipe I tested this in was my oldest. Its not a high priced pipe but its well seasoned with a strong cake buildup and it always smokes like dream. The last tobacco smoked in it was Wessex Burley Slice - there shouldn't be any noticeable cross over after the first few minutes.

I'm typically bad at folding flakes and stuffing them into pipes - takes me too many relights for my liking ...

ok, lets get to it:

Even though I'm bad at folding and stuffing flakes (heck, the coins are big enough to be treated like flakes in this tobacco folks) I took two coins, folded them and stuffed them into my Bjarne Viking Classic Bent Bulldog. The pipe is a good group 4+ size. I rubbed a little of the tobacco out fully to top the bowl with to make lighting easier.

This tobacco is a no nonsense half dollar sized coin of VA with (apparently) a 1/4" spot in the center of uncased Cavendish. It smells of a hay field on a dewy morning - quite inviting to a VA smoker.

Initial char, tamp, and relight: This tobacco is perfect moisture-wise! It lit with ease and there was absolutely NO tongue bite whatsoever. The flavor is kind of bland at initial lite up. The room note seems to be as expected just a pure VA tobacco so it is not likely to be a wife pleaser, but its not bad at all to my senses.

First 1/3 bowl: the tobacco kept up a nice, pleasant, yet unremarkable VA flavor for the first 1/3 of the bowl. Its nothing to write home about so far, but not bad for a VA. I'm sure this is the same VA component used in Luxury Navy Flake so if you like LNF, you're going to love this tobacco as well. There is NO tongue bite at all so far.

2nd 1/3 bowl: the flavors are blossoming nicely now. The VA tobacco is filling out and getting much sweeter than in the beginning. Somewhere in the middle of this third of the bowl something noticeably sweet crossed my palate. I know this sounds weird, but I think the ember just reached one of the Cavendish bullseyes. The flavor lasted for only a minute or so, but it was a wonderful explosion of sweetness that was totally unexpected. There is still no tongue bite at all, this stuff is as smooth as silk but the nicotine levels are rising and my head is starting to spin. I put the pipe aside for about 15 minutes to stop the spinning ... lets see how this tobacco does DGTd (albiet, a short DGT).

Final 1/3 bowl: This tobacco just keeps on delivering. No ashy flavor, just sweet, mellow fields of hay and again, another blast of that something sweet (the 2nd bullseye dot from the 2nd coin????). Its such a surprise when it comes that I absolutely enjoy it. The bowl is starting to need numerous relights - this is my fault! Remember, I told you at the start that I'm not very good at folding and stuffing flakes into a pipe ... but even now, after about 3-4 relights there is no tongue bite at all. Oh, by the way, the room is spinning, my temples are pounding, I'm fairly loopey - the nicotine has made me slow down even slower than my usual, I'm just barely sipping on the pipe now. The flavor is wonderful.

Dottle: Well, I have nothing but a dark grey ash left. Again as I said at the outset, the moisture level was perfect for this tobacco. My pipe never gurgled once and it's a bent pipe!

Overall perceptions: If you're a Stokkebye fan, you're sure to love this tobacco. The appearance is stunning in a DSK kind of way with the bullseye being a different colored tobacco center dot in the middle of the coin. If you're a VA fan, this should hit a home run as well. When it comes to VAs I'm a lakeland fan smoking predominantly Samuel Gawith tobaccos (BBF / FVF) and find the VAs here are tasty but not as sweet and fulfilling as the lakeland tobac. Those little dots of cavendish - if that is what I tasted - are worth a test drive even if you don't like this kind of tobacco. Its probably just a slight bit stronger than "medium" on the nicotine side ... but enough that it made my head swim. Stronger than Wessex Burley Slices, weaker than Escudo if that helps you. Soooo, do I recommend this tobacco? Heck yes. On a scale of 1-10 I'd rate it a good 6 - would have been a 7.5 if the nicotine level were more managable. Will I buy it again? Maybe. I really like my lakeland tobaccos so maybe not. But, I'm sure glad I had the chance to test drive this tobac.

Total smoking time: 2hr15min - minus 15min needed to recover from nicotine overload.

Puff Daddy nailed it for me. Not much to add except to reiterate that the virginias tasted and smoked "youthful". This tobacco has the makings of a very good blend but it needs some aging. I've cellared a couple of pounds and I'm going to sample a bit in a year, two years, 3 years, until I think it's matured.

I did take out a small batch and added a dash of perique, which improved the taste slightly. I honestly think this just needs some time to simmer.

As it is, it's a decent smoke - not objectionable. Reminds me of a somewhat spicier MacBaren's Virginia Flake. Nothing offputting, just no "zing" if that makes any sense. If you like a nice mild VaPer with no bite, try this one. It's "good enough" but I think it might get better with age.

This is a very nice blend. I got 16oz of it based on the brethren reviews here. I am glad I did. It came in a large zip lock so the "bag" note is nice. Subtle sweetness and spicy side notes from the perique. The medallions are nice to look at and make portioning a snap. I fold two and lightly stuff into the bowl. Char .....light...tamp...and go.

I found the initial draws to be filled with the blended leaf. I tasted the perique and hints of the cavendish. That wisp of sweetness from the cavendish really goes well with the perique and virginia. From top to bottom bowl, this was a delight to smoke. Roll it around your tongue and exhale through your nose and you will get the depth of the flavour. French inhaling is a joy since this is so mellow and mild.

** note ** I tried several bowls by hand rubbing two medallions then smoking. They smoke beautifully however the flavours blend too much and meld. To truly enjoy each flavour layer try folding and lightly stuffing.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good smoke with no bite. I'm glad I bought a pound.

**2015-01-28 UPDATE **

6 months in a large sealed mason jar aided in the flavour of this tobacco immensely. After 6 months I opened the jar and loved what I smelled. Pinot noir wine with a very sweet yet deep aroma. It is smoother and nicer than when I first tried it. I have enough to be able to do a 6 month updates for a few years to come.

Its clear in my review of this blend's reviews that the majority of reviewers have not smoked the blend that is most directly in competion with Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake - Davidoff Flake Medallions. If they had, they would not compare LBF to Escudo nor to Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls, as neither has a black cavendish content. I have had the pleasure of smoking all four and, by far, prefer the Davidoff blend to the rest. Don't get me wrong, they are all good. However, my experience is that the Stokkebye blend smokes the roughest of the four.

At the time I acquired a two ounce bag of LBF I also had open a fifty gram tin of FM, making for a natural comparison. Here is how they stack up. There are three things I found different about the two blends. Number one is the very big difference in presentation: FM comes in fifty gram tins and LBF comes only in bulk. When you open a tin of FM you are greeted by a number of uniform spun cut disks beautifully arranged in a spiral. The presentation of LBF in my two ounce bag was very different; a disheveled and raggity conglomeration of whole disks, partial disks, arcs of the virginia/perique outer disk portions and dismembered cavendish cores. Number two difference: I retrieved the whole disks of LBF and laid them out next to the same number of FM disks and compared them. I think the overall size of the disks is the same - it was hard to tell on the LBF disks as they had very ragged edges and appeared bigger than the FM disks. I also noticed a difference in the cavendish cores. On the average, the cores seemed somewhat smaller in the LBF disks and they were different in color and texture. The FM cores were uniformly and solidly black; the LBF cores were varigated in black and various shades of brown with some kind of inclusions in them. Difference number three: although both are cavendish-containing vapers, they smoke somewhat differently. The FM blend smoked smooth and uniformly down the bowl. LBF, on the other hand, was more spicey and tongue-testing. Now, they both have perique in them, so some spiceyness is to be expected and, indeed, was present in both of them. However, I found LBF to be consistently tongue-tingling and, if smoked too hard and fast, would yield tongue bite. I was forced to adjust my smoking rate and style to make up for this characteristic in LBF - something that didn't happen with FM.

So, although I prefer Flake Medallions to Luxurey Bullseye Flake, I still can recommend LBF as a substitute if, and this is a big if, you understand that there is a more refined version of the same type blend out there. The only drawback is that FM costs more, but I think it is worth it.

This is an excellent tobacco which reminds me of dusky fruits (figs, prunes, raisins, etc.) and of freshly-mown hay. Both flavour and aroma are best described as being warm, fragrant, and substantial without being overwhelming.

It isn't going to replace Escudo Navy Deluxe as my preferred VaPer, but I have nothing but praises for this marvellous addition to the already outstanding selection of tobaccos from Peter Stokkebye.

A very natural smelling tobacco that is pleasing to the eye. Not a lot of strength and a mild flavor during the smoke, a light Va/Per with a Black Cavendish Vanilla center. It reminds me of Davidoff Flake Medallions like a twin brother but way cheaper.

After trying four Va/Per coins, my favorite remains Escudo.

Virginia lover

May I revisit this review? I just cracked open some LBE that has two years of age on it now. Using a large Ruthenberg billiard, I carefully pressed one coin of LBE down near the bottom, which also curled up around the bottom sides. I tore another coin into several pieces, carefully, and fitted them around, then finally filled the bowl with shreds for combustion. It took a while to light well, but then I settled in for what can only be called a long, cool smoke with no bite whatsoever. Many of my preferred VA's and VaPers have a citrusy note, but this remains decidedly grassy. It isn't off-putting at all, just different. The years in a Mason jar have smoothed the blend and allowed some nice marrying, softening, and maturing. If you take the time to read my original review below, this still isn't Escudo, but it is a lovely, mild, somewhat complex blend, and could easily be an all-day blend for some. Stokkebye's quality leaves are well known, and this is no exception. In bulk, it's reasonable and good quality. I give it 3.25 stars.

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The best thing that I can say about Bulls-Eye is that a pound of it is a bargain. It's isn't a bad VaPer at all; it's just not exactly stellar. I feel that the tobaccos are in their infancy in this blend, and having smoked some that has aged for a year or so, there is definitely some improvement with maturation. It can easily be considered an all-day blend; no bite to speak of, easy to pack as coins (in larger bowls) or can be easily rubbed out if desired. Burns well, not overly-hot. This has more Perique than their Luxury Navy flake, and the Black Cav just whispers in and out at times. Very tasty, and very reasonable. Adding a little bit of more matured VA's really picks this blend up, and for Perique lovers, a bit of blending Perique added would definitely raise the flavor profile for you. For every pound of this that I buy, I'll purchase at least ten tins of Escudo to cellar. This is certainly no Escudo or Solani 633, but it's good for every day. Not bad, and the price is definitely a bargain.

I bought this because it looks cool. After the first bowl I was a believer. Smooth flavor. I smoke my pipe while walking our dog in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains..This tobacco is wonderful for walking and reflecting. Has become a favorite. Usually I stick to mild Virginias but this blend smokes great. Not being much of a purist I usually just break one in half and push it into the bowl..well maybe two and push them into the bowl. As has been mentioned, this smokes cool and mellow right down to the bottom of the bowl. No hot aftertaste, and I do not rush right to the sink when I get home to wash the bitterness out of my mouth....An excellent value as even a 4 oz package will last me for a month or so..

"Try it you'l like it..".

Jim in Gold Bar.

A very nice tasting VaPer. The Virginias are sweet, fruity and obviously well fermented with flavor that is just short of rich. The Perique is lightly applied offering a nice spicy note and a hint of fig. The Black Cav is very light and fades in and out. A pleasant, mild smoke. Better than 3 stars, but not quite 4.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Rubs out easily and burns very well.