Peterson Irish Flake

Thirty six years ago I rotated three tobaccos, they being, Ogden’s Rebbreast, Players Digger Flake and Gallaghers Condor long cut, these three tobaccos were my favourite blends. At that time all three of the aforementioned tobaccos were easily sourced at any newspaper shop come tobacconists you cared to mention, it would be hard to single out any one of the above tobaccos as my personal favourite, but I did love digger flake. At that time Digger Flake came in a unusual tin in that the tin was hinged and the tobacco was wrapped in cellophane, before that it came in a standard oblong tin that was yellow in colour, but for me the hinged tin was the best, on opening the tin one was met by a most delightful mouth watering smell of pure tobacco nirvana. Anyway without further nostalgic ado, onto my review of Peterson’s Irish slices. Irish slices used to be made in Belfast by the now long closed Murray’s tobaccos, who up to twelve years ago also made a loose Digger tobacco. For my money Peterson’s Irish Slices is an exact copy of the now long dead Digger tobacco, yes I know of a tobacconists in the UK that purports to selling loose Digger tobacco, but for my money it is of no comparison.Peterson’s Irish Flake in its present incarnation is the closest thing to Digger Flake in the modern tobacco world. The Irish Flake is not for the faint hearted as the nicotine hits harder than a mule kick to the head, but smokes ultra cool right to the end. This tobacco needs respect if one is to reap the full benefit of its fruity, sweet top notes. This tobacco is for the man who likes a strong tobacco and is a fine companion to smoke at night, when one is ruminating on ones day or the madness of a world that at times is hard to fathom. Smoke this tobacco slowly and appreciate the fact that we as pipe smokers are the guardians of a lost world and as such are thinking people who do not follow the herd mentality. Peterson’s Irish Flake is a bowl full of nostalgia that gives you much more than a quality smoke, it gives one a little respite from the aforementioned craziness and conjures up a lost world of eccentric non-conformists who lived in peace with their pipes. To summarise, if like me you were a fan of Digger Flake then this is the nearest thing out there, if you are a newbie then this is a must try tobacco, that will not fail to deliver a full satisfying smoke that the Lakeland’s and aromatics cannot deliver, that being a satisfying cool slow burning smoke with no tongue bite and a Irish slice of pure pleasure.

I really like that menacing disclaimer on the tin: "EXPERIENCED SMOKERS ONLY!". It may give a kind of guilty pleasure to speculate like this: "Well, if I like this stuff and smoke it often, then I should be a truly experienced guy. And even more: if I - unlike most guys on TobaccoReviews - don't find this smoke excessively strong and even like to inhale it, then I must be not just an Experienced Smoker, but I-don't-know-what, maybe a Guru of Smoking" 🙂

Actually, I'm not thinking this way. Unfortunately, through decades of heavy smoking I've become so "experienced" and so dependent of nicotine that few blends can really satiate my nic crave now. I'm not happy at all with that hyper-tolerance. If I could, I'd prefer to roll the time back to become young and inexperienced again. And enjoy those long gone spins from a pipeful of Irish Flake and from other good things in life. Alas.

Irish Flake is a good potent stuff. I feel notes of wood, earth, rye bread and baked potato (it's not called "Irish" for nothing). It's one of the few tobaccos nicotinized enough to my taste. And it smokes really cool. There's a slightest anise topping in it, I find it pleasant and adding to the magic of this blend.

Irish Flake is simple, non pretentious, and is indeed "true to the pure", as the tin description says. A masterpiece by Peterson, much like University Flake; these two are like no other from Old Pete.

Highly Recommended for all Experienced Smokers. And a Must Try for inexperienced ones. Because when they are experienced, they'll need some memories from the past.

This is an awesome blend, my current favorite! The tin smells full and salty; like real tobacco! It doesn't need anything to hide the lovely musty scent. It does come a little moist, i'd say leave a whole flake sitting on a paper towel for at least an hour before smoking. That gives me the best results at least. Everyone seems to have their own way of packing a flake, but I use the "Z" method. Fold it in thirds, then in half and jam it in. Light tamping to get her set. Takes a little bit to get it lit; but once it is, I haven't had much trouble with it going out or a hard time relighting when I let it sit. Once you've got her going, sit back and sip. Enjoy this full, rich, flavor! This blend is nothing fancy; that's not to say it is dull. There's a lot of intricate flavor here, you won't get bored with all the subtle notes dancing across your tastebuds. It's sometimes got a hint of sweet, a bit of salty, but mostly pleasantly nutty and bold. Sipping is a requirement here, not just for the high nicotene content but also to enjoy all the subtleties. Irish Flake is meant to be savored. Never bit me, even with some heavy puffing. The room note is bold like the flavor, but not unpleasantly so. I definitely get the tea notes other reviews have pointed out. I could just kick back and smoke this all day. Great way to get your vitamin N fix, but not too strong to enjoy on its own. Not reccomended for new pipe smokers or for a short smoke; being a flake it burns long. My only complaint is that they don't sell it in a bigger tin!

I'm surprised the average rater only notices a mild flavoring on this one. An incense like note was pretty prominent to me. Not that I really minded (though I'd be interested in trying this without it for comparison purposes). As a hard-hitting scented flake, this ranks up there with 1792 in my estimation, and that's saying a lot. Creamy, toasty, spicy, with just a bit of an edge to remind you you're smoking a man's tobacco, this stuff delivers. Get you some.

A lot has been said here about this Flake, but I still feel compelled to add to the numerous reviews. For what its worth, here is my 2 cents.

A Masterpiece. Strong and satisfying. Possibly the finest tobacco on God's earth.

Wow, this is the real deal. As soon as you open the tin this one makes a bold statement. There?s nothing fancy here just straight up pure tobacco. It rubs out easily, burns cool and dry providing a full flavored smoke with plenty enough nicotine. If you puff to fast it won?t bite but it will slap you silly.

Lots of bitter wood smoke, & bread, some deep earth, floral notes, and a bit of Grass, stewed dark fruit, and tiny bit of citrus fruitiness. There is a faint tonquin/clove/anise type note I can't quite grasp. Nicotine strength is strong, but far from overwhelming. Burns well and I find little bite, although it will get bitter. Smokeable right out the tin, but I like to give it a 20 min dry time.

This is a "must try". An A-tier tobacco. Impeccably balanced and soul-rejuvenating. This might be tied with Old Dark Fired as my favorite tobacco ever, they are both good for slightly different reasons. This one being breadier, drier, and a tad stronger, white ODF having more of a sweet BBQ sauce character. Perfect morning coffee companion (is it normal to enjoy strong blends in the morning?) or post dinner nightcap. It is, in short, perfect.

Peterson - Irish Flake.

Note: this was one of my first reviews which I thought could be, and needed to be, re-posted. I only smoked this for a short while, wrote my review, and hadn't had it since. So I ordered a fresh tin to work my way through and review.

A tin contains two stacks of virtually jet black flakes. They're maybe a tad too moist, but still smokeable fresh. I usually fully rub my flakes, but Irish Flake gives a superb smoke without rubbing being a prerequisite.

Partly because I fold and stuff Irish Flake it gives an extremely cool smoke. My first bowl from this tin was fresh, un aired, and there was no problem initiating the burn. Before I talk about what I can taste, I'll vanquish the subject of what I can't: Virginia. With that topic out the way it leaves what I can taste: I get a very full smoke of quality Burley and Kentucky. Although the fired Kentucky can be tasted, it doesn't take over the flavour with bitter, astringent, smokiness; it gives a note of Kentucky, rather than a BLAST. The Burley cleans things up, by lending a nutty, rustic style of taste. I only get a delicate sweetness, a lot more of the smoke quantifies as being savoury. At no point have I had tongue bite, with this tin, further qualifying it for a full score!

The room-note's tolerable at best, but I don't care, and it has a more than healthy amount of nicotine. But, if you, like me, don't like too much N, simply don't inhale 😉

Four stars, easily:

Highly recommended.

Let me start by saying, this isn't strong enough that you should be wary of trying it. Tin aroma on this tin (aged 2 years) was very similar to Gawith's 1792 flake. Earthy, musty and a bit floral. Moist in the tin, it can take some time to rub out. I never have been a fold and stuff kind of guy.

Initial lighting went smooth. Taste is also similar to 1792, minus the tonquin. Earthy smoke, leathery and pure tobacco flavor. I detect a bit of casing here at first, but it fades mid bowl. second half of the bowl seems to develop an almost chocolate-y flavor. This tobacco stays well lit, I had next to no relights on almost every bowl I smoked. Leaves a very clean and refreshing palate, almost minty. So don't be afraid, go get you some of this!

Pairs well with coffee and rye whiskey.