Peterson Irish Flake

Well, this is a very interesting one, great baccy. This is a regular player in my rotation list: I smoked several tins of this stuff, from fresh ones to up to 10 years old... needless to say: the older the better! Dark pressed thin flakes, with some light topping I cannot really define: sometimes I think it's anise, sometines a hint of tonquin bean, I really struggle with it... however it's very mild and it is perceivable mainly in the tin notes. Moisture is almost perfect, needs just a few mins drying time after rubbing out the flakes. When lit it burns pretty well and cool throughout the whole smoke, needs just a few relights. Flavor wise the topping is perceivable only in the first puffs, then it fades aways and leaves the stage to a great, nutty, eartly, leathery, smoky old fashioned tobacco taste: wow! The scene is now set, the burley takes the lead with its earthy nutty notes, perfectly supported by a hint of sweetness from the VAs and some smoky / greasy notes from the Kentuky. There is a good load of vitamin N, kicking off a full N party around 1/3 of the bowl.

Given the N kick this is to me ideal as afternoon / evening smoke.

Bottom line: a full body, pure tobacco taste rewarding baccy. Highly recommended!

Another one of those topped flakes for me. I kept hearing about this blend from the folks who like Old Dark Fired and other Dark Fired blends and since I'm in the same boat I thought I'd give it a try. It is a strong blend and it does rate up there with HH Bold Kentucky.

There are about 12-14 flakes in each tin, and they are pressed very firmly. The tin note smells of slight anise, dark fired herbal spice and a touch of sweetness. They are very easy to fold and stuff, but I actually have been trying to cube cut them for the first time and I am impressed. When using fold and stuff it can be a bit tricky to light and when going that route I suggest an overnight dry time. Cube cut is much more merciful. This will burn down to a fine ash if you let it take its time. If you smoke fast this may produce more dottle.

When lit this gives ample plumes of white smoke due to the high oil content naturally in Dark Fired Kentucky. The taste is beautiful. The Dark Fired is in the lead with barbecue spice, herbs, wood and some earth. The Virginias are sweet, bready and light. They really help round out the blend. I can taste the anise every now and again on the retrohale, but it's helping things along not covering the taste of the tobacco. The room note is strong and unless your spouse or significant other doesn't mind smoke you may be consigned to the outdoors. I however think it smells lovely.

The taste is full. It coats your mouth and is complex and interesting, sweet and smooth. The strength. Lady N has bought your dream car and is taking you out on the town. This is a strong blend, your knees will feel wobbly if you're not used to the nicotine and at least a little food on the stomach is preferred. It isn't the strongest I've had, but it is up there. It burns very cool and I don't have any problem with bite. All in all this is a fantastic blend and has become a favorite. I give four stars.

I only regret that it took me so long to try Peterson Irish Flake. What a wonderful burley-based blend. For my palate, this tobacco results in the least tongue bite of any blend I have smoked thus far....which is to say, practically none whatsoever, regardless of smoking cadence. As most blends cause me at least a minor level of tongue irritation, this is a wonderful find. The smoking mechanics I found to be good to above average for a flake tobacco in terms of staying lit, volume of smoke, temperature etc. Now to the flavor - I get a wonderful mix of earthy, nuttiness from the burley, sweet bbq smokiness from the dark Kentucky, and tangy bread/hay notes from the Virginias. There is a topping/casing added that adds some sweetness/fruitiness to the blend, but not overpowering in any sense. The key here, IMO, is the perfect balance between the components as no one component seems to dominate the flavor profile. The nicotine content is fairly high on this one, thus I'd recommend new smokers or those with low tolerance approach this one with caution. It literally sings paired with coffee, assuming you can tolerate the N-hit in the morning. I find it a wonderful way to start the day. Highly recommended and will always be in my rotation.

First off, not the best cut flakes I've ever run across. A bit too thick for my liking, and with this tobacco, which is quite dense, it makes rubbing it out a bit of a chore. I'm not a fan of the fold and stuff with this blend as it is just too hard to keep a decent light on it.

OK, that's the downside.

The upside...everything else.

The smell from the tin is just divine. For me an aniseed top with a cardamon hint. Once rubbed out I do prefer it in a bigger bowl, and then it reveals itself as one of the world's best blends.

An unctuous, thick and delicious smoke. Slow sipping, and an hour or so of enjoyment.

Not an all day smoke, I'll agree with others that it is a bit too strong for that, but as an evening smoke with a decent dark beer at hand; well I'm in my happy place.

For some reason Peterson tobaccos always take a while to grow on me. It was no different with IF. At first I thought the taste and aroma to be strange and I was not certain if I was going to be able to finish the tin. Then it hit me. I found myself craving this stuff every evening. I generally do not smoke the same tobacco two or three days in a row, but it happened with IF. It is as good a scented flake as anything from GH or SG and has the nicotine to satisfy smokers of ropes or twists. I have a 1930's Kaywoodie Suntan Algerian briar that I have dedicated to this. Now if they would just sell it by the pound. . .

Tin note of raisin, anise and sugar. Tobacco is a flake of marbled brown, dark brown and black. Moisture content is good, and flakes rub out fairly easily. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. No flavoring listed, but there is a mild sweet anise note throughout the smoke. Taste is medium to full and very consistent, with notes of lots of nuts, mild sweet anise, wood, dry, spicy, bread, bitter, creamy, mild herbal floral, mildly savory, slight brown sugar barbecue, lemon grass, earthy, a dry tart dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with Virginia and Flavoring supporting. Kentucky is off the back somewhere. Room note is tolerable to strong, and aftertaste is great.

Today's trial: the Irish Flake of 2009 in a square tin and the Stirling Flake of 2022. My opinion about fresh tins (after 2013) has been written as P.S., so have in mind: all marks I bet is for OLD Irish Flake.

Appearance: some differences can be seen immediately. Irish Flake had been sliced into long, narrow flake strips the length of a tin, each of the flakes weighing about three grams. The Stirling Flake strips are the “standard” rectangular size, wider, stacked in two stacks. Each flake weighs about four grams, with its small volume provoking you to stuff more than one, which I wouldn't recommend for a beginner. Irish Flake is a little lighter in shade, less dense. Stirling Flake clearly has more glycerin and propylene glycol treatment. Despite all of the above, both tobaccos are similar, mostly dark with occasional yellow flecks. The flake have a great consistency, easily broken if desired or twisted into a tube for "envelope" stuffing. However, knowing the strength of the mixture, I did not risk smoking it this way.

Flavor: There is also a definite difference here. In Stirling Flake the anise topping is brighter, bitter chocolate and Kentucky smoky note prevail over the rest, Virginia tones of field hay, wheat bread and tangerine are in the background, and burley gives it all a woody and nutty support. Inhaling this flavor, after a couple of minutes, I felt a faint note of leather. And in Irish Flake, the aniseed topping note over the years has gone deep into the overall flavor, giving room for woody, nutty burley notes framed by smoky and chocolate Kentucky with a slight coffee tone. Virginia's light notes of dried field hay, wheat bread and tangerine, along with the lightest touch of leather, give this bouquet a subtle sweetness in the scent, being somewhat off-putting. Overall, aging has clearly benefited the tobacco - the flavor is more whole, though less bright.

The taste of both tobaccos left no doubt that they were practically the same. A beautiful bouquet, with smoky, chocolatey, woody and barely noticeable citrus tones melded together, lightly supported by very light sweets of Virginia. The Stirling Flake is a bit brighter towards smoke and chocolate, but I attribute that to its youth. The blend has no harshness from the start, is tolerant of overheating, and the flavor is extremely mild. There is nothing superfluous about it, it tastes like an expensive vintage pipe tobacco. It smokes very slowly, cool and extremely dry, burning to almost white ash and leaving absolutely no moisture in the pipe. The strength of both tobaccos is clearly much above average. Three grams of one Irish Flake was just enough for me to feel quite a tangible relaxing nicotine kick. In the case of Stirling Flake, the effect was a little stronger, but do not forget that the plate of this tobacco is a few grams heavier. The aftertaste is smoky and woody, unsweetened, mild, but persistent.

The smoke from tobacco is dense and persistent in flavor, has the aroma of smoldering resinous pine with the lightest phenolic flavoring.

Bottom line: the place is never empty. Irish Flake is dead? Long live Stirling Flake! This is an absolutely luxurious strong, but very mild tobacco. It goes great with peaty Irish or Scotch whiskey, being a strong afternoon or evening tobacco. I can recall that I had the same pleasure with Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired (by the way, both tobaccos are similar in composition and strength, though slightly different in flavor and taste). As for the older version of Irish Flake, if you have it in your collection, don't worry about running out. Stirling Flake is an equal replacement.

P.S. For this trial I did not take the current version of Irish Flake by STG because I absolutely know that its form has undergone serious changes. The old version of the blend had equal proportions of air-cured, flue cured, and dark fired tobaccos - that is, it had equal amounts of Virginia, Burley, and Kentucky. The current version clearly has more of bright Virginia and less Kentucky, which you can see even with the naked eye. In addition, instead of the old anise topping, a mixed fruit and berry syrup has been preferred now by STG, somewhat similar to the current University Flake version. Together with the rich flavors of bright sweet Virginia and burley with a faint support of Kentucky, the result is a strange, somewhat watery sweet berry-woody-coffee flavor. That is to say, completely different. The current version of Irish Flake by STG will be considered fallen in the unequal struggle with globalism and the cruel market.

Rich, deep, creamy. I really like this tobacco. At first approach I was apprehensive to fully enjoy this tobacco.

Tin note is deep intense meaty tobacco. Sweet but robust. My tin was moist, so drying/relights have been apart of this tobacco for me.

As stated its high on nicotine but with a normal cadence it isn't that noticeable. Consistent smoke throughout, creamy smoke that you can eat if that makes sense.

I plan on cellaring at least 5 tins of this beauty. I found myself reaching for it far more than other blends I had open.

As a cigar smoker, I decided to try this out. When opening the tin I was met with a very intense and lovely tobacco smell. This is meant for seasoned pipe smokers. Even I was taken back a little the fist time I smoked it. This is bold all around. However, still in my top picks of tobacco to reach for.