Tobaccos Davidoff - Flake Medallions

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2013-10-23		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The VaPer part of this mixture reminds me more of the Dunhill Navy Rolls than it does Escudo: tangy dark fruit sweet with a little grass, some wood, bread and earth from the dark Virginias. The earthy perique offers plums, figs, raisins and spice is a support role. The unsweetened black cavendish adds its own brand sweetness, kind of fruity and sugary. Due to its presentation, you can crumble the coins into the bowl in such a way as to get a changing flavor taste as you smoke a bowl. Or if you're adventurous, you can fix it so the black cavendish and the VaPer parts are segregated in their own sections in the bowl. I'd rather not do that myself, but the point is that you can play around with this anyway you wish. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. Has no dull or harsh spots, and won't bite. The VaPer part has a few rough edges which the black cavendish smooths out to some extent. Burns cool, clean and a little slow. Requires some relights; fewer as you go along. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke for the experienced smoker.

-JimInks

56 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2008-09-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a longtime virginia flake smoker, such blends with perique always present a mixed bag to me. They sound good when described on the tin, but often fall flat in the flavor category. How many of us have had fantasies of smoking the new blend of virginia/perique we just bought as some pleasurable mix of sweet and spicy flavors unburdened by aromatic additives, only to bet let down by a flavorless flamethrower? I have grown tired of virginia blends that are had to keep lit, lacking in flavor, and scorching to the tongue. For those of you who think that you are the only one who has not figured out how to smoke a virginia without burning yourself, fear not, because it is probably not you. There are cool smoking virginia blends (see any S. Gawith flake, for example) and this is one of them, so enjoy!

Flake Medallions was a pleasant surprise. The tin aroma is a mix of tangy virginias tempered by the cavendish. Knowing that this contains perique, I think I detect that as well, but I am not sure that I would identify that as a component without the hint first.

The tobacco is of very fine quality, and beautiful to behold. It is not as wet out of the tin as the Mac Baren roll cake blends, but still required a bit of drying for my taste. The flake discs rub out easily, and into manageable pieces. I use the gravity filling method for just about everything that I smoke anymore, as I find that a loose pack improves the burn qualities of the tobacco, and makes it easier to relight without having to huff and puff and nuke my tongue. This technique worked well for this blend.

The flavor of this is wonderful for this type of blend. The cavendish adds extra depth and flavor to the virginias, which can sometimes seem a bit thin to my palate. The most pleasant surprise was the amount of spice the perique adds. It is noticeable, and pleasantly mingles with the cavendish and virgina to produce a very balanced smoke. This offers much more in the flavor department than many of the other va/perique blends that I have tried. It is also not overly sweet, and certainly not obviously aromatic, despite the presence of cavendish. It does, however, have a subtle sweet flavor which seems to be the sum of the va and cavendish working together.

The tobacco lights easily and accepts a char. It burned readily, with only a few relights, down to the bottom of the bowl. It smokes very cool for a virginia based blend. All in all it is very well executed. It is a bit pricey, but I suppose a tin of this, which is actually enjoyable to smoke, is a better value than another bland, generic, hot version of the same blend which sits for years and is then discarded. Highly recommended.

53 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2010-08-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a very nicely put together spun or disc cut blend. Yes, it does remind one of the presentation of Escudo but the leaf itself does not contain the depth of flavor presented by Escudo. Although lighter doesn't mean better or worse... just different.

The VaPer flavor is a wonderful change of pace for me and the unsweetened Black Cavendish did exactly what it was intended to do, created a little backbone without interfering with the overall presentation.

If Escudo is a little over the top for your taste buds, this Davidoff knock off will be well received.

44 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-02-10		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Very close to Escudo - in "genetic" makeup, in taste and in my subjective enjoyment. Not quite there but close enough. Escudo does have the added benefit of being less expensive.

If there were not other tobacco blends worth smoking, this could be my all-day blend (nothing could ever be, of course!) as it is a wonderfully rich but fairly mild tasting VaPer tobacco. I think Davidoff really hit the mark with their blending credo of getting the finest leaf and demanding the finest production, thereby creating the finest tobacco blend. One of my measures of how well a tobacco will work for me is to smell the bowl once it has gone out. Ok, I know that sounds weird, but try it! This smells heavenly in a warm but non-smoking bowl. Maybe I'M the flake but so it goes!

This is a GREAT tobacco! If you like Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake, you need to try this. I enjoy the LBF but this is preferable to me. As the previous poster mentioned, even the aftertaste is delicious. It develops down the bowl and as the virginia gives up the forefront and the perique takes over a little more, it becomes more than just a sublime pleasure. I think this is destined to become a classic.

35 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2009-10-02		Very Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Davidoff calls these "flake" medallions but of course they are not, they are twist medallions, in which the twist is sliced into Escudo-like coins. Call the thing Escudo Navy de Luxe LIGHT: at the heart of the twist there is a big segment of boring flavourless black Cavendish. This makes DFM much easier to smoke than Escudo Navy de Luxe, also far less interesting.

Beginners might enjoy the unchalleging playfulness of this tobacco, but people who like some flavour inside their pipes will pass it by.

25 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PebbleBrainGet'nAshtonite (3)	2014-04-15		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Flake Medallions. A modern, often overlooked, classic. If you are looking for perfectly sliced coins with a healthy proportion of Virginia Perique, and a jet black center of creamy Cavendish, this is for you. Yes, DFM is relatively milder than equivalent blends like: Peter Stokkebye LBF, Comoy's cask no. 7, Escudo, Macbaren DarkTwist, Dunhill DNR, etc. It has been said that the cavendish takes away from the intricacy of the Virginia and Perique. This may be true; the cavendish limits the brightness of the Virginias and the spice of the Perique, but it subdues them as much as it adds a nutty dried fruit and occasional vanilla sweetness. Don't be scared off by the sweetness, it's a natural velvety sweetness no topping that I can detect. The sweetness comes and goes accompanied by a nutty toast and cedar essence. Incredibly cool smoking - stays lit like a sweet dream you wake up from, go back to sleep and it continues. Try to let it go out -no it will always come back. Smokes cool and creamy all the way down to the doddle.

This blend does not have a particular way it needs to be prepared and smoked, it seems to be rather forgiving. I have found the nuttiness of an oil cured pipe is the perfect complement to the blend, I've dedicated my Ashton Pebble Canadian to it -a sublime pairing if you ask me. The prestinely fanned presentation of the "medallions" separates this one from the rest. The outer VaPer portion is free of stems and imperfections compactly twisted and sliced into immaculate coins. Always moist out of the tin, I take two coins, separate the cavendish, then rub out the outer portion of the coin, then finely grind the Cavendish between my fingers -evenly spreading it over the rubbed out pile. If it's a fresh tin I'd let it dry for 20-30 minutes after rubbing out.

Overall, Davidoff Flake Medallions will always have a place in my heart (and my weekly rotation). Yes there are many more affordable, stronger equivalents -none compare. It is almost always available, no rumors of Orlik ceasing to blend FM for Davidoff, (knock on wood). If you haven't tried it, try it. You just might like it as much as I do.

Pipe Used: Ashton Pebble Grain Canadian

Purchased From: Iwan Ries & Co.

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye LBF, Comoy's cask no. 7, Escudo, Macbaren DarkTwist, Dunhill DNR.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2015-01-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When it comes to the “coins,” in my world it comes down to Escudo, Deluxe Navy Rolls, Bulls Eye Flake and Davidoff Flake Medallions. Although garnering a lot of four star reviews, it took me a while to get my arms around FM. Like all four of them, I prefer to age them and then pack them in large pieces. I find that Escudo is the sweeter of the blends and offers more high notes. Flake Medallions IMHO smokes closer to DNR in flavor. Flake Medallions is more on the earthy side and the sweetness is more of the dark brown sugar or molasses side of things. It’s maybe a tad stronger than Escudo, but not quite the nic hit of DNR. When both are aged, it also shares some similarities to St. James Flake. As others have mentioned, the Cavendish center offers some backbone to FM. Oddly, for me, it offers more than can be found in Bull’s Eye. It isn’t as rough around the edges as Bull’s Eye either. FM isn’t overly complex, but does offer deeper flavors as each bowl progresses. I can see how FM is a four star blend for so many pipe smokers and objectively (as possible), I see it that way too although I prefer DNR and Escudo to this blend. In the end, this is a very good blend that ages well and deserves a spot in every VaPer smoker’s cellar!

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2012-12-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I have compared this side by side by side with Bullseye and Escudo. They are not close to being the same.

If I had more money, I would probably smoke Flake Medallions exclusively. lol. This blend is sweeter than Escudo, and less hay-like than Bullseye. Each has their own merits. Bullseye for the price, Escudo for flavor and balance, and Medallions for flavor, balance and sweetness.

The tin aroma in this tin is absolutely intoxicating, I would smoke bowl after bowl of this until the tin was empty, then I was on to the next one.

Highly recommended!

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2015-05-24		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Davidoff - Flake Medallions.

I couldn't wait to try this ever since the delicious (in my opinion) Orlik Bull's Eye was discontinued. The first thing I found a little off putting was the increase in price when compared to the Orlik Bull's Eye. That was about twelve pound in the U.K yet this cost me eighteen pounds. Will it be worth it ?

When I opened up my tin I noticed straight away that they are presented in exactly the same way as Bull's Eye was. A circle of overlapping coins. They look darker in colour than the Bull's Eye did as that was a jet black centre with a golden outer yet these have the black inner with a darker brown outer. The aroma has mainly the hay note from the Virginia with a very slight sharpness to it. I can't find fault with the moistness, it's just right for immediate preparation. I have a predilection to rub my flake tobaccos as opposed to the fold and stuff method but I think that this blend necessitates a thorough rub as the Cavendish centre needs to be evenly distributed otherwise it's like smoking a basic VaPer.

Once lit I find it a fabulous journey! It is very easy to get lit, a simple match will suffice, no need for a jet flame. I love the taste. I don't get any underlying nuances of flavour but a simple taste of the included tobaccos. I find the Perique is the biggest flavour. Very spicy and very lively. I get the Virginia with ease however it isn't as loud as the Perique. The spicy edge is well complimented and calmed by the subtle Cavendish. I use the word subtle as this is a very apt word for it. It doesn't have that 'too sweet and gloopy' feel that blends containing Black Cav' often have, instead it has a mild sweetness being offered forward. The temperature of the smoke is cool and it remains bite free for me for the duration of a bowl. As I said earlier, it lights with ease but that's not the only bonus with the burn. It burns incredibly even and steady right the way through a bowl. I don't notice much nicotine in this one, perhaps it would suit a newbie?

At the start of this, regarding the price, I wondered would it be worth it? The answer is a simple YES. I can't sing this wonderful blends praises enough! Slap, bang, straight into my favourites list!

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson Christmas 2014

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ynrozturk (62)	2010-03-31		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ah, Flake Medallions.

This tobacco is a real treat. Opening the tin, you are greeted with very handsome medallions, with a core of Black Cavendish. The smell is a bit on the sour side yet also sweet, and the moisture is perfect for filling your pipe without the need to air it out.

Rubbing this out, from my experience, tends to improve the flavor. Not drastically, but it smokes better and cooler, and becomes more complex. Or, you could just take two medallions (depending on the size of your bowl) put them on top of each other, fold, then stuff it in. Lighting this tobacco and keeping it lit is not a concern.

Mid bowl, the tobacco really develops, and the Virgina taste is absolutely amazing. The Perique is there for sure as well, and adds a nice, soft, peppery touch. Unlike other smokers, I was able to detect the Black Cavendish, though it is pretty far in the background.

Burns cooler than anything I've ever smoked before, and leaves no mess in your pipe.

Absolutely essential. This stuff is class.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-01-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Updated =

This is now my number one smoke. I absolutely love this stuff. The ultimate VA flake in my opinion.

Updated =

This has become my second favorite tobacco (after Davidoff's Scottish Mixture), maybe even tied for first. The best Virginia Flake I have smoked. Even the after taste is delicious. If you have not tried this..... you must.

Updated =

I hope that Davidoff never changes their approach to pipe tobacco. That approach seems to be "produce the definitive type and use only the best leaf and do it better than anyone else on the market". Yes, they are also the high price leader, but then a Mercedes at a Chevy price would be.... an Opel.

In the tin it is simply beautiful. Quarter sized tobacco coins. Somewhat reminisent of the old Three Nuns for those of you old enough to remember. The tin note is light prunes.

The flavor begins very Virginia, but somewhat deeper and more mellow. It grows even deeper and stronger down the bowl. The last third of the bowl the Perique kicks in but does not overpower. Just enough of that white pepper taste.

The room note is surprisingly nice. It is sweeter and lighter than I had expected from the flavor. Almost aromatic.

Davidoff has produced the Platonic ideal Virginia flake. Wow.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2018-01-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I can't believe in 6 years of smoking, I had yet to try this blend prior to popping a tin a few months ago. I guess I was swayed by too many people who stated to me that it was simply the same thing as LBF in a pretty container with a high pricetag. I did, however, purchase 3 tins in March of 2015 just in case the naysayers were wrong. Wrong they were. While this looks like LBF, it provides a much deeper, richer smoke than LBF.

This stuff is phenomenal and I am wishing now that I had purchased a few more tins. It is a great combination of Virginia, Cavendish and Perique. The three elements are all perceptible and are balanced nicely. What you get is an earthy sweet and spicy smoke with a lot of body. It is the depth of the smoke that is, to me, its primary distinction to LBF.

Don't be swayed by the haters, this is no LBF.

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-07-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

To be clear here....this is not like escudo....escudo has no cavendish in the center. It is not like dunhill navy rolls either. It IS like Stokkebye bulls eye flake and it is like Paul Olson's My Own Blend Dark Pearl. There is a significant difference in these recipes and in the intent of these blends. The core of Sweetened Cavendish provides a very nice softening of the Perique and Virginias that surround it. In Escudo, or Olson's Big Coin, you have straight Virginia and Perique. And while I love those blends, mostly, this is not the same. Now...the Davidoff is the gold standard for this kind of blend. It is just excellent. The Stokkebye is a great bargain and a fine tobacco, and the Olson is even better I think, but neither is as good as the Davidoff. There is firstly a very nice dark Virginia coiled and stoved a bit and full of that expected stewed prune and fermented sweetness. The Perique is mildly applied and not really very noticeable unless you concentrate, but it does provide a bit of nicotine and an edge that gives this blend its specialness. I rate this as a five star or ten star ot whatever blend -- in other words its just a top flight great tobacco. It is mild overall, but not in the way, say, some Macbaren products are mild. The nic hit is two notches over mild, but a notch away from medium. Its very smooth and impossible to make bite. Smooth, slow-ish burning, and cool. And just delicious. There is more cavendish in there than in the Olson or the Stokkebye. Hence it is a bit sweeter overall. But it is not an aromatic so don't expect that. Just first rate stuff.

Purchased From: 4noggins

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2014-07-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a nice tasting blend. I really like the combination of the Virginias and the Black Cav. It's fruity, earthy, toasty, and sweet. Very nice. The Perique is very lightly applied and doesn't really show itself until about the 3/4 mark giving a tart spiciness to the finish. I prefer VaPers with more Perique, but the lesser amount fits well here because the Va/Blk Cav combo tastes so good. It sets the table for when the Perique finally shows up and creates a more complex finish.

Medium in body and flavor. Needs a little drying time. A really nice smoke.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ashik Ibrahim (2)	2014-04-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Of the tobaccos I've smoked thus far, this is hand's down one of my favorites.

First, the most negative aspect: I'm not a giant fan of the room-note. This is not an "aromatic" blend; that is, don't expect to be bowled over with the topping.

Also, unlike (say) cigars, the room-note from this tobacco makes one think of an ashtray more than some wood-paneled room in the Diogenes Club filled with men quietly puffing away, sipping Scotch, perusing the newspaper.

That said:

The medallions remain moist and fall apart to the touch quite easily.

They have a mild sour scent, a hint of sweetness, but the fullness and depth of a quality tobacco.

All of this becomes much more apparent in taste, especially about half-way through the bowl.

There is just the slightest bite, which (for me) is just right - a little pepper, but not "in-your-face." Like the difference between white peppercorns and black peppercorns.

The draw is full and rounded, but gentle and delicate. There is a sourness that reminds me of Meyer lemons as opposed to the common lemon.

Like Davidoff's cigars, I find this tobacco UNDERSTATED.

Over all and again, one of my favorites.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarWoody (33)	2017-01-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great Vaper and highly underrated. It starts out sweet, but be patient, because the perique ultimately pushes through, delivering a tart, tangy and light peppery spiciness that is not overbearing -- providing just enough tingle to clear your sinuses without becoming harsh.

It's also very well behaved. I prefer it to Escudo and DNR by a large margin, because it never gets bitter, bitey or ashy. Just rub it out and let it dry for a bit and be sure to mix all of the components together. It is complex and round, fairly robust and cool smoking with a great aftertaste.

I see many reviewers lament the addition of black cavendish, but I opened a tin today and measured the medallions' black bullseyes. They're only 1/3 of an inch in diameter. As such, the cavendish is essentially a light condiment, and I enjoy it in this mixture.

Pipe Used: Dunhill Group 3s, Ashton XXX

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Swiss-smoker (87)	2016-01-09		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Beautifully looking, tidily arranged, large Curly Cut coins in the tin. The black centre of each coin is Black Cavendish. Surrounding the black eye we find bright Virginia and darker Perique. Delicious tin nose, being that well known of Virginia and Perique.

Fantastic blend, impeccable tobacco. Perfect moisture. I fold the medallions and stuff them in my pipe, without braking or rubbing. Superb balance of Virginia and Perique. The Black Cavendish rounds up the blend, adds softness, and some sweetness to the natural sweetness of the Perique and Virginia. The body of this mixture is tangy Virginia, which never covers up the delightful Perique. In the first half of the bowl the Perique shows more its fruity aromas and only a little pepper. In the second half of the bowl it’s the opposite. Pleasant after-taste. A Rolls-Royce mixture on the sweeter side for all Va/Per aficionados.

Age When Smoked: New, out of the tin.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2014-04-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I am a long-time english blend smoker, as you can tell from reading my other reviews. I do smoke other types of blends from time to time and use them in microblending. This is what happened with Flake Medallions. I had four or five tins acquired in a large buy from another reviewer and decided to open one up. I had previously smoked and blended with Escudo and had heard that Flake Medallions was similar but different. Boy, am I glad I opened this tin - it is, simply put, one of the best non-english blends I have ever smoked in my fifty-plus years of smoking a pipe!

The tin appearance is like Escudo or Deluxe Navy Rolls, but with one difference - the dime-sized black cavendish core in each disk. I found the tin aroma to be similar to the other two blends, but the smoking aroma was noticeably different. More soft and rounded; I attributed this to the black cavendish. The bowl started out a little spicey - not bitey, just spicey, and very similar to Escudo. This only lasted for about the top quarter of the bowl and then this blend's magic began. The smoke became very toasty and mellow and exceedingly satisfying. This quality lasted all the way through the remainder of the bowl - just wonderful. Subsequently, I made some small blend batches with Flake Medallions and various english blends I am smoking and they all were good. The best batch blend was one-half Germain King Charles Mixture and one-half Flake Medallions.

I whole-heartedly recommend Flake Medallions to every pipe smoker and give it a strong four star rating.

Pipe Used: Ashton ELX Billiard

Age When Smoked: one year old

Purchased From: another smoker/reviewer

Similar Blends: escudo and deluxe navy rolls - 6/23/14: since writing this review I have smoked Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake and it is exceedingly similar to Flake Medallions in both form and taste...

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-01-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A very nice roll tobacco.well balanced with great taste.when you open it you get the citrus and spicyness.i noticed that it bahaves defferent when you rub it than pack it as it is.i personally rub it because it gives me more intense flavours.it needs a few relights in the beginning.it has a simillarity with dunhill navy rolls but it's not equal.a bit strong for an all day blend.it doesn't burn a lot the pipe if you go normal.despite the price it's really worthy trying!

Age When Smoked: When opened!

Similar Blends: Dunhill navy rolls.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2012-01-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is very nice. No matter what anybody says, there is still magnetism to beautiful presentation. The tin on this blend is so classy, and the tobacco inside is so refined and well displayed. Even the shape and layout in the tin screams luxury.

All the eye candy aspects aside this is really good stuff. Looks exactly like PS Luxury Bulls eye Flake and Escudo, but in my opinion comes out the top of of its class within these ranks. The taste is of bright zesty notes, and the slower you smoke it, and the more attention you pay to it, the more flavors you can evoke. I do not know if the black cavendish really makes much of an impact of flavor or not, it may be more of a visual thing, and also possibly some placebo effect. It is possible just knowing it is there makes you think sweet note. I feel the sweet notes in the blend are found in other Virginia blends where no black cavendish is present.

The one downside of this blend is the price. Let's just say it sure aint cheap. Although the flavors are better than the PS Luxury Bulls eye Flake, the value of the latter helps it to stay in contention.

This is a very nice blend and I highly recommend it.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr.Woods (10)	2015-10-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I really like this blend. It's not too strong but still satisfying. The flavor is semi-sweet, and the room note is just lovely! This is as close to an aromatic blend you can get without getting an aromatic.

The presentation is very nice, a great looking sliced spun VaPer with a core of dark cavendish. Very easy to rub out, and my tin had an almost perfect moisture level. The tin note is sweet and and citrus-fresh with a beautiful baccy backbone.

It burns very good, a little too good for my taste actually, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to any beginner, or people who don't like to put an effort into keeping the pipe lit.

Pipe Used: Henrik Rydberg, Stanwell

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Brobergs

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2015-05-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very nice but expensive smoke. I believe this tobacco is produced in a very similar way to Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake, except that the cavendish centre is not as evident. This is an excellent smoke for anyone who enjoys Virginia/Perique blends, with the added taste of the Cavendish (Burley most likely), but honestly one is better off with Stokkebye's rendering of ther same tobacco (equally good and not as expensive).

Pipe Used: Savinelli "Roma" 305

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: JFK Airport

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Bullseye Flake and, to a lesser degree, Escudo Navy de Luxe, and Dunhill's De Luxe Navy Rolls.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sirchud68 (60)	2011-12-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This flake is quite a bit similar to Stokkebye's Bullseye with one difference. It is better, IMO. Davidoff's Flake Medallion seems to be everything Bullseye is only taken up a notch. It's just a bit sweeter, in taste and aroma. It's tin aroma reminds me of Peterson's Irish Oak. Like a sweet sherry wine. Now, is it worth paying the much higher price for a tin of Flake Medallion as apposed to the less expensive bulk Bullseye? At the moment, yes. Being that I can't seem to get my hands on any Bullseye Flake, I have no problem picking up a tin or two of this very fine tobacco. It's that good. Once Orlik gets on the ball with the Bullseye, I will cellar a couple tins of the Davidoff and go back to Stokkebye. As for Flake Medallion, it is a wonderful Va/Per that I highly recommend if flakes are your thing. Smoking this stuff reminds me of how glad I am to have picked up the briar! It is so good. I doubt this review helps much, but I just had to say something about this delicious tobacco. Happy puffing.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2008-12-12		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Ridiculously good tobacco, if VA/PER is your thing, you really owe it to yourself to try it at least once. Dunhill's Deluxe Navy Rolls are similar in appearance, with the exception of the delicious cavendished center of the Davidoff, but the similarity ends there. Where DNR comes out as as a bit vinegary, bitey and lacking in body, this is beautifully full and round in taste, also a bit sweeter than I expected, but not so much that I think it would deter anyone. Decent amount of nicotine, too, which is never a bad thing. Very pleasant room note that lingers on for a good amount of time.

With the risk of sounding like a Davidoff salesman, this is simply too good to let it pass you by.

4/4.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nikos Maistros (9)	2020-11-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is an expensive blend, but all Davidoff tobacco products are. It is definitely for the experienced pipe smoker and it is not recommended for the novice smoker, since the transition from the taste of the different tobaccos comes slowly and unexpectedly, in a way that an experienced smoker can detect and appreciate (as in all medallions). Very nice presentation. The flakes are perfect for an insta photo and you can impress your wealthy friends too that don't know much about pipe smoking.

The fourth star is not there because you can find many blends with the same characteristics in a much better price. Coming from cigars (where Davidoff is the only non-cuban cigar, equal or better in quality), I would say that I would expect something exceptional. In this frame of thinking, I cannot justify the price for such a mixture. In a period of 5 years, I think I have purchased 3 tins and if you think that this is the only quality tobacco readily available where I live, says the whole story.

Pipe Used: various group 3

Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin

Purchased From: local shops

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nuvoleazzurre (36)	2019-11-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Scheda tecnica:  Blended: Orlik Tobacco Company, Produttore: Davidoff,   Composizione:  Virginia maturo, Perique della Luisiana, Black Cavendish,  Taglio: Curly Cut,   Forza: Media,  Aromatizzato:  no.

Davidoff Flake Medallions è un tabacco molto particolare, anche per la costruzione del flake che gli appassionati del defunto Navy Roll conoscono molto bene.

Il tabacco, di ottima qualità, è bellissimo da vedere. Umido al punto giusto, si può caricare da subito. I dischi si sfilacciano facilmente e si trasformano rapidamente in filamenti  pronti per la carica.

Affondando il naso nella latta siamo ammaliati dal profumo, completamente e golosamente virginioso, temperato dal cavendish. Solo sapendo che c’è il Perique, ritengo di riuscire a rilevarlo anch’io, ma non sono sicuro che lo identificherei senza esserne preventivamente a conoscenza. La composizione dei roll è particolare: la parte esterna è costituita da Virginia pressato e Perique, la parte centrale, scura, da Black Cavendish.

La carica la effettuo sfilacciando i tondini e caricando la pipa coi vari filamenti ottenuti, c’è chi sostiene che il massimo del gusto si ottiene caricando i roll interi, ma occorre una pipa dal fornello molto largo.

Ben caricata la pipa si accende facilmente e la combustione procede molto sicura.

Fin dall’inizio c’è da rimanere stupiti dalla gran mole di fumo prodotto e dalla sua densità quasi cremosa, comunque molto fresco per una miscela a base di virginia.  Le note aromatiche iniziali sono molto virginiose, col Cavendish che tende a mitigare l’esuberanza di questo Virginia maturo.

Proseguendo nella fumata il Cavendish aumenta lievemente apportando dei toni più zuccherini, fruttati all’insieme. Non è dato di conoscere se e con con cosa sia aromatizzato questa tipologia di tabacco, ma è un dato di fatto che ha un compito essenziale per bilanciare la miscela.

Solo dopo emerge il Perique con le sue tipiche note speziate.  A questo punto il mix è completo e i sensi sono davvero appagati: il dolce del Cavendish è mitigato e il Virginia è esaltato dall’aroma speziato del Perique, che accompagna e rende interessante, distende, una miscela decisamente pastosa .

Alla prova di surriscaldamento il mix si comporta benissimo dando pochissimi sentori amari, e fatto raffreddare torna agli antichi gusti.

Questa è una miscela a base di Virginia che non si smetterebbe mai di fumare, priva di qualsiasi tono bruciante alla lingua, caratteristica di alcuni Virginia anche blasonati.    Un tabacco di reale appagamento, giustamente complesso, che può essere consigliato anche a chi si approccia per la prima volta coi flake.

Naturalmente non è importato in Italia, e non è propriamente economico, ma la sua costruzione unica e l’esperienza gustativa davvero completa che regala rende ragione del viaggio sino in Svizzera.

Il voto finale è di 4,999/5 non ho fornito il massimo solo per il prezzo.

Age When Smoked: 57

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spinkle (16)	2019-06-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Davidoff – Flake Medallions

I picked this up about a year ago at a tobacconist that I’ve never been to before and not been back to since given its location away from the Subway. I asked for a suggestion and the owner sold me a tin of this which struck me as a very expensive option. This was my first “VaPer” blend.

The scent in the tin is typical VaPer so grassy and bready, perhaps a bit grassier than Peter Stokkebye LBF to my nose.

The tobacco itself was very well presented, perfect coins with almost no fraying, all arranged in a perfect circle inside the wrapping paper. Very nice alternating stripes of light Virginia and darker Perique, with a jet black cavendish centre.

When I first purchased this I was not a fan, so I shoved it in a mason jar and forgot about it down in my basement storage locker. Recently I discovered it while cleaning out the shed and decided I should give it another shot since it had been about a year. The tobaccos had grown noticeably darker in the interim.

I found the smoke to be bready and I thought I was also getting tongue-bite until I realized it was just the peppery Perique assaulting my tongue. This has to be one of the spiciest tobaccos I’ve tried. I found the bread and grass taste was overpowered by a taste almost like copper, so the aging doesn’t seem to have done much to calm down the Perique.

I think I’m drawing the conclusion that Perique just doesn’t work for me. Every blend I try that contains it has an acrid coppery taste and I just don’t seem to be able to acquire it. I will keep trying periodically. This tobacco is obviously high quality despite my personal dislike for Perqiue so I would recommend it to those who like VaPers. I’m sure you’ll get more than I did out of this. I’m just happy that I managed to finish the tin without wasting any of the rather expensive contents.

Pipe Used: Lorenzetti Bent Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from Tin to One Year

Purchased From: La Casa De Fuma, Toronto

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.James (39)	2018-01-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Two generous sized coins loaded one at a time into the pipe folding the sides over the cavendish center. The well aged Virginia is reminiscent of toasted hay and citrus and similar to Dunhill fake. The Perique used is quite peppery and loaded with dark stewed fruit and is on par with the Virginias as the base flavors. The Cavendish core rounds out the blend with a sugary touch and malted fruit undertones. Very pallet filling. Burns smooth to an off white ash but has a harshness at times from the Perique, perhaps it will mellow out with a bit of cellar time. Requires average relights. Overall, a must try for the VaPer enthusiast.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye luxury bullseye flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Richard Jhonson (13)	2017-01-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This tobacco is a real treat. Opening the tin, you are greeted with very handsome medallions, with a core of Black Cavendish. The smell is a bit on the sour side yet also sweet, and the moisture is perfect for filling your pipe without the need to air it out.

Rubbing this out, from my experience, tends to improve the flavor. Not drastically, but it smokes better and cooler, and becomes more complex. Or, you could just take two medallions (depending on the size of your bowl) put them on top of each other, fold, then stuff it in. Lighting this tobacco and keeping it lit is not a concern.

Mid bowl, the tobacco really develops, and the Virgina taste is absolutely amazing. The Perique is there for sure as well, and adds a nice, soft, peppery touch. Unlike other smokers, I was able to detect the Black Cavendish, though it is pretty far in the background.

Burns cooler than anything I've ever smoked before, and leaves no mess in your pipe.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2016-09-27		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

By the look and only, this feels like top quality tobacco, thinly sliced coins tidily arranged and separated in the tin. Soft to the touch with perfect moisture level, the medallions need gentle handling so as not to crumble. Tin note is slightly sweet with the presence of freshly cut hay. One can pick one or two and either rub or just fold and fill the bowl. Given the presence of the Cavendish core one can also play around a little and either let it enter the bowl unbroken as the medallion folds or rub it and spread it evenly or even put the heart on top of the VaPer. In fact I did rub two Cavendish hearts and put them on top and they were anything but sweet. Actually they gave a very ‘adult’ flavored smoke, astringent and sour but nice. A friend told me that this blend is topped with wine and this recollection made me associate the astringency of the smoke with that of a bold red wine… Overall I find it has a deceptive mildness owed to the creaminess of its texture but if you inhale, nicotine might give you a substantial kick. Yet it does not bite, it does not get hot nor harsh. Flavorwise it is predominantly a dry smoke with only a faint nutty or brown sugary sweetness from the Virginia which I find that both the Perique and the Cavendish even out. Now, if you use the Cavendish at the start you get more sweetness throughout the rest of the bowl. Perique’s peppery spiciness emerges more prominently after halfway through the bowl, so taste is not flat but progresses and changes. As far as behaviour is concerned, anyway you pack the pipe it lights easily and stays lit. It burns clean and cool and draw is effortless – no need to puff hard. What is more it burns slow and leaves a fine ash. Room note is sweeter than expected. Evidently this is very high quality stuff, from presentation to substance. It is also complex and though its quality (texture, draw, burning, clarity of smoke and fine ash) cannot escape even a newbie I think it requires an experienced smoker to discern all of its flavor nuances– no charming sweetness here. An understated tobacco (apart from its immaculate presentation) of the highest quality. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: MM corn cobs, small Peterson

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: gift

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2016-08-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Rumor has it that Davidoff Flake Medallions and Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake are the same product in different packaging. I have no hard evidence to substantiate that rumor; I can only go by what my senses tell me. But they tell me the two blends are remarkably similar in appearance, smell, and taste. I'm inclined to believe they are the same tobacco. That belief bears some significance to this review, seeing as how the two products are priced very differently.

But first, let's consider Davidoff's offering on its own merits. This is a wonderful smoke. Cleanly sliced rounds are presented in an elegant tin that speaks to old world luxury and tradition. The tobacco's aroma of freshly mown grass, sweet oats and light citrus translates directly to the palate. The Virginias are the star of the show here, supported by just a sprinkling of pepper from the perique, and sweet, creamy body from the cavendish core. Given enough time in the cellar, the Virginias will darken and deepen in appearance and flavor, becoming sweeter and a bit more tangy. The room note is pungent, but sweet, and far less cigarettish than many blends in this genre. This really is an A+ VaPer.

But let's circle back to that pesky business with the Luxury Bullseye Flake. I've probably smoked more than ten pounds of Stokkebye over the past year, and I've smoked as much of the Davidoff as my budget will allow. I find them more or less identical -- with the key difference being that Flake Medallions, a tinned product, will taste a bit more mature and refined than Luxury Bullseye Flake when smoked young. Over time, however, any apparent differences recede, and the tobaccos converge at the same place.

The only difference remaining between the two is the price. And it's quite a difference. At the time of this writing, a 1.76oz tin of Davidoff Flake Medallions sells between $11 and $13 at the major online retailers. Meanwhile, a 2oz quantity of Luxury Bullseye Flake, purchased in bulk, sells between $4.50 and $6.25. That's half the price for a virtually indistinguishable substitute.

On its own accord, this tobacco deserves 4 stars. But I am deducting a point for the price. It's not entirely fair, but hey, I feel this is relevant information.

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Bullseye Flake (No. 403).

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blocka33 (6)	2015-10-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like it. I smoke LBF as a daily rotation. DM is what LBF wants to be when it comes of age. The virginias are sweeter and without the bright edge of the LBF. The perique seems slightly more in harmony rather than pushing for the front row.

I smoked as a sample so havent felt the price pinch others have mentioned.

Pipe Used: Mountbatten Royal

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Sample

Similar Blends: LBF.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2015-09-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is a jewel! After removing the lid DFM is instant class in a tin, a ring of beautiful coins tidily disposed and emanating a mild but gorgeous smell of tobacco goodness. Moisture is perfect but I prefer dry them out a few hours. Once lit it keeps its promises, slow burning and cool smoking, Perique is mild especially in the first part then it comes out a bit more pronounced but still in the mild side perfectly balanced with Virginias and Cavendish. I fully agree with those using the adjective “creamy” to describe this tobacco, not strong but flavorful and satisfying, sweet and spicy but rounded off by that buttery core of unflavoured Cavendish. I need some more tins in my cellar.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-03-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

To me, Davidoff Flake Medallions are absolutely delicious, containing that BC core I like so much, even preferred to pure VaPer rolls (DLNR/Escudo). I simply find it more interesting on the long run, placing the BC core purposefully at the beginning, in the middle or even at the end of a bowl. Together with the excellent VaPer experience, four stars hands down.

However, I found Roper’s Roundels, also manufactured by Orlik for Dan Tobacco, to be the same (according to my taste buds, of course) and present time being considerably less expensive where I live. I find the Roundels more often on my shelf than the Flake Medallions, taking the loss in social prestige.

Pipe Used: Various

Similar Blends: Orlik Bull’s Eye, Peter Stokkebuy Bulls Eye, Dunhill Navy Rolls, Escudo, DTM Roper’s Roundels.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Winchester38 (11)	2014-12-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Disclaimer: I'm new to both pipe smoking, and to reviewing.

In the tin, this tobacco smells pretty nice. To my inexperienced nostrils, I get what reminds me of molasses and hay. Sweet, but not punch you in the nose sweet.

I opted to break two coins up to dry for a few minutes, as opposed to the fold/stuff, or leadball approach. Loaded it into my Savinelli 310, and away we go.

Seemed to maybe still be slightly too moist at first, because I had a tough time getting a solid char light. Once I got a char going, and the tobacco swelled a bit to let me know it was alive, I gave it a light tamp, and I was off to the races.

Taste seemed pretty consistent throughout the whole bowl. Virginia, with just a hint of pepper/spice (is this the perique?) and maybe a small hint of sweetness. Smoke was relatively mild throughout, and the bowl burned evenly, almost entirely to ash, leaving only a tiny amount of dottle in the bottom of the bowl.

I'll be revisiting this one.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 310

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	twaksak (54)	2014-10-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

In the tin, I was surprised with definite aromas of barn / hay grass and molasses. It was a pleasant smell for someone who loves Latakia / English / Balkan blends. I was at first worried about tongue bite as my experience is that high content of Virginia / aromatic chemicals may be the culprit of tongue bite. No tongue bite here (at lest in 2 smokes). On the tongue, a subtle sweet, maybe more a caramelish-sweet (molasses like) taste was evident. Also very faintly a peppery taste from the perique, but overall well balanced in such a way that I could not pinpoint any of the perique/ virginia / black cavendish as the dominant flavor. A good tobacco; could easily be a 4/5 but pricey.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Purchased From: JJ Cale

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hillbilly08 (38)	2014-09-09		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bought when encouraged by reviews here. First impression: the aroma was earthy and musky, pleasant, but not overpowering. I would like to say that "I packed two slices into the pipe by folding", or something equally classy, but in reality it was more like "I managed to stuff two folded slices into the pipe". And while I expected to have problems with starting it and keeping it lit, I was wrong. Needed just two charring lights and it took off, in a tightly packed pipe. The flavour is subtle and offered no bite, burning rather coolly. As a novice to perique I found it really pleasant, slightly peppery, and not overwhelming. Virginia predominates, with a solid cavendish undertone. Fine white ash, packs well on progress, and does not affect the remaining tobacco and burns happily. However, what I did not realise was that this blend looks and smells nice but also packs a decent wallop of nicotine despite mildness of flavour. I almost ended up nauseous when puffing away carelessly and only finished the bowl the next day. It relit nicely and was not bitter or ashy, and yet with the same kick of nicotine to the head. The presentation in the tin is charming but not enough a reason for me to buy it. At the same time, the quality of this blend is high, and I will keep it in the rotation, treating it with respect. Together with the much milder "Red Mixture" this is another fine example of a reliable Davidoff blend.

Pipe Used: Poul Winslow bulldog / rhodesian with 9mm filter

Age When Smoked: straight out of tin

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: My first VaPer blend ever, so unable to compare.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-09-30		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I resisted posting this review for a long time, but here it goes:

This is Luxury Bullseye Flake. Which is great. Just tinned, branded, and more expensive. Possibly benefits from some tin-aging. And the tin helps the presenation, coins stay more tightly rolled, etc. But it's the same blend, made at the same factory, on the same equipment, with the same tobaccos.

That said, a world-class blend. A must-try for both VaPer and straight Virginia smokers.

But it's still LBF.

(Flame suit on)

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Bullseye Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Teodor (4)	2020-09-10		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Unnoticeable

This is outstanding Vaper blend.Everything is well balanced and rounded the to last detail.The used tobacco is highest quality.The Virginia is natural sweet and a little bit hay.The perique is bringing a touch of spiciness and little bit of pepper.It needs about 20 minutes drying time because the tobacco is pretty moist from the tin.

Pipe Used: Morta

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (108)	2020-04-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Virginas are a blend of hay and tangy fruit notes, with the Perique assisting in the dark fruit character's prevalence. Cavendish as an addition to Virgina and Va/Per usually makes me cautious but I was pleasantly surprised. It not only mellows the blend but adds a bit of brown sugary sweetness, unlike other Va/Per I've had with Cavendish.

This blend isnt a strong VaPer, both in the Perique's spiciness and overall flavor. And that's not a negative necessarily. It is an all day smoke and a quality entry level VaPer. It wont be regular a VaPer for me to grab but certainly a change of pace blend. 6.5/10

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2019-09-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

It took me a while to finally get around to trying this tobacco and I am glad I did. This vaper is a similar format to Escudo and Dunhill Navy Rolls, but that's where the similarity ends.

There is something very satisfying about this tobacco. It's not particularly sweet. Not particularly rich. The virginias are not bready like Escudo or yeasty like Navy Rolls. However, there is something about the quality virginias, the balance of perique and the touch of cavendish in this blend that makes it special. Strength, taste and nic are medium across the board and emits plumes of creamy smoke, providing a decent nostril tingle on retrohale. It also burns well with few relights down to a fine grey ash.

In summary a little more costly than some, but an an excellent vaper all the same, which I intend to stock up on.

Age When Smoked: 3 yrs

Purchased From: 4Noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-04-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The presentation is nice. The coins are neatly arranged in the shape of the tin, similar to that of Escudo, Dunhill Navy Rolls, etc. This is not a blend comparable, to me, to Escudo and Dunhill Navy Rolls. The Cavendish core of Flake Medallions gives the blend a different character. For that reason, I would compare this with Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake.

The tin note is grassy and tangy. Nectarines come to mind, and that comes through at times in the smoke. I did not dry this at all before filling the pipe. It was moist, but didn't burn too hot, and it was forgiving when puffed aggressively. I smoked through this tin, I only smoked it rubbed out. At the time I wasn’t as comfortable with folding and stuffing, but I would try it if I were smoking another tin by just gently forming a broken flake, and breaking up the Cavendish pieces so that they aren’t concentrated anywhere within the mix. This takes the flame easily, and immediately I got a cane sugar-like sweetness. I got notes of tangy fruits, like nectarines I mentioned earlier. There are spice and raisin notes that come together nicely. Some reviews maintain that this is mild and light, but I found it to have some richness. The flavor begins to waver at the end of a bowl, which is a downside, for me. It’s not a tragedy though. It happens with a lot of Virginia blends, and it could have been poor technique at the time on my part. However, the tanginess and sweetness are so enjoyable it is worth smoking again.

I found this to be mild to medium in strength, and the nicotine strength to be mild. This smoked and tasted best in narrow bowls with chambers of straight sides. In bowls of ~1.5in in depth, I found it really hurt the taste towards the latter third of the bowl.

The biggest downside for me is the price. For the price, and this style of blend, of similar quality, you could go with Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake. I would not buy this again for that reason. I would still recommend this though. This blend ages well, but I imagine it's good fresh as well. It’s a good blend.

Pipe Used: bent egg

Age When Smoked: ~1year

Purchased From: local

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-09-29		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not bad!! And I'm sure with age it will bring even more to the table. It's a nice mild va/per with cavendish... it comes in a classic package.. but I won't write home about it. Mellow virginia character... not too grassy.. and the perique is there.. most definitely not over the top.. but. Probably a better cellar blend than fresh.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theocharis (38)	2018-09-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the best vaper in my opinion and one of my favorite tobacco ever. It lights easily, stays lit and has a really great taste. Virginia, perique and black cavendish produce a naturally smooth and grassy flavor that burns cool. Non smokers could regard room note as "strong" but i find this intoxicating and adds to the whole experience. Also wonderful tin and overall presentation by davidoff.Quality stuff. Give it a try, you wont be dissapointed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ian K (30)	2018-07-24		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This was one of those take it or leave it blends for me, While in no means an unpleasant smoke it just left me wanting a bit more in the flavour department...Maybe a touch more Perique or a tad more of the hay note on the Virginia either way it just came out a bit bland, neither fish nor fowl. Would I buy it again? No purely on the fact there’s better out there the likes of Peter Stockerbys luxury bulls eye for instance. maybe I cellared it for too long ? Dunno having read the reviews maybe I was expecting just a bit more.

Update.

Having returned to this blend after a couple of months the jar time has brought out more of the nature of this blend I feel. The Perique has started to shine a little more and the virginias chime in on the act.

After 3 months out of the tin it’s improved considerably from fresh out of the tin, also 2nd time around I smoked this in an old Peterson full bent which may have had a positive influence so I’ve upgraded the number of stars I originally awarded, if you have a tin my advice is let it breathe for a while and you’ll be rewarded

Pipe Used: Peterson’s full bent, Falcon, Savineli, 1/4 bent

Age When Smoked: 3 yrs

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Luxury bullseye flake, Macbarens roll cake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cap'n Lev (19)	2017-10-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

A wonderful tobacco ,full bodied and to me feels like from 1920's era. One of my favorite tobaccos, worth a try if you appreciate non aromatic and flakes. Kinda pricey though. Room note tolerable to strong. Such a pity is not available in my country anymore (Greece). Update 2020: It is back again, will buy some more at last!

Pipe Used: briar, meerschaum, corn cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Athens

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	English Mixture's Lover (2)	2016-09-14		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

A very pleasant smoke. Nice tin smell, beautiful looking rolls with the black cavendish eye in the center. Smokes very easily, just fold two coins in your pipe, and here we go. Perfect moist, slow and cool burning, no bite, nice tobacco smell and taste, very mild actually. Maybe DNL has more taste, more presence; however this is a very elegant and mild blend, easy to smoke (few relits) and suitable for beginners as well as experts. No bite. A perfect choice for non-aromatic amateurs. Perfect for my first pipe of the day, around 05:00 pm !

Pipe Used: Peterson 106 - Ashton Pebble Grain XXX

Similar Blends: Dunhill - De Luxe Navy Rolls, A & C Petersen - A & C Petersen: Escudo Navy Deluxe.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ElMog (36)	2016-08-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Call me uncouth, but of the few VaPer blends i have tried, this one stands out as my favorite, above Deluxe Navy roll and Elizabethan Mixture. Maybe because i am still new to the world of VaPers, but Flake Medalions gave me the most ''peculiar'' experience, it seemed a better representative of its type, fruity, figgy, spicy. From the tin, it smells like candies (okok candied figs maybe...). I always rub it out and it smokes well, especially outside. I cannot detect the Cavendish, i guess it just mellows the whole thing and gives it a fuller mouth feel, though i wouldnt call this a rich smoke. Rather, it is very tasty, very bright, fruity, in a bold, tasty way. It is not incredibly spicy, just pleasantly so.

I guess Deluxe Navy Roll is a superior baccy, more complex, closer to that neutral, natural tobacco taste, darker in taste, with Perique that is less petulant, but i keep having more fun smoking Flake Medalion... I may be completely wrong in thinking that it is the Perique that makes it differ from those other VaPers, it may be the VAs that are more playful and fruity... i dont care. This one takes me further from the ''core'' tobacco taste and i enjoy it very much.

(it has the added benefit of never making me sick as opposed to other VaPers, which i have to smoke extremely carefully...)

Pipe Used: Bent rusticated Lorenzeti

Purchased From: 4noggins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-05-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I find DFM to be very close in taste to Escudo but very different from Luxury Bulls eye Flake. Very very elegant and contains the most top shelf ingredients money can buy which is good since Davidoff tobacco's are expensive! As has been said before, tangy Virginia's with earthy spicy Perique, what's not to like here?! Yummy! Since I find Escudo to be extremely similar I do not see the need to pay more for the Davidoff version but if I was in fly over land and out of tobacco I would certainly purchase this over any pouched aromatic....

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SpeedyPete (29)	2014-12-26		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Most of the reviewers rate this tobacco better than C&D's Luxury Bullseye Flake. I do not agree.

DFM contains quality tobacco, make no mistake. But for the money spent on it, I was expecting something special which it ain't. I prefer Escudo or LBF

Correction! After the tins has been open for a couple of days, I tried it again. I must admit I made a mistake. The taste has improved dramatically and it's now sweet, smooth and soft with just the right amount of perique. I just LOVE it.

Pipe Used: Billiards

Age When Smoked: Unknowen

Purchased From: Curiosity Hut

Similar Blends: Escudo and C&D LBF.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

If your palate can't detect the beautiful nuances of this blend and you need a harsh blend to feel something in your mouth, don't bother reviewing this one and don't mark it as a beginner tobacco ,go smoke your Escudo. This blend is a masterpiece , it is pleasantly mild and tasty at the same time and with enough nicotine , making this possible is hard.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-10-29		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I am comparing this to PS Bullseye as I have been smoking both lately and they are very similiar. They are both a VA/Perique twist with a core of black cavendish. The Davidoff version has a much sweeter VA/Per base and it taste just the way it should, sweet with a tang to the flavor. But the black cavendish core never comes out to play and you would never know it's there. The Birdseye black cavendish not only comes out but it adds a very sweet nice flavor to it. But, this Davidoff blend has many merits of it's own. First off, right from the git go it bursts with the sweet, creamy, tangy flavor that smeels good in the room as you smoke it. It has a very pungent pouch aroma, strong and peaty. It is a medium brown color looking like spun hay with the dark core. It is a bit too moist in the tin, it needs to dry out quite a bit before smoking it. Once dry enough, it breaks up nicely and is easy to load into the pipe. It lights quite well and stays lit. It remained consistant all the way to the bottom leaving a powdery fine ash and no moisture or dottle in the bottom of the pipe. It is quite nice, I think I like the PS Birdseye a bit better but I would gladly smoke this anytime.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-14		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

Very strong nicotine and perique, like smoking hot peppers. I could only take 3-4 puffs, as I usually smoke milder english blends. I cannot recommend it for those new to perique blends, they really seem to have a niche, as shown by the few, but generally good reviews. However, one should try to sample it before paying for a tin (In Canada it goes for $40US !!).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-03-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Every positive comment on Flake Medallions herein posted can be accepted at face value. Without doubt, one of the finest tobaccos of its type currently available.

However...at five times the price of Luxury Bullseye Flake, I can find no justification for its purchase. The quality, cut, and flavor are so similar that I doubt nine in ten smokers would be able to tell the difference in a blind test.

I'm not adverse to purchasing expensive tobaccos. In fact, virtually all of the tobaccos I do smoke are "luxury" blends.

When I purchased a tin of Flake Medallions, I expected to be blown away given all that has been said. The only thing blown away was my hard earned dollars that could have been better spent.

For those who have access to unlimited funds, add three stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-11-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

As opening the tin, I was impressed by its wonderful appearance, pure golden viriginas with a black bulls eye (Cavendish) in the middle - let it dry a little to experience it at its best.

Than simply fold the medaillons twice and put it in your pipe, one after another, depending of the size of the pipe, from one piece up to two and a half pieces, are possible in my different pipes.

Easy to light, smokes absolutely dry and very cool, therefore very very gentle to your tongue, leaves your palate clean and keeps you wanting more and more, since it offers such nices nuances which only top leave quality can offer.

A real round tabacco, all details (Virginias, Perique and a touch of Cavendish) harmonize wonderfully in this composition, and leave a nice long finish, just like drinking a ripe Bordeaux, only a little bit cheaper.

This is the best tabcco in my bar, worth more than every penny, you have to give it a try and you will see or taste.........

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-08-13		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Yea man! This is my first try at the Davidoff's line of blends and, I must say, a very nice surprise!

Like Newman pointed out, the roll cakes are a beauty to the eye, which is greeted by a spiral of about 2 in of golden, light brown, brown and dark brown colours, with a core of dark brown/black of about, yea, 1/2 in.

The tin aroma is of good, matured VAs and a discreet, subtle sweetness generated by the core of black cavendish that will increase slightly after a couple days. The Périque is there, but definitely more in the background.

A roll and a half, fully rubbed, with the core fully broken, will fill a medium size bowl. The lighting is easy, the taste of smooth, cool VAs with a sweet occasional background of the black Cavendish. As the bowl progresses, the Périque will manifest itself, but as a nice counterpart, increasing the strenght and adding some kick to the whole experience.

The end is a bit more stronger, with a bit more regularity from Mr Louisiana, which will put the Black cavendish in the background, but still there.

For me, if the experience of the two other tins that I bought remain the same, this bakkie will be gloriously crowned to the status of the all- day smoke, which is to say a lot.

I love this tobacco, it's smooth, just a tiny sweet from the black cavendish and kicky from the Périque. A fascinating combination and certainly a never boring, about to become daily smoke. And a very high quality tobacco from Davidoff.

I highly recommend this tobacco and any pipe smoker reading this review should try it, it is well worth the try and cheaper in prize than the american blends like Cornell & Diehl or G.L Pease.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carolus (29)	2022-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I must begin this review with the disclaimer that I canned the blend a few in mason jars. At first I did not like the blend, I found the perique too tangy and too... spontaneous, as if not blended in well enough. I read about those with similair experiences, and waited two months. Slightly less so, but too much the same still.

Now, a few years later I picked the blend up again, and I had a great experience. The perique, cavendish and virginia have blended in completely. The virginia is woody, bready, earthy. The perique is now always present but laid back. The black cavendish - I do not notice it too much. A blend that you can smoke all day (after the preservation process, that is) but that sneakily hits you up with nicotine afterwards, which I find to be a draw back.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NeuRomanCer (1)	2022-05-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Really nice and creamy smoke. Real tobacco taste but more on the medium ro light side. Due to the little heart of black cavendish and the pinch of perique it gets depth and wider flavours. Sweet and a a very little subtitle of spice. I keep a a taste of this on the tung a good while after the smoke - what i also like…

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MechanicPiper (3)	2022-04-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm writing this review just after finishing my first bowl of Flake Medallions (if anything changes I'll update).

It was my first time smoking a VaPer AND a medallion flake.

No words are able to describe the pleasure provided upon opening the tin, smelling and smoking the first bowl of this....

The tin is beautiful along with the Davidoff logo this font is so classy... The contents are similiar in beauty... the flake medallions are almost mesmerazing and the gaze of the black cavendish spot in the middle is great.

First puffs gives me the spice perique on the tip of the tongue, followed by the nutty, sweet, black cavendish which seems to smooth and walk hand in hand with the virginias. Little more into the bowl you enjoy the high quality grassy virnigias and spicying perique with subtle hints of the sweet cavendish smoothing the blend making it almost perfect.

This is easily one of the best blends I've tasted. Burns cool, needed little relight (probably due to bad packing since first time trying medallions), does not bite and tastes wonderfull. Nic is mild to medium.

10/10 would recommend trying this one out. Nice balance of flavours and overall great experience. I just wish I could buy more tins of it.

Pipe Used: The Everyman london 36

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pope (9)	2022-02-14		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is currently my favorite tobacco. I prefer it over the Deluxe Navy Rolls. Man; it's deep, spicy, sweet, rich, smoky, ropy, tangy, chewy. I would smoke this through my nose if my mouth was sewn shut. It's also fun to twist, twirl and rub out in whatever way you like. Only downside is the price. So far I've only smoked this one coin at a time in fairly small bowls.

Pipe Used: Corn cob, clay

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Some guy who said he's from MI6

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JEM (24)	2021-09-14		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm sure it's just my tastebuds, but I did not like this tobacco. I usually enjoy Davidoff tobaccos, but this one had a foul taste to it that I just could not grow to like. That's not to say you shouldn't try it. Those in the room said they liked the aroma. It was easy to light and stayed lit and it burned all the way through.

Pipe Used: Falcon, Savanelli

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doctor Max (29)	2021-02-06		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The colour on the tin is really well chosen, because this blend really reminds me of red wine. It's fruity, lightly tart and sweet, with oaky vanilla overtones. Very frank, exceptional quality. Beautiful, fairly large medallions, a little bigger than Navy Rolls from memory. On the surface, it resembles Navy Rolls (personally I prefer the brighter and more distinct flavour of navy rolls), but this is a different beast, much darker, fruitier and less citrus notes, with the added vanilla Cavendish. Definitely recommended for the VA/Per lover, especially if you're into your oaky wines.

Pipe Used: Corn cob

Age When Smoked: 0-1 years

Purchased From: Le Diplomate, Lyon

Similar Blends: Peterson - De Luxe Navy Rolls.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Babis (3)	2021-01-29		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

This blend is special reserved medallions flakes with pure tobacco aroma, Virginia with peric notes, the quality is of great expectation! Personally I want to recommend to smoke in a vergin pipe that you've never used aromatic blends in order not to harm the flavor and also use a filtered pipe! One negative thing in Greece is the price, 22,5€ the 50 gramms

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vic (3)	2020-11-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco aged extremely well, it became very sweet after 1.5 yrs. I added GLP Gaslight to it as a condiment and magic happened - out of this world desert taste. Highly recommended combination.

Pipe Used: orange hanger

Age When Smoked: 1.5yrs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2020-08-28		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a newcomer to this page I just realized that I lack stars to rate this mix. The reason is that I have to choose between giving it three stars, putting it at the height of Cabbie's Mixture or Hamborger Veermaster (which I like better) or giving it two stars, putting it at the level of Capstan Gold Navy Cut or Erinmore Flake (which I like less). So, being bullish, I give it all three stars, actually being two and a half. Tobacco smokes well and its presentation is a feast for the eyes, but in my novice opinion, it lacks flavor. I must listen to pipe smoking experts who say that if stored properly, it wins over the years. Unfortunately I cannot see in the tin how old the one I have smoked is.

2020/11/07: I recently smoked a tin of Highgate -Robert McConnell- that I found very similar and I liked it a lot, so I have prepared another tin of Flake Medallions to see if my valuation changes after having acquired more experience.

Similar Blends: Robert McConnell - Highgate (Heritage).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2020-08-16		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Summary: sweet Va/Per that tames the bright Virginias.

Va/Pers take Virginia and tame it with Perique, rather than the other way around, making the clover honey, white flour, and citrus flavors of Virginia mellow out and enhance the spicy, fermented fruit, and wine-like flavors of the Perique. Davidoff "Flake Medallions" tones down the acidic nature of the bright Virginia has been toned down and pumps up the fruity tendencies of the Perique rather than the spice. The Black Cavendish makes it sweet, smooth, and creamy, sort of like eating cake while sitting on silk. All together, to me, this makes it taste like a really refined form of grape jam. I appreciate the skill that went into this, but I prefer the rougher more Burley-infused Va/Pers over the breakfast cereal sweet ones.

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Escudo Navy De Luxe, David P. Ehrlich Company - Navy Flake, Newminster - No. 403 Superior Round Slices, Former - Straight Grain Flake, Savinelli - Doblone d'Oro, Mac Baren - Three Nuns, Samuel Gawith - Cabbies Uncut, Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake, Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Bullseye Flake (No. 403), Comoy's of London - Cask #7 Single Coin Sliced (Comoy's).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KrzysD (24)	2020-03-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Since opening the tin I’ve found it becoming a clear favorite in my rotation. It’s smooth smoke with a bit of natural sweetness, some fruit, a touch of spice in the 2nd half and enough nicotine to satisfy any time of day, I find it fitting the bill more often then not

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2019-06-04		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Davidoff, Flake Medallions: An Amazing Vaper with a Catch

The Virginia varietals in this blend remind me exactly of Dunhill DLNR. They are earthy, quite sweet, with some grassy-bright notes. Overall, they are quite nice and complex. The perique is pretty spicy with some undertones of dried prunes, which is exactly how I like it. The addition of black Cavendish is actually quite nice—adding a smooth body to the smoke.

However, there is a flavor from something in the smoke that I find off-putting. I am not sure if this comes from a casing or just how the smoke interacts with my own body chemistry. I am a bit bummed as I thought I found a replacement for my favorite tobacco (Dunhill DLNR). Yet, your mileage may vary.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2019-03-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

These silver dollar-sized, twist flakes possess a hard, dark Cavendish core which requires a little extra work to break up & creates an added dimension of flavor. A fairly tasty Cav/VA/Per blend, if you will. Moisture content was minimal. It is very ... smooth & presented a subtle sweetness at about the halfway point which I thoroughly enjoyed.

FM didn't ring my bell like Three Nuns, Navy Rolls or Escudo, but would be a satisfactory substitute that I could easily adapt to. Vitamin N content is satisfactory...about medium to strong, that seems to sneak up on you due to its mild smoking characteristic. For me, this blend is easy on the tongue & palate. If you like very smooth & mild smoking VA/Pers with a touch of Cavendish & a subtle hint of sweetness, this blend may be to your liking. I am partial to VA/Pers & FM is a good choice. Certainly worth a try if you don't mind parting with a little extra $$.

Some will love the flavor...some will not like it well enough to rate it highly and I fall into the latter category. Many a good blend falls short of being highly reccommended due to varying differences in smoker's taste receptors.

Pipe Used: Peterson Deluxe 11S & 9S & a MM

Age When Smoked: fresh Tin

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Luxury Bull's Eye Flake, Escudo, Navy Rolls.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2018-12-21		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is another one of my revised & partially copied reviews from 2009. I have since rejoined TRs & doing some catch up work. The fresh tin note was that of quality tobacco with a slightly sweet topping aroma which I cannot identify... maybe just the Perique essence. It expands well & has a good burn rate. These silver dollar-sized, twist flakes possess a hard, dark Cavendish core which requires a little extra work to break up & creates an added dimension of flavor. A fairly tasty Cav/VA/Per blend, if you will. Moisture content was minimal. It is very smooth & presented a subtle sweetness at about the halfway point which I thoroughly enjoyed. FM didn't ring my bell like Three Nuns or Escudo, but would be a satisfactory substitute that I could easily adapt to.

Vitamin N content is satisfactory...about medium to strong, that seems to sneak up on you due to its mild smoking characteristic. For me, this blend is easy on the tongue & palate. I concur with other reviewers in that this blend is very similar to PS Bullseye Flakes & doubt that I could discern the difference in a blind taste test. If you like very smooth & mild smoking VA/Pers with a touch of Cavendish & a subtle hint of sweetness, this blend may be to your liking.

I am partial to VA/Pers & FM is a good choice. Certainly worth a try if you don't mind parting with a little extra $$. Some will love the flavor...some will not like it well enough to rate it four stars and I fall into the latter category. Many a good blend falls short of being highly reccommended due to varying differences in smoker's taste receptors.

Pipe Used: Peterson Deluxe 9S

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Luxury Bullseye Flakes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2018-12-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Flake Medallions is the first Davidoff blend I’ve tried, and I have to say, the well-formed medallions look first class in the tin. Here, short, slight ribbons are blended, spread out and pressed into a blanket that is rolled around a pencil diameter core of dense, dark brown Cavendish, then the resultant, 1 ¼” tobacco “log” or “dowel” is sliced into thin disks, AKA navy rolls, or medallions. The ribbons are primarily moist, variegated VAs ranging from golden, flue cured lemon, to air cured orange and brown, along with some darker, stoved red, and a little dark Pirique. While some have mentioned DFM’s similarity to Dunhill’s Deluxe Navy Rolls and Escudo, as far as I’m concerned, the similarity stops with appearances. Tin note here is cross buns with currants, and I tried to get some of this in the smoke, as well. There are several ways to prepare DFM. I preferred smoking it au naturale after it had rested in its re-sealed tin for a week rather than drying it and/or rubbing it out. I like to gently roll and loosely stuff a couple of crumbling medallions into a group 5+ bowl. It might well be personal chemistry, but DFM gets downright acrid on me if I smoke it too quickly. This consideration ups the ante for me when lighting DFM and keeping it going, but a slow pace is do-able. Smoked slowly at native moisture, there is a buttery taste and feel to the smoke, and it’s there in the scents, as well, like buttered popcorn. The VA’s start out mild and fragrant, with meadow grasses and faint flowers, along with the cross bun and currant thing. I really don’t get much from the Perique, perhaps a little souring fig. If I smoke rolled and stuffed medallions I get a period of vanilla from the Cavendish, mid-bowel. If I rub it out and re-blend it I hardly get a blip from the Cavendish. One way or another, I find this blend to be mostly about its VAs, which center on orange, but they are bluff, like some browns. I do get some dark fruit from the reds, but not much. Again, it’s all rather bluff and (surprisingly) uncomplicated, top to bottom. Strength is closer to mild than medium. Factoring in the acidity, tastes are more medium than mild. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste shifts quickly from slightly acrid to VA sweet, and it lingers on nicely, better, perhaps, than the smoke, itself

I don’t get much Perique from Flake Medallions. However, it does sport “the same” varietals as Marlin Flake, so that comparison is apropos, I think. Given my reservations, and with the stipulations listed above, 3 stars.

Pipe Used: group 5 briars

Age When Smoked: fresh to 1 month from tin

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: compare/contrast to Marlin Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip (80)	2018-03-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice mild Va/Per. Tin tone is is sweet grass like with hints of figs and raisins. Not as good as Escudo....but what is! As for flavor..it tastes mild...wish there was a bit more perique. The black cavendish is an interesting touch but, quite frankly I could do without it. As for the tobaccos presentation..I love the coins. I like to rub them out.

Age When Smoked: 6yrs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Diyavol (8)	2017-12-07		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have been smoking pipe for 3 years now and this is one of the best tobaccos I have tried so far. A very pleasant taste, well balanced, no biting, perfect humidity. Really high quality stuff, MUST try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Daniel W. (23)	2017-09-23		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant

Full body tobacco with flavors of pepper, black tea and leather. It has medium to high bitterness, low acidity and low to medium tobacco sweetness. It burns pretty well, it has a thick smoke. The aftertaste is black tea. Besided it has a high bitterness, it isn’t harsh and don’t bit st all. A very intense blend.

Pipe Used: Peterson Founder’s Edition

Age When Smoked: 3 years old

Purchased From: Davidoff São Paulo

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rob73 (77)	2016-10-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

An interesting hint of dried figs at the opening of the tin counterbalanced, in the smoke, by a Black Cavendish which covers the natural sweetness of Virginia and the spicy of Perique. A "bitter" experience. 2,0/5 in my personal rating system.

Purchased From: London (UK)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ahmad Othman (51)	2016-08-21		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

As much as I love pipes, I hate cigarettes. And a lot of people said this blend is quite cigarettte-ish..So, I wasn't encouraged to try it but then I had the chance to.. And boy were they wrong.. this is a magnificent blend by all means.. It's a bit ... rough indeed and doesn't have any flavouring.. It is just straight baccy for your delight

Pipe Used: Stanwell Deluxe tapered billiard,Orlik Deluxe L220

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Dubai Duty Free

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pied Piped (1)	2016-03-08		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

She demands to be tamed!

Chewy prunes and leather throughout eventually finish on dense pillows stuffed with pages torn from antique novels. There are several electrifying, glorious puffs hiding within for the patient man to find.

This is a moon-gazing tobacco which demands patience. Don't try to smoke it on an empty stomach or in a crowded, noisy bar, or she will bite. I quickly learned, don't exhale through the nose. Ever.

The first eight medallions straight out of the tin (with some drying) were difficult to get through. The tobacco bit over and over. Eventually, a dryer tobacco, packed loosely did the trick. After the tin was opened, I returned to it 3 months later and found, to my surprise, that it held up favorably well.

The sweet zone with this tobacco is very narrow. But once you learn to dance with it, you'll be rewarded with a solid flavor profile and a thorough nic-kick.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: Out of Tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Christrom (34)	2015-06-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To echo what most other people think about this tobacco - I LOVE IT! I'm not used to virginia/perique blends so my first bowl of it really weirded me out. By the second bowl I was hooked. A tin note like apple sauce, a bright taste with a perfect balance of smoothness and complexity. It is perfect!

Pipe Used: Mr Brog

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Ashton's of Manchester

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aadelma (67)	2015-04-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very high quality yet ultimately bland and unsatifying tobacco. I much preferred it folded and stuffed to rubbed out. It packs and burns wonderfully, but the flavors are so muted that I always want to smoke something else immediately afterwards. There are those who like extremely mild tobaccos, and to those I somewhat recommend this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sundruid (3)	2015-02-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My first VaPer blend. What's really special about this blend is the touch of Cavendish (uncased) that is added. As a pipeman quickly weaning my way off of aromatics, which were never that satisfying anyway, I find this Davidoff blend to be perfect.

Pipe Used: Rinaldo

Purchased From: Davidoff of Geneva, New York, NY

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (106)	2014-09-09		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this bc it said it had perique in it, and cav which was new idea to me at the time. Also, it was the only pipe tobacco in the store that wasn't intended for rolling tubes.

I found it to be kinda flat. It had all the normal characteristics of a va/per, just not what I wanted I think. Good tin presentation, and it burned nice and mellow though. May be good for a beginner, but there is more flavorful twist va/pers out there.

Pipe Used: MM cobs, Grabows

Age When Smoked: Fresh maybe

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2014-01-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The best Davidoff mixture so far. Very natural tasting, tangy and cigarette like from the Virginias, slightly sweet Vanilla from the Cavendish and lightly spicy with fig tones from the Perique. The medallions in the tin look more dangerous than they really are, it's a mild mixture, ideal for a beginner. What is interesting, is that you taste each of the ingredients, the only minus being the lack of a full bodied taste. It would have been the perfect roll with a stronger Virginia and some more Perique.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mdnyc71 (22)	2013-09-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I enjoy Davidoff's Flake Medallions every bit as much as Escudo. If you enjoy Escudo don't hesitate to give this one a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustinCarcerated (99)	2013-02-12		Very Mild	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

I don't mean to be a party-pooper, but after trying this blend in differing pipes with varying methods of bowl packing it continues to come up as a straight Va.

Presentation is classic Dunhill, it's a present, and as always a small joy to open. The baccy is formed well, my tin was aged a year and nearly perfect moisture content.

My concern was in that I expected some input from the cavendish, maybe a small voicing from the Perique-it wasn't there. It was Dunhill flake rolled into medallions with the slightest softening of flavor. That's not a bad thing, btw, it's just that it isn't marketed as such.

I have a tin of Escudo that I'll pop after this is finished, and even if showed itself to be even in taste, it would have a much improved price-point. It's a novelty at best, I won't be buying again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-01-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Take the little black cavendish disk from the middle, fill your pipe half way and then crumble the disc onto your fill and enjoy. Quite beautiful in every sense. You know you are onto a winner when you open the tin. Refined, sweet, yet exotic. This stuff is legendary and will be difficult to beat when it comes to creating the perfect combination. Hats off to this one. Truly delicious.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2012-08-30		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an excellent tobacco! I guess it depends on how you like perique, but for me the perique is like pepper, and this blend has got the right quantity of it. Cavendish is in the background, virginia dominates. Result is really a wonderful combination, and the good thing is that the medallions are easy to plug in the bowl, and they light up wonderfully with no need to set the fire on again and again as it happens with SG for example. The content is just "ready to smoke". For me this is top quality.

This and Dunhill's Navy Rolls are a must have for VaPer lovers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ROTHNH (11)	2012-07-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Presentation is absolutely top shelf. Cracking this year-old tin revealed flawless thin and colorful 1.5 inch coins with a half-inch black cavendish center. Moisture content was ideal and one crumbled coin filled my Peterson Meerschaum pot. Char and light was fine. The smoke was cool and even, the excellent blend provided perfect just the right nuances of Perique for my liking and the black cavendish added a bit of sweetness to the familiar flavor of superior quality Virginia leaf. Many compare this to Escudo Navy Flake, but for me, the ENF and this DFM are brothers from a different mother -- I enjoy both, but the DFM is much more refined, smoother and milder. Others compare this DFM to Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake and while there are similar (and I hear both are blended by Orlik), Stokkebye's LBF seemed a bit sweeter and while fine tobacco, a peg down IMO. That said, the LBF is available in bulk and for a lot less coin (excuse the pun). I like this DFM a lot and plan to keep some in stock, only the price keeps me from rating it 4 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-06-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

If you know your Virginias and VaPers, here's the deal:

Sweet, fruity, ripe and mellow, but with complex undercurrents of cedar and spice. Well behaved, not too fussy. The black cavendish center adds a sweet, smooth bass note that adds a little surprise now and again as you make your way down the bowl.

Overall, this is very high quality tobacco and visually the "flake medallions" are cool as all get-out. Highly recommended (though Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake may be better and is certainly a better deal).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2012-05-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Objective: Beautifully spun coins. Price was a little high. Coins were wet, but dried out well. Lit well and only needed a few relights. Moderate amount of smoke produced.

Subjective: A very mild tobacco, not unpleasant, but lacking in depth and oomph. Nice aroma from the tin, packed well, no problems there. I just prefer something stronger.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2012-02-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A classy blend, not very easy to find but deserving a look!

Style wise, it may be considered like a milder and smoother version of Escudo/Dunhill De Luxe Navy Rolls, as it resembles these two classics in taste, composition and looks (lovely big coins) but with a sweeter/creamier/ligher touch à-la-Mac Baren.

Burns well, packs well, and it's not as strong as the Escudo or the Dunhill. Compared to these two, it is less sour and more smooth, although absolutely NOT artificially sweetened.

A very pleasant tobacco, lacking only a bit in flavour intensity, but very refined and to be sipped coolly. I really can't find faults in it, and it's very tolerant of smoking technique: no bite, not bitterness, simply a superbly balanced tobacco. Sure, there are some more exciting Va/Per blends around (especially if you prefer Perique to be more present, which I don't always do), but this one is a solid choice!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-07-18		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Err... how should I put it? Maybe I smoked this tobacco the wrong way OR I am a bit too accustomed to latakia in all its shades, but after some tins of diverse latakia mixtures, the Flake Medallions just taste like cigarettes :/ A bit too expensive for my liking given my experience with this tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-06-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

These little coins are in my opinion "Smoking hapiness in a medallion"

The scent that arrives at your nose when you open the tin is pleasant although there is no casing/topping in this blend.

Personally, I rub out the Va/Per around the medallion, then I break the cavendish core into 5-6 bits and then I mix them thoroughly. The result? An excellent smoking experience. Sometimes you get the strength of the Va/Per and sometimes the sweetness of the cavendish... The taste is full and nice, it fills your taste buds...

Definetely an excellent blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-06-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ok, I tried to pack this a dozen times in a variety of ways. Rubbing out, whole flake, folded, etc. No way to make it smokes right. And that is the mistery of the flake. Whatever... Definetly not for beginers.

Some other down grades. One word? Expensive, even more than usual for imported tins from Davidoff. Two words? Not worthy. Nor the taste, nor the fame, nor even for the original Cavendish and Perique.

I will hold that tin for some years and taste it again in the future. I hope I change my mind about it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fireball (36)	2011-04-18		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Update: Downgrading a star as I'm finding this one a bit bland after nearly a whole tin.

Another pleasant surprise from Davidoff after really getting into Royalty. As mentioned many times here, bears comparison with Dunhill DNR, but with the soothing and smoothing additon of black cav. Very nicely presented discs, with obvious sizable center of the BC, soft and pliable, foldable, stuffable, a really nice, clean vaper with the edges taken off.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-02-03		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is just a superb Virginia, Perique tobacco. The tobacco is quality stuff. The small Cavendish center smoothes it out, without taking away the nice Perique spiciness. This smokes great rubbed out, but also just folded up and stuffed in the pipe, which is the way I'm preferring it.

The first part of the bowl is nutty, with a nice Perique spice. This holds through the middle of the bowl with the Virginia sweetness starting to come through. The end of the bowl is full of Virginia sweetness, Perique spice and has a good nicotine hit. A great finish that just makes you feel good about having smoked it. I like this stuff a lot.

I'm going to have to ration this stuff, because it isn't cheap and it's a great smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-01-09		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Excellent smoke, but I can't make up my mind between this one and Dunhill Navy Rolls. FM is 30% more expensive than DNR and that is too great a difference to ignore, especially as DNR is on the expensive side itself here in the UK.

I find that in FM the virginia is more prominent whereas the balance of virginia to perique in DNR is more balanced - no one tobacco takes precedence - they seem to compliment each other better. FM is a flavourful smoke and there is no doubt that the cavendish comes through the smoke and over time I feel it makes the smoke a little bland and boring, unlike DNR. I suspect that the small amount of cavendish detracts from the smoke for me.

Overall, it is still a very fine smoke and I will rotate, but after two tins I'm looking forward to opening another tin of DNV.

For VA/Per lovers though - a must.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-10-06		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

While visiting Spain, I called Lman and told him I found this tobacco. My relationship with Davidoff blends is not so good. Though, he insisted and tried to convince me purchasing it. I got 2 tins for him and 1 for me. It is truly a shame because I should have bought it all for me. Once I opened the box and these fine cut round pieces appeared, filled with Virginia and Perique and a black Cavendish dot in the middle, I got frustrated again. Eventually once I was informed on the filling process and smoked the first bowl, I started cursing Lman for giving him the other 2 tins. The more I smoke this tobacco, the more I enjoy it. Pretty heavy, with all 3 ingredients balanced perfectly and without losing their taste as the bowl burns down. It lights easily, it burns slowly without heating up the bowl, especially if you smoke calmly, while the room note is…neutral and discrete.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-10-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I purchased these to compare to Escudo, my current favorite disk tobacco- But its more like PS Bullseye. In fact, on visual, there is no difference. Scent and taste wise, Bullseye is much sweeter and better tasting. This takes a bit of drying out of the tin. It packs well, lights well, but the taste is a bit flat, and the Black Cav center is bland. Nothing really exciting here. Go with Bullseye IMHO.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-08-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Having smoked about four ozs. of Stokkebye Luxury Bull's Eye Flake and now a full tine of Davidoff FM, they are so very close in flavor and strength that I account for the slightly richer flavor in FM to tinning and more aging.

A nice gift to give and get, but I'd probably buy the bulk PS and age it in jars for the same effect.

I am going to bump the flavor rating to "medium" from the "mild-medium" I gave PS LBEF for the reason giving above.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-08-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco Davidoff's best..Great presentation and easy to pack took a medallion, rolled it than its ready...

The tin is dry good for me...I dont like too much spicey taste, but this one perique like a touch...Leaf quality is very good...Nicotine level is good...

For 2-3monts 1 tin enough for me...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-06-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

Maybe the best tobacco easily found in Brazil, though pricey, worthy of trying it. The smoke feels just weightless and smooth, very very pleasant and makes you feel like smoking it all day long.

Besides, it gets extra points from me, since i believe smoking pipe is way more them just burning tobacco... everything about it counts, and Flake Medallions is perfect from beginning to the end, the can is pretty, the smell is beautiful, the medallions itself are like small jewels... makes the whole smoking better.

goes really well in the cold weather, with a cop of earl gray tea.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-03-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Just had two bowls so far & love it. Other reviews do it justice

26 March 2009 - still think this is great tobacco & ordered more

22 May 2009 Update: I'm tightening up on my ratings and only give 4 stars to my top 5 blends that are in my core rotation of tobaccos. Those at this date are Escudo, Penzance, University Flake, Churchill & still deciding what the 5th will be.

I now rate this as a very solid 3.5

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2007-09-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Royalty apart, Flake Medallions is the most `masculine` of Davidoff tobaccos that I have smoked. It has the usual Davidoff virtues of impeccable production, high quality leaf and pleasing presentation. Moisture level straight from the tin is perfect, and the burn quality excellent - it smokes coola nd dry without the necessity of frequent relights.

To me the medallions poured out their taste and flavour most when packed somewhat densely, without rubbing out. Rubbed out, the smoke became a bit airy. The taste is nearer the Escudo or the McQuaid Square Cut profile rather than the Dunbar or Deluxe Navy Flake or Dark Twist variety. The taste is Virginia, with the perique providing a faint tingle, with the subtlest of hints of its presence. I do not know what the core of cavendish adds, as for some reason I have not been able to taste it. The room note is just barely noticeable and is not likely to cause strong reactions.

It is almost four star stuff, but not quite: you only have to taste Dunbar to see why not.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (166)	2023-02-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, the presentation is nice, I just found the flavor dull and uninteresting. I tend to like blends that excite the palate and keep me engaged; this was just boring, muted, and one-dimensional. But if you’re a fold and forget kind of guy, you might prefer something that lets your mind wander off to other things.

Simply because of the high quality of ingredients this almost gets three stars, and if you’re a Va-Per enthusiast, take my opinion worth a grain of salt because I also find Escudo rather boring. Nope, Va-Pers gotta do a whole lot of persuading to get me on board, something like HOTW, which I consider in an entirely different class for my enjoyment.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GeoffS (29)	2023-02-04		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I came in expecting to love this blend. As a cigar smoker, the name Davidoff comes with high expectations. I love my VaPers. The packaging is classy and attractive without being over the top. The tin note is sweet and sublime, reminding me somewhat of the new Three Nuns, a blend I do enjoy.

But smoking it leaves me a bit flat. Because of the presentation I've seen it compared to Escudo and DNF and it doesn't rank anywhere close to either, in my opinion. I'm searching hard for the perique... it's in there but way in the background. The cavendish seems to offer a dull sweetness that just seems plain. Overall it's just too soft, too refined, and not quite interesting enough. It does remind me a lot of Three Nuns, but lacks the interest offered by the dark fired in that blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ithian (18)	2023-02-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Good VaPer(Cav) but at an unjustified higher price, in no way superior to more affordable VaPers.

Misses the expected extra as one of the higher priced VaPers out there. It's a golden middle kind of blend - sweetness, bready, earthy, dark fruit and hay all at once - but nothing really stands out except the stronger spiciness. Vinegary tin note doesn't translate to the smoke.

I would choose Orlik Golden Sliced, Peterson Navy De Luxe, its "brother" Escudo, or Robert McConnell Scottish Cake over Davidoff any day.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaPiper (35)	2023-01-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A find coin with flavors of sweet tangy fruit, bread, a little grass and a deep round flavor. The texture coming out of the tin is good and the right level of moisture. This is a cool, slow burning blend, that gives a leisurely and pleasurable smoke. The mouth feel is good with no bite. Hard to find at times due to the popularity of this blend.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Roma 673

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DRU-MANIC (7)	2022-12-14		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Tin Note: Interesting - Personally, I found what seemed like chocolate Virginia on the nose. I'm guessing this is the cavendish, and I like the mixture.

Pack/Light: Extra Tries - As with other flakes, I find it to be quite moist, even after leaving it out for a bit, and it requires a few relights. I didn't have too much trouble once we finally got rolling, but it needs some help leaving the blocks.

Taste: Compliments to the Chef - I've had a hard time finding a VaPer that I like, but this one really did it for me. The addition of the cavendish adds just enough to make it stand out.

Mouth Feel: Oh So Smooth - Nice, easy smoke. Doesn't burn hot or bite. Just right.

Room Note: Phew! - While I don't mind it too much, my wife was quite put off by the aroma. After some discussion, we concluded that I was wrong and she was right so we had to dock it some points for the aftermath.

Overall: Good But Not Great - While I really enjoyed the smoking portion of the blend, the moisture content and the room note ended up dropping it just out of the higher tier for me. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fine tobacco and I will be smoking it again, but it has some quirks to go along with it's great personality. I really like the options allowed by the medallion cut with the cavendish center. What you end up with is a blend that is more than the sum of its parts.

Pipe Used: Rossi Vittoria 8320

Purchased From: Local Tobacco Barn

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (54)	2022-11-08		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is definitely one of the best blends of its kind, and certainly the most expensive, and Perique has kept the dose rational here, and I took the flakes apart, and I cut the black bull's eye with the Cigar Cutter, and I knead them together, and I put them in my sepiolite bowl, trust me, Sepiolite is a real and direct reflection of the flavor of tobacco, a great mixture, and worth having.

Pipe Used: Briar&Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Similar Blends: PS403 Luxury Bullseye.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MangoLegs (72)	2022-01-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Preparation & Burn: 8/10 Easy, flexible coin. Burns cool, no bite. Stays lit for the most part and burns at a decent pace.

Taste: 8/20 I'm surprised how different this is to Escudo. I don't know what it is about these medallions, but they have a sickly sweet sort of thing with a dry taste of wood and grass. Not a fan.

Mildness: 9/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. Not much nicotine!

Total: 25/40

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nathaniel (38)	2021-08-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

A delicate, even fussy little blend. The tin note is mild, and smells of white grape juice. The presentation and cut is obviously high quality, and someone at the factory takes their time arranging the medallions in that pretty circular fashion. The present sample is well-dried, and that may affect the review. The taste from the charring light is sweet dry grass, and the cavendish offers an intermittent punch of spice and sugar-sweetness.

Now, those are two sweet flavors. And the effect is a rush of sweetness. It’s natural, not faked, but it’s assertive all the same. I notice the perique only as a sensation of spiciness, with almost none of the fig flavor I usually associate with it. And the Virginia presents itself as graham cracker— yes, all sweetness. All high, delicate flavors, and no bass notes.

No bass notes. I wanted some. Some dark fruit from a well-stoved Virginia, or a dusting of latakia. I want a counterpoint in this blend, something for contrast and interest. It also burns hot, even in my Ben Wade freehand which nearly approaches churchwarden length.

As it is, I would probably sell this one in bulk at a third of the price and then recommend it to people coming off of aromatics. I still recommend it for them, but the two tins I have will likely last me a good while.

I made sure my accompanying beverage didn’t color my review, but it was a peach and bourbon smash and my sweet tooth is well sated for now.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2019-04-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another one of my revised & partially copied reviews from 2009. I have since rejoined TRs & doing some catch up work. The fresh tin note was that of quality tobacco with a slightly sweet topping aroma which I cannot identify... maybe just the Perique essence. It expands well & has a good burn rate. These silver dollar-sized, twist flakes possess a hard, dark Cavendish core which requires a little extra work to break up & creates an added dimension of flavor.

A fairly tasty Cav/VA/Per blend, if you will. Moisture content was minimal. It is very smooth & presented a subtle sweetness at about the halfway point which I thoroughly enjoyed. FM didn't ring my bell like Three Nuns or Escudo, but would be a satisfactory substitute that I could easily adapt to. Vitamin N content is satisfactory... about medium, that seems to sneak up on you due to its mild smoking characteristic. For me, this blend is easy on the tongue & palate. I concur with other reviewers in that this blend is very similar to PS Bullseye Flakes & doubt that I could discern the difference in a blind taste test. If you like very smooth & mild smoking VA/Pers with a touch of Cavendish & a subtle hint of sweetness, this blend may be to your liking.

I am partial to VA/Pers & FM is a good choice. Certainly worth a try if you don't mind parting with a little extra $$. Some will love the flavor... some will not like it well enough to rate it four stars and I fall into the latter category. Many a good blend falls short of being highly reccommended due to varying differences in smoker's taste receptors... maybe it's because I had gotten used to Escudo which is one of the first VA/Per twist flakes I tried & became attached to its flavor and sweetness.

Pipe Used: Peterson Deluxe 9S

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Luxury Bullseye Flakes...

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	davidkonline (3)	2019-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This one fine, clean-burning tobacco.

Nothing more to add to the multitude of well-worded reviews other than: to anyone worried about the price, it is worth the few extra dollars/pounds/euros it might cost.

Pipe Used: multiple -- briar and meerschaum

Age When Smoked: fresh

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2019-01-19		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I do admit I was expecting more taste and sweetness from this 11 year old tin when I smoked it. I was almost disappointed when I realized it had not become significantly better and tastier than the other tins I had smoked which were a year or two in age. This being said, it is undeniable that age has mellowed FM's rough edges of youth. The result was a mellow, slow burning experience combining some spiciness from the Périque and sweetness from the Black Cavendish, supported by the 'hay-ness' of the Virginias and a healthy nicotine contribution. Now, considering how age transformed it, I consider there are better alternatives out there but this does not mean than FM is not a good smoke per se; because it definitively is.

Pipe Used: Various Savinelli and Peterson

Age When Smoked: 11 Y

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Strong

I am not a big fan of this type of perique, because of the offensive room note. Smokes well and is the tinned version of peter stokkebye bullseye flake. It smokes smooth, and is much more interesting than the cavendish free escudo. You get no spice in this blend, just rich fermented tobacco broken up with aromatic cavendish. The virginias are very cigarette like but broken up by the perique, of the stewed fruit type. There is a little element of dirt in the perique common to vaper mixtures, which is not very appetizing. However, due to the additional cavendish this gets 3 stars.

Pipe Used: cobs

Purchased From: unsure

Similar Blends: Dunhill navy rolls, bullseye luxury flake, escudo.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spiros - GR (1)	2018-03-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Morning third, and I enjoy this great blend, whit Greek coffee. An excellent smoke of the Davidoff, both qualitative, has an incredible sweetness by the cavendish and power, as it should, from the virginia & perique. It is a blend that I will surely have in my cellar.

Pipe Used: I recommend a medium bowl

Age When Smoked: When opened & aging

Purchased From: Tabacco store in greece

Similar Blends: Unique blend tabacco, one of the best blends in Davidoff..

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	joeljcj2 (13)	2015-03-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

va-per disc with a Cavendish core. the Cavendish smooths the va-per a bit. this has a touch more pepper than sg st james, and is considerably richer than peter stockby discs without the bite.

Pipe Used: charatan

Age When Smoked: newly purchased

Purchased From: davidoff nyc but much less dear online

Similar Blends: s-g st james, pstockby discs.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2013-12-13		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried a tin of this a while back when I first got to town. I am still getting used to the difference in pricing of tobacco tins here in Malaysia. This is considered a premium tobacco here and as such is 3 times more expensive as most other tobaccos. Which is the main reason I will not be buying any more whilst I am here, I'll wait till I get back to the US to get a tin or two. On a side note, the tobacco is nicely tinned and is an almost perfect moisture level for me. It smokes well and keeps lit quite easily. All around a very pleasant smoke for me. Recommended.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2013-08-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice to smoke as well as room note my wife enjoyed the aroma.Very nice presentation in the tin.

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	Pontificating Piper (10)	2013-02-25		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Decidedly different. I do not appreciate aromatics. But this, with it's flake cut Virginia, Perique and Black cavendish core, certainly makes for an enjoyable smoke. It does not bite as you'd expect, but I've derived the most pleasure from smoking this in a filtered Churchwarden...

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	Weisenheimer (19)	2012-12-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a tobacco out of the clone comprising Orlik Bull's Eye Flake, Stokkebye Luxury Bulls Eye Flake and Davidoff Flake Medallions. I tried them all, and they are all the same, only difference is price and country of availability Excellent VAPer, with a core of Cavendish. Not as bold as Escudo or Dunhill DLNR would be (w/o the cavendish core), but more “subtle”. A treat which has earned its own pipe, and showing its full performance after a couple of bowls.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-04-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Really I find it very similar to the Escudo. The cabendish gives him a note rather mas elegantly, but it is not a characteristic of the tobacco. Very similar to the Escudo. Magician, they do not lose it.

Saludos.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-03-12		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have gone through a tin of moderately aged and new production escudo and a couple of the most common MAC b spun tobaccos. I prefer This by far. Elegant and delicious. Price aside the flavor beats escudo imho and the inclusion of cavendish doesn't detract even though I don't personally care for that element in the macb's. Will purchase this again and probably not the others. Cannot compare to the ps bullseye having never had that but this is now my one and only spun non rope. I recommend you try this one and see if it appeals to your taste as much as it did mine.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blue Bayou (60)	2011-10-19		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Beautiful presentation, rubs out easily, room note of nuts, toasted coconut, and flowers. Smooth and creamy, with no tongue bite. Decent nic kick. One of my favorites!

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-06-10		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

enjoy this blend in a savinelli and and all i do is fold in half and give it a rub to loosen it up and place in my pipe to unlock its magic. this was my first flake and found it to be well balanced with out one type of tobacco trying to out do the other a good smoke for someone who wants to move from aromatics to smothing more refined

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	Bluenoser (34)	2011-05-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A really great virginia/perique. FM has a wonderful tin aroma with highlites of muted raisiny fruit tangled within matured fully ripe virginias. Packs easily, burns effortlessly and produces a thick creamy smoke. I prefer this over escudo and dunhill's navy delux. It has that "special something" flavour that is very attracting to me.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-04-06		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Oh yes! This one comes well presented, and there are no disappointments. It looks and smells great in the tin, it rubs out easily, packs, lights and burns easily, and is a great smoke all around. Room note is also very good. Even though it is very expensive where I live, this one might become a favourite.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-01-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A high quality smoke, love it!

Just got a few more tins of this for my bday from the SO, NICE! So I cracked open a new tin to baptise a new Ser Jacopo Rowlette Poker, I must say again Davidoff FM is FANTASTIC, I rub out for a smoother smoke, but runs hot so you may just want to fold/stuff a coin or two depending on size of bowl and off you go, rich and flavorful smoke.

I love bap'in new pipes, it forces me to smoke with the proper method of slow sips, which in turn gives you the best and most flavors with VAs for not running them too hot, plus you build a nice cake...I guess an excuse for myself to buy more pipes ;-) heheh-hahaha

ENJOY this one, grab a few dozen tins, MMM-mmm-MMM

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	paulw (76)	2010-10-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I love escudo, but I have to say I love this one too. The black cavendish, really smooths out the virginia,I Highly enjoyed!

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	Sweetbriar (14)	2010-10-23		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable

after a few bowls of this one, i find the flavored cavendish too flavored. the cavendish gives it too much fruityness. i simply tired of it. I then removed the flavored cavendish and enjoyed this smoke much better.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-09-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

High quality VaPer, it is just great. VaPers are my favourite blends, I've smoked a few and I have to say this is the best of them all.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-07-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An interesting offering from Davidoff.

A nice, pure aroma of aged VAs. The nicotine can be a bit oin the strong side at times.

I really enjoy it.

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	KahveDelisi (73)	2010-06-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Smells like ketch-up spirit!!

And I LOVE it! No, actually I want to hug it and never let go... but I had to.. the tin finished so quick, I couldn't see it coming to an end :( now got to find a new tin ASAP! Ah and some french fries and a napkin. Expensive mexpensive, it's YUM!

Seriously!

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	gladi8tor96 (143)	2010-05-24		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A good VAP/PER of the medallion style...though I still find ESCUDO a bit stronger, spicier, and more flavorful. This is a tasty tobacco, but just a step under.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-05-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

update may 2011: Final verdict -for the time being..- I prefer FM outside and DNR in my 'cave'

This is one of the first tobacco's I bought when I started pipe smoking again last November after a lapse of 30 years. I really liked it straight away, but during the winter I tended to smoke more Oriental and Latakia blends. I surmised that such was my preference in taste. Now warmer weather is coming backish in Holland, I am surprised that I turn more and more often to VaPers and gladly rediscovered my opened tin of Flake Medallions. Apparently my taste in tobacco's is a seasonal thing, although I never experienced seasonal changes of choice in my cigarette smoking days.

Flake Medallions give of a subtle, but complex and endearing taste, very pure and slightly (pleasantly) sweet.

Roomnote is great and it burns easily, both fully rubbed out as well as folded and stuffed. It stays cool and I experienced no tonguebite with this absolutely great tobacco.

The heading "flavoring" still confuses me but I decided that since cavendish is supposed to be sweet as a result of fermentation, I do not rate a sweetish tobacco containing cavendish as flavored unless I detect an added artificial flavor...

A must try before you die :)

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-05-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is an interesting tobacco in the roll cake format.

It burns well and has the grassy taste of VA with the occasional pepper note of the good quality Perique. The sporadical sweetness of the Black Cavendish completes the picture.

An overall satisfying blend was a good level of nicotine.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-04-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Great Davidoff blend, in one word: essential. A delicious VA/PER tobacco with Cavendish. A continuos pleasure. Try it and enjoy it. Highly recommended.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-03-14		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Despite a retail price that I would qualify as retarded (it went from 7.25$, 7.50$ two years ago to now over 11.25$ today for a 50g tin), this roll cake tobacco is still worth the try.

This is mainly a VA tobacco with a slight touch of Périque for interest, completed with a core of black Cavendish. The tin aroma unveils some grasiness and sweetness.

This remains a smooth and rather mild smoke that is obviously of very high quality. The aromatic fan tempted to venture into natural or English mixtures would have an interest in starting with this tobacco. The beginner wanting to upgrade his capacities from mild tobacco would also enjoy this tobacco.

I will not rebuy if it stays at this price but will definitively miss it.

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	Dubinthedam (133)	2010-02-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

My favorite Davidoff blend, on par with Escudo and much sweeter than Luxury Bulls Eye, it has a wonderful lemonade/sparkling wine taste to it. Solid stuff for any VA flake lover.

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	pipealicious (21)	2010-01-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

My first Virginia?perique blend. Bought a 50g tin at my local tobacconist in Belgium for 12.20 Euros. The very high price is the only negative thing about this tobacco.

The tin says made in the EU. Upon opening I saw nicely stacked circular medallionswith a yellow and brown mottled hue and the black core. The tin aroma was very strong and sweet-sour, like a sweet vinegar. Th emoisture content was just right.

I smoked the medallions folded, but I now prefer to rub them out completely. Rubbed out the packing is very easy and it burns really cool and slow. It makes the softest light grey ash.

The taste is pleasant and clearly differs from plain Virginia, spicier. I notice little from the black Cavandish core, which could be omitted in my opinion.

An excellent, luxurious blend that is, unfortunately, highly priced.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-12-10		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Fresh tin note was that of quality tobacco with a slightly sweet topping aroma which I cannot identify. The topping is minimal & does not negate the tobacco flavor. It expands well & has a good burn rate. These silver dollar-sized, twist flakes possess a hard, dark Cavendish core which requires a little extra work to break up & creates an added dimension of flavor. A very nice VA/Per/Cav blend, if you will. Moisture content was minimal...just about right. It is very smooth, weightless & presented a subtle sweetness at about the halfway point which I thoroughly enjoyed.

FM didn't ring my bell like Three Nuns or Escudo, but would be a satisfactory substitute that I could easily adapt to. Vitamin N content is satisfactory...about medium to strong, that seems to sneak up on you due to its mild smoking characteristic. I don't care for mouth-burning Latakia blends or the bitterness of straight Burley. That may just be a mouth chemistry thing, but we are all different, aren't we? For me, this blend is easy on the tongue & palate. I concur with other reviewers in that this blend is very similar to PS Bullseye Flakes & doubt that I could discern the difference in a blind taste test.

If you like very smooth & mild smoking VA/Pers with a touch of Cavendish & a subtle hint of sweetness, this blend may be to your liking. I am partial to VA/Pers & FM is a good choice. Certainly worth a try if you don't mind parting with a little extra $$. Some will love the flavor...some will not like it well enough to rate it four stars and I fall into the latter category. Many a good blend falls short of being highly reccommended due to varying differences in smoker's taste receptors. This is good stuff, but I will have to downgrade it one simply because the flavor did not "ring my bell." Therefore, IMHO, Davidoff's Flake Medallions merits three s**s!!

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-12-02		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am nearing the end of my first tin of this. I have to say that my initial impression of the blend was not terribly high. Not negative in any way, but it took a few smokes to appreciate. It is a very fine tobacco and the presentation is excellent with a good tin aroma and attractive coin cut flakes. Initial flavor was kind of flat and it did not provide the thick mouth filling smoke I have experienced in some other VA blends. As I have worked my way through the tin I have warmed to it considerably and enjoy the more subtle nuances of the blend. I have tried the fold and stuff method on this and it lights and burns well enough, but rubbed out properly it really comes to life, burning very evenly with few relights. The major shortcoming of the blend is of course the price. Overall, well executed VA/PER flake.

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	p4p4 (59)	2009-11-21		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very well matured virginia, with a buttery unsweetened cavendish and a good amount of perique. Very well rounded, smooth, tastefull, easy on the tongue and with good burning qualities. A high class pipe tobacco, highly reccomended.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-11-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An excellent offering from Davidoff. Similarities to the current Escudo offering should not be made, as I (in the minority) find the A.C. Petersen offering quite harsh and having no endearing quality at all.

These medallions are not overly sweet, and possess a pleasantly detectable nuance of Perique. The Cavendish adds a dimension that contributes to the body of this tobacco. To suggest that this blend is only fit for beginners is absurd and unwarranted.

Highly recommended.

A companion infusion: pints of Newcastle Brown Ale.

UPDATE: 05/16/10 Think I'll do a 180 here...eat my words...and agree 100% with Eulenburg.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-10-25		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the baggie that was given to me almost 8 months ago, I was suprised to find this baccy ready to go. Age helped this particular blend greatly. It was in the usualy medallion shape and crumbled easily. It provided a good smoke, and great taste. I don't think I would go out and purchase this blend, but if it was given to me...as it was, I would gladly accept it.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-09-15		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is simply a first class tobacco. you get what you pay for, The only downside is it's high price which is logical due to the outstanding quality.

Not too peppery or harsh like Escudo, it can be smoked all day with no problem.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Powerful tobacco, intriguing presentation (medallions with complex colouring-black centre and blondening circles), pungent and complex aromas pre-smoke. (leather, smoke, earth, nuts).

Upon burning one gets cigar-like sensation with the virginias at times embracing the palate and the perique adding a bitter spicy pepperiness. The perique determines this blend quite strongly in my view. It is uncertain as to what the cavendish adds (some coolness?) but I suppose its absence would alter the blend altogether.

Not in any case an all day smoke, it overpowers one's palate and requires mouth-rest after smoking it. Tremendously expensive in the Greek market.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-23		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Very nice sweet virginia taste with spicy perique. Top vaper, I doubt if the cavendish really adds anything. While there's no question that this really is a first class smoke (imo), I still wonder if this tobacco is not the same als Luxury Bulls Eye flake of Peter Stokkebye. Blind tasting makes me tend to beleive that the tobacco's are identical. LBE is twice as cheap, compared to FM. On a German website I read that LBE and FM both are made by Orlic and that they are identical. Does someone know for sure?

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	haredawg (47)	2009-03-19		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nice presentation in the tin, round nicely packed flakes with golden and black flecks; the scent is refined and sweet. The rounds were a bit too moist in the tin so I dried them out. I had bought a 50 gram tin as part of my paranoid tobacco buying spree before the new federal tax and had been planning on aging this tin for a while. I wish I had, it was a bit disappointing. From the reviews on this site I was expecting something special, if I hadn?t had expectations I probably would have given another star, maybe. It took three rounds rubbed out (to help with drying) to fill an Ashton X Canadian which is fairly small, like a Dunhill group three or four. The first half of the bowl was almost flavorless, even with some tamping and enthusiastic puffing. The second half some sweetness and a touch of pepper kicked in, and the last quarter was very flavorful and left a good aftertaste. If I judged it just by the last quarter I?d say this was better than Escudo (which seems the comparison of choice here) but my experience with escudo is that it?s consistent throughout, no burst of great flavor but no dull flavorlessness either. I want to give it four stars but in the price range it competes more with things like Reiners Long Golden flake (except there?s no Cavendish in LGF but the Cavendish in flake medallions doesn?t really add much anyhow) IMHO flake medallions is not in the same league, though I really think it would benefit from aging. I had meant o age it. I don?t mean to suggest this is marginal at all, I just wanted it to be a four star badly and I can?t in good conscious give it four stars. As always this is a first impression, maybe when it?s had more time to dry out I?ll appreciate it more, it?s not like I feel ripped off or anything, it?s a quality blend with a refined presentation.

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	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-03-11		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a delicious Va/Per with Cavendish, the tobacco quality and the presentation is truly outstanding, the smoke tastes deep and smooth Virginia, not much spicy however with an incredible deepness, complexity and variation, not strong in nicotine but full in flavor, this one and Escudo N.D. are definitely the best Va/Per spun cacks out there, truly top quality Virginia! Exceptional Blend, Highly Recommended! Give it a try!

Bad Good = Excellent * Exceptional

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	Top D (10)	2009-01-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I have smoked several bowls in a meerschaum that I usually reserve for full english blends. I didn't rub it out, just took a medallion, rolled it and stuffed it in. Works out just great for a 7/8's bowl 1 1/2" deep. No tongue bite, which is new for me with a virgina/cavendish blend. Oldest son quit cigarettes and I've got him going on a couple of well broken-in corncobs. Will introduce him to Flake Medallions this weekend.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-11-23		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mine was a little bitey right out of the tin, perhaps some drying will improve this. Overall, a well packaged quality tobacco.

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	Xeneize (275)	2008-08-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Flake Medallions is a high quality VaPer with mostly lemon Virginias and its share of Perique. Somewhere I've read someone comparing it to PS Bullseye Flake, but all they have in common is the looks: FM is tastier, stronger and it's got a lot more Perique than BF.

In my VaPer ranking, this is a couple of steps below Escudo and above Bullseye Flake. Give it a try and decide for yourself.

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	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-07-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A very nice change of pace from my usual favorites, both on the flavor and the presentation of the tobacco in disk form.

I have not tried another offering from Davidoff yet, but this one offers genuine VA taste combined with the occasional peppery spiciness of the Perique, which gives this mixture strenght. Once in a blue moon, the sweetnees of the black CA emerges.

High quality, nice disks, good smoke. Recommended.

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	ringo (15)	2008-02-26		Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

This bakie is something else...From the moment you open the tin you realise that you will enjoy a truly natural smoking experience and this is one of my great reasons for switching from cigarettes to pipes. I really enjoy it because is strong, so I get some nicotine and the taste is sweet (but not too sweet) due to the black Cavendish, perique appears more and more as you progress and the Virginia serves as the base. The quality is high the taste (very nice) is that of tobacco with no artificial, it does not bite and it smokes cool and dry. It leaves me with a dry mouth which is something I really like and generally this tobacco fulfils my expectations. I can smoke it for two hours once in a while and never feeling hungry for nicotine.

I highly recommend this bakie to everyone who wants a natural smoking experience with some nicotine

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2007-04-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My 50 gram tin was marked Davidoff and presented nicely formed disks ~ 2"D with a 1/2" core of the Black Cavendish that were a beauty to behold. Moisture content and packing were fine and the burn rate and lack of relights appreciated. I thought both the Perique and Black Cavendish were way in the background and found this blend to be slightly harsher than Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake which appears very similar in design. Since that tobacco is available in bulk @ lower unit cost and I enjoyed it more, that remains my pick.

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