Davidoff Flake Medallions

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.