Davidoff Flake Medallions

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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...

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