Park-Lane Tobacconist The Connoisseurs Flake

This is a favorite, as was the Ed Burak's "Scottish Ribbon" from his Connoisseur Shop in Manhattan. This is a clone of that mixture. I think it is a little rough out of the tin, but it is great aged at least 9 months. It is an all day smoke for me; it is my "go to" especially in the Summer and Fall when I am working outside. It is easy to pack, burns with a minimum amount of relights, and with very little dottle. I taste citrus and grass, and a little earth, but the attraction to me is a subtle sweetness I always look for in Virginias. It is fairly consistent, but I do not find it boring at all. It will bite if your cadence is too fast.

This is to kind of get at least an annual review on this posted.

This is indeed one of the best blends out there of a specific genre. The genre is one perhaps only I use for classifying blends. There are a group of blends that I really enjoy...all are a melange of various tobaccos using VA as a base, and rounded out with any of a number of others...Burley, Perique, Turkish, Cigar Leaf, etc. But whatever the ingredients or proportions, the keys are balance and nuanced mingled flavors. Also, they tend toward being fairly mild. Their 'thing' is that I can stuff them into a bowl, light it up, puff away absently without having to be tended to and exhibiting a very forgiving attitude to both the wild ass puffer (they are low or no bite blends) and the one whose bowl keeps going out...so DGT is good. And the bottom line is that the flavors are natural tobacco flavors, a little tart, a little sweet...and totally delicious. They are invariably designed by one of the gurus of modern tobacco blending, as these things really are works that only a genius could come up with. After all, perfection isn't easy.

Now whether or not you go for the above song and dance, this stuff is a seriously excellent blend that you really do need to try.

After Ed Burak closed his Connoisseur Pipe Shop in Manhattan in Feb. '09, I received many requests through my Connoisseur Pipe Shop Online site for his tobaccos, none of which were still available. Ed had chosen not to pass his recipes on to another blender. He had told me that Scottish Ribbon was a fermented Virginia cavendish, pressed with a spray of sugar water between the layers of leaf. I sent a sample of Scottish Ribbon from my cellar to Paul Bonacquisti who blended a few slightly different interpretations of this blend and sent them out to a number of regular Scottish Ribbon afficienados for comments. Park Lane Connoisseur's Flake is one of those interpretations and the one I found most approximated Scottish Ribbon. To my palate (but apparently not to everyone's), it's spot on. Another reviewer found it unlike Scottish Ribbon. Another of Paul's testers thought that a different batch was closer to the original and Paul now offers that one as Liebman's Scottish Flake; delicious, but not quite Scottish Ribbon-y enough for me. The differences in opinion may be in part due to the fact that the Scottish Ribbon sample I sent Paul had been cellared for a couple of years and, to my mind, improved thereby. But, for those used to "fresh" Scottish Ribbon, this could explain the discrepencies.

The Connoisseur's Flake is definitely an all-day tobacco and earns my highest recommendation. It is mild enough to be smoked repeatedly and flavorful enough that you'll want to do so. I don't believe it contains Perique as was suggested by an earlier reviewer. Scottish Ribbon didn't and Paul's description of Connoisseur's Flake does not mention any use of that condiment.

First off let me say at first I did not like this blend on the first couple of smokes. But the more I smoked it the more I liked it and the past few days I have smoked nothing but it. it is a very tart smoke, has some sweetness and the perique wafts through on and off making it a touch spicey. It is very mild, can be smoked all day without any problem and it is certainly not a tongue biter at all. Infact is smokes nice and cool, at a nice slow pace, and smokes all the way down the pipe very dry leaving a fine medium grey ash with little dottle at the bottom of the pipe. The pouch aroma is peaty and spicy smelling, and the cut is rough flakes in a khaki to medium brown color. It is usually just the right moisture content to smoke right off and it lights and smokes very easy on the first light with just a little rise. The room note is nice to a piper but to others is a little cigarette like. The smoke that one gets is full and creamy and just a delite to smoke after one gets used to the black cavendish in the blend. it is subtle anyway and adds body. The main player in it is the VA which is semi sweet and soft. This blend is consistant with most other Park Lane Blends, quality tobaccos, soft blends, that are very tasty and great smokes. I will be buying more of thistoo cellar. I highly recommend trying it. It's right up there with Red Paramour which is what I think of as their best blend.

I smoked Scottish Ribbon off and on for about 15 years and always considered that tobacco to be a favorite. Since Scottish Ribbon is no longer available, I was pleased to learn of Park Lane's "The Connoisseurs Flake. I have to admit, at first I was disappointed, this is not Scottish Ribbon (not sure it is supposed to be). This tobacco lacks the same sublte sweetness that Ed Burak explained comes from the fermented Virginia (?) HOWEVER, after smoking this tobacco for about a week my palate and nose started to pick up on the subtle characteristics of this Virginia blend. This tobacco has a taste and a sweetness that is all its own; more subtle than Burak's. If you are a virginia lover, as I am, you will find this tobacco extremely pleasing and certainly a potential all day companion. The Connoisseurs Flake is now one of my "go to" tobaccos. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BLEND! However, if you are looking for Burak's Scottish Ribbon, to me, this is not really it...BUT THAT IS OK! I hope the candidness of my review is not taken too harshly. However, I appreciate what "denholrl" has added about this tobacco. Finally, not that this tobacco needs defense, but in all my seaching for something that can fill the void of not being able to get Scottish Ribbon...This tobacco come closest to replacing that fine blend than anything else I have found... Thanks to Paul for taking on the challenge of duplicating Scottish Ribbon!!!

Sweet cavendish, flavorful citrusy Virginias, handblended. A relaxing and amiable all-day smoke. It's not a nic bomb and I'm not looking for one so it suits me fine for an all day comfortable smoke. Sipped slowly and filled on the loose side in a medium sized or large bowl that is well broken in it can smoke cooler than otherwise, and goes down to a fine gray ash. A winner.

A wonderful, enticing smoke. Connoisseur's Flake is a slow smoke. Puff very lightly to capture the true taste and wonderful aroma of this blend. This could be an all day companion. I work with my hands and I find this smoke to be perfect for stuffing a great big billiard and just letting it simmer out there while I go about my tasks. No nose burn from breath smoking, no nasty mouth feel or bad tastes. The soft cavendished tobaccos and the long cut allow it to stay lit seemingly forever There is an oh so faint hint of vanilla & whiskey aroma to this blend but it IS NOT an aromatic. Pure virgina bliss. One of the few tobaccos that I can actually smell the aroma when I return to the room. I never smoked Ed Burak's Scottish Ribbon, but this tobacco is a solid 4 stars +. Probably won't pass muster for those that smoke heavy english or powerful VA/Pers. but for the rest of us it is a wonderful discovery.

Spectacular. Have been a Red Paramour fan for a couple years, But could never recall the flavor from my first couple ounces. Spent a while trying other vp's also trying to chase down the flavor on my mind. I didnt mind since I am fond of perique. But it was the perique that was throwing me off track. When I tried Connoisseurs Flake, I knew I had found the Bayou home in my mind. That sweet virginia mix alone was what I had been after. Perfectional taste, burns clean and I do not detect the cavendish, which for me is fine. If I want a bit of spice occasionally, will just mix some red paramour back in. Other than that, Its a home run.

I can't say much more then has been written in the other reviews. I smoked Burak's Scottish Ribbon for years, went through all I had in the cellar and found out about this blend. It has a lovely pouch note and is just a pleasure to smoke. As in all blends with VAs sip and enjoy!