Peterson Flake

As this was originally “Dunhill Light Flake”, this review is fairly much the same as the older named blend. There's a natural Virginia tart and tangy citrusy sweetness along with some grassiness and a touch of earth, wood, bread, spice and tangy dark fruit. I also get a little lemony taste with a slightly noticeable honey essence, which comes from the lighter Virginia. The topping is tart citrus, which doesn't sublimate the varietals much. I notice the tobacco flavor is a tad more obvious in the last quarter of the bowl, but the flavors mostly hold their own all the way. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that center. The nic-hit is a slot less potent than the strength level. No chance of bite, and sports no harsh spots. Has a few small rough edges. It breaks apart very easily, and burns at a reasonable pace, cool, clean, and mostly smooth with a mostly consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl, and has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. Requires a few relights. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

A deep, dark, brooding flake - by VA standards. Tin note is traditional VA aromas of hay, sweet feed, earth, with subtle chocolate sweetness and the citrus notes buried deeper in the background. Similarly, the flavors are more robust: not the fresh baked bread and sugar of, say, a Royal Yacht. Rather more earthy: aged (rather than fresh cut) hay, leather, dark cacao. The Port analogy in a review below is apt. The citrus notes are in the background, emerging more expressively at mid-bowl, but always in the background- the more earthy flavors being dominant. I get a bit of licorice in the final third.

Overall a first class VA flake. A bit on the moist side relative to other Dunhill offerings, but nothing like the temperamental SG flakes. Living in a humid climate, I dry this for roughly an hour before smoking and that seems to do the trick. Burns well, smokes cool, almost impossible to create a bite with this one. I enjoy this flake both rubbed out and cube cut, without significant flavor variations. The cube cut expresses a bit more sweet citrus, but it's marginal and, as always, subdued.

A stout VA flake of complexity and substance without the preparatory drama of other flakes in its class. Highly recommended.

This is the only review you will see from me with the following sentence: This is my favorite pipe tobacco of all time. Yes, the seemingly unremarkable -but perfectly crafted- Dunhill Flake. It was one of the first nonaromatic tobaccos I ever tried. Since then, I have smoked tins of easily over 50 different blends from every kind of blending style I could find. I always come back to this wonderfully consistent straight Virginia flake from Dunhill. It smells like hay with a hint of ketchup when you open the tin (I remember wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself into when I opened my first tin) it lights and burns great. I find it seems especially flavorful in small bowl sizes. If you are wondering what people mean by "sweet Virginias" in a blend, this is a great place to start. I still don't feel like I am explaining it quite right but it has a natural (no flavoring added) smell when burning like a chocolate cake baking and coffee brewing and just a hint of good teriyaki chicken. ...except even better. I'm doing a terrible job describing it but here's the bottom line: There are more complex, more remarkable, more unique blends out there and most of them are great, but Dunhill Flake burning in the bowl turns into something so good, I haven't figured out a way to explain it yet. Just try it, and see if I'm crazy or not.

I cannot and will not be drawn into the old vs new regarding this blend and its previous incarnations.

This is the most anticipated blend i have ever smoked. I finally got my tin as a gift

The presentation was in line with what one would expect from Dunhill and Petersons, first class in all respects. I appreciate this. * Samuel Gawith take note*

The Flakes were neatly cut and the smell promised a lot in that is was very similar to F&T Cut Virginia Plug, a firm favourite.

I left the tin open for a few hours as per my normal ritual with all blends to allow moisture to evaporate then loaded my first bowl.

Upon lighting, the taste was the first thing i noticed, it was a beautiful, deep, nutty Virginia and produced a LOT of smoke. Unfortunately the bite was there too and that is why i marked it 2 stars instead of 4

Bite is a personal thing and it applies to this piper. Do not let this discourage you from trying it.

Unfortunately for this Dunhill Flake, my vote for the Best Brown Flake still goes to the appropriately named " Best Brown Flake" by SG no less. Hideous presentation and all.

Mo, South Africa

let's face it, Dunhill produces some great tobaccos. This blend is no exception. Only dark fired hints of blessed pure tobacco bliss await the smoker. This one only gives as much as one accepts, and then surpasses that expectation with delicious spills on the taste buds. Virginia lovers rejoice!!! This is your howled home. Even after leaving it in cold climates unattended, it reveals its full flavor with little or no relighting and minimal tamping. It is as close to pure tobacco bliss without being too over the top. This one delivers the goods and there is no ketchup or vinegar on the tooth. It is the real Virginia experience with nothing to wane. A++++++

A beautiful bronze Virginia that Orlik got right from the get go. Although production ended for a few years after the Orlik takeover from Murray's, they finally located the Bright needed to resume production of this rather strong and hearty blend. Despite the strength, the flavor is mellow and palate filling. For those who enjoy a little muscle in their bright Virginia leaf which hints of Lemon and honey as it is smoked. Just terrific stuff.

This was the tobacco that first showed me the true pleasure of Virginia tobaccos. I had smoked plenty of Mac Baren's Va no.1, and liked it. But the second I first cracked a tin of this open and inhaled the deep sweet aroma, I knew I had stumbled onto something special. So needless to say, I absolutely love this stuff. It is a delicious, deep, rich Virginia flake with the perfect amount of natural sweetness that always satisfies. I have a few tins of the original Light Flake by Murray's and I honestly like this new incarnation make by Orlik as much if not more. If you're a lover of Virginias, you need to have some of this stuff on hand. It's one of the best.

***edit*** Thank god I stocked up on this. It is going away soon. The new round tins aren't as sexy, but the tobacco is the same. Enjoy it while you can, friends.

Original Review 6/11/2012

This is an incredible tasting tobacco. I could be quite content sitting upon a pile of this on some deserted island. It is plain tobacco, nonbiting, but full flavored. Easily an all day smoke. I can't say enough good things about it and can't wait til I get my next tin.

Update 5/17/2021

Not much to add to this, but the first review was done within my first year of smoking and much time has passed and many things have been learned.

Dunhill Flake has grown to be my favorite tobacco to smoke. It is, in my opinion, the straight virginia to which all straight virginias should be compared. It has just the right touch of each flavor I enjoy in a straight Va, (Citrus, sugar and earth) and it performs flawlessy.

This is one of the best VA flakes I have ever tried. It has all the quality character and depth of Christmas Cheer, but is different enough to be it's own master. The flake NEVER bites,, and is never bitter, in fact it leaves a noticeably sweet taste on my tongue at times. Classic hay savor along with that VA creaminess that is so loved. The tin note is absolutely magical and wonderful, grassy-hay-cream magic.... Yum!!! It is amazing to me how even to this day Dunhill offerings are such high quality and world renowned. Dunhill Flake is surely right up there at the top. VA fans will instantly love and appreciate this tobacco. Ever so slightly damp,, but that's a good thing,, be warned VA fans,, any VA that's bone dry will get harsh and bite fiercely,, this one does NOT,, no need to dry it. Just rub out, fill and light. a few relights are no big deal and then this one will smoke like a dream. High Quality and no-fuss. Brilliant Dunhill........I will be ordering more. 4 stars..

Good Draw to You,, Cheers,,,

Glorfindel

I'm halfway through my first tin of it. Although a great fan of Dunhill english mixtures, I've always been sceptical about other types like this one let's say. I always thought of it like fancy snobbish smoke that is never too bad, but not too good either.

I've decided to give it a try, and I wasn't disappointed at all. I got pretty much what I was expecting, but also i got surprised by it's quality. I don't know why this tobacco is marked as non-flavoured, since there is a lot of casing or maybe even topping added to it.

Flakes appear visually similar to Orlik golden sliced and also smells similar. First part of the bowl, you can feel some "Danish" flavouring" which fades away and disappears completely at the middle of the bowl. And then something very strange happens. Floral aroma comes up to the front, as in the first lit of the Lakeland tobaccos. After the danish taste, this is awesome. Not overpowering, but pleasant. And this goes for about a third of the bowl, then the pattern changes and darker VA's come upfront, all until the end. Burns perfectly to white ash, comes in a perfect moisture condition ready to pack immediately, doesnt dry out easily and stays in perfect condition for a week or two. Dunhill and Orlik guys have done wonderful job, by creating a very good flake that can be smoked all day, every day regardless of the mood and situation. It's "danish" flavoured, I guess that's the only negative, everything else is good. Highly recommended from me.