Peterson Flake

I have been smoking this tobacco for a couple of days now and I still don't know what to make of it. It has sort of a chocolate or maybe vanilla flavour to it, but it does not taste like a Virginia as it states in the tin. I like the smell of it as you open the tin, very fruity indeed, and the flake appearance, but this tobacco fails to deliver in my personal opinion. For one thing it does not burn evenly in your pipe and you have to relight it every now and again, but maybe this is due to it not being properly dried. I hope this is going to fix itself as the tin starts emptying. It has a good powerful nicotine kick if you smoke it on an empty stomach, but for the rest I'd say it is quite insipid. It crumbles easily in your hand as you rub it to fill your pipe, but I don't think it is well fermented, of aged for what it matters, despite its appearance. It sort of gets stronger as you go past halfway through it, but it does never quite satisfy you, or give you any hints apart from the chocolate like flavour, which does not develop into something else. I guess the Virginia is still in there in the background, but the chocolate flavour is so overwhelmingly present you never become quite aware of it. I guess this tobacco has no faults of its own, but certainly not my cup of tea. Perhaps my appreciation will change as my tin empties, and if this is the case, I will come back and add up to this review.

Pure tobacco, notes of ketchup and vinegar delivered in tin aroma, and, when smoked in the bowl. Nice spice note on retrohale. Not as complex as other VAs (example - SG Best Brown Flake), but good pure flavor all the way through. Packs and lights well. 3+.

A good rendition of Light Flake with a bit more topping and overall a sweeter taste because of it. We approach the classic Danish Flake. More sweetness an almost tart aroma, with figs and hay that stay with you for the entire smoke. Considering that things change and that the past is gone, it's better to concentrate and enjoy the present. Unless of course you have those precious tins of Light Flake made in the U.K. that have now matured into an unforgettable Virginia Flake tobacco.

Virginia lover

Upon opening the tin I found the scent to be "cigarettish", and thought "oh no". I was pleasantly surprised to find, half tin done, that the tobacco finished with a wonderful pure tobacco sweetness,and the scent from the tin had also transformed into something with much more character. Maybe the tobacco just needed some air time. So, though my first impression was not the best, I now rate the product quite highly. As others have noted its moisture level is about perfect, it rubs out easily gaining lots of loft in the process. It burns perfectly leaving only a little white ash in the bowl. Having dedicated a pipe to it, I'll always have some of this stuff around, pricey though it can be.

My thoughts on this are close to many previous ones, esp those by Michael and (minus the 'lemony' note) ErichPryde. A well-made but very one-note tobacco. Your rating will depend on how you respond to that one note. For me, a B- ;solid, somewhat enjoyable, but in the end really nothing more for me than 'all right'. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is no.

Go figure... All Dunhill blends have undergone a steep decline in the past ten years, while this one actually seems to have IMPROVED.

I hadn't smoked it in a long time, since it was actually called Light Flake and I had found it extremely underwhelming. Now I got a free tin with the purchase of a new Dunhill pipe, and I am enjoying it quite a bit.

Lower nicotine content, easier to keep lit, less sweet/soapy and more salty/sour, and definitely tastier. It tastes like Orlik (who makes this one for Dunhill) has added some (more) burley to the bright and red Virginia base. Ok, maybe now it's a bit less unique and it tastes more like other similar products... but it's much more enjoyable and less bland to my tastebuds.

Still not my benchmark flake, but not so distant from the very best ones (MacBaren Mixture Flake, Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, Rattray's Marlin Flake). Even if you despise the bastardised new version of the old Dunhill blends like I do (they are true abominations), give this one a try: evidently the Danish manifacturers know a trick or two about flakes, and know how to still make good ones while they suck at making replicas of the historical Dunhill latakia mixtures...

UPDATE 2018: The review is confirmed for the most recent version in the round tin.

My first review on here, hello everybody. I am comparing this highly-rated Virginia to another highly-rated virginia, namely Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, which is actually the only other pure virginia tobacco I have smoked so far. I have put this review in the Gawith's section also.

I have only been smoking a pipe regularly for about three months having first purchased my old Duncan Delta filter pipe 37 years ago at the tender age of 16. At that time I dabbled with Clan (as you would expect, what a disappointment when that lovely sweet room-smell wasn't replicated in my nose when smoking the stuff), Holland House, Three Nuns, St. Bruno, Erinmore Flake, and Tetley's loose tea when skint, only once. It has been used on and off over the years for the smoking of various herbs legal and otherwise and has now returned to its intended use as an incinerator of fine tobaccos.

Here we go then for my first simple comparison of two virginia heavyweights. The big picture for me is that the Dunhill Flake is much sweeter and milder than the Gawith's. It is better presented in smaller more regular flakes and is overall much more delicate, or dainty. This presentation in a smaller tin, full of smaller flakes, gives an impression that in comparison to the Gawith product in its larger tin full of big rough meaty flakes, you are being short-sold. Not being a sad enough person to weigh the net contents, I cannot confirm this and I am sure the effect is purely one of perception.

The Gawith flake is much moister in the tin and I find that it does need to be dried for an hour or so before smoking to avoid your pipe gurgling, tongue bite and bitterness. The Dunhill requires less drying and you have to work it hard to get any tongue-bite.

The Dunhill in the tin smells much sweeter and milder although the Gawith smells more complex and fruity, like dried apricot and raisin. Not yet possessing the olfactory skills of other reviewers I am not able to offer any more elaborate distinctions once the tobacco is alight.

Both tobaccos are highly enjoyable smokes. Of the two I prefer the Dunhill.

I enjoy smoking flake tobaccos, and this one is of a very high quality. Pure Virginas with pure tobacco flavor. It lights well and is long-burning. My method is to rub out one flake for the bottom of the bowl and then fold and pack the second flake. This insures a nice draw (flake tobaccos can get plugged up easily). The tin had a hay-like aroma. The first third of the bowl or so was rather uninteresting (just some mild sweetness), but the more I smoked it, the more tobacco flavor came through--smokey with almost a bourbon flavor However, there was no real complexity about it--just a good honest Virginia flavor. I just found this tobacco to be a little monotonous after a while, and a little boring. I am partial to Orlik's Golden Sliced flake which, to me anyway, has more character with it's delightful citrusy tones. Would I smoke it again? Of course. Do I think others should give it a try? Of course. I am going to try blending it with some black Cavendish and maybe just a hint of Perique. I also think it would be nice to smoke this with some Latakia in the bowl to make it more interesting. I'm used to Dunhill Standard Mixture and Royal Yacht, so I get bored with plain-Jane Virginia tobaccos. Nevertheless, this is good stuff and I recommend it. Also, it has no bite, and that's always a good thing.

I wasn't sure whether to put this review under 'Flake' or 'Light Flake'. They are essentially the same blend, but since this is what it's currently sold as it makes sense to record my thoughts here.

Well, Full Virginia Flake this ain't, but that isn't to say that it isn't clearly a high quality tobacco. All the flavours that I associate with a good VA are there at light up, and my only criticism really is that they don't seem to maintain down the bowl - things become a bit homogenous and flat, rather than building.

Nevertheless, it is a good smoke with good presentation, and a distinct plus for me is that it is the only genuine straight VA I can get locally without resorting to mail order tactics. I still prefer the Gawith offerings overall, but when I want something that sits squarely between Golden Glow and FVF in the strength department then this will be the one I go for.

I suspect that it would age very nicely, so laying down a tin or two might not be a bad plan.

Definitely worth a shot. For some folks this could be their ideal VA flake - Recommended.