Peterson Flake

Presentation: Premium Dunhill presentation. It has an earthly and grassy, slight citrus aroma. Tobacco is neatly packaged in an attractive tin, wrapped in a decorative white tobacco paper.

Taste: Premium, straight Virginia tobacco, the first thing you notice is the a light grassy and hay flavor, with a gentle citrus after-taste. After 5-10 minutes, you will notice a freshly baked bread taste, with subtle sweetness after every puff. I didn't receive any tongue bite. Just an enjoyable, relaxing smoke. A bit light for my taste though.

After thoughts: A very enjoyable, luxurious smoke made from high quality straight Virginia tobacco. This is perfect for an all-day smoke, preferably while reading a good book, drinking some coffee or tea, or watching an enjoyable movie. I preferred Samuel Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake a bit more, but this would be my 2nd favorite Virginia thus far.

I wanted to like this more, but...I guess I just need a bit more flavor in the Virginias I smoke. It's obviously a very high quality VA and for those looking for a mild to medium-flavored weed this is perfect. Flavors are there, just not in the proportions I like. Very grassy and hay-like in the tin, and also in the pipe, it could easily be an all day VA for those who like this genre. I'll age the rest of the tin and see what happens...

Dunhill Flake is a consistent & loyal & very well behaved flake, composed of light and dark Virginia.

Visually I would compare it to a Capstan Original (previously Medium). Flavourwise, the one coming closer seems SG’s Best Brown Flake. Close to the medium strenght, mild-to-medium in body. I don’t detect any flavouring, just the hay/citrus/bread thing. Good indeed. Burns exceptionally well, no hot smoke, no bite, no harsh spots. No high spots too… unfortunately.

I could see myself smoking this all day. Easily three stars. This tin was received as a gift, one and probably the last I will see… PS: And, yes: I smoked the old Light Flake in the late eighties. That was stronger than this.

If I can compare this to anything, it would be EMP. The Virginia in EMP tastes exactly the same as Dunhill flake obviously without any oriental. Very pure light Virginia flavor that is slightly sweet. I don't get any hay or baked bread like flavored, just I slight blink of an eye citrus flavor. The tin note is different. Obviously it's a Virginia tin note but I also get a slight black pepper note to it. No bite to it at all. Burns clean and cool. Unfortunately there is no nicotine to it. At least for me.

I bought a tin of this a couple of years ago but I couldn't remember much about it until I bought a tin a couple of days ago. Overall a pure and simple Virginia flake that you don't have to think about. Rubbed out or folded, it smokes the same. Very enjoyable and recommended. Prefer this over Orlik golden sliced.

Straight Virginias seem one-dimensional to me, but Dunhill has done the best with this genre of tobacco by producing a top-quality flake. What looks like light and toasted or dark-fired Virginias are combined in a tan-grey flake which emits the sweet hay season smell of a good Virginia. This burns cooler than Newminster and other flakes, and like all Dunhill products -- this is their secret -- carefully balances its flavors for a mature, slow-paced smoke. Dunhill did their best to mediate the one-dimensionality of straight Virginia with this mix, and in the process, came up with something that is basically like smoking a cookie. Sweet, with some added earthy flavors, it provides hours of light puffing fun for those who do not want intensity of flavor or too much nicotine hitting them in the face like a political scandal.

Deep dark earthy... call me crazy, but I think Pecan Pie best describe the array of flavors that dance in and out when this tobacco starts to sing.

I folded stuffed and tufted this fresh from the tin into an orlik rhodesian. The first part of the bowl was very woodsy and dark with hints of leather and essential oil very little sweetness. It gets a bit dry and campfire towards the burn out of the first relight. However, beyond the first light when the bowl starts to heat up and the tobacco hits its stride, I taste dark cocoa, with creamy top notes and a hint of a sweet nut meat that permeates the palate. As this progresses the flavor intensifies and the taste of toasted coconut or pecan pie is incredible. A dark savory meal with a side stream of biscuits and sweet hay.

The burn characteristics out of thr tin are phenomenal and if you stick wiith it past the first few lights it will reward you with a treat. I will try a few other methods to see if I can get past the admittedly rough front end.

Definitely a 3 star blend that will probably earn a 4 star if I can massage it into its zone sooner.

This is the one Dunhill blend I have cellared the most, though in the meantime I’ve discovered other Virginia flakes that I like even better. I do consider this a sort of benchmark for darker flue-cured Virginia flakes, and unlike Astley’s 44, I find the presentation here very natural, with very minimal pH tempering. As for aging, it takes a long time to notice much difference, I’m thinking about five years, and even then the transformation isn’t as dramatic as it is with some other Virginia flakes.

Even when fresh you will discern that this is made of the highest quality leaf, and the depth of flavor is most satisfying. I get winter hay, toasted Cheerios, toasted wheat bran bread, and on long, slow retrohale a faint trace of anise. When young I also experimented with some tweaks (I know: sacrilege!) and found that a drop of Watkins coffee extract with this was simply amazing. Trying a tin with nine years on it I get the usual predominant taste of brown bread, slightly rounder and mellower now, but also surprising nuances of inexplicable flavor toward the end of the bowl: orange peel, and dried apricot. I never tasted those before, and they are fleeting impressions, but shows that some surprises await as the tobacco ages. I have several more of the older square tins with nine years on them, and I will try those when they hit the ten, fifteen and twenty year mark. Something to look forward to!

Had the privilege of smoking both the Murray’s version as well as the Orlik version of this flake.

The Orlik rendition is definitely milder and quite reminiscent of Orlik golden slices. Not bad, but nothing to rave about.

The Murray’s version is full bodied and stout and satisfied my tastebuds.

A sweet fruity straight virginia with a unique flavor profile. It is cased/topped with various sugars, PG and unknown flavoring as per the German BMEL website: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=100567&site_key=153&stichw_suche=dunhill&zeilenzahl_zaehler=47

From the tin note I suspect the unknown flavoring added is the same plum juice they use on Deluxe Navy Rolls (see BMEL website) and maybe something else. Very strong plummy/figgy smell, but fades with age. The flavor is unique and wonderful and I can only imagine that is due to the topping. The virignias are very good and probably brights and reds so you get the typical flavors from both. It's smooth, mildy sweet, and mild nicotine.