Dunhill Light Flake

Update 2/05: Save your money and cure, ferment and age your lawn clippings to smoke. Your mulch will taste less sooty, too. No tins of LF are aging in my cellar and at no price is this worthy, presently, of my time. Whatever praise this elicited in the past is inconceivable in the present. Michael Jackson has struggled less with his identity than Dunhill is with LF.

One note first: "light" here is not for the nicotine content, but for the taste and the colour of the flakes, which is golden with darker brown bits. With this in mind, one can better understand the qualities of this tobacco. In my opinion, Dunhill is a specialist in English Mixtures: their Virginia tobaccos always leave something to be desired, from the slightly pungent Royal Yacht, to the berry flavored Three Years Matured, from the good but slightly overrated De Luxe Navy Rolls (Escudo), to this Light Flake. The rectangular flakes are at a perfect degree of moisture, drier than other similar offerings, and rather compact, but they crumble fairly easily. Tin aroma is very light, not overly sweet, with some cinnamon-like hints. The first impression is very watery and offers little taste: this is a delicate and smooth tobacco indeed, although the taste actually gets fairly stronger and sweeter as it reaches the bottom of the bowl. The soapy/flowery scent typical of some english Virginia flakes is not overwhelming, but still unpleasant to my taste buds. Personally I think that this tobacco has too little taste: it burns fine and slow, rarely bites and has a refined flavor, but I don't get much satisfaction from it. A quality product that might have appeal to a certain category of smokers, but I can't see why I should rave about it: my benchmark for Virginias still remains Rattray's! And even if I had to be confined to Dunhill, I'd pick the Navy Rolls instead.

About a year and a half ago, I came across two tins of this that were about 15 years old. Condition was good, seals were in good condition, and this is the result of the first of those tins.

Appearance: This tobacco comes in flakes that are about an inch wide and three inches long, with a mixture of medium and dark brown tobacco. The flakes in this tin were not capable of being rolled, but rather, crumble under handling. I assume this is a sign of the age. Crystals were present on the surface of the flakes.

The nose out of the tin is fresh and on the fruity side, as might be expected.

I generally fully rub out flakes, and this is no exception, by necessity as well as habit. The burning characteristics are good. It burns dry and fully.

This is a sweet blend to my taste, not as sweet as a few, more so than most. The room note is pleasant. I find that I have to take care with all straight Virginia blends, and this one is no exception. The early part of the bowl is somewhat light in flavor, but the sweetness is promising. The latter part of the bowl is the most enjoyable and deepens considerably.

This blend does not have the complexity that I enjoy in the tobaccos that I favor most, but it is enjoyable, albeit simple in flavor, readily available, and acceptable. I do not place this amongst my favorite blends, and prefer CR Light Flake for this light, yet slightly tangy VA.

Flavor: 70/100 Smoking characteristics: 90/100 Overall: 75/100.

January, 2004

(From a blind tobacco tasting group review)

Appearance: 3" flakes, pressed and stacked in the Lakeland style. Flexible, a bit moist for smoking, tightly pressed. 45% light, 40% brown or red, 15% black tobaccos (approximately, of course).

Tin Aroma: Fermented/steamed aromas with a spicy/savory smell that seems to be mostly natural tobac aroma with a mild, well-integrated top. I'm picking up a tangy apricot/dried peach flavor which I believe to be the topping. Also nuances of fresh bread and very mild bay leaf, which I think are natural tobacco aromas.

Smoke: Mostly if not completely Virginias, and I'm guessing non-U.S. based varieties. Sometimes the natural tobacco flavors came through, leaving me with a Samuel Gawith impression. Other times, the apricot-like topping seemed to dominate the blend. I like this blend, but it doesn't challenge my favorite Lakeland flakes. I won't be buying this, because there are too many excellent VAs out there. Still, no regrets on the smoke.

This rates an 80 out of 100 for me.