Dunhill Light Flake

Nice light, begins a little antsy dancy, citrusy to begin with. Kinda gets my attention and is fun-must be the lemon Virginia component kicking off.

Straight forward, the blends all work together to give a medium bodied flavorful taste.

Same a mid-bowl and that?s what I really like about this tobacco. There is no woody, muddy finish. Some other reviewers thought that boring. I say dependable.

I like this stuff, it?s a good all day straightforward tobacco. Not great, not a 5, but really good.

What I would like to add is that this blend really needs to be aired out from the tin. I have read reviews that mentioned ?casing?, soapy, bitey etc., and I think that?s the result of too moist a trial. I take a few flakes from the tin and lay them on the counter for a few hours, rub lightly and store the amount in a pouch.

IMHO the objections raised are the result of the natural fermenting process that goes on with the flaking process and go away with a little airing.

I have eaten pastrami sandwiches at Katz' Deli (est. 1888, NYC) in 1964, '74, '84, '94, and '04. All were identical, not unexpectedly, since the manufacturing process has remained essentially unchanged for over a century.

The point? Don't mess with success. Don't let some bean counter change the yield at Chateau d'Yquem. Don't let marketing girlie up the Corvette any more than they already have. And for God's sake, leave the classic blends alone. There exists a rapidly dwindling list of things that keep us from going postal, and trifling with that list could spell the end of civilization.

So which is the greater sin- removing legendary blends from the marketplace (Capstan, Bengal Slices, Balkan Sobranie, etc.), or taunting us with a bounty of shameless impersonators? Somebody has screwed with Dunhill's Light Flake, and I am not at all pleased. A formerly wonderful blend has become suspect, so check your vintage carefully, as recent tins may not be what one expects.

Coming soon to a tobacconist near you- from the makers of Kiwi Lime Escudo, the all new and improved Three Nuns, now with avocado.

Dunhill Light Flake is a virginia tobacco that is a real joy to smoke. I have had to smoke it several times before coming to appreciate the subtle nuances and strengths of this tobacco. It certainly has a subtle spiciness to it and smokes like a virginia blend would be expected to. Straight forward tobacco flavor and nice flavor to boot. This however is not my first choice for a virginia however, but is definitely up there with Orlick Golden Slices(a milder tobacco) and Peacehaven and Royal Yacht. This is not a light tobacco as the name would suggest. Astleys #109 and several others would be what I reach for sooner. However a very enjoyable blend and I certainly will enjoy finishing this tin. 3 1/2 - 4 stars.

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update

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I have left light flake and just tried it again and my opinion of it is evolving. I don't think of it as good but great. Smokes evenly and flavorful and slightly sweet. Great in the AM with you Java of choice. Will definitely continue enjoying this fine Dunhill virginia blend.

and smooth as something like Solani 633 but nowhere as strong and dark as something like Gawith's Full Virginia Flake. A nice, friendly Virginia.

Verdict: There is just no way that I can agree with this being called "light flake". However, other than that small syntactical misgiving, I very much enjoy this on occasion, and would heartily recommend it to a smoker of Virginia flakes who was looking to expand their repetoire. As for it being a gentle introductio nto the world of flake tobaccos, I doubt it.

Sight: The flakes are uniform and balanced; no surprises here.

Touch: Flakes are a little more moist than I like in a straight VA. I find rubbing them out considerably and allowing a little "air time" before packing provides my desired cooler smoke.

Taste: Not sure why this would be called a "light" flake. It is definitely medium on the taste/smell scale to me. The VA leaf is very balanced, and the subtly sweet smoke is very consistent from beginning to conclusion.

Smell: I enjoy the smell of straight VA, although this one definitely isn't an aromatic!

Conclusions: IMHO, there are definitely some better flakes out there, but this one is good enough to be worked into the routine. It doesn't overwhelm one with superlatives, but it also doesn't disappoint. I think this VA is a good VA for non-VA smokers...hmmm, does that make any sense?

Does Dunhill make a blend with anything less than the highest quality? Even when I don't particularly like one of their tobaccos, I still have to admire the level of craftsmanship that goes into each one. One of my favorite reviewers on this site recently updated their review of this blend, and made the comment that it seemed that this blend came very heavily topped these days. I still decided to try it and found out that he was correct. I didn't care for the topping in the least, and found it distracting, and bitey as well. I put the tin up and promptly forgot about it for several months. When I came back to it grudgingly, I found that the topping strength was greatly reduced and that it had cooled considerably. The VA flavor was rich indeed and I have to say I ejoyed it a whole lot. This is one of the better VA's out there and I will keep a tin on hand (and opened!) for those VA occassions.

I hadn't had a bowl of Dunhill's Light Flake in a while, not being that much of a bright virginia kind of guy. However, I have been exploring the Lakeland flakes recently and thought I would give Alfred's unflavored LF a whirl.

One cannot help but be impressed with the quality presentation of LF, the flakes as intact as if they had just been custom cut for you. I guess this is one of the benefits that one gets with a tinned tobacco.This is clearly a quality tobacco- one would expect no less from Dunhill.

My tin had aged about 18 months since last exposure to the open air, and it had a great grassy bright virginia aroma. The cellar aging seemed to have mellowed the tobacco somewhat, tongue-bite wise, plus I am a more cautious flake smoker now days. There is less fruity sweetness to LF than to more stoved varieties e.g., navy flakes. Instead there is an slightly tangy sweetness. But mostly, a rich traditional tobacco taste.

I remember the first time I tried this thinking, "Well, this is nothing special". I am impressed at how much the aging has improved this tobacco, but... we all know that virginias in particular age well.. I will have to visit this tin more frequently, but most important, I must get another one aging. Soon.

I have never smoked a Dunhill tobacco that I did not believe to be of the highest quality - this is no exception. I've stuffed fairly full flakes into medium and large capacity bowls and slogged through the winter with my retriever, windy and wet, with a smile. I've rubbed it out fully and gently puffed it in small capacity pipes to discover it's subtlties (and they are certainly there). But all this huff and puff about the NAME!?! Medium being light...light being medium...oh my...ad nausium. Boyos, it's simplicity itself. You see, the British tar has never been known to be the brightest of fellows...and so with special compassion and consideration, Dunhill (in addition to their own branding, of course) titled the flake...with directions for its use. End story.

I just smoked a full tin in a Dunill pipe of course. A bulldog dress pipe from Tim at Paylesspipes, I just smoked at my daughter's recent wedding (the "wedding pipe"). A very nice bright, golden flake, but not real light in taste (just in color). Slightly aromatic. The room aroma fades quickly.

It smokes dryer than McBaren's Virginia Flake and not as sweet (or wet), but sweet enough. It has more body than Germain's Medium Flake or G&H's Glengarry Flake, but is not quite as robust as Solani 633 virginia flake. No way near the heavier G&H line.

It does not have the heat or bite that some other golden va. flakes do. It does pick up some steam (strength) during the latter part of the smoke, so it is best not to rub it out fully to keep the burn slow near the end. Puff slowly of course.

I seems sweeter than the straight virginia leaf so I grant you it must be scented or flavored slightly, but you can still taste the golden virginia just underneath. A quality Dunhill smoke for those with a sweet tooth.

No problem in packing or lighting. Steady burning. Flakes are packed a bit odd in the tin (some twisted a bit), but they hold up pretty good when unloading and packing.

I couldn't identify the sweet fruity or citrusy flavor precisely, but it is not too much and goes well with the bright virginia leaf used. Not for all, but recommended to medium, sweet flake fanciers.