Dunhill Light Flake

This is a quality Virginia flake tobacco that easily rubs out. It?s moist, flavorful & pleasingly aromatic. It has a lovely, deep amber color with lots of bird?s eye. It burns & behaves well and only requires a couple relights to keep it going for a long, pleasing smoke that lasts about an hour. Like all Dunhill products, you really can?t say anything bad about it. Unlike most flake/cake tobaccos, this one doesn?t sear my tongue. I prefer the aroma of the Stokkebye Navy Flake, but that is a hot, burning smoke if you puff too fast. Light Flake has a deep, plum, whiskey bouquet in the tin and a baked subtle room note. This is not nearly as excellent as the late, great Troost Slices, but it?s one of the best flakes currently available. The overall quality is honest, reliable & true. I smoke this about 2-3 times a week when I?m not in the mood for a heavy, spicy English or Oriental.

Three of five stars

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 entirely enjoy every aspect of this beautifully packaged, wonderfully made, and perfectly smoked tobacco. The blend lights perfect burns perfect all the way down the bowl which I might add is perfect for breaking in new pipes. I break in all my new pipes with this and Escudo. [email protected]

Update: Outside this Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend I smoked many blends in many bowls, and the leaf that I kept so often clenched in my teeths friend the briar was Dunhill Light Flake.Because of the size of the tin it made easy traveling in the pocket of my coat and so I smoked bowl upon bowl of the stuff. Perhaps it was the snow everywhere, or the clo/uds in the sky. The taste and volume of smoke made this leaf seem perfect for the winter season.

It's not a complicated blend, it doesn't have layers of flavor. It maintains a consistancy that is a reminder of a perfectly fine winter day.

I know I already reviewed this: A very fine flake. Not for the novice. It is fairly dry right out of the tin and quite easy to crumble and pack. Somewhat difficult to light. If left fairly coarse it does burn a long time. Best in a smaller pipe. A high quality flake that is also a good value. Highly recommended.

This has long been one of my absolute favorite tobaccos and one that I never, ever go without in my stockpile of tins. There's frankly not much that can be added to the volume of reviews already here, but it is definitely an outstanding smoke, perhaps amongst the finest in Dunhill's line. Clean, smooth, mild, pure tobacco - very high quality too. This is truly what smoking is meant to be about, perfect for virtually every occassion you can dream up as well. Always a pleasant experience, everytime with one of these bowls. If you've not done yourself the service of ever picking up a tin of this, definitely do it soon. You won't regret it.

Although I have only purchased this in a pouch entitled "Dunhill Flake" I assume this is the same stuff as being reviewed here. I bought this after reading the lauding on here and is quite a change from Erinmore Flake! Upon opening the pouch one is not hit with aroma but it is much more subtle and smells more 'tobaccoey' than other more aromatic blends (if that makes any sense). I was in love from my first bowlful! From the beginning it smokes cool and sweet, although I cannot describe accurately what it tastes like, I would attempt to do so by saying that it seems to be a tobacco relatively unadulterated from added sweetners etc. I think it is a hearty, dependable tobacco which one could imagine being smoked by sailors (don't ask me why). I only have to relight about once, maybe twice and have never got tongue bite from this stuff which has a nice fine, white ash finish. I just smoked some this morning in the sun outside and was in a happy mood for the rest of the day. A constant delicious taste while smoked with no bitter/sour aftertaste, the flavour remains relatively the same throughout rather than becoming too tart near the end like some other blends. I thoroughly recommend Dunhill's light flake and can imagine it being a staple for many pipe smokers everywhere. There is no escaping the fact that this has a lot of nicotine in it, but then again man's best female friend is lady nicotine:) Thanks for your helpful reviews guys as I love this tobacco and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future.

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.

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.