Dunhill Light Flake
(3.10)
Medium strength flake of selected grades of lemon and bronze Virginias. One of Dunhill's most expert blends of highest quality.
Notes: Currently sold as "Dunhill Flake" due to new laws banning the word "light" in connection with tobacco.
Details
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.10 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 44 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2014 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
There's a natural Virginia tart and tangy citrusy sweetness along with some grassiness and a touch of earth, wood, bread, spice and dark fruit. The topping is tart citrus, which doesn't sublimate the tobaccos much. I also get a little lemony taste with a slightly noticeable honey essence. I notice the tobacco flavor is a tad more obvious in the last quarter of the bowl, but the flavors mostly hold their own all the way. The nic-hit is a slot less potent than the strength level. The strength level is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that center. No chance of bite, and sports no harsh spots. It breaks apart very easily, and burns at a reasonable pace, cool, clean, and mostly smooth. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl, and has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste. Needs a few relights. A fairly gentle all day smoke.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 22, 2007 | Medium to Strong | Strong | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I believe this to be one of the world?s great flakes, though not a classic example of the genre. The name Light Flake refers to the color and leaf component of pale Virginias because in actual strength it is a nice, middle-weight smoke, perfectly able to stand on its own. The strands of which the flakes are composed are long, soft, and of a variegated brown and beautiful gold that serve to make it a tobacco that is as much a pleasure to see as its soft pliability and fresh aroma make it a joy to touch and smell. It is that very aromatic addition which makes Dunhill?s Light Flake so appealing to me, though, oddly, I have read no other reference to it in any review or tobacco literature. All the same, there is a flavor with this flake other than that of pure tobacco, thus making it an aromatic in the modern sense.
I have an inexhaustible fondness for mixtures of the Lakeland style and I find Light Flake to be a wonderful variation of that ancient and glorious tradition. I say that it is a variation because as where in quintessential examples of the style such as Grouse-Moor or Westmorland Flake, the floral perfume essence of the aromatic agent is lain on so heavy that the leaf is subdued completely and transformed into something else entirely. With Light Flake, an aromatic not nearly so potent is applied with what would appear to be a more niggard hand. As a result, the toasty sweetness of bright Virginia is noticeable throughout the bowl. There is also a greater smokiness and a heavier mouthfeel than in other such scented flakes. The combination of these factors with that wonderful floral aroma, which would also seem to feature notes of lemon and apple, make for a most pleasing and summer-like smoke which generally puts me in the mind of new-mown hay and other such agrarian pleasantries.
As if there were not enough to recommend this tobacco to all save for the most stereotypically thick-necked whom will shun anything not containing either Latakia or cherry sauce, this is a flake that burns equally well rubbed out or packed whole into a pipe. I always prefer my flakes rubbed out, though.
I have an inexhaustible fondness for mixtures of the Lakeland style and I find Light Flake to be a wonderful variation of that ancient and glorious tradition. I say that it is a variation because as where in quintessential examples of the style such as Grouse-Moor or Westmorland Flake, the floral perfume essence of the aromatic agent is lain on so heavy that the leaf is subdued completely and transformed into something else entirely. With Light Flake, an aromatic not nearly so potent is applied with what would appear to be a more niggard hand. As a result, the toasty sweetness of bright Virginia is noticeable throughout the bowl. There is also a greater smokiness and a heavier mouthfeel than in other such scented flakes. The combination of these factors with that wonderful floral aroma, which would also seem to feature notes of lemon and apple, make for a most pleasing and summer-like smoke which generally puts me in the mind of new-mown hay and other such agrarian pleasantries.
As if there were not enough to recommend this tobacco to all save for the most stereotypically thick-necked whom will shun anything not containing either Latakia or cherry sauce, this is a flake that burns equally well rubbed out or packed whole into a pipe. I always prefer my flakes rubbed out, though.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 28, 2018 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I purchased a vintage tin of Dunhill LF from eBay back in 2011. This vintage tin full of mottled light to medium brown flakes sure smelled tantalizing. Sort of an aging fruitcake-like aroma. The flakes are very tender and almost fall apart if not delicately handled. It easily breaks apart into a wide, shag-like consistency that readily takes to flame & burns great. I knew how I'd be rating this after the first puff. Another superb offering from Dunhill.
The flavoring was certainly to my liking and this is the best tasting Virginia flake I've ever smoked. Very sweet, mild & flavorful smoke with satisfactory strength. How could one not like it...there's nothing there not to like. Doesn't bite, provides sweet matured Virginia flavor, smokes mild, etc. Just an excellent concoction for a Virginia Blend.
The flavoring was certainly to my liking and this is the best tasting Virginia flake I've ever smoked. Very sweet, mild & flavorful smoke with satisfactory strength. How could one not like it...there's nothing there not to like. Doesn't bite, provides sweet matured Virginia flavor, smokes mild, etc. Just an excellent concoction for a Virginia Blend.
Pipe Used:
Dunhill 2S Shell Briar
PurchasedFrom:
eBay
Age When Smoked:
10 years old when purchased in 2011
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 31, 2010 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
As the blend notes state this is now Dunhill Flake and it's my first try since re-launched by Orlik. I think the original "Light" referred to a bright coloured light looking virginia flake. This is now much darker in appearance than the original and the first tin was too moist and needed a little drying before smoking. The slices are much narrower and "Dark" virginia flake would now better describe this offering.
I've been very impressed with Orlik's efforts on all the other original factory blends especially with Navy Rolls, 965 and EMP. I think this flake will also take its place along with the others - its a quality virginia, smokes very cool and slow - not much smoke, and not a big 'N' kick. I find it mild to medium but prefer my virginias with a little more of a nicotine slap. This will definetly be one to rotate for me, because I can see it becomming a bit bland and rather boring after a couple of tins. However, I can also see this becomming very popular to virginia devotees - I could never buy another tin of Gawiths FVF while this is on the shelf.
First class Orlik!
I've been very impressed with Orlik's efforts on all the other original factory blends especially with Navy Rolls, 965 and EMP. I think this flake will also take its place along with the others - its a quality virginia, smokes very cool and slow - not much smoke, and not a big 'N' kick. I find it mild to medium but prefer my virginias with a little more of a nicotine slap. This will definetly be one to rotate for me, because I can see it becomming a bit bland and rather boring after a couple of tins. However, I can also see this becomming very popular to virginia devotees - I could never buy another tin of Gawiths FVF while this is on the shelf.
First class Orlik!
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 2006 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This is my favourit of the pure Virginias I have so far tried. Its a wonderfully prepared tobacco, neat, regular flakes that rub out easily, pack just fine, and light and stay lit with no trouble at all. The moisture content is perfect, and if smoked with a bit of care, burns slow, cool and without drip.
The tin aroma is a spicy, raisiny sort of smell, very fruity, and this sort of smell is present in the room aroma.
The flavour is fresh, naturaly sweet but not too sweet, and mild, although not bland in any way like some other similar tobaccos. Craftsman flake for example. Towards the end of the bowl the flavour can progress from dried fruityness on to an almost nutty taste, making it a very interesting smoke, one which can be enjoyed for a long time without either becoming boring or becoming too strong.
The nicotine content is noticable, but not strong, so this would be a good choice of flake for a beginner (it was my first try of a Virginia flake, and I enjoyed it a lot)
Another good reason to keep some of this around is that it is a really multi purpose smoke. Indoors it burns slow and does not offend non smokers, while being more interesting than some aromatics. Out of doors its a good tobacco, particularly on a cold day, as this makes it very difficult to make it burn hot. On a very windy day, the flakes can just be rolled, folded or twisted a little, shoved into the pipe and set fire to. They will burn really slow, even in a strong wind, and do not go out as some other flakes do.
Due to new Legal silliness perpetrated by our insane government, here in Britain this tobacco is now called "Flake". Calling it Light would apparently imply that it is less likely to kill us than other tobaccos. I hope this at least will put an end to quibbling as to whether this really is a "light" flake.
UPDATE
Recently this tobacco has changed somewhat, either that or my tastes have- I now detect a noticable topping of some kind, rather like that of Erinmore but applied less heavy handedly. I suspect that it has always been used, it smells familiar, but I dont recall this note being so strong. Maybe its because my last tins were open longer, and one of them had matured a while (That one had the most proinently raisiny smell). In any case, I still really enjoy it, its very rewarding, tasty and smells good.
The tin aroma is a spicy, raisiny sort of smell, very fruity, and this sort of smell is present in the room aroma.
The flavour is fresh, naturaly sweet but not too sweet, and mild, although not bland in any way like some other similar tobaccos. Craftsman flake for example. Towards the end of the bowl the flavour can progress from dried fruityness on to an almost nutty taste, making it a very interesting smoke, one which can be enjoyed for a long time without either becoming boring or becoming too strong.
The nicotine content is noticable, but not strong, so this would be a good choice of flake for a beginner (it was my first try of a Virginia flake, and I enjoyed it a lot)
Another good reason to keep some of this around is that it is a really multi purpose smoke. Indoors it burns slow and does not offend non smokers, while being more interesting than some aromatics. Out of doors its a good tobacco, particularly on a cold day, as this makes it very difficult to make it burn hot. On a very windy day, the flakes can just be rolled, folded or twisted a little, shoved into the pipe and set fire to. They will burn really slow, even in a strong wind, and do not go out as some other flakes do.
Due to new Legal silliness perpetrated by our insane government, here in Britain this tobacco is now called "Flake". Calling it Light would apparently imply that it is less likely to kill us than other tobaccos. I hope this at least will put an end to quibbling as to whether this really is a "light" flake.
UPDATE
Recently this tobacco has changed somewhat, either that or my tastes have- I now detect a noticable topping of some kind, rather like that of Erinmore but applied less heavy handedly. I suspect that it has always been used, it smells familiar, but I dont recall this note being so strong. Maybe its because my last tins were open longer, and one of them had matured a while (That one had the most proinently raisiny smell). In any case, I still really enjoy it, its very rewarding, tasty and smells good.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2022 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I was going to add this revision in the section dedicated to “Flake -Peterson-“ when I discovered that there was a separate section for the Dunhill version. It has surprised me a lot because it is the only Dunhill tobacco of those reproduced by Peterson that can be highlighted here, in its own section as Dunhill. But I guess there's some good reason for that, which I don't know about.
In its tin some dark flakes appear that give off a quite remarkable smell of wine, and in that it reminds me of the aroma of Dark Flake, also from Dunhill. Once the pipe is lit it is fruitier and less spicy than I remembered in the Peterson version, but this may be due to the aging of the tin I am smoking, since in my opinion the passing of the years tends to increase the fruity aromas/flavors. I could define it as a combination between McClelland's fruity virginias in his milder versions and Samuel Gawith's well-known herbaceous and sweet hay virginias. It has a perfect balance between smooth and tasty. It burns nice and even. A very fine and high quality tobacco.
In its tin some dark flakes appear that give off a quite remarkable smell of wine, and in that it reminds me of the aroma of Dark Flake, also from Dunhill. Once the pipe is lit it is fruitier and less spicy than I remembered in the Peterson version, but this may be due to the aging of the tin I am smoking, since in my opinion the passing of the years tends to increase the fruity aromas/flavors. I could define it as a combination between McClelland's fruity virginias in his milder versions and Samuel Gawith's well-known herbaceous and sweet hay virginias. It has a perfect balance between smooth and tasty. It burns nice and even. A very fine and high quality tobacco.
Age When Smoked:
12 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 22, 2019 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This review, as most of them are, is from my notes back when I first joined, then rejoined Tobacco Reviews... again. I purchased two vintage, ten year old tins of Dunhill LF from eBay back in 2011 for 60 dollars. Vintage tins are full of mottled light to medium brown flakes with a slight lemony, fruity aroma. Maybe sort an aged fruitcake-like aroma. The flakes are very tender and almost fall apart if not delicately handled. They are fragile & easily break apart into an almost shag-like consistency that readily takes to flame & burns great. I knew how I'd be rating this after the first puff. Another superb offering from Dunhill.
The flavoring was certainly to my liking and this is the best tasting Virginia flake I've ever smoked at the time. Very sweet, mild & flavorful smoke with a mild to medium strength... closer to the mild spectrum, however. How could one not like this VA blend? There's nothing there not to like unless you might want something with a little more kick. Doesn't bite, provided sweet matured Virginia flavor, smoked mild, etc. Just an excellent concoction for a Virginia Blend.
Unfortunately, I overcooked one of these tins in the microwave for a quick dry time & spoiled it by oversetting the timer. Oh well, I still had one tin to review. The only thing I didn't like about the aged Dunhill Light Flakes was the lack of Vitamin N. I always prefer something fairly strong since I don't inhale. I never tried the Orlik or Mac Baren versions because this blend didn't take me where I wanted to go but the taste/flavor was very good to excellent.
The flavoring was certainly to my liking and this is the best tasting Virginia flake I've ever smoked at the time. Very sweet, mild & flavorful smoke with a mild to medium strength... closer to the mild spectrum, however. How could one not like this VA blend? There's nothing there not to like unless you might want something with a little more kick. Doesn't bite, provided sweet matured Virginia flavor, smoked mild, etc. Just an excellent concoction for a Virginia Blend.
Unfortunately, I overcooked one of these tins in the microwave for a quick dry time & spoiled it by oversetting the timer. Oh well, I still had one tin to review. The only thing I didn't like about the aged Dunhill Light Flakes was the lack of Vitamin N. I always prefer something fairly strong since I don't inhale. I never tried the Orlik or Mac Baren versions because this blend didn't take me where I wanted to go but the taste/flavor was very good to excellent.
Pipe Used:
Dunhill 2S Shell Briar
PurchasedFrom:
eBay
Age When Smoked:
10 years old when purchased in 2011
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 08, 2012 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
While I have not yet tried the new politically correct Dunhill "Flake", I have fond memories of Dunhill' smasterpiece in Light Flake, which was one of my dessert island tobaccos. Always consistent, lovely presentation and a rich smooth full bodied smoke from fine, lightly cased virginias. I only wished I stocked up with Light Flake when it was abundant. Like so many classic before it, I can only hope the new "Flake" is every bit as good and tasty.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 07, 2011 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Just opened a fresh tin, fold/packed the fantastic flake into a Ardor Fantasy Bent Dublin, a few relights on this one for me...smoked wonderful (a little wet, not sure if new pipe, bacci, or smoke'in method due to some windy/outside smoke'in...no worries as I use pipe-cleaners throughout all my smokes to make sure no nasty wet-smoke'in takes place), nice flavors all the way through (stronger at first half of bowl as other reviewers have stated) Keep a nice slow/sip'in method and she gives off great flavors back to you...a little sweet, citrus and some sort of spice when exhaled through nose...GREAT STUFF
have to snag a few more tins for bar from local shop before they are all gone...I hear there is a problem with getting the Dunhill bacci again.....DAMN! Oh well more time to sample all the other FANTASTIC blends in the bar....spice of life they say...enjoy
have to snag a few more tins for bar from local shop before they are all gone...I hear there is a problem with getting the Dunhill bacci again.....DAMN! Oh well more time to sample all the other FANTASTIC blends in the bar....spice of life they say...enjoy
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 17, 2011 | Medium | Very Mild | Very Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This vintage tin full of mottled light to medium brown flakes sure smelled tantalizing. Sort of an aging fruitcake-like aroma. The flakes are very tender and almost fall apart if not delicately handled. It easily breaks apart into a wide, shag-like consistency that readily takes to flame & burns great. I knew how I'd be rating this after the first puff. Another superb offering from Dunhill.
The flavoring was certainly to my liking and this is the best tasting Virginia flake I've ever smoked. Very sweet, mild & flavorful smoke with satisfactory strength. How could one not like it...there's nothing there not to like. Doesn't bite, provides sweet matured Virginia flavor, smokes mild, etc. Just an excellent concoction for a Virginia Blend. Therefore, IMHO, Dunhill's Light Flake merits four stars. Sampled in a Dunhill Shell Briar.
The flavoring was certainly to my liking and this is the best tasting Virginia flake I've ever smoked. Very sweet, mild & flavorful smoke with satisfactory strength. How could one not like it...there's nothing there not to like. Doesn't bite, provides sweet matured Virginia flavor, smokes mild, etc. Just an excellent concoction for a Virginia Blend. Therefore, IMHO, Dunhill's Light Flake merits four stars. Sampled in a Dunhill Shell Briar.
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