Tobaccos A & C Petersen - Caledonian Virginia Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2003-02-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

How many flakes like this does Petersen/Orlik make?? They must have one for every hair's breath of the flavour spectrum?except the stronger part thereof. Mild flakes seem to be their obsession.

Their technology is second to none. This looks very pretty in the étui. I must admit I never realised CVF had périque. I thought 499 was their V & P offering, and this the all V proposition.

Actionwise, this is another Danish tutorial on slow puffing: this sweet, lite thing will evaporate your tongue if you absent-mindedly let it.

Not unpleasant, but with 499 and SOLANI 633 around, do we really need this lowest gradation, the UnPérique of V & P mixes?

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2010-03-06		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

A very nice and gentle Virginia flake that has a little strength and a lot of flavor.

I have friends who smoke multiple bowls a day and have said that light Virginia leaf is their favorite because their palate does not get overwhelmed and their tongue remains intact. I think this is a perfect tobacco for them. I don't think I've ever tasted a light Virginia Flake that was loaded up with some much flavor.

Still, it is class weed and the tin art is wonderful.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bigterr (21)	2013-10-16		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is very mild and appears to have a very faint hint of honey casing. The taste is somewhat cigarette like but does not leave the tongue coated the way a non-inhaled cigarette would. My recommendation on this one is a solid 3 out of 4 as an all day tobacco. Smoked gently 3 to 4 bowls per day would not wear out your tongue nor your nicotine tolerance. It would be a 4 out of 4 for anyone wanting to switch from cigarettes to the pipe as the taste is not overwhelming like some of the Latakia bombs out there (Bill Baileys Blend comes to mind). If you like to exhale through your nose you can get a bit more of a nicotine kick (this for the I'm switching from cigarettes crowd)although compared to others like FVF or MacBaren's Virgina #1 the nicotine level here is noticably lighter. BIG PROBLEM - It is very hard to find in stores and no longer seems available even on the internet. I made some inquiries at a couple of quality tobacco shops in Toronto (yep the place in Canada) and was informed by one that he relies quite heavily on this review site in selecting his stock as prices are so high here in Canada that unless the ratings are golden he will not risk stocking something he might not be able to move quickly. The dearth of availabilty might just be related to these here reviews as I doubt he is the only tabacconist who knows about this site. So I hope he reads this review as I really found this a satisfying smoke that did not require a heavy analytical approach to enjoy so one can smoke it while ones attention is shared upon other tasks.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-04-04		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Finding an old tin of something I didn't know I still had in my cellar is a wonderful thing! Or is it? I'm not entirely sure of the age of this blend but I'm afraid that the aging mellowed it to the point of near-disappearance of flavor.

This may be a lighter VA flake than even Mac Baren's Virginia Flake. A grassy-citrusy taste, with little body, this caused me to overpuff to find some real flavor - and we all know what happens then! On subsequent bowls, I slowed down and was rewarded with mostly hot smoke. I smoked 4 bowls of this and put the rest back into the cellar. I may mix this with something in the future. On its own, it's simply to mild and bland to worry about such things as it being hard to find in the U.S. It's not worth a second thought. Not bad, just not worth a repeat performance.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2010-02-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Typical Danish VA flake. Nothing new here. A usual, when opening the tin, flawless beautiful flakes; easy to separate.

Somehow unnoticeable smell in the tin - which I normally see as a good sign, but when lighting up, the bland monochromatic taste lingers through the entire bowl.

Yes, it's quality leaf, but there are WAY better straight VAs out there..

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Found a sample of this I had stashed away for a few years and fired it up. It's nice looking flakes, that's for sure. They crumbled well and loaded well and after a couple of charring lights, stayed lit.

I don't believe there's any perique in this either. It tastes like a sharp, tangy pure Virginia to me. The middle of the bowl has all the flavor and the end of the bowl changed dramatically for me- turning somewhat sour and ashy tasting. I'll try it again in a smaller pipe and see what happens.

Not bad, not great. There's better Virginias out there that are easier to find.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2011-01-13		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Citrus and tangy taste. Sometimes bland tasting and sometimes cigarette like. A decent Virginia flake for a beginner or for somebody who actually enjoys this kind of mild flake. This is a review that should have been done years ago, so this is to the best of my recollection.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Most certainly a nice flake, on the brighter colour, which indicates to me that it might lack a certain substance. But being optimistic, and having just purchased it, I tell myself: you never know, might be some Périque in there...

Aroma of a straight VA, no hints of Périque.

...

Light up, nice, pleasant, mellow mild VA flavour.

Shocks.

A nice smoke, but too mild and it will loose whatever substance it has, quite quickly.

Recommended for the neophyte that wants to venture into the VAs flakes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-05-27		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a fairly so-so VA. flake, but like Haiku said there is a "spicy hot" sharpness that I find a bit irritating. Tin aroma is VA. w/a citrusy note and the presentation is fine, but like Bo Diddly sang many moons ago, "you can't judge an apple by looking at the tree,....you can't judge a book by looking at the cover." This tobak rubs out nice, fills & lights easily, tamp & relight and you're on your way. But that "spicy hot" sensation on the tongue is there sitting on top of the VA. flavor and it stays there. My pipes are clean and rested, relaxed puffing, extra care and attention, no matter...still irritatingly "spicy". Reminds me of Cumin (think Mexican food) or Tabasco or chili peppers. Again, I'm just talkin' about the "sensation" these items produce. I like a bit o' spice sometimes, but most of the bowl is gone before the stuff mellows out. Perique is supposed to be in this but it's very light & I'm not sure that's what the spicy note in this is. DGTing helped to some extent, but the VA. flavor really didn't take hold. I erred on the caution side w/the flavoring rating, because I feel that something was used but in a restrained manner. Bit of a gurgle @ times, one cleaner now & then, and burns to mottled gray ash. Not a bad flake and I'll finish the tin (hey, why not, it ain't THAT bad) just not one I'll continue to have around. Compared to numerous other flakes this one falls back in the ranks, at least to my taste. If there was a rating in between "Might try it again" & "occasional smoke" that's what I'd give, but such is not the case. It just don't work for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rev. Smoke (24)	2023-01-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I recently found my empty tin. I saved it because of the wonderful tin art, but it reminded me that this is a blend I am sad has disappeared. It was a beautiful flake, and it smoked very easily. It had a bright sweetness, with hints of a nice wheat bread.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2004-11-27		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This Virginnia Flake beats most of the others only by virtue of the nice smell it leaves on the clothes. Otherwise I find it tastes very similar to Dunhill Light Flake which is also very good. I just fold a flake until it is well broken. Smoked in a small to medium apple it is very tasty indeed. There is a slight sharp tang to it which I like. Not sure if it is due to a small amount of Perique as others have commented in previous reviews or the slight flavoring it may include. A very tasty and satisfying smoke. My tin required no drying or other measures. Just fold, pack, and puff!

Update: 11/26/2004 I bought some of this at Paul's Cigars in Portland, Oregon on a walk-in purchase. It was a little spendy at $8.95 for 50 gms. but it is only place in the U.S. I have ever found it. I have not found it on the internet either.(in the U.S.)

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2004-11-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

11-02-04 Given to me by a friend who returned from Europe.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: beautiful bright yellow and brown leaf in a small rectangular tin, smells like sweet hay.

Packing and Lighting: I prefer to rub out completely and gravity fill with a light tamp before lighting, which is easy.

Initial Flavor: Aaaaahhhh, smooth VA.

Mid-bowl: Building strength gently, the natural sweetness is coming out more. Flavor comes out with no need to puff strongly at all. This burns cool as well.

Bottom of Bowl: Nice round mellow flavor, a non-cloying sweetness from the leaf, finishes all too quickly.

Overall: This is a delightful mid-stength VA that will make my top 5 VA rotation. Not as Rich as Marlin Flake, but slightly sweeter. Not as oatish as Old Gowrie, but with more high flavor notes. This blend burns cool for a VA and since I don't like perique anymore, this blend suits me perfectly. I will put this blend between those two in my rotation. The only difficulty with this blend is that it is not available in the USA, but will have to order from Europe or wait until one of my friends travel over there again.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 points, Enjoy

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-02-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lovely balanced virginia and perique melt in warm smoke. I find this to be a very pleasing blend, though I tend not to break it to much to avoid tongue bite. Requires atention, as it is not so forgiving as some other tobaccos - as with all good flakes, you must mind your pipe in order to have a nice bowl - so save it for sunday outings and quiet summer nights if your to busy. If you like or are considering flakes, don't miss this.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-08-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Just smoked last two flakes from the tin, in my Georg Jensen pipe and here is the result and my review from this tobacco...

When I first opened the tin the sweet smell of Virginias poured to my nose, these flakes really tell you how sweet Virginias really can be. The 3" flakes inside the tin where cleanly cut and very nice looking. This promised good.

Humidity level of this tobacco is a bit too high, so it needs a moment before making its way to bowl, 15-30 minutes in the open is enough. I always cut the flakes to small pieces, like a cube cut, so it is easier to fill the bowl and light the tobacco. This works very well with this tobacco too, at least for me.

Taste at the beginning is sharp, not strong. From the first moment on this tobacco burns my tongue, not much, but still... The aroma is sweet like Virginias usually. When I get closer to the middle section of the bowl, the taste gets maybe a bit smoother but the sharpness is still there. It stays like this to very end of the bowl. Don't get me wrong, taste is not bad, as a matter of a fact it is really good, but I don't like the tongue bite.

As usually Virginias burn hot and if not smoked slowly your pipe will become too hot, this is very true for this tobacco also. Maybe even more compared to any Virginia blens that I have smoked before.

I bought this tin from FF Piber of Denmark (thanks Jesper) and in their description the contents were: Virginias with touch of Perique. I would have to agree on this one, the Perique is there, you can taste it... (or maybe it is my imagination, who knows?)

This is a good blend and I can recommend it to Virginia lovers without a doubt. I think this tobacco could be perfect after a few years in the cellar. When the sharpness mellows down a bit. Maybe I buy couple of tins more and get back to you after five to ten years.

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