Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake

The Virginias are mildly tart and tangy citrusy, sugary, bready, grassy, lightly woody and earthy with a few drops of honey, and a pinch of spice and floralness. The sweet honey topping mildly tones down the tobacco. There's a light citrus additive as well. The flakes easily break apart for a fairly smooth, very moderate burn rate. The taste may be fairly one dimensional, but it's an all day sweet smoke that wears well while you go about your business. The strength and nic-hit are just below the center of mild to medium. The taste is a notch past that mark. Won't bite or get harsh, but does have a few minor rough edges. The cool, clean flavor is very consistent to the finish, requiring an average number of relights, and leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Has a very pleasant, lightly lingering room note and after taste. Makes a nice companion for tea or coffee, too.

-JimInks

...I've read some reviews of this tobacco and I don't agree that this is "cut-rate" or is "less a Virginia Flake than others"...Frankly, it stands on its own, has a very reasonable character, and smokes well.

I don't see it as a replacement for any current tobacco either...

It is simply a nice mild/medium Virginia Flake...

I ordered a pound of this several weeks ago have have augmented my usual strong matured Virginia plugs/Flakes with this and find this continues to be an appealing, quality leaf tobacco.

Not what I would consider in my all time top 15 tobaccos but one I will keep in rotation, without hesitation.

A fine all day smoke and does well in a group 3-4 size pipe. Worth a good try for those who like a fairly straight forward mild Virginia Flake.

...a pipe is to be savored...

This is possibly the best straight Virginia I have ever smoked. It has an herbal grassy aroma in the bag and smells very earthy and natural while being smoked. Very mild without being bland. It's hard to believe this is sold so inexpensively in bulk online. Under $2 per ounce is incredible! It smokes and tastes as good if not better than some of the other straight Virginias I paid 4 times the price for! I have jarred up a pound or so to see how it ages (if it lasts that long!)

Newminster - No. 400 Superior Navy Flake.

These flakes are very easy to work with: they appear whole and unbroken, but the moment one's handled it begins to crumble. This makes it a complete doddle to load with: there's no need for a deliberate crumble, if they're just stuffed into the bowl they acquire a perfect consistency as they're being pushed and twisted.

No. 400 takes to the flame with great ease, and then gives a taste that's a little different to most straight Virginia's: the flavour's richer than most Va's, it's not just sharp grass. The best way of describing the smoke's taste, at first, is like sweet dough; I really enjoy this. Once a burn's settled more of the stereotypical Virginia traits enter the scene: some citrus, and hay qualities, with quite a strong natural sweetness. The burn's very good, giving a cool, bite free, smoke.

The nicotine's mild from No. 400, and the room-note's pleasant enough; nothing special, yet nothing horrible; probably the kind most people would call Boring!

No. 400 is unequivocally deserving of four stars:

Highly recommended.

Newminster No.400 Superior Navy Flake presents as the standard, rectangular flake, similar to Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake or many other bulk flakes on the market today. The nose is predominantly of sweet coffee and a touch of cacao. These aromas translate directly as flavors on the charring light. 

The true light continues with chocolatey, coffee and milk flavors for the first several puffs before giving way to a more traditional, if understated, Virginia citrus that lasts about towards the end of the first third before giving way to a toasty, burnt caramel flavor that lasts, supported by the coffee/mineral/earthy background notes, consistently through to the end. There's also a slight parchment note reminiscent of good burley. 

In a crowded field of Virginia flakes dominated by lemons and reds, full of citrus and tang, and with hay-like aromas, No.400 Superior Navy Flake stands out for its slightly Burley-esque flavor profile: toast, mineral, cocoa, parchment. 400 will bite if pushed, so the best approach is a soft, slow cadence to release the maximum amount of subtle flavor without a tongue scorch. Like most Virginias, one may be tempted to push the cadence to extract more flavor. But this approach doesn't work - its simply not there. Rather, the flavor profile manifests only in its subtlety, and is extracted with finesse rather than brute force. The smoke can be a bit hot at times, but dry. The finished pipe is left relatively dry with no slop. 

Overall a very good tobacco, a nice change of pace for the traditional Virginia smoker used to a more citrusy smoke, and a fantastic value. 

This is an excellent value in a Virginia flake. I smoked mine rubbed out and found it a pleasant slightly sweet Virginia without the distinctive cirtus/hay of a yellow Virginia and without the tart/heavy you find in a red Virginia. There may have been a little caramel in the flavor profile from the natural sugars, but I claim this is not topped at all. I was told room note was a little like a toasted bagel. That is friendly enough for non-smokers.

Initial impressions were LNF without the perique. I think LNF has a slightly "brighter" flavor profile though. This was good but nothing to rave about. I could smoke this all day but won't. If you like Virginias and want to try a basic Virginia flake, this gets a good recommendation. It is a solid 3 on my rating scale...

I was given a pretty good sample of this flake and just recently finished it up. I found this to be a good Virginia flake, but a little too mild for my preferences. I ended up spiking it considerably with perique for my last bowl just to give it some heft.

It is hay sweet with some citrus notes that you would expect from a mostly yellow Virginia. If I were to search for a comparison I would compare it to capstan yellow. At least, I was left with the same sensation when smoking this one. I think that if you enjoy mild Virginias, then you could really like this one.

Smoking Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake is like eating a tasty warm Farmer's bread with some farm butter spread on it. Highly Recommended to Virginia beginners.

Summary: a very basic bright and brown Virginia flake.

This blend is admirably straightforward: pressed Virginia in flake form, with a gentle sweetness and slow-burning flavor. The flavor seems entirely natural, and for those who love sweet Virginia tobacco alone, it becomes desirable after about six months to a year of age, because out of the box, it still has too much of that citrusy acidity that makes bright Virginia tricky to blend. It lacks strength and character when smoked alone, so only really works if you like basic Virginia flavor, at which point this is a great all-day blend at an all-year price.

This a fine flake. I was given a healthy sample by a friend and I've been very impressed. I generally would not factor price into a review, but this could be an exception. A Navy flake available at this price and of this quality is unmatched. Excellent tobacco to add to your rotation. I plan to cellar a lb.

PS. The "Select 2-3 flakes and rub out...." bit is a bit comical. I'd like to see the pipe that will hold 2 or 3 1"x5" flakes. Better have a big bowl.