Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake

I received 2 oz's of this in which I smoked one oz fresh and cellared the other for about 6 months. This review is on the cellared oz.

The pouch note is a sweet fig like aroma. When I first lit up I was immediately struck by a mild lemony citrus flavor. After about a half dozen puffs or so the figgy pouch note reappeared as a ghostly nuance presenting a nice interplay between sweet and tangy.

I experienced no pipe gurgle as the flake burned down to a fine white ash. As with most pure Virginia's it becomes a delicate balance between keeping my pipe lit and avoiding tongue bite.

The 6 months of aging didn't seem to do much other than darken the leaf from a dark yellow to a medium brown color. I didn't notice much of a change in the pouch note or smoking flavor.

I smoked this flake in a corn cob because for me smoking Virginia flake in a corn cob is as natural and rewarding as eating hot buttered popcorn at a movie.

IMHO This Virginia flake is exactly what a Virginia flake should be.

this is a light clean Danish flake, I smoked it unaged, and would compare it to iwan ries Danish flake . it is not quite as rich as dunhill flake, and not nearly as rich or complex as Samuel gawith best brown,...but a light pleasant smoke nonetheless. I do not sense any topping --although there is a hint of sweetness---probably natural Virginia tobacco sugars. I am normally a smoker of untflavored Virginia flakes ( I favor a touch of perique--like sam gawith st james - in the evening) and this is a very pleasing, possibly all day smoke. the price is certainly appealing when compared to the gawith prices.

I bought 2 oz. a year ago and, as braindead as I am, left it in the box that came from smoking pipes. I was sending a pipe to a friend as a gift and was going to reuse the box. Lo and behold, I found the baggie of tobacco with perfect moisture! Which may lead me to believe there is some PG in this, or I had the perfect ziplock from smokingpipes.com

The smell of this stuff in the bag is incredible. When I opened the package a year ago it gave the whole box this sweet caramel smell. But none of that transfers to the smoke. I doubt there isn't a casing on this tobacco.

The flakes are very thin and are rubbed out easily. Even if they're folded they tend to split with little to no pressure. Easy to light and usually burns down to a nice white/grey ash with little to no dottle.

The flavor of this is very peculiar. I see a lot of reviewers having experience with brown VA. It doesn't taste like the bag note at all. For tobacco frame of reference I would say Samuel Gawith BBF but with way less high notes. Very little citrusy notes in this tobacco. It has a very slight sweetness and a little tang. Almost reminds me the aftertaste of an Italian glazed chestnut.

One thing should be noted, this is nothing like Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake. But if you want a nice all day smooth smoking VA, this is a great start. Also recommended to someone who wants to try VAs without the tangy bite they offer for some smokers.

This is a very nice flake that is produced in Denmark. Often referred to as a cheap compared to comparable brands and blends. I Love my Virginia's and this is no exception. Offered in a nice dense brown slices that rub out to small ribbons. It has a wonderful nutty sweet taste with mild complexity that a VA aficionado is sure to enjoy. This tobacco burns well but needs to be enjoyed patiently to avoid bite. The most redeeming facet of this tobacco is the price. Don't be fooled, like wine, pipe tobacco doesn't have to be expensive to be worthy of smoking. Sweet smokes gentlemen!

Newminster - No.400 Superior Navy Flake;

Star Rating = 3.75;

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst;

Pouch Note = 9;

Room Note = 9;

Flavor = 9;

Bite = 8;

Burn = 9;

After Taste = 9;

Raw Score = 53;

Rated Percentage = 88%;

Comment = Smooth, medium Full Body rich natural tobacco Flavor, just a whisper of a Bite

I preface my reviews that I am a new pipe smoker. I am doing reviews as I learn for new smokers because most reviews here are articulate literature by seasoned smokers about flavors new smokers often cannot grasp. I hope my simplistic perspective helps new smokers.

This is my first straight Virginia. For those new to the pipe I suggest research and learn smoking with any other blends other than straight due to its propensity to burn hot and bite you. If you are trying straight Virginia just remember go very slow where you should always be on the edge of it going out. Even if you have to relight more often it’s better than over cadence. When you do relight only do so with 1-2 puffs. Be minimalistic to avoid heat. It is a very thin line between sweet flavor and ash with a straight Virginia.

Ok I really like this tobacco. Room note is difficult because I smoke outside and don’t really smell the room note. As others have already mentioned there is a sweet bread dough flavor mixed in with citrusy hay notes. The citrus is not like the fruit, but more an acidic sweet hint. Hay and grass are not my strengths but it is the natural undertone flavor that is ever present between spikes of sweet dough or sweet acidity. It’s not sweet, nor bitter, but a simple earth taste. It’s what corn flakes are to cereal, simple and clean.

Probably as with all straight virginia there seems to be an immediate feedback loop. If slow sipping I get sweetness, but if I go to fast it starts turning less sweet so I know to back off. This feedback loop is great for beginners like me to learn cadence. I probably had to relight about 6 times during the bowl because I preferred to stay on edge of sweet flavor vs staying lit.

I give it a 3 because I enjoyed it very much and will make this part of my rotation. It’s a great price at around $2.40 an ounce. I must reserve 4 stars for the great one in my near future.

From the jar, Superior Navy Flake is a little moist, and required some drying time. The bulk sample I received had wide flakes that were quite long and darker in color then other flakes such as LNF. They also tend to break apart on their own. The tin note is sweet and bready, with notes of sweet hay, spices, and Earth.

The Virginias are a bit more mature than other bulk Navy Flakes, though I imagine they will get better with some age. They range from bright to medium, though I would say medium is more predominant. They sport sweet bread, honey, hay, and earthy notes, as well as spices and some tangy and bright citrusy notes. Although this blend does not have a topping, I believe there has been some added sweetness to the casing, which may be where I taste the honey. The flavor profile is simple, round, and gentle.

Superior Navy Flake behaved well and did not bite and sported no sharpness, though it could get a tad hot if I freight trained it. It smoked consistently from beginning to end. It required a normal number of relights and did leave a little moisture behind and is fairly mild on nicotine. An all day smoke for the mild and pure Virginia lover. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

In the pouch, I only smell typical grassy Virginia's, but when I put the flake under the nose, there is clearly a sweet topping, almost chocolaty. But in the pipe, there is some added sweetness, but it doesn’t get in the way of the Virginia flavor and whatever scent I associated with a chocolaty smell it didn’t translate to the smoke. Unlike my other two experiences with Newminster, I didn’t find any rough edges with SNF. The medium brown Virginia's take the lead for me with a few bright spots. There is a bit of a brown sugar and/or caramel note to the flavor. It will burn a little hot if pushed, but with the proper cadence, SNF offers very straight forward flavor with no complexity. After a few bowls I found myself wanting either a little Perique or Burley to keep things interesting. As with Superior Round, the big selling point to this blend is the cost/value equation. It’s a decent flake at a very decent price, but Stokkebye’s Luxury Navy Flake, I’m pretty sure made by the same company, is still my flake of choice when compared to SNF.

Based on a 1 oz sample, this is a very nice looking long flake of mostly light brown color. Bag scent was light but I picked up a light caramel or butterscotch along with a citrus aroma.

Somewhat typical Danish Virginia flake with an underlying lemon citrus flavor but this one also has a touch of something like wheat flavor. A lightly sweet casing that I couldn't place but since this is a navy flake, I'd guess rum, although I'm not tasting rum specifically. I preferred this rubbed out because it produced a bit more flavor, something this blend lacks for my taste buds. It's just too light in flavor, but would likely be perfect for an all-day smoker wanting a mellow sweet flavor. Frankly, I was bored, but that's a personal judgment - this tobacco is probably better in an objective sense than the two stars I'm giving it. I did get a slight bitterness from it at times but mostly it was sweetness and citrus with that touch of wheat. No development to speak of, but again if a smoker just wants a bowl they can set and forget, this one should be on their list.