Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake

Jar note: super dark and deep raisin, prune, date scent. Grassy and floral in the smoke, mildly/moderately sweet, no fruit to speak of. Rubs out very fine, burns well, barely a relight necessary without any drying time. Pleasant smoke from beginning to end.

This has made the final round in my quest for the “one bulk Virginia to rule them all” .

You will see the word “mild” used quite a bit in other reviews and it is a spot on description of this flake. Mild in all the best senses of the word.

Flavors are great without demanding your attention. It has the same bready, yeasty “tea with honey” sweetness as MacBaren’s Virginia No 1 but with less intensity. Also a definite orange, citrusy flavor…this is not the juicy orange of Golden Sliced; nor is it the deep orange zest of something like Sam Gawith’s Golden Glow. Instead it is somewhere in the middle…an unassuming citrus flavor.

This is a tobacco that there is nothing excessive about; a flake with no vices if you will. It is a simple, mild Virginia Flake with great (mild) flavor.

At the price point a fan of Virginias would be foolish to not try it.

Prep: The moisture was about perfect. The flakes come in near broken flake form (not a complaint necessarily). Rubs out well.

Summed up in two words: Sweet Bread. The blend contains the hay/citrus notes you'd expect from brighter leaf. My knowledge of the various leaf contents is limited but the bready, woody, notes do pop from the other leaves. You wont find much sweetness but it is evident. This tobacco is consistent, cost-effective, and smokes fairly cool for a Virginia blend. But it wont win any "unique" contests. All in all, a solid 6.5/10.

https://youtu.be/vpLb91twC0M

A pleasant surprise for its price. It is a sweet Virginia without being cloying, tasty although somewhat simple without being boredom, and a good companion to start the day. It burns evenly, and requires few relight. Leaves a pleasant tobacco flavour in the mouth and nose. Three and a half stars.

When I first tried this flake, I wasn't that impressed. However after a bit of aging, it really begins to shine. Citrus and hay comes through in a very flavorful way. For the price, give it a try...

First Impression: bready, molasses, hints of toast, buttery, honey and dark Virginias, faint hints of a Cavendish like sweetness and smoothnes on the retrohale. Absolutely delish. Seemed to get a little bit hot and spicy if pushed

This one has some factors to consider in order to properly rate it.

1. It’s nothing fancy. The best description is toasty, and straight forward , non complex. A bit bland, and a slight caramel like top note

2 burn - it’s excellent in this category. Flakes came perfect moisture, not wet , not dry. Burns moderately slow without relights , and behaves perfectly for a flake.

3. Strength and body. It’s not a strong tobacco by any means. I would say it’s mild body and lack of strength would make it a bit whimpy. Very mild nicotine - it’s barely noticeable. Ya know those airy blends that your trying to get just a bit more out of so you puff a little more than you’d want? That is this blend.

4. Price. This is a very reasonably priced tobacco. The price fits the blend quality and characteristics. It’s kinda cheap.

5. I personally would not buy this again. Comparing this to my go to Virginia - Peterson flake, I have to say this does not even exist in the same world.

The good is the moisture content, the burn characteristics and the price. Because it’s priced right, and mild I’ll give it two stars- but it’s really only recommended if your budget won’t allow you to get something better. I really wouldn’t even call it an all day smoke because it gets to the tongue after a full bowl even though it’s mild enough to smoke as an all day blend.

2 stars is a very fair and realistic rating.

Update - I’m not sure what has changed, but the blend is not burning as hot as it had been the first few bowls I smoked. The topping is coming to the forefront. Although it masks the natural tobacco flavor it’s not too bad. It’s a maple caramel type flavor and I’d bet that aromatic smokers would like this blend. I would say that this could be an all day smoke after all. I don’t know why this blend is advertised as having no topping. I never heard of a natural maple caramel flavor. In fact I would name this blend “caramel maple burst “

Bag note is very sweet and sugary. I get some malty notes as well. Folding and stuffing I have found maintains the integrity of this one. I had to dry this one out for a while as it arrived pretty moist for my taste. Once dry it takes the flame well but for me needed more than an average number of relights. Great Virginia flavour, lots of hay and some light grass. The sweetness is there and maintains throughout but never overwhelms. The malty notes I got from the bag are there and present throughout as well. Overall this is a solid flake, it is mild but very enjoyable. This could definitely be an all day smoke for some.

The topping in these flakes reminds me of Capstan. I am not quite sure I'd class this tobacco as an aromatic though. The tin note is quite pleasant, but the topping makes it somewhat difficult to explore the virginia leaf in this presentation. In true honesty, I don't think I am reviewing a bad tobacco here, but certainly it would not be a favourite. For starters, I cannot detect any earthy undertones or sweetness from the bright virginia, which are features I definitely enjoy in a virginia blend. Secondly, I am finding the smoking experience quite one dimensional. Having said that, I can see how some people will enjoy these flakes if this kind of tobacco is what rings their bells, so please take this review with a pinch of salt.

Edit January 9 2017:

I have already gone through my 2oz bag and my appreciation has changed, so I am upgrading to 3 stars. It might not be as good as other virginia blends that are available in the market, but it does not disappoint either. Like I said before, I could see the potential here, but maybe I did not choose the right pipe to sample it the first time. Detecting the topping is always a downside feature, but once you go past it, these virginia flakes are quite enjoyable.