Newminster No. 400 Superior Navy Flake

Good judgement comes from experience and experience generally comes from bad judgement. If that notion holds true, then logically one’s experience is the product of personal mistakes. Well, let me tell you I am guilty of a pure incident of uninformed pre-judgement; I know better. A painful reminder to self, that in all fairness, one should evaluate an individual matter, in this case a single tobacco blend, for what it is rather than for what it is not. Furthermore, do not miss seeing the splendor of the amalgamated forest by focusing only on a single type of tree.

Point #1: Perhaps my objectivity was tainted by the suggestive influences of how the subject blend, Newmister No. 400 Superior Navy Flake was marketed by the source e-retailer? Recently, I found myself mindlessly perusing one of the top internet pipe smoking sites. I am always curious to see what this week’s deals are just in case. Yeah, you know, just in case my compulsion to buy and obsessively hoard savory sexy sounding blends trips the trigger. The one that got me spun-up, this time, was billboarded as a fiery Naval Battle of the blends. A rancorous fist to cuff between to subject mixtures, (Russ Ouellette’s Anniversary Kake and the subject Newminster Flake) poised in a toe to toe dual to see who should rise as the triumphant winner.

So, yep “Add To Cart”; ching! The truth of the matter is that I was really after Russ’s blend as I have had a hankering to try it for quite some time now while the Newminster was just bonus offering at a compellingly attractive bundled price; let us be honest.

Point #2: Perhaps I was being somewhat tunnel-visioned on what I deemed as a Navy Flake mixture?

Now let me say that my notion of what is a proper Navy flake calls to mind a nicely pressed blend of Virginias and other varietals cased and flavored with some type of alcohol topping and fruit-based additive ala a Capstan, Samuel Gawith Navy Flake or my BELOVED Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. If one reads the history, it is discovered that, by the documented methodology of the day, this is exactly how the sailors at seas preserved and prepared their cherished smokes to last over the duration of their seafaring voyages. This is universally correct after all for it is written in annals of piping lore. Therefore, this steadfast paradigm and standard is thus firmly burnt into my brain as the font of subject matter knowledge, end of discussion.

Taking the matter at face value, when I light the Superior Navy Flake for the first time I was met by instant deflation. Where is that familiar Navy flake character? No alcohol notes! No Perique or Lat! What is this? This is not a Navy Flake by any stretch!

What Newminster Superior Navy flake is, simply, a pressed specimen of assorted pure Virginias, bright, red, and flue-cured yellow filler. Unlike the cast of characters previously mentioned, this mixture is a straight-up Virginia true and blue. No casings, no added flavorings, and no dash of complimentary strains, just the honest presentation of that base Virginia component tobacco. Hm … and they call this a Navy Flake?

I did not get to see this blend in its native flake configuration. Upon arrival the full three-ounce bag was already shredded into broken thin strains. Influenced by the pressing process, the presentation is ich handsome looking pile of colorful tobaccos. Dark, brown, golden, and yellow streams of alluring hues modeling all the noted Virginia family characters. The moisture level was almost perfect for pipe-ready experience.

Upon taking in the pouch note one is hit with just an impeccable sweet succulent perfume of native tobacco. Notes of sugary citrus, soft hay and doughy bread are accented by hints of raisin and dark fruit accents make this a wonderful experience all of which transfer through to the overall taste. One might think there are additives on this blend as prevalent sweetness is so pronounced it is somewhat deceiving. Newminster Navy Flake is rather simple and straight-up. That does not mean that lacks passion or is characterless, but it is amazingly uncomplicated in its essence. No plain-Jane but a great study in a native straight Virginia, although badged as a Navy Flake. It is what it is and that is okay by me. I do know the more I smoked it, the more I liked.

Extremely mild and creamy, one experiences a zesty base of grassy sweetness of the Bright nicely meshed with the deeper earth tones coming from the companion Red. The flavor is generally toasty, bready, smoky, and decidedly sweet. I reminded me of cooked caramel-brown sugar or baked honey with kisses of nutmegish herbal spiciness very subtle, but pleasantly abiding all the same. A nice tang or citrusy lemon accent hits on the high notes that melds beautifully into the overall body arriving at a rich flavored and colorfully balanced smoke. The mixture makes a statement on how to properly combine and nest assorted Virginia strains. Final note: 1/3 the way down the flavor deepens and progress to a more hearty-full and less sweet temperament.

The on-following room note is almost non-distinguishable as compared to others. Exceptionally light, sweet grassy perfume textured within a lovely blue grey cloud of smoke as it burns. My wife did not complain on this one, so I take that as a good indicator of its tolerability. The body of smoke produced is genuinely medium in density and tended to thin-out rather quickly.

Overall, the flake burns slowly but I did start to get a little roughness at my normal drawl cadence. So, word to wise, slow sip this one else the whole thing tends to lean to the hotter side, However, with a more relaxed and measured smoking, Navy Flake can be a satisfying and mellow experience. The nicotine impact is minimal mostly like due to the skillful rationing of Bright to Red.

One thing that I am coming to grips with is there is a high degree of subjectivity on the standing language of what is red versus what is maroon in the world of piping. And at the end of the day, being abso-pure on the labeling conventions of this passion I am beginning to wonder if it really matters More importantly, although I have been at this fun for quite some while now, I am accepting of the fact that I continue to learn something related and new every day.

Lesson of the day: we see what we seek not what is in front of us if we allow pre-judgement or false wisdom to cloud our vision. A potato is a pa-tah-to and most definitely a Navy Flake is a Navy Flake if one allows it to be so.