Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation 1931

4th Generation tobaccos are made by Mac Baren and many of their blends have Mac Baren counterparts, yet they are across the board of higher grade and quality. The counterpart to this one is Mac Baren's Navy Flake. And 1931 is much better. I'm normally a straight VA smoker but I can't get enough of this stuff. The Burley and Cavendish in the flake at depth and dimension that I absolutely love. The top note is of sweet floral honey and comes across in the room note as well. This is in my top rotation and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good Danish flake 🙂

This is, Hands down, one of the best tobaccos, for my opinion. I smoked it with several different pipes, and except for the Peterson System, in all of them it was nearly perfect. This is a strong and flavorful blend, with an almost-bite, which I particularly like. The Burley inside is very dominant and gives it a nutty-fermented aroma and taste. There is no added flavor to this – just a complex taste of a well-treated tobacco. Nicotine count is medium-high in this one, so (for my taste) it’s more suited for an evening smoke, although I enjoy it all day long. I smoke this flake (as all flakes) folded, not broken. Just let it dry for a while inside the pipe!

This is my third review. I have been smoking pipes for a few months, and cigars for a few years.

Tin note is hay, honey, and some baked goods. Nevertheless, it doesn't smell sugared or artificial. In fact, it smells fantastic and easily fills a room on first opening. I would recommend sealing the product carefully to avoid lost aroma or mixing with other products; I could detect its aroma straight through a plastic bag enclosing the closed (but opened once) tin.

Flakes are dark brown with lighter and darker streaks. They are a bit fragile. I was new to flakes when I started smoking this; I tried rolling and stuffing, but found just loosely crumbling it up and shoving it into the pipe more effective. Don't pack it; flakes expand on heating.

Moisture was right straight out of the tin. If you smoke it in a tall and narrow pipe, it's pretty easy to light and keep lit. I've found that I could even keep it going with a single light, but it usually benefits from a second light. Smoking it in a wider, smaller pot was a bit more of a challenge, but still possible.

It's hard to describe the taste other than "natural." It's full and a bit sweet, but like the natural sweetness of grains, not like added sugar. Relights can be a bit smoky and cigarette-like, but a few puffs later, the good taste comes back. Nicotine is "mild plus." Room note is not bad, except for the aforementioned relights.

I shared this among friends at a pipe-smoking session recently. Two of them, who are heavy cigar smokers, kept reaching for this flake. I was surprised, because one of them prefers light aromatics with his pipe. (He has been smoking Dunhill A21000 for over 30 years.) They had even brought new tins of something aromatic from Denmark, but still opted for 1931.

This was a great introduction to flake for me, and it makes me want to try more.

When you open the tin and take a deep smell you get that classic and quintessential raisiny tobacco smell, one that makes its way to your palette and reminds you of the old tobacco barns of the Carolinas.

This is definitely a burley forward tobacco, which I happen to appreciate, with the Virginia's making known their presence all throughout the bowl, and with the Cavendish helping to smooth things out just a bit. The combination here creates a true tobacco smoke that is honest and flavorful. I was not overwhelmed by the honey topping/flavoring (something slight is there), but rather found it to give the smoke a slight sweetness and creaminess in similar fashion to the ways that a touch of honey affects a cup of tea. A wonderful, satisfying, robust all day kind of tobacco.

I anxiously awaited the arrival of this new offering and chose it above the other three offered in this series as I am a flake fancier. First let's start with appearances - from the outside in. The 100gm tin is identical in construction to Mac Baren's 100gm Navy Flake, Mixture Flake, etc., minus the lid labeling. The underside sticker on label is printed in similar type to those of Mac Baren's as well. Upon opening the lid, the flakes are arranged in two neat rows and wrapped in the familiar Mac Baren gold wrapping (minus the Mac Baren embossed logo). You can see where I'm going with this. The initial tin aroma revealed a very, very slight sweetness of what I would say was honey and with deep sniffing I noticed an evanescent note of chocolate - ever so slight. I read where Eric Stokkebye says there are no additive flavoring to this flake, but to me, it does not have the smell of pure tobacco only.

The flakes were of the consistency of Mac's Navy Flake/Mixture Flake in thickness and its ease in breaking apart on folding; very unlike the rubberiness of Peterson's Irish Flake for comparison. My inaugural smoke was in a Dunhill Cumberland bent billiard. I didn't dry the flake out at all as I was anxious to smoke it right after popping the lid. It took to the match quite easily and required perhaps two or three relights throughout. As with Navy Flake I did perceive a honey/sweet taste but more so than with NF. There was no tongue bite per se. Nothing more than the occasional nip I experience with Navy or Mixture when smoked fresh. Since I find similarities to the two referenced Mac Flakes, I would have to say that strength wise, 1931 is equal to NF in terms of body, but the flavor of honey is stronger than with NF, and may be a bit too much for some. Like the other flakes, it smoked clean and dry leaving a light gray ash when all was said and done. The entire smoke was a nice mix of honey and tobacco, albeit the honey presence slightly ahead. The honey flavor seemed to be more flowery than what Mac Baren uses in their Navy Flake/Mixture Flake. 1931 seems to be more Virginia forward and Mac's NF more Burley forward. I suspect that with some time drying in the tin the rich tobacco flavors will become even more pronounced as I find with Navy and Mixture. There is enough nicotine presence to satisfy those who want that in a smoke as well.

I would be very surprised if this was NOT produced by Mac Baren since it has all of the fine smoking characteristics of many of their products. I have no problem with that as Mac is one of my favorite blending houses. However, at $4-$5 more per tin than Mac's Navy Flake and Mixture Flake, NF and MF are better bargains, and of the three I prefer NF overall. Where MF lacks in the taste department and 1931 is over the top with honey, NF seems to have the right balance. All in all, my hat is off to Eric Stokkebye and I wish him every success with his new line of tobaccos. 4 stars.

UPDATE 7-19-17: Recently purchased a tin and have found the price point to be below that of Mac Baren Navy Flake and now a better bargain for a flake with similarity to NF. Between the two, I prefer 1931.

wow. who knew? just bought a couple of meerschaums and they are great smokers for all tobaccos and one after the other. no ghosting at all. soooo......this superb flake was consumed quite happily in both of them (even the carved faces of the pipes were smiling!). the honey is as good as a rum for that "navy feeling" and the cavendish is a gorgeous add-on to the virginia and burley. beautifully manufactured and presented in perfect flakes, both in moisture and size. great great smoke. not really an aromatic at all. just great tobacco that's mellowed by whatever topping there is.

EDIT EDIT EDIT!

I was gifted a new tin of this by the rep for the company. I have to say, the other tobacco I smoked must have been overly dry or something, because this stuff was fantastic. Smooth, full bodied, a faint fruitiness with a deep spice and sweetness. I'd buy this again.

TLDR; This is a delicious, burley-forward blend of quality tobacco.

The tin note is gentle and not room-filling. The fragrant notes of "honey", “nutty” and “earthy” from the burley are present and inviting. The moisture of the flakes upon opening was nearly perfect. The tobacco readily accepted flame with only a few minutes out of the tin. This blend lends itself very well to “fold-and-stuff” packing. The flakes are not very robust, and will maintain their shape only with delicate handling.

The tin I opened had just over two years of age, which proved to be enough time for the component tobaccos to adequately meld together and provide a mature, complete experience. Among the components, the burley is center-stage and fairly clean considering the addition of honey/flavoring . The US Virginias deliver a sweetness without forcing “hay” or “grassy” flavors to the forefront. The black cavendish is subtle, contributing less to the blend’s flavor, and more to the smoothness and texture of the smoke. And the casing/toppings used are well measured and never cloying.

I sometimes struggle with fold-and-stuff packing, often choosing to rub out flakes instead. But the flakes of this blend are forgiving enough that a few of the bowls I folded and packed from this tin burned to the bottom with only a single relight. It seemed that the flavor became deeper and richer as I approached the half-way point. I find with certain stronger blends my palate is fatigued by the end of the bowl, and flavors diminish. Such was not the case with this blend. I feel that this is a blend that can be smoked in back-to-back sessions and still be flavorful and enjoyable.

There is a nose tingle on retrohale; the sensation is pleasant and repeatable. I found this blend to be most flavorful when I clench the pipe while shallow breathing. Gentle but deliberate is the way to sip this tobacco, and in doing so, tongue bite is never a concern.

I enjoyed this blend in a variety of pipes, including briars, a cob and even a meer. But I kept coming back to a burley-dedicated cob and a side of coffee.

4 out of 4.

Not much to add to what has been said. I'm reviewing primarily so it gets another recommendation. Smells great, packs easily, burns well, consistent taste. Highly recommended. An easy four stars. Could be a good crossover for aro smokers.