Fribourg & Treyer Special Brown Flake

The tin aroma is definately rum, with hints of chocolate/cocoa and raisin. It comes in a square 50g tin, with the only downside that it doesn't hold the moisture very well if left as it is after opening.

Packing this tobacco isn't any harder than any other flake, although they have a tendency to stick together and can be a bit of a nuisance to separate. But you get used to it. In my experience it is best smoked by folding and twisting rather than rubbing. When newly opened the moisture content is perfect, almost a little on the dry side.

The first puffs after the false light can be somewhat harsh. But it quickly settles into a very much well behaved and delightfully sweet experience. The aftertaste at this point reminds me alittle of liqueur, somewhere along the lines of licorice.

As the smoke progresses it takes on a slightly bitter cocoa taste, which starts to intermingle with sweet and dark stoved figgy notes. The mouthfeel is really quite velvety and a good body to the smoke develops making this an excellent smoking experience.

Burning characteristics are very good and there are no problems keeping it lit. Despite its tendency of being stout and heavy, I've never had any bite problems with this blend, even when tempting fate - but of course, keeping the puffing rate slow and steady keeps the flavour consistent and enjoyable.

It burns down to a white and dark grey ash, it sometimes leave a little oily goo by the airhole, but nothing a pipe cleaner won't handle.

The room note is pleasant and leaves a small tingle in the nose for a while, nothing out of the ordinary besides that that I can sense.

Final verdict? This is an exquisite and deeply satisfying virginia flake. Not one I smoke on a daily basis, but rather when the mood strikes. I seem to find it especially satisfying on cold autumn or winter evenings. When the conditions are right, I find it pretty much flawless.

A nice, straight-forward Navy Flake. My favorite of the genre. The rum is applied lightly, so as to compliment the tobacco without overwhelming it. Won't bite, but gets a little cigarrette-ish if pushed too hard. Lacks the deep complexity of BBF or FVF, but is much less finicky about preparation. Rolled and stuffed into a narrow bowl, this is a delightfully honest tobacco; it is what it is, without gimmicks or pretention.

A hugely overlooked tobacco. F&T have several pretty good tobaccos...their straight virginia is notable for being bertrand russells favorite smoke, but in fact it is quite a nice mild uncomplicated tobacco. Cut Blended Plug reminds me of something Dunhill might have produced as a bespoke blend at their old duke street store. The real star of the line is Cut Va Plug.But this is the a close second.. Special Brown Flake is not overly complex, but it is very satisfying in its depth and for lack of a more creative word, in its deliciousness. It just tastes great. The Virginia is both bright and stoved I believe, with a moderate Rum addition, much as rum is added to McClellands Navy Cavindish. But it is a spicy rum so there are hints of cinnamon and clove way in the back (as in Hogarth Gawith's rum flake or cut bosun plug,....though this is nowhere near as strong). It has a nic hit that is a notch above mild. And two notches below medium. Over all it is simply an outstanding flake and I highly recommend you give it a try.

addendum. I should add that i smoked a tin i had that was ten or twelve years old. I bought a new tin and its not quite the same. This is something one finds a lot these days. Sadly. It is still a very worthy virginia flake ...not something there is an abundance of in these times.

I purchased a tin of SBF at Iwan Ries in November 2008. At that time it did little for me, so I cellered it and have not smoked another bowl until now. Well, what a difference a year and a half of aging has made. Smoked in several different pots - a Barling and a Benchmade - only lightly rubbed out,this tobacco "rings my bell". The flake has a top note of rum, combined with the traditional fruity aromas of Virginia leaf. It is not unpleasant. I cannot taste the rum top note while smoking SBF, just pleasant Virginia tobacco, mild with a very subtle sweetness. It does not bite or burn hot. I cannot detect any Perique in this flake. According to the label on the back of my tin, Germany is listed as the country of origin. A nice flake in a nice presentation. If you are looking for a mild Virginia flake, this is worth trying and cellering.

October 9, 2015 Just returned from London where I looked up the old F&T shop at 34 Haymarket Street. Almost 300 years old, but now a suvinoir shop. Yet the ancient shelves where jars of snuff were pulled for 265 years were still there along with the famous bow windows. Saddened that it is no longer a tobacco shop. But it inspired me to pull out my tin of SBF now 8 yrs. aged. This is a fantastic smoke. Plum and fruit flavors are pronounced. Coupled with an Islay scotch its just a little heaven. I'm glad something of F&T is still available and this flake ages beautifully.

I bought this one hoping I was in for a treat. Somehow it never answered up to my expectations of a dark chocolaty experience which reviews elsewhere had led me to believe. It is a really nice Virginia flake but it can't stand up to Marlin Flake which to me is the epiphany of VA Flakes. Like other reviewers I can't find the rum in this one? I have put the tin away in a tupperware box hoping that it will age with grace but it's only been two months yet. Might have to try this one agin and come back with an update...

Update: It's been another four months and I sat down with this giving it time, and suddenly it released all of its flavour when I came into "the zone" with it. Marvellously sweet and interesting, lots of chocolate and an tinge of vinegar, really nice have to give it one more star! It did improve with age, and drying out. Also giving it enough time and smoke really slow enhanced the experience a lot!

This is a mild Virginia, that you can smoke in the morning and all the day with satisfaction. It is hard to find the Rhum flavoring. It is smooth and cool but still quite tasty. The smell is the one of the pressed virginias: raisin and figues. it is sweet and quite stable across the smoke. I would not be unhappy if this was the only tobacco left on the face of the hearth. I am a bit uncertain between the ranking 3 and 4. But this is really an enjoable tobacco, so I grade it 4. Maybe a bit single tone, but still quite satisfactory.

Special Brown is Special in the World of VA Flakes

The Virginia varieties are mostly dark leaf with some lighter bright leaf scattered throughout the flake. The smoke is sweet with a little earthiness, and some pleasant grassy notes. The rum casing is noticeable in the tin-note and somewhat in the smoke, but it plays well with the Virginia leaf and does not overwhelm the tobacco like an aromatic.

Of all the rum flavored or scented flakes I have tried, this one has the strongest rum flavor, short of peterson's connoisier's blend, but that is not a flake, though it contains some broken flake.

What special brown flake contains is some rum soaked virginias, probably soaked sopping wet then dried to a smokeable level. Marvelous. Has very little nicotine, but more than makes up with it, through its very rich flavor.

You get that sweet ephemeral molasses tang with a slight alcohol (probably heated off) right behind it. Then, the highest quality virginia taste follows, with the rum weaving in and out to the last ember, where they finally marry.

This is every bit as good as Dunhill flake was, in its own way. One that, in my humble opinion, should be more well known, and more popular than it is.

If you like virginias, and like molasses or rum, this is a must try. It is a blender's masterpiece.

A great flake offering from F&T. A medium strength, tasty, high quality tobacco. Pressed and sliced into very thin flakes, which makes it great for folding or rubbing out. Will be buying more of this......very tasty.