Fribourg & Treyer Special Brown Flake

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.

The top note is more present in the tin than when smoked. It's a sweet, slightly toasted flavor with some burnt sugar taste from the rum topping. A very smoker friendly flake that is easy to pack and smoke from the tin. The flakes pack better with the ball method since they are thin and almost broken. It's a quality product but I prefer other brown flakes with a more full bodied flavor.

Virginia lover

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 very straightforward dependable smoke to me. The tobacco seemed toward the dry side when I opened the tin and the aroma was sweet moderately matured VA and not any strong casing. I was prepared to be underwelmed, although right from the match it was very pleasant. It smoked cool, and while not complex, it was sweet and nutty down to a gray ash.

I like it as a morning smoke. It will handle numerous relights (due to distraction) without penalty or back talk from the faint rum casing. I also think there are a number of VA's in this slot that may fit its role in my rotation with more presence, but all in all ... it's not a bad smoke.

Cheers, VC

This tin was picked up at the TinderBox in Santa Monica, while I was on a trip. I am always looking to try different Virginia Flakes.

Nice looking tin, but I noticed that just one afternoon of "dashboard stoving" had popped the seal. So a bit of warning to others on this...don't trust this tin to remain sealed in heat.

The flakes are 3/4 in x 2 3/4 in. with great coloring, nearly black streaks mixt with light browns and specks of bright virginia.

The tin aroma suggested a light topping, but not overwhelming.

The flakes rub out easily if needed, or will fold up for stuffing if one prefers.

I always do an initial surface char with a fine pointed Torch lighter, a couple quick one second blasts. Then let it go out. I follow that with a proper lighting via Old Boy or match. I sat waiting for the topping sweetnes to hit but it never arrived, only the subtle smoothness of very mature virginias. Noting in your face. just hints of different tastes as the bowl progressed. One puff would yield some hints of sweet, the next may waft a bit of Lakeland-like floral.. This is NOT a tobacoo to load up and smoke while doing something else, way to soft for that. This smoke needs your concentration. It demands that you relax on a calm, cool moonlit evening. It forces you to study every draw, taste and smell. This is a tobacco that will bring back many memories of various other events. The entire bowl was this way, top, middle and bottom. Complex isn't the right description, I like to try and use visuals, and this reminds me of an old library full of classic literature. You can walk thru it and quickly look at the contents. But to get the full measure of what it has to offer, one has to sit and become part of the experience.

I have tried this in several sized bowls, bothe rubbing it out and using the "Frank" method, with no real difference.

Epiloge...If you want lots of in your face flavors...this is not the tobacco for you. But if want to take the time, and study what it has to offer, you will be well rewarded. I give it 4 smoke rings out of 5. Al in Colorado

Viene con la humedad perfecta. El aroma en lata es de frutos rojos y oscuros, arándanos, tomate maduro, algo de madera y sí se nota algo se licor. El comportamiento en pipa bueno, los flakes son bastante cómodos de desmenuzar, cargar y prender. En la fumada, se nota mucho el topping alcohólico, ofreciendo un picor algo químico y no muy agradable en boca, pero sobre todo en nariz, en nariz pica bastante. Las notas sutiles de Virginia quedan bastante eclipsadas y solo se perciben las notas de más fortaleza, las de madera y tierra, con una base dulce de frutos maduros y arándanos que suavizan la mezcla y la hacen más armoniosa. En general, un tabaco correcto que no da complicaciones en la fumada más allá del picante antinatural, pero que tampoco ofrece una amplia gama de matices ni un sabor especialmente rico ni agradable. 2 estrellas.

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.