Bjarne Flake de Luxe
(3.37)
An extra mild and pleasant flake tobacco composed from only the best grades of sweet golden Virginia leaf.
Notes: 11/10/14: Industry source states that the original Bjarne tobaccos were a tribute to Bjarne Nielsen, and that although they are still being produced, they are for some "inexplicable reason" not available outside Germany.
Details
| Brand | Bjarne |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | Honey |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.37 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 2005 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
01-26-2005
Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful golden flakes neatly stacked and folded. Smells wonderful, fortified hay and sweet notes abound. This has a "honeydew" topping.
Packing and Lighting: Very easy with moisture perfect out of the tin. 2-3 lights max.
Initial Flavor: Sweet, bright VA.
Mid-bowl: Mellows somewhat, but can get a little bitey if you are not careful. The sweetnote is felt more than tasted at this point.
Bottom of Bowl: A delicate spiciness develops and before you know it, you are done with only a fine grey ash left over.
Overall: This blend appears to be made by Dan and to my nose and palate is the same CAO Patriot flake. That is not to say that this is bad, but this flake is not as good as Marlin Flake, Blackwoods Flake, or Gawith's Curly Cut Deluxe IMHO. This blend can be nippy if one is not careful, probably due to the topping added. I prefer this to Orlick Golden Sliced though, but with so many other excellent Flakes out there, I doubt I will buy another tin.
Rating: 3 out of 5 points.
Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful golden flakes neatly stacked and folded. Smells wonderful, fortified hay and sweet notes abound. This has a "honeydew" topping.
Packing and Lighting: Very easy with moisture perfect out of the tin. 2-3 lights max.
Initial Flavor: Sweet, bright VA.
Mid-bowl: Mellows somewhat, but can get a little bitey if you are not careful. The sweetnote is felt more than tasted at this point.
Bottom of Bowl: A delicate spiciness develops and before you know it, you are done with only a fine grey ash left over.
Overall: This blend appears to be made by Dan and to my nose and palate is the same CAO Patriot flake. That is not to say that this is bad, but this flake is not as good as Marlin Flake, Blackwoods Flake, or Gawith's Curly Cut Deluxe IMHO. This blend can be nippy if one is not careful, probably due to the topping added. I prefer this to Orlick Golden Sliced though, but with so many other excellent Flakes out there, I doubt I will buy another tin.
Rating: 3 out of 5 points.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 06, 2018 | Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
Nice enough mild virginia tobacco, but lacking any real character, taste or unusual attribute over and above anything else on the market at the moment.
There is nothing wrong with this blend, it's just so bland all round.
Even the tin is bland and uninspired. Plain white label with 'bjarne flake de luxe' printed on it. It would fit right in with the other pipe tobaccos available in this country in looks and taste (or lack of).
The flake itself is almost remarkable for one thing and that is the stodgy mess that you find when you open the tin. None of your neat little soldiers of pressed flake or even the choppiness of SG's Golden glow. No, it's just a shapeless blob of tobacco, which, if you didn't know otherwise could be a lump of plug. I guess this isn't a criticism, because lets face it, this blend breaks up like any other, once you've twigged that this cannot be broken one-handedly. Oh, yes it's smells nice, but then so do loads of other virginia tobaccos.
It's an absolute swine to light and to keep lit. I don't know why, because the moisture level seems about right out of the can.
So, this isn't a totally pointless blend - you could certainly use it to smoke out that ghost in that briar you've just never got around to doing and you couldn't be arsed to get out the salt n' alcohol. Or you could use this as a base for blending your own mix, or even spray it with those old sprays you inherited from a fit of pique when you did a tobacconist's order back in 2001.
Ok the last is silly, but this is worth having - especially at the price I got it from Dan Pipe.
Using the brilliant Capstan blends as the benchmark this falls well short of the mark, but equally there just isn't anything unpleasant or particularly memorable about this particular blend. Here's to backs of pipe smokers cabinets everywhere, with the lid screwed on tight.
There is nothing wrong with this blend, it's just so bland all round.
Even the tin is bland and uninspired. Plain white label with 'bjarne flake de luxe' printed on it. It would fit right in with the other pipe tobaccos available in this country in looks and taste (or lack of).
The flake itself is almost remarkable for one thing and that is the stodgy mess that you find when you open the tin. None of your neat little soldiers of pressed flake or even the choppiness of SG's Golden glow. No, it's just a shapeless blob of tobacco, which, if you didn't know otherwise could be a lump of plug. I guess this isn't a criticism, because lets face it, this blend breaks up like any other, once you've twigged that this cannot be broken one-handedly. Oh, yes it's smells nice, but then so do loads of other virginia tobaccos.
It's an absolute swine to light and to keep lit. I don't know why, because the moisture level seems about right out of the can.
So, this isn't a totally pointless blend - you could certainly use it to smoke out that ghost in that briar you've just never got around to doing and you couldn't be arsed to get out the salt n' alcohol. Or you could use this as a base for blending your own mix, or even spray it with those old sprays you inherited from a fit of pique when you did a tobacconist's order back in 2001.
Ok the last is silly, but this is worth having - especially at the price I got it from Dan Pipe.
Using the brilliant Capstan blends as the benchmark this falls well short of the mark, but equally there just isn't anything unpleasant or particularly memorable about this particular blend. Here's to backs of pipe smokers cabinets everywhere, with the lid screwed on tight.
Pipe Used:
All of them (briars)
PurchasedFrom:
DanPipe, Germany.
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 07, 2009 | Very Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Flake de Luxe is a very mild flake hovering somewhere in the Danish spectrum of things. Quite frankly, and in my own opinion of course, much like Bjarne's line of pipes, there isn't alot to cheer for here.
In the tin it smells intensively sweet. It's a very bright (golden va) flake with grass and citrus notes and a sugary topping of some sort. If there's any oriental in here, as has been suggested, it's hidden very well.
I've tried packing this in any odd number of ways, and it doesn't seem to make much of a difference whether you fold it or rub it. Burning characteristics are good, it doesn't require any special method or nursing, provided you're somewhat experienced with (VA) flakes. For the beginner there is always the danger of tonguebite with VA, and Flake de Luxe is no exception.
As far as smoking it goes I wouldn't call it outstanding, certainly not worthy of a luxus moniker. It is quite sweet and honey-like in its flavour, but it is also severly lacking in body and nicotine (even for something explicitly labeled as "mild"). Overall it is a quite pleasant no-brainer of a blend that requires little effort, but also doesn't deliver very much in terms of complexity or depth. There is an element of spice when you start to get close to the bottom of the bowl, but nothing that profoundly adds to the finish. Aftertaste is non descript.
Personally I'd rather smoke some of Orlik's Golden Sliced than this when I want a mild flake. Overall I think that this is a pretty bland and much too mild flake to be able to hold any interest for very long. I do have a tin from 2006 cellared away, and I might open that one of these days and see if it has changed for the better, but somehow I doubt it.
Somewhat recommended in the end though, it's not the worst flake I've ever tried, but not the best either, and my "meh" might come out as "aah" from you, so give it a go if you find yourself in need of a mild all-day smoke.
In the tin it smells intensively sweet. It's a very bright (golden va) flake with grass and citrus notes and a sugary topping of some sort. If there's any oriental in here, as has been suggested, it's hidden very well.
I've tried packing this in any odd number of ways, and it doesn't seem to make much of a difference whether you fold it or rub it. Burning characteristics are good, it doesn't require any special method or nursing, provided you're somewhat experienced with (VA) flakes. For the beginner there is always the danger of tonguebite with VA, and Flake de Luxe is no exception.
As far as smoking it goes I wouldn't call it outstanding, certainly not worthy of a luxus moniker. It is quite sweet and honey-like in its flavour, but it is also severly lacking in body and nicotine (even for something explicitly labeled as "mild"). Overall it is a quite pleasant no-brainer of a blend that requires little effort, but also doesn't deliver very much in terms of complexity or depth. There is an element of spice when you start to get close to the bottom of the bowl, but nothing that profoundly adds to the finish. Aftertaste is non descript.
Personally I'd rather smoke some of Orlik's Golden Sliced than this when I want a mild flake. Overall I think that this is a pretty bland and much too mild flake to be able to hold any interest for very long. I do have a tin from 2006 cellared away, and I might open that one of these days and see if it has changed for the better, but somehow I doubt it.
Somewhat recommended in the end though, it's not the worst flake I've ever tried, but not the best either, and my "meh" might come out as "aah" from you, so give it a go if you find yourself in need of a mild all-day smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 19, 2006 | Very Mild | Extremely Mild | Medium | Very Pleasant |
Update 8.19.06 Have to drop this a star. Bought some bulk and it is virtually flavorless. Tried it before and after smoking heavier blends, in the morning, middle of the night, always the same-flat. Therefore, one might conclude (one being me) that this flake is all casing in the can. From a jar it's a biter. . . . on the upside, the roomnote is still yummy.
4.9.06 Everything I would say about this is already here to read. One thing though, it just needs more nicotine to be perfect.
4.9.06 Everything I would say about this is already here to read. One thing though, it just needs more nicotine to be perfect.
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