Bjarne Flake de Luxe

The bright and gold Virginias offer plenty of grass/hay, tart and tangy citrus, bread, some sugar, mild earth, wood, floralness, vegetation, sour lemon. small pinch of spice, and a touch of bitter acidity. The honey topping, which reminds me of honeydew, mildly sublimates the tobaccos. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the mild mark. The taste level is a notch past that, just falling short of the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite or get harsh, but I do recommend a sipping pace while you puff. Has a few small rough notes along with a minute essence of cream and bitterness. Burns clean and slightly warm at a slow rate, which is typical of mildly moist broken flake products. The sweet and sour, fruity, sugary, honey, floral flavor is very one dimensional and consistent to the finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a lightly lingering after taste, and a pleasant room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Bought 2 tins 12 years ago. Really liked it then and have just worked through half of a 12 year tin. It has aged well. The smell is slightly fig sweet with stringy medium colored brown flakes packed in a mound of tobacco. Perfect moisture level for immediate smoking. The burn was excellent, a mild strength with a very flavorful taste. A great change of pace from the heavier Virginias I've been smoking lately. A solid 3.5 stars.

The original reviewer, Tantric, was probably right, calling this "... the best introduction to straight Virginias I have ever tried."

Bjarne's Flake de Luxe is a very mild, lightly sweetened, Virginia Flake. It must be smoked slowly to be enjoyed.

I can see why so many smokers like this one but Flake de Luxe is a bit too light for my palate. I thought more highly of this one before trying Old Gowrie. Then again, I might not have tried Old Gowrie were it it not for the pleasant experience of smoking Flake de Luxe.

A solid * * *

Honey? Chocolate? I vote "Black Cherry".

Out of the can, into the pipe, an extremely pleasant smoke. The flake packs nicely, zero trouble lighting it or keeping it lit. It will bite if you huff on it, but huffing isn't required for this one -- and I find it a nice relaxing one, better suited to sitting out in the garage with a newspaper for a half hour than walking around the block. Don't breathe too deeply, it does have that nicotine kick.

Less of a natural flavor than the Va's or VaPers I've come to admire (Orlik GS, Reiner 71, et al), but all in all a nice and welcome change. I'll keep some around.

This is a medium brown, Virginia that is easy to rub out or crumble into the bowl. For some time this was a staple for me and I had been buying Flake De Luxe in bulk, in which form it is a broken flake. Like better Virginias, it holds up well as the bowl burns down, becoming sweeter and thicker, somehow. It demands to be smoked slowly, however, and will burn hotter and nip you if you're a clencher and get your mind wrapped around some serious, consuming task and get to puffing too fast.

This tin smells really sweet. I thought it smelled like citrus, my wife thought it smelled like peaches. I rubbed some out and packed my Moretti.

At first light, I swear I tasted Cinnamon. The tobacco is very moist and goes out if you look at it funny. It became much more complex as I worked through the bowl, much more complex than the aromatics I have been smoking. You can tell that the flavor comes from the tobacco, and not added casings.

It gets a bit more pronounced as you proceed through the bowl. Stronger flavors than I am used to, but still pleasant. Halfway through the bowl now, and the cinnamon is returning. The smoke entering my mouth feels moist, no real tongue bite, but I can feel the weight of the tobacco.

This is a heavier smoke and I would not classify it as an early morning tobacco.

I can't add much to Tantric's excellent review in the praise column, so read that and add to it a thumbs up from yr pal in Canada! I would caution, however, that while this weed is mild and cool, it's not SO mild and cool that new smokers should expect a bite-free bowl. This blend has enough sweetness and spice to get plenty hot if you're careless.