Rattray Wallace Flake

I have been smoking University Flake on and off for years, ever since the old tin art and the old blender (Murray's ?).

Now, unless I bought a tin of the current production UF and Wallace Flake, and did a side by side, I could not tell you exactly if these are now the same blend or not.

First of all strength, nicotine, is less than the UF of old, of this I'm sure, but this is still a tobacco with underlying backbone and decent relaxation capability.

Second, Wallace Flake, or WF, is even smoother, slightly sweeter,and the top note a bit more persistent and more pleasing than my memory of UF. If I had to guess, I'd agree with the reviewer who thought there was more VA in WF than UF.

Either way this is a great semi-sweet smoke, utterly bite free, and I am very sensitive to various forms of bite from many blends.

Easy to rub out, and easy to smoke, as long as it isn't packed too tightly, as the rubbed out flake is still very dense and long lasting.

This is still the best blend to load in your pipe at the end of the day when you don't want any pipe related drama, as all the flavors here are rounded and smooth smooth smooth.

If success truly is the greatest revenge, then Kohlhase & Kopp have dealt full retribution for Peterson's decision to move the production of University Flake to Scandinavian Tobacco Group. I did not smoke Peterson's University Flake when it was made by K&K, but I can say that Wallace Flake is much better than STG's version of University Flake. Wallace Flake outshines University Flake against almost every metric.

The Virginias are more bread- and oat-like than grassy, with a sweetness independent of the topping. The Burley offers nuttiness in greater proportion than earthiness. There is also some spice from the Burley. The topping is said to be plum, and my taste buds and nose mostly agree with that claim. Still, I cannot help but also sense a blueberry flavor. My detection of blueberry may be due solely to previous reviews and the power of suggestion, but I will not pretend I do not pick up the flavor.

Whatever fruit flavorings are or are not in the mix, the flavor is quite excellent. The topping, which never really fades, harmonizes perfectly with the Virginias and Burley to produce an overall flavor impression much like an honest-to-goodness homemade muffin. Please do not take that description to mean this is some goopy aromatic. I said homemade muffin, not store-bought corn syrupy mini muffin. You will taste the tobacco under the topping. Indeed, the tobacco tastes are every bit as present and important as the taste of the added flavoring.

In terms of nicotine content the strength of this blend is just below medium. Taste is also medium. I never got even a hint of bite. If one can handle a medium nicotine content all day, then this could be an all-day smoke. This does require a few more relights than University Flake, but I have no hesitation in awarding four stars to Wallace Flake.

My normal rotation has a noticeable lack of aromatic blends but there are a few out there I do enjoy. Having been a fan of Pete's Uni Flake I was excited to take Wallace Flake out for a spin as TR reviews all noted the similarity of the two blends. While not exact copies of each other, I believe close cousins fit the bill here. Wallace presented itself as a darker flake and just a hair wider in the tin, beautiful presentation. The tin aroma on opening was a deep intoxicating fermented smell, heaven in a metal box. The blueberry (I don't get the plum labeling, plum is commonly used but often isn't a static taste to me), wasn't an isolated smell, I got more stewed fruit/fermented VA than anything. The real treat here was the first light. With more Va than burley compared to the Peterson offering, I found this to be very smooth. I'm realizing I can be sensitive to VA's even when sipped at a snails pace. These Va's are friendly and don't rough up my tongue like brighter ginny leaves. Moisture level is normal to me. While it can and does do well with some dry time, it's not required. Best results for me is to pre-load a bowl to be smoked hours later, not a fully exposed dry time but enough to get a nice burn going. The topping does stick around longer than with UF which I do enjoy. While I'm not a big Aro fan, I find the background aromatic blends like this excellent for a change from full latakia blends. As the bowl progresses the flavor stays rich and full flavored without ever becoming overbearing or turning sour/burnt. This is a steady, easy smoke all the way. My favorite bowl for this is my new H Weibe Radiator Chimney as the tall narrow bowl concentrates the deep VA flavor and makes for an effortless smoke. Price wise, you're going to pay a dollar or two more for the tin than UF but for the ease of use and better taste throughout, it's worth the investment.

I plan on trying another Rattray's flake, Stirling, very soon. Being a cousin to Pete's Irish Flake, I have hopes that Stirling will soar above IF like Wallace does to Uni.

Link to H Weibe pipes site (mods remove if it's not permitted to share here)

http://www.hwiebe.com/

When this tobacco first appeared I wanted to give it a try but was told by a tobacconist that I wouldn’t like it because it was aromatic, so I never tried it. I recently found out that it was in fact supposed to be a Peterson university flake clone, so I broke down and purchased a couple of cans despite my reservations just to see how it compared to the university flake. Folks let me tell you, this is a 1000 times better than any university flake that I have ever tried past and present, it is sweet, smooth, gentle and has no rough edges, in my book this is not an aromatic tobacco and if it is then my idea of aromatics is flawed, if you have never tried this tobacco you owe it to yourself, try it.

Wallace Flake is another good one from Rattray’s, a short stack of well-formed, moist, dark-ish brown flakes with light golden brown striations. Tin note is subdued nuts over sweet brown bread with a plummy topping that is lightly applied and its tin note dissipates fast, though enough plum remains to waft delicately through the length and breadth of every smoke The flakes are easy to break, roll and loosely stuff into a pipe. I stress “loosely” because WF expands significantly when it heats up, and it’s lots better if it doesn’t tighten in the chamber. It requires some patience to get it going, then it burns steadily through a long smoke. I have to stir it toward the bottom, and no problem there as it gets better and better all the way down. IMO, scents and tastes are best if they are kept in accord with the tin note, and the way to do this is to keep it as cool as possible. Lit, it’s very fragrant, tobacco-y, nutty brown bread, sweet meadow grass and sweet, dried hay, along with wonderful plum blossoms. There are typical Burley bitters, but not much. Very pleasant. Taken slow, there is yet plenty of flavor, rich and well-melded, and there’s nothing to worry about, since it does nothing wrong. The aromas are consistently fragrant and the tastes are consistent, as well, apart from the fact that they intensify, and WF gets stronger (and better) as it’s smoked down. If one pulls, it gets more like Sterling Flake or Peterson’s Perfect Plug, but it does not beat either at their game (not that it needs to). It burns cleanly to the bottom of a bowl for me, just a little dottle remaining. Strength builds past medium, likewise the tastes. Room note is mostly pleasant, at least for the smoker. Aftertaste is a long trailing off of the best of the smoke.

Here’s a swell smoke that’s likely to please those looking for a pretty near perfect, medium bodied +, Old School VA/Bur flake that’s well behaved, fragrant, delicious, relaxing. No idea why it’s not more popular. 4 Stars.

Tight strips of dark pressed flakes (like SG FVF). It offers a great tin aroma with that plum essence topping coming thru; more prevalent than in the actual smoking experience.

The tobacco comes from the tin a little moist, but just right after rubbing out and then standing for 10 minutes or so. I'm OK with that.

I like Wallace Flake for the combined character of a quality pressed Virginia and a subtle plum casing. Not sugary or syrupy like some low end flavored Cavendish offerings; it's very subtle.

It smokes slow and cool, with no bite, and lasts a good while. The aroma when smoked is like Escudo's tin aroma; I like that. I've have often wished the Escudo olfactory impression when smoked more closely resembled its tin aroma.

Give this one a try. Not super complex; just a nice straightforward Virginia with some added interest with the light essence of plum.

This blend grew on me quite a bit from smoking it fresh out of the tin till now, about 3 months later. It loves some air and it gets more tamed and pleasant ad the top fruit/ plum note fades a lot to almost non existent which I like. The nicotine content is high, the strength is strong and it’s robust and satisfying. This one delivers nicotine quick and I’m used to heavy N blends and cigs. I have come to love this blend. I remember getting slight tongue bite at first with the fresh tin, but it’s dried perfect and now it smokes cooler with no bite. Really good stuff for a blend like this . If robust, flavorful and nicotine kick are things that perk your ears give this a try.