Drew Estate Gatsby Luxury Flake

This was a very unique blend, in my opinion. The long roll was rather easy to break up into manageable slices easy to rub out. The tin note was sweet and semi-candy like mixed with a touch of that natural Virginia leaf smell. What struck me was the instant flavor after the initial tamp and re-light. Every bowl has this same consistent impact of sweet flavor. Unlike the tin note, the sweet flavor seems fruit like, this works in tandem with the Virginias very well. I think the addition of the cavendish simply intensifies the Virginias. I did not necessarily find it to burn altogether harsh or hot, however; it burned for a good long while. I broke in a new pipe with this blend and it was the right tabac for the job. All in all, I recommend this tobacco.

*Edit: I have since set fire to the rest of the tabac and I am longing for more. When that happens, I must note that this is a tobacco worth keeping around. I gave it three starts initially, I am now adding the last star. I think the unique nature, in terms of my palate, is the draw. Amongst my love of VA/Pers and VA/Burs and Straight VA, this stands alone as completely different. Unlike Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Bullseye Flake or Davidoff's Medallions and many other VA/Cavendish blends, the marriage between the cavendish and Virginias in Gatsby is of a completely different nature. Granted, even though the aforementioned blends contain a touch of perique, I think that all of these blends are designed similarly, and should be bracketed accordingly. However, despite similar properties to other tabacs, it stands alone. Four stars!

I do believe this is my current favorite Virginia. I enjoy everything about this surprisingly flavorful blend... from the flake cut to the moistness level and the subtle creamy (almost vanilla?) taste. It is also easy to smoke, much more so than Orlik Golden, which I found to run rather hot only halfway through the bowl. Lovely accompaniment to my 'regular rotation' of English blends, Gatsby is a keeper. Highly recommended.

This was my first foray into a flake tobacco. I was familiar with Drew Estate because they make several of my go to cigars. The flake is long ribbons, folded over that rub out nicely. The tin note has hints of licorice and fruit that play quite nicely off each other. It lights very easily and the smoke is thick and fragrant. The mouth feel is quite nice and you get a wonderful mix of the sweet virginia, cavendish, fruit and licorice in the draw. The room note is pleasant with the tobaccos in the front with subtle hints of fruit. It pairs quite nicely with morning coffee and a cool drink in the evening.

As reported, this consists of one long, folded flake in the tin. It's easy to break apart and load, and arrives at the perfect moisture level. Just pack and light, and you're on your way.

It is similar to Golden Sliced but is a bit heavier and richer. The Virginias are tart and tangy, delivering all the juicy sweet/sour notes that I love. The topping is very light -- dried fruit and citrus -- and never overpowering, artificial or bitter. It enhances the core tobacco.

It burns cool and sweet and is very easygoing and forgiving in the bowl. I've smoked this in a variety of pipes and it's consistently excellent each time. This is a real treat for the Virginia lover. Not an aromatic. It's the real deal, and Drew really hit it out of the park with this one. I was pleasantly surprised.

Highly underrated.

This is a very tasty, rather sweet flake composed of high quality brightleaf, mostly lemon and orange grades, and some golden Cavendish to which a mild and harmonious berry flavoring has been added. The flavor profile is not exactly duplicated elsewhere, in my experience. Like F&T Cut Virginia Plug with some berry. Very smooth and surprisingly biteless for a sweet smoke. I don’t find I need to rein in my tendency to puff fairly hard. This is now my go to flake when not in the mood for one of the darker McClelland flakes.This blend has been discontinued and is on sale as of 2017 at very low prices at some online merchants. I have stocked up to cellar many years supply. I think the Drew folk gave some pretty demanding manufacturing specs for their line, a pity it is gone. Ed: Feb 2022. My stock is gone, a pity.

10-Pleasure, satisfaction; 10-Top note, slip stream aroma, sipping the embers; 10-Delivery, balance, flavor profile; 10-Blend composition, quality; 9-Pack, relight, room note. A quality blend that delivers a consistent, honest smoke - roasty in nature. Solid 4 star.