Tobaccos Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Dark Strong Kentucky

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2012-10-07		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Original review: It came in a medium wide strips that were very easy to rub out or fold and stuff depending on your preference. I tried it both ways and noticed no flavor difference. There was some natural sweetness that complimented the deep Kentucky taste, but I would not label this a sweet tobacco, per se'. It did have some nuttiness, earth, wood, spice and a floral note from the Kentucky, though it was not as bold as other Kentuckys I have smoked. The Red Virginia was tangy dark fruit sweet with wood and earth as a supporting player. The bright Virginia offered tart citrus, slightly grass and mild floralness in a secondary role. The sugary black cavendish is mostly a condiment. The licorice topping conjoined with a hint of molasses to moderately sublimate the tobaccos. No bite or harshness. The nic-hit was a step past the center of mild to medium. The strength and taste levels were medium. Burned cool, clean and slowly with a very consistent sweet flavor, and left just a little moisture in the bowl. Needed some relights. Had a nice after taste that pleasantly lingered. Not an all day smoke.

Peter Heinrichs Dark Strong is a good substitute, but I thought it not quite as complex as the Orlik, though it looks exactly the same. I doubt I'd have noticed much difference at all, except that I taste tested back in the day. Orlik's blend was just a tad more complex, slightly nuttier, and very barely sweeter than the Heinrichs' mixture, and had a touch less molasses. Also had just a shade more red Virginia and licorice.

Updated review 7-10-2015: The new version of Dark Strong Kentucky is different than what I used to smoke in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The flakes are shorter and not as wide as they had been. This version has virtually no red Virginia that I can see or really taste. There is a hint of tangy dark fruit, earth and wood that may come from it, but if it is present, it's certainly well hidden. I don't think it's here. There's much more tart and tangy citrusy, grassy, floral, bright Virginia in here, probably to replace the red Virginia content. The amount of Kentucky is just slightly less than before, though it has the same flavors I attributed to it in my earlier review. The sugary black cavendish is mostly a condiment. The licorice topping is stronger, and sublimates the tobaccos much more so than in the earlier incarnation. Can't really taste any molasses in this one either. No bite. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. The strength is almost medium and the taste is medium. Burns the same, and the after taste is stronger due to the toppings. Needs some relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. The pleasant after taste is short lived. Can be an all day smoke for the veteran.

Peter Heinrich's version has changed, too, and in the same way the Orlik has, except the topping is mostly molasses with a touch of licorice.

Due to the changes in ODSK, I've changed my rating. Four stars for the older version and two and a half for the new, which I rounded up to three.

-JimInks

48 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2015-02-25		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I anxiously awaited the arrival of this popular flake that was discontinued by Orlik some time ago. By special arrangement, it will be available exclusively through pipesandcigars.com until early summer. After that, it will be made available to other US vendors.

There have been many reviews stating the similarities to Peter Heinrich's Dark Strong Flake. Apparently, both flakes are produced by Orlik. I have a 200 gm tin of Heinrich's and after the arrival of DSK I compared the two. The visible appearance in every way is identical - size/thickness/texture of flake, color, the way the two different tobaccos (Va and Kentucky) are merged together producing a very nice striated pattern. The major difference to me is the tin note. Heinrich's has a strong presence of black licorice, and as I noted in my review of same, translates into the smoke. Orlik's lacks the licorice aroma. Instead, it is a brown sugar like tin note, which also translates into the smoke. I am sure the same identical leaf type is used with both variations, but it is with the casing (or top note) that separates them at first whiff. The smoking experience is slightly different as well. Heinrich's smokes a bit hotter with the licorice taste getting bitter toward the last third of the bowl and tastes a little artificial. It also has a tendency to leave the room note a bit cigarette like. All in all, still a good smoke. Orlik's DSK smokes sweeter from the get go, smokes less hot (although it can nip at the tongue if puffed too vigorously), and leaves a more pleasant room note - not cigarette like at all. I prefer the Orlik's DSK over Heinrich's hands down and rate it at 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson Tankard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Peter Heinrich's Dark Strong Flake...similar, but not identical.

35 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-03-01		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

No doubt this is the same flake as Heinrich's with a different topping. I get the DFK predominantly with the Virginias in the background. Heinrich's flavors are molasses and licorice, Orlik's is more like a milder molasses with no licorice and a touch sweeter. A little more natural tobacco flavor is evident here. This version isn't as finicky about moisture content as Heinrich's and has a better burn. I suspect that it's due to the lighter topping. This is very tasty and satisfying. Although I prefer the flavors in the Heinrich's version by a small margin, the better burning characteristics of this one earns it 4 stars as opposed to the 3 I gave Heinrich's. This is a great smoke. I guess I'll have to keep both of them around. Variety is the spice of life.

Medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burn is not great, but it burns well enough.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman, MM Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Just finished a 3.5 oz tin from 2002, so consideration must be given to its age when reading this review. On the other hand, I didn't notice this tasting much if at all different from my tin of Peter Heinrichs blend of similar name.

Both were dark colored flakes with a deep, rich aroma and fairly moist in the tin. I dried this out slightly, but not as much as most flakes. The flavor was also deep and rich but interestingly enough, not strong. The flavors were of various spices and nuts, with a nice dark molasses background. It was lightly sweet but leaned heavily toward the spicy side. No problems keeping it lit and it wasn't overly heavy on the nicotine. As for strenth, don't let the "Kentucky" fool you. This is not a robust-tasting tobacco as some are that have a high concentration of kentucky leaf. Some casing appears to have been added but it was not intrusive.

This is not readily available in this country but don't despair -the above mentioned PH blend is, and I doubt I could tell the difference in a blind taste test.

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2003-12-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

First-rate fire-cured Kentucky burley, baptised with a little Virginia to keep it from being wholly back-roads wild. Robust, plain, clean and honest.

VERY nice.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2015-11-09		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This stuff is fantastic. And you will know it as soon as you open the tin. The tin note on this one is heavenly. Very sweet molasses/anise type scent mixed with the earthy smell of the component tobaccos. It doesn't stop there. The flakes are very cool looking. The dark and light striped flakes are quite attractive and will look like something you have never seen before. That is, assuming you have never seen Peter Heinrich's Dark Strong Flake which looks identical.

Looks and tin notes are one thing, but the performance of this leaf will also not let you down. The flakes rub out very easily and pack just as easily in the bowl. Also, no issue with light up nor does it require any abnormal amounts of relights.

And the taste, oh the taste. This one is for the burley lovers and the nicotine lovers. It is rich earthy, nutty and chocolatey; and it is strong. The topping will stay with you for awhile, and if you have a mustache or beard, this blend continues to satisfy long after you are finished.

Four stars all the way.

Similar Blends: Peter Heinrich's Dark Strong Flake..

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2002-07-05		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The name says it all folks...this is dark, strong Kentucky burley and is it ever powerful! If you are concerned that this is just a more powerful version of Prince Albert or Sir Walter, relax, this is a much finer class of burley than what is packed into the pouches of Albert and Walter.

I rubbed this blend out a bit further after opening the tin because the chunks were, well, too chunky for me. The smell was just like you would figure a burley smell to be like, but, there is the hint of some sort of casing in this brew that I could not place my finger on.

As for the smoke itself, pretty even all the way thru the bowl with little variance--typical of burley--but the flavor was certainly big enough. And just like a champ, DSK did not get bitter near the bottom of the bowl which is a problem with cheaper burley.

So, if you like burley and nothing else,(if there's virginia in the tin, I couldn't find it), get a batch. If you are like me and enjoy a nice burley every now and then, buy three or four tins. This stuff is worth it!

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-02-05		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Orlik - Dark Strong Kentucky.

This has surprised me, I didn't expect to find it so nice! I'd prepared myself for a strong, fiery, almost toxic smoke, but this holds a few laid back traits, too.

The flakes are presented neatly in the tin, and their appearance is quite unique: dark Kentucky outer with a stripe of golden Virginia through the middle. There's nothing drastic about the tin-note, there's maybe something sweet, but nothing that screams 'added flavour'. The moisture content's good, making rubbing a doddle.

It lights easily, and gives a fabulous taste. To be fair, it was the idea of Kentucky and liquorice together that drew me to the assumption of this being acrid, but first light blew that idea away. Indeed, there is a clear and easy taste of the Kentucky, but the liquorice isn't anywhere near as strong as I'd expected. There's a slight liquorice taste, but a lot more of a molasses flavour; it's this that makes it more laid back. In all fairness, the liquorice develops strength as the bowl burns, but never domineers the smoke... NEVER; it's always mild. A bowl of D.S.K burns brilliantly, needing hardly any re-lights. Bite? Not even a tiny peck.

The nicotine's about medium, and although the room-note's quite heavy, I like it.

An easy rating:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Sherlock Holmes Milverton P'Lip

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mhulsey (36)	2015-12-13		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I must say that Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky is an enticing blend that is in my opinion deserving of more than four stars. This is one of my favorite blends in my collection and the tins seem to go fast. First let me say that the presentation of this tobacco is one of the best that I have seen to date, with the flakes neatly piled in the tin, resembling thick slices of bacon with dark edges of the Dark Fired flanking a strip of light Virginia. Not only do the flakes look like bacon, to me, they smell like bacon as well. This may be a mental thing, but to me at least, there is a smoky character from the Dark Fired Kentucky, a natural sweetness from the Virginias, and there is a maple or brown sugar like topping that has been applied before the tobacco was pressed and sliced, thus giving it the aroma and appearance of you guessed it, bacon. Now, you may be asking yourself why someone would want to smoke something that looks like and smells like bacon, and to me the answer is simple, because everything in life is better with bacon. OK, Now that we have got presentation and tin note out of the way, let’s delve into the tobacco a little deeper. The tobacco is of high quality and due to the cut, you will not find any twiggy or woody bits mixed in with the tobacco. The flakes are all uniform in size and thickness, and the moisture level of the tobacco is spot on perfect fresh from the tin. I have learned that between one and a half flakes to two flakes will fill the average sized bowl, but for me at least, I have been rubbing out only one flake at a time and smoke a bowl three quarters to half full so that I can get all of the flavors out of the tobacco from the top to the bottom of the bowl. Rubbing the tobacco out is a simple enough task and my method has been to take one flake and fold it up and then simply spin the tobacco in the palm of my hand until it forms a ball of ribbons that are easy enough to pack and take a light well. Once the pipe is packed and the bowl lit, the first flavors that I get from the tobacco is a combination of a smokiness and nuttiness from the Dark Fired Kentucky, and then a hint of sweetness from the Virginia and the topping. As for the topping I can’t quite decide if it is a molasses or brown sugar note that I get, but it definitely remains mildly sweet for the duration of the smoke. Burn characteristics are alright, but I often find myself having to tamp every so often, and then relight with this blend. Although it seems to be a little more work to keep this tobacco going, it always burns down to a fine white or gray ash, making it easy enough to clean the pipe when I am done, simply just running a pipe cleaner through the stem and around the inside of the bowl to remove any moisture that may have collected. The topping does not leave a goopy mess in the bowl that must be reamed or scraped out. As for the room note, those around me have mentioned that it is a sweet smelling tobacco, so I take that as meaning it is tolerable to most, although I’m sure there are those that would disagree. Overall, this is a great blend that I have deemed my breakfast blend, and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys you guessed it, bacon.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-05-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I would not classify this as a burley though it does contain some. It still has the hay like VA note in it and a very sweet one. The tobacco has a sweet/musky oder to it and is absolutely beautiful to look at in it's broken flake state. some strands are very dark brown and some at a light to medium brown. Reminds me some of the barber pole cigars out there. I let mine dry overnight in a tray and rubbed it out somewhat and loaded it in my old large Peterson billiard. It took a couple of light, tamp, light rituals but one fired up, it only need one relight. It has a very sweet and rich taste and I think the room note is very pleasant. I sipped this with my morning tea and it was a very enjoyable hour of sweet tobacco flavor but with no bite at all. I find that a lot of VA based blends can bite if not aged, and as I did not age this before trying, I was very pleased with how gentle is is. It burned all the way down to a grey and black dottle and left no moisture in the bottom of my pipe. Only reason I did not rate a four is that it does not have a lot of phases to it, same flavor from start to finish with no increase in flavor as it burned down. Not that this is really a bad thing as the flavor is very nice.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-06-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Due to many reviews below i was tempted to try this blend.when you crack the tin a sweet licorice and sugary smell comes out.the flakes are short cutted combing bright virginias and kentucky in right moisture.the flakes are very manageable and soft either to rub or fold as they are.i tried both and i prefer the rubbing method.lights almost easy (rubbed) and several relights are needed.while burning the flavours are rich and tastefull combining licorice notes,sweet notes,nuts,citruces and very rare some dark fruits with spices come out.the flavours are combined very well though the licorice topping some times is more present than the tobacco compoments not in a bad way.burns slow and medium hot to total ash with a bit moisture at the end of the bowl.the nicotine level is almost medium.no tongue bite for me.the room note is pleasant.depending on my mood it can be an all day smoke or not.a very descent blend but nor something unique.recommended

Age When Smoked: When opened

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TwelveAMnTX (28)	2015-10-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Orlik DSK is only the 2nd flake tobacco I have tried so far. I really like the presentation of the tobacco in layers. It easily shows you what you are getting ready to smoke.

Upon opening the tin the sweet aroma is licorice-like but I can also smell the tobacco goodness as well. The flakes are slightly rubbery in texture, but rub out nicely & seem to dry quicker afterwards. Once dry the tobacco loads quite easily & burns fairly well with a couple relights. I had more relights until I started to let it dry out a bit more, about 30 to 45 mins. worked for me. The taste is just what I was hoping for from this tobacco. It's not overly sweet, just right with good tobacco flavor from start to finish. I got overzealous the 1st couple bowls, didn't really get a bite, just less flavor & a lot of heat. You can taste the dark fired but it's not overbearing. There is a touch of smokiness but rounded out by the tanginess & sweetness of the Virginia.

I've tried this in a couple different size cobs & it smoked well in both with very little dottle. It's a great smoke & I will be buying more!

Pipe Used: MM cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh to 2 weeks in a jar

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2015-06-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This one hit the spot for me. After going through a few tins of Golden Slice I was ready for a bit more body. When I popped the lid to DSK I thought I died and gone to tobacco heaven where all the angels are two toned in cream and brown. There is a topping for sure that carries over to the room note, but I think Maple is added to the licorice.. could be both which would explain the difficulty in pipers describing the smell, but I do smell licorice but there is something present that is sweet. The tin smell is unique but divine. This is a burley blend. The burley does overshadow the va but does not taste like a straight burley smoke. Between the topping and the VA addition it really makes the smoke much milder than expected and is a nice mild to med smoke... looking for something stronger than mild but not heavy, but yet with flavor? This is a good one. Not your usual burley blend, recommended, and I would buy more.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie 16, Peterson XL305

Age When Smoked: a new tin 2015

Purchased From: pipesandCIgars.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2015-05-18		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am smoking through a generous sample given to me by a friend. It has been an enjoyable smoke. I have been rubbing it out.

The Virginias are sweet and a little heavy. There is a mild topping I claim bringing out the sweet, but it does not contribute a honey or similar taste. The description says licorice, but my tastebuds are not good enough to pick that out. The bowl has a distinctive "flash" of sweet on first light. The DFK gives it some spice and a full, slightly earthy flavor.

In terms of flavor, it reminds me a little of a smoother, more refined Superior Round Slices. The flavor profile has a little more depth.It is a great blend, and I found the smoke improved in the course of the bowl, becoming fuller and less edgy. There was no bitter in the profile, and it never tasted ashy.

Similar Blends: Peter Heinrichs - Dark Strong Flake (Special Selection).

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarBrotha (3)	2017-08-23		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've been piping for just a year. It's taken a minute to develop my palate. I've waited to write a review. Once I got the tin note, I knew I was in for a treat. Beautiful presentation of dual colored flakes presented in chewy dark rectangles. I had no issue rubbing it out and gravity packing the tobacco. The first puff of the charring light was amazing. After the second light, it was bliss at first puff and just got better. A full creamy luxurious smoke wafted unto my tongue. The Kentucky was dark and stewy, the sweetness of the Virginias accentuated by the barbecue molasses taste of the Dark fired Kentucky, held together by a light top note of licorice. As the bowl progressed, complete harmony ensued. I can not imagine what aging would do to this tobacco. This is the perfect after dinner or late night smoke. If you're on the fence, delve off and get a couple of tins. We all have moments when we find a perfect smoke. This tobacco reminds me of smoking a homemade batch of root beer with a dash of burdock and cinnamon. This tobacco makes me feel genuine pitty for those who don't know the joy of the pipe. I'll never be without a tin

Pipe Used: Leonardo Da Vinci briar

Similar Blends: Irish Flake, H&H Bold Kentucky.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2016-09-26		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

When I opened the tin I got a strong note of molasses and sweet hay. I like to rub these flakes out as they come a little moist and need a little drying time. When set to a match it brought back fond memories of my Great Grandfather and his pipe. This would be a blend he would have loved. The room note, which is something I seldom smell when smoking was very nice. Taste, the molasses top note was present but there is a nuttiness and sweetness to the KY, the VA had some notes of hay and there was a non citrus fruit like sweetness that may have been from KY. A very good blend that is not overly complex and slightly sweet. Do smoke this one slowly as the VA's can bite if you push too hard.

=Update= 2022-03-28 Opened my final tin of this one with 6 years on it. It is a little drier in the tin and the VA's are darker. The tin note has changed before it was molasses forward now the licorice is way out front and it did translate into the smoke as I don't recall it being all that noticeable when 1 yr old; otherwise the taste is the same overall. A good smoke. I am glad I had picked up a couple of tins of this. I think I prefer it at the 1 yr mark personally.

Age When Smoked: 1 yr.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Turbine712 (3)	2016-05-10		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening, I was immediately hit with a rich deep smell of licorice, raisins and prunes. The presentation of this tobacco is very appealing with several stacks of flakes. The flake is two strips of dark fired Kentucky with a bright strip of Virginia in the middle. It takes about two flakes (dependent on bowl size) more or less to fill your pipe. The tobacco is a bit moist so rubbing out and allowing a bit of air time before filling. Upon lighting, a pleasant, deep taste of rich tobacco overtakes you and a nice taste of molasses. I found this tobacco to produce a good volume of creamy smoke as well as a pleasant sweet taste in the mouth. There is a spicy zip in the nose upon retrohale. The ash was a dark grey with little dottle. I found this to be a very full, rich smoke that immediately became one of the main players in my rotation. I highly recommend this tobacco.

Pipe Used: Sav 320

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Peter Heinrich Dark Strong Flake.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Monopod (26)	2010-12-28		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Assuming that we're talking about Dark Kentucky Flakes here (?) I've been a little put off by other descriptions of the typical Kentucky pepperiness (?) I got round to trying it as it was quite well discounted by one of our tobacco specialists here (UK) Quite simply, it's the taste that I've always dreamed of finding, but haven't ...... until now that is. Sweet molasses sort of taste, with just a slight spicy edge to it. Goes through a kaleidoscope of taste nuances from lighting to burnout, and always leaves me wanting much more. Easy / clean burn from top to bottom ... no bite, no acrid taste when damp....For me ? just about perfect. I just wish that I had an endless and free supply.

Don't be put off by the fact that it's A/S tobacco made, they say in the tin that it's "smoked by all shrewd Judges "

I think that they may have had that one right.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cleonides (21)	2020-02-15		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A virginia/kentucky aromatic blend. It is topped with various sugars, propylene glycol, licorice, molasses, cocoa powder and unknown flavorings as per the German BMEL website: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=102227&site_key=153&stichw_suche=dark+strong&zeilenzahl_zaehler=3

The tin smells very strongly of the molasses topping and a little tobacco. The virginias are bready and sweetened by the casing. Although there is a lot of it in there, the kentucky adds just a touch of smoke and spice. The flavors are very subdued by the casing, but results in a pleasant, mild, smooth, sweet smoke. Mild nicotine.

For an unadulterated virginia/kentucky blend go for G.L. Pease Jackknife Plug and for something less adulterated go for Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2017-12-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

What’s in a name, especially when considering pipe tobacco blends? The contemporary STG/Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky is a case in point, being neither what it once was, nor is it notably dark or strong, as KY blends go. I suppose it doesn’t matter, really, at least if a blend is especially good; and it probably shouldn’t matter at all if one reviews each blend on its own merits. IMO, DSK is good but not great by contemporary standards, and for me this owes more to its present qualities (or qualities wanting), not to mention the pesky competition, which seems to keep getting better, for all it’s ever-changing, too

In the modern tin are 3 small piles of short, +/- square flakes, each of which is dark with a yellow/gold stripe down the middle. The dark parts are Kentucky and Cavendish, and the light stripe is flue cured, lemon VA. Tin note is mostly soft, dark chocolate over soft licorice, along with molasses and a breath of vanilla. The tobacco smells are quite faint and indistinct by comparison, with the earthy, semi-pungent KY on top, and grassy/bready VAs on the bottom. This blend can be smoked folded and loosely stuffed straight from the tin, and IMO it tastes best like this, albeit it then requires several relights, if one’s pace is thoughtful. It burns better if it’s dried in the sun for a bit, and it burns better still if it is rubbed out then dried before smoking it, but either of these approaches costs in terms of lost or muddled aroma and taste. For those with the patience, it takes less than a week in a re-closed tin for the tobacco to dry enough that its combustion is no longer such an issue, and this tact seems to preserve most of its flavor and aroma, as well. Scents and tastes at the match are like the tin note, soft and darkly round. The VA soon sharpens and it and the Cav sweeten, and the Cav also sours, as it is smoked down. Meanwhile, the KY gets earthier and smokier, and it adds a very slight bitterness. Though it’s not really “dark”, and it’s not really strong, there is a “suggestion” of these qualities, with the VA playing counterpoint up the scale. Strength is medium. Tastes are more medium than full. Room note is tolerable. Aftertaste starts out slightly ashy but soon levels out as best-of-the-smoke, redux.

Sorry if this review is rather tepid, because this is not bad tobacco, at all, and I do recommend it. In fact, in the past I would have given it 4 stars. However, with the rapid proliferation and widespread availability of numerous stellar VA/KY blends, DSK now has a much harder row to hoe.

.

Pipe Used: best in an old, thin-walled Belgique

Age When Smoked: a couple of months, out of a current tin

Purchased From: Liberty tobacco

Similar Blends: Compare/contrast to Rattray's Marlin Flake and/or McConnell's Folded Flake..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (184)	2016-11-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Great blend, good tin note and presentation with the bicolored look of Ky and Va. tobaccos. Rubs out to a good pacaksble product for a semi shorter smoke and works well folded and stuffed. Takes to the match well in both preps. Taste is both sweet and nutty and has just a hint of anise in the smoke and on the younger. Strength for me is a medium and the nicotine is medium for me as well. All in all a good solid smoke. Have smoked this at new stage and at over a year, while it was wonderful right out of the tin it has improved with a little age and I believe that it will cellar well, at least I hope so as I have two rolls of the weed laid back. Well worth a try if you like dark ky.

Pipe Used: Various weapons of wood and corn

Age When Smoked: New to 1 + year

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sybariten (61)	2016-03-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Conclusion: A fine, mild tobacco to smoke whenever - it will not disappoint or surprise.

Taste: A dominant taste of virginia sweetness mixed with a faint liquorice. It is good and straight forward, nothing complex. Clearly related to, and inferior to, Golden Sliced.

Mechanics: Needs a few relights but once lit burns clean leaving a fine grey ash. Low on nicotine.

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden Sliced.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2015-11-17		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Summary: a sweet blend with a vanilla top note that brings out sugary and chocolate notes in the leaf.

For all that has been written about this blend, and its depth of flavor and the taste challenges posed by the dark fired leaf, forget it: this blend is ice cream. To the sweet Virginias and dark-fired Burley the blenders added vanilla, which makes the sweet taste like vanilla ice cream and the dark take on a chocolatey tone. It burns easily but moist, has some bite from the Virginias, but mostly is a sweet puffing smoke that like Carter Hall or Prince Albert, evokes your favorite dessert flavors more than strong tobacco tastes. As a result, this is a good blend for new smokers, junk food addicts or children.

Similar Blends: Prince Albert - Prince Albert, John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Golden Sliced (Red).

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.James (39)	2018-01-25		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky is presented as medium width flake with distinctive light Virginia and dark Kentucky striations. Virginias are grassy and mildly sweet with citrus background while the Kentucky is nutty and woodsy, also dry with a sharp note. When folded there is more variation in flavor than when rubbed out. The casing is mainly licorice extract with a touch of molasses and imparts an earthy sweet taste, a light complex aroma. Requires average relights, more so when folded. Burns cool and leaves little moisture behind. The strength is medium and builds in the bowl. Room note is pleasant and has a lingering sweet aftertaste. Two and a half stars

Pipe Used: Peterson

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2017-05-10		Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable

Been quite a long time since I'e done a review. Landlords have been making life living hell and try imagining a landlord anywhere now who would allow pipe-smoking? Personally, I have to be comfortable while smoking, or I'm just not going to bother. I'm not the kind to stand around shivering outside while attempting to smoke. That's a 5 minute deal and smoking a pipe is NOT a five minute affair. What I did was largely abandon Latakia- because that's a stench that will take you nearly weeks to get out of your house. I went back to my own private blend and other more aromatic things.

These days almost no one remembers what pipe smoke might even smell like. I smoke very little anyway now- mostly I'm down to one small bowl a day with my morning coffee, and then I burn a bath and body works candle (Eucalyptus spearmint) given me by my ex. That really seems to clear the smoke from a smallish bowl.

I was surprised by the contents of my tin. It was not like the pic above; rather it was 4 cubes of tobacco made up of layers of flake. Each flake consists of two different colors: the Virginia and the Kentucky.

A licorice flavor prevails. It smells nice and looks nice, but I've found it to be a little moist. A few months later the tobacco inside the tin was just as moist as it was. A person who has no problem setting their tobacco out to dry ahead of time may have no problem with DSK , but I enjoy readier to smoke tobacco. Don't get me wrong. this is not bad smoke. It's just rather sweet, and to make sure it would be, they added black cavendish.

Pipe Used: a number of small briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: several months or more

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Another reviewer or two has an analog for it..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2016-10-22		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Ok, this may not be the most premium tobacco out there and what more it is flavored, but boy is it tasteful!! Casing is supposed to be licorice which, with a little help from my imagination, lets say I detected. What I did detect for sure was molasses. It was a little hard to separate the flakes from each other without breaking but this was not a problem. Flavor came through from the get go, a molasses infused nuttiness. Very satisfying and great with coffee too (cappuccino rather than espresso). Now this tobacco is strong only in its flavor, otherwise it is medium at most. It burns well with just a few relights and does not get wet. I am in the process of trying new tobaccos but this is a strong candidate for my everyday go-to tobacco. My only reservation is that while finishing the tin and the flakes drying a bit I lost some of the flavour. Highly recommended especially among those who have a slight sweet tooth.

Update: it's too much flavored to become an all day smoke for me and I grew out of it gradually. It's uncomplicated and easy, but not a four-star tobacco, three stars suits it better I think.

Age When Smoked: fresh tin

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2016-09-26		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm rather surprised at this tobacco, because for something called Dark Strong Kentucky I really expected something different from what I found in the tin. What the tin contains is a neat stack of two-toned flakes exactly the same as the flakes contained in a tin of Heindrick's tobacco of the same name. The difference is that these Orlik ones are clearly perfect flakes, whereas the ones from Heindricks are the broken ones, possibly those rejected during the manufacturing process.

In my two tins of Orlik, the flakes came absolutely smothered in a molasses style topping almost exactly the same smell as Lane's 1Q. Very wet tobacco and needs drying time. The Heindricks version is drier and because of that smells less aromatic.

I found that this tobacco delivers a smooth, medium strength smoke, plenty of nice clouds to enjoy. However the underlying tobacco is not what I would call strong. The flavoring is certainly strong.

So: not what I expected, and this is a very wet aromatic delivered in flake form. The tobacco tastes rather cheap and has an awful lot of the molasses topping. Having said all that, I quite enjoyed smoking it, and it has qualities that would make it a good Autumn/Winter smoke. But don't buy it thinking you're going to get the Kentucky experience - instead you'll get a medium strength flake very wet with Lane 1Q style molasses flavorings.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2020-05-27		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

To start, this blend is not for me personally, but I endeavor to judge it fairly.

When opened the tin note is that of the sweet Virginia with a very noticeable Licorice topping, not overpowering but it is there. The tobacco in my tin was more moist than I'd like it and I left it in the tin to dry for about a week.

It comes in wide flakes that have a characteristic dark/brown/dark pattern. They fold and stuff well, and rubbed them out before jarring them.

The flakes pack well, and needed no more than the average amount of relights. When it comes to taste the licorice topps the Virginia nicely without covering too much of the inherent flavors of the tobacco. There is a hay like quality and overall the smoke is pleasurable. Personally I just don't find much about this specific flavour profile to get me to buy another tin, but I fully acknowledge the quality of the tobacco in this tin.

Would I smoke this again? Probably not. Would I reccomend this for other people to try? Most definitely. It's a good blend, but just not what I look for. Happy smokes.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie Birkshire Large Billiard

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (52)	2020-03-15		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The tobacco is very beautiful looking flakes and the tin aroma is heavy on the top note. It’s quite moist out of tin and I’ve had this jarred for 6 months and visiting it today the moisture is still there just as the day I opened the tin. It breaks up easily and packs fine. It takes a little bit to start burning, and you’ll find you have to puff a bit to keep it lit. I find the top note to take over most of the natural tobacco flavor , but it works pretty well. I find it a tad airy, like you want more of something here. Progressing down the bowl I find the second half more satisfying. There is not much nicotine I notice in this one. It never calls me to reach for it. I only smoke it to change the pace once In A while from my non aromatics. I won’t personally be buying it again, but I guess it’s something to try. If i named this tobacco I would call it lite aromatic Kentucky. 2 stars tops in my book.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2020-03-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The title of this blend is highly deceiving. Dark? No! Strong? Not at all! Kentucky? It looks like Kentucky but smells and tastes like something else.

You may wonder why I rated it "recommended." Well, even though there's a rift between the description and the actual product, in the end, you get a tasty blend. That said, if you are after smoky scent, vibrant, robust taste, well forget about it. In its place, you will find apricot & peach-scented marmalade. The majority of reviews mention about molasses. However, I've got notes of something similar to sun-dried fruit strips. Being a huge, huge fan of licorice, I can easily say I agree with fellow reviewers. Licorice is barely there, and you will get a whiff of it only if you smoke slow and cool. In my opinion, Dark Strong Kentucky by Orlik is in the same class as Erinmore flake. Similar qualities, different casing. Though, I find Erinmore slightly superior to Dark Strong Kentucky in comparison.

Wouldn't buy again, but if someone were to gift, I wouldn't say no to a pipe full of Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky. Great for those times when you need a change in your mood and rotation.

Similar Blends: Erinmore flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	IlIlIllIlIlIlIlll (2)	2019-11-10		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Boy is this great stuff, but packing it right can be tricky. I don't think you want to fully rub this one out, best results for me come from a kind of broken flake. When I smoked the old version of this in the early 2000's, I remember someone saying they made a parfait where they rubbed out the black ends and va center separately and did cav/burley-va-cav/burley, which I thought was hilarious but way too over the top for me.

What I like to do is to just coarsely chop it up with a knife, against the grain, and drop fill.

I'm nearing the late middle of the bowl now, and the predominant flavoring I detect here is some sort of brown sugar/maple or perhaps a vanilla. It's certainly noticeable, but very well done and pleasant. The cavendish adds creaminess and body, the VA's add sweetness and tartness, the Dark fired Kentucky, which is strong powerful stuff, is not a primary component of the blend to my palatte, only used in sparce amounts but you still detect it when you hit it-- just a touch of that very characteristic, smokey and stout DFK note. I think it's all perfectly blended.

I'm having my third tin of this stuff after loving it so much years ago, and I notice the same pattern: I open the tin, smoke it right away, mess around with packing, have some good bowls and some so-so bowls, but then after a month the tin breathes and bit and dries out, and I don't know what happens but after having time to breathe for about a month the stuff just blooms and becomes a killer smoke. Creamy, sweet, savory, tart, something different with every puff. Pack gently, smoke gently, leave the tin alone for a bit after opening and you're in for a pleasant smoke.

Pipe Used: Missouri Pride unfinished cob

Age When Smoked: 1 year old tin

Purchased From: PIpesAndCigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2018-05-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not as strong as I would have liked. Was expecting something along the lines of a rope, or a Burley flake. Also, the flavor was just OK. I continue to not like the Orlik blends which goes against the grain of popular opinion.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CarolinaEsquire (13)	2018-03-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Bacon! Upon opening the tin and seeing the flakes neatly arranged, my first thought was indeed that it looked like bacon. But I don't want to smoke bacon. I want to eat it! But that's all the similarities this fine blend has in common with bacon.

Instead, this is one sweet and delicious tobacco. The tin note is mouth watering. Sweet and fruity is what I smell. If I can smell what "tangy" is, that's what I smell when I open a tin. The taste does not disappoint either. The sweet and tanginess comes right through in the smoke followed by the presence of the dark fired Kentucky. But for me, it's the sweet, molasses and brown sugar that has me hooked. Even smoking it, I want to linger on the sweet and tanginess of it.

Since it's a flake, it does rub out nice and easy. I let it dry out for a bit and then it smokes nice and easy. Occasionally, I will rub out the entire tin at one time, but most times, I rub out a few flakes at a time, replace them in the tin to dry out for a bit on their own and place the remaining flakes in a pint jar to breathe. When I come back to it, it's even better.

Finally, it does have a nice nicotine punch. I don't think it's as strong as it has been rated as, but it's there and it's pleasant.

Enjoy!

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: upon arrival to 6 months

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tschenyinkoh (51)	2018-02-11		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I totally agree with JimInks' review.

The Licorice or herb topping is just too much for me and already become the star of the show. No molasses taste even though it is very sweet. No bite. But It smokes like a mess.

One star for me.

Pipe Used: churchwarden

Age When Smoked: aged in jar for nearly one year

Purchased From: 2 oz tins from pipesandcigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JEM (24)	2017-09-27		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I found this to be a complex blend of Virginia and Kentucky. In the tin, the smell is raisin/fig with something else I cannot identify. I folded one slice and packed my pipe. It took a few charring lights and a couple of relights before it was all over. The taste in the pipe was fantastic! Again, it’s complex and difficult for me to describe but I tasted sweet oats and toffee. I smoke a little too quickly, but there was no tongue bite and the bowl did not over heat. I expected a bigger nicotine hit, but it never came. I can’t wait to try this in one of my better pipes to see if I can better identify the various flavors!

Pipe Used: Sport bent

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhantomWolf (41)	2017-07-23		Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

Moist, spongy, and almost a little sticky in the tin. Great aroma. Very malty smelling. I didn't know this had a licorice topping and interpreted the taste as a fermented yeast, malt, and molasses like in a dark bread. If you've ever had B&M canned raisin bread, they are near identical in flavour and in smell- with a faint brightness and grass from the Virginia.

Burns very slow and cool with a couple relights. May need a little drying. I set my slices out for about 15 minutes and then just fold and stuff.

No bite and a generous 'nic-kick'

Not sure how I feel about this one. I thoroughly enjoyed the first couple bowls, then kind of lost interest. I am sure many people go to this as an all day smoke and I can see it's appeal in that capacity, but there are just so many other interesting tobaccos out there. I'll keep a tin around for when the craving strikes and a couple in the cellar to see how it ages.

If you are a lover of Virginias, but want something velvety and less bright, I'd say this could be precisely the smoke you're looking for. For me, I'm thinking blending in some Perique or Oriental to spice and liven this out of it's gravy-like malaise may be the key to turning it into something I really like.

If a friend asked what he should try, I can't imagine this being on my list of suggestions. For that reason, I am giving it one star, though I'd not argue with a VA lover who insisted it's a three.

-------------------Revisited--------------------

I have smoked this blend a few times since the first review and it's low, thick, malty flavour is kind of growing on me. Like a less-sweet molasses. I think this may find a more permanent place in my rotation after all. Great after-breakfast smoke with a cup of black tea. Bump me up to a solid two on this one. Maybe I'll see ya back here in a year with another star.

Pipe Used: Bjarne Viking

Age When Smoked: Fresh from Tin

Purchased From: Allegheny Smokeworks Pittsburgh, PA

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	p120d16y (22)	2017-05-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The review. I never tried the old one so this is reviewed for its own merits and not compared to Heinrich's or old Orlik.

Beautiful little short squared cut flake pieces with a bright stripe of grassy bright Virginia through the middle. Dark stripes of Kentucky dark fired mixed with black Cavendish to sweeten a bit surrounding the bright stripe. Smell from a freshly cracked, slightly aged tin is of a little fermentation smell mixed with licorice. Taste profile is well balanced grassy VA, dark fired Kentucky, and a hint of Cavendish to round it out. The licorice hangs in the flavoring at just the right amount throughout the whole bowl. The Cavendish just helps to round it out and falls a bit in the background. This is excellent stuff.

Pipe Used: Algiers bowl Falcon, cob, briars

Age When Smoked: Just a hair over 2 years sealed tin

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: Heinrich's Dark Strong.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2016-01-20		Very Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

I picked up a tin of DSK for Christmas and tested several bowls.

First, this is beautifully presented pipe tobacco - thin sliced flakes in three colored layers; correct moisture content; a lovely nose. You can read about that in many of the reviews here.

Second, and the heart of my review is to write that this IS strong tobacco. But what does "strong" mean? For me it was deceptively strong. It smoked like many other VA/Burley Flakes with a nice balance. It didn't burn hot and do likewise to tongue and palate. Nor did it give a huge nicotine hit. My best analogy is that it's like sipping Ardbeg or other Islay Scotches which have a very full and long finish. Like Ardbeg Ugendahl, I could still taste DSK the next day.

There is nothing wrong with this. I like Ardbeg when I want a very rich and full drink, perhaps after a steak dinner. However, it's not, my go to everyday drink. Likewise for DSK. That's just me.

So I am not marking this down in stars. It's quality baccy, just not an easy light smoke. So, be aware. I would think this flake would age well.

Pipe Used: Caminetto, Dunhill

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Cigar and Pipes

Similar Blends: Like many VA/Burley flakes, but with a long, long finish..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2015-12-04		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Smoke one tin and just opened another. Brown sugar and hickory is what I get. The dark fired Kentucky is also similiar to Peterson's Irish Flake. Kind of burns a little on the hot side but overall a good one to try. Never had it before the re-release but I'm glad it's back to stay for now.

12/15/15 Just an update regarding this blend burning on the hot side. I discovered it's the pipe I was using and the prep of the flakes.

The draw back that aggravated me about this blend is the flakes are so sensitive that they fall apart very easily, but if I find a couple of good ones I just take them and stand them up in the bowl and fluff the tops up some and lightly pack it even with the bowl. This cut out the hot burn all together and brought more of the flavor out of this blend. Also the pipe I was using was a bulldog with a deep chamber. I stopped using it and started using my Eriksen pot style pipe (not the new ones, the ones that were full briar). I dedicated this pipe to all VA/BY flakes for now on. It does so well with flakes.

Similar Blends: Peterson Irish Flake without the strength or casing.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2015-06-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice smoke! I never had the opportunity to try the first release of this tobacco but I'm certain I would have liked it. I am not convinced as to the strength of this blend. I find it closer to medium strength. To look at the flake you would think you would be blown away by nicotine, such is not the case (for me anyways). Nonetheless Its a nice flavorful blend with some anise overtones but an overall nutty burley flavor. I can also detect a mild anise flavored casing I have not experienced until the release of this product. Folded or rubbed out it smoked at a nice and even burn from top to finish rich and satisfying. If you enjoy medium to strong burley based blends you will like Orlik DSK.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Susanna Hoffs (74)	2010-11-06		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Loved this.

Has a deep brown sugary, almost spicy molasses esque note to it and smoked like a creamy dream. (The smoke that is...the smoke!) It doesn't bite and smokes similar to its red brother but with a nicer flavour.

Sadly though this is no longer available which is a bloody crying shame. I have one tin left and I will guard it with my life!!!!

In my top three....

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerkat (64)	2010-04-28		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The only products from the Orlik range I've ever seen on sale in Britain are Bull's eye, Golden Sliced and Dark Kentucky Flake. I would love to try some others because the three available are very good indeed.

For me, Golden Sliced is a solid three stars, Bull's eye a definate four and Dark Kentucky Flake somewhere inbetween. It has a good strong flavour, which I like, a novel appearance and an appreciable amount of nicotine.

On first opening I did find the tobacco a bit moist with a sticky quality that led me to believe there was a casing present. It was actually quite difficult to seperate the flakes without destroying them. Anyway, they rub out easily enough and, after a bit of drying time, light ok. The smoke is wonderfully flavoured and, although I can't really taste any (of what I understand to be) Kentucky flavours, it is dark and strong. The topping tastes lightly of muscovado sugar and liquorice and manages to never get in the way or become over powering.

Much like the other two tobaccos I have tried from Orlik, this does leave a slight sticky coating in the pipe but only a very thin layer.

The biggest suprise for me was the price. In the UK it's currently around £2 a tin cheeper than tobaccos of equivalent (or lesser) quality from Samuel Gawith, Rattray's, etc. and less than two thirds of the price of Davidoff's offerings. Bargain!

UPDATE...

I've been smoking more and more of this recently and it really is wonderful stuff. There is nothing I dislike about it. It makes me wonder why I even bother with other blends!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-02-22		Medium to Strong	Strong	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Upon opening the tin, you notice right away that this is gonna be different -- Flakes that are two tone! Visually, a winner. Half of the flake looks like Reiner Golden while the other half resembles Dark Star -- but again, as one flake! The tin aroma first starts off like caramel, but then develops a licorice type odor. Base on odor alone, I was fairly certain this was not gonna be for me, and I was right. The tin odor carried over to the smoke flavor -- I don't like licorice, and that's what this tasted like. Bleck! I smoked about half a bowl and dumped the rest in the yard -- frankly, I'm worried about the yard. I shipped the rest of the tin off to a fellow piper who likes Burley.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-09-17		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

A nice surprise, after I was disappointed by the overly mild Orlick Golden Sliced!

The tin contains very dark square flakes with golden stripes: their dark, caramelized aroma reminds of dried plums and is very delicious. The taste is quite mild (in spite of the name, even the nicotine content is perfectly tolerable!), nutty and toasted with dark sugary notes. In a fresh tin, the flakes come quite moist so if you don't dry them a bit you can end up with a a watery and weak taste (and some bad moisture in the shank). It burns well when rubbed out, and may take some relights if you just press a couple of flakes in the bowl.

Dark? Yes, in color and in taste. Strong? Not at all, actually quite delicate and subtle. Kentucky? Yes, of a very high quality, not rough like in some other brands.

I usually don't like Danish tobaccos, but this one is good (although a bit TOO delicate for my taste). Definitely superior to the similar W.O. Larsen Dark Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-12-19		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I hate to do this but . . . . . I have to rain on this parade.

Upon opening this tin I was very impressed by the A+ quality of the tobacco. Beautiful rich flakes that are 1/2 dark and 1/2 bright. Excellent moisture level.

The aroma was interesting. Strange but I sensed licorice. Not sure what is up here but it made me a tad nervous.

Once I started smoking it, the licorice scent I noticed in the tin became prominent in flavor. I actually have no idea what this is. It sure seems to me that this tobacco had something added to it. It simply did not taste like straight Burley/VA. Whatever it was, I hated it. Yak.

I am in the minority here so you might want to try this anyway.

Oh well . . . one thing about pipesmokers; we are all individuals. Pipe smoking is not something you do because everyone else is doing it. So while I did not like this stuff at all, others will surely disagree.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Balrrach (4)	2021-07-13		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Orlik Dark Strong Kentucky is different from all other tobaccos I have smoked. It is neither "Dark" or "Strong" and it is totally different from other kentucky forward blends like HH Old Dark Fired, Gawith Hoggart Dark Birds Eye or Savinelli Doblone d'Oro.

This blend is quite cased in licorine/molasses/strawberry. The casing sublimates the tobaccos a lot making them indetectable in some parts of the smoke and masking their flavor the rest of the time. Even though it is very cased it doesn't overwhelm me as fast as many aromatics do causing me to dump the pipe after a few pufs. It has quite a few rought spots showing a truly chemical flavor particularly with every relight.

This blend is not bad but at the same time I wished it was less cased, thus, showing more tobacco flavor and eliminating some rought spots. Since it is high in nicotine I recomend it to aromatic smokers who are on the mood for a stronger smoke since aromatics are usually low in the nicotine department and this is not. Two and a half stars which I rounded down to two.

UPDATE: After trying this blend in a smaller pipe, particularly a group 2 corn cob pipe I noticed that the topping was sublimated a bit and more tobacco flavor came through with less chemichal flavor. BEWARE: Contrary to what others experimented this tobacco ghosted my briar a bit.

Pipe Used: Group 2, 4

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PuffPuffLive (32)	2019-01-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The flakes are beautiful. A golden strip sandwiched between dark borders.

The tin note is complex. Bright Virginia’s hit the nose up front, followed by a sweet smokey note. There is a noticeable molasses casing.

This flake smokes well. Rubbed out and dried for a few minutes, it packs and lights easily. The smoke has body, but not a lot of nicotine. It’s easy going, but has an oily and thick molasses and licorice aftertaste.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2018-08-20		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had avoided this one because of the name. I was expecting a true nic-hit instead of what I found.

I like the combination of flavors. The licorice definitely comes through in my opinion along with some other sweetness that could be molasses as others have suggested.

The flavors tend to override the background tobaccos to me, but I found the sample I had to be an enjoyable smoke.

Pipe Used: Canadians

Age When Smoked: unknown

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2018-05-19		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm with the people who say this isn't as strong as they were expecting.. the dark fired component actually seems to highlight the Virginia more than anything else.. as a Virginia guy this made me quite happy.. very mild.. a little sweet a little tangy and spicy.. if you are looking for a bold Kentucky nic bomb this might not do it for you.. just a nice mellow smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2017-09-16		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

DSK is a charming flake offered at a charming price! The Kentucky is included in sufficient proportion to release a nice spiceness that interacts nicely with the sweetness of the stoved Virginias. The molasses and brown sugar top note brilliantly complete the high quality tobaccos, leaving a pleasant aftertaste and does not ghost my pipes. The flakes always are at the right moisture level for immediate packing, burn extremely well and the nicotine is medium, making it an ideal all day smoke for the Kentucky amateurs.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-07-12		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The best thing about this blend is its presentation: the striped flakes are both novel and beautiful. The worst thing about this blend is the name; it is neither dark (in flavor) or strong, and the kentucky is barely perceptible. Very misleading. I would expect a flavor akin to HH Old Dark Fired. What DSK delivers is very different. This blend is most similar to the Danish school of aromatics in that it has a virginia base, with ample natural maple and brown sugar topping. While the kentucky certainly adds body, the overall flavor is light, fresh, and sweet. Now having said all that, let me add that i do enjoy this blend. Its tasty, unique, and smokes well. I ordered another 5 tins after trying it. It definitely has its place. I only take issue with the name because it is so...not what it proclaims. I was disappointed in my expectation, but not in the actual product. And that's my bad really. I purchased it in store on a whim, and could have saved myself by reading a few reviews here. However, then i probably wouldnt have tried it, and i wouldve missed out entirely. I guess sometimes things happen for a reason!

Pipe Used: Cobs, briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2017-05-21		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is great. Buy it. Now the details. These are flakes, and you have to rub them out. This should be done vigorously, thoroughly and for at least a minute. You may have issues with relighting, but that's remedied by having a good charring light. It burns smooth and even. I think it works better in medium to large bowls. This is certainly what you would call a complex or sophisticated blend. You can smoke it different ways and get different results. If your charring light is poor and you have to relight you will end up puffing frequently and on hot air, leading to a tongue bite. If it's lit but you are puffing fast trying to get more of the subtle taste, you will probably get tongue bite. If you take huge puffs, guess what? chemical tongue bite. I think moderation and patience is key with this blend. It definitely has a semi-sweet flavor, although I wouldn't go so far as to label it licorice. I don't find it tangy at all. If I close my eyes and not force the smoke, it almost smells like incense, deep and "serious". It's something to smoke at an office, if you're the boss. It has a character of no nonsense. The only minor complaint is the aftertaste, still here after a few hours and brushing. Still, great tobacco blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	buroak (16)	2017-03-08		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Given the way the different tobaccos are combined in the flake, I was not surprised that the flavor experience changes several times during the course of a bowl. I occasionally get a deep tang, presumably from what Red Virginia is present. The lighter Virginia takes over at other times providing a grassy flavor. The Kentucky is the other prominent flavor, and its earthy spice is fairly consistently noticeable. As far as the added flavoring is concerned, my palate tends to side with those claiming licorice. That said, the licorice is never the lead flavor to my taste. Indeed the flavor sometimes seems to disappear. The Cavendish is not obtrusive; rather, I pick it up more as a smoothing, body-boosting component.

The strength in terms of nicotine is probably midway between mild and medium. The taste is nearer medium than mild but certainly never more than medium. This burns well and requires fewer than my high average number of relights.

I think of this as a milder and usually cheaper substitute for Peterson's Irish Flake or Rattray's Stirling Flake. DSK is not as good as either, and they are only somewhat similar, but sometimes this Orlik blend is for me a passable stand-in. When DSK is on sale I consider it a three star blend. At full price it gets only two.

Similar Blends: Similar enough to be regarded as a milder, cheaper substitute for Peterson's Irish Flake or Rattray's Stirling Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	saintcajun78 (5)	2016-12-25		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This one has a licorice smell to the Tin with a very nice presentation. Upon smoking this blend you pick up a slight sweetness from the virginias and then towards the middle and last half of the bowl the Kentucky fire cured tobacco comes through. While I prefer golden sliced this one is a pretty good blend as well. I would recommend this pipe tobacco especially if you like Kentucky fire cured tobacco.

Pipe Used: Dr Grabow Riviera

Age When Smoked: new out of tin, and aged 1 year.

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2016-10-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The name Dark Strong Kentucky is a bit of a misnomer, since in no way would I qualify this a strong blend, Kentucky or otherwise. But it is very pleasant, nonetheless, and there is a good amount of dark-fired to qualify the blend as burley based. It's an interesting variation on the stronger burley/dark-fired blends I normally gravitate towards. As a footnote, I never had the pleasure of trying this blend in its original glory, so the review is based only on its reintroduced state.

Tin note is beautiful and packed with rich anise and molasses. The tan and black striations reveal golden virginia sandwiched between layers of DFK. The flakes rub out easily, which I advise you to try, since getting these flakes to light without doing so is an almost hopeless endeavor. Flavor seems about the same either way. Interestingly, the anise scent doesn't really carry into the flavor profile. I get a predominance of that patented Orlik bright Virginia, sweetened only mildly by a delicious molasses sort of flavor. The Kentucky waxes and wanes in strength, sometimes just a bread-like accent giving the blend body , other times right up front with its spicy smokiness and tea-like sweetness. I do get the anise from time to time, especially on relights. In my judgment, the topping is excellently done, since there is a great deal of tobacco flavors present while just subtly seasoned with topping flavors.

My only complaint would be the tendency to burn hot and gurgle. I've had no issues with bite, however. There is the inevitable comparison to cousin Heinrich dark strong flake. I agree it's fairly similar, but I disagree that it's the same tobacco with different topping. I found Heinrich's all but unsmokable in any conditions, preparations, or pipes, while DSK is quite enjoyable when treated nicely. I would grant somewhere between 3 and 3.5 on this one. It's unique and interesting, but I don't yet know that it will be a permanent member of my rotation. If you aren't into much heavier Kentucky blends, this may be right up your alley.

Pipe Used: Various briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Peter Heinrich's Dark Strong Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2016-03-12		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think, if you've tried Mac Baren Old Dark Fired and find it to be too strong with not enough sweetness, then this is your tobacco. It is sweet and full in taste but remarkably light in body (nic) considering the dark fired component.

It gets 3 stars for being delicious and SMOOTH but I'm leaving off a star because it doesn't deliver the N I want, but that may not be a negative for most people. It is reasonably priced and I can see this being a real bell ringer for many pipers wanting a full, non English blend, with some sweetness but no annoying nic hit.

Similar Blends: Interestingly, I don't find this similar to anything else, not really (besides it's twin blend, which doesn't count)..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2016-02-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Very nice blend. The anise/licorice is noticeable, but never overwhelming. It has a nice nutty sweetness that balances with the Virginias. An enjoyable, relaxing smoke when you desire more than a straight Virginia, and less than a full burley.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2016-01-31		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an amazing tobacco.

Beautiful presentation in the tin. Dark and bright flakes pressed together in a nice square cake. The smell of sweet virginias, hay, and licorice sting the nose upon opening.

The tobacco is easy to load in flakes or rubbed out into your pipe. Lighting can take some effort if you haven't let the flakes dry a bit. Once lit it behaves well and produces good amounts of smokes. The sweet typical flavor or Orlik's golden slice come out in the smoke with a heavier and richer flavor, probably from the kentucky. Very sweet, robust, deep, rich, strong flavor is present with a perfect balance of sweetness. Hints of licorice and anise are present around mid bowl til the end, but not overpowering. A good N kick to this tobacco but not too much. Great smoke in the morning with coffee to get one going.

Excellent tobacco and one of my current favorites.

Pipe Used: Cob, billard, devils anse

Age When Smoked: 6 months aged

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2015-12-10		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I am not usually one for the VaBur type of smoke, but the Dark Kentucky adds an element to this one that brings me into that folks.

Very rich and deep taste, and very well behaved.

I really do think its the same stuff Heinrich's Dark Strong. I put them side by side and could detect no difference smoking one immediately after the other.

True to all Orlik its very easy to pack and light, smoke is rich and deep, took very little maintenance.

It starts off with all elements coming through. THe VA gets pushed aside somewhat by the other elements which are strong from the off, and once its all warmed up they all come through very even and smooth.

No criticisms, a very nice one and glad its back.

Pipe Used: XXL Billiard

Age When Smoked: Brand new

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bigterr (21)	2015-10-11		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

I like to try new tobaccos so when I saw this one on sale at P&C I had to buy some. I got the 50 gram tin (1.76 oz). I've not had many burly based blends, actually only a couple, Mac Barens Golden extra and London blend. So this was a gamble. The dice came up in my favor! I opened the tin and was greeted by an excellent aroma (I really like black licorice) and a gorgeous appearing flake. Resisting the urge to eat the contents I peeled off a couple of slices and rubbed them out and left them to air dry for about 15 minutes. Using the 3 stage method I packed my pipe and lit up. Well! Sure was tasty and kept on giving throughout the bowl. The flavor delivered was delicious and of a medium strength profile such that there was never a temptation to puff harder to get more. A good dose of our Lady nicotine but not over powering. It went very well with a cup of Darjeeling and on another occasion with a nice cappuccino. I would not pick this as an every day smoke as I liked it too much to risk getting accustomed to the flavor. I want it to stay in the treat category. I'll be getting more of this to cellar.

Pipe Used: Briars corn cobs and meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Nothing I've ever had before..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brashboy (84)	2015-07-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I thought I'd like this one a lot more than I did, though I did like it. Tin note is classic VaBur, light sweetness with notes of raisins and perhaps hay, very enticing for a VaBur smoker, though--admittedly--the VA was not very pronounced. At the match, I definitely get the Virginia up front, but the taste is primarily Burley. I'm a Burley man, though, so no problem there. Flavor does not change much through the bowl, but the flavor is delicious and rich. The very last of the bowl gave me an incredible burst of flavor (rubbed out) that I cannot categorize, but that sort of mind-blowing taste is one of the things I smoke pipes for . Didn’t detect the licorice or anise noted by some reviewers.

This is strong, probably not for beginning tobacco smokers, but smokeless tobacco adherents probably won’t be troubled by it. Moisture level is good right out of the tin. Smoke volume is moderate, but nice and thick enough. Smoke this slow. Hot=bitter. Got much better results by rubbing out the flakes than stuffing them into the bowl. Burns down to a nice ash. This is a really fine tobacco for Burley lovers, not so much for others. If you like a stout tobacco and good Burley flavor, DSK deserves a try. Realistically, this is about a 2.6 on the scale; it gets a 3 from me because it's better than a 2.

Pipe Used: MasterCraft freehand

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ELF (40)	2010-02-23		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

}}}}}}Would you rather a Pint of"Miller Lite",or a Pint of"Guinness".....I'll take Guinness,Thankyou!(Dark Kentucky)! You either Love Guinness,or you hate it.I find"Orlik's Dark Kentucky"not unlike G'ness.....You can sip,gulp,or guzzle it//Easy draw,gasp,or toke it.....small,med,large pipe(glass).Not sure which i LOVE MORE...."Dark Kentucky"or"Guinness".....I find this Tobacco very complex,,,Super-cal-e-fradg-e-li-stick-x-p-aal-e-doe-shush!!! ! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ! :))

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2006-09-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Oh man, oh man! The guys at Cigar and Tabac in OP,Ks recommended this to me when I told them I wanted a good strong (but tasty) burley blend that cut right to the chase. I wanted something that would be tasty, long lasting, and loaded with nicotine. This is what was recommended.

I have been familiar with Stokebye tobaccos for quite sometime, being a ryo smoker, and I didn't think this blend would be disappointing. It wasn't. Dark (Stong) Kentucky flakes aptly describes what this blend is.

The tin aroma was strong, but pleasant; none of that overpowering sweetness like I found with MacBaren's London Burley Blend. It was a little like dates, but not like the stewed prune smell I expected. And the flakes are beautiful; nice golden tobacco sandwiched between chocolate colored layers. It's almost a shame to rub it out (or cross cut into cubes, your choice).

This stuff tastes like no other burley/va blend I have tried. It tastes like no other tobacco blend period. It definitely tasted of burley, and there's just enough of the virginia to sweeten it, but it has a nice aged character and aroma. The best way I can think of to describe the smoking experience is that it tastes "manly". And the aroma is manly, in a flannel shirt and pickup kind of way. My wife absolutely detests the lingering odor of it in my truck, but she is overly fond of flowers and girly things.

When I asked the gentlemen who recommended this blend to me what it was like, I was told that it couldn't be described. But, I was assured that it would be good if I liked burleys. I found them to be correct. Dark Kentucky has to be experienced. Buy a tin; put on your best flannel shirt and hiking boots, and tramp out into the woods with a bowl full. But, leave the wife at home.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hemlock (69)	2006-05-26		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is one of those tobaccos that doesn't easily compare with anything else. So for that reason at a minimum, one should try a tin (or share the 100g amongst friends). It is a "oreo cookie" of flake. The dark burley strips on either edge of a virginia core. I tried the newer tinned product labelled as Dark Kentucky Flakes per the new EU laws. The virginia must certainly be from a similar batch as the Capstan flake is made from. High quality, clean burning, and delightful.

The tin aroma is nothing less than pure sundried raisins. The flavour combines the virginia and burley so well with a flavour ranging from nutty to raisin and fig. There is a tartness and sweetness from the virginia, balanced with a fullness and rounding imparted by the burley-- which I don't believe is flavoured much if at all. The aroma emminating from the bowl is not really inviting or lady friendly, but outdoors it is a lovely rich tobacco farm fresh smell, not at all like cigarettes as some plain virginias can emulate. This is a must try for those who favour natural blends with medium-hi nicotine and without Latakia. Definitely a change of pace from plain jane virginias. Not for the aromatic lover or those who need to smoke like a blast furnace, though it doesn't really bite.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-05-08		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

First, my tin does not say "Dark Strong Kentucky", but "Dark Kentucky Flakes". Same picture of an aging transvestite, same colors and danish inscriptions that defy internet translating services.

I retried this after smoking Pease's Montgomery and loving the dark burley used in it. I like this blend because it shares that same quality. What is likely different is the flavoring used in DKF: whiskey and coffee. It goes well with the leaf, but make no mistake: this is another aromatic burley, but with some welcome differences.

The multicolored flakes are thankfully pre-cut to pipe bowl size. Drying may be advised: I have to use two q-tips to drain my pipe's shank every bowl, though I find the steam very tasty.

Perhaps the name was changed away from "strong" because the blend's nicotine strength is unremarkable. The taste, though, is very nicely rich. The chosen sauces are only slightly sweet and impart a dark flavor rarely found in the vanilla/fruit/spice/Old Spice- dominated aromatic genre.

Grab a new Missouri Meerschaum, christen it Bruce (after the 'guy' on the tin) and use it exclusively for this blend. There's a lot of character here and it leaves its mark.

Many dislike burleys and this will convert none of them. For burlists like myself, it's a gotta-try. It is only available in 100g, but a good gamble.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2004-10-07		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

My first encounter with DSK was a bit intimidating. A bit on the strong side I thought and fairly difficult to light,etc. After this tin sat in my motorhome for two or three months, it had given up some of the initial moisture. It is still fairly flexible and much easier to rub out and get burning. I normally just fold a couple of flakes in half and push them lightly into the bowl. They fire up on the second light and burn nicely. I detect a nice Virginnia component in this tobacco. That typical sharpness tells your tongue Virginnia is present. The Burley is of a very high quality and does dominate the blend. No bitterness whatsoever. If you puff too hard, you can induce some tongue-bite. Take it easy and you will be very pleasantly rewarded. Don't let the Burley name keep you from trying this tobac. It is only available in a 100 gram tin where I shop so you may want to borrow a pinch or see if your tobacconist will let you try a bowl first. In any event, if you end up with the tin, you most likely will have no trouble getting rid of the remainder if you are one of the few who don't like this flake. I am not a big fan of really strong flakes and I thought this one was great! A relatively unique tobacco. Highly recommended for the experienced pipe smoker. Note: After smoking this tobac. you will not taste any other blend. Not even a strong English!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-06-18		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This a very peculiar looking tobacco. It comes in a 100g tin consisting of small thin flakes, 1&1/2 x 3/4 inches in size, jumbled about. Half the flake is medium brown tobacco and half is dark tobacco. It smells like like a chocolate cake topped with vanilla and cherry cream. My first thought was, "Oh, oh, not one of these again. I can't put this stuff in a briar. Better get the corn cobs." The flake is nice and pliable, rubs easily into whatever form you would prefer to pack it. It lights quickly and burns nicely all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Thank goodness, very little of the casing comes through in the smoke. In fact, the smoke has a lightly sweetened Virginia and burley flavor. This is a good smoke if you appreciate burly. I am told the room note is a smooth vanilla with a chocolate edge. The burly has strength in that you get the strong burly sensation on the tongue, but you do not get the cheap burly taste. I continue to smoke this in corn cobs, although I do not think it would infest a pipe. Just not willing to take the chance. This should be enjoyed by the burly lover and as a very big step up for the aromatic lover. I would rank this right behind Sweet Vanilla Honeydew Flake. Recommended. Paddy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2003-01-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This came as a very nice surprise. IMO this is an excellent tobacco, flavoursome, spicy, with a discreet toffee-chocolaty undertone (though I wouldn?t say an aromatic proper), elegant, palatable, and exceedingly smooth. It does have a rather noticeable nicotine kick, but other than that this is not a strong tobacco in the sense that Dunhill?s Nightcap, Fox?s Provost Mixture or even Gawith?s Full Virginia Flake are. If anything, I rate DSK as a medium strength dark flake, with a very obvious Burley-Kentucky component, but with enough Virginia to give it an admirable balance and zest.

Tin aroma is very inviting: somewhere in between the bitter sweet and tangy registers. The flakes are beautiful: almost square cut, dark and bright brown striped (rather like petite biscuits), and amazingly easy to break up and pack in. It lights with no problem and it smokes clean, with a velvety smoothness. The Burley and Kentucky components provide a rich nutiness and density which are, IMO, very agreeable.

In terms of quality and ease of smoke, DSK resembles its milder sibling, Golden Sliced. Top grade leaf, unimpeachable attention to detail and an elegant presentation, make DSK a recommendable tobacco for both aromatic and regular leaf smokers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-11-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is an interesting blend. I was introduced to it fairly early in my adventures with tinned baccies. Peter Stokkebye was at our local shop and he talked about how, when this blend was created, they brought it to him for his opinion. He tasted it and immediately said that this stuff would never sell in the US market, it was just too strong. He chuckled and said even he could be wrong. With a challenge like that I just had to try some. I did and smoked it fairly regularly for quite some time but then drifted away from it.

The other day I decided to open a tin that I'd cellared for almost two years. Upon opening I was greeted with that peculiar licorice aroma. The tobacco had dried some in the time it had aged which made me wonder just a bit about the tin's seal. Upon lighting I was greeted with the full flavor of this blend. I remembered why I'd considered this stuff on a par with Blackwoods Flake. It is about that strong, but with something else added. That something else I now realized was the charateristic taste of burley. Since passing through my original DSK kick I'd come to the conclusion that I really am not that enamored with burley blends. I smoked the rest of the bowl, rated it about a six to my current taste and wondered what to do with the rest of this tin.

Then it hit me. There are several guys who rave about burley blends and corncobs. Why not give it a try? I dug out my Wanghee (a godawful ugly bamboo shanked cob that smokes like a dream) and filled it with some rubbed out DSK. It was great! The sweetness of the cob offset the dry nuttiness of the burleys wonderfully and let the Va's come through. Now we had a smoke that did indeed rate an eight or nine anyway.

If you are a fan of burleys and want to try something new, ignore the sweet topnote of this one and give it a go. If you are more of a Va smoker, as am I, dig out one of your poor maligned cobs and see just how good they can be.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2001-06-25		Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

The tobacco is a small, finely sliced flake, usually broken. Each flake consists of some medium mottled leaf (looks like red and golden virginia), and some very dark leaf (probably dark fired burley). There is a sweet aroma which seems to be a light casing in the Danish style, and a pungency (but not the ketchup/vinegar aroma found in many McClelland blends). The moisture level is about average, which is much moister than I like it, and needs to be aired out for 15 - 30 minutes before lighting. Others may find it ideal in this regard.

The flakes rub out easily to any desired degree, and I prefer to rub them out some rather than use the "roll" method. The unlit flavor is rich, slightly sweet, and very pleasant. Lighting is average, and yielda a good quantity of dense, creamy smoke. The sweetness is barely noticable as it burns, but there is a surprising fullness to the smoke and a good strength from the dark burley.

Mid bowl is still cool and very tasty with only a slight trace of moisture in the stem. The flavor and strength remains constant. There does not seem to be any "layering" or complexity to the smoke, as in an all va. or va/perique, but the taste is satisfying.

The bottom of the bowl is still pleasant, and the ash is a fine dark gray which coats the pipe well. The room note is not remarkable in ant way.

My LSW claims that it makes my breath awful, even compared to latakia blends or other burleys. Curious, but I have no way to check it out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	neuron_md (37)	2022-10-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like this tobacco a lot, and it’s sad that it’s been discontinued. Plenty has been said of it’s qualities, but for the life of me I couldn’t taste any of the dark-fired Kentucky in this blend.

My reference for that flavor profile would be G&H Kendal Kentucky, University Flake, and MacBaren Old Dark Fired.

Instead I can taste the citrusy Virginias and the sweet black cavendish, and the brown sugar casing that’s mentioned by other reviewers. And I’m surprised because I’m smoking a tin from 2005.

It’s more akin to the modern iteration of Three Nuns, to my taste buds.

Having said that, it’s a very nice, cool, and sweet tobacco that I can smoke all day. The nicotine strength is mild to medium.

The flavor and aroma is good, it’s not offensive to non-smokers, and it doesn’t bite my tongue.

One of my favorites. Too bad it’s no longer in production.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: 17 year old sealed tin

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

Similar Blends: Three Nuns (new version) , Newminster Round Slices.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2022-05-16		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

2014 tin that I tried. Been opened and not humidified at all.A lot better moisture level still left than the Balkan Sobrani from the same year that I’d reviewed the same night!The virginia’s I tasted well, hitting me square right in the face! As I smoked along the black cavendishes did mellow the smoke for me blending with the burley’s well in the end.My wife and daughters wondered “What the Heck I was smoking “, since I am mainly an Aromatic cavendish burley smoker.Still was very glad to experience this tobacco after having been recommended to try this.I have smoked the Orlik Golden Sliced which is a totally different blend than this. I have to admit that If I had to choose I’d have to keep on keeping on with this over the Golden Slice Orlik!

Pipe Used: Davidoff straight billiard

Age When Smoked: 2014

Purchased From: Colony Tobacco pipe show

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDaIlly (1)	2021-01-22		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very enjoyable smoke, smooth and not bitey. Heavy and dark like the name suggests. Fewer relights when fully rubbing out the flakes and letting dry for a few minutes before packing. Very flavorful with a sort of sweet black licorice tone. Enough nicotine for sure.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Newly opened tin

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2020-10-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is a very well balanced blend of Kentucky and Virginia tobaccos. I wouldn't call it strong. The blend starts nutty with lots of grassy VA sweetness. Burly tends to bitter toward the middle of the bowl, and this is no exception. It definitely gets a bit more full flavored as the smoke progresses. Lots of nut, hay, and molasses.It tastes a bit like black coffee.

Never becomes overwhelming and is overall very satisfying for a lover of Burly and Virginia.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2020-08-01		Mild to Medium	Strong	Full	Tolerable

3rdguy

Just finished my 1st full tin. It had 5 years and 5 months of age on it. I like the short flakes, makes it easy to prep by simply tearing it in half twice. Heavy licorice tin note and that note is present throughout the smoke. Lights pretty easily and once it is going no relights. Occasionally some gurgle but not to where I would find it distracting. Burns to a nice white ash. No bite but did leave me some coating on the tongue chemical wise every smoke.

After the first few bowls I did not really care for it but after staying with the entire tin for a week or so I can say it grew on me.I could see reaching for it at times because I knew what I was getting each bowl and it never wavered. I would call it a licorice then burley forward blend. Which is not a bad thing when I want to mix it up. A nice blend but I will not cellar it too hard.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: Tin date of 2/10/2015

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Curious George (15)	2019-08-16		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Gorgeously presented striped flakes that took several relights initially. Rubbing out and giving a brief dry time is all that was needed. The smell was dark fruit and spice which tasted much the same add molasses. The smoke is thick, fairly cool and with a pleasant mouthfeel. A little restraint was required as I did warm up the pipe excitingly puffing away on this. Everything came together well on this one and I will be buying more to both cellar and keep in the rotation.

Pipe Used: Ed Burke Cherrywood, Lanza Dublin

Age When Smoked: Freshly opened

Purchased From: P&C

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BROBS (67)	2019-07-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

When opening the tin, you are greeted with 3 neat stacks of nearly 2" long bacon-strip looking pieces of flake with dark edges and a bright Virginia center. The flakes are very hard to separate and like to break apart at the meeting of the VA's and the outer Dark Fired/Cavendish strips... often leaving you with Trident Gum sized pieces of either the edges or center of the flake. This is fine but a pain when trying to put some in a pouch etc. I found it easier to just rub out a whole stack at a time and put it in my pouch. The flakes rub out fairly easily.. not dissimilar to Golden Sliced.

I don't understand the reviews stating that this is all burley.. it most certainly is not as the description states as well as the bright yellow VA you can see in the center strip.

The tin note to me is of molasses, with a sour note given from the Virginias and a tang from the dark tobaccos as well. I get a very slight licorice note but not as much as molasses, and I have an inkling that the licorice note is actually from the cavendish and dark fired and that there is not an anise topping, (though there could be a slight one). The flakes are decently moist from the tin and can stand some age or dry time, though it's not 100% necessary.

When lighting you are hit with a sweetness you don't expect, and a mild smoke counter to the name "Strong". It has a piquant deliciousness that keeps you puffing away... it made me want to smoke it a bit too hard to be sure to take it slow. It smokes cool and has a pretty decently sweet room note, although not light due to the Kentucky. The flavor profile reminds me a lot of Mac Baren Stockton Roll Cake... which isn't available here in the US anymore. :(

I didn't have any problem keeping it lit and it doesn't get harsh at the bottom of the bowl, though it does lose a little bit of the sweetness found at the beginning. It can leave a bit of dottle if you don't dry it... but rubbing it out and letting it sit for 15-30 minutes or so does the trick. I will say I found it to work and taste best in a very small pipe... which belies the fact that it is not that strong in nicotine to me.

This is one that truly surprised me and I will certainly be buying more to cellar. I can only imagine it will improve over time. Like Golden Sliced, my wife didn't even complain of the room note.

Pipe Used: Petersons (System 317 was best!)

Age When Smoked: direct from tin, broken up into pouch

Purchased From: received in trade!

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Stockton.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Badmedicine (51)	2019-04-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I admit, I'm surprised how much I liked this. I find Dark Fired to be something best used in minute quantities, so a flake that purports to have a high percentage of it as a main ingredient gave me pause. But then again, I was leery of 35% perique in a blend, and that has become my all-time favorite (Chenet's Cake). Imagine my surprise when I opened the tin to find three very tidy stacks of scientifically-precise striped flakes and a tin note primarily of brown sugar and dark fruit, with just a hint of smoke. This characteristic carried over into the smoke, which was surprisingly quite sweet. Sweet enough that my brain said "There be a healthy dose of Cavendish in there". Checking here after the fact, it seems I was correct. The smoke is sweet, buttery, darkly fruity,and oy slightly Smoky. A true delight.

Pipe Used: Big Ben Pipo, Peterson 999

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: S.G Roi Tobacconist (B&M)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2019-01-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Dark Strong Kentucky is among my top five favorite tobaccos. I had the misfortune, as I wanted to try it, to see it become discontinued back in 2005 before I could place an order for it. When it as reintroduced a few years back, I was extremely enthusiastic and quickly proceeded to acquire a reassuring quantity. I have not regretted this decision. DSK is visually pleasant. The molasses, brown sugar and licorice casings smell so good and promise nothing less than a delightful smoking experience. And delightful it is. The casings do not sublimate the tobacco taste and DSK offers a deep, rich and creamy smoke dominated by outstanding Burleys that make me crave, every time, for more. The nicotine level is just right (medium) and, surprisingly, it leaves no ghost in the tobacco chamber. DSK, once rubbed out, smokes easily and leaves a dry bowl. I do not see this tobacco discussed much on the forums and find it regrettable for it is, for all Burley lovers, a bucket list tobacco. You must try it!

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 1 Y

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BlueDog1950 (17)	2018-10-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Dark Fired Kentucky, Orlik

Excellent stuff, highly recommended. Virginia/Burley: crumble flake, Kentucky, Virginia. Not fancy, just a great smoking tobacco Nice crumble flakes, easy to rub out, soft smoke, lots of smoke Slightly smoky, hits of spice, not sure if from Dark Fired Virginia processing or may be from supposed licorice topping but I cannot really taste the licorice per se. Very balanced, burley and Virginia blended nicely Very tasty, good solid tobacco flavor, nice clean coating on mouth. Burns evenly, no relights, Moderate strength, moderate+ taste, moderate nic Light and airy, smoked nicely in the

Ben Wade Lovat with large draft hole, lets lots of smoke into mouth.

Pipe Used: Ben Wade Lovat

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2018-08-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The flakes were all fragmented into strips, but that made them easier to fold and stuff. Mild flavored tobaccos, mostly regular VAs and some Kentucky, Licorice and Molasses toppings almost equaling the mild blend. Also a mild (and fairly pleasant) smoke, but it does smell very nice. I think most would find this an easy-going blend; some might like it part of a regular rotation. For me, right on the borderline C+/B-. I'll likely smoke it again.

Pipe Used: meers, cobs, & a yellow-bole

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: 4 noggins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fdcl50 (9)	2017-05-16		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

My tin presented a rectangular cake like bar with the flakes layered oblong. Very nice and easy to separate the flakes. I took two rubbed them out and they loaded nicely. The tin note is appealing with a hint of sweetness. Not overpowering but pleasant. I did not get the iicorice as many have noted but there is a sweetness that may be a result of a mild topping. The topping does not hamper the natural flavor profile of the Virginia and burley leaf and I found the taste of the tobacco to be full and satisfying. It lit well and smoked nicely. Needed some relights toward the end of the bowl. I enjoyed the full bowl and look forward to the next. I do believe age would enhance the flavor profile but I cannot testify to that at this point. I will check back later and report any improvement. A nice tobacco at a reasonable price. Orlik continues to demonstrate quality and value with this fine blend.

Pipe Used: Castello bent billiard

Age When Smoked: Freshly opened tin

Purchased From: Cigars international

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-11-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Aesthetically exquisite. Might as well call it Zebra or Ambidextrous flake. This is the tobacco that sold me the capacity of burley. Just when I thought it was English vs. Virginia, the tertium quid appears. Like discovering a third pro baseball league you didn't know about. Don't be deceived by the name - not too strong. This will remain the burley stand by for me, until I get a hold of some Old Joe Krantz to see if it can unseat this sure winner.

Pipe Used: Oom Paul

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-06-08		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I am quite happy that this classic is back on the shelves. I had tried Heinrich's version and was not crazy about it as I find the black licorice casing was too present and the strenght of the tobacco mild to medium. Orlik presents us with, yes, some kind of black licorice casing, but I find it's more of molasses. I wasn't quite sure if there was really some DFK in there as I could not identify it by nose. But when I lit up, the molasses casing had a quasi burnt taste to it and that's when I realized the DFK is quite present. I believe there might be some Black CA as well, which softens the spicy, fired qualities of the DFK. The virginias bring an unsweetened, "breadish" taste that balance out the blend's sweetness. Lighting up is super easy and the tobacco burns beautifully well. The casing is present throughout but does not hinder on the tobacco taste, especially when the DFK kicks in. DSK is not a complex tobacco but it's never boring. What makes it fun lies in the fact that, from one pipeful to another its strenght will vary, depending on the proportion of DFK that ends up in the bowl. Nicotine is more than medium on average, and less than strong. So, medium strong. I would not tend to make this an everyday smoke. However, I would open a tin every couple months to enjoy with genuine pleasure. Overall it's a tobacco much different than what I'm used to smoke. And, having 9 tins in my cellar, I will buy more.

Pipe Used: Ashton Pebble Grain XX; Cygne

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bobbysmokes (15)	2015-05-05		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Love the smoky taste of this blend. I ordered five cans from Pipes and Cigars and will only smoke the first can to allow for cellaring. I love the aroma of this blend and enjoy the taste considerably.

Pipe Used: Dagner Holligan, Savinelli Second, Peterson x106

Age When Smoked: Unkown

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-10-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

For old-tyme flake smokers. And...those new to the pipe, who,after smoking some mild varieties, are perhaps now looking for something more. Orlik Dark Kentucky Flakes is a delicious smoke. (name varies a bit depending on what country you are in)

.....Soft, rich, and with copious smoke. It is a blend of high-quality tobaccos pressed into a cake and then sliced into "flakes", producing a rich, high-quality smoke, a good nicotine hit, and a tobacco that is not too complex. I can count on it to be a pleasant smoke every time I load a bowl.

It is perhaps a bit on the 'dry' side, but so far (6 tins) I have not had to add humidity.

It is a rare and 'honest' blend, in my opinion.. & is my #1 DAILY smoke, followed by "Bull's Eye." (a close second)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-16		Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Very Pleasant

I'm a burly lover, as well as an admitted corn cob snob, and this has quickly become my favorite blend. At age 60, I need a bit stronger tobacco to get my attention, and Dark Kentucky is that perfect combination, lots of flavor and lots of nicotine. Just opening the tin is enough to cause a smile.

The licorice undertone of Dark Kentucy gives this blend just the tart sweetness needed to make this an interesting and complex smoke. I'm not much for aromatics, and this isn't by any means aromatic, but the licorice gives it a full, pleasent room note, at least for me. Being single, I can't guess how someone else might feel about the after effects.

If you like mild, humble blends, you prpbably won't care for this one. But if you want a tobacco you can go to at any time and know you'll take notice of what's in your bowl, you won't find a better choice than Dark Kentucky. Get a Diplomat cob and dedicate it to this blend; you'll be reaching for it quite often. If you try it and don't like it, by all means send it to me, I'll give it a good home.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-09-03		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is great stuff. Got it on a whim, and glad I did. Comes in one of the best working tins I've seen. It actually shut well. Flakes are very attractive- Black with blond strips inside. Smells like licorice and tobacco. Not a strong smell of licorice- just enough to wonder if thats what it was. Flakes are smaler than expected, it takes two for me, but its a 100grm tin...so this isn't a major minus. Flavor profile is nice throughout the bowl. Great a bit stronger in taste toward the bottom. Does well with DGT. Clean finish. All in all a great burley blend. In my top three burlies.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-05-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of my favorites as there is nothing else quite like it. It smells like raisins in the tin and has a pleasant room note for a nonaromatic. Flavor, while not complex, is very tasty. It has not bitten me even when I have at times puffed a little too fast and hard. Others have written of its pleasing look and delight in rubbing it out and I agree with their kudos. If you haven't tried it yet I suggest you do and don't let presuppositions about what it should be like get in the way. Enjoy it for what it actually is --- a fine smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ivanhoe (36)	2006-05-04		Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

DSK is burley, and nothing but. I love burley blends, and I smoke more burley than anything else. I was looking forward to trying this one after seeing its great reviews, many from reviewers whose taste has agreed with mine on the past.

The bottom line is: it's mild tasting, it has some sweetish topping on it, and that's it. There is a moderate amount of nicotine, but nothing special for a straight burley. There is absolutely nothing objectionable about it, except that it's BORING. The taste of this blend so uneventful that I find myself wondering when it's going to be finished by the time I'm a third of the way through a bowl. I've smoked about half of the 100g tin I bought, and I'm ready to give the rest away. Box pass, anyone?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-01-31		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Recently, Europe has changed their laws regarding labeling of things. Dark Strong Kentucky is now just Dark Kentucky so the ?confusion? can finally stop. I never thought this blend was particularly strong anyway.

Appearance: This one gets the nod for ?oddity? if anything ever did. When whole the flake look something like an Oreo cookie with Dark Kentucky on the outside and light colored Virginia in the middle, strange yes, but very appealing. One true bonus of this feature is that you can ?customize? a bowl easily adding more of either componant simply by adding more of the appropriate color.

Aroma: This mixture has a deep sweet aroma very enticing. Immediately one smells a deep hay-like quality, cocoa, molasseses, coffee and maybe a hint of cherry or some other fruity essence. Deep, sharp and earthy, carmel tones and nuts are evident.

This tobacco is nearly perfect in moisture though sometimes I allow it to air a bit before use. Most often I simply fold the flakes up and insert them into the bowl un-rubbed, affording me a long burning bowl each time.

Lighting usually is a single fairly laborious as this leathery flake is slow to burn and slow to properly light. As expected, the initial flavor very Burley, with a thick silky mouth feel, notes of butter and nuts. Hay-like tones and smells and flavors of Autumn are abundant with deepening flavors of nuts and butter interplaying in a fascinating way. Deeper tones of chocolate and the occasional taste of cherry is there. The Virginia adds a very pleasant tangy top note to the whole affair.

Mid Bowl: Approaching mid-bowl, the fullness tends to build the toothsome mixtures of butter, nuts and Burley develop in strength slowly along predictable lines. A slight builds throughout, cigar-like flavors come in from time to time. The nuttiness becomes more pronounced and the Virginia drones on adding sweet and sour which is very agreeable. DSK is not very complex, not requiring deep concentration to smoke and enjoy.

Home Stretch: As end of the bowl approaches, the bowl never really changes other than it gradually deepening. This blend remains consistent throughout. The final third has matured nicely with all the flavors working in deepening harmony. Well behaved and cool smoking this mixture satifsys my sweet tooth and passion for Burley all at once. The final third is very rich tasting, but IMHO it is not strong. While not quite a masterpiece of a blend, it certainly has a lot going for it. As a crossover blend (between natural and aromatic) it is unique, there is nothing that I know of that tastes quite like it, though there are some that are similar.

Supplemental Notes: I recommend this blend to those who enjoy Burley and to those who've never tried Burley but are curious to do so.. Rating for those interested in numbers * stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-10		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

In brief, not for me. Why? See previous reviews by Beer and Darwin.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-12-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I first tried this tobacco by recomendation from my local pipe shop owner. She knew that I primarily smoked Kentucky Burley and told me to give it a try. The initial scent present at the opening of the tin was a bit more sweet and spicy than the straight burley that I usually smoke. I guess this is due in part to the presence of viginia varieties. This blend is pressed and sliced, revealing the top and bottom layers of Kentucky, which sandwich the lighter Virginia in the middle. Once rubbed out, I had to let this one dry for about 30min before smoking because the moisture content was quite high. Although this one is called Stong Dark Kentucky, it is quite mild on the tounge and its aroma is not offensive in the least. Also, I noticed that even with what appears to be a 2:1 ratio of Kentucky to Virginia, the Virginia cuts through the taste of the Kentucky more than I prefer. I usually like to smoke Virginia and Kentucky straight-up. The aroma is brown sugar sweet, with the mild tartness so characteristic of Virginia. I prefer to smoke this blend as vell as straight VA and KY in a billiard. It is long and lasting and stays caramel sweet to the end. This blend burns clean leaving a mildly grey ash in the bottom of the bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-10-17		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The fellas above have done a good job of reviewing this blend,so I won't elaborate much further.I sampled a bowlful at the last meeting of my pipe club.It did very little for me, as I'm not a big fan of burley (cased or otherwise)What struck me was just how spicy it was.Unfortunately it was the only flavor I could detect making the blend completely one dimensional to my palate.It was also extremely hard for me to keep it lit.I just have'nt found an Orlik blend that really does it for me and this one's NO different.I'd imagine those who enjoy MacBaren's blends would gravitate to these,I'm just not one of them. Pass This One By... pReP

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2004-03-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

My tins contained nicely prepared flakes ~ 1.5" x 1" that fit my packing style of no rub out with most of my bowl sizes. The flakes I've seen are like an Oreo cookie with the dark layers pressed outside a golden center resulting in an interesting and rather unusual presentation. The tin aroma is not overly sweet but also inviting and no distinct casing is evident. Packing and lighting are effortless and relights are not normally required. This blend provides a cool, dense, rich, sweet taste from start to finish and Stokkebye, the blender, has perfectly balanced the Burley with the sweet VAs. I did find that with multiple smokes in the same pipe, excessive condensation and a strong, bitter taste developed towards the end of the bowl. Proper pipe rest, rotation and cleaning seem more important with this blend that some other flakes. However if this is practiced, you'll be rewarded with a rather strong but satisfying and enjoyable smoke. I've grown to prefer this blend's taste over my prior Burley favorite, MacBaren's Navy Flake, since this one lacks the Cavendish influence and tastes more natural to me. Although I'll still revert to my VA and VA/Perique flakes purchased in bulk @ less unit cost for my regular smokes, this blend could easily be an all day favorite for me. Give it a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-02-16		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

For some reason this reminded me a little bit of Mick Mcquaids flake or kind of like Paul Olsons 111 flake but not as round and silky. I enjoy this for the times when I would like a stronger virginia burley blend. This is definately good and is worth a try but if you would like to try a virginia burley flake that is wonderful and superb try the 111 flake by Paul olson( another blended flake by Peter Stokebye)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-02-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

I got my first bit of DSK from Mars as a sample and immediately fell in love. It is everything I could want in a tobacco. Full flavored yet mild, slightly sweet, and cool smoking. I've purchased several tins now and dedicated one pipe to it.

The tin aroma is very inviting (strong tobacco smell with hints of fig and raisn), and the tobacco is packaged in conveniently sized flakes. They are the same hight as the bowl I smoke DSK in, so I don't rub them out, just lay them in vertically until the pipe is full.

DSK burns cooly. The flavor is strong but not overwhelming. With a name like Dark Strong Kentucky, I was expecting something overwhelming, but it is a nice balanced smoke. IT has plenty of flavor to let you know it is there, but no bit. It is very smooth, almost creamy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-01-13		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Another positive review for Dark Strong Kentucky. I've worked my way through a whole tin, in all kinds of pipes. It's delicious.

Yes, it does have a fairly high dose of nicotine.

Smoke it slowly and you will be rewarded.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-01-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Outstanding five star Burley blend here! I haven't smoked this in a while because my tobacconist no longer carries it. But friends don't let the label on the tin scare you away from this most excellent blend. The burley is Kentucky's finest, Green River fire cured. It is laced with just enough Virginia to balance it out. Pressed into blocks and cut into thin strips, this is spicey BURLEY. Nicotene heaven, robust,a manly smoke,puts hair on your chest,spicey,nutty,mellow,good all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-12-03		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is how a premium Burley blend should be! I find this blend to be rich and dark, just like I imagined when I first heard the name. The only flavoring I picked up on was a bit of sweetness that seemed to be added. This tobacco burned well and was slightly dry in the tin. There really isn't much else to say, It's very fullfilling when you're looking for something to satisfy after a hearty meal!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-10-03		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

During my most recent trip home to Canada, a friend presented me with a Brigham pipe (Canadian made) and a tin of Dark Strong Kentucky. As we sat on his balcony, I decided to break in my new pipe with a bowl of my new tobacco. The pipe, by the way, is an incredible smoker that utilizes Brigham's surprisingly effective filter system. I received a wonderful surprise. The tobacco was incredible. This is everything its name implies. There is nothing subtle here, just a dark, rich, strong tobacco flavour. These irregular flakes smoke best when chopped finely. This tobacco then provides very interesting flavour variations, shifting from a hearty caramel to roasted coffee beans. Wonderful, wonderful tobacco that reminds me why I smoke a pipe. =================================================================================================Update, 3 October 2003 Dear Brethren of the Briar. I have just received great news. I will be starting a new job in Japan in mid-October. This comes after three very rocky months of upheaval. Of all the tobaccos I have on the shelf, which bowl will I reach for to celebrate? Why Dark Strong Kentucky, of course. Cheers to all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I bought this tobacco on the recommendations of fellow pipe smokers.

At first I was a little leery of this tobacco from the name alone, opening the tin I noticed the two tone tobacco Flake with a mildness of fresh tobacco. I rubbed some of the tobacco out and packed it in my Bjarne Brandy Glass, the tobacco was a little moist, but not to the point I could not light it up. The first few drags were very strong but they began mellowing out as I smoked it towards the half way mark of the bowl. Towards the bottom of the bowl the tobacco was as good as it was after the first half on the bowl.

I was not over-powered by the harshness I was expecting to find with the Virginia tobacco, but found it to be a very pleasant smoke with no tongue bite. One could smoke this as an all day tobacco if they so desired

This will become one of my favorites to smoke

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-03-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is probably my favorite tobacco. The layered slices look really cool, and it rubs out quite easily. It's got a nice full but not overwhelming flavor and aroma, toasty and caramel-like. It's not really all that powerful as far as I'm concerned, but it's not light at all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-10-02		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dark Strong Kentucky is an interesting bird to look at. The flakes seems to be composed of half golden tobacco and half a dark tobacco. The taste of this tobacco changes if you don't try to keep equal proportions of the lighter and darker tobaccos in your rubbing.

DSK is a rich smoke and you think it is going to make you turn green when you start smoking it. Have no fear - I have never experienced turning green with this one thankfully. There is a certain cigar tobacco smell and taste with this tobacco, and leaves a simular room note. This tobacco is very full tasting and burns clean.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-05-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Essentially just a very good dark Virginia blend, the label is misleading. There's nothing strong or dark Kentucky about this, and honestly I'm relieved. This isn't my wheelhouse, and there are certainly other options which fit this profile in my mind. Very fruity, not grassy, molasses is present, but no licorice as far as i can tell. Very good, again, just not what I'm looking for. Found a tin for $20, and at that price I'm happy to have it, but i wouldn't spend much more.

Age When Smoked: At least 2 years

Purchased From: Lewis tobacco

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	Tbone (1)	2019-08-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

I’m a novice pipe smoker recently set loose amidst a veritable cornucopia of tobaccos to sample and I must say, after several sessions with this particular variety, it has grown to be a favorite. The smoky sweet taste and aroma are to die for. Tongue bite is minimal to nonexistent compared with others such as Stokkebye’s luxury bullseye flake. Needless to say, this will become a permanent member in my weekly rotation.

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bibliopiper (9)	2019-07-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Tastes like Orlik Golden Sliced married with HH Old Dark Fired. Had just spent a week smoking only ODF when I finally picked up a tin of this to compare. In my opinion the Virginia taste of Golden Sliced is still predominate, making this feel like a slight variation of that blend. If you like Golden Sliced, you will probably like this as well. If you want a stronger dark fired flavor, you might look elsewhere.

Pipe Used: Cobs and a Virginia dedicated briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local shop

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	ChadwickGHurlburt (24)	2019-03-26		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Strong

The presentation of the slices are very pretty. The light Virginia's are flanked by the dark Kentucky on either side of the flake. Very nice presentation.

I really enjoy the stronger pipe blends. The balance and beauty in a very good strong pipe blend is one that is both delicious and strong at the same time. This tobacco has all the full-flavor of the finest strong tobaccos. It burns cool and slow once it's properly dried out. Mine was a little bit wetter out of the tin than I prefer, not unlike every other Orlik blend I have enjoyed. While this blend does have a definite nicotine kick, it isn't nearly as much as you might expect. It tastes like it will knock you off your feet, but then it doesn't. Rather, the nicotine hit slowly builds in a very predictable and manageable manner.

I recommend this for anyone that likes that full rich tobacco taste that dark Kentucky is known for.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chili guy (14)	2018-12-29		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Great looking two tone flakes of Burley and Virginia. Flakes are bit fragile. Took two, fully rubbed out, to fill the bowl. Easy light, no relights required. Tangy, Sweet, lotsa smoke. No bite, stays lit easily. Very tasty with pronounced sweetness at first transitioning to rich and hearty smoke towards the bottom. Very enjoyable smoke in a well known and oft used good briar...a favorite for many years. Too much puffing will overheat the pipe so take it slow. Very rewarding smoke, not too strong as anticipated. Not different enough to pull me away from University Flake or Irish Flake. Not as strong as H&H Classic Burley Kake but tastier. Something a little different.

Pipe Used: Jost (Comoys) Canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh opened tin

Purchased From: Stag Santa Fe, NM

Similar Blends: Irish Flake, University Flake.

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	K Rockport (4)	2018-10-14		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I'm a fairly new pipe-smoker (2 yrs), and I don't smoke too often. I've tried about 15 different tobaccos, to try to figure out what I like between aromatics, English blends, Virginias, etc. So far I'm leaning more towards aromatics, but I didn't dislike the English blends I've tried, although they seem to be more of an acquired taste for me.

I guess I'm learning to rub out flakes and pack things properly, as as this Dark Strong Kentucky burned well and not too hot. I could taste a bit of molasses and maybe licorice, and it was just a very nice, pleasant flavor with fluffy white smoke. The room note was wonderful, to my nose--the kind of smell that drew me to pipe smoking in the first place. I am a novice, so if you want to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, you're probably right. But I really enjoyed this one and will buy it again.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: 1 month old from tin

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars online

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	Zappa2112 (10)	2017-01-30		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Overall not bad. The name is kind of misleading. I expected more dark strong Kentucky. The aroma is nice, and so is the flavor of the casing/toppings used. Sort of a brown sugar/caramel/molasses/vanilla/honey thing goin on there. It's nice, but not what I was expecting considering its name. Still, all of that is OK - it's just too bad that it gives me tongue bite. Otherwise it would probably be a 3 star blend at the least for sure.

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

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	BriarWoody (33)	2017-01-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, mine's a dissenting view. While the flakes are interesting looking, with the center strip of bright VAs bordered by dark tobaccos (presumably KY and Cavendish), I was expecting something . . . well . . . stronger.

The topping is what is strong here, not the underlying tobaccos, and it really gets tiresome after a while, with a lingering, mouth-coating, bitter-sweet and artificial aftertaste. The flakes are comparatively small. One's not enough and two are too much.

It's also fairly mild from a nicotine perspective. That's strike 3.

Pipe Used: Peterson 69, Ashton XXX

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

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	anglocatholicpiper (34)	2016-08-07		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

My first VaBur blend. I was aware of, and a little afraid of, the topping/casing discussed in the reviews. But as a first timer to Va/Burs I am not disappointed. Normally a VaPer smoker, I really enjoyed this change of pace. The burleys brought a lot of depth and I found myself almost craving this tobacco! Looking forward to trying more Va/Burs after this.

Pipe Used: Bing's Favorite Savinelli, MM Cob

Purchased From: smoking pipes

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	Corey Mac (9)	2016-02-26		Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Woooo! Wow Wow WOW. Wow, wow & wow!

Tin aroma:

I popped the wow.... Wow, WowWowWoW, I was like wow! The wow and the wow, wow, when I wow'ed, I wow'ed all the way home! Wow wow wow WOW, woah!

Taste:

Woooha! Whoosh!! It was like whoosh but it wasn't wha?? It was wow. The wow was wow but it wasn't too WHAAAAA? It was Wow. Don't let the wow mislead you, this isn't WOOOO!, it's woooo. It wow'ed pretty wow without too much WOW. The wow wasn't too Wow, just don't WOW! and you won't OUCH.

All in all, WOWW WOW WOWOWOW... WOOOOO!!!!!

Smoke this all day!!!

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	LoneRider (24)	2016-02-23		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Licorice! I love the aroma of this when the tin is opened. This is one of the rare tobaccos that my wife doesn't turn her nose up at. The mottled appearance of the slices is lovely. I choose to fold the flakes rather than rub them out. For me, this tobacco stayed lit with no problems. The taste follows the tin aroma; sweet on the tongue with no bite. Its flavor is unique to my smoking experience (which is going on 45 years).

Pipe Used: Caminetto

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

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	Pipesmoking101 (63)	2016-02-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

Upon receiving a sample of this tobacco (which I have wanted to smoke for some time) the note from the pouch in which my sample arrived was divine, dark & ric. I couldn't sense liquorice in the scent, but just a lingering sweet earthiness. I'm sure that's where the scent of that was, but I couldn't discern it.

The appearance of the tobacco is most pleasing, with Virginias being banded between two stripes of the Kentucky.

I smoked this folded & rubbed out, with rubbed out being my preferred method with this flake (unusual for me), due to the size of the flakes, they are not rectangular enough to smoke folded in a deep pipe, so I just rubbed them out, or folded in my smaller pipes.

The tobacco took the light okay, and burned consistently, which relights being needed more frequently past the halfway mark.

The taste of the sweetness mentioned in the pouch note (presumably from the Virginias & the liquorice flavouring) was present, and blended well with the rich earthy tone of the Kentucky, providing a very pleasant, flavoursome, and moreish smoke, with hints of Cocoa-like elements. The development of flavour was muted, but it got a bit dryer and possibly somewhat 'ashy' towards the end of the bowl, but this doesn't detract from the overall quality of the smoke. As I said, I can't notice any liquorice flavour as such (except perhaps very fleetingly), but I kind of 'feel' it in the sweetness, I'm not erudite to elucidate upon what I mean sufficiently for most to understand, I fear. The mouth feel is full and satisfying.

The strength is medium. This surprised me somewhat. I thought it would be stronger than it is, but again, doesn't cause the smoke to be any less satisfactory.

The room note is fine, sweet smoke (of which there is an abundance produced whilst consuming this tobacco). I think it's more pleasant than merely tolerable (although this could just be me).

All in all, a fine smoke. I will give it three stars, because - whilst I enjoyed it, I find that flakes smoked folded are almost always better in a tall narrow pipe, & I couldn't really do that with this one. Whilst I heartily enjoyed this as I was able to smoke it, it was very good, but not brilliant.

Pairs well with dark ales or porter. Very nice smoke.

Pipe Used: Ben Wade Chimney, Parker Billiard, Zulu

Age When Smoked: Unsure (but fairly new, I think)

Purchased From: Sample from a friend

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	vespa (18)	2015-10-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have to say this is a flake the likes of which I've never seen before. What you have here is a flake with 3 different tobaccos. First you have a layer of DFK, then comes a layer VA and finally a layer of BC lightly cased with licorice. I've smoked 2 tins of DSK and I must say I'm a big fan of this blend, so much so that I've put up a few tins for aging. I've only smoked this rubbed out to a broken flake which seems to work for me, but I'm sure if your thing is to just fold & stuff you'll be just fine and won't miss out on the wonderful flavor. For me this blend smokes dry and cool from top to bottom with few if any delights. The flavors all meld well which was a surprise to me, because I thought the licorice might be a little overwhelming. Far from it, you can taste the DFK which lends a rich nuttiness the Va's pop in and out giving a sweet tangy taste then the BC and licorice play beautifully through out the bowl. I really can't find anything bad with this blend, but I know the tobacco snobs out there will probably have to deconstruct this blend down to every single leaf in the tin to find something wrong. To each his own. I like it and for under $8 a tin you could do alot worse for more $$$. I do recommend this blend to novice to seasoned smoker. I remain your brother in smoke. 4/4

Pipe Used: Large and Medium Bowls

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: P&C

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tank Man (10)	2015-07-16		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note, Licorice! Wonderful cuts. East to rub out. Nice burn. No harshness if smoked slowly. Sweet to some mild spice. Minimal relights. Decent room note. A true delight. Great tobacco. Will keep in stock.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2015-03-25		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

My initial reaction was, "Oh no, not Vanilla", I find vanilla very cloying in my tobacco. However, as I continued to smoke this, I found an anise scent hidden behind the vanilla, detectable just as a wisp of the smoke is inhaled up the nose. I find this intriguing. I noticed that many reviewers didn't detect this ( some did) , but it's there, only very subtle. The tobacco itself comes in flake form that I like to rub out and , with a little drying, burns very well.

I think if you're a puffer, this could get rancid, you need to take this one slow. I really don't find this as a " Kentucky " forward smoke, but rather, the Kentucky stays behind the Virginia. Is it strong , well only medium, and not unpleasant or harsh. When sipped, this is tasty and I think many will really like this blend.

. Will I buy more , probably not, I can't get past the vanilla, which is also lightly done but just not for me. I wish I could replace the thoughts of Vanilla with thoughts of Molasses as most reviewers report.

Pipe Used: maple

Age When Smoked: one month

Similar Blends: MacBaren's Old Dark Fired with a topping.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-12-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Dark Kentucky is one of those medium strength flakes with enough body to truly please everyone. The flakes presented in the tin are beautiful; the colors of each individual flake range from dark brown on one edge to a lighter brown on the opposing edge. Moisture content was perfect and the in tin aroma was delightfully sweet, not chemical though, and deeply haylike. This rubbed out very easily, packed well and became alight quite easily. The volume of smoke was not as much as I usually want, but definitely satisfying. Rolling the smoke in my mouth and off into the air was very pleasing; nice, dark, sugary flavors and aromas. Very nice, very nice indeed. The flavor profile was constant, not too varied, but I found this to be perfect at times when paying attention to subtle nuances is not what you want...all you want is a great, richly satisfying smoke that leaves you feeling full and satisfied. I tried an hour of alternating between some intense puffing to smoke up the room, cloud my senses and then sipping as you might do while listening to music or watching a game on the tube. All around, an excellent choice. Highest Recommendations! LJHMTBSIYN

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	Pady (1)	2014-04-26		Medium	Strong	Extra Full	Very Pleasant

This is Tobacco at its Best - it demand a slowly burn and rich smoke. Look out for too high temperature. It goes very will to coffee, thea or a glas of brandy but not to reed vine or white vine. It realy udfoldes its caracter with plain drinking water.

Pipe Used: Buldog

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Copenhagen

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-11		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a nice solid smoke. Slightly sweet and savory. Moderate amount of smoke produced, patience needed to get lit well, but nicely rewarded once accomplished. I don't usually go for Danish style tobaccos, but this and Golden Sliced are pretty darn good and the price is always right for the 100gr tin. I will smoke this on occasion but not a regular for me.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-06-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Similar to WO Larsen Curly Flake 32, but a little bit darker and milder. Solid reliable stuff.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipedawg (16)	2010-03-14		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I really like this one. This is a very macho smoke, full in taste and a good amount of nicotine as well.

"Not for beginners" it says in the tin description, and I get what they mean, even though this is an easy smoke in the sense that I believe anyone can get comfortable with it in no time.

I smell Cavendish here, and the perfectly roasted Burley is also obvious. Mature Viginia indeed, and together these tobaccos make up one helle of a smoke. Not only because of the brilliant blending, but because Orlik seem to use the absolute best quality in tobacco, and this is a feeling I get, with all of their non- aromatics.

Yes, this is a perfect after steak-dinner smoke, along with a very stout pint of beer (Guinness would be a perfect match).

I call this the big brother of Three Nuns, as they are in many ways alike. This just has a little more going for it. It does tend to get sour/acrid towards the end, I guess it's the Burley talking.

Recommended indeed.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-10-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I can't call this a mild tobacco. I generally sausage roll it and smoke it outside. Dark molasses flavors with a low key sweetness. It seems dry in the tin, but is actually fairly moist this way, rubbing it out will change the moisture retention drastically. If you can get this, try it. It's getting hard to find. Gets a bit stronger as the bowl progresses, burns very cleanly. The Kentucky get toasty but not the strong burley taste some dislike.

The nicotine hit was enough to put my nephew on all fours in the backyard, to be cautious if you are generally nico-sensitive. I rather like it.

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	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2009-10-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good Kentucky flake-for a change I will recommend a MacBaren over something: their Stockton, which is a better highlighting of the Kentucky cured, I feel. The Orlik offering is dark, but not particularly strong. It has a wonderful smell, however, both before and after lighting, though my mom remarked "what IS that you're smoking?" She prefers the scent of Captain Black. I do like this tobacco for the good balance of the Kentucky with high quality Virginia. It is also natural, simple, and tasty-and at least where I bought it, not too pricey.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-12		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

As with many of my reviews, this is based on a relatively small sample smoked over a long period of time, probably five bowls smoked in a two month period.

Rich, full, dark flavors.

I really enjoy this flake but it is hard to get it burning and tasting right. It's easy to end up with bitter and hot smoke.

I'd give it four stars if I had more success in getting it into the zone... when it is on, it's wonderful stuff. Might be an issue with the piper, not the tobacco, but basically, I'm giving it three stars because it's not as tolerant of abusive smoking habits as I'd like.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-10		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is definitely a nice burley/virginia blend...the tanginess of the VA is unmistakable. Opening the 100g tin was wonderful, the aroma was lightly sweet but quite full as well. This may be cased but I think that some of the natural sugars shine through due to the Vas. This seemed to be like another Danish product I have found not to my liking in the past...MacBaren...however once lit this distances itself greatly.

The price for this tin was excellent before the anti-tobacco nazis taxed the hell out of it. But for a high quality flake the price is still very good...about $16 for that 100gr. tin.

This tobacco really works well in a narrow bowl as many flakes do. I like to rub it out partially after a short dry, say an hour or so.

After about four or five charring lights and letting it sit in the bowl for a few minutes the whole lot lit up very well in my furnace. I truly enjoy the deep flavor, sort of prune like, and deep tones of darkened caramel and nuts. The aroma is fantastic...having some of this waft up to my nose was pure delight. It was very easy to get lost in this blend and since I have learned that lighting prep work is the key to keeping a bowl well lit...I drifted away with not much maintenance. All tobacco taste...and not chemical as with many other cased flakes.

This is a solid smoke...and it may be one I'll keep around. Its funny...I was going to try Irish Flake the day I bought this, but the IF was sold out...I'm glad I found this baccy...and since IF is about $12 for 50gr...I can wait to try it another day.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-06-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Update 6/8/08: I stand corrected. Although not "discontinued," this does seem to be unavailable in the American market. Thanks for the info.

Update 8/26/06: I now consider this my top burley, though there are several I'd still like to try. But wouldn't you know it? They've discontinued this blend. Why?? Judging by the reviews, it's more popular by far than any of their others besides Golden Sliced. I went and bought the last two tins at my local shop, and I'd highly recommend you do this as well ASAP. DSK, or DKF, RIP.

This is my favorite burley after Barbary Coast. It deserves its rating because it burns wonderfully, with no bite, it tastes very pleasant (and goes well with a good single malt) with some interesting and unique overtones, non-smokers like the aroma, the way it looks is unique and interesting, and its nicotene content is not overpowering. The only thing I don't like is that the tin was 100g (not 50 like this website says), and that really is a bit much for me to smoke of the same tobacco before moving on. I do not smoke that much, so smaller tins are better for me.

I would not recommend leaving this sitting around, even in an airtight tin, for too long. It is not the most robust tobacco, and should be enjoyed right away for the best effect.

Also, it is fragile, like many continental virginia flakes, and so it will leave lots of "crumbles" in the bottom of the tin or jar, which are wasted as far as I'm concerned, because they do no smoke well at all.

These are minor problems, and overall this is a great tobacco. Lots of burleys out there are bitter, but this one certainly is not. Do not judge burleys until you try this and Barbary Coast!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2008-06-07		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I am writing this a little earlier than I had inteneded, due to the fact that on perusing the existing reviews, I noticed Tobacco Critic had mentioned that this was no longer available, oh but it IS, still made under guarantee by Orlik in Denmark, most certainly available in England and on the web at http://www.tobacconistonline.com

I too was taken a little aback by the odour on opening the tin, and as usual, decided not to "sniff" at such a thing bit to burn.

Two tone coloured flakes meet the eye, which are perhaps a little dry but still pliable to a certain degree, rubs out well but care must be taken to avoid the handful of sawdust. Lights well and an easy burn, followed by a rich sweet taste that is not overpowering, keeps it's flavour throughout the bowl and burns down to a nice grey ash.

This is only my third bowl. so I'm not at all sure as to my final verdict, love it or hate it, I try to finish the whole tin of a new tobacco, this way I feel I can give an honest and true opinion, it is only on rare occasions that I will abandon the entire contents, alas, sometimes needs must.

For the moment, Three Stars. So far, other than the moisture content, or should I say lack of it, I have found little to complain about, however, this too may change.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I first smoked this tobacco a couple of years ago. I liked it a lot. Nice, two tone flakes with real tobacco flavor with just a bit of licorice and it was good and fresh. It's even better with some age one it, althogh the faint licorice element weakens considerably over time.

Today this delicious flake has been discontinued. Although I still have a couple of 100 gram tins on hand, it is pretty much impossible to find anywhere. Word has it that negotiations are ongoing for Stokkebye to continue production of this fine flake in bulk form under another name, but that hasn't occurred at this writing.

if you can find it, it's a fine smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Better burlies are availible, try G.L. pease. Its okay. I will smoke it from time to time. sometimes gets soapy aftertaste, mild and cased. certainly not what I like from a burley.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Well worth paying the extra moeny to have it sent from England.

A subtle but beautiful smell in the tin, with lovely looking mixed-colored flakes that rub out and pack marvelously well.

One match gets it going, and it burns easy all the way down to a fine ash.

The taste is refined and delightful, with enormous volumes of rich, soft smoke. The mouth feels refreshed at the end. Just heavenly.

Wonderful stuff!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-05		Strong	Mild	Full	Very Pleasant

This is a fantastic Bruley Flake! By far, the best burley tobacco I ever smoked. If you had reserves about smoking burley tobacco in the past, you owe yourself of try of this tobacco.

This is dark and strong, with a full flavor rival to English/Balkan blends. This is a great end of day smoke and goes great with your choice of drink. The tin aroma is wonderfull, licorice/anise. Like others had said, this does not smoke or taste like an aromatic, but the licorice flavor stays in the background and compliments the great tobacco flavor. Bright VA adds a nice sweetness. I think this is what C&D was trying to do with Safe Harbor Flake, but fell very short on their flavor and flake quality.

These are excellent flakes that fold for easy loading and smoking. This tobacco will have a place in my rotation!

Highly Recommended

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-02		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Anise seed and liquorice are the predominant tastes in this blend from Orlik. They are accompanied by sweet VAs and a nutty, smooth, well-rounded Kentucky.

I enjoy smoking this tobacco while fishing. Although, the nicotine level seems to be rather high. It gives me a heady buzz if I puff too much. That buzz causes some discomfort if I am wading in a particularly craggy spot on the river (I got tripped up several times on the jagged rocks of the Hooch).

There is not much more to say about this blend. I find it easy to approach, with little complication. It is a nice addition to my cabinet and weekly rotation.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2007-05-26		Very Strong	Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

Although I am not so fond of Orlik products I have to say that Dark Kentucky Flakes are amazing! Lots of kentucky taste here with a good nicotine kick! Perfect after a good meal? and before a long sleep! :-)

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2007-05-16		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I continue to be amazed by this tobacco. Time and again I've returned to it. The tin smell is great. The flakes are well cut and very easy to work with. It does have a nicotine reminder toward the end but not so intense as to be off putting. This is a very dependable smoke that has withstood the test of time. Definitely worth a try.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2007-04-14		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another old favourite of mine that has remained consistent over time. Upon opening the tin one is greeted with an attractive ensembal thin rectangular slices with contrasting golden and dark tobaccos, along with a light topnote of fermented fruit, that seems to evaporate after a few days. The tobacco is relatively dry in the typical Danish style, though tends to maintain its moisture level over time.

The smoke is smooth with medium density and just a hint of the topnote is present. It smokes well to the bottom of the bowl, though like many burley blends can be a little one dimensional, so it might not be everyone's all day smoke.

IMO reasonable value and well worth a try.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aadelma (67)	2007-03-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very nice flake tobacco which is more flavorful and better mannered than Orlick Golden Sliced. The burley content seems to be very small. I taste mainly Virginia and Cavendish. Like most flakes, I need to give it a charring light and let it sit for awhile to obtain significant flavor. It tastes pretty much the same throughout the smoke; no big complexity here, but very pleasant and easy to rub out and keep lit.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-10-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

YEAST, DOUGH, SLIGHT NUT

Cavendish and Burley can be boring- Orlik has changed that with a unique blend here. Certainly one to try. On my rotation, though not smoked regular. Mild, Smooth, Bread Dough, Nutty. It is unilateral, not complicated.

BETTER PICK: GL PEASE BARBARY COAST

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-09-16		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Update September 16, 2006: This picks up another star. Getting the moisture level down to "just pliable" makes a pleasant difference for me. I also switched to smoking DSK in meerschaums. The aroma is almost unbeatable and the fire-cured Burley is wonderfully present. If it were just more tame and easier to light, it would be four stars all the way.

___________________________________________

I like this better than Edgeworth Sliced, another and better known Burley flake blend (presently unavailable 9/22/06). Both can bite the tongue if not smoked in whole flakes and that slowly. ES and DSK are also cased for added sweetness and flavor.

I do not detect the molasses in DSK I do in ES. DSK sometimes tastes a bit like honey and smells of bakers' spices. Both blends have some Virginia to my tastes. The moisture, casing and Virginia contribute to the the heat ever threatening. Try drying both before enjoying.

Except for ES and DSK having cigar notes, they really diverge in taste. DSK is a heavier flavor, akin to Lapsang Souchong tea. I think this smokiness in DSK comes from the dark, fired Kentucky leaf generously provided. DSK is more akin to a maduro cigar wrapper when the cigar notes waft in and out. I do not get a chocolate or cocoa note as some reviewers have noted. Perhaps a truffle (as in fungi, not confection) flavor is also detectable.

The first third of a bowl is pleasant, sweeter than the end and the hottest (by temperature) part of the experience. The last two thirds of a bowl are the better part of the smoke. The flavor deepens and the effect is rich. There are times a medium- high note comes through the deeper flavors. Adding Perique would make this too strong and too spicy.

I tried this in generous pot shaped pipes and found that it burned too hot. Changing to a straight-walled billard with a group 3+ capacity did it for me. I think a heavily tapered chamber would concentrate the flavors in excess and make it a harsh smoke.

DSK is strong, but not like 1792 or Royal Yacht, which are stronger. I can smoke this without having eaten and not fear "going green."

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-08-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

My first experience with tobacco was some 45 years ago with a Model, a burley tobacco which I smoked until I became enamoured with Virginia and English blends. Througout the years, I've tried about 20 burleys, only to find them either too harsh and/or too hot resulting in tongue bite.

DSK is in a class of its own. It is an exceptionally fine, full bodied and satisfying tobacco with a very light casing that adds a most satisfying flavor.

Fresh from the shelf, DSK is a great tobacco. Left to age even a few months provides a more mellow smoke and a slightly enhanced flavor.

There a still a couple of burley based tobaccos I have yet to sample, but for now, DSK is the one of the best of the lot, second only to Stonhaven.

Update 8/9/06 This blend reminds me of Espterica's Blackpool and Ramsgate notwithstanding that the Esoterica blends are Virginia's. If you enjoy the anise topping, you will be sure to enjoy

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-05-28		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

a very unique smooth Cavendish/ Burley. Great flavor.

Ps: I have contacted Orlik to figure out what the can says. It truely does defy all online translators. The phrase "Er Yderst Sundhedsskadelight" The mystery was too much for me. 'is harmfull to health'

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-03-04		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I don't like misleading names and descriptions. I thought DSK would be a burley/Virginia blend in the same class as Edgeworth Slices. I bought it to replace the now extinct Edgworth Slices. I was wrong. Can I really be blamed? Look at the name and the tin description. This is nothing more than an upscale Danish aromatic, a pretty good one, but not for me. I feel misled and ripped off. It's not a bad blend, and I'm sure many will like it.

Update: Now that I am nearing the end of this tin, I've changed my opinion of DSK. Surely, it's no Edgeworth Slices, but it is a very good blend on its own merit. The flavoring reminds me of licorice and I have come to like it very much; the flavoring comes across stronger in the tin than when lit. The tobacco burns very well, rubbed or by folding the flakes. I have bought a few tins for the cellar and plan to keep a tin open as part of my regular tobacco rotation. When you're wrong, you're wrong, and I was wrong about this very nice tobacco blend!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-02-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very pleasant medium strength tobacco that doesn't fit into any classification-- a little stoved, a little flavored, a little straight Virginia.

I was sure this was lightly cased until one day I mixed some rubbed out Stonehaven with light Virginia and realized it was a bit like Orlik DSK. Otherwise, there is nothing else like it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rev. Smoke (24)	2006-01-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

OK, so I was very leery. I read the reviews and they concerned me. It didn't sound like this would be my kind of tobacco at all.

Well, here is my first sample review. I was given a 100g tin of this, and am not normally a big fan of burleys. The reviews here had me very leery of trying things, making me think of powerful Burley. Powerful I don't mind, I like stout tobaccos, just like my beers. However, the reviews had me concerned.

Ah what the heck, a friend said I should go for it. OK, I cracked the tin. This is some interesting looking tobacco. I like the color of the flakes, black & tan, reminds me of one of my English pub favorites - something with a stout in it. The tin note is very coffee-like with a dark molasses sweetness to it. However, it does not seem to be cased in any way. This smells like pure tobacco.

Rubbed some of it out as I like to try a flake the first time completely rubbed out to get its full measure. It rubs out easily into a very fine cut. Nice! I like that. Pulled out a cob, just in case it was a flavored tobacco, filled it and we were off.

OK, it was a little moist and needed three lights to get going, but I knew that before I started. Hmm, nutty, sweet, and very tasty - not complex, just tasty. Strong? Well, not yet anyway. I like the flavors here. This is some excellent tobacco. There is a hint of coffee, someone else mention caramel - maybe. Brown sugar? Possibly. Molasses? Could be it. It is just naturally sweet, no detectable flavorings. This was incredibly cool.

Inhaled a couple times to get a feel for the nicotine content, it is supposed to be "strong". While it is bold, it isn't nicotine strong so that it is going to leave you woozy. The room note was very pleasant for what I am still believing to be an un-cased tobacco.

OK, let's see how this stuff burns. I am looking for a blend I can smoke without thinking about it. When I do that, I tend to get bit badly as I puff more forcefully. So, I forced it. I tried to get this to burn hot - didn't happen - couldn't make it happen.

Again, I want to return to this. Is this an aromatic? Well, if it is, it is only mildly so. I get the feeling this is just a very tasty, full-flavored tobacco. This isn't a contemplative blend, you know, the type that needs 100% of your concentration to experience all the subtle nuances. This is just a very solid taste treat, rich and sweet.

If you haven't guessed by now, I thoroughly enjoyed this first bowl. That is saying quite a bit. Usually I reserve any judgement until I have had a couple pipes. Now, there is every possibility that all things were hitting on the right cylinders and I just got into the groove on this baccy in this one bowl. And, it may miss entirely after this. I doubt it, doesn't normally work that way.

So, I wanted to say thanks to the friend who encouraged me not to trade off this tin without opening it and giving it a whirl. Wow, what a mistake that would have been.

4.8 of 5 halos.

UPDATED - January 9, 2005

I didn't expect to like this blend much. My first review of it was after a sample. I have since gone through two 100g tins and have three more in the cellar. For me to have that much of a "burley" in my cellar says quite a bit. In fact, I don't have three tins of a whole lot in my cellar.

If you like aromatics, give this a try, this might be something to lead you into straight tobaccos. If you like Virginias, and think that Burleys aren't for you, this might change your mind. I have tried a few other Burley blends since this to see if my tastes have changed, I never finished one of them. I was hoping that Solani Silver Flake might be in a similar vein as this - no such luck.

Still agree with my original assessment.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-12-02		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I agree with Redneck (see below) that upon opening this burley had very distinct molasses/raisin notes and a dark, 'just-this-side-of-black' color. It smells delicious in the tin but unfortunately much of that warm sweetness is lost when lit, leaving behind on the tongue what was, to me, a very mild and subtle smoke with an unoffensive, if pleasant, nose - a good all day smoke. I enjoyed this alot and will smoke it quite often, probably - especially when I am writing or reading and need a mild enjoyment for hours that won't bite or overwhelm or if I am outdoors doing something and concentrating on the smoking experience itself is not the purpose. The nicotine kick, I thought, was relatively low, though I see some others here disagree with me. I liked it alot. No complaints. A solid 3 stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lancelot Gobbo (25)	2005-10-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not sure why, but I find DSK smokes a bit cooler than its stablemate, Golden Sliced. Smoke it in whole folded flakes, keep it tamped and puff gently. You will know that you've had a smoke all right - there is a fair nicotine hit. The flavour is quite strong and is not that of an aromatic, but mostly just decent burley. It looks and smells good in the tin, and takes a couple of lights when in whole flake form. Not bad, but not a favourite either.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-23		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'll be brief, as many fine reviewers have described this tobacco very well.

This is a nice Burley experience with a lightly sweet topping. The room note is pleasant.

If you're a Burley lover, it's worth a try.

If you're interested in a GREAT Kentucky Burley experience, I recommend Cornell & Diehl's Easy Times.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-10-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

In this past few months I'm rediscovering the good things about smoking Kentucky and Burley. In Italy we have some kentucky-based blends, but they're rough and not at all refined, though good for blending, due to their strenght. On the contrary this kentucky based flake shows a nice personality supported by a fine display of high quality leaf. At first sight I was expecting a stronger smoking experience; not that the nicotine content is low, but with that name I was waiting for a real punch. I suggest to rub it out, partially at least, to obtain a regular burn, and to leave it dry for some minutes. The taste is something to remember: deep, nutty and smoky. Recommended.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2005-09-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Since I am a Dane I have tried every Danish blend available here except from this one, until now. I regret that I am so late because this stuff is really, really good!

DSK is definitely an aromatic. I suspect that the dark "Kentucky-stripes" in the flake are actually Black Cavendish, because this blend blend is cased and Kentucky is hard to detect. Normally I avoid aromatics, but the casing-work, done here, is a masterpiece; subtle, natural and non-goopy. The nicotine level is medium and high enough to satisfy me.

DSK reminds me of W.O. Larsens Selected Blend No. 32 Curly Flake (compare review) but instead of being cased into unrecognizability DSK remains true to the leaf. Oh yeah by the way, the tin is cool and the flakes look really sophisticated. (not that it should be very significant, but anyway.)

One of the best Danish baccies ever made.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-09		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Notes: I was amused by the portrait of a barrister on the lid of the tin, accompanied by the quote: "Smoked by all shrewd judges." I tried this in a number of pipes. I found that it was best fully rubbed out in a Size 3-4 Dunhill briar.

Appearance: Square-cut tightly pressed flake, about 3 cm on a side. A 50-50 split of golden leaf and dark brown-black leaf, which makes for an attractive looking flake.

Aroma: Baked fig bars, maraschino cherry, dark chocolate, clover honey, rosemary, pomegranate, danish pastries, blackberry jam, grape juice concentrate.

Taste: This is very much a Danish aromatic, but stronger. Strong, sweet flavor of figs and dried cherries. Round flavor of pain au chocolat and fresh-baked brown bread. Standard strongly nutty burley flavor. Burns quite well without any bitterness.

Comparisons: Agreed similarities to W.O. Larsen's Curly Flake No. 32, but not as heavily cased. Similar to Collins Cut Plug but more austere, less playful. Similar to Black Man's London Club Mixture, but not as rounded or creamy.

Bottom Line: If you enjoy a deliciously full burley blend with a substantial cherry-chocolate flavor, this one's for you.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Tolerable

This is a fairly strong, spicy tobacco. It has a nutlike flavor and a mellowness. Its strength never seems to translate to tongue-bite. A very satisfying smoke on occassions and in a very small bowl.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-08-31		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Tolerable

A great tasting and smelling tobac (chocolate - molassis - raisons - fresh baked bread) to the smoker. This is not an aromatic tobac (cherry,vanilla,etc) Your family may not like the room note. Slow burning, no bite, good DGT, burns dry & stays lit. A great all day smoke with a slight virginia tang. Wonderfull in a large cob pipe.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-08-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a blend I had been eyeballing for awhile, and finally found a local guy who would get it for me. I don't mind ordering online, but at the same time I would like to support the local guy. He ordered 3 tins of this and Nightcap at my suggestion and they all sold.

But back to the tobak. The flake in this tin, is beautiful. You almost want to carry it around in a pouch to show everyone. Especially anyone who is into pipesmoking. I would recomment it just on the visuals alone, but the taste is outstanding. Sweet, robust, fills your mouth and nose with a wonderful plume of smoke. One cannot go wrong here.

Upon opening the tin, there was a rather sharp smell in there that I didn't agree with too much, however having popped the top for about two weeks, the scent is gone replaced by a lovely tobacco smell. Wonderful stuff, highly recommended..

(my first review)

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-03		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Great tobacco, cut into small, square cuts of half dark, half light flakes. I liked this onee and found it to burn real well in any size pipe. It has a real good flavor and is very predictable in any size pipe that you smoke it in. 4 out of 5 stars!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-02		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

For the economy of space I will refer you to the review of Tantric which I believe is right on the money, with the exception that IMO this tobacco is lightly scented. I have devoted a Zulu with a narrow tall bowl to DSK and have developed a technique of loading for it. I pick equal qualities of dark and light pieces, make a round "plug" with my fingers and load it vertically in the pipe. Takes practice to get the right thickness but smokes great. Late night smoke with a glass of port and a nice movie. Blow the smoke to an uninhabited corner or the LSW will complain!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-12-09		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have at last found another burley blend which I not only can tolerate, but actually enjoy. It is rather stout (not overwhelmingly so, however). and the topping - if one exists at all - is very light.

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