Orlik Tobacco Company A/S Dark Strong Kentucky

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.