Orlik Tobacco Company A/S Dark Strong Kentucky

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.

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....

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!