Orlik Tobacco Company A/S Dark Strong Kentucky

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Revisited

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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.

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.

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.