Orlik Tobacco Company A/S Dark Strong Kentucky

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.