Orlik Tobacco Company A/S Golden Sliced (Red Tin)

This has become my favorite smoke. A plain, simple, and sweet virginia.

Been smoking this blend as a folded flake insted of rubbed out and it gets another star.

Original: This blend is a nice natural tobacco that hasn't been bastardized. Sweet and natural tones through out. This blend also smokes well rubbed or folded and filled. I never had any trouble lighting or keeping it lit. I actually prefer to smoking it folded and filled than rubbed out. For the money there are better straight va's like FVF and Old Gowrie.

Creamy, straight Virginia taste. Goes well with a cup of hot, strong coffee. This blend is very nice priced, and as good (or better) as much 'fancier' straight VA's. In the 50 gr tin the tobacco dries out very quick after opening. The 100 gr tin does not have this problem.

I picked up a tin of this yesterday. I made an unscheduled stop into a tobacco store, hoping they would have some blends I was looking for. They didn't. Instead of leaving empty handed - needed something to smoke on the way home - I decided to grab some of this.

It's nice. Very easy to smoke. Fresh, sweet, golden virginias pressed into large flakes. I feel that I got my money's worth. The 100 gram tin is packed solid and was priced less than the smaller tins of Dunhill and Peterson.

No rubbing out is required. Just pinch off pieces of the flake, pack, and after two lights your smoking an even, smooth, consistent bowl. Creamy smoke with a very subtle orange/honey note. I think this will prove to be a good all day summer blend. It's not my ideal tobacco but it is a nice change of pace.

In my search through the wonderful world of Virginias I purchased a small tin of Golden Sliced. I'm certainly glad I did. This is a very good blend, at a very good price....what a novel concept. This ranks up there with the best...S.G, Astleys, C&D, MacBaren, Rattrays etc. Rubbed out or folded it packs, and light great....burns nice, and cool, and taste great. Nothing here not to like. While life is too short to smoke a bad tobacco, this is good , and a great value. I just orderd 3 100 gram tins for now, and the cellar. Rate * * * (at least)

This one really surprised me. I thought I would give it a go as I am a fan of Virginias and wanted to try something not from Rattray's or Sam Gawith. I wasn't expecting this.

Nice big red tin, with huge rough golden-brown flakes. You have to rip off pieces from the flake, but they stay together as a broken flake. I twist and stuff for a nice tight broken flake pack. The moisture level is just right from the tin. (You wouldn't want to open a tin and leave it a week - it would get too dry.) Tin aroma is just Virginia to me. No topping, no additives, just sweet grassy tobacco.

First light was easy. One char maybe, and you're off. Lots of volume and an immediate Virginia sweetness. Not the complexity of Rattray or SG at first, but very pleasant. Then I noticed how much I was enjoying it. Just the right (quite high) mouth strength, just the right nicotine level (I'd put it at the high end of medium) and the flavours started to get more complex. All the typical pure Virginia stuff - hay, earth, grass, etc. with a hint of pepperiness that kept it interesting. Maybe a little caramel in the flavour, but the interesting tobacco taste kept it well at bay for me. The flavours stay constant through the bowl, with just a build of strength as you progress. It burns dry to a clean white ash and, while I once or twice suspected a hint of bite, it never actually happened.

Do I like it? Oh, yes. And it is a good 12% cheaper than its rivals in the UK too. If I have a criticism, it is that the tin went too quickly.

I bought this in 50g pouch form and the tobacco comes as one long 2" wide folded strip that you have to tear from. Lovely, fresh, straight tobacco aroma in the pouch.

Tore off enough for a generous bowl and rubbed out. Lit with ease. This tobacco burns slowly and is economical in use. It has a very fresh, citrus taste that refreshes the palate whilst still having a medium nicotine kick. The flavour remains constant throughout the bowl.

This is no doubt an excellent smoke if straight virginias are your thing. I however found it a bit one dimensional, but refreshing nonetheless.

Recommended.

Tin: OGS comes in gold wrapping paper sealed with an Orlik sticker. It has a soft aroma, the faintest straw scent. It is akin to a vague apricot scent or the aromatic smell of rye bread. Upon opening the tin, one is greeted by a tobacco that is reputed to be "smoked by all shrewd judges." The color is mahogany interspersed with blonde and dark browns. On the bottom of the tin says OGS it has a touch of burley. The square tin does not allow a snug reseal. The tobacco is sliced across the width, giving 2x3" pressed flakes.

Packing & Lighting: Somehow, it is disconcerting that OGS is cut the width of the tin. But it either rolls into a ball or crumbles apart with little effort. Lights with one match; a bowl lasts a long time, with one relight.

Taste & Aroma: Initially a nice, light hay aroma, with a slight cigarette aspect. The burley flavor is definitely there, dulling the VA's with more of a grip than a touch. Mid-bowl, the bowl has a mild peppery raisin scent; some have noticed a hint of a soapy effect. Something provides a floral herb scent: aniseed; with a citrus scent-bergamot has been suggested-left in the bowl. Although it may be termed softly sweet, I don't see it as nutty or caramel. OGS is absolutely biteless and clean burning.

Why was burley added to these light Virginias? Doesn't something have to have been added to give these subtle tastes and aromas? Burley is often used in blends because it readily absorbs additives, or casing juices.

Keep in mind, these are subtle nuances. As has been aptly said, "This blend is reticent to blossom." It really does require a clean bowl, with gentle and light puffing.

Nicotine: By the end of a large bowl, it progressively builds to medium. In a small bowl, mild.

Room Note: The aroma doesn't linger, meaning when you get back to the workshop, they won't wonder what you've been doing.

Overall: OGS is akin to a substance that has been filtered, all the harsh, strong qualities having been washed away, leaving a tobacco with a soft and mellow citrus-herb character, in a diluted form. 3.6 stars for being a delicate smoke.

Lovely flake of a medium hue. This is a very nice Virginia of a type seldom produced nowadays. It renders nicely into smokeable shreds and fragments, and burns slow and clean. Comes into it's own about a quarter of the way down, and maintains. Very satisfying.

The tin aroma, even after several weeks opened, is of fine aged tobacco, slightly apricotty, slightly fresh and springlike.

The taste is similar to some of the other flakes out there, but softer than the dark flakes, and more floral. It is sweet, but not sugary. If anything, it is reminiscent of Capstan, rather than the pressed blacks or red flakes of other houses. It is also similar to Dunhill Light flake, but manages to be sweeter and more ethereal, without that perfumed (soapy) undertone.

If your favourite blend contained aged blond Virginia, and were to become unavailable, this would be a good substitute for that component.