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

This one lives up to the hype. Honey sweet notes of citrus. A touch of hay or straw. Simple, but delicious. There is just the slightest amount of spice. Doesn't seem Periquey to me. More like a Virginia spice. If this has Perique I can't taste it. Just a marvelous, very relaxing smoke.

Mild to medium in body. Same for flavor but mostly medium. Ready to smoke right out of the tin. Burns very well.

On a side note: When I smoke a tobacco for review I always push it a time or two to see how it responds. This is one you don't want to push. The hay-like flavor comes strongly to the front and it gets very harsh. A horse might like that but I don't. Slow and easy will reward you with a top notch smoke. A puffer will suffer.....heh, made a rhyme that time.

If you like pure tobacco taste that carries just a tiny hint of sweetness, then this stuff will work for you. It contains enough nicotine to satisfy the most ardent veteran, and because it does taste like tobacco, I suggest that aromatic fanciers look elsewhere.

Because it is a flake, it can be rubbed out to any degree you like. The slices are just a tad on the moist side, so, some may prefer to let it air out a bit before smoking. I like to fully rub my flake tobacco and find the 'baccy dries quicker that way.

As for the Perique debate; my take is this; if a blend has Perique that cannot be tasted in the blend, then I don't call it a VaPer. Golden Sliced, in the form that I smoked, was NOT a VaPer. (-:

If you want a light and flavorful tobacco tasting smoke that can be enjoyed all day long, then look here. If you want something sweeter and less tobaccoyee, then look elsewhere.

For the price, there is no better VA flake out there. And it beats out almost everything else anyway, regardless of price. The Perique in the blend is extremely subtle, and is hardly detectible once this stuff as some age on it. It would even be a stretch to call this a Va/Per. I have a hundred tins of this brooding for the tobacco apocalypse and plan on buying many more. It's smooth, sweet, and creamy with grassy citrus notes and a subtle hint of spice every now and again. And on special occasions when the pipe tobacco gods are smiling down on me, midway through the bowl the creaminess builds up to the point where it's like sweet butter. I dream at night about smoking this stuff.

I consider Orlik Golden Sliced to be one of the quintessential VaPers (the other being Solani 633), against which I judge all others. It comes in long flakes that have a strong aroma of licorice, a citrusy/honey taste and considerable sweetness, which are the hallmarks of good Virgina tobacco. I used to rub it out before smoking but have found that, like most flakes, it smokes longer, cooler and stronger if I just fold it and stuff it in my pipe (although this requires a extra few relights to get it going).

I am intrigued by the debate over whether OGS contains perique. I would point out that perique is a type of burley tobacco and therefore the statement that previously graced the OGS label, that it contained burley, is not surprising or incorrect. As to whether it contains perique, if Orlik says it does then I assume it does because their's is a reputable company and I don't believe they would make false claims about their tobaccos (not to mention that doing so would be illegal). That said, I would note that, among VaPers, OGS probably has relatively less perique than some others.

All in all, if you like Virginia tobacco or want to learn what it is all about, you couldn't do better than to try OGS. It's moderate price makes it a real bargain, when one considers the amount of pleasure that it delivers.

Smoking Qualities - Phenomenal to rub and pack, even better (and longer) smoke when gently folded and screwed into the bowl using air pocket method. Burns evenly with no bite when smoked mindfully.

Flavor - Charring light provides a toasty sweet Va flavor, very clean and warm. Three matches lit a fold n stuff bowl. In the first third, the perique and the harsher notes are apparent. The second third releases a sweeter flavor which lets the Va shine. The final (best) and most complex third has the best balance of flavor, between the mellowed sweetness, built darker notes of leather and nut, and the gentle reminder of perique spice.

Finish - Great burned chocolate and leathery toasted nut flavor, spice ever so slowly fades away. Perfect finish IMO.

Price to Value - Worth way more than what it costs, a top notch tobacco, for the beginner or pro.

As for the perique debate, I am not qualified to judge, but it seems excessively spicy to be composed entirely of Vas to me. Has that nice perique burn through the nose.

Will cellar for a year and report back.

This has been my favorite tobacco since I first tried it. I'm primarily a VaPer smoker, and this just hits it home. It's very similar to Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Navy Flake with an addition of bergamot orange essence to it. I really can't speak highly enough about it. It's not a very nicotine strong blend, but it's burn qualities and flavor make it a great any time or all day smoke. This is a blend (most blends do anyway) which really shines when you keep it as cool as possible, taking only a few sips here and there to keep the pipe lit. Don't puff it too fast. Sidestreams of citrus/bergamot back and forth over hay/grass/perique. Great also if you add just a tiny smidge of extra perique. I dedicate at least 1-2 pipes to just this blend. The nuances can really come to life when you dedicate and have only OGS cake.

This is a world class, smooth and light all day smoke. Now I only smoke a few times a week but were I a daily toker it would be hard not to be in my every day rotation.

I'd describe this as a summer smoke. It's light, fresh and has a floral, almost apricot aroma. On the palate, it's very light and accessible, doesn't overwhelm at all yet isn't lacking in interest.

Orlik Golden Sliced will always be in my cellar, it's a true classic, not for being big, heavy and flavoursome (it's not), but for being fresh, easy, interesting and of such high quality.

This flake is, besides MacBaren Navy, a must try in the flakes segment for every pipe smoker. It is perfectly balanced and interesting fresh, as much as rounded aged. Like all Virginias it can bite, if pushed, but sipped slowly, develops a wonderful spring like taste. Tin note is like fruity hay, similar to freshly mowed spring grass after a few days in the sun and the taste is quite robust. Fully recommended.

No two ways about it, this is simply a delightful, elegant smoke. A delectable lingering sweetness on the palate, combined with a delicious tangy spiciness dominates the first half of the bowl. The smoke is smooth, incredibly flavorful and has no bite whatsoever. For the price, Golden Sliced is quite possibly the best tinned Virginia flake on the market. It has a sweet, fruity malt-like aroma reminiscent of Stokkebye's Twist Flake. This flake is absolutely marvelous when folded and stuffed into the pipe. Perique? I believe it's there, but it's just enough to amplify and slightly augment the flavor.

End bowl flavors do ramp up and become more complex. The heel of the bowl finishes woody and somewhat astringent but it's not at all unpleasant. As far as performance is concerned, this flake burns so perfectly it practically smokes itself.

Golden Sliced is simply a must try for any fan of Virginia flakes. For me this flake is the chef's pantry equivalent of quality canned tomatoes. It's a must have and for the price I usually double my pleasure and opt for the big 100g tin whenever I purchase it. Hey you only live once, right?