Peretti London Flake
(2.96)
Pre-2018 version: "Made of orange and red Virginia which has a dash of St. James Perique giving it a deep and satisfying flavor. It is a dark matured flake which smokes smooth and cool."
New (March 2018): "One of the most popular blends in flakes is found here in this Virginia/Perique flake. The orange and lemon Virginias provide a nice level of sweetness which is well complimented by the spicy kick of the perique."
Notes: Prior to 2018, London Flake was sourced from McClelland. This re-release was introduced in March, 2018 and is a different blend from a different source.
Details
| Brand | Peretti |
| Series | Flake |
| Blended By | L.J. Peretti |
| Manufactured By | L.J. Peretti |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Flake |
| Packaging | Bulk |
| Country | United States |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.96 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 2013 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
This is almost McClelland's #2015. I say "almost" because there are differences between them. The familiar vinegar smell lightly translates into the smoke, but it isn't as obvious as it is in some of the other McClelland blends. The orange and red Virginias offer a lot of tart and tangy citrus, some tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, light grass and sugar, and a floral note. There's less perique here, and it provides more plum and fig than spice as a condiment. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is step past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a few very small rough edges. You will have to dry it some, but once done, smokes cool, clean and a little slow with a very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Requires some relights. Has a pleasantly lightly lingering after taste, and room note. Not quite an all day smoke. It's really more of a two and a half star blend, but it deserves more than two stars, hence the three star rating.
Update 7-22-2020: The new version has a very similar composition to the “McClelland” production. The orange and red Virginias offer a lot of tart and tangy citrus, some tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, mild grass and sugar, and a small floral note. The figgy, plumy, earthy, woody, moderately spicy perique is a little more obvious here, especially the spice. It’s a secondary player. The light vinegar note is a step less potent than it is in the original, and the floralness is a hair stronger. There is a light sweet topping present, though it doesn't tone down the tobaccos much. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of slots past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a few small rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a slightly slow pace with a very consistent sweet and mildly spicy flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste, and room note. Barely leaves any moisture in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. A worthy successor to the previous manufacture even though it lacks the McClelland touch. A solid three star blend.
-JimInks
Update 7-22-2020: The new version has a very similar composition to the “McClelland” production. The orange and red Virginias offer a lot of tart and tangy citrus, some tangy ripe dark fruit, earth, wood, bread, mild grass and sugar, and a small floral note. The figgy, plumy, earthy, woody, moderately spicy perique is a little more obvious here, especially the spice. It’s a secondary player. The light vinegar note is a step less potent than it is in the original, and the floralness is a hair stronger. There is a light sweet topping present, though it doesn't tone down the tobaccos much. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of slots past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a few small rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a slightly slow pace with a very consistent sweet and mildly spicy flavor that translates to the pleasantly lingering after taste, and room note. Barely leaves any moisture in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. A worthy successor to the previous manufacture even though it lacks the McClelland touch. A solid three star blend.
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 01, 2015 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Focuses on darker browns and a bit more broken than a typical broken flake. Tin aroma was of a diluted McClellands fermented tang, which indicated that they sourced the Virginia from McClellands. That's a huge plus.
I've heard that this is supposedly a rebadging of McClellands #2015. It may start out that way but Peretti does something to it because it neither looks nor tastes the same. This is considerably lighter in flavor and less fully developed. There is less of the familiar tang of McClellands, and the perique is more lightly applied here. I compared the two back to back and found them in the same ballpark but not the same. This is less sweet with a bigger sour note as well as being lighter in body. This is still a very good tobacco but it's not quite up to the 2015 level. This one, however, might be the better choice for someone looking for lighter fare, such as in the mornings. In fact, this might be a quite excellent first smoke of the day. Since I don't often smoke that early, I'll stick with the more robust and flavorful 2015.
I've heard that this is supposedly a rebadging of McClellands #2015. It may start out that way but Peretti does something to it because it neither looks nor tastes the same. This is considerably lighter in flavor and less fully developed. There is less of the familiar tang of McClellands, and the perique is more lightly applied here. I compared the two back to back and found them in the same ballpark but not the same. This is less sweet with a bigger sour note as well as being lighter in body. This is still a very good tobacco but it's not quite up to the 2015 level. This one, however, might be the better choice for someone looking for lighter fare, such as in the mornings. In fact, this might be a quite excellent first smoke of the day. Since I don't often smoke that early, I'll stick with the more robust and flavorful 2015.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 06, 2018 | Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This is a review for the new London Flake, released March 2018.
Sadly I never got around to trying the old version and that chance has come and gone.
This is obviously not a McClelland product. What is it? I'll bet all my chips that it's a Sutliff Virginia Slices, plus perique. Tastes good. I really enjoy Sutliff slices (I had no idea they made such good flake) and the perique adds a nice fruity-spicy dimension. The Virginia is grass and hay, with a mild Danish-style topping.
Sadly I never got around to trying the old version and that chance has come and gone.
This is obviously not a McClelland product. What is it? I'll bet all my chips that it's a Sutliff Virginia Slices, plus perique. Tastes good. I really enjoy Sutliff slices (I had no idea they made such good flake) and the perique adds a nice fruity-spicy dimension. The Virginia is grass and hay, with a mild Danish-style topping.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2007 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a fine VA flake. This as most tobaccos of this sort is multi-faceted and can please in a variety of ways depending on the rub out or lack of.
Out of the pouch the aroma is reminiscent of Mc Clelland VA's with the ketchup and vinegar over tone in the pouch aroma. London Flake packs nicely and burns well once thoroughly lit. This tobacco is well balanced and has a satisfying VA flavor from top to bottom.
I really like this blend and most likely will add it to my VA rotation from time to time.
Out of the pouch the aroma is reminiscent of Mc Clelland VA's with the ketchup and vinegar over tone in the pouch aroma. London Flake packs nicely and burns well once thoroughly lit. This tobacco is well balanced and has a satisfying VA flavor from top to bottom.
I really like this blend and most likely will add it to my VA rotation from time to time.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 02, 2021 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
First off, the comparison to the old McClelland red Va is not far off. McC always had a certain touch though, much as Esoterica (Germain) does. Whoever said bengal slices I fear is confused....its not that at all. This is a high quality but pretty simple virginia flake (its honestly not too far off from stuff like Dan Tobacco's Patriot Flake or Hamborger Veermaster). There is perique in there, and you can taste it, though nothing like McClelland used to with Beacon Extra, say. It reminds me a bit of St James flake (gawith, also impossible to procure these days). All that said, its very good -- Im a va flake smoker-- and I buy quite a bit of it. Its not really a dark heavily stoved flake, but its more middle strength in those terms. Nic hit is about what you would expect. Has that lovely hay and stewed fruit quality of fermented viginias. And a bit of a nudge from the perique. I think we should all be grateful Peretti is still around. 3 and a half.
PurchasedFrom:
peretti's
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 2017 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Presentation is a (barely) broken, deep brown flake similar to many MClelland VaPer flakes. Though some have noted this is identical or similar to McClelland's 2015, I pick up none of that McClelland tang and the moisture level is much less than what one expect of a McClelland flake. The tobacco arrives quite dry (relatively speakingfor this style of blend) and is ready to smoke upon arrival. The broken up flakes fold and stuff easily and after a few matches were off to a steady, even burn.
There's the slightest whisper of that Peretti secret ingredient that I believe to be deer tongue on the charring light. But from there the magic combination of Virginia and Perique largely takes over, providing stewed fruit flavor with some earth and leather, a whisp of tang, some pepper, and just a hint of citrus buried in the background. The pepper runs its course by mid-bowl and the second half of the smoke is dominated by rich, though subtle, stewed fruit flavors.
Slow and cool burning, London Flake is an interesting blend in that despite a somewhat creamy mouthfeel, the flavors here are quite subdued and reserved rather than overt. I'm used to so much more flavor and punch from my favorite VaPers that I wasn't sure if I liked this blend. But its incredibly smooth smoking characteristics and deep, rich stewed fruit pushes me into three star territory. Sip very slowly and you'll be rewarded with a unique flavor profile and what might just be the coolest, smoothest smoking VaPer blend out there. No harsh spots. Absolutely no bite. A nice change of pace and strongly recommended for those who are interested in VaPer blends but have been put off by the strength unforgiving smoking characteristics of some offerings.
There's the slightest whisper of that Peretti secret ingredient that I believe to be deer tongue on the charring light. But from there the magic combination of Virginia and Perique largely takes over, providing stewed fruit flavor with some earth and leather, a whisp of tang, some pepper, and just a hint of citrus buried in the background. The pepper runs its course by mid-bowl and the second half of the smoke is dominated by rich, though subtle, stewed fruit flavors.
Slow and cool burning, London Flake is an interesting blend in that despite a somewhat creamy mouthfeel, the flavors here are quite subdued and reserved rather than overt. I'm used to so much more flavor and punch from my favorite VaPers that I wasn't sure if I liked this blend. But its incredibly smooth smoking characteristics and deep, rich stewed fruit pushes me into three star territory. Sip very slowly and you'll be rewarded with a unique flavor profile and what might just be the coolest, smoothest smoking VaPer blend out there. No harsh spots. Absolutely no bite. A nice change of pace and strongly recommended for those who are interested in VaPer blends but have been put off by the strength unforgiving smoking characteristics of some offerings.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 19, 2012 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
If you love MC flake (Blackwoods, St James, etc) you are gonna love this stuff...one of my go-to smokes now...great flake done right by the blenders...high quality bacci. I just dry out for a few hours (used to the wait with MC blends) and you are off for pure smoking bliss
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2022 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Unnoticeable |
Man, these flakes are long!
I tried to find a jar note but there’s none. I smelled the tobacco and all I get is some grass notes. That’s all.
I never smoked any McClelland so I can’t compare them to say “yeah, tastes like McClelland or smells like McClelland.” I only tried Frog Morton, but no other blends from them.
From the first puffs I get a weird but interesting taste, I don’t know what it is, but tastes good. I think it’s a topping of something but I can’t put my finger on it. It could be a bit of McClelland ketchup, but very mild. Now some clear taste notes! First of all, it tastes a lot like fig. Plum, like JimInks said? I’d say more like dried prunes. It’s a just bit tart, has some hay notes, The spiciness is medium to strong, you really get your mouth spiced up and you feel that well when retrohaling. I see people are saying the spice is not that big. Maybe for me it is, or maybe just in this particular one I got, maybe it’s a batch with more peppery spice. But nevertheless, by the end of the bowl it mellows down. I don’t really know what orange virginia is. I tasted red virginia and golden virginia, and this tastes like somewhere in between. At times it gives me the impression that it has some burley, because of some nutty notes and cocoa, but apparently it’s all in my head.
The room note is... unnoticeable. I tried to smell something but I couldn’t. I puffed and went out of the room for 1 minute and came back. Still nothing.
Anyway, all in all, good blend! It’s not something super special, so I’ll give 3 stars out of 4.
P.S.: Review on the spot here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcWFlyorCp4
I tried to find a jar note but there’s none. I smelled the tobacco and all I get is some grass notes. That’s all.
I never smoked any McClelland so I can’t compare them to say “yeah, tastes like McClelland or smells like McClelland.” I only tried Frog Morton, but no other blends from them.
From the first puffs I get a weird but interesting taste, I don’t know what it is, but tastes good. I think it’s a topping of something but I can’t put my finger on it. It could be a bit of McClelland ketchup, but very mild. Now some clear taste notes! First of all, it tastes a lot like fig. Plum, like JimInks said? I’d say more like dried prunes. It’s a just bit tart, has some hay notes, The spiciness is medium to strong, you really get your mouth spiced up and you feel that well when retrohaling. I see people are saying the spice is not that big. Maybe for me it is, or maybe just in this particular one I got, maybe it’s a batch with more peppery spice. But nevertheless, by the end of the bowl it mellows down. I don’t really know what orange virginia is. I tasted red virginia and golden virginia, and this tastes like somewhere in between. At times it gives me the impression that it has some burley, because of some nutty notes and cocoa, but apparently it’s all in my head.
The room note is... unnoticeable. I tried to smell something but I couldn’t. I puffed and went out of the room for 1 minute and came back. Still nothing.
Anyway, all in all, good blend! It’s not something super special, so I’ll give 3 stars out of 4.
P.S.: Review on the spot here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcWFlyorCp4
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 20, 2020 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This is a review of the new London Flake; I previously reviewed the old version under "DaveR." I see no similarities between this and the old version, but that doesn't mean that it's not good in its own way.. The "flakes" are much longer, but also much thinner. I would call them borderline between a ribbon cut and a coarse flake. The tin note is milder and sweeter. A very slight topping that I cannot identify is noticed. A little rubbing, and the flakes, if one could call them that, break easily into string like parts. Lighting is a breeze. The old version took three or four lights; this version one, two at the most. There is less body to the smoke, and the taste is much milder, sweeter, and less woodsy that the old version, but there is a hint of "woodsiness." The perique is barely noticeable but you can tell it's there. On occasion, I get just a slight hint of the taste of Escudo, which of course is heavy in the Perique department. The new version burns much quicker than the previous. I get about a half hour from a medium size bowl of the new version whereas I got about an hour from the old version. There is much less bite in the new version, and I can well see that this could be an all day smoke. Overall, I prefer the old version for its body and woodsy flavors, but I am beginning to like this the more I smoke it, and it might appeal to others who found the old version of London Flake a bit strong.
Pipe Used:
MT Natural, Algerian briar
Age When Smoked:
Off the shelf
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 14, 2003 | Medium | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
The smell in the tin is the typical vinegar or catsup of McClelland Va., but slightly muted. I suspect that it was prepared for Peretti's by McClelland because it is almost if not identical to McClelland's #2015. However, it does seem to be a bit smoother and a little less nippy. This is a beautiful Virginia/Perique tobacco. There are no artificial flavors or sweeteners that I can detect. The dominant flavor is the sweetness of a McClelland Virginia flake combined with the tang of Perique at the back of the tongue. If you like Virginia/Perique tobacco and you like McClelland #2015, you will probably find this tobacco a step up. It requires slow, typical Virginia puffing and burns evenly all the way to the dottle with very little tending. However, if price is a consideration, I think you will find #2015 just as satisfying. Paddy.
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