Tobaccos Savinelli - Brunello Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3025)	2014-08-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The flake is a little moist and very easy to rub out or fold and stuff. The tin aroma is sweet honey, a touch of tart lemon and lots of tart and tangy, fruity citrus. The light Virginia offers tart and tangy citrus, and a light bread note with a little grass, earth and honey, along with a few hints of spice, and some creaminess. The darker Virginia provides a light tangy dark fruit, earth and wood. They are the lead component. The burleys are supporting players offering a slight nuttiness with some wood and earth. A touch of dry, earthy, woody, herbal, mildly sweet and lightly sour Macedonian leaf provides a very slight floral essence as a condiment. The top note of honey kind of reminds me of graham crackers. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, and the taste level is almost medium. The nic-hit is a just past the mild mark. Won't bite or get harsh even when pushed. Burns at a slow to moderate pace, cool and clean, with a very sweet, smooth consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering sweet after taste and room note. An easy going all day smoke.

-JimInks

52 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2016-07-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I think this is superb. Took a few bowls to "get it", now I got it.

Closest kin is probably Mac Baren Navy Flake. This is more virginia-forward, and I find an odd almost sour note (macedonian?) against the sweet zesty virginias and whatever gentle sweet casing there is. I don't smell fruit outright at all. So where Navy Flake moves in the spicy dark direction with the "patented cavendish" this moves more in a sweet/sour sort of way.

In the bowl, it's soft smoking and pleasant, nothing earth-shattering. Room note is nice. To me this is any-time all-purpose tobacco. I expect it to age wonderfully, and am started to cellar this.

Not a ton of nicotine here - a typically Mac B virginia offering in that way too.

Pipe Used: all sorts

Age When Smoked: new

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Navy Flake, Fribourg & Treyer - Cut Virginia Plug, Mac Baren - Virginia No.1, McClelland - No. 24 (Matured Virginias).

26 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2017-03-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

There is a little sweetness, but this is more sour than sweet. The fairly strong citrus notes from the Virginias (I think some of it is topping as well) combine with the sour note of the Orientals to create a lemon-like flavor. It literally makes my mouth water. The Burley, in the first half, provides a nutty earthiness in the background. In the second half the sour citrus fades a little allowing the Burley notes to catch up and this is when it gets downright heavenly. Burns cool and burns very well. This isn't the type of smoke I usually go for, but this one is a bit unique and very tasty.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in taste. Flavoring is mild.

Pipe Used: MM Marcus, Country Gentleman, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2018-02-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This one grew on me. I picked up a tin of this upon some forum recommendations. I had high expectations that were not at first met. I was expecting something nuttier than what I got. I found both the Virginia and burley to be more silent than anticipated.

As I got to know it, the Virginia really did emerge while I found the burley to still be kind of in the back seat. The Macedonian leaf is what may have turned me off at first by probably masking those flavors I expected. I think I just started to embrace the taste of that condiment and the blend just started opening up for me.

The flake is presented in nice orderly flakes stacked perfectly in two piles to comprise the 100g tin that I purchased. I put half in a jar for later and left the other half in the tin. As this was a rectangular tin, it did slowly dry to a crisp. I threw in one of those button things to moisten it up and it did the job.

I usually like flakes dry and krispy, but this one in particular, is much better moist than dry. I am leaving three stars on this for now because of mixed results, but I may push it to four stars when I finish the jarred half of this tin sometime in the future.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Houndstooth (34)	2014-11-30		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I took to this right off, possibly due to its resemblance to Orlik Golden Sliced in the red can- another tin that I've been working on that I've grown quite fond of. Unlike Orlik though, it needs some drying time.

Another thing which may or may not be particular to this tobacco, although it brought me here- rub it out. A reliable old Italian pipe of mine didn't show this toback to good advantage when I folded and stuffed. While not dirty, I cleaned it with alcohol and a week or so later re-tried the Brunello- this time fully rubbed out. Voila- magnifique!

There is a citrus thing happening here which I didn't catch in the Orlik, or didn't think I did. Maybe I did though, and hence my attraction for Brunello. Again I'm not detecting perique either, but then again there's none advertized; also an Orlik trait of great dispute. But the nicotine is present- at least as much in Orlik.

While I'm aware that I'm reviewing Brunello- NOT Orlik, the comparisons are hard to avoid due to the proximity of both in my useage. Orlik fans looking for a great variation may well find something new with Brunello, The tin is better eye candy than the image of a Brit judge on a scarlet background, which is about as welcome as a toadstool, but perhaps more traditional than the green floral (grape leaf?) design the Brunello tin is graced with. Stacked rectangular flakes are easy to measure size-wise for any flake afficianado.

Try the Brunello- it holds its own.

Pipe Used: antique Royalton Silver Crown, cobs

Age When Smoked: birthed June 2014- so about 5 months

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden Sliced.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-11-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mostly light brown mottled thin flakes that crumble easily, and I rubbed this one out gently for smoking. Tin note of honey and a vague light lemon-citrus. Not overblown in the lemon. I got the best results when I gave each bowl about a 2 hour dry time, although differences in moisture content were subtle.

In the bowl, the Virginias provided a lightly sweet and tangy flavor with an almost buttery cavendish-type note from the honey, and with some grass and hay. References to Mac Baren Navy Flake are certainly justified, although this one is much less cased. The burley was neither nutty nor earthy, but provided a sort of “grounding” to the flavor so that it wasn’t devoid of body and presence. I’m not sure if the sour flavor comes from the oriental strain or what, but it was quite prominent in the early goings. It mellowed out about halfway down the bowl. Indeed, the first half of the bowl was punchy but also had a bit of teeth - just a bit - and no amount of cadence altering could completely tame it. The second half of the bowl is where the tobaccos melded together and the blend was pleasant, good tasting and a bit unmemorable. If the punchiness of the first part was retained into the last part of the bowl, this would be a four star blend. I think I’m going to pick up some more tins and experiment with adding some red virginia or perhaps a spot of Izmir, or even a pinch of perique. This one has the potential to be a killer blend on its own with some age, so I’m going to cellar some. Even with my reservations, this is a fine blend and is definitely worth a sampling for anyone interested in blends of this type.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (217)	2015-04-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Savinelli’s Brunello Flake is a premium crossover. Everything about it is TOP, including the leaf, the blend, preparation, presentation, handling, smoking, aroma, taste (and the price). It's also amply cased, and it’s topped enough to make it important to this blend; but IMO it is not an aromatic.

In a newly opened tin one sees two perfect stacks of well-formed, medium sized flakes. The lot appears at first to be golden but one soon notices the gamut of shades reflecting not only flue cured but also air cured, and even some stoved leaf. The tin aroma is an enhanced, souped-up version of the best of the actual fermented tobacco smells, along with some citrus (orange), honey, vanilla, apricot, currants, cardamom, and a few more I have not nailed down yet. But trust me, it smells good, all right. I started by folding, twisting the hell out of it, and stuffing a moist flake into one of my VA pipes, and I still fold and seriously spindle it, though I found I much prefer it dried some before stuffing and smoking it. When it’s too moist, it’s got a little of the usual-for-aromatics oily and acrid tastes. When it’s just right, everything harmonizes into a delicious, tobacco rich treat. The predominant VAs are very sweet, like sweet grasses and honeysuckle, and they are mild without being the usual corollary to “mild”, which is to say [it’s not], hot. There is also some taste and aroma from a smattering of rich, red VA that adds depth and complexity, including some "earth". The Burleys used are nutty but not tannic, and they lend some “volume” and “roundness” to the smell and the taste, alike, along with a little cocoa (or is this the topping?). The Macedonian leaf is excellent, loamy, with very faint, Middle Eastern lamb kabobs, and the lot remains sweet and “exotic” without being cloying. I recommend loose to medium packing, also try to keep it slow while avoiding re-lights. It burns to a very fine ash, so watch the stoking or stirring. Strength is mild to medium, and I doubt it will satisfy anyone looking for a buzz. Room note is truly, actually pleasant. I don’t smoke BF for the aftertaste, since it seems to go flat for me as soon as I stop smoking it, or, if I’m careless, I can make it turn out slightly ashy and acrid. In any case, it fades away pretty fast.

Savinelli’s Brunello Flake is the best crossover I’ve smoked since Fribourg and Treyer’s Cut Virginia Plug. In fact, I like BF better, and the two blends are definitely comparable in terms of quality. I give BF 3 stars on my Absolute scale; 4 stars on my Crossover scale.

Update, 11-22-2017: I recently smoked some BF that's been jarred since before my original review. The toppings have faded significantly, and the varietals are melded and softened. IMO it is still a "4", but I am surprised to realize I actually prefer it fresher, with more of the toppings in play, smoked as a crossover! Looking back, I also feel this way about F&T's Cut VA Plug; in fact I had to down rate that blend when it "mellowed out" with age.

Pipe Used: various briars; dedication is rewarded

Age When Smoked: 9 mos.

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

Similar Blends: Fribourg and Treyer's Cut Virginia Plug.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ScienceSmoker (60)	2022-01-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Everything about the presentation of Brunello Flake says quality. The perfect flakes are piled neatly in the center of the tin in a little gold paper box, reminiscent of the way Old Dark Fired is packaged. The tin note is lovely too. It smells of honey, citrus, and various spices. I generally rub out flakes, and Brunello breaks up perfectly. Some blends take more effort to rub into the right size... not Brunello. It almost seems to fall apart into the exact perfect consistency. It's a tiny tad moist, so I dried it out for around 10 minutes in the dry winter air. First few puffs... so nice. Very fresh flavors. The Virginias are prominent, and are a sweet grassy, slightly lemony flavor. Less fruity and more vegetal/earthy with a bit of bready-ness. The Macedonian leaf's lightly sour and floral flavors compliment those Virginias perfectly. The Burleys are there, but really only slightly. They seem to just firm up the smoke with a touch of nuttiness. The mildly sweet topping is there throughout adding a nice spiced honey and (fermented?) dark fruit flavor. It's really not flavored enough to call this an aromatic. Brunello Flake behaves really well too... as I said, it rubs out perfectly, plus there's no bite, and I hardly needed any relights. Plus it burns fairly slow.

Bottom line: Brunello Flake is excellent. It's just a high quality blend all around. It has a crisp, herbaceous quality that is refreshing... and original. I can't think of any blends to compare it to. Easily 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Punto Oro Corallo 622ks

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pylet2000 (33)	2017-07-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Rather expensive flake, but one that I happily repurchase. Sweet, sour, somewhat complex, lightly citrus, and all around well behaved. A wonderful smoke I reach for often.

In the tin, it smells sweet, fermented, and citrus. Others have suggested strawberry and I'm inclined to agree. There's a faintly familiar smell of the orientals under what you'd expect for a Virginia flake. The burley doesn't offer much aroma of it's own. There has to be some level of topping, milder than many aromatics but present. Color is generally light brown with a few tan strands here and there. Made by MacBaren, the flakes are perfectly consistent in shape, size and thickness.

I like this best rubbed out completely; folded and stuffed it seems to require a lot of relights even when fairly dried out. It loses a little bit of it's flavor charm as it dries too, making rubbed out the better option for my tastes. Flavor is generally sweet, occasional sour, with citrus notes present throughout. Slight spice, very minimal. The Virginia tastes well aged. The burley is faintly noticeable really, but does play backup. The oriental leaf is a little above condimental levels, it is noticeable enough to pick up on. Mixed with the sweet toppings (slight honey / strawberry), this flake has enough going to keep me interested all the way through the bowl. Nicotine is just above mild, enough to get the job done without being overbearing.

Burns well once lit (rubbed out at least), and leaves little moisture behind. Certainly no "goop".

I saw somebody compared this to MB Navy Flake, and agree they are 2nd cousins. Navy Flake has a different topping, the burley is more forward, and doesn't have the oriental leaf, but I enjoy them both and find them similar enough in the smoke to agree with the comparison. This doesn't have the rum splash of Navy Flake. I smoke this more often, as I find it to be the superior of the two.

In the end, I feel the quality of Brunello Flake offsets the price premium enough to justify keeping it in the rotation. I consider it a treat every time.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2021-09-02		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Summary: a nice Virginia flake fortified by Burleys with a tang from Orientals and toppings.

Most reviews focus on this blend as a Burley flake, but it makes more sense to explore it as being something like "Erinmore Flake": a Virginia flake with a lot of Burley and possibly Cavendish to soften it and make it burn less hot. The volume of smoke on first light suggests Burley, at which point the main flavors are the roasted almond of white Burley in the background with a gentle tang from the Orientals that melds into the topping like a chord, bringing out the floral, fruit, and berry flavors which mostly burn off after the first quarter of the bowl but remain as a sort of "spin" to the Oriental sweet-sour zest. Once the bowl gets going, the Burley makes more of its presence known, suggesting some fermented dark Burley as well, but then the sugars in the Virginia caramelize and that flavor dominates. At this point, the Burley warms up the citrus-honey-brioche taste of the Virginias while the slightly herbal ginger-like flavor of the Orientals guides the taste as a whole. Although pressed as a European-style hard flake, the Orientals (and possibly Cavendish) are drier than the Virginias, so these flakes open up easily and light without much effort. Like the MacBaren "Navy Flake" or "Erinmore Flake," the bowl burns like an OTC and stays flavorful to the last bits, burning to a fine dusty ash.

Similar Blends: Murray Sons & Co, Ltd - Erinmore Flake, Mac Baren - Navy Flake, Mac Baren - HH Burley Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2017-01-19		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Here's a hybrid for ya. Reading the list of tobaccos in the blend and then finding out that it's flavored would make one wonder if this blend is worth trying. Open the tin and smell the strawberry topping. At least it smells like strawberry to me and another reviewer.The flavoring is used with a very light hand and it actually gives the blend a nice semi-sweet sour note as it plays along with the Macedonia leaf. I know it sounds crazy but this tobacco is balanced and tastes more like a sour-ish sweet Virginia. Burns well with very few re-lights. I tried my best to get this tobacco to bite and it never did. A very different experience that I really like and would buy this again.

Pipe Used: Ashton

Age When Smoked: 3 years.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old German puffer (106)	2015-09-25		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

One tobbaco that seems to fall in and out of my rotation is this. First you have to open the tin and let it dry for about a day just to make it smoke. Has a very strong lemon grass note. Lights well. Smokes very well. One of the better tobacco blends by Sav. First tried it at my pipe club meeting. Has been with me ever since. Nice smooth smoke. Highly recommend.

Pipe Used: Comoy

Age When Smoked: Tin - 2 years plus

Purchased From: Low Country Pipe and Cigar South Carolina B&M

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2018-09-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Savinelli - Brunello Flake.

The 100g tin contains two rows of wide, quite thin, nicely hydrated, medium brown, flakes. Preparation's simple, a light hand results in a fully rubbed flake.

A bowl lights easily. In the lead is a citrus sharpness, from the Virginia and a mild topping. The Burley provides as lighter flavour, but I struggle to detect much Macedonian. The taste isn't too bad but I do find it can give my tongue a nip; not hard, but if strained I notice a little 'peck'.

Nicotine: a little below medium. Room-note: not bad.

Brunello Flake? In all, a nice smoke. It would be good in the summer. Three stars:

Recommended.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2015-04-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

The VAs dominate the tin aroma. Sunny and bright, hints of grass, but mostly honey and honeydew melon. Seems to have a light dressing of something along those lines-?

I rubbed out a couple of flakes and let them air dry for about 15 minutes, which was plenty, maybe a few minutes too long. Required more than one charring light but then cruised along nicely.

Beautiful smoke with this one; always nice to get that with a lighter-tasting blend.

The VA and Macedonia complemented each other nicely, and the burley added a nice roundness to the flavor and room note. It edged toward sour territory just a couple of times, which might have been my fault, but for the most part, every component was well behaved.

This is a really nice smoke. Nothing to get overly excited about, but very solid.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-04-17		Mild	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note of Brunello Flake offers up some type of fruity note but does not overwhelm the blend & adds a tasty flavor but the smoke aroma does not purvey an aromatic room note. My palate must be more sensitive than others because this seemed to bite a little bit initially but tamed down a wee bit after employing the DGT method. However, the chemical burn (bite) remained to the very end. I don't get the strawberry aroma that some have mentioned but definitely some type of mild & semi-sweet fruit & topping... I don't have a strawberry handy to compare. However, my olfactory glands might require a little maintenance or fine tuning.

The top note is very lightly applied but noticeable while smoking & there's a mild taste of honey in the blend... reminded me a little of Bit O' Honey candy. Virginia is the lead guitarist in the group while Oriental plays second fiddle & Burley plays a little rhythm & at the halfway juncture, the trio was in perfect unison & started playing better as the varietals melded together and the tobacco flavors began dancing to the beat as Topper started hitting the minor notes. At that point, any single flavor of the varietals became indistinguishable and the band played in perfect harmony.

Brunello Flake requires a number of relights & burns fairly cool & slow. It can be a relaxing all day smoke. It is quite tasty & leaves a lingering sweetness on the palate & I think Brunello Flake is a pretty darn good "semi-aromatic" tobacco. It is much better a couple of months after breaking the seal. However, after a few years of age, I feel it will bring out more sweetness, less harshness & without doubt, will be a smoother, more enjoyable smoke. I bought one extra tin to cellar that I'll probably sell. The only drawbacks for me with this blend was the continuing bite to the finish & it was too mild to suit my smoking preference... but that's just me. Others possessing a palate of leather or numbness may find this blend more suitable.

Pipe Used: Cavicchi, D. S. Huber, & a Vintage Pete

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Fruit Cocktail with Bit O' Honey? This is new to me...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2015-04-19		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Nicely prepared flakes that are pliable and easy to fold and pack without rubout. The tin aroma is inviting and the sweet VAs are prominent. Didn't sense much influence from the Turkish but enjoyed the citrus/grassy taste from start to finish. Smoked cool without bite or condensation. A mild , all day smoke that will be ideal for the hot summer months.

Pipe Used: various bowl sizes

Age When Smoked: dated 6/14

Purchased From: pipes & cigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2020-10-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This particular flake comes only in a 100g tin as far as I'm aware. When opening it up, you will find the typical well packed MacBaren flake . The tin note is very interesting and although there is no official topping claimed, it smells a certain honey sweet, similar to Sun Bear. It smells slightly fruity and citrusy and very bready to me. This flake is incredibly easy to fold and stuff, but rubbing out produces a similar smoke. It's not hard to light, and requires an average amount of relights. I find the smell pleasant, and I think it will make some of your friends curious.

When you light up, you do taste the honey and its sweetness slightly sublimated the nuttiness and woodyness of the Burleys. The virginia is really melded to the topping and I can tell its there, but its not in the forefront for me. The Orientals give a slight floral note when this is puffed really slowly. To be honest this is another blend I had mixed feelings about when I first tried it. Now I really do enjoy it. I think the taste is a solid medium, the topping is in between mild and medium and the nicotine is about the center of medium if not just a hair to the milder side.

This could easily be an all day smoke. I may eventually pick up a few more tins. I do think this blend benefits from some age.

Pipe Used: Basket Pipe

Age When Smoked: 6 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2020-03-03		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This blend is interesting. All the components are noticeable—the burley adds body, the Macedonian gives a shade of the exotic, and the Virginia's are really spicy! Overly so, for me.

This blend verged on nipping me; a slow sip is required. Some find this blend to be on the mild side, but I opt the other way, I thought it was a shade strong and slightly harsh. Also, I swear I detected some sort of mild casing, it reminded me of marshmallow, or possibly Vanilla, whether that's the case or not, I don't know.

Despite a few misgivings (particularly those spicy VA's), I can still recommend this blend—if you take your time sipping it.

Keep on Pipin!

Pipe Used: Boswell Bent

Purchased From: Another average pipe shop near Corpus Cristi, TX

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-03-06		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note of Brunello Flake offers up some type of fruity note but does not overwhelm the blend & adds a tasty flavor to the smoke. My palate must be more sensitive than others because this seemed to bite a little bit initially but tamed down after a few tokes. I don't get the strawberry aroma that some have mentioned but definitely some type of fruit topping... I don't have a strawberry handy to compare. However, my olfactory glands might require a little maintenance or fine tuning.

The top note is very lightly applied but noticeable while smoking & there's a mild taste of honey in the blend... reminded me a little of Bit O' Honey candy. Virginia is the lead guitarist in the group while Oriental plays second fiddle & Burley plays a little rhythm & at the halfway juncture, the trio was in perfect unison & started playing better as the varietals melded together and the tobacco flavors began dancing to the beat as Topper started hitting the minor notes. At that point, any single flavor of the varietals became indistinguishable and the band played in perfect harmony.

Brunello Flake requires a number of relights & burns fairly cool & slow. It can be a relaxing all day smoke. It is quite tasty & leaves a lingering sweetness on the palate & I think Brunello Flake is a pretty darn good "semi-aromatic" tobacco. It is much better a couple of months after breaking the seal. However, after a few years of age, I feel it will bring out more sweetness, less harshness & without doubt, will be a smoother, more enjoyable smoke. I bought one extra tin to cellar. Three & one half stars.

Pipe Used: Cavicchi, D. S. Huber, & a Vintage Pete

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Fruit Cocktail with Bit O' Honey? This is new to me...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2017-07-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was intrigued by the positive reviews of this flake and after seeing it was produced by Mac Baren, decided to give it a go. The appearance of the opened tin showed medium colored leaf lined up very smartly ala Mac Baren. The tin note was that of a non-cloying fruitiness and reminded me of Troost aromatic in the 100 gm round tins from the 1990s. The flakes are thin sliced in the style of Mac Baren with a moisture content ready to smoke. Loading and lighting was easy and minimal relights were required. For me, this smoked very close to MB's Mixture Flake and Navy Flake but closer to Mixture Flake; most likely from the higher content of Virginia as compared to Burley. It was subtly sweet throughout the smoke (sweeter than MF or NF), with no bitterness/harshness whatsoever. I can't say I picked up any discernible fruit taste while smoking, just a pleasant sweetness throughout. After reading "strawberry" in a few reviews, yes, if I deeply inhaled the tin content I could pick out what appeared to be strawberry (not very much present after the tin was opened for a few hours); but I know Mac Baren uses a combination of fruit essences in several of their blends and not one in any particular blend to add to the flavor profile. I could not detect the Macedonian with puffing, but only in the after taste and it was mild at that (and not really floral to my taste buds). This is a very comfortable and enjoyable blend to smoke and I experienced an occasional tongue nip but no bite per se. Fast puffing only heated up the bowl a bit, but never a bite. It did smoke faster than Mixture Flake and Navy Flake and I feel more Burley in Brunello than MF, but not as much as NF. All in all a solid, dependable smoke that I do recommend, making this a nice rotation partner to Macs other two flakes I referenced, both of which I also enjoy.

Pipe Used: Stanwell featherweight smooth poker

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin.

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

Similar Blends: Mac Baren Mixture Flake, Mac Baren Navy Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-06-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Definitely some topping/casing. The flakes smell of grass and hay and a fruity note from the casing. They are on the dry side of perfect moisture. Topping does not really translate to the smoke. Brunello Flake tasted like very a very natural tobacco. Bright hay-like Virginia flavours together with a delectable Oriental sourness. Great balance between sourness and sweetness. Nice tanginess, fair complexity overall. Perfect burning qualities, pronounced taste, never gets harsh, medium strength, good nicotine content. What more could one ask? Excellent! Fully recommended especially to those looking for an Orientally enhanced bright Virginia flake.

I will have to correct my review above and take off one star. Brunello Flake does taste natural except for a honey-sweetness which I find a little bit too much. After having a few bowls I think I find it a little bit tiring. Apart from that it is a very nice tobacco.

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl's Sunday Picnic - which verges on being acrid, Brunello Flake is rounder and easier to smoke..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TorontoSmoker (19)	2015-07-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think Jimlnks and Greggles descriptions of this tobacco are right on. But I disagree with JimLnks review on only one aspect - in the last sentence of his review. I found this blend bites like a hot, wet, mutha-f#@%ing bi-atch!!

Even after significant drying time out of the tin. Maybe it's cuz I didn't rub it out enough first? Or maybe because it was a very hot, humid evening in Toronto. Either way, it bit the heck outta my mouth and tongue (even with a balsa filter, and got very moist at the bottom of the bowl. Retrohale is very nice though...

Next time I try to smoke this blend, I will wait until the dry winter months here in mid January, and crumble the flake completely first before packing it. Hope that will reduce the moisture, heat and bite.

Pipe Used: Ardor Venere

Age When Smoked: 1 yr

Purchased From: Received as a sample

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	greggles (3)	2015-01-09		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Tin Aroma: Fruity, sugary sweetness. Its what I would imagine an old timey Starburst candy would smell like.

Taste: Delicious! Sweet Virginias mixing with the Macedonia leaf is a wonderful, savory experience. The flavor remains full and consistent throughout the whole bowl. As a lover of Virginia I am not dissapointed. Occasionally my nostrils will experience a pleasant tingle on the exhale.

Smokability: I found my usual flake packing method to work just fine with this blend. I will tear about a 1/3 of a flake off and fold it twice and stuff it into the bottom of the bowl. Than I'll rub out enough to gravity fill it to the top of the bowl. Char, tamp, relight.

Room Note: Virginia, that wonderful scent that all humans should smell and savor.

Thoughts: I really like this blend, as both a lover of Virginia and flakes. This also redeemed Burley for me. As my previous experience was with Captain Black (which I didn't hate, but just found it lacking and uninteresting) and the shudders Borkim Riff. So Burleys are okay in my book and I look forawrd to trying more of them. I've also never had Macedonian leaf before so theres another one of my horizons opened up.

Reccomended to: Anyone who enjoys Virginias and wants to really experience the sweetness they bring. And to anyone who wants to smoke something that is generally sweeter tasting, this blend should not dissapoint. Summary: Sweet, delicious flake which I could see myself smoking regularly. And I'll also have to cellar some ;)

4/5 Stars

This was my /r/pipetobacco review

Pipe Used: Hercules 604 EX and Peterson's Kinsale XL23

Age When Smoked: Back of the tin says it was sealed in June 2014

Purchased From: Maison and Edwards

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (127)	2022-08-24		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tin note sweet fruity slightly citrus. flake can be folded or rubbed out both seem to provide the same results. Moisture level was fine from the tin. This is a really good lite blend for all day smoking has a nice lite topping honey perhaps ? Mostly Virginia flavors fruit and Citrus but the blend is mild overall. Its got enough going on to hold your interest but not so complex you need to ponder. Nic hit is mild to medium. Wont get harsh you can freight train this one with no worries. leaves a bit of charcoal in the bottom of the bowl. I will be purchasing this again. Four stars out of 4

Pipe Used: many

Age When Smoked: gift not sure but aged a bit

Purchased From: friend gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Earthmane (11)	2022-04-20		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An ideal springtime smoke. Mild, grassy, fruity, and thoroughly pleasant. Sweet and sour with graham cracker notes. Rubs out easily and burns cool and consistent. Ages well. Another solid blend from Mac Baren.

Age When Smoked: 4 yrs

Similar Blends: Mac Baren Navy Flake, Cornell and Diehl Sun Bear.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (192)	2021-11-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Smoking now:

The bag note is very sweet like honey. I’m surprised it’s not topped. Honey, raisins, fruit, fermented hay. It’s very nice.

My sample bag was completely broken apart flakes that packed well although a bit moist. The taste is mild. Slightly sweet and sour. Notes of nuts, a little vegetative, earth, wood, that was very mild and cool burning. An all day smoke without any harshness. Something that could be smoked anytime with anything. The tobaccos do harmonize well and it was hard for me me to pick apart specific notes. Smoked well even when pushed. The retrohale was easy with notes of sourness, nuts, wood, and earth. Flavor improved the more of the bowl I smoked. Hardly any aftertaste and no bite.

Pipe Used: Briar

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NoirPipes (6)	2015-05-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I urge every one still in possession of these flakes to give the tin/jar a sniff, I think I know what it is topped with, strawberry! Smells like a strawberry fruit roll-up. Counter intuitive as this may be, I think it is. It also seems natural enough and adds to the tangy sweet thing this has going for it. This is not a Strawberry aromatic though. I air dry a flake for 10 to 15 min till it has faded a little in color but still pliable. It has a narrow Goldilocks, i.e., too dry = burns too hot = bite. Too wet = steam = bite. Not much more so than most flakes, it's a trade off for the fruit juice (strawberry?!) This one seems to like folding and stuffing. The only complaint was in reading the list of contents, I thought I would notice the Macedonian Oriental and was looking forward to a Virginia/Oriental Flake. As it is, if your looking for a nice Euro style Virginia flake with a tangy topping it makes a good change of pace. Looking for a More natural/neutral option stick with FVF, or Union Square. Or smoke all three, you're allowed!

Pipe Used: Savinelli Fuoco 111 KS

Age When Smoked: 5 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2015-04-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lovely plummy/straw tin note, but unlike others I really don't get much more than straigthforward, somewhat bland VA in the smoke. The only reason I would have thought there was burley in the blend is because it's slightly bitey. The flakes are thin and easy to fold in or rub out, and it lights easily but smokes a bit on the fast side for a flake. It's possible the blend might come together better after the tin is open for a few more weeks.

Pipe Used: various briars and meers

Age When Smoked: 8 months

Purchased From: gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Amordad12 (13)	2022-06-08		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Is not my favourite tobacco. The room note and taste honestly are not good whenever use this tobacco I have to mix it with Rosemary that get a better taste.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jpiper33 (9)	2020-05-18		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Like many, this blend benefits from some air time. Freshly opened I was not all that crazy about it. Over the two weeks, it took to work through this tin, the blend got better and better each time I opened it.

The tin note reminds me of a sweet cereal. However, it is not as strong as Newminster Superior Navy Flake. They are more like cousins. The flavor is tangy, at times creamy, and there is the lingering presence of a gentle spice. This is not monochromatic and at the same time not complex.

I like this blend but I do not love it.

On a side note, I do not trust the rectangular tins they come in for longterm storage. This newer tin was already showing signs of rust on the corners.

Pipe Used: Various Briars and Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 2 years old

Purchased From: watchcitycigar.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2019-09-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A typical Macbaren product. A lot like Navy Flake but a bit more complex. Macbaren is never really all that exciting, and this is no exception. That said, its a very pleasant all day sort of light smoke. Better than Navy Flake by a wide margin IMHO. Virginias....very mild, a touch of an oriental leaf, but no idea what...there isnt enough of it. Burley ....the typical MacB variety. And a fair amount of topping added in./ probably fruit essences, maybe a touch of vanilla, and a cocoa. All told its quite balanced and the room note is very nice. Not much nicotine and potential for tongue bit if smoked too fast. I dont know...i get why people like it. And i might get more...down the road. But its nothing particularly special.

Purchased From: cup o joes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2018-12-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Full	Pleasant

The tin note of Brunello Flake offers up some type of fruity note but does not overwhelm the blend & adds a tasty flavor to the smoke. My palate must be more sensitive than others because this seemed to bite a little bit initially but tamed down after a few tokes. I don't get the strawberry aroma that some have mentioned but definitely some type of fruit topping... I don't have a strawberry handy to compare. However, my olfactory glands might require a little maintenance or fine tuning. The top note is very lightly applied but noticeable while smoking & there's a mild taste of honey in the blend... reminded me a little of Bit O' Honey candy.

Virginia is the lead guitarist in the group while Oriental plays second fiddle & Burley plays a little rhythm & at the halfway juncture, the trio was in perfect unison & started playing better as the varietals melded together and the tobacco flavors began dancing to the beat as Topper started hitting the minor notes. At that point, any single flavor of the varietals became indistinguishable and the band played in perfect harmony.

Brunello Flake requires a number of relights & burns fairly cool & slow. It can be a relaxing all day smoke. It is quite tasty & leaves a lingering sweetness on the palate & I think Brunello Flake is a pretty darn good "semi-aromatic" tobacco. It is much better a couple of months after breaking the seal. However, after a few years of age, I feel it will bring out more sweetness, less harshness & without doubt, will be a smoother, more enjoyable smoke. I bought one extra tin to cellar. Three & one half stars.

Pipe Used: Cavicchi, D. S. Huber, & a Vintage Pete

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Fruit Cocktail with Bit O' Honey? This is new to me...

Nobody has rated this review yet.