Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake (No. 402)

Heavy sweet casing on this, as others reviewers noted. I usually avoid aromatics/flavored tobaccos. I did not realize this was one. The sweetness was not unpleasant at first, but the extra sugar makes this tobacco burn hot. I didn't get tongue bite but was close to burning my tongue. The Virginia flavor is overpowered by the casing, and the flavor also is muted as the tobacco burns hotter. I got some goopiness through the stem, which was quite unpleasant. Too bad, I like the twist flake presentation, which is a pleasure to roll and stuff. It lights easily but had to relight a couple times.

Essence of Hay. Dry, end of the winter hay, not your fall freshly cut hay flavor. Luxury Twist Flake is a pleasant smoke. After the first several minutes of smoking, my mind wanders in search of other items of interest for which to occupy itself. That is to say, the flavor is a bit forgetable.

If you have been smoking English blends all day, and feel like switching to something a little sweeter, this might be the perfect interim smoke. It will cleanse the pallet, and leave the senses searching for more substance so that you will immediately pick out the nuances of your next tobacco. If, however, my first pipe of the day is an after dinner puff, this tobacco is not one that I would pine for.

While this baccy does not smoke hot or bite and leaves no bad taste or odor in the pipe or mouth, I can't find any redeeming quality that makes it desirable or a stand out. It packs OK and lights OK, but the smoking is extremely one dimensional, becomes quite harsh toward the end of the bowl, and lacks any real flavor that makes it likable. Also has a humectant added that makes it impossible to dry out to any appreciable degree. Will not become a staple in my lineup and will not be reordered. Also, would not recommend for newbies.

There are times when I want a simple, above-average quality tobacco with a straightforward and natural taste. This flake comes close to fitting that niche. This Virginia tobacco is not complex, but it has a hint of sweet grassy aroma. Not the best of the Stokkebye "Luxury" line, but it is a respectable smoke and a good value.

(UPDATE: 02/02/2013) I recently revisited this blend when I opened a jar of it that I had sealed up in early 2003. I find the flavor to be much more subdued than my last time with this flake. There is no "butterscotch" or "coconut" flavor, just a very slight sweet toffee-like motif. When in the zone, this is a pleasant smoke one can enjoy anytime without much thought.

(Original review) The blend comes in thick perfectly-cut rectangles that seem to break naturally into 3 seperate but equal squares. Each one of these squares seems to be the perfect size to fill a medium-sized bowl. The appearance is a beautiful golden swirled square that rubs out easily to a fine crumble.

The scent and flavor of the leaf is similar to a butterscotch/coconut combination with a bit of honey yet there is definately natural tobacco taste.

Burn is easy and even. It rarely bites and remains consistent throughout the bowl. This is one of those rare blends that tastes like it smells and even smells the same while burning as it does in the bag.

If you like a flavorful yet natural-tasting tobacco that burns well then this is for you.

Surprise and some disappointment. First off, this blend is supposedly topped with vanilla. IMHO, it should in no way be considered an aromatic, because I truly don't believe that I would have detected Vanilla if I hadn't been looking for it.

Okay, back to the surprise and disappointment. My previous encounter with this blend around four years earlier left me with an impression of a gently sweet, light/medium Virginia with a nice fragrant tone. When I smoked this, I thought maybe I had mislabeled my sample, but I didn't.

There is an edge to this, and definitely some decent nicotine. It comes in a beautifully variegated, supple flake. If there is vanilla here, it comes through only as a background smoothness. But there is some harshness here that counters any such contribution. When allowed to gently escape from your mouth, it stings your eyes and nose. The smoke is very thick.

It may be that I have a particular chemical reaction to the Stokkebye Luxury series tobaccos, because I don't see many people having my reaction, so take this for what it's worth. I really wanted to like this tobacco, but I just can't give it thumbs up.

It often amazes me just how subjective tobacco tastes can be from one smoker to another. Visually these flakes are absolutely magnificent. The aroma of this tobacco seems a bit buttery to me, but still pleasant, though I do detect a slight casing that other reviewers may disagree with. This tobacco burns very nicely with little bite. My problem with this tobacco it that I continually pick up sort of a burnt caramel taste, which seems to be much stronger than in other pure virginias I have smoked, that just doesn't sit well with me. Others have noted a pure tobacco taste, personally ,I don't taste it. I love pure tobacco flavor, but alas, this one just doesn't do it for me in that area. Perhaps it is the cavendish pressing that causes me not to enjoy this one. I will probably come back to this one some time in the future and see if my tastes change.

I’ve been on a straight Virginia thing for a while now and have found some fantastic blends. PS 402 is not one of them.

It is said it has a topping. If this is so, it is mild to the point of uninteresting or faint to the point of not detectable. Speaking here of the smoking characteristics not the smell of the flake.

Slight perfume in the smoke. A bit of bite (and I do smoke slowly). No honey or maple or whatever people suggest is here. Really needs some drying time.

I don’t get why this is beloved. Different strokes different folks. There are way better pure VA’s and (as mentioned) this is not an aromatic.

Well, it's 'OK'. I know the pro's here give it a good rap, but I didn't like it much at all. Hell, if this is 'Luxury' flake, I don't want to try their "Economy" blend! It was a gift, so I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it.