Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake (No. 402)

I've smoked this for the first time over the last couple of days. It's very moreish and a very nice smoke indeed. I'll certainly be ordering some more and I suspect it will become something that I'll always want to have in my cupboard. The Virginias have a very attractive sweetness that lingers in the mouth for a long time after a smoke. There's also a little depth of flavor. This tobacco produces enjoyable billows of flavorsome smoke, stays lit all the way to the bottom, and leaves a pure white ash. A real pleasure to smoke this stuff. I'm not usually a flake smoker and cannot compare to others, but I don't care about that because all I want to know is whether this tobacco gives me an enjoyable and satisfying smoke and it achieves that easily and in a memorable way. The fact that it is available at a very attractive low price is icing on the cake.

Edit: the more I smoke this and some other Stokkebye tobaccos, the more I get the feeling of 'cheapness' compared to higher priced alternatives. I'm getting the overall impression that some (if not all) Stokkebye tobaccos use cheap components in order to fit a certain price. That might not disturb many people from enjoying this tobacco, but the more I smoke it the less impressed and 'enchanted' I become.

I obtained LTF 1.5 lbs in bulk. This review is based on my impression after having consumed the half of it, 12 oz. Definitely a slight hint of vanilla note is detectable, which is quite pleasant and mild, not cloying. Casing is modest. The Presentation is superb. The modestly sweet vanilla fragrance matches the underlying grassiness of the mellow VA and often diverts my attention from its subtly tingling, stinging tastes that VA gives. By the 1/3 bowl, however, the fragrance doesn't stay and the taste becomes that of charcoal and ash especially when I re-light my neglected pipe after a brief respite. I'm not saying this is a cheap tobacco. LTF does not bite my tongue. Lights well. Burns well. Only it does not retain its quality to the last puff. So, I recommend emptying the charred tobacco stuck in the bottom when smoking is interrupted a bit through one-third of the bowl. Nothing exciting or unusual, yet far from being bland, LTF is moderate in tone in every aspect. Being moderate is of the essence when smoking in public. It is so far the best tobacco I smoke in the public places ( where, of course, smoking is not inhibited ), with the others around me, smokers or / and non-smokers. I put 3 stars in 4 scales, meaning 75 out of 100.

So many reviews already - just a couple notes

Quality tobacco, very pleasing flavor, burns nicely. Flavor just not strong enough to give a higher rating.

Update 12 Sept 10 Upgrading LTF to 3.5 - I have tried a few bowls rubbing it out before packing and the flavor noticeably intensifies. Slow puffing is the way to do go.

Sweet, caramel nutty flavor that seems to have more to do with the tobacco than with any casing.

I will be cellaring this one.

OK, I am completely mystified as to any review under 3 stars on this one. Even if you don't like VA, you have got to give credit where it is due. PS has shown true genius in making this VA blend. There is nothing else quite like it on the market anywhere. I have over 320 lbs of pipe tobacco in my cellar and I have to rate this in the top 5. All tobacco has some casing, so I can't see faulting PS for that. The trick is use as little as possible during the curing, and to marry to the tobacco taste so that it enhances the tobacco, not bury it. PS does the job 100% here IMO. LTF represents PS's skill in curing/blending.

LTF provides the smoker with a toasty sweetness. Freshly baked rolls in the bakery at 5:am would be the way I would describe it..

If you have not tried LTF, you have not experienced VA blends.

Update: I want to add that if you are comparing this to FVF .. or to 5100, you may end up disappointed. It does not have a flavor that is as robust, especially comparing to FVF. What is good about this flake is that it is subtle and mild. It becomes great as an all day smoke (rubbed out), to add a mild sweetness and tame down a heavy tobacco, or by itself when you want to smoke a subtle tobacco. Lets face it, if every tobacco was heavy, we'd have fewer dimensions to enjoy. I will agree to lower this to 3 stars (I'd do 3.5 if I could) simply because I agree it is not quite up to the level of FVF or 5100 (which are two of my favorite VA's). But this flake is a wonderful flake, and it has its place in my Va rotation.

Update 3/31/11

I cracked open a vacuum sealed jar that has been in my cellar for 2 years (vac sealed by heating the jar prior to putting in the tobacco and sealing... works great) The subtle caramel and baked roll aroma was stronger than when the tobacco had initially gone in.

Preparing the flake (bend and roll technique) I put it in a Barling African Meer - bent bulldog) The flake lit without issue and relights were rare compared to other flakes. The tobacco burned down to the utopian "white ash" that so often eludes me with other tobaccos.

The flavor was a much more obvious fresh baked bread and caramel taste from the start, and continued to grow as I passed the half bowl mark. Lots of delicious white smoke throughout the bowl. The caramel began to surpass the baked rolls after the first 1/3, and I noted a faint vanilla flavor becoming through to a greater extent. The sweetness was not as abundant throughout the bowl as is the case with other VA flakes; it is there, but not as obvious.

With this flake, as with all VA's flake or otherwise, I highly recommend obtaining in bulk and aging for at least a year if you can. The flavor of a VA really becomes something to sing about when it is aged. Of all types of tobacco, VA continues to improve more and more with age to a much greater extent. This flake is certainly no exception, and it may even age better than most.

I discovered something today. VIRGINIAS! Boy, what a treat. This is the first pure VA that I've tried and I'm glad I did. I tasted a delightful sweetness that I have not gotten from any English blend. LTF smelled sweet right from the bag and I couldn't wait to try it. I've been warned about the tongue bite that VAs are know to give but I must be smoking it right because I find it to burn fairly cool. I can give only 3 stars for now because its my first. I am now on a quest for more VA blends.

Boy this one's a showstopper in the looks department. Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake is, to say the least, a handsomly presented tobacco. Delicate squares of pressed golden Virginias carry with them a hypnotically sweet scent of caramel, vanilla, fruit, and wine. They are perfectly sized to a medium-small bowl, and rubbing out to your desired consistency is effortless.

Pack it loosely, or it might smoke a touch steamy. It could stand some drying if it's fresh, but it becomes quite forgiving about a week after its seal is broken and it's beem exposed to a little air.

Lights effortlessly, and the smoke is thick and rich. As with most Virginias though, it has a tendency to smoke hot and peppery if it gets too hot too fast so don't puff it aggressively. This one is particularly sensitive as it is cased a little heavier than most Virginia mixes with a blend bill geared toward a more traditional flavor profile.

Tastes heavily of csramel and dried fruit, with a notable tangy citrus component, and a hearty compliment of grassy and leathery undertones sure to satisfy any fan of Virginias. This tastes like good Virginia should- Clean, bright, sweet, and full. The topping envelops it all quite nicely, as it is not too cloying or overpowering. I believe it to be rum or vanilla, maybe a cognac flavor, and while I happen to think it works well, I could see how some more traditionalist smokers may find that it conflicts with the more subtle natural flavors.

This would be a good blend to introduce to aromatic smokers looking for something a bit more strong and traditional, but with less of an 'English' flavor profile. It's nowhere near as stout as a lot of non-aromatic blends that feature Latakia and Oriental/Balkan components more prominently that can sometimes serve to dissuade smokers not used to them. It's a welcome departure from the syrupy, sticky Burley/Cavendish blends we all start with, and there's definitely a stronger presence of Nicotine in Luxury Twist Flake than is found in most such aromatics.

I will note that this stuff can ghost a good bowl if not regularly rotated with other complimentary blends. But if you end up really liking it, dedicate one pipe bowl for it and smoke to your heart's content.

I recommend. Wouldn't smoke it daily, but every so often, its a welcome change of pace.

Well I've finally had time to try this flake. PS' Luxury Bullseye Flake is one of my favorites and one I come to when I don't know what to smoke. I've thought about buying it ever since I started smoking my pipe, but I was always hesitant due to the toppings. So here we are.

There is nothing to say about packaging since this is a bulk blend, but if you order the 16oz - 500g box it will be plain white. These flakes are among the most nicely presented that I've seen, with rolling light yellows, and light browns. The tin note of the jar I put this into smells of Stokkebye Yellow Virginia: hay, grass, citrus, sweetness. There is a definitive tostiness coming from the Cavendish, topped with a caramel and vanilla note. Smells lovely to be honest. It comes a little wet so some dry time won't hurt, but I tend to smoke it fine right out of the tin if not 5-10 minutes after packing my pipe. It takes a light well , and tends to stay lit.

Upon lighting the smoke is already very creamy, and there is a nice amount of it. What I taste first is the topping, which is slightly covering the other tobaccos. It reminds me of caramel hard sweets I used to have as a kid: that soft caramel flavor, with just a hint of vanilla to soften it a bit more. Below that Topping us a simple, consistent Stokkebye Virginia base offering hay and citrus. The Cavendish Is very light and toasty.

The taste is a medium we're not getting too wild here. Though the smoke does longer with a very pleasant aftertaste. The strength is a mild and this is an easy to smoke all day blend. If you have friends that don't like tobacco smoke, this is the blend you want to smoke around them. It has a very pleasant rum note. This is another win for the Stokkebye line and makes a nice change.

As some other user has said, the original presentation of this tobacco could be worthy of an award in that regard. A twisted virginia flake, forming waves, that in your tin gives off a sweet and fruity aroma, with hints of caramel and honey, very close (if not within) of what an aromatic is.

Once the pipe is started, the virginias are soft and the coverage light. It is smoked with pleasure. It is a sweet and tasty tobacco, with a quite pronounced honeyed touch reminiscent of Mac Baren Scotish Blend, also known as “Mixture”, although this one that we are dealing with here has in its favor that it stings the tongue less and that is to be appreciated.

The room note is very nice.

PS - LTF . A mild Virginia flake with toasty bread , hay and grass and malt notes. A little buttery cream feel . Added flavorings of coconut , vanilla and caramel and maybe licorice in that order to my tastebuds. It still has that African Virginia flavor . Burns great in a wide bowl . Won’t bite at all but can get a little hot when pushed . I let my 3 oz sample sit in a jar for about 6 months .Good change of pace from the citrus fruity Virginias with a little touch of spice also . There is a little perfume thing going on in the beginning of the bowl but burns off fairly quick . It kind of smells like the lakeland essense but doesn’t have that taste to it .Hardly worth mentioning. 3 -3 1/2 stars for me .