Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake (No. 402)

I've been smoking pipes for almost 40 years. This is one of a few tobaccos that are "always in my cellar." Easy to light. Easy to smoke. The lightly topped sweet virginias create a tasty enjoyable smoke throughout the bowl. I find this tobacco always in arm's reach. Even now as I type this review, I have a mason jar of PS LBF ready to smoke on the bookshelf.
Rub it out into thin ribbons and quickly light this tobacco and enjoy not only the mellow flavor of sweet tobacco, but a very pleasant aroma in the room you are smoking in.

Package note of coconut/caramel, vanilla and grass. Tobacco is a flake of marbled yellowish brown, dark brown and tan. Moisture content is good. Some pipe smokers will want to dry it a bit. Flakes rub out with a little effort. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of caramel and vanilla. Flavoring is upfront in the first 1/3 then drops to a mild background flavor. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of caramel, floral, vanilla, sweet grass, tart and tangy citrus, sugar, spices, bread, wood, rich earth, savory, orange peel/zest, slightly spicy, a creamy semi-sweet hay background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

C'mon baby, let's do the twist! Unique and radical looking bulk flakes that are crisp, clean and rather uniform. I get a definite coconut smell in the bag note. The taste is good; sweet, soft, caramelly, some hay and grass, a bit of woodiness, cocoa, coconut, bit of toast and a light earl grey/bergamont flavour. The topping is noticeable, but natural, it compliments the tobaccos well and never takes the focus off the virginias, nor does it detract from their flavour or quality. This twist does have a tendency to burn hot and bite me if puffed fast, I'd advise a sipping pace and smoking from a well caked briar. It is flavouful, but the bite potential and the fact I prefer others of a similar ilk, keep me from giving it the full 4 stars, therefore its a 3-3.5. I would not recommend for novice smokers due to the likelihood of tongue twist, but definitely for the seasoned vet as this is a rewarding smoke under proper conditions. A sweet, slow and consistent smoke that is inoffensive in taste and smell, what more can you ask for really? C'mon little miss, and do the twist!

Sweet virgina candy and the best looking flake around. You probably already know about the swirled squares that are presented in this masterpiece but I have to pile on here, they’re just so dang beautiful. Love the aroma it has, it makes you want to take a bite. Salted caramel with a hint of dried figs, it’s heaven. Fold n stuff or rub em out, either way it smokes great with no fuss. Ages like a champ. The flavor straddles that perfect line between sweet aromatic and virgina purity. Its something I can smoke with coffee, on a lunch break or as a dessert. It’s that good. If I had to complain about anything, it’s that the flavor isn’t too complex, a little one note. But when that one note is delicious, fragrant and alluring, I’ll take it anytime. It’s definitely in my permanent rotation and with its own dedicated pipe

My first review, and I am not as good as some of you at teasing out nuances, but ...

I am looking for blends that I like smoking that the War Department will let me smoke in the house, and this fits that bill! I prefer English blends but of course, but I cannot smoke them in the house--those are relegated to the porch, which is tough in winter. But this blend passes both the wife likes test and the I like to smoke it test.

I don't know what it is cased with, but there is definitely a honey note, some dried fruit, maybe raisin or dates, and kind of an Irish soda bread flavor. It is a bit floral. I fold and stuff this in small bent pipes and it burns well, not hot, no bite at all, average number of relights--a blend I really enjoy smoking and which my family likes when I smoke it.

That's probably it's biggest drawing point. It's a Virginia that Iike to smoke that the family likes. I prefer Escudo, but the family does not. This is one I will always keep in stock.

Personally I don't see what all the hype is about. Don't get me wrong these are quality tobaccos and definitely worth buying but I didn't find it that great. It was far more aromatic than I was expecting and the topping is very noticeable. The other issue I had with this blend is that it tastes a little green or immature. This could obviously be just the batch that I received but it was something that stood out to me. I feel like this will be very good after a few years of age once the virginas have time to mature and the topping has faded a bit. This is would be a perfect choice for an aromatic smoking looking to branch out or for someone who likes virginia and doesn't mind a bit of flavor. Personally it was just a bit too much topping for me. I look forward to trying it in a few years.

Beautiful to look at, wonderful to touch firm and thin flake. Can be rubbed out, but smokes magnificent as a roll and stuff. Smokes and sips very cool. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. Doesn't bite. Occasionally has the mushroom note in the nose and flavor. Some citrus tang. Has enough topping to make others comment on the pleasant room note, yet not enough to mask the tasty Virginia it covers. A must in a Virginia fans rotation, not enough nicotine to keep it from being an all day smoke. Storing some to cellar. Highly recommended.

Everyone has a smell that reminds them of their childhood. You can't always pin point where it's from, but once you feel it, it's a familiar nostalgic aroma. That's what I get from this tin not. The topping is mild. I don't get the caramel, but a bit like vanilla and actually it feels more like some type of berry and even some notes of sweet perfume. It's a pretty incredible tin note and I'd say that putting my nose in the tin is half the fun.

The smoke itself is pretty nice. Mild blend that, like other famous P.S. blends feel to me a bit like young Virginia leafs, which makes me think that this, too, deserves some time to age. While I'm not a big fan of P.S.'s Luxury Navy Flake, this one tastes similar with the addition of the flavoring and yet I like it much better.

The topping is much milder in the smoke itself and disappears later on. But what is left is just a nice sweet-bread flavor of pure Virginia.

It is fairly one-dimensional and hasn't much to think about. Can easily be an all-day smoke.

Arrive in a beautiful flake that on its own deserves some award for looks.

Considering the quality and price, this is very recommended. I will order more for aging and hope to get more out of it. But for now, it's an easy three stars.

A presentation in a twisted rope sliced into irregular coin-like joined flakes. Resinous texture, mature fragrance.

I like this tobacco, even with the added ritual of breaking down the flakes before twist-loading them into the bowl.

Pleasant aroma when lit; not overly cased, but some sweetness present. Burns better when slightly drier. A certain English undertone when aged a year. No one complains about it. I find it a good smoke any time of day. Good body to the smoke. A little tingly but not a biter.

There are so many choices and styles out there, for the choosing. PS/LTF ought appeal to many except for the candy- or lat bomb- zealots. If you haven't tried it, snag a few ounces. It's very civilised. Thank you Peter Stokkebye.