Rattray Malcolm Flake

I bought this from a little shop on the strength of a good review I had read because they carried only a very limited stock and I remembered I'd read somebody else who had liked it. But I really wish I hadn't.

I need away from goopy aromatics.

It seems fairly evident why Pineapple isn't a commonly used additive in aromatics: you can't particularly smell it or taste. It's low on tobacco scent and just a tiny little bit sweet.

The moisture is 'thick'. Though not very flavourful. Some extra drying time might help get less gooey dottle to gouge out at the end of your smoke but don't count on it, I couldn't, and it probably won't really improve how hot it burns by the time you have to puff it to get some decent reek out of it. Hot heat is the leader here.

I get some cool smokes from some Ashton, some Peterson and especially from Rattray's lovely 'Old Gowrie' but the burn here is either 'throat ripping' or 'going out'.

The colour of ash I dicarded was 'ashen'. Sometimes it's best not to over-analyse.

It tastes unpleasurable on it's own. Hot. Even a mix with Exclusiv Black Cherry Cavendish didn't result in something I would want again. I had no worries about ending up with something 'Pineapple and Black Cherry' tasting before it, as there's really no Pineapple taste from the 'Malcolm'. Hopefully I can maybe use it as a burn rate adjuster to get rid of it usefully.

For Pineapple flavour I recommend Lilt. Or Pineapple.

The blender doesn't seem to have as much interest in the smoker being able to identify or savour the tobacco taste as much as they have in seemingly 'roping a dope'. 'Once bitten...' as they say.

Nico-content's the low side of medium. I wonder whether that has a proportional effect on tobacco's burn rate or temperature? I'll have to conduct more fearless experiments, with myself 'the willing Guinea Pig', to find out.

To be fair and in the interests of balance, since I've referred to this website for some good advice with recent sample purchases (Dunhill Morning, GQ Askwith Kake, Hal O The W, etc.), I have to tell you what I think of this flake. It leaves lots of jammy goo at the bottom of the bowl as I found out when, being the not-masochist I am, I didn't even want to finish it. I have happily tipped out a few partial bowl loads of this as it has not been accomplished very well.

I feel a little ripped off but it was a cheap couple of lessons that I'm happy to have learned. If you're reading after already buying some then hopefully, for some strange reason, you completely disagree.