Tobaccos Peterson - University Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	henwrench (16)	2012-07-27		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Bought a tin and just rubbed out the whole lot on to a large piece of newspaper. Folded over and then left out for 24 hours. Next, into a jar and left in the dark for another full day. Third day, emptied back out on to the paper and left out again for 12 hours this time. Re-jarred her, except for a bowl's worth. Put the jar back in the dark. A bit more rubbing out and finally packed my pipe. As it's Peterson's, I decided to use my Irish Army 999. I made a fresh coffee and took myself to the shed. As the light was fading I lit a few candles and sat back in my chair. Always matches for me, light, tamp, light. Half an hour later and I'm in some kind of trance, staring at nothing, perfectly happy. A great thick 'proper' smoke with a wonderful dose of the 'N'. Which is why I came here. Another 30 minutes later and I'm still sipping away, wanting to get another drink but feeling like I am tattooed to the chair. I'm really enjoying this tobacco. A lot. Because of this brilliant site, I can make very informed choices of what I am gonna buy. I know what I like and I know what I don't. As the week goes on, I open the jar for an hour or so and then close her back up after removing what I need from it. This Flake just keeps getting better and better, rounder, fuller and slightly sweeter. I'm fully aware that our more experienced pipe smokers here don't need to be told of the wonders of allowing your 'baccy to age a little, with a few days extra curing etc., but if you're fairly new to the hobby, please give it a go. But don't use your tin, use a jar. And keep it in the dark. You will not be disappointed. Thanks for reading!!

89 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2016-03-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Virginias are earthy, woody with very light grass, floralness and bread, mild tart and tangy citrus and tangy, sugary stewed fruit, and an ever present hint of spice. They are the lead components. The burleys are earthy and nutty with a little molasses in a secondary role. They also sport a slight toasty, woody quality. You can taste both varietals in nearly every puff, with the burleys occasionally being a little more prominent at times, especially in the last third of the bowl. The toppings have a light plum essence, but I notice the taste of fruity berries more often, and they do tone down the tobaccos a bit. After the half way point, they mildly diminish, but you'll notice them all the way through. The nic-hit is closer to medium than it is to mild, and seems to gain a little strength as you smoke away. The strength and taste levels are just short of medium. The flakes are easy to manipulate as you please. Burns cool, clean and a little slow, and requires some relights, but not as many as you might expect. Won't bite even if you're a fast puffer, but I recommend a sipping pace to enhance the enjoyment the rather well balanced, fairly consistent flavors. Leaves just a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. Has a very pleasant, short lived after taste with a nice room note. An all day smoke that doesn't wear out its welcome during the day.

-JimInks

71 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2014-04-11		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you've read my other reviews, you may have noticed I love flake tobaccos. And this is no exception to that rule.

You'll open up this tin and find a relatively dark tobacco with smatterings of beige to light brown specs. And you may even take notice of a berry (guess it's actually plum) undertone. The flakes are cut very cleanly similar to Solani's ABF tin presentation (in relation to the cut).

Like most flakes they retain moisture very well so it would be a good idea to let this dry out for at least 20 minutes if not more. Now, I see both sides of the argument/preference. And that is; Do I do a roll and stuff my flake? Or rub out my flake? I've come to realize for my smoking tastes I usually keep it to a case by case (or flake by flake basis). Maybe it's the flavoring that has been added but I find this does not burn as well when rolled and stuffed. If you do decide to do that be careful not to tamp too often because it might pack too tightly and become difficult to tamp further. So for this flake I typically rub it out, which also helps with drying it out.

Now, Tobacco strength really is a relative concept. Some may consider this weak (and rightfully so when compared to so many other KO blends, and others may be floored by the vitamin N in this) so I think Medium to Strong is the best option for this. If you've found this website, you probably know your limits so choose accordingly. Now for the person who is getting coming from Aromatic style blends, this can be very strong. Not necessarily as strong as the Irish Flake, but competent in its own right. I think it would be smart to eat something before you smoke this as the vitamin N is not lacking. I would also recommend having a drink handy for two reasons, 1. The nicotine might make knock you back a little and 2. The burleys in this blend can be quite strong. It definitely has that typically "Burley kick" that you hear about and the drink may help ease the feeling in your mouth/throat.

I really enjoyed the flavoring in this. It's not always present in every puff but when it does come into play, it works very well with the Burley and VA dichotomy. I think the plum (I think it's closes to a blueberry but tomato tomato ;) also helps the room note as it's nice than a typical VaBur stink haha.

I really enjoyed this tobacco and will usually keep some tins of this readily at hand. The Vitamin N doesn't bother me but I don't think I could make this an all day smoke because of said burley kick. I typically smoke this in my Peterson Donegal Rocky with the p-lip because I feel it helps alleviate some of the bite/irritation. If you're looking to test the waters of stronger tobaccos with a nice flavor, I think this would be a good starting point.

Pipe Used: Typically my Peterson Donegal 107(p-lip)

42 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2002-04-21		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant

This weed hits you like a ton of bricks from the very first light. The flake is just flat powerful and also just flat delicious!

If you want a pleasant, laid back smoke, I urge you to look elsewhere. This one commands your attention with its relentless waves of a sort of naturally sweet and strong Virginia flavor with the nuttiness of a quality Burley in the background.

Pipestud

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-02-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Finally tried this. I've been putting it off. But, after getting hit REALLY hard by Irish Flake lately I wanted to try what is billed as a lighter version. Lighter is right. You'll be disappointed if you are looking for deep tobacco with lots of variations. This is standard and traditional VA and Burley with a light casing of Plum just as the ingredients/marketing and reviews state.

With that said. I found this blend really tasty and a great add to my rotation. It does have a good does of Nicotine by the time I got to the bottom I was feeling it, but it's much lighter than Irish Flake. It's sweet and tasty, light and refreshing, smooth slow burning smoke. No dottle at the end, burned clean. Taste like it smells in the tin.

I let a flake dry about 4 hours and did a fold and stuff in my thick walled 309 Peterson Standard. The Va Burley combo works great together and you get the traditional tobacco taste and the fruity casing comes in and out but stays with you throughout. It also has a very pleasant aroma as the Plum revels itself there are well. Great blend. I have no complaints. I would buy this again. Great standard blend for a everyday smoke if desired. Recommended.

Pipe Used: 1942 309 Peterson standard

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin. 4 hour pre- air dry.

Purchased From: JR Cigars

37 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-02-21		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Peterson - University Flake.

This was one of the first blends I reviewed, but when I re-read my review I didn't find it particularly 'helpful'. Having been smoking this as a very regular go-to I wanted to re-post. I'll also add it's been in my favourites list for ages and I can't see it going anywhere!

Of all the tins I've had I can't recollect any having an issue with being too wet or dry. A tin holds two rows of fairly thin, dark brown, flakes. I normally rub my flakes, but because of the thinner build U.F. would smoke easily if folded and stuffed.

University Flake takes the flame easily, and I adore the smoke. It's primarily the tobaccos, with the nutty Burley leading. The topping is evident, albeit mild at first and I'm unsure as to what kind of dark fruit it's from: plums, currants, dates, or berries?. It seems to strengthen quite quickly, it only takes a few minutes of being smoked, and that's where it seems more certain to be a currant topping; still no more than mild to medium at the very most, but a lot clearer. The flavour seems to have the same character throughout a bowl, once the burns settled and the fruit's strengthened. Bite? I've never had so much as a peck from it!

I've always enjoyed the room-note, and the nicotine's medium.

Simple: highly recommended.

Pipe Used: All, over the years!

Age When Smoked: New and cellared

Purchased From: Many suppliers, mainly My Smoking Shop U.K.

32 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-05-31		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This review is from a non-aged tin. I plan to buy more and age it.

University Flake was, for me, a study in "halves". The first half of each bowl showed off the berry topping. Half of the time I moderately enjoyed this flavor and half the time it was annoying. I could easily do without it.

The second half of each bowl burned away the topping and the smoke was better off for it. The burley nuttiness and the light VA sweetness took over - or maybe the sweetness was the last remnants of the flavoring. Either way, the tobacco was tasty, full-bodied and satisfying once I got past the first half of the bowl. The tobaccos used were of obviously high quality and I'm not sure why they added the berry flavoring. I'd like to try it uncased. Perhaps some aging will settle it down. Still, this is recommended.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SpeedyPete (29)	2014-07-21		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I've been without this tobacco for quite a while, due to a shortage of all Peterson products in South Africa. I picked up a tin resently and this morning filled a smallish Old England with quite a long stem. Sipping it very gently, I experienced a delightful NEW tobacco! First half of the bowl, the sweetness of the virginias and casing were up front. Very enjoyable. The second half of the bowl brought forth the taste of the burley, nutty and almost like newly baked bread. In the past, I liked this tobacco, now I fell in love with it and will go back to our B&M for another couple of tins. If you want to smoke a burley but, like me, can't smoke it neat, get yourself a tin of UF. I promise, no one will ever regret it!

Pipe Used: Old England

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Curiosity Hut

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2014-10-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great VaBur flake with a mild fruit topping. The description says plum, and I will not argue with that, but it presents as "fruit" to me. This is a smooth and nicely balanced fairly "full" VaBur. The Virginias are slightly sweet and very smooth with some nutty burley to give it some depth. I don't get any Virginia citrus, but that may contribute to the plum flavor.

I did not get much complexity, but it is a solid smoke, and one I could smoke a lot of were it not for the price. At $8 for 50 g, this is about $72 a pound.

This is easy to recommend. If the description sounds appealing, you probably owe it to yourself to try a tin.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-12-05		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable

Had been meaning to try this tobacco for some time and when I finally did I was a bit nonplussed to say the least. The smell on opening the tin was very promising with the grassy Virginias mixed with a deep richness of the light casing,fruity and vinous! This was a promising start. However on rubbing out and lighting (which it does quite easily) the promised rich plum flavours just were not there. The taste was not unpleasant a sturdy simple Virginia taste with some sweetness and woodiness but little or no fruit flavour. It was also quite 'wet' at the bottom of the bowl with a high proportion of waste. It further frustrated me that the flavoring must have been there as it made a rather nice aultumn fruit room-note.

I let my disappointment show to my pipe smoking friends one of whom told me that If left it to dry our for a few weeks with the lid party off then the rich flavour would develop. I was dubious to say the least as in my experience the vast majority of light casings evaporate or diminish as the tobacco dries.

I took his advice nonetheless. The result after 3 weeks is an improvement but not a startling one. There is now a faint brandy/greengage taste now but its not rich as it should be. The tobacco is now a bit brittle and dry and smokes a bit too fast though the dottle is less. Perhaps the flavour will develop more with time, if it does I fear it will be further to the detriment of the smoking qualities of the tobacco. This tobacco is not bad it just does not live up to its rather overhyped billing. I would buy it again if no other flake was about but it would not be my first choice. A good option perhaps for ‘everyday' sweet medium robust flake at best.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dryseason91 (6)	2014-05-22		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A fairly burley-centric Vabur with just enough berry topping to lift the underlying Virginias and keep the burleys from growing monotonous. Impressively, the topping manages to be both crucial to the blend's character, yet subtle and unobtrusive - the overwhelming impression is of those earthy burleys set in relief by the tart Va sweetness. The older tin description lists Kentucky in the ingredients, and although it's no longer specified there's probably a touch of woody dark-fired in here. Definite nicotine kick. Inclined to be a bit rough around the edges, but good, flavorsome stuff nonetheless. For me, it's the superior of Peterson's two flakes.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 7 months

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-03-31		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Opening the tin I found very nicely sliced thin flakes all standing at attention as opposed to laying down like the SG offerings. I has thought that UF would be closer to Erinmore Flake IE: darker and stronger, but what I found is a mild-medium strength flake more along the lines of Macbaren Mixture Flake in both looks and strength. The blueberry topping is very restrained and I could not taste it in the smoke aside from perhaps a slight sweetness but I thoroughly enjoyed the tin aroma and was praised on the room note. UF is perfect for times when I cannot concentrate like driving or watching a movie etc, it practically burns on autopilot, not requiring multiple relights when it is given a little time to dry and the very thin flakes rub out easily to thin ribbons but if left in an unbroken flake and stuffed it still burns easily. I do believe this would make a perfect first flake for the neophyte since it is easy to light, easy to master the flake technique and will not bite do to over puffing or carelessness. I overpaid at my local B&M but I knew that going in, I like to support them... but UF can be had for a song online and is worth every penny since it is an excellent mild-medium Vir-Bur and ranks up there with my favorites! Delightful and a must try!

Interesting I see Pipestud did not like this flake one bit where I thought this flake would be right up his alley. Perhaps they changed the recipe since 2002?...I don't see what's not to like in this Virginia / Burley Flake

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Mixture Flake.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gtclark (12)	2014-08-10		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Ohh this is some tasty stuff! A wonderful VaBur flake with a very pleasant berry-plum topping artfully applied. The topping is just strong enough to come through the background without masking the quality leaf. Smoke this slowly as it can get warm, but with good technique, you'll be rewarded with a very pleasant smoke. In addition, this flake packs a very satisfying amount of vitamin N, but not so much that novice smokers and lightweights should avoid the blend.

Similar Blends: Erinmore Flake.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	twaksak (54)	2014-07-08		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

In the tin a nice nutty smell from the Burley. Rubbed it out and produced a pleasant smell. On first light, a sweety berry taste was notable. Very pleasant tobacco. Drink a coffee with this blend as it is a relatively strong blend. Burley is clear but in a good balanced way. Further down the bowl, the sweetness of the berry / plum stayed with me.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-06-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

This used to be a wonderful flake with a kick in the pants. They washed this blend into a wimpy reflection of what it once was, to make room for its big brother to be the only strong flake on the corner from the Peterson line...Irish Flake (which makes me gag just thinking of smoking it). The Plum or Raspberry topping is still there, but a testicle has been removed rendering this flake nearly flat and just a huge disappointment.

Smoke in peace, brothers and sisters of the leaf.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thesmoggypipester (75)	2018-01-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The closest I will ever come to going to university.

nice even sized flakes, again this was a gift from a friend with 10 years age, flakes are a little on the dry side but it makes for easier rubbing out and filling, some nice Virginia sweetness along with a nuttiness from the burley which works really well with the fruity topping.

smoking is rather pleasant for a flake it is quite mild and is a good "thinking man's" smoke. even though my flakes are quite dry it burns at a pretty slow rate. An interesting observation from myself is when I was smoking this I got quite similar flavours to amphora full aroma.

it is a nice flavourful smoke with a decent amount of complexity, it's topping is easily distinguishable but it doesn't drown the true tobacco flavours.

Can bite if pushed too hard but taken slowly it is a rather pleasant smoke and it's mildness is refreshing for a flake, as sometimes when I fancy a flake tobacco i dont want a powerhouse blend, excellent to smoke any time of day and will make a good starting point to any pipe smoker that wishes to try flakes for the first time.

room note is great a nice fruityness that never overpowers so shouldn't offend most people.

All in all a great tobacco from Peterson which will serve the experienced smoker well and will also give a good guiding hand to less experienced smokers.

3 and a half stars

Pipe Used: falcon

Age When Smoked: ten years

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	newmystic (4)	2014-04-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I love this flake. For once I can taste the plum topping and it is delicious. I liken the flavor of this to "toasted plum" This is the first non-lakeland flake that I will finish the tin in two weeks and quickly order more. If you have a couple tins lying around and you know your not going to finish them, Ill trade you my tin of Nightcap on the spot.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dunmore

Age When Smoked: 46

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ThePipeMonk (11)	2016-12-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I bought a tin from the Peterson Importer in India to see if this blend was worthy carrying on my website. I was not disappointed.

First light: Floral hint in the smoke, the olfactory note is perfect !! The virginia are perfect, grassy, sweet, albeit a little too much because of hte sweet casing. It's written as plum but I have always tasted fruity berries from the blend. The burleys are present in the background with a subtle hint. The tobacco smokes slow and makes you savor every puff and exhale.

True light & first half: The light went out after the first 5 minutes, the relight brought out more intense flavors from the flake all at once. It's pretty fantastic to be able to taste berries, the Virginia hay and the bready Burleys all at once. It's a harmonious experience with all the ingredients giving each other space to shine !!

University flake is woody, nutty, fruity and grassy. The plum/berry topping keeps the smoke interesting by pushing the Virginia forward and not letting the burleys make the experience one dimensional. There is also a hint of dark fired, subtle but definitely there.

As far as strength is concernced, YMMV. It starts out as mild and grows in intensity barely kissing the medium scale as you approach the first third of the bowl.

First Half: Upon reaching the first half of the bowl, the Virginia give a more leeway to burleys to come out. The bready nutty Burleys slowly work their way to the front. Each puff still quite delicious although the Virginias are now slowly fading to the background. The aroma and taste of berries is still there, which is surprising as typical VaBur blends tend to get harsh at this stage. Not this blend though !! Each puff is still tasty as the next one.

Second half: This is the part where the blend is the most intense as the natural oils in the tobacco comes out, the smoke is a tad bit stronger to the nose. The Virginias have completely mixed with the Burleys giving the smoke an incredibly toasty profile.

Last third: As you approach the last third of the smoke, you may want to gently get the ash out of your pipe, as it starts giving out an ash taste. Also it makes relighting better otherwise you may end up heating up the leaves unnecessarily.

Conclusion: A very interesting and delicious blend. The journey was fantastic. I will definitely be stocking up on Uni. Flake.

Highly recommended for people who dislike goopy aromatics but would love to try something sweet.

White ash with minimal dottle.

Pipe Used: Peterson 406 Prince

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Peterson Importer

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2002-07-25		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I love Irish pipes, and very much like Peterson's Sherlock Holmes mixture, so I thought I was in for a treat. I was disappointed.

The appearance of these somewhat rough-cut slices is identical with Dunhill's Light Flake (both are, of course, elaborated by Murray Sons & Co. in Belfast), but the flavour is nothing like it. There is a light topping (cherry?) that one does not taste in the actual smoke.

Have you ever had one of those English tea biscuits that are so semi-sweet that they are, in fact, not sweet at all? That is what the dark-red virginia tastes like here. Like a Bath Oliver bikkey. That would be very nice, if Mssrs Murray had not chosen to shovel in the burley to preserve your and my tongues! This is not a Virginia flake, this is a burley mix!

Thinking to avoid the opprobrium of actually having come up with a Mac Baren style creation, they then put in some Kentucky, [i.e.: dark-cured...BURLEY!] leaf for body. The grey, dusty blandness of burley dominates this blend. No finish, no depth, just...burley.

A quality product for all that, recommended to all burley lovers, of whose number I am not.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LiterarySmoker (143)	2021-06-30		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As I'm tripping along at my local store I noticed this blend which I had been eyeing for some time now online but just wasn't sure I should pull the trigger on it. As I've gotten more experience with Virginia - Burley blends like Erinmore Flake, St Bruno and other Burley flakes I thought it looked inviting.

The tin is very plain, but when you open up you get around 12 well sliced wide flakes. They are medium brown in colour, and come pretty moist. The smell from the tin is soft, sweet in a Virginia sort of way, plummy, citrusy, faintly nutty, and slightly chocolaty. I tried both cube cutting and the fold and stuff method and the F&S method worked best for me. I found that folding and stuffing and then leaving my pipe out overnight yielded the best results for me. Getting it lit was not a problem, but it does need a few relights.

On to taste. There is an obvious plummy note to this blend, but it's reminiscent to the plummy character of Perique. It isn't too sweet, and it really helps some of the Burley shine. The Burley is nice and woody, nutty, and chocolaty. The Virginias hide a little in the background but I do taste their sweetness and hay. I like how the topping doesn't completely cover the smoke.

The taste I give a medium, it's an average mouth feel and it is nice and mellow at the same time. The strength is also a medium I can tell there is nicotine in this but Lady N isn't holding me in my chair. This burns magnificently slow, and makes for a really relaxing smoke without too much fuss. The snow is pretty cool too. As for the room note, I think it smells pretty sweet, but since it does contain Burley you make detect some "cigarette-ishness". A very pleasant smoke that I would happily buy again from my local smoke shop.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kinsale XL13

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: B&M

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Meerschaumer (8)	2021-01-17		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I have no dedicated tobacconist within 50 miles of my home so tend to buy most of my stock via mail order. Despite being a dedicated pipe smoker of 50+ years experience (I started early!) in 2020 this blend was still untried by me. I'd been fairly nonplussed by Peterson's "Sweet Killarney" which, despite a tantalising tin-note, I found no better than it should be but "University Flake" startled me from the first few puffs straight from a freshly-bought tin! I use the 'fold and stuff' method (see YouTube) and then "toast" the pack for around 30 seconds with a flame drawn across the bowl before drawing gently, once the tobacco begins smouldering. Right from the first puff, I found the coolness and flavours to be excellent and reclined in my armchair in raptures although, at the same time, kicking myself for not trying this blend sooner! It has now joined my regular choice of smoke and I hope this blessed blend continues in production for centuries to come! 😊

Pipe Used: unfiltered meerschaum

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: mail order

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2021-01-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

I bought this about a week ago and have been smoking it on and off since. I picked it up at the ‘brick and mortar’ where our unofficial pipe club is held outside. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a very strong berry (plum as noted on website) smell which was very sweet and fairly strong. This is a nice chewing gum size flake which I normally fold and stuff or on occasion will lightly rub out. Upon smoking the plum topping is somewhat muted and basically all I detect is a slight sweetness that to me neither adds nor detracts from the smoke. A well-rounded smoke of Virginia and Burley. Not much more for me to add other than my one dig which I have mentioned from time to time. I really, really, really, really, hate square flake tobacco in a round tin. Probably for most not even an issue but I hate to see the real tin art disappear and replaced with a generic round tin with a paper label stuck on it. Of course, don’t let this stop you from trying it after all with over 400 reviews this is a classic.

Age When Smoked: New

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Th3Budd (2)	2016-09-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'm fairly new to pipe smoking and due to its ubiquity in Canada have been mostly smoking Brigham aromatics (do they make anything that isn't an aro?) and have been quite disappointed by the wetness, aftertaste and inconsistency of their products.

I recently purchased a tin of Peterson's Irish Whiskey and was blown away by the difference in quality. I then found this site and started reading reviews of what to shop for at my local tobacconist. This led me to UF and my first flake.

Great aroma in the tin. A little moist. I let a flake dry for 15 minutes before folding and stuffing.

Wow! What a pleasure!

Mild but not underwhelming.

Artfully flavoured to bring forth the berry/plum without assaulting the flavour buds.

A nice little kick of vitamin N at the beginning.

Smoked slow and it burnt cool, though the bottom of the bowl at the fold got pretty hot.

No tongue bite and no soapy aftertaste. Aftertaste is of blueberries.

A bit of moisture in the bottom of the bowl but no doddle whatsoever (have set aside some flakes to experiment with drying time).

Only required to be relit at the halfway point and near the bottom.

Flavour was consistent throughout, though as other reviewers have commented it became 'nuttier' in the second half.

Though I am newish to pipe smoking I was previously a 3 pack a day cigarette smoker so I do tend to smoke 5 bowels a day. Will definitely purchase again and add to my daily rotation, and seek out other Peterson products.

Pipe Used: Brigham Chinook

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adrian B. (29)	2015-09-11		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Can't add much to what the other reviewers have said really other than to reiterate that this is a very nice VABur (more of a BurVA to my thinking) that is worth your time. The plum topping is well done, not over powering. I know it will turn some off, but it really doesn't get in the way of the tobacco taste. It accents it nearly perfectly to my way of thinking and is present throughout the smoke, pleasantly sweet and fruity.

The blend tastes equally well folded and stuffed or rubbed out. This is the first flake I've had any luck folding and stuffing. Maybe that's a characteristic of the blend or maybe I'm finally getting the hang of it, don't know.

Nicotine in this is on the strong side. It won't overwhelm you unless you have a low tolerance, but you will notice it.

Pipe Used: A pair of Dunhills that mostly see VA blends

Age When Smoked: tin fresh

Purchased From: Watch City Cigar Co.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2012-12-10		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very enjoyable smoke, thick white smoke throughout the bowl, with a wonderful flavor that reminds me of warm bread. The Burley and the Virginias work well together and give a most satisfying bowlful.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (51)	2021-04-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Tin note is very nice and fruity with smokiness and quality Virginia smell. Flakes are dark, moist and thin. I dry it for 20 minutes, however for such a moist flake it actually dries nice and quick and will get very dry if you let it sit for 30 or more minutes.

This flake impressed me from first light. The fruit / plum topping is not overpowering in the smoke. I find it to be a very nice compliment to the natural Virginia and burley here. I am not an aromatic smoker , but I love this tobacco.

It starts out quite mild and lightly sweet and it develops into deeper and deeper richness as you progress through the bowl. It’s a VERY long lasting flake ! The nicotine content is very nice and noticeable, however it’s not a true heavy hitter. I am pleased with this tobacco and I will recommend this to any pipe smoker with confidence you can’t hate this blend.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John Frum (19)	2013-08-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For me this flake is simply OK. I had no trouble finishing the tin and there were some "in the Zone" smokes, but am not sure if it is a keeper. Perhaps it's the way it seems to sit on the fence bordering aros and strong flakes? Otherwise I found it pretty well-behaved. Somewhat recommended.

Update, 21 Aug 2020: At some point after my original review, I bought another tin of this baccy, and after a few smokes it went into storage. I went off pipe smoking for a while but recently got back into it. The Uni Flake was looking good after a few years in the airtight jar, so I tried something completely new to me, i.e. cube cutting. The flakes had dried to a beef jerky leatheriness and cubing was easy. Result: fabulous smoke. I'm a cube cut convert! And am also upgrading my review to 3 stars. I'm not sure why I resisted cube cutting plugs and flakes for so long. Maybe it was that, having begun piping in the late 60's, there wasn't as much info out there on technique, etc. It was flake or ready rubbed and that was it, end of story. I was stuck in my ways and reluctant to try something new. I think as well that I now "get it" about the benefits of ageing tobacco, more than I did a few years ago. The Uni Flake certainly seems to have benefited from a few years in the jar. That said, I recall it was pretty good when fresh, and aired for a while before sparking up. Thanks to all you pipe brothers 'n' sisters for banging on about cube cutting, fold & stuff, etc, and dragging me kicking and screaming into the light.

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: New, also 3-5years

Purchased From: smoke.co.uk

Similar Blends: Peterson's Perfect Plug.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2010-09-05		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This stuff is a very nice VaBur with a similar topping to that of Royal Yacht. Very nice, tasty blend that smokes cool all the way down. I wouldn't recommend for a beginner for the mere fact that if didn't like it when I was a beginner. Yes the topping can be a little too much for some folks but I think of it as a well put together aromatic flake tobacco and I enjoy it as a good change of pace treat to be smoked from time to time as apposed to a daily smoke. Very good for what it is but I prefer 3P's and Irish Flake in the Peterson line up.

Edit* I've got to go back and edit my initial review of this as my palate has since changed. I was a novice when I first tried this and I would definitely recommend it to those who what to work their way into the world of flakes. The berry note is just a little too much for me now but I do still enjoy this from time to time. In the review above I said it's topping is similar to that of Royal Yacht... well, that is not true, it's a very different topping and more candy-like than RY, I don't know how I originally came up with that assessment. Overall it's a decent flavored flake tobacco but I tend to veer more towards a certain style of scented tobaccos and this one just doesn't fit my fancy as an all day, every day.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2002-07-26		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Honestly, I did not like this tobacco. Though it is visually very attractive, it does not smell or taste of Virginia. Then again, it does not smell or taste of Burley either. It is a strange combination of Virginia, Burley and, apparently, some Mahogany (i.e, an old belt dark Virginia which I have tried in other blends, and like very much for its toasty and slightly bitter taste), but the final result is not that successful. Something went wrong in the process: perhaps the tobaccos are not properly matured or pressed, perhaps that mysterious casing or topping (which other reviewers refer to but no one seems to be able to pin point) annuls the natural tobacco oils? The point is that, IMO, University Flake smokes dry, leaving a rather stale aftertaste, and the odd feeling that the tobaccos that went into its making evaporated somewhere along the packing-smoking procedures, eschewing the particular flavours of its three main components. The flake is difficult to rub out, difficult to pack, and difficult to keep lit?It does, however, get you thinking?.What exactly am I smoking?

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	K.E. Powell, III (15)	2022-07-27		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Virginia and Burley blends are a particular favorite of mine, and Peterson's University Flake stands out as a personal favorite in this style. It hues to common standard, but inspired choices in virginia leaf, a pleasant plum casing, and the overall quality of the flakes themselves, help it stand out in a crowded field.

The tin note is piquant and sweetly sour, but not overwhelmingly so; the plum is apparent, but so is the rustic virginias with their toasty and crisp aroma. The tin note is an honest prelude to the flavor.

The plum starts off fairly strong, but never so much as to sublimate the tobacco. This is not a goopy aromatic by any stretch. As one gets further into the bowl, the plum slowly fades and the virginias and burleys take on a stronger presence. This is very welcome. The plum does not taste artificial, and pairs beautifully with the natural nuttiness and breadiness of the burleys and virginias respectively. In fact, it is the plum casing that largely aids in giving this VaBur its unique character and charm, but if plum was the only thing going for this tobacco, it would be a solid but forgettable smoke. Instead, the flakes are pressed cleanly and well, and they fold or rub out readily to the user's delight. The tobaccos used are of obvious good quality, and the moistness of the tobacco is where it needs to be; this lights easily and only needs a marginal, if any, amount of time to air out before lighting. The smoke itself balances nicely and is robust yet smooth. I find that, unlike some lower quality VaBurs, it never gives way to ashiness in the taste, and tolerates puffing and slow draws both extremely well.

With University flake, what is advertised is what you get: a quality VaBur with a nice plum casing. That sounded very appealing to this piper, and if it sounds appealing to you, too, then grab yourself a tin. It's savory and delicious, and is particularly well-suited as an after-dinner treat.

Pipe Used: Peterson bent billiard XL

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: boswellspipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CubishPatriot (14)	2021-12-28		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is one of those flakes I feel people either love or hate. I for one think this does not get enough love from critics. And I love it. It comes wet, yet burns immediately. It has a topping, yet I believe it acts as an enhancer, not a flavoring. The room note in a smokers home, is intoxicating. It has a fair amount of nicotine, and we (my wife is also an avid pipe and cigar aficionado) were having a rough day after a busy Christmas week, and this perked us right up. I feel like it's best partially rubbed out. It has a tart and stewed taste in the start, then gradually takes on a hearty full tobacco flavor. Never got bitter or too hot. No bite even if pushed, and we wanted another bowl when we were done because it's that good, but didn't as to not get swimmy. Go try this. It's fairly inexpensive as tin flakes go, and seems to be relatively easy to acquire.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Trade

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMcCoy (78)	2021-12-01		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The Virginia’s are more upfront than the burleys at the start. The topping is excellent, and complements the natural sweetness of the Virginia’s perfectly. To me, the topping is more berry like than plums. The burleys, and strength ramp up a little later adding a nutty earthy tone that sticks around until the end. The body of the smoke is full, and satisfying. Burns slow, and cool with the right cadence, but I find myself sipping on this a little too quickly at times. It’s a little on the strong side, but nothing to worry about. I would 100% recommended this.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 413

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 8 years

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John77 (5)	2021-10-06		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Just wow! Excellent raisin notes with nicely balanced Virginia and Burley tobacco flavors. Consistent burn for the entire bowl and very pleasant smoke output, Nicotine is on the stronger side specially for me as a beginner but still very doable. Highly recommended! A new top 5 smoke for me.

Pipe Used: Ropp Etudiant J04

Age When Smoked: New tin

Purchased From: Cup of Joes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JackSparrow (16)	2021-09-07		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening the tin you can smell first the mild plum flavoring, then you can also detect the scent of the VA, the Burley plays in the background. Moisture is quite ok, I rub the flakes out and let them dry a bit (around 30 mins), also to reduce the plum flavor, as I am not a big fan of aromatics... Flakes are easy to rub, quite easily you can load and light. With a bit of drying the smoke is fresh and quite easy to keep lit. From the first puffings you can quickly taste grass, figs, earth, wood and the plum topping, but fortunately this is not that strong and does not cover the tobaccos taste. The more you go through the bowl the more you can taste also the burley, which provides some robustness to the smoke, but never to much, and never with harsh notes. Good and honest all day smoke, never tiring, with a medium N load, satisfying; not in my top list but definitely to keep in my rotation to enjoy from time to time.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 9 years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MaritimePiper (4)	2021-05-31		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

One of my all-time favorites. The flakes require a bit of drying time as it is slightly moist in the tin. The plum flavoring is present in PERFECT amount. It doesn't overpower the tobacco, but compliments it wonderfully. Perhaps not for the novice smoker, as it is a flake, but a great tobacco all around.

Pipe Used: Peterson Killarney (01)

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: 4Noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Poodlejuice (49)	2021-05-26		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Flakes come very moist. I prefer then rubbed out fully. I usually dry this one overnight and give it a little char light a few hours or day prior to smoking (DGT) for a vastly better experience.

With the above method I find this smokes cool & dry. I get grass, hay, and bread from the Virginias, a subtle nuts & chocolate from the burley, and the plum topping almost fools me into thinking it's perique with it's lovely raisin/date notes. Mid-way through the bowl the topping dies down almost completely and a nice full earthyness and a bit of oak comes in. Burns with a thick, satisfying smoke & a fairly high dose of nicotine all though nothing unmanageable.

Pipe Used: MM cobs, Savinelli 122

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes & cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mikaszcz (10)	2021-01-28		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Un tabac délicieux et, à mon sens mystérieux: il change d'arôme entre chaque bol. Une fois, la noisette (Burley) l'emporte sur la saveur "prune" ou "baie", l'autre fois c'est l'inverse. Je n'explique pas vraiment ce ressenti. Je ressens également parfois une légère saveur de chocolat (pas souvent et très furtive). Le Burley me semble tout de même plus présent en bouche que le Virginia. Il se fume, selon moi, mieux en l'émiettant avec un séchage préalable de 15 à 20 minutes, que plié en quatre (avec un flake et demi). Dans ce dernier cas, plusieurs rallumages me sont nécessaires - la pipe avec laquelle je le fume ayant pourtant un foyer assez grand (2 X 4 cm). La force nicotinique est somme toute imposante, surtout en fin de bol. Le tabac s'est chargé à ce moment et fait tourner un peu la tête. Mais je suis débutant. Néanmoins, le plaisir est intense et les saveurs restent en bouche longtemps. Aucune morsure de langue depuis que je le fume, contrairement à d'autres aromatiques très saucés

Pipe Used: bruyère ébonite

Age When Smoked: 4 mois

Purchased From: civette du palais royal à Paris

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scottaylor (13)	2020-09-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

If you are looking for an introduction to flake tobacco you might very well want to start here.

Hydration is spot on and the flakes are cut perfect, easy to rub out but thin enough to fold and stuff should you wish. The description states a berry topping but the tin note to me is more like raisin with a very slight whiff of booze.

Upon lighting I can hardly detect the topping at all ,I do get a sweetness but it is a natural sweetness that I attribute to the choice vaginas that have been used. Lighting is not problematic nor is keeping it lit as long as it is well tended. Tounge bite is never an issue regardless of speed and the whole experience is consistent from beginning to end. Room note is not too heavy but is unlikely to produce any compliments either .

This is a go to flake for me, an all day smoke that never disappoints.

Pipe Used: Duncan plumpton poker

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My smoking shop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeejayP999 (6)	2019-02-01		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin note is a mild berry topping which comes through in the first quarter of the smoke, but thereafter fades away.

I consider this a Virginia blend, it contains some Burley but it's well in the background and unlike many Virginia blends, University Flake lacks any unpleasant cleaning chemical after taste.

I feel that this is going to become my Royal Yacht replacement. It's not the same mind, but it has similar qualities and depth of flavour: Not complex, just very good.

Too moist from the tin so I rub out a few flakes at a time and leave the tobacco on a piece of paper for an hour or two. A top notch Virginia which should be part of anyone's rotation.

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2018-11-25		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Have smoked about 5 tins of this over the last 15 years

unfortunately I think it's deteriorated somewhat , tending to become bitter , I used to enjoy that berry taste but it's just not there any more , maybe my tastes have changed.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Have not smoked anything similar.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Black Sheep (25)	2018-05-29		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really enjoy this blend and have begun building a modest stockpile. The "light, berry-like topping" is very light indeed, but it's in there and a makes University Flake a really interesting and tasty smoke.

Pipe Used: Billiard

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.Com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hurdski (1)	2017-11-09		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This the most satisfying, delicious tobacco I've smoked in my 30 some years with a pipe. I have never dumped a bowl halfway through or grown tired of it and wished the bowl was done. My problem is smoking it too enthusiastically, drawing too deeply probably and really hosing my lungs. But it is so enjoyable. The flavor, the aroma, and the nicotine. I think because of the greedy way I smoke it I rarely have to re-light. For me, the best flavor is keeping it moist and simply doing a fold and stuff. Obviously, our unique palates and experience determine what suits us and for me, it's the best I've smoked.

Pipe Used: Missouri meershaum, savinelli briar

Age When Smoked: 57

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dave and a bunch of numbers (2)	2017-09-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

As with all the tobaccos I try I like to avoid reviews and descriptions until I try it. Kind of like a blind taste test. This tobacco was a gift from my youtube friend Gribly. The flake came sort of on the drowned rat side. But after a vigorous rubbing out it packed and lit beautifully.

The tin note was perplexing at first however, after a bit I picked out the berry\plum notes. The burly was a bit over powered by the Virginias but still detectable. As for the mechanics, it was too wet to fold and stuff but after rubbing out and drying for 20 minutes it lit wel and had very few relights. The flavour of the casing was right up front in the first half of the bowl. But with careful sipping it faded to a lovely underpinning to the rich burly. The fruit casing did not give any bite, but this may be more in part to the church warden I used. It burned to a clean whit ash and no unburnt residue.

Pipe Used: hand made purple heart church warden

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: gift

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Sunday Evening Pipe Smoker (54)	2017-09-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Full	Tolerable

My experience with the plum of Royal Yacht left me pensive about trying University Flake which I had read also had some sort of a plum casing. I'm glad I finally broke down and tried it.

University Flake definitely has a plummy note in the background, though what really comes out is a dark fruit type of flavour you associate with richer and darker tobaccos. In a way, one might consider it having a cigar like quality, but I am not a cigar smoker so I'll leave it to others if that's the case.

The blend is strong in taste, though not strong in nicotine in my opinion. It doesn't leave you with that nicotine "buzz" that something like Nightcap or 1792 does -- though it's not entirely absent either.

So if you're after a deep, rich tobacco flavour but without the heavy buzz, this would be a good choice.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_dalai_lama_himself (43)	2017-02-27		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Tin note is that of the grassy virginias and blueberries. Some sweet stewed fruit (plums) and the virginias are the main attraction. Smokes enjoyably warm and is well blended with some roundness. Burley pokes its head up every once in awhile and lends some body to the blend just enough that you know it's there. I Find it enjoyable, Tastes like a moist blueberry muffin at times. And some spice on the retrohale. Not my usual type of smoke but for what its trying to do I'd give it 3.5 stars. The flakes break apart easily and after a little drying time packed well. No burn issues and minimal relights can get hot though touches on soapy at moments but doesn't ever get unenjoyable. The flavoring I find medium BC it's apparent in every puff but not obnoxiously.

Pipe Used: MM Patriot short bit.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: B&M

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Der Pfeifenraucher (71)	2017-01-09		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a really great tobacco. the VA/Bur is just right, the topping is delicious and perfectly done. Not too little, not too much. Chemistry is just right, not weak or overpowering, just right to relax and "take the edge off".

The problem I have with this flake is not so much the fault of the flake but my impatience and reluctance to spend the time to properly prepare the tobacco for the pipe. It is wet in the tin and substantial drying time is needed to get the required moisture for optimal burn. When I try to rub it out it just ends up a mess everywhere and when I cut it a get a bunch of dense cubes that wont stay lit for long. It's just my technique or lack of. I'll have to try rubbing out the entire tin and drying it all before smoking. I got to make this tobacco work because I like everything else about it.

If University flake came ready rubbed it would definitely be a four star favorite for me.

Pipe Used: grabow, cobs

Age When Smoked: 0-12 mmonths

Purchased From: PandC

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ash K (12)	2016-10-05		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is what I can consider to be an all day smoke. Across the board, I find it to between mild and medium, not to say its a bad smoke. On the contrary, it is one of my go to blends.

I've tried both rubbed out and fold and stuff method, and I think it has to be sufficiently rubbed out and dried to get more of the subtle flavours that this blend presents. Also smoke it slow, because I've tried different methods of smoking and they all give different results. Be patient and you'll be rewarded.

I find it full bodied, lightly sweet in taste, with a nutty and earthy presenting itself as you go through the bowl. Not too hard to keep it alight, and room note is quite pleasant. Vitamin N is sufficient for me, though it can be a wee bit strong for others.

Pipe Used: Peterson 80s

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roger Xavierq (34)	2015-07-29		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really love this flake, but this is not an everyday smoke for me.

Nice presentation and pretty little tin. The tin opens to reveal dark, reddish-brown slices of a dry, easy-to-crumble texture. The first few puffs and their sidestream smoke can deceive with their sweetness. However, the experience of a high-quality burley smoke kicks in rapidly and takes over. The aromatic flavouring here is present, but the gutsy tobacco taste is even more important as it deepens and mellows out while smoking. Towards the end I can feel the strength and gentle spiciness . For me this is tobacco-lover's tobacco.

This flake is built on the dense, nutty flavor of matured burley and the result is quite successful. Slow- and dry-burning with lots of body, I especially enjoy this as a relaxing late-night smoke or after a good steak. The room note is musty and sweet and my girlfriend seems to like it.

Pipe Used: no name French briar with meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 2015

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: Edgeworth Sliced.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2015-07-21		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a good tobacco that I could see one enjoying as an all day smoke. It didn't knock my socks off, but was good enough to earn three stars.

The flake is a beautiful dark flake that is quite moist, but easy to rub out. Smells of earth, leather and berries from the tin.

It was quite moist and definitely needed some drying time. I tried a few bowls straight from the tin as well as letting a few flakes sit out for over 24 hours to dry. It was difficult to keep lit when smoking directly out of the tin, but the dried out flakes were easy enough to get lit and remained so during the smoke.

I would describe the flavors coming from the following components percentage-wise, as such: 60% dark burley, 30% Virginia, 20% berry/plum topping. The burley's are rich, smokey, a bit nutty, and robust. The virginias are present but more subdued that I expected. The flavoring is noticeable, however, not overpowering and do a good job to round out the strength of the smoke. This flake has a kick to it, but not as strong as Irish flake. I would say that this flake reminds me of Irish flake, but a bit less strong, more well rounded, and a step or two up on sweetness. There are notes of earth, leather, and savory spice that play off of the sweet virginia and berry flavors. Quite an enjoyable smoke. It reminds me of Classic Burley Kake, in the sense that, one can just load the pipe, smoke, and enjoy without thinking too hard about the tobacco. Some blends are contemplative and take your full attention to discern and enjoy each of the nuances....at least in my experience. This is one that you can just fire away, sit back, and enjoy the delicious, and moderately strong, smoke.

Great job Peterson!!!

Pipe Used: Cob, Billard

Age When Smoked: 6 months aged

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JHC (5)	2015-04-13		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

ive had this tin sitting around for a while now and keep breaking out the odd flake here and there when the mood takes me. I'm sad to say though that these occasions are rarely fuelled by a feeling of fancying a bowl of this particular baccy and more motivated by a belief that I really ought to give it another chance to prove itself. So far none of the experiences have convinced me that I'll ever buy another tin. It's not a bad tobacco by any means... It smokes particularly well in my Nording freehand when a complete flake is roughly rubbed and allowed to smoke slowly over a good half hour or hour. It also helps to dry the tin for quite a while. I've worked it into my desired state in a few one hour periods, simply leaving the lid of the tin off but the card inner packaging still folded over to control airflow slightly. When first opened I would say it is far too wet. After three or so hours of air and a month to even out it seems to be far more well behaved. There's a nice tobacco flavour, I'd say more Virginia than burley, and not much sweetness to it. The casin flavour (apparently plum) jumps in and out and is slightly evident in the room note. My major gripe with this flake is the lack of depth! I like sweetness when it's slow and easy and builds up softly on the palet and you don't get much of that with University. The flavouring too doesn't really dance on the tongue as I'd expect a good fruit to, it bites the tip of the tongue somewhat and hots the back of the mouth. There's nothing "bad" to the experience of smoking this blend. In fact I would recommend buying a single tin, letting it breath and settle for a while, then enjoying a whole flake rubbed into a good deep bowl. It just doesn't stand out from the crowd at all. The nicotine level is good and my favourite thing about University Flake is the pleasant mellow feeling derived from slowly rolling though a good pipeful. Try it... But only if you can grab a tin in passing... Don't go out of your way for this one.

Pipe Used: Nording freehand

Age When Smoked: two months

Purchased From: j j Fox

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	raybrown55 (45)	2015-02-20		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I usually smoke EM, Virginia and aromatics, so this blend, burley based, has been to me a change of pace. And I liked it very much: the marriage between the nutty taste of the burley and the delicious plum casing is fully successful. Here in Italy this tobacco is higly priced, but when I have the time to go in Switzerland, I’ll buy more of this.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Autograph

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2014-09-04		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable

I don't understand the active hate this blend gets.

Its a little disappointing. I thought this was going to be Irish Flake with some aro-elements added. It kind of it, but the plum casing just doesn't fit as well as it could.

Sinclair's Highland Slices is so much better at doing what this is trying to do, I think they need to reformulate the plum.

Even with that said, its a very nice and rich smoke. All of the Irish Flake components are there and are well shown, and the plum is not unpleasant, just not what it could have been.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ing.poparadu (18)	2014-07-17		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Speaking as a newcomer in the pipe smoking business, this is the best tobacco I have had so far.

One flake per day is a reasonable amount for an enthusiastic beginner in search for the perfect blend.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Danske Club 84

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin, 2 hour dried

Purchased From: JPB tobacco

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2014-07-02		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A nice VaBur with a light berry (more like berry than plum) topping. The Virginias are sweet and add very little else to the mix. The Burley has a strong presence and is nutty and earthy. Obviously good quality Burley. The topping tends to fade as you get deeper into the bowl. A very pleasing smoke.

Body is mild to medium. I suspect those that are rating this as strong are referring to nicotine content. Flavor is medium. I prefer this well dried. Comes slightly moist. Burns very well when dried. Enjoyed this and will buy again.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-04-09		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable

The plum flavoring was too much for me. Finished the tin and I'll move on.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Northern Pipes (22)	2012-01-19		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

To each their own for this one. The smell out of the tin is quite nice. The Flake itself was easy to work with and rubbed out easily. I was not that big a fan of the smoke itself, I'm not going to be giving it away just yet though. No real discernable flavours that I could tell when smoked. I'll give it a whirl again sometime, but not rushing to do so.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2011-05-31		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nicely prepared flakes ~1 3/4"x 3"x1/16" that are a bit moist to my preference from the tin. I used the fold and pack technique and easy lights resulted in a cool, slow burning smoke without any bite. Although a sweet smoke, I really didn't feel the advertised plum flavoring was overpowering and thought that the VAs were in just the right balance.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-08-21		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

University Flake is a decent tobacco. However, the smoke was a bit boring and the taste very mild.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-19		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It leaves a berry like taste in the mouth, which mirrors the scent from the tin, not overpowering like an aromatic but it does become annoying after a while. There is no doubt this is a fine tobacco, as long as you are not expecting a Virginia dominated Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dk-piper (25)	2009-08-30		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The more i smoke it, the more i begin to really like it. As usual, I'm smoking it right now, as i'm writing this short review.

tobacco appearance in the tin: very neat arranged flakes in a dark-brown color.

smell: fantastic...to me it smells like Swiss dark chocolate.

filling the bowl: these flakes are so moist! at least in my tin they were...almost the consistency of dough. Rubbing the flakes impossible, they wont crumble, so moist they are. So i put some flakes aside to dry them a little. The folding method doesnt work for me...so i just rip them apart or cut the flakes with scissors in moderate chunks and fill the pipe very loose since flakes are pressed and they will expand.

lighting up: it takes me twice as long as other tobaccos to get this baby going...because of the moisture. but once lit this tobacco burns cool, slow and stays lit fairly easy.

taste: nutty-sweet. at first i didnt believe it when i read the reviews that there is some blueberry-flavour in this tobacco. but i'm starting to taste this gentle berry-aroma, too. and what can i say:" i love it!"

strength: in the beginning (first few bowls very strong). Once u get used to this blend it's a fine smoke.

Sometimes i love this blend...sometimes i dont like it too much...because it can be a little harsh on my palate.

This is top-quality tobacco. Worth a try. Will i buy it again? probably not...it's just too inconsistent on my palate.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-30		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This truly is a great tobacco. Lots of reviews on here claim that there is no flavor in this tobacco, however I detect a whole lot of flavor, very natural and straw like and it is quite delicious!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipemanuk (76)	2009-06-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I've always enjoyed this flake, from the top of the topping to the bottom of the bowl.

With most flakes...in fact with just about any tobacco...I tend to fill a few pipes and smoke them the next day, giving the tobacco plenty of time to dry sufficiently. This seems to give me pretty well trouble-free puffing and University Flake rewards such preparation with a meaty, fruity at first then full bodied smoke.

Seems appropriate too tonight, as my daughter has just got a 1st in English from the University of Leicester:-)

I am a happy dad.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-02-21		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A little too harsh, although not that strong in nicotine. I prefer to roll it into a ball, and it normally only requires a few relights. The blueberrish flavour is not my cup of tea-

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2008-12-20		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

one of my best flakes for now,,well burned and the best V/B marriage from petersons long lasting with natural sweetness truly gud tobacco tht i would recommend for those whom want to enjoy complicated moving tobacco but cear to the buds,,craving for more

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2008-10-15		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I love how divisive this blend has been for the reviewers here. It sort of reminds me of a T.S. Eliot poem I studied in a smokeless room at University... Ah, never mind.

Taken at face value, this is a lightly cased blend of various Virginias with a little bit of Burley squeezed in to take away the sheen of gentility. The forest berry topping is mild in the tin. Though I'm not a committed smoker of aromatics, I certainly do enjoy that class of tobaccos on occasion. The thing that is most appealing about UF is that the berries are plenty subtle enough to miss at various times during a bowl. I have the luxury of smoking while working at my desk and when I'm focused on my work, I feel like I'm smoking a straight Virginia. When I kick back and ponder and wander, those little wild berries pop up and smile. When I'm tired, the Burley bats the beast off my back.

I think this could have been called Chameleon Flake.

Not that it matters, of course. This is high quality tobacco blended by someone with a deft and light touch. If I had to choose just one baccy for all time, this subtle number would definitely make the short list.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-03-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A lovely tobacco - and the first of which I can say I would make my all-day smoke. I lightly rubbed a little out and it lasted through two Sherlock Holmes adventures - Smells like pipe smoke "should" smell and not too big a Nicotine hit. Certainly a "thinking man's smoke" - no doubt where the "University" bit comes from! - Well recommended

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-10-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A simple, straight-forward smoke. Not much to add to that. Some days it might almost make three stars, but usually I want more adventurous flavours from my smokes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-03-23		Medium to Strong	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

There's plenty of reviews on this tobacco already so here are three words to describe it for me:Boring, Bland and Harsh =Steer way Clear from here= Prep. (One pro here,You might wish to purchase this blend on the merits of the attractive tin in which it's packaged)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-03-19		Mild	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

There are already many interesting reviews on this tobacco, so I will spend just few words. It smells really 'artificial' compared to a good Virginia flake, it is quite difficult to smoke (expecially outside) and reminds me the awful taste of a cigarette. What else? Ah, yes, something like 10? for a 50g tin. I'm really disappointed!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2004-01-27		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Appearance: Small flakes, well made with uniform medium thickness. Quite variegated in color with the entire range well distributed.

Aroma: First impression is fruity. Definite aroma of berries. While I love this in a Cabernet, I find it off-putting in a tobacco. There is some Virginia aroma lurking under the fruit, but it is not dominant.

Packing:. Usual methods work fairly well. Either rubbing out the flakes, or folding and rolling work well in normal to larger bowls. Did not try this in any smaller pipes.

Lighting:. Lighting is about average, takes flame well.

Initial flavor: The berries were the first thing to hit my palate, with some Virginia and Burley coming through a short time later. The tobacco flavor was not as strong as the flavoring.

Mid-bowl:. The fruit topping has diminished some, but the tobacco flavor did not develop well for me. In all, a rather boring experience.

Finish:. Burned fairly well to the bottom of the pipe. Did not get much stronger at the end

Summary:. Maybe a good choice for the smoker who likes a flavored Virginia, or an aromatic smoker looking for an entry level Va. For the experienced VA. smoker, not much to recommend it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-01-15		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

I'm a college professor (and somewhat of a flake), but I still don't have much of an affinity for this blend. I agree with those who complain of its harshness. That coupled with my disdain for any fruity tones makes this a hard sell. The flavor, beyond the cherry undertones is not too bad, nothing extraordinary beyond a simple tobacco taste (though the aftertaste is somewhat harsh). But this packs a punch on the strength level--more nicotine than I like.

Though I do seem to be overly harsh on their tobaccos, I still hold the house of Peterson in high regard, and stand by their Old Dublin blend. Try that, and you'll see why Peterson is one of the best tobaccos around. As for the U Flake, I'd say try it, as I will in the future, but don't expect great things.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (139)	2022-11-11		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Ever since I found out that after transferring Peterson tobacco production to Orlik/STG facilities the crafty and sneaky Germans from Kohlhase & Kopp managed to preserve recipes of almost all Peterson tobacco products and start producing them under new names in the Rattray line I could not stop thinking about to test them with originals and compare. Today's hero is Peterson University Flake which I got in three versions: the 2010 Kohlhase & Kopp square tin (hereinafter UF K&K), its clone, the Rattray Wallace Flake of 2022 (hereinafter WF), and the August 2021 University Flake by Scandinavian Tobacco Group (hereinafter UF STG).

Appearance: on the whole, all the tobaccos are similar to each other, presenting a wonderfully well-cut flake of several Virginias of various treatments - and Burley. Only the UF STG can be faulted, with its slightly darker shade giving off a higher moisture content. Alas, the UF STG has the touch has an obvious presence of glycerine and propylene glycol, which cannot be said about the other two tobaccos. UF K&K also dried a little during storage, the flake didn't feel so dense, but still retained its shape. Overall all three left a good impression, although UF STG would need some time to dry out.

Flavor: this is where the first differences begin. I'll try to describe the difference in aroma.

UF K&K: it smells like a good plum biscuit lying on a wooden cutting plate - each note of flavor is woven into the overall bouquet, all together they create an amazing harmony, it literally wants to be eaten. It's very difficult to isolate the nuances of the aroma, although of course the plum gently prevails, creating a general background supported by notes of biscuit dough with an almost subtle touch of vanilla and cinnamon. As for the burley, it hardly shows itself, being present only in the form of soft woody and nutty notes in the background.

WF: reminiscent of Tyrolean plum cake - it cannot boast of such harmony in flavor, however, all the notes of the aroma, though not constituting a whole, are perceived quite appropriately and with the right intensity. Plum, of course, dominates, somewhat detached from the rest of the bouquet. Also, the bread notes have a slightly different quality here, not so soft and airy, dry a littlle, and the vanilla and cinnamon are barely perceptible. The woody-walnut notes of burley, as slightly detached as with the more mature tobacco, but still more noticeable. Perhaps over time, the overall flavor of WF could compete with the 12-year-old original, becoming softer and more solid. But for a fresh tin, and also being a “copy”, it's great.

UF STG: it's a batch of grandma's plum jam, which you stolen with an old wooden spoon straight from a jar open for a pie, for which, alas, the dough hasn't even been kneaded yet. The plum flavor is brighter, more pungent, and I also managed to smell a slight note of molasses. Woody notes of burley are also more noticeable, and what's more, a walnut note permeates the overall flavor as well. And, the other side, Virginia bread notes, alas, got pokey - they are barely noticeable in the flavor to favor of a brighter plum aroma and burley notes. Moreover, rubbing the tobacco in my hands, I managed to catch a slight scent of hay, but the bread note was equally subtle and unnoticeable.

Taste: there are differences in this aspect as well.

UF K&K: Initially a little drier in taste than expected from such a flavor, the tobacco quickly gains sweetness and after a couple of minutes is fully consistent with its aroma. Calm biscuit notes framed with plum are in a harmonious balance, setting the base. The woody and nutty tones of burley barely support them, complemented by a very slight hint of cinnamon, the resemblance to which is enhanced by the fact that I felt tobacco as a little tongue-twisting. However, the overall taste of the blend is absolutely mild, without any roughness. As you smoke, the burley adds nuttiness, catching up with the woody notes in intensity, but doesn't step out of the shadow of the main, plum biscuit flavor. The strange thing (for me) is that burley doesn't bother me at all in this blend, remaining a minor player but being nonetheless highly noticeable. What's interesting: whichever packing I tried, the tobacco taste remained quiet without getting brighter. The tobacco smokes cool, dry and slow, burning out into a dusty light grey ash. I didn't want to take any risk, so I only stuffed one flake into the pipe, but the tobacco still seemed stronger than average to me. Separately, I can say that in both bent and straight forms of pipe the tobacco has almost the same taste. The aftertaste is fruity and woody, a little astringent, soft, but quite persistent.

WF: Amazingly, the taste of the tobacco is almost entirely consistent with its flavor. Slightly buttery notes of sweetly sandy pastry, a slightly bright but still very mild plum flavor, a barely noticeable presence of cinnamon and only the merest of woody and nutty notes in the background. As you smoke, the woody and nutty notes increase slightly in flavor, leaving the Virginia in the foreground, along with the plum filling. The tobacco taste is slightly sweeter than the original. I've smoked WF both whole and broken flake, and I have to say it's a bit brighter in the broken form, which makes sense. The tobacco smokes cool, dry and slow (and in the case of whole flake - very slow), burning to a perfect ash of light grey. It is reasonably tolerable for a beginner, although if smoked too hot, the plum will be the first to disappear. Also worth considering is the fact that the strength of WF is slightly above average - having puffed a plate and a half into the pipe, I felt a nicotine hit at the end, soft and slight, but perceptible. The tobacco, just like the original, tastes pretty much the same in both straight pipes and bents. Also, its aftertaste is also pretty much the same as the original - fruity-woody, slightly astringent, soft and quite persistent.

UF STG: The woody and nutty notes of burley are more prominent in the taste of this tobacco than the earlier versions, while the sweetness is much less noticeable. The taste is considerably simpler and more reminiscent of the usual Virginia-Burley blend, as the plum tones become imperceptible in the middle of the pipe, being replaced by herbal and - finally! - bread-like Virginia notes. Besides, the tobacco itself is much more demanding to the temp of smoking at the beginning of the pipe, and has a certain 'roughness' in taste, though becoming softer towards the middle of the pipe. The tobacco smokes a little hotter, burning into a grey ash. The strength of the tobacco is above average, as in the previous two variants, and the taste is unchanged from pipe to pipe as well.

The smoke from UF K&K and WF has almost the same flavor. Smoking the tobacco creates a luxurious ambience in the room - slightly sweet, with an aroma of wood and all the same plum. Fairly persistent but loose. The smoke from UF STG has a more pronounced woody flavor with a hint of ash. It's hard to call it luxurious, but it's not irritating.

What's the bottom line? Next, as always, solely my opinion. First of all, all the assurances that Kohlhase & Kopp has done some kind of 'tweaking' of the recipe that came into his hands, I would call untenable. Yes, the fresh Wallace Flake has slightly different taste and aroma, but these nuances are so insignificant that I am pretty sure that if I had a tin of 7 years aged Rattray Wallace Flake in my hands, I would not be able to tell which tobacco is which in a blind test - although I know University Flake pretty well. Of course, the 12 year aged version of University Flake by Kohlhase & Kopp looks more advantageous in our comparison. But it is no longer in production, although you may come across old stocks from time to time on the secondary market. If you come across such a tin - touch a legend, it's worth it. As for the two versions remaining on the market, Wallace Flake is much more interesting than the current University Flake by STG, which has kept its name, but has lost the charm of the original recipe. All indications are that the composition of the current version definitely has been changed to somewhat aside from the original, and that has clearly not come in its favor. As for Wallace Flake, if the opportunity arises, I'll stock up on a tin or two to open them after ten years aging and see if the aged Wallce Flake can resemble the original. Still, I mark UF 3 stars total, respecting the old one, which is absolutely marvellous, at 4 and new one at 2.5.

Pipe Used: Peterson 14B, 69, 80s, 106, 150, 999

Age When Smoked: 2010 (K&K) and 2021 (STG)

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Rattray - Wallace Flake (Flake Collection).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ScienceSmoker (60)	2022-08-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

University Flake is one of the blends that changed my mind about Burleys. I wasn't much of a fan of them at first, but this is a really enjoyable smoke. The tin note, upon opening, is mildly sweet and pleasant. You can smell the dark fruit (supposedly plum), and it has a blueberry syrup or fruit roll-up scent. The flakes can be a bit moist, so a little bit of drying will help, but I'd be careful not to over-dry this one as it may diminish the topping. And it's far more faint in the smoke than it is in the tin note.

First few puffs: high quality tobacco flavors. It's mostly good quality Burley with a pleasant mix of Virginias. The grassiness and a bit of floralness of the Virginias are there, but few of the typical bright tang Virginia flavors come through. The topping isn't as strong as it seems from the tin note. Every so often, you catch some of that dark berry/blueberry syrup flavor. It's very faint, but it works really well with the lead Burley flavors. This is an old school, sipping tobacco. The kind of blend you smoke while just sitting on the porch in a rocking chair listening to the birds sing. I really enjoy it. I tend to smoke a bit fast, and even so, there was no bite at all. Though the strength is, I'd say, about high medium.

Bottom line: This is a really nice old school Burley/Virginia blend with a small touch of dark fruit flavor. Just a good solid smoke.

Pipe Used: Georg Jensen 2002

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-07-04		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I saw this at Carolina Tobacco Emporium I was pretty psyched as I’ve been smoking a lot of MacBaren flake for some time and wanted something to compare Old Dark Fired with from the HH line. To be fair to STG , the Dark Fired I smoked had been un tinned and sitting for some months and the University Flake was out of the tin and like all of the Lane Limited products I get here in Ct. , they frustratingly don’t date anything. With that being said, I give this blend a 3 and the Old Dark Fired got a 4 because of a harshness that hits the sides of the tongue about halfway through the University Flake. I like everything else about this blend and I will leave this alone for some months and come back to revisit this review if it merits it especially since Peterson’s products are quite a bit more expensive than MacBaren’s. 7/27/22. As I expected, after un tinning this tobacco and letting it age for only a month, the rough edges I experienced my first time around with University Flake have disappeared. I will give this a 3.5 as there are flake out there that are just as good, but less expensive than this.

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: Carolina Tobacco Emporium in Manchester Ct

Similar Blends: MacBaren Old Dark Fired.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot (31)	2021-11-30		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Very sweet and strong blend. Sometimes both of these can be irritating. But once you get used to it, it will bring the sweet pleasure. This blend isn´t for everyone. It´s a little bit sweeter and less strong sister of Irish Flake.

Similar Blends: Peterson - Irish Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HobgoblinTA96 (60)	2021-10-09		Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild	Tolerable

Plum? Sorry, I really don't taste that in this blend. What I do taste is a lovely citrus note that reminds me of bergamot. Topping aside, another excellent flake from Peterson. Not much real tobacco taste with this one though. The topping sublimates the individual components. Dark, moist and aromatic-like in flavor. This does not really transfer to the room note, which is the typical woodsy note. Burn is excellent and slow. No tongue bite. If you're looking for an aero that redefines the norm, I would a go at this blend.

Pipe Used: Various Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: TobaccoPipes.com

Similar Blends: Vaughn Earl Gey & Planta Marula Fruit.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	lysergic69 (3)	2021-10-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I am new to pipe smoking and this is my first review. University Flake has a well balanced and bodied tobacco flavour with the flavouring coming through gently on occasion as sour plum with a hint of liquorice, leaving that note and a bit of nuttiness as an aftertaste. A bit of sweetness (from the virginia I presume) rounds the flavour off nicely, and the flavour is very consistent. To pack, I just fold a flake in half long ways, then fold it over and round it out a bit with my fingers and shove it straight into the cob with a bit of tamping to keep it in the bowl. Takes a bit (like a dozen matches) to light, and I just use a lighter (blasphemy!) as it is easier. Once it gets going it smokes rather well and sometimes at night I have a bowl of Early Morning Pipe, then pack the University flake and smoke until it gets the first real tamp (a dozen lights later!). I then finish the bowl in the morning with no fuss :). Doesn't bite (or, hasn't bitten me) and is really pleasant for that second half of the bowl when it gets going and I get lost in thought. Next I want to try Petersons Nightcap, and am considering getting another cob just to puff University Flake, although I do like how it seems to subtle it's way into a bowl of EMP (maybe my imagination). Nic hit is a good level for me, enough to feel but not third eye inducing. I do recommend having a feed first though. I tried a few flakes before this one, and I like the flake tobaccos as they are so easy to stuff into the pipe (I am competent at packing ribbon, just lazy), although the need for many lights to get going can be a bit of a bummer. I have tried drying it out, but don't think ahead to do it more often. Sometimes the bowl bubbles, but a pipe cleaner fixes this no worries. As most pipe tobaccos are over a hundred dollarydoos in Aus, I haven't had the luxury of smashing more than a couple of tins or ageing any, but so far really enjoy this smoke and think that it will be a mainstay of mine. Probably between this, the EMP and maybe the Nightcap for something a bit stronger I may be content with my smoking life. The way I stuff it kind of makes a burn straight down the middle of the bowl, leaving the edges charred but not burnt. When this happens the goodness really starts because then I lightly tap the pipe on an ashtray to remove the ash from the middle, use a nail to pry the edges and tamp them back in and usually need only one or two more lights after that. Room note is pleasant, my wife tolerates it, but I don't think that a non-smoker would like it very much. Hope this was helpful. Peace. Edit; Now when I buy a tin, I lay out all the flakes and dry them all out overnight (when the humidity is low), then put them back into the tin. The quality of smoke is enhanced so much, and re-lights becomes a thing of the past :)

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: About a month from purchase

Purchased From: tobaccoblends.com.au

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (106)	2021-09-25		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I had smoked this about a decade ago and it had left a very good impression. It did not become part of my rotation, and I had not tried it again until recently. I cracked this tin several weeks ago thinking “back to school” is the perfect time for uni flake. It just feels suited for the season. These flakes are 2 mm thick and very neatly cut. The tobaccos are hard pressed and near black until rubbed out wherein some of the orange VA becomes evident. I was fortunate to have a nice frosting of sugar crystals adorning each flake. The nicotine hit is just past medium, notable if the smoker is aggressive, which is possible as this blend just doesn’t bite. There is a sweet and slightly sour plum aroma in the tin. When I smoked this years ago, I remember it having more of a distinctly plum taste. This time around it is more like a generic berry taste. This topping is well done however, and comes across mostly in the snork. It also works to enhance some of the natural sweetness of the Virginia leaf. There is some toastiness on the char light, and delicious notes of toast pop up throughout the bowl. I am not sure that I will cellar this one particularly deep, but I will be sure to keep a tin or two on hand for the occasional delicious change of pace.

Age When Smoked: Tin dated 7/9/19

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: This tobacco is in the same vein as erinmore flake though the toppings are distinctly different..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CaptainNemo (1)	2021-09-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Smoked it out of multiple pipes both folded & stuffed and rubbed out. It burns and smokes much better thoroughly rubbed out.

Initial opening of the tin gave me a smokey, meaty smell with a sweet bread/raisin bread in the background. After its been open for a day it's all dark fruit and sweet bread.

A very light tobacco at first but the longer you smoke it the better it gets. This is certainly becoming a favorite of mine. It will get a permanent spot in my cellar. It takes some searching at first but as you get down the bowl the flavor is more pronounced. I taste a lightly sweet bread and get grassy hay notes. The sweetness seems to be more pronounced the longer its smoked. Of course as with any virginia it will bite you if you puff it like a freight train. Smoke it slow. Highly recommend!

Pipe Used: Kingston straight apple, peterson999

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: B&M Store

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RobbieZA (12)	2021-06-26		Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Another win from Peterson.

I smoked after rubbing the flake straight from the tin. There is a heafty nicotine kick but a nice fruity flavor. I can smell the plum flavor out the tin, but when smoking it tastes like fruit. Very recommend. However not my favorite Peterson tobacco. Smooth smoke doesn't get to hot and stays lit.

Pipe Used: Medico Medalist

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Tobacco City Klerksdorp

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Manorhill (14)	2021-05-25		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Last week I tried Irish Flake for the first time, and was impressed by its strength and its naked tobacco taste. It also left me hankering for something with a little flavour added, while not sacrificing strength. University Flake is the perfect candidate.

The plum scent on opening the tin is subtle, but on lighting, the scent lingered constantly in my nose as I smoked. This is a very good tobacco. Strong enough, but not uncouth like Irish Flake, and with just the right amount of flavouring to add some dimension.

It kind of reminds me of what Clan should be - truly cool and slow-burning, with a wonderful fruitiness that doesn't destroy the tobacco taste. Plus strength.

I first saw a tin of UF in 1996, and it described itself then as "for the thinking man". I shall consider myself learned.

Pipe Used: Budget Italian 9mm filter

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoke King

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ford Prefect (9)	2021-01-05		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is so good, I've had it before 10+ years ago and it was great then as it is now. Rich flavour with hint of blueberries, very cool burn and minimal moisture. Can be all day smoke if you can take it, otherwise, I only wish they kept those small square tins they used to sell it in.

Pipe Used: Falcon Coolway 105 with balsa filter

Age When Smoked: Few weeks after purchase

Purchased From: https://www.cgarsltd.co.uk/

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2020-11-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

A Virginia- Burley blend that has some hay and grass with toasty bread , some molasses and some floral notes . The fruity berry plum topping is the main flavor though . The Virginias probably add to this flavor . The topping is pleasant to my tastebuds . The blend needed some drying out for me . The nicotine is mild/medium . Some dark fired leaf is noticed occasionally. Smokingpipes.com has it listed as an ingredient on their website so I don’t think I imagined it . This is more of a Virginia blend though . No complaints but nothing exciting about it . 2 1-2 rounded up to 3 stars .

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gerry P (39)	2020-06-15		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

A wonderful, full-flavored Va blend with a judiciously applied berry topping. Nicotine is sneaky with this one. Perfect flake that is easily prepared. I just smoked a bowl to the bottom with no relights. An all-day smoke, if you have the nicotine tolerance. I find little difference between this and Wallace Flake...mostly that this one is always available and Wallace Flake isn't. Ymmv, of course.

This is one of my regulars.

Pipe Used: Currently a Pete Donegal Rocky 01

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Mayan Import Co., New Orleans LA

Similar Blends: Wallace Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mhaque (13)	2020-05-23		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A nice blend with evident fruity topping. Not sure if it's berry or plum but it certainly has a chemical quality I can't stand at all. It could have been a very nice blend without the chemical quality topping. The topping stayed until the end of the bowl. After becoming a fan of Peterson Irish Flake which is also topped, I expected too much from this blend. While Irish flake topping is not quite evident when you start to smoke, and even sometimes when the topping comes forward it's not unpleasant at all. For my next bowls, I will dry the flakes for couple hours hoping the topping would not show up in every puff. I am worried about 5 other tins I bought without trying it first. For aromatic smokers, this blend could be a good pace of change towards non-aromatic type blends. Can't recommend to anyone who does not like a topped tobacco, and coming from someone who does not mind a little topped tobacco says a lot. The base blend is fine, I think could enjoy it if somehow I can get rid of the failed fruity chemical topping. Don't buy tons of tins without trying it first.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 121

Age When Smoked: 2 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Reviewer (22)	2020-05-20		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I like this. The very first time I smoked this tobacco I was watching the Stallone movie Lock Up. Hahaha good times. When I got a 1/3 way through the bowl I though this is how pipe tobacco is supposed to be. That was about ten years ago and everytime I smoke this tobacco I watch a kick ass movie to pair with this kick ass tobacco. If its not Stallone then its Arnold or Jackie Chan or Jean Claud V.D. I still buy this tobacco and still enjoy it just as much now. This stuff is always good, smells good, taste good, good enough to smoke at any time of the morning, day, evening or night. All around great tobacco. Never had any issues or negatives with it. This is awesome stuff and if you have a friend over you might end up doing karate in the garage.

Pipe Used: Brigham

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2020-04-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Another Peterson bend in the road in the adventure that is pipe smoking.

After opening the tin I was quite surprised as I hadn't realised that this actually does come in flake form, as the name implies; before purchasing, I had only taken a quick casual look at the contents list and rating here at TobaccoReviews. Well, on to the experimenting then. I tried several methods and finally settled on tearing apart 2-4 strands at a time (this lasts MUCH longer than the pathetically small looking pile of thin flakes wrapped in paper inside the tin would lead one to believe) from the side of the flake and rolling those between forefinger and thumb onto a piece of paper to get a pile of ribbon that the pipe is easily packed with. Straight from the tin the flake is quite moist, but impatiently I decided to try for a bowl anyway. Not surprisingly, it took a few charring lights, but once it got going... Oh, boy! Just about the thickest, smoothest, wholesomest and most satisfying smoke ever, taking one back to the roots of what tobacco smoking is about. Not surprising when looking at the contents list though; burley and plum, balanced with good virginia, is just about the recipe that pushes all the right buttons for me. It's a little bit of work to get to smoke, but totally worth it.

A word of warning: Be VERY careful about drying out. This is a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde type of blend in that it has the most dramatic change of character between moist and dried conditions that I have witnessed (and by "dried", I'm not even talking hours). Dry it out too much and it loses all of the smooth character, becoming bitter, sharp, harsh, almost unsmokeable. I consider this blend meant to be smoked rather moist and going through the necessary trouble to do so.

Instant favourite and will surely be buying again.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Tobacco shop in Turku Finland

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cm1648 (106)	2020-03-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A favorite blend from Peterson.The Virginia and Burley are fairly even in play. The Virginias bring more of a darker, fruity note than grassy or citrusy while the Burley is nutty and earthy.The plum topping is mainly noticeable in the retrohale (those it seems more berry than plum) so dont go in thinking this is in any way an aromatic. Some have mentioned that the nicotine strength is decently strong in this blend. Interestingly, as someone who is sensitive to vitamin-n, I found it no more than medium in strength.A staple in my rotation selection.

Age When Smoked: 6 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2019-09-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

It may be the time of year.. but these virginia/burley style flakes are kinda my thing at the moment.. and the burley here is at least an equal partner to the Virginia if not the main show.. if you dont have much experience with burley you may find the nic to be a little stronger than you are used to.. I dont notice it so much (tolerance and small bowls perhaps).. I'd say medium strength.. the flavoring is what sets this blend apart.. very pleasant the way it interacts.. probably just plum.. but the way it combines with the leaf gives off what may be a berry taste.. not ultra distinct but pleasant.. sometimes you feel it more than you taste it..there was a slight smokey and almost incensey aroma to the tin note.. I suspected Kentucky.. but not in the smoke.. tastes like regular burley.. the virginia is very subdued and only jumped out in the first part of the bowl.. Overall this is a decent smoke.. not all that complex.. but there is definitely something about it that I really like.. every bowl I have smoked seems to have a 'sweet spot' around the halfway mark.. I prefer this dried out pretty well.. once dried it behaves quite well.. I personally won't stockpile this one.. but having one or two around as an occasional smoke might be a good idea.. I'd be curious about an aged tin.. maybe boost the sweetness and virginian character.. no major complaints.. stout but not heavy.. sort of satisfying on the right occasion.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (149)	2019-05-11		Extremely Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Ultra mild berry aromatic Virginia/Burley flake for those who would prefer to amuse the nostrils of bystanders rather than their own taste buds.

The tin aroma in a newly opened tin is almost purely the smell of the berry syrup used as a topping. After its been open several weeks (it's taking me a long time to get through it!) this has faded just a little and now I can also detect some hay/grass notes from the leaf.

The flakes are perfectly cut and neatly stacked, I cannot fault the presentation. They are also soaking wet from the casing applied. Rubbed out and smoked in this state its a sad affair requiring numerous matches, more or less like steaming your tongue over a boiling kettle, with no tobacco flavour and only an aftertaste of humectants and the aforementioned berry flavouring. With extensive drying on a sheet of paper it is slightly better, but the tobacco flavour is minimal. It must be smoked gently and can yield an ultra mild Virginia flavour remiscent of new mown hay before the flavouring takes over. The berry flavour does come through in the smoke, and builds through the bowl only receding near the end. Obviously I find it hard to smoke something gently when I have to look for the smoke to check it's still lit... It appears to contain almost no nicotine, and if it ghosts my falcon bowls I might cry.

In the interests of full disclosure I should declare my tastes, which are for hearty dark flakes and plugs (scented or otherwise) and English mixtures. I love Erinmore flake! I do not enjoy the heavily cased Cavendish aromatics that are so popular on the Continent, and honestly when this is smoked wet out of the tin, I would think this was one of them if I hadn't rubbed the flake out myself.

Comparison with Erinmore is inevitable: two flakes with a heavily applied fruity topping. Erinmore flake has a richer, stronger Virginia tobacco which to my mind stands up to and is complemented by the sauce, University flake has an ultra mild Virginia and Burley leaf which is overwhelmed by a (to my tastes) discordant berry casing.

I'll give it two stars because it has no gross defects apart from wetness (easily cured by drying) and it clearly brings pleasure to many on here. If dried well and smoked gently there is little bite, it doesn't overheat and burns to a clod of dottle. I would buy this in preference to a Dutch or Danish aromatic Cavendish, but given that my choice will probably never come to this, I doubt I'll ever buy it again.

In summary, University flake is one for the undergraduate rather than the Don. It may appeal to those of a nervous disposition, or to the smoker of Cavendish aromatics who is looking for a slightly more sophisticated product. This is a small step up from the cherry vanilla propylene glycol abominations foisted on all new pipe smokers by well intentioned tobacconists throughout the land...

Pipe Used: Falcons mostly

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Miss Moran's tobacco shop, Belfast

Similar Blends: Any heavily cased Cavendish aromatic. A much milder cousin of Erinmore..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	joe.thebriary (1)	2019-05-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I have been waiting for this tobacco to return. I bought my first tin of this a decade ago, when it still came in the square tin. I got the box from Arango with all the new Peterson’s from Scandinavian Tobaccco, and there in the bottom of the box was the familiar blue tin.

I got it back to my desk and rolled the tobacco into the chamber. A citrus [that I don’t remember being this potent] was the first thing I noticed. Soon though, the familiar roasted cashew flavor appear and stayed for the rest of the bowl, which I was glad to see. The citrus [thankfully] moved to the background - ever present but not forward. So, the citrus is stronger than I remember, but the roasted cashew is a pleasant all day flavor. I enjoyed reconnecting to an old friend.

The body is fairly solid medium. I definitely wouldn’t recommend smoking this on an empty stomach, but I don’t think it’s overpowering.

Pipe Used: James Upshall, Northern Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: The Briary

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stonedsour (8)	2018-05-18		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

University flake is truly a blend you have to study!

With a blend this dark you can obviously assume this is a very earthy blend. That forms the base for this, and now for the studying. You can figure out the other flavours if you just think about it.

There are three other flavours you should find in your studies that beibg the nuttiness of the burleys, the plum/berry topping and a slight sweetness. The nuttiness comes through much more than the others and suits the earthy base quite well.

The plum/berry (not sure which one, I know it's advertised plum but not sure. Definitely a dark fruit) tastes alright, what taste you can get. I wish it came through more, maybe it's just the aro smoker in me but the tin note of plum smelled so nice. I wanted to taste that in the tin, but I was disappointed. The sweetness is largely associated with the topping, so very mild.

I was expecting a lot more, the plum really drew me to this but it just wasn't up to snuff. The earth and nuttiness is nice, if a bit strong but I felt like the plum could've done so much more. That's why it gets two stars, it's not a bad blend at its core, but it had the potential to be so much better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Artyom (12)	2018-04-18		Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Boring tobacco without flavour development. The smell from the tin is promising: dried fruits with woody notes. But it has 0 progression of flavour and its also too strong for me.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: 2 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (231)	2017-11-05		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

In my opinion this is one of the best flavored blends I have ever smoked. It is from the side of the tobacco taste rather than on the aromatic side. I mean that the flavoring is very mild and the tobacco taste is leading. I don’t taste plum, but a very light aroma, not well defined. The taste is full and satisfying, rich and well-rounded. Not exactly for aromatic lovers, but rather for natural tobacco lovers. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is more than 9 and three and a half stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-08-15		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Opening the lovely tin with it's classy and simple label (like all Peterson blends have; which I love very much) that comes in a bewitching deep blue color, I found a stack of neatly stacked flakes slices. A gently sweet, very (artificial, but pleasant) plumy aroma imediatly filled the room, very tasty tin note. Oddly, the condoms we have here in germany smell exactly the same..not reminiscent, no..EXACTLY! The slices were sticking together and are rather hard to separate.

On first light I already knew I would like - no love - this blend! Whilst the plumy flavoring(casing?) dominates the tin-note, lighting some of University Flake up in a pipe reveals different. I instantly got hit by a intense burst of nuttiness, that's underscored by some decent earthiness. Just a hint of plum in the back in the first few puffs, which quickly became more intense, but never too much, never subdueing the tobacco, and also what I'd consider as "mild"! Yet it doesn't really taste like real plums in the smoke, more like a mix of berries! Full-bodied, yet very digestible, a decent share more gentle than its "brother" Irish Flake. The everpresent, yet mild plumy- and fruity undertone helps making it so digestible, while being rich and intense in it's nutty- and earthy qualities. The texture of the smoke is creamy, almost buttery. It's not the most deep blend (in terms of variety), but very palatable and far from being boring!

I find this to be very similar to Peteron's 3Ps! It gives me the same "you're smoking a traditional english blend like oldtimers would've smoked back in the days"-feeling, like 3Ps does. The rich and intense tobacco-aroma paired with a mild casing that's not subdueing the tobacco, but ENRICHING and underscoring the natural tobacco qualities. 221b Baker Street is also somewhere in the same alley, but with a more "dark" toned (maybe because there's dark fired in it) character.

The experienced pipe smoker will perceive this as rather medium-strenght, almost mild blend. Newer smokers, or pipe smokers who rather smoke more mild blends will perceive this as a rahter strong tobacco if not used to nicotine. So I'll settle for "medium to strong", but its more close to medium than to strong!

University Flake is a classy, full-bodied, yet digestible blend that has a lot of natural tobacco to offer and is underscored by the well done (flavor- and quantity-wise) casing! I highly recommend it to anyone who likes Burley/Kentucky-forward blends, and are looking for a medium-strenght, almost All-Day suitable blend to fill a gap in their rotation or are looking for top-notch blends to extend and enrich it.

|| Personal rating: 3-stars | Attempt of an 'obective rating' : 4-stars ||

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	riobrew (80)	2017-04-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A nice mild smoke. Love the plum in the background. Not overly cased. I rub out lightly and dry. Smokes to clean ash. Taste is Virginia and burley. Slightly sweetness.

Age When Smoked: Newish

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-20		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After going through about half the tin, I've found Uni Flake puzzling...not bad, but not that great.

The tin note is phenomenal. Plums and a little berry (blueberry?). It literally smells good enough to eat. My 9 year old son (resident tobacco sniffer and expert in tin note) agreed.

It is presented as neat clean and uniform flakes.

I'm getting best results with leaving the flakes out on a paper plate for 4 hours, then folding and stuffing. Yes, 4 hours. It doesnt feel wet in the tin at all, oddly enough. I tried leaving a flake out for an hour, and it still didn't taste right...I was gonna go 2 hours, but I forgot about it until 4 hours and it turns out that works, so I'm going with it.

The flavor I get is not at all what I expected. It's mainly a mild earthy taste, with just a hint of the plum topping on retrohale. Not unpleasant, just not what I expected. Smoking it right out of the tin leads that earthy musty taste to taste and feel unpleasantly wet (hence the long drying times I've been trying), though it does seem to burn ok and never gurgled. Anywho, I found the earthy flavor to be rather boring.

originally reviewed 3/9/2012

This was one of the first tobaccos I tried reviewing as a newbie piper, and I never revisited it. Maybe it was my newbie palate....because this sounds like something I would like, and I've thought of revisiting it, I've just never quite gotten around to trying it again.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-01-29		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This flake in interesting but not unique.when you crack the tin you see dark virginias with more earthy and grassy than citrusy flavours.a light topping of plum is detected also.rubs easy and needs half to an hour of drying for me.needs a few relights.burns medium to hot with a bit moisture.the flavours are mixed between earth forest fruits and grass.i get less plum than expected and the sweetness is pleasant.leaves a bit moisture at the end of the bowl and some tobacco is left at the end.doesn't burn to ass till the end.the nicotine level is medium if you go easy on that not an all day flake to me.in conclusion not something unique but not flat either.

Age When Smoked: Rubed and leave it to dry out a couple hours

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2016-12-19		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Really good flakes, respect for Peterson. Bit stronger tobacco and it's perfect for winter time smoke, almost full taste giving a lot of satisfaction during all smoke.Definetlly will buy again and highly recommending for all pipe smokers.

Pipe Used: Edison old briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local store

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2016-11-18		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I have no idea why I haven't reviewed this tobacco before. I first tried it in 2008 and have finished several tins since then,,, emptied completely with relish.

Now to begin,, this is a VA dominant blend with all the grassy-haylike-creaminess VA lovers expect. The burley is there and comes through a bit more mid-bowl, but stays in the background. Along with being bite-free,, this blend has an evasive top note of some kind perhaps a ever so slight berry flavoiring,, ?? But it is easily ignored if one is averse to aromatics. This is certainly not in the aromatic genre, but could be appreciated by aromatic as well as English and straight VA fans.

I'm surprised the composite score here is less than 3 stars. I give it 4 without hesitation. This is a classic, well done, quality tobacco that all pipe smokers should try at least once,,, as much as NightCap, Frogmorton, Christmas Cheer etc.... some of the other giants of our hobby.

Moisture content is perfect every time, a bit dry, which I love,,, I don't like to wait for my smoke while a damp tobacco dries on a plate. Also,, this is not a weak tobacco mind you,, there is real tobacco strength and flavor here, a solid, satisfying smoke..

I will always keep a tin of University Flake on hand...

Good Draw to You,,, Cheers!! :)

Glorfindel

Pipe Used: Peterson Christmas 2016 Full Bent

Age When Smoked: New tin,, never lasts long,,, LOL :)

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: VA flakes,, Dunhill,, Orlik etc..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-09-06		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I smoked University Flake when it was made by Murray's in Ireland and it was a most exquisite tobacco. It is now made by MacBaren, and I have to say, what a good job they have done. The flakes are not as thick as they were but none the less they are spot on. As with most blends, open the tin and give it several hours drying time. The flavoring is plum and goes quite well with the wonderful tobacco taste. All the way to the bottom of the bowl this tobacco is a real treat. Mellow, slight dark fruits (plum) and rich Virginia and Burley. Quite good with a nice nico lift.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Bent bulldog. Porto Cervo smooth.

Age When Smoked: new.

Purchased From: Tinder Box store.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (217)	2016-06-26		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Despite it smells like plum pudding in the tin, IMO, Peterson’s University Flake is a real-tobacco gem, a first class take on a VA-forward, codger VA/Bur with just the right amount of plum and floral essence to soften it for a slow, meditative smoke. The VAs are mostly stoved, fairly deep and full, but they do have a little spicy kick, also some air cured leaf that brings sweetness, while the Burleys are full, rich, round and nutty without being too soft or too tannic. All in all, it’s a well-balanced smoke in the Old Tradition. Presentation is nice, two rows of uniform, dark flakes wrapped in white paper. They are soft and moist, and they handle well. I tend to crumble and smoke it right from the tin. It burns OK after a couple of false lights, perhaps a couple of re-lights, and I usually wind up with some dottle. Scents are lovely VAs and Burleys, along with just a hint of plum and something floral that’s a lot like Lakeland essence. Strength straight from the tin is more strong than medium, though drying abates this. Tastes are more full than medium. I find the room note to be pleasant. Aftertaste gets richer as it lingers, the best of the smoke.

I recommend UF as a 4-star blend for patient VA/Bur lovers.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: STG, fresh to 1 year

Purchased From: Liberty Tobacco

Similar Blends: Civilized brother of 3P.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (84)	2016-03-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I think this is one of the best Peterson tobaccos, along with Irish Flake and PPP.

It shows quality, balance and excellence in every aspect, from ideally cut flakes to full bodied taste, hint of sweet fruitiness, generous volume of smoke and a good healthy nicotine dose.

It burns perfectly from the single light after drying out a little in an opened tin. I cellar it by pounds. An excellent tobacco, highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Reterson 268 Zulu

Age When Smoked: 2

Similar Blends: Peterson's Perfect Plug.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-01-02		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As of this writing, there are almost three hundred and thirty reviews; I have nothing to add! So, again, I write this for my future self, standing in a shop, lost in indecision...

The Danish UF is a decent middle weight flake, comes not too wet, could smoke it out of the tin, in a pinch. The fruity topping is ever-present during the smoke, at times it becomes too much. Seems to be able to irritate my mouth as well.

Get the Irish Flake!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-08-07		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Thin flakes in presentation. Easy to rub out or just fold and stuff. More aromatic than 3P. The flavor is bright and sweet, but chemically sweet. Not like it at first but it could grow on you after several bowls.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leeboy (20)	2015-07-10		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I was really excited to try this stuff as I'm a fan of Irish flake. Its simply horrible. Its bitter, scortches the tongue and throat and is not cheap either. It was soaking wet in the tin so loads of drying is needed. I've had three bowles and cant be bothered to put myself through it again. I've tried many tobaccos over the last year and this is the only one I'm going to bin. It could be a bad tin I don't know but I definitely won't buy this again.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smoke king uk

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2015-01-25		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Now this is tobacco! The smell of it is incredibly. No artifical note at all, I can jsut sit and put my nose in the jar for minutes before lighting it. The taste is earthy not overwhelming at all, really pleasent, and the burley comes in nicely. Nothing more than needed, everything is just at the right consistancy. You want to learn how to smoke a flake right first tho, or it will be hard to keep it lit and smoke the full bowl.

Easily 4 stars, going to keep this in my rotation.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2014-12-26		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a very nice full flavored flake. In the tin it looks the same as Erinmore. However, unlike Erinmore which has a fruity topping, this University Flake has a deep plum flavor added. I find the plummy flavor (which stays at in distance in the background) compliments the deep tobacco flavors very nicely. Although a little moist, the flakes can simply be folded or lightly crumbled. This tobacco delivers handsome clouds of medium to strong flavorsome smoke, lasts a very long time, and burns to a reasonably clean ash. Anyone who likes fairly full flavored tobacco and prefers flakes for a long smoke full of concentrated flavor should give this tobacco a try.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-12-23		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Sniffle, sniffle. Many years ago, before the brute Irish Flake was born, this was a fantastic tobacco with some balls, a nice gentle, berry, top note and some wonderful nutty burley undertones, no longer. This is a mere shadow of what it used to be, an imposter, a wuss and a wimp. Not only has the flavor profile gone completely kooky, I simply don't even recognize this, no depth, no strength. Oh yeah, and I hate the fat square tin. Aside from the muscle lost they even gave IF the cool as hell rectangle tin. (Wagging finger) Bad Peterson, Bad! A true Bastardization. TPOPHCTDUA

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2014-12-12		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I can't believe that I haven't tried this one sooner. I love Irish Flake, but sometimes I'm in the mood for something a little "softer" in flavor. I picked up a tin of this, and I'm sure glad that I did. Upon opening the tin, I got an immediate sweet aroma (unlike an aromatic aroma, however). It was sweet with a hint of berry to it. I broke the flake up and let it dry for about an hour before packing it into my Peterson 999, which I have dedicated to nothing but VA flake tobaccos. It packed well, and it only took one match to light. The initial light produced a slightly acrid berry flavor, but that quickly dissipated after the 3rd or 4th puff. It smoked slow and cool all the way down to the bottom of the bowl.

The nicotine content was less than its dark-fired cousin, Irish Flake, but still very present. It isn't a complex tobacco, and it wasn't designed to be one. The burley adds a slight nuttiness to the otherwise sweet VA's, and the topping/casing is not overpowering. If anything, the casing makes this blend from being boring and sets it apart from other VaBur flakes. I won't smoke it everyday, but it's a great change of pace.

I might add

Pipe Used: Peterson 999

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin air-dried 1 hour

Purchased From: JR Cigars, Statesville, NC

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hybrid12 (26)	2014-10-26		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

University flake is a high quality tobacco without the kick of Irish Flake. The flakes are presented very nicely in the tin and can simply be folded and stuffed or rubbed out. I really like this tobacco and as with all the other Peterson offerings it does not disappoint. Peterson has made tobacco an art form and the more variations I try, the more I want to try. I have not had a bad tobacco from Peterson.

Pipe Used: briar

Age When Smoked: right out of the mailbox

Purchased From: smoking pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Newb (49)	2014-08-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

It took me 4 tries to enjoy University Flake. I really wanted to like it as I'm a considerable fan of Irish Flake, but the stars and moon have to be aligned just right for me to get into a bowl of this.

Prep - broke the flake into matchsticks and loaded vertically into the pipe, leftovers rubbed out into dust. Match, tamp, match.

I believe this tobacco needs serious drying out of the tin before it's really enjoyable. I also found the burn characteristics were much better in a meerschaum than in briar or cob, which were my previous 3 attempts with this particular tobacco.

Tin note is good, although slightly cloying. Heavy on the plum, and other dried fruit notes most likely from the Virginia (apricot?).

Char is very "burned fruit" forward. Sourness comes next, it's got a lot of sweetness upfront and a sourness that is very aggressive. There are times where I do get a really decent draw and a great, warm rich tobacco flavor (almost a mild cigar leaf) takes hold and that really makes me look forward to the next draw.

This tobacco seems quite temperamental to burn rates and tongue bite. Considering that it's also a beast to keep lit even when dried for an hour or more, that makes it a touch difficult to smoke.

I've agreed to cellar my remainder in a jar to see if it improves over time. As it stands I'm not particularly a fan - which is slightly disappointing as I love Irish Flake. The jury is still out on how much I'll like this tobacco in the future.

Pipe Used: MM Twain, Savinelli Natural, Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: 4Noggins

Similar Blends: Erinmore Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-03-14		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It occurred to me that I had yet to review this blend, though I referenced it in a review of Erinmore Flake.

Inevitably the two will be compared, so I would describe this as very similar to EF, with a less pronounced flavoring; more straightforward, pure plum vs Erinmore's "juicy fruit" melange of flavors; and a bit stronger tobacco flavor - not anything like Irish Flake but bolder than EF. Slightly less heavily cased than EF, which may appeal to those who prefer less aggressive toppings.

The flakes come a bit damp and will benefit from being set aside to dry. I rub most of my flakes out, which limits drying time on this one to 15-20 minutes or so.

Nearly everything else has been said in previous reviews. I find University Flake a very pleasant tobacco with solid backbone for such a sweetly flavored smoke. No bite, much smoother than Irish Flake, and - while indeed similar - distinct enough from Erinmore Flake to make for endless comparison and debate - my suggestion is to try both and and make up your own mind. While I have a preference, I continue to enjoy both.

I also recommend this blend to aromatic smokers looking to "cross over" into more flavorful tobaccos.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-05-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

University Flake claims to have a plum scent, but after many tins I don't see the connection. There is a unique topping but I disagree with those that refer to this flake as an aromatic. I would call this scented in a similar fashion to Gawith Hoggarth scented flakes. The Burley seems to carry the weight of this flake and as a result, it's on the strong side. It arrives a bit moist and a little drying time won't hurt. I prefer to rub it out, but UF smokes well either way. As others have pointed put, it is a love or hate blend. I find it a nice change of pace from VA or Vaper flakes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-04-03		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco is presented very well, nice tin, and the tobacco is lined up in neat flakes that are easily stuffed or rubbed out. When I opened the tin I immediately smelled the berry topping and thought, "this isnt the way tobacco should smell," but no matter, as I only got a whiff or two of the topping during smoking. What I didn't find particularly pleasing was the distinct taste of burning cotton candy about halfway down the bowl, and which seemed to deepen as I went on. I couldn't quite get over that taste.

I would have to agree with monopod below in that this is another "continental" tobacco much like McBaren or Orlick, somehting along those lines. It's a step up from drugstore brands, but that doesn't really say much. I don't think it was worth the $14 I paid for the tin. I wanted to like this more than I did, and had some high hopes, but alas was let down. Can't give it one star because it wasn't the worse that I've tried.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-02-11		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Not bad. The fruity topping is strong and a bit garish upon lighting, but changes gears mid-bowl to become more incense-like (one of our esteemed colleagues used this term to describe the room note, and I wholly agree). Smokes kinda hot for a burley, but I'll air it out some more and see how it goes. Decent amount of nicotine. Gets a little bitter down near the bottom of the bowl, sort of like the last inch of a cigar, but I've got no problem tossing the last bit--life's too short to be a bowl-cake nazi anyway.

UPDATE: I've got most of the way through a tin of University Flake, and I don't think I'll buy any more for a number of reasons: I don't care much for the topping; it smokes almost as hot as a va/per and is considerably harsher; the flavor gets markedly worse as the bowl progresses; and it doesn't DGT well. Personal gripes aside, however, it gets full points for character and is definitely a "serious" blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-11-30		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This was very hard for me to enjoy. First it causes some reaction in my mouth that results in chemical burn, this caused me to be very careful how I smoked it and I couldn't get much smoke or taste out of it. Otherwise it seems to be a good quality tobacco with a light topping which doesn't smell/taste very chemical. The flakes are very easy to rub out and fill the pipe with. Just be careful leaving this in the popped tin because it doesn't seem to hold the tobacco moist for longer periods.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Davetopay (43)	2009-11-27		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A true love it or hate it blend. Easy to work with, no relight issues, and really shines when rubbed to a fluffy state and packed in a tall thin bowl. This is not to take away from folding and stuffing two flakes at once in a large pipe, which is heavenly as well. The VAs in this aren't citrusy, but have a fruity essence to them and a nice smooth natural sweetness. The burley in the blend helps make this a very attention getting and quick to transform tobacco. I have been finding notes of toasted marshmallow, creme brule', heavy dark cocoa, and that blast of berry that hits me like a freight train every third or fourth time I end up snorking or retrohaling. This nic level is nice, not to huge a hit, but will satisfy in short order. I tried to make it bite, it won't. It can smoke hot and ashy, but won't hurt me. It burns to a clean dry gray ash and the pipe is left clean with hardly any dottle. My briars hardly need a swipe of the pipe cleaner, no slop to speak of. This is going to be in my rotation for some time to come.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Susanna Hoffs (74)	2009-11-16		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Took a while to get used to this flake. In the right pipe (filtered) and sipped slowly.. This is a flavoursome little number.

It tastes/smokes like a slightly fruit flavoured FVF by SG. Equally as strong as FVF, and as I have found with most flakes, has to be smoked slowly to reap the rewards.

Recommended if you fancy a break from pure aromatics. You can certainly taste the tobacco, but the mild berry type topping ensures that those who aren't ready for a full strong 'tobacco only' flavour (such as Irish Flake) are not offended..

Smoke it slow...and give it a go!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2009-10-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A friend was kind enough to provide me with some flakes of this (a couple of years ago, so you might want to take my review with a grain of salt). I never made any coherrent notes of it while smoking it, but I was told this was about the best flake you could possibly put in your pipe, and all other Peterson's I've tried (before and since) have been very good, so I was pretty excited to try it. But somehow it failed to impress me very much. I was looking forward to have my head spinning from the strength and "excessive" nicotine content. But that never happened. In fact it was more mild and dull than strong. Not unpleasant, as I recall, just unremarkable. I might give it another shot some time (if nothing else than to provide a more fair review, and/or add a tin to collection), but I won't be in any particular rush to hunt down a tin.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-10-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

New style tin...aroma was similar to Irish Flake with a slight fruity note. The aroma was akin to plums/prunes, or berries, or maybe jelly donuts??? I dried out a small amount very well & rubbed it into a shag-like consistancy before stuffing me wee Peterson #317, which I've consigned to the stronger blends. The smoking taste is similar to the tin aroma...slightly sweet & fruity. Initially, it was very mild & tongue/palate discomfort was minimal. Can't say much about the room note because my wife ran me outside before I had a chance to offer a viable assessment on that. Women who don't smoke pipes are like that!

I gave Irish Flake a four star rating for having good burning characteristics, smoothness, taste & N factor, but this one was a bit lacking for me. This blend didn't start out too bad, but it became tasteless & harsh during the second half of the bowl. I shan't be purchasing another tin because there are many tastier & cheaper blends available. I gave this blend ample opportunity to become likable, but it just wouldn't happen. If you like a mild, VABUR pipe tobacco with a feint, fruity room note (just enough to moderately mask the tobacco odor) that burns pretty cool & taste fairly good, then UF is for you! Therefore, IMHO, UF merits between 2 & 2 1/2 **s!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-31		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I would prefer a tobacco with much more refined smoke. This is too harsh for me. It is hard to be rubbed and packed. Hard to keep lit. Not for the beginners. Instead of this, at almost the same price, there are many other pleasent virginia mixtures to enjoy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2009-07-20		Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable

First off, after reading the previous reviews and the tin description, I must say that I probably got a somewhat different tobacco; while KY and flavouring have been mentioned before, the tin I got was pure VA/Burley with possibly a touch of Perique, without any trace of flavouring or topping detectable.

It's delicious anyway. The tin contained small, edge-on slices of a golden-brown mottled plug, the tin aroma being of very sweet VA with enough spice in the aroma to make it interesting.

My first attempt was my usual flake smoking style, folding a slice into the bowl and lighting it. While it burned down to the bottom, I had to re-light frequently, the taste was not much, and the aroma never developed.

Thinking I might have made a mistake there -- this tobacco seems to have been pressed pretty well -- on my second attempt I rubbed out a slice and a half and put the result into a tall, relatively narrow bowl. For the next two hours, I was pretty close to heaven.

Right at first, the taste is a little earthy, with some VA grassiness in there. At about half-time, sweetness takes over with a full complement of peppery spice and a nicely fresh sour note that does not kill off the taste. There are traces of prunes or dried apricots in the taste; the aroma is probably not exacly a crowd-pleaser, but good enough, and during the last half of the bowl, this blend develops power. Wow.

Each time I smoke this blend rubbed out, I get a good nicotine kick towards the end that leaves me satisfied for quite a while, with a beautiful candy-like aftertaste on the tongue, and so far, nobody has really complained about the room note either.

The bad thing is, this stuff is strong and peculiar enough that I think I could not have appreciated it ten years ago. I believe it could turn a beginner off smoking (or at least off smoking VA flakes), and needs a good amount of experience to be truly appreciated. So, beginners beware. For me, this is a total beauty.

-- Update 09-10-26: After getting somewhat used to this blend, I find I can make out a fruit/berries topping. Doesn't change a thing though. Still top notch.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-04-21		Strong	Medium	Medium	Very Strong

i don't like my pipe tobacco to have a berry taste, i also don't like having to put the pipe down due to the strength of this blend (sneaks up on you). i've yet to try a decent peterson blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moçambicano (13)	2009-02-13		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable

A savoury, robust and strong Burley-esque flake, in my opinion. The casing does not divert us at all from the tobacco taste, although it does round off some of it. The smoke is dense and full of flavour, humid but not unpleasantly so. I cannot really put in the same class as a Virginia like Capstan, nor in the aromatic like the Amphora or Larsen's, or even less in the english-type mixtures. It is what it is.

I have to admit that I first bought this blend out of a whim, a frivolous assumption if you will. I am a professor and a pipe smoker, and because of this coincidence I thought: "Well, University Flake ? this one is for chaps like me?" Ah, such vanity.

It turns out that, obviously, this flake could have been christened with thousands of other names, and all might sound equally appropriate. There is no such thing as an "academic tobacco" ? neither in tradition, nor in inherent properties.

Yet I started to get fond of this blend. I enjoy it after lunch, when I go for a stroll in the campus. Somehow I conjure for myself this myth of a proper University tobacco. Thank God Peterson did put some great quality one underneath this label, otherwise these flights of fancy would be literally unsavory.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-11-26		Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I usually smoke aromatics, and found this one too strong. It was not overwhelming, but after a while blew my head (and my tummy - bluurghh). The flavour was pleasant, but I won't be going there again.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-10-28		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Nope, nope, nope. I didn't care for this one at all. Couldn't finish the tin.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2007-08-11		Strong	Medium	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

EDITED: A top dark flake, medium to strong, behaves real well in the pipe. Peterson make some good modern Aro's and old school TRADITIONAL flakes (Irish Flake) but Uni.F is a bit of both, it is a solid flake. My only wish is that all those berry cased blends tasted this good, frankly the only one I know that comes even close is McConnell's Red Virginia.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-07-25		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

I have tried this every way I can think of and still can not find anything to get excited about. I found it best ( but still not good) unrubbed and in a very small pipe.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lancelot Gobbo (25)	2005-09-22		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The secret to University flake is to sip slowly at it. Just a little wisp of smoke every half minute. This is a rich and tangy tobacco blend, that typifies Irish flakes. It will get hot if you puff too hard, or smoke out in the wind, but for a quiet contemplative smoke there's little like it. Greatly underrated and nowhere near as well-known as it deserves. If it weren't for my tendency to puff a bit too hard unless I watch myself, this could easily be my 'Arcadia'!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uban (60)	2005-05-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I generally do not like aromatics, but I have to put this one in a class by itself. All other reviews have been helpful and more or less on the money, but I had to chime in with this: a single flake broken in half and loaded lightly in a group 5 sized Ropp cherrywood was outstanding! I barely rubbed it at all and sort of pushed the "sticks" vertically into the bowl. It started off with a burley-and-bark kind of smell, nicely reminiscent of the better aspects of Half-and-Half, with a definite cherry aroma. Smoked slowly, it was cool and clean to the bottom. A pleasant surprise with a real nicotine kick.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-05-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After reading all the reviews here and talking with fellow pipe smokers at my local tobacco shop that smoked UF, the one thing I knew before I ever tried this blend was that it was a love it or hate it. Va smokers tend to hate it and Burley smokers seem to love it. Being a Burley smoker I had to give it a try. I waited until I finished my 4th tin to review UF.

The tin aroma has a very subtle but natural fruity note, akin to cranberry but it is not a casing. Most likely this comes from the darker Kentucky leaf. My olfactory senses picked up on sweet VA and Burley tobacco smells with the leathery tone of the mahagony poking through. The flake is a dark and light brown and moist out of the tin, however, it rubs out easily and packs easily. Unlike many others experience here, one charing light was enough for me to consistantly smoke an entire bowl in a variety of bowl sizes. It burned clean, dry and even to the bottom, leaving a fine white/grayish ash with no dottle.

Now, I found that this blend tasted best in a cob, with the flakes rubbed out medium size and then lightly packed. At first match, an ever so subtle cranberry flavor wafts up in very thick billows of smoke. Mid bowl the flavor is sweet and approaching full bodied and the nicotine starts to kick in. UF smokes very cool and VERY SLOW without any bite no matter how aggresively you puff away, but akin to any burley blend, it is best to sip very, very slowly. Following that, you will be rewarded with a very long lasting cool smoke.

The Burley is the star of the show the last third of the bowl. The taste continues to improve to a rich creamy nuttiness all the way to the bottom of the bowl. Because I love burley and it makes itself known loud and clear for me, I find UF to be a full bodied, full nicotene kick, pleasing blend, that is bite free and very satisfying. While, Esotericas Stonehaven still wins by an edge here, UF is consistant and well behaved. Also a great outdoor smoke. :)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-04-25		Strong	Very Strong	Very Full	Strong

Sorry to begin with a negative sound. I prefer true tobacco-taste above all. So, I don't like aromatics. Sometimes I smoke something with Latakia or Perique... But things like University Flake give me a feeling of nausea. So, no UF for me anymore.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-02-24		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The nice dark flakes, the taste and the easy burn make this one a favorite for me. Most of the time I smoke this in a medium sized pipe. In a bigger pipe I find it overpowering. Sometimes I mix it 50/50 with MacBaren's Burley London Blend wich gives me a wonderfull smoke. There's always a opened tin around.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-01-09		Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm with Stan and Doc on this blend. It's good stuff. In body and nicotine (though not flavor), this is on par with Haddo's, Elizabethan and Stonehaven. The tobacco flavors and the room note are unique, probably because Kentucky and Mahogany are not especially common. The closest I can get to a comparison is MacBaren Navy Flake, but with a significant boost of flavor and strength. The top note flavors in UF are more savory, though.

I'm not a smoker who demands lots of nicotine. In fact, I usually smoke big-nico blends sparingly. But while UF won't become an everyday smoke for me, it is something I will keep handy. I just bought three tins, and anticipate that aging will do nice things for this blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-09-19		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've been working on my new dissertation most of the day, and smoking flake after flake, bowl after bowl of a new old friend, Peterson University Flake.

The tin I've opened is dated Feb. 2001, and the Orange and Brown Virginias have aged nicely, marrying well with the sun cured Indian, the Mahogany and Kentucky Burleys, which add full body and gives a slow, cool smoke.

A good tobacco for when one is engrossed in study, writing, and research, in my case, or for any other occupation in which one might find oneself immersed, smoking round and smooth. A fine blend of Virginia flavours, including a touch of nuttiness from the Brown, plus the slightly earthy but never muddy Mahogany, and almost imperceptible cocoa originating with the Kentucky Burley. None of these notes are loud enough to demand notice unless one is looking for them, though, providing an ethereal, but constant, pleasant, full presence and flavour, the India leaf providing a nice addition.

Rubbing out a new bowl offers one a good excuse to take a short break, necessary for retention, letting all the nebulous ideas floating around one's mind to become cohesive thoughts, as one goes through the Ritual of the Pipe, without the distraction of getting used to a new blend. One of the joys of finding an all day smoke.

The well pressed sliced cake, each flake being about right for a group 2-3 sized bowl, is a pleasure to rub out to whatever consistency one prefers. Rubbed out coarsely, with the slow burning Burley, it's perfect for outdoors, with body and taste enough to easily hold its own, not allowing the breeze to smoke it away.

I rubbed it out to a medium consistency, finding it easily packed. After the third preoccupied bowl, I was surprized at not wanting another blend. The charring light was even and tamped down nicely. I found it required a minimum of care, requiring only one tamp and relight per bowl, though it smoked slowly and completely. A very low maintenance blend. I found the fullness and round taste to be constant while indoors. I rubbed it out a bit more coarsely for a bowl going outside, and during the trip to the store, I noticed some flavour change from predominantly Virginia to a more Burley taste. I believe I only noticed the change because I was looking for it, and I think it had more to do with the coarser consistency than anything else. It still smoked long and cool in a light breeze. Very good for outdoors.

University Flake has a pleasant complexity when sitting back and enjoying it, and provides a great full bodied. smooth smoke which doesn't tug at one, demanding to be noticed, when working away at something.

A friend found, as did I, that the blend will make known its preference for one pipe over another. It seemed to like my usually VA pipes, but I noticed a blandness in a Barling used mainly for very mild English and strong VA/Perique blends.

It's a rare and happy day when, after 34 years of smoking and blending pipe tobaccos, I run across a blend I can happily smoke all day, that is interesting when ruminating, yet not distracting while working. A fine, unassuming and understated though very personable blend which grows upon one as does the ivy on the walls of Trinity College.

Hmmnn...I wonder if smoking University Flake in a Savinelli Academia could spontaneously generate 3 credits toward a degree...

For me, it's an auspicious find, one I plan on stocking up and will remain one of the blends in my 'everyday' group. I'm enjoying it right now in a Pete 'Kildare' billiard.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carlos (21)	2004-03-15		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

If you haven't smoked strong tobaccos before - be careful! There are of course stronger tobaccos than Peterson University Flake, but this one is strong too! Taste? Very nice, but IMO Irish Oak is better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BostonPipe (84)	2003-03-02		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable

Well, I am on third tin in two weeks. I find the taste to be consistent with subtle nuances of change in every bowlful. Opening the tin I find the flakes to exude a delightful aroma that is heavy, yet, not overpowering. A slight musty berry-like smell is also present. I usually pack the bowl with unbroken flake with a little rubbed out to assist in the lighting. Seldom do I need a relight.

I usually smoke this kind of flake in a Sav-EX model. With a straight tapered bowl as opposed to a conical, I find that if a tobacco tends to be moist, usually the mositure can to burned off before it accumulates in the heel and gets drawn into the bit.

The flavor is consistent the length of the bowl. While I find it strong, I also find it disarmingly smooth and leaving me wanting more.

This blend burns to a coarse grey/white ash.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-01-03		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Dear Friends I am one of the odd balls I guess because I really like this flake. Opening the tin I smell a light but dark berry and chocolate sort of smell. The flakes are laying on their side and are absolutey gorgeous! Thick robust flakes that can be rubbed out well or rolled up. The UF does arrive a little on the damp side, but I agree with others as it is still smokable soon as you open the tin. Lighting the bacy is not hard if you rub out some fine pieces for the top part of your bowl. The taste is wonderful,mild and it tastes like tobacco! I do sense a topping but can not put my finger on it. I believe the topping probally to be a tonquin which I happen to like. The flavour is good all the way down,turning to rich Burley,dark myterious Mahogany light sweetness. Sip the smoke slowly and lightly and this really comes to life. A most enjoyable smoke,enjoy it all day long or with a good book. Cheers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2002-10-22		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A thickly cut flake with a strong aroma in the tin. It smokes very cool and slow. Not sweet at all. I find you get more flavor by rubbing out the flake a good bit (which is not what I do with most flakes, as I break them only a bit to aid in packing, and maybe combustion at the bottom, in order to assure a slow, cool smoke). Even broken up, it still burns evenly but smokes slow, with no bite. Unbroken, the blend had a blander taste, and it smoked forever. Fairly dry but I keep a pipecleaner always handy.

The thick flavor is heavy, earthy, musky, etc. like G&H's unsecented Brown Flake, or the blend Walnut Flake I reviewed separately. But University Flake is not quite as rich or full as the Brown Flake. University's flavor is near dense as something like St. Bruno's Flake (but it is not fruity sweet at all like St. Bruno's is). I am told University has a strong, manly aroma & smell, whatever that is.

I do not find this too strong, but the most I have smoked of this in an evening is two bowlfulls (in a dedicated medium Vesz bent apple and in a smallish Nording high grade freehand). I'm well into my second tin of this in those two pipes, thanks to Tim at paylesspipes, so I gave it a good trial before my review.

I like the rather full, natural-like flavor, but this flake is obviously scented a bit just by the aroma in the tin. The rich burley makes the heavy end virginia (mahogany) even taste fuller. The scenting keeps it fairly smooth tasting. All in all, a good outside smoke while you walk your dog for a spell. It's something supportive to ponder problem-solving with.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-09-27		Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

I have to be the dissenting voice here. I like University Flake! Peterson's have produced a semi-aromatic that actually tastes like tobacco. It does not taste like candy and does not burn hot. The tin aroma is great - I could wear this for cologne. The flakes are quite thick but they break up nicely. The tobacco is a little on the damp side but in a few days it will be fine. It's certainly smokeable now but that may be the source of everyone's re-lights. Rubbed out and lit UF comes into its own. Many reviewers have commented on the way this tobacco metamorphoses changing character along the way. They're all good just different. I just never came across a flavour I didn't like. It is unquestionably a strong smoke. I would suggest that you might not want more than one flake in your pipe.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-07-06		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Something of an oddball flake , in that its not really an aromatic , though has some sort of flavoring some sort of fruit licqurice would best describe it . Has someting of a lightness to it and cant really hit the high notes in the taste range. Edgworth slices is much better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-04-18		Strong	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I really don't like this stuff. I find it harsh and strangely unflavorful. While I am a devoted flake lover - even a burley flake lover - and find the composition of this flake to be very attractive - nice and thick and crumbly - I do not recommend this blend. There is a slight top note of berry or cherry that never entirely leaves the smoke, which I find disagreeable. I detect no Virginia. The burley aroma and flavor never completely develop, unlike a Macbaren burley blend. And I get a little dizzy from, I assume, the nicotine content (cherry buzz?).

Sorry, Peterson. I love one of your pipes, though.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2001-03-11		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Pouch Aroma: This is a sweet-smelling blend, but not 'light and fruity' like a typical aromatic - it's darkly sweet in the way that molasses and caramel are. I can't nail down a precise flavor, but it's definately got a heavy taste without being candied

Appearance: I couldn't help but give a little sigh when I opened the envelope from Alan and saw what he had sent. I like Latakia blends, but there are so many other good tobaccos that it's nice to try something different. This one is a thick flake of dark brown to black tobacco with lighter yellowish stems and ribs visible.

Packing and Lighting: I took pieces of flakes and rubbed them out in my hand since I'm smoking this at the computer in an old straight meerschaum, canted dublin in shape. This is a very neutral pipe and it has never had Latakia in it. It both packed and lit quite easily with a blast of intensely sweet tobacco flavor.

Exposition: After the first few puffs the sweetness has subsided to become the base for some fairly unidimensional tobacco taste. It has a nice sharp edge when blown out of the nose, but on my tongue I get sort of a burley sensation...maybe a stoved burley? It's not ashy like the cheap stuff, nor does it make my throat tingle....

This is a very slow-burning tobacco that doesn't seem to want to bite me. Yet. =;>

The Story: As I move headlong into the first third of the bowl I find the sweetness actually gaining some dimension and complexity from the base tobaccos and vice versa. The sharp mouth-feel is still present, as is the burley taste; an ever-so-slight ashiness is noticeable, but as a pleasant counterpoint to the caramelly sweetness. My daughter has announced that this tobacco 'smells really good, Dad'. The smoke volume is quite nice, allowing me to blow thick blue-grey rings of prodigious size.

After a re-light I just noticed a strong sour taste that I don't care for...it doesn't last for long, but a slight remnant is left in the flavor and the sweetness is being overborne by it. It took a good five minutes for it to fade completely, but the sweet character has turned musty now. It's still good, and has a very full flavor, but I rather miss the molasses taste. I am also noticing the nicotine quite a bit, now...not as strongly as with St. Bruno, but at about the level of Dunhill's 'Elizabethan'. Nice :)

Right now, it's almost like I'm smoking a different tobacco than I was when I started: what started out as a dark, sweet smoke with a slightly ashy undertone has mutated into a medium-strength natural tasting tobacco with a musty, musky character and a subdued but natural tobacco aroma. It rather reminds me of a Tangerine Dream song from the 70's, but don't ask me why...must be the steady change from accessible and sweet to something heavier and more demanding. Yes, that's a good thing...

Denoument: After letting the pipe rest for 15 minutes or so, I re-light for the home stretch. This bowl is conical, so the flavor has become quite intense. The interesting thing is the way that the sweetness has subtly crept back in; the tail-end of the bowl has become rather more pleasant than the middle third! There is ample complexity, nicotine and body, the ashy taste is gone and the caramel flavor is tickling my palate quite nicely. Overall, a very satisfying smoke - and I'll try it in a different pipe to see if the negative aspects are still noticeable.

Pros: This is an interesting smoke with great evolution of flavor from the first light to the last puff. It smoked quite dry and clean and left an pleasant aroma in the room that lingered about me (in my hair and skin) for several hours afterward. It also burned steadily and evenly down the center of the bowl - I'd like to try this unrubbed in an outdoor pipe, but the weather is WAY too nasty for that right now.

Cons: The one thing I really didn't like about this was the flavor on re-lights. It became sour and had an ammonia flavor that took a little while to dissipate, but each time it did, the flavor was different once the sourness had disappeared. It was rather like a magician pulling a hat out of a rabbit - unsettling, but interesting nonetheless. Also, re-lights became quite difficult toward the end, requiring much stirring and tamping.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipesolitude (23)	2022-10-20		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

For me this is a robust tobacco that I prefer to sip on gently in a small pipe. I smoke it in a prince shaped pipe with a small chamber (19 mm/30 mm), and honestly I don't find any need to fill up a large bowl of UF. And I just try to sip as gently as possible, just to keep the tobacco burning, the more gently smoked the better, because every puff is very full in character. So that is my advice on how I think this tobacco is best smoked, IMHO. Small pipe, and stay away from the wind.

Taste: What you get in UF is a casing of sweet plum flavour that is consistent, and naturally integrated with the tobacco (even if it diminishes a little by the second half). The plum casing provides a very nice sweetness to what otherwise is a full bodied tobacco. Without this, I think it would simply be too full, and probably a bit one dimensional.

I ended up smoking UF fully rubbed out, and on the dry side (using this "dry-method", it helps to breathe a little into the bowl when packing to provide some moisture). It lights and burns well, with only a few relights. I like my pipe with coffe, and I think this passes the test.

This is not an all day smoke for me, but it will sure be a satisfying smoke when in the mood for a more hearty choice of tobacco. And yes, I think the level of N is a couple of nothes above medium. I can recommend UF for what it is: a sweet but nevertheless full bodied VA/Bur that is nice to sip on gently in a contemplative setting, and that will deliver enough N to sharpen the mind when needed.

Pipe Used: Prince (small size)

Age When Smoked: 3 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2022-08-24		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Tolerable

Summary: a nice Burley-led flake with the sweetness of Virginia that is drenched in plum extremity that smells worse than it tastes.

I love flakes but they take some effort to learn to smoke, or at least did for me. This blend pairs strongish Burley with sweet Virginia for a pleasant smoke that leaves the room smelling like blueberry cigarettes a little bit, but delivers a mild but firm flavor that would be perfect for reading textbooks late into the night, hence the name. The new formulation dials back the strength and increases the sweetness, making this a great introductory flake for those who want to explore this cut.

Purchased From: The Briar Shoppe (Houston, TX)

Similar Blends: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Coniston Cut Plug, Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Flake, Murray Sons & Co, Ltd - Erinmore Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Carolus (24)	2022-08-10		Strong	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

A stronger tobacco when puffed fast, which can easily happen when reading or smoking mindlessly since it burns coolly. Strong I don't mind, but the nicotine gets noticeable. I had to check, but there is no perique.

Age When Smoked: A couple of years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ignaz (5)	2022-05-03		Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Pleasant

Quite strong flake. It is pretty wet in the tin and therefore somewhat hard to light. In the tin it smells quite fruity and sweet, unfortunately none of these characteristics are found while smoking. It is loaded in the pipe quite easily and catches fire without any problems. It is hard to keep it lighted though, since the tobacco is quite wet. The taste while smoking reminds of strong cigars and is very intense. Too intense for my taste. It lacks the lighthearted sweetness of other virginia dominated flakes in my opinion. I smoked three pipes of that flake after finally deciding, that this one is not for me. I can imagine though, that if you like stronger blends and very intense, deep and dark flavours and are a patient smoker, it could work for you.

Pipe Used: Torben Dankse, Butz-Choquin

Age When Smoked: new

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ello Gov'nor (1)	2020-10-21		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This one was quite interesting, the aroma from the tin is very different to the aroma from the pipe... subtle prune sweetness pops up but I find it to give of a prominent peaty (smokey) flavour similar to Speyside whiskys Hardly any flavour of berry... Perhaps since I was expecting a sweet prominent berry flavour like mulberry or blueberry, however I do pick up a whiff of black currant seldomly. I can't help but think to myself that this is the perfect flavour for a late winter's evening around a fireplace chatting to an old friend with a dram of whisky to compliment

Pipe Used: Falcon Coolway

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NeoPolis (11)	2020-10-10		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

I love full virginia flake, I love 4th generation 1932, I love virginia flakes, I love good burley. but this blend… it just turns my stomach. This is at least a couple clicks stronger than FVF and it does not hit me in the head, but in the gut. It also comes very wet. There is a heavy and dank spice to it. Some may love this, I don't. I'm going to let it age for a few months and see if it mellows out. If you love a grassy virginia, don't be drawn in. This is a very dark flavor virginia and I'd swear there is some foul and swampy perique in this. It has that dark raisin plus spice that something like elizabethan mixture (which I despise) carries. You might love this. I didn't. I find it barely tolerable.

Pipe Used: Churchwarden cob, vauen author 9mm carbon

Age When Smoked: out of tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (190)	2020-08-28		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A blend of virginia and burley flavored with plum that offers what it proposes. When I started smoking the first flakes of this tobacco, I thought I had found a common aromatic to rotate with other blends. Now, finishing the tin and with so much mixture that I have yet to test, I think I can live without this UF for a while. However, it is recommended because it is a light aromatic, without overload of topping, which does not tire to smoke it from time to time alternating it with other mixtures. Depending on what I find in the future I will buy another can or not.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Marco D. (17)	2020-07-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Peterson University Flake is a blend of Virginia and Burley. Opened the tin it smells like a Virginia straight and there isn't any evidence of flavoring. Pack it in the pipe doesn't require particular skills, the combustion is regular and slowly. The strenght, according to my impression, never pass over an average level. During the smoke the Virginia dominates, the Burley is recognizable, but isn't so present. If there is a topping it is somthing like citrus or red berry fruit, not plum. In conclusion Univesity Flake can recive consents between who likes the Virginia straight. It has some pros and some cons, but still one of my favourite.

Pipe Used: Ashton, Peterson

Age When Smoked: From months to years

Purchased From: Tabacconist in Italia

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rohann (16)	2020-03-10		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

One of my favourites among the Peterson series.

I frequently encounter reviews claiming the flavouring is very mild. I found that the tin note immediately presented the plum aroma and with further inspection produce the Virginia and Burley. The it translates very well in the taste and room note with plum being the major factor. While the casing is evidently light, I believe the Virginia contributes to the somewhat floral/fruity taste. The Burley lingers in the background, giving the blend a solid backbone.

Lights well and burn cool.

A wonderful, light blend that can be enjoyed any time of the day.

Pipe Used: Dr. Macnab Selected Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Twaksak.co.za

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jallen49 (25)	2020-02-24		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong

What is there to add to this hugely popular blend? I’ll briefly speak to some tasting notes I detect: earthy, grassy notes from the Virginias, a slight nutty/bitterness I attribute to the burleys, and a pleasant berry note from the plum topping (very minor, far from an aromatic). This is natural tobacco for those who enjoy a natural tobacco, with some decent body to boot.

I recently found an old tin in my drawer that I forgot was there. It’s been sitting for 8 or so years in the stock tin in a non climate controlled room (I’m terrible at storing my tobacco). Without rehydrating the flakes, I folded one in my Savinelli dublin and lit it up. Expecting a hot dry smoke, I can’t say it was terrible different from a fresh tin. To me this says a lot about the quality of Peterson tobaccos (and maybe the benefits of flake tobacco?).

Personally, I’m not a fan of this tobacco. But I rate this blend well because it is a high quality blend, and if you like Virginia burley blends, you’ll probably enjoy this one.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Dublin shaped sandblast

Age When Smoked: 8 years

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ernstlbert Hegersbacher (18)	2020-01-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

when opening the tin i was greeted with a little white packet filled with perfectly shaped and pressed flake tobacco.

Build method used: fold&stuff

upon lighting the bowl the taste is very fruity for some moments and swiftly superceded by a gentle and classic burley/virginia taste with gentle notes of plum.

to me it tastes very alike with mac barens navy flake but minus the tongue bite, which is great for me personally because i was looking for a substitute for the tonguebiter.

great afternoon smoke while you are doing something else

Pipe Used: Molina Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: Schwarzenbohler Othmar e.U.

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Navy Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Shrink (21)	2019-11-06		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Peterson’s University Flake: A great smoke! A kindly gent @ the Peterson Pipe & Tobacco Shop in Dublin put me on to this some years ago - just across the St. from Trinity Univ. I use the fold & stuff method & don’t pack it too firm initially; tamp as I smoke. It has flavours of fruit & is very well behaved; the “N” factor is moderate, w/no ‘bite’. It is a solid smoke for those seeking a true tobacco flavour & yes, it is a tad spendy but so what. Not an all day tobac for me but a nice afternoon treat w/a cupa tea.

Easily recommended for those discerning pipers. Enjoy !

Pipe Used: Briars:Dunhills, Peterson, Ashton

Age When Smoked: Aged to recent

Purchased From: Peterson’s Dublin, SmokingPipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dethmutt (5)	2019-10-12		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Tolerable

Sweet Baby Jesus...

This stuff is GREAT!!!!!!!! Nice Figgy flavor and full smoke. Very similar to Rattray's Wallace Flake. Smoke in a big deep bowl! Enjoy!

Pipe Used: anything i can put his in

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

Similar Blends: Rattrays Wallace Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Dunhill 23 (39)	2019-09-04		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon popping the tin one is consumed with a yeasty molasses aroma with grassy notes and a little sweetness of stone fruits.

I rubbed this out to barely broken up and filled about a half bowlful. The moisture was a little on the wet side but I chose to give it a try and, even though sipped, it required a couple of pipe cleaning swipes to keep the gurgling at bay. It charred and lit perfectly. Even though it was a bit wet it smoked all the way down to ash on a single light.

The sweetness of the smoke and earthy flavors were reminiscent to a very mild cigar with more complex woodsy notes. The room notes were mild but more on the cigar side. It burned a bit hot but that could have been my pipe or method. The whole time i was enjoying this smoke, I couldn't help but wonder what I could blend with this to create a bit more complexity. Don't get me wrong, it's really good on its own but there's just something about it that makes me believe it could be great blended with a variety of things.

Peterson University Flake is a bit strong for an all day smoke but it will most definitely be in my rotation.

All in all I very much like this tobacco and I believe it will age well. So well in fact I bought 10 tins for my cellar as I believe it should age very well. I will revisit this in 5 years..

Pipe Used: Peterson X105 Dracula

Age When Smoked: weeks

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden sliced on steroids or Dark Strong Kentucky that's gone a bit soft around the middle..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmileyOrb (17)	2019-07-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have tried University Flake (UF) sometime ago and my recollection of it was good. Oddly the UF I purchased was in a round Peterson tin, but upon opening it simply has the square pack (as you would find in a rectangular tin) nesting inside! Hmmm...why not place it in the right shaped tin? Strange choice of packaging from the manufacturer.

Anyway, the flake is suitably thin and finely cut, easily malleable. I like to crumble the flake gently rather than fold the flake when packing my pipe. The tobacco is a slow burner and a cool smoke, so aids the process to smoke slowly and gently.

Like others have mentioned this is quite mild to medium strength on nicotine. The taste is plum like, but not strong, quite delicate and sweet (to begin with).

Upon initial opening of the tin I do suggest to let the tobacco rest for 3 hours to evaporate unwanted moisture.

The tobacco is quite a relaxing and enjoyable smoke, medium taste (not overly strong) and I would suggest can be smoke anytime of the day. It is rather pleasant smoke, easy and mild, although as you go the taste becomes fuller, plum gives way to a sweet nutty / wood taste. I would say this smoke is in three parts. 1 - plum and sweet tasting 2 - nut and plum but in mild tasting way and 3 - towards the end of the bowl, a nice hearty earthy taste, somewhat woody in texture. A malt like taste also begins to show through throughout the smoke. There always remains a sweetness to this throughout the smoke session.

Unlike St. Bruno flake (which is my favourite), this is more delicate tasting; but it is not weak. In fact it is a straight smoke with nothing to surprise you, only the Big N is always poking around towards the end of the smoke but it doesn't actually clout you, it sort of caresses you, relaxes you and that's what I like.

The tobacco does not run hot (unless you want to draw on it big time and that takes the enjoyment away). Gently sip and it comes into its own.

Due to the slow burn you might need to relight once or twice, but it's easy to maintain the smoking at a good length.

The smoke comes out grey blue. The aroma is not strong. In a room it is not overpowering or harsh, although I do frequently smoke outside on warm summer afternoons / evenings.

Now the big question is, in comparison to all the other tobaccos I have smoked...is it one I would come back to? Yes, most definitely. It is lovely for a frequent smoke. It's not what I would term a "grand/full on" tobacco like say, Royal Yacht, or St. Bruno. It is not a deep tasting smoke. But this comparison probably does it some disservice really. It is enjoyable, and I will come back to it once it has been matured over a week's time.

I would recommend this to anyone that wants a simple straightforward pleasant smoke, so in that regard I wouldn't class it as a late evening or after supper choice, where I would think of turning to a Dunhill or for a Peterson's Irish Flake etc.

I hope you found this review helpful.

Pipe Used: Mullins and Westley Covent Garden straight

Age When Smoked: 51

Purchased From: Local newsagents

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (85)	2019-06-28		Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I smoked almost the entire tin and I still don’t have a 100% clear impression about this tobacco, because it’s a tobacco that changes. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it does. I smoked it in a biliard pipe and in a bent balloon (Stanwell Army Mount 185), I smoked it rubbed, I smoked it folded. I noticed that it smokes better if rubbed, the taste being more prominent in this blend’s case.

So lets start as usual, with the opening of the tin and smell the fresh tobacco. It has a fruity smell, like berries or raspberries and it’s a lovely smell! Reminds me of Dunhill Royal Yacht at the smell.

It’s not very wet, but you need to leave it at least 10 minutes (if rubbed) or 20 minutes to dry before smoking it. I usually rub it and let it dry faster.

Now lets get to more serious business. I say, lets light it up! It lights up very easily, you can light it with a single flame and it will burn all the way with no need for relights. Burns well, slow, doesn’t go out, doesn’t bite, doesn’t get hot. If you fold it, you might stay for 3 hours to finish the bowl, as it burns slow.

Since the first smoke you feel a fruity taste and a clear burley taste, somewhat ‘earthy’ like people like to describe it, with little taste of nuts and almonds. There's also the virginia taste which you can easily detect. It’s a very interesting combination of sweet and something rough. After several minutes, the plum taste starts making itself noticed, but only subtle, if you are paying attention. I’d say Stanwell Classic has a stronger plum taste. But University Flake is more of a combination of fruits, which slowly transform to virginia and then burley. Sometimes you taste something fruity, then an earthy taste comes up that changes the entire smoking experience. Oh, and I never felt such a significant taste of burley in any VaBur.

I was reading the reviews here and many were saying about a certain “burley kick”. I never heard of this, but now I think I know what it means, because it felt it. It leaves your mouth super dry, you need a lot of WATER. I don’t know what drink you can pair it with, I used to drink frappe cocoa with milk when I was smoking this, but you definitely need water for the burley kick. I think it goes well with an irish whisky too, but whatever you do, don’t forget about the water, because it will really dry up your mouth and leave an earthy taste after the half of the bowl.

Also, it has a lot of vitamin N. I’m a hardcore cigarette smoker, I smoke two packs of Camel or Marlboro red in a day and no other pipe tobacco satisfied my need for nicotine like University Flake did. This one is strong in nicotine.

It’s a good tobacco, very interesting. It’s not a VaBur that really amazed me, like Three Nuns did for example. It’s not an all day smoke. It’s a good blend.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Army Mount 185

Age When Smoked: new

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-06-17		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I'm not sure if this was the Mac Baren version or the Kolhause version. The presentation is fine. There were wide flakes, kind of thick. They are relatively easy to rub out. The smell is kind of candy-like, hint of plum. It's kind of like a fruit rollup snack.

The taste is kind of spicy, and it may be the kind of burley used in the blend. There is some fruit sweetness in the topping you will notice, but this is no aromatic. There are earthy, soil-like notes, some nuttiness, wood, cigar notes, a bit of a floral note.

This is a little bit higher than medium on the nicotine. The taste is medium. The strength is medium. I had success smoking this in many different pipes with different diameters.

This is a classic, enjoyable blend, with some understated strength. I would recommend it to the burley smoker and the Virginia smoker, as long as either doesn't mind the added flavoring. It has been around for a long time for a reason. It's also highly available, so it's good to try.

Pipe Used: Bent apple,pot,lovat,canadian

Age When Smoked: Fresh,one year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com,4noggins

Similar Blends: Peterson Irish flake (minus the topping in Univ flake).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Justin_Johnston (14)	2019-06-14		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A mild virginia with the slightest flavoring it is a pleasant smoke. Not my top choice of tobacco, but I would definitely recommend to those with a taste for bright virginians.

Pipe Used: variety

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Tobacco barn, tobacco-barn.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cold Comfort (14)	2019-06-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Decent tobacco. I didn't find the topping overly obvious. Lights, and stays lit. Leaves a little dampness, so some drying time is necessary. Remind's me of St. Bruno

Age When Smoked: 1 yr

Similar Blends: St. Bruno.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sherm Natman (5)	2019-01-24		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is fantastic. Full and pure high-quality tobacco flavor with a very high nicotine buzz. A no nonsense smoke. While they report a plum topping (which is detectable in the tin note) I personally didn't experience any plum flavor to the taste in the mouth - which was fine with me, as the smooth and bold tobacco flavor was a magnificently manly smoking experience. Will be buying more of this one soon.

Pipe Used: Brigham: Heritage (39) Large Bent Apple

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin

Purchased From: Local Brick and Mortar Store

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tucane (31)	2019-01-06		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Being in flake form does a lot for me, as I like the preparation of it. Now I'm not a pure virginia guy (burley doesn't count in this regard), but I have to admit I like this flake a lot more than i expected to.

It's well balanced and has enough nicotine to satisfy my needs while having enough character and inbound complexity to keep me interested. Sweet and plummy to a pleasant degree, rich and flavourful, consistent umami and a rounded finish. No issues in smoking it, so it's as well behaved as any eu-made flake I've tried so far.

Recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaylotw (16)	2018-11-08		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is one I’ve had lying around for a long, long time. I’ve had it in a mason jar in the back of the cabinet and reach for it once or twice a year and am always pleased.

Over the years of aging in the jar, the plum/berry note has dissipated a bit and, while it’s still there, is pretty ephemeral and might just be passed off as the aged VA becoming a little more fermented and dark-fruity. Fresh out of the tin, the topping is clearly noticeable. Tin note is deep, fruity and mouth watering.

Classifying this as an aromatic is wrong in my opinion, it’s just a VA/Burley with a noticable topping.

The topping comes across in the smoke in a way that really compliments the VA flavors, which are dark and earthy and a bit fruity. In my well-aged sample, the topping flavor really kicks in at about 1/4 bowl, but is mostly gone by the time I’m at the halfway mark. For me, the Burley is present throughout, lending a lot of body and a really tasty, toasted nut flavor as the main component. The VA tends to stick in the background for me, curiously as the tobacco has aged I’m getting much less of a sweetness and more of an earthy, darker flavor. A weird thing for me is that I also get a kind of BBQ, smoked flavor...maybe the DFK that’s rumored to be in this blend. When the topping is more present in the top part of the bowl, I find it’s really pleasant, adding quite a bit of depth.

An easy smoker, easy to rub out and pack. Three stars as it just doesn’t find it’s way into a pipe that often for me, but is a good smoke nonetheless.

Age When Smoked: Fresh-10 yrs

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-10-31		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin note reveals the fruity essence added to the tobacco which itself is dark with an earthy and yeasty smell. It’s easy to rub out between the palms of your hand to narrow ribbons. A few minutes of drying time make the smoke less moist. Lights easy and burns uniformly.

Upon lighting University Flake gives out a subtle fruity aroma (plum and berry) quite reminiscent of the one used for Royal Yacht – both being allegedly plum flavored. It is noticeable but subtle as said and it does not taste chemical. The tobacco underneath is juicy and quite sweet and this sweetness is balanced by a nice slightly bitter streak presumably from the Burley which leaves a lingering aftertaste. Strength is on the right side of medium, quite satisfying in this respect and gains some more towards the end of the bowl when the bitter flavors dominate as the flavoring seems to dissipate. Room note is not offensive at all.

An in all, University Flake is a very nice flavored tobacco, not as much as lets say Erinmore or indeed Firedance, and the tobacco base is good. 3.5 stars from me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jmic (3)	2018-10-16		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I decided to check out a head shop near me to see if they had any pipe tobacco. They had a a few tins of EMP, and some Peterson University flake. "Careful, it's very old" warned the shopkeeper. The seal was intact and the tin note was amazing.

Prepared my flake under the light of a blue moon with a silver knife in a purple heart cutting board. Very worth the effort.

Just kidding. Rubbed out a flake onto the top of the tin and put it right in my pipe. Had a great gurgle halfway through, but a flick of the pipe fixed it with no more issue.

This tobacco is centered around the Virginia, with a sweetness and a taste of dark fruit at the front. If Plum Pudding weren't taken, it would be the perfect name for this flake. I don't pick up much on the taste of the burly, but it helps produce nice smoke and keeps the temperature of the Virginia down. Despite smoking it wet and out of the tin, I typically don't need relights.

I only rub out a small amount of each flake, enough to cover about the bottom quarter of the bowl and help with draw, and then use larger chunks on the top. The charring light produces significant swelling, but the pipe then stays lit for the duration of the smoke. It doesn't burn too hot, and has a mild nicotine effect.

The smell is not overpowering. Despite smoking a bowl each morning in my car, no lingering scent is noticeable. This has become my current "all day" smoke.

Pipe Used: Roma basket pipey

Age When Smoked: Unknown - Older, square tin purchased in 2018

Purchased From: Local head shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	3pipeproblem (28)	2018-08-02		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, I enjoyed this well enough, but not as much as I'd hoped to. The tin note is mild and a bit fruity and the flavor and strength are good, but it gave me issues with the burn. I rubbed it out, folded and stuffed, and cube cut it, all with mixed results. Also tried drying it quite a bit. Sometimes it burned ok, sometimes not. Didn't bite at all. Can't give it more than a flat 3 stars. I'd like to cellar a tin and try it again to see if I like it better down the road.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie, Grabow, and basket briar.

Age When Smoked: Less than 1 yr.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dante O. (1)	2017-11-26		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I must have an odd tin of University Flake because the wording on mine states, “Based on Virginia grades. In addition mahogany, brown and orange Virginias are mixed with leaves from India”. Can someone comment on this anamoly please? Also there is no indication of a date.

Pipe Used: Comoy

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gift

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2017-11-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm a huge Irish Flake addict, so after hearing of UF described as IF Lite, I thought I would take it for a spin. Right off the bat I can see that I don't necessarily agree it's any rendition of IF. The signature dark-fired is absent, and dark-fired is what I live for. It does have some great quality burley and Virginia, though, and the blend just melds together smoothly and sweetly. I should note the mentioned berry/plum topping, which might be off-putting to some, is very light, barely detectable. It does little more than enhance the natural sweetness of the virginia. Very pleasant and refreshing. I'm giving it thumbs up. Problem is, 9.9 out of 10 times I will reach for IF over this one, therefore I kind of doubt this will become a mainstay in my rotation. It's good, I just already live on something stronger. Overall quite happy to have tried this one!

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Stubby

Age When Smoked: 6 month old tin

Purchased From: B&M Gettysburg, PA

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Italo Svevo (26)	2017-09-22		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

So far, this is the best Burley-based pipe tobacco I've tried. Golden Blend is a tongue-scorcher, Old Dark Fired is ok but boring, this one is nice. The Virginia is a minor player here for me. Burley takes the lead. The mild topping, somewhat plummish, makes the smoke more interesting and improves the room note. It comes pretty wet so I ground it and needed few relights. I don't give four stars because it can burn quite hot if you only puff a little faster.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Toscana

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Golden Blend but much much better.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2017-09-15		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Sometimes you can't go wrong with the classic tobaccos. University Flake is a classic; and one that has significantly improved since Murray has ceased production. Murray's problem was, among other issues, that they overdid it when it came to toppings and casings. It was simply too much. This being said, the new UF is a delightful combination of medium and dark virginias and burleys completed with an amazing plum top note that really is awesome. The smoking experience is rich, zesty and refreshing while providing an excellent nicotine support. UF provides a deep tasting tobacco that is part of my daily rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TW (38)	2017-07-31		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

A red/brown Virginia and burley flake. Very evenly and tidily pressed and cut in the standard STG/Danish/German style. Very little stalk if any.

The tin note has a definite aroma of tobacco and sweet plum, or maybe the tins of prunes in syrup I remember being served with custard in the 60s and 70s at school. Only the flake doesn't have the custard aroma to it, of course.

On smoking it burns well from the tin, the moisture level is what I'd expect from an old-fashioned British/Irish tobacco, it really needs little to no drying and too much drying changes it into a plum-free smoke something along the lines of Old Dark Fired, but without the characteristic tang of fire-cured Malawi leaf ODF possesses. Drying this one out much is to miss the point.

The flavour is excellent and consistent, with the plum present but not overwhelming, just adding a little something that complements the tobacco very well. It strikes me as not a "breakfast tobacco", too intense for that especially towards the end of the bowl, but otherwise makes a great all-day or evening smoke. A classic of its kind.

I have been informed by non-smokers that the room note is sweet and quite pleasant.

Pipe Used: block meer, Falcon, assorted briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: new up to 12 months

Similar Blends: Dunhill Royal Yacht, maybe.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stinkypipe (155)	2017-02-01		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

Plum.....not that I got. I got some berry flavor that was pretty weak. Most of Petersons aromatics are pretty good albeit very mild. This one doesn't hit the mark for me. Tin note smells of berries not plums. Burns just a bit hot from time to time. Taste is weak but berry flavor again not plum. Room note is to me not very pleasant. This is a below average aromatic for Peterson. For that reason I can only partially recommend.

Pipe Used: Boswell poker

Age When Smoked: Aged tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doktorstamp (11)	2016-12-30		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

How very remiss of me to not review a tobacco which numbers amongst my favourites. On opening the tin a smell not dissimilar to old fashioned christmas cake arises, and what joyful memories of childhood that awakes. It rubs out easily, though is best left to air for at least half an hour before packing, albeit it will take a light straight from the tin, I have found it best to air as stated. Almost from the word go it produces lots of heavenly smoke, the taste, teasing and tantalising, but always satisfying. A bowl or two of this is enjoyed several evenings each week; it is another that may, without fear of being stoned, be enjoyed in those areas now designated outside of our pubs for pursuit of our hobby. To state that I highly recommend this offering from Peterson seems superfluous.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kilarney #68

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 1 year or so old

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blake_Gibson (4)	2016-10-23		Medium	Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

Easily my favorite tobacco at the moment. Smokes well in all of my pipes. Rubbed out, fold and stuff, cube... doesn't really matter. Flavoring is nice and wears off around halfway through a bowl leaving a very nice natural tobacco taste. Nicotine is a touch over medium depending on time of day. Will buy again for sure.

Pipe Used: Poker, cob, clay

Age When Smoked: 1 yr

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ahmad Othman (51)	2016-09-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the customary square tin of flakes you are grested with an earthy,fruity aroma resembling that of Erinmore flakes. But make no mistake. This is nothing alike. Maybe except in the generous amount if virginia in both. The flakes are well pressed and presented in a fashion worthy of Peterson name. It packs easily but I discovered that packing it as a flake makes it hard to light and keep lit. As it seems it was well pressed. So breaking the flakes as I did or rubbing it would be better. Once it is packed like that, it shone. Grassy, smoky virginias takes over with a little hint of nutiness at times and fruitiness at others. It is well rounded, all day virginia smoke. And I couldn't help to make the connection of this as a milder version of Davidoff Flake medallions

Pipe Used: Stanwell Deluxe Royal Danish tapered billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Davidoff - Flake Medallions.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2016-09-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I don't honestly remember the old University Flake. I gave up pipes for about ten years (long story). I mention this because way back, when I was first starting out, University Flake was quite popular. But now, apparently there are two versions. One by Peterson and one under the Rattray banner (called wallace flake). Ive not smoked the rattray. But the current Peterson version of University flake is not how I remember it. The current one is rather sweet and the casing pretty much obscures the tobacco taste. Not totally, but more than I care for. Its also an odd blueberry flavor that, for some reason, is called Plum. But its not, its berry. And its very heavy and sweet. If you like that, I guess its fine. The quality, from what one can guess, is good. It is now an aromatic and the nic hit is above mild but not what I would call medium. It is one dimensional and god knows there are far better aromatic flakes out there -- or semi aromatics like St Bruno flake and even F&T's Cut Blended Plug, which is a very much better version of this and which actually has a sort of rum/ plum light casing. I can't give this more than 2 stars.

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Cut Blended Plug by F&T,,., which i prefer..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Little Steven (76)	2016-07-05		Medium	Extra Strong	Extra Full	Unnoticeable

The roads and parking lots of Europe are filled with Euroboxes. A Eurobox is a nondescript car that gets you to work and to the shops. The interior is cheap, grey plastic, easy to clean. It has a flat four motor and is reliable. Above all reliable. And it does not stick out in the crowd.

The tobacco equivalent is Eurotobak.

Petersons University Flake is one such Eurotobak. You can visualise the small tins running along the chrome conveyor getting little blue labels stuck on in rapid succession.

Above all it's reliable. The same plum flavour every time.

So for those reasons it gets four stars.

Pipe Used: Stanwell billard.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the shop.

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop (nice chaps).

Similar Blends: Rattrays Eurotobak. The one that says Plum on the lable..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sybariten (61)	2016-04-02		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Conclusion: It is light without being weak and complex enough to be interesting. Not being a big fan of aromatics (I smoke them on occation but not regularly) I still find this perfectly balanced as the flavouring only gives and does not take away any natural tobacco taste. This will remain in my rotation, it is a great smoke.

Taste: The virginia sweetness and the burley nuttyness plays well together from the first light, the burley being the more dominant part towards the end. As for the topping, it's there but not too much. It is there if you look for it, and mostly so in the retrohale, and once noticed it is still mild and pleasant - it just adds to the virginia flavour and overall complexity I'd say. Ever had Brewdog's beer "Hello my name is little Ingrid"? Well that beer had an added hint of cloudberry and the proportions of that added flavour are just about the same as here. No big changes over time but the mentioned takeover by the burley and as a result some pepper-ish zing. I tried it rubbed as well as folded and I find that the topping comes out more if the flake is simply folded, if that is a good thing is surely individual but I prefer it that way. All in all the taste is nutty, sweet hay with a hint of blueberry.

Mechanics: Burns clean, needs some drying and some relights may be necessary but it is really nothing untypical of flakes. Strength is at medium, body medium to full. A dry smoke that doesn't bite. And the flake looks beautiful.

Pipe Used: Cobs and briars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-03-17		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

There is a sameness to many of these formerly British and Irish made flakes that are now made in Denmark (or Germany for that matter). Virginia forward VaBurs heavily pressed to produce dark rubbery flakes that smoke well and have few faults. Tweak the toppings/casings and condimental additions and an entire family of tobaccos is produced.

This one has a generous fruit topping that might or might not put it into aromatic territory, depending on your perspective. Caveat emptor.

A decent tobacco, but not my cup of tea.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Russell D (2)	2016-02-12		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I'm surprised this one did not get a higher rating. Took about half of it n rubbed it out but left it chunky. Put the rest n a jar n dried what I rubbed n the tin for a full 9 hrs lid on the bottom n a cool dry place. smoked a bowl before i put the rest of the rubbed n another jar. Awesome tasting high nic blend. Smokes to the bottom, very little moisture.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: not sure

Purchased From: b&m

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tomobedlam (16)	2016-01-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

First try I rubbed it out a bit right from the tin and lit up. Really nice subtle fruit flavoring, nothing as heavy as Erinmore but similar in a way. Decent, rich smoke, no gurgling even with no drying. Its possible that the tin I bought has some age on it. Solid, nice smoke. Recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2015-12-10		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I guess I should have researched more about this one before I got it ( if I would have still considered it). The topping is what thru me off. It smoked great but I couldn't get a feel for the tobacco itself because of the topping being strong. It was a flat medium for me. Good but nothing to run home about. I'll stick to Irish flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Alhaji (33)	2015-12-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The only comment I feel able to make about this tobacco is that it is totally unremarkable. Forgive me if I got the wrong tin or used the wrong pipes; but this was a disappointment. There was not much coming from anything.

Tasteless, IMO. No Burley, no Virginia, just plain blandness. I smoked it in a variety of pipes over a number of days with immense concentration in order to get something out of it. And I finished the tin within days of my order being delivered to me in order to 'tease' the 'nuances', the best, out of this blend. Yet it failed to deliver.

I will likely give it another future try. One and a half star!

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: danishpipeshop.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SamH (31)	2015-10-29		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is as often stated like Irish Flake's little brother. I'd say gentler second cousin. I found it very pleasant and smoked a tin over a crisp late October-Late November. My favourite time of year for anything so yes that might colour my views on things. Worth a try, even if just for a change.

Pipe Used: A fair few.

Age When Smoked: Recently purchased.

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.

Similar Blends: Sort of a bit like some other flakes. That wasn't much help really was it?.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	r (34)	2015-09-30		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A well presented wood-brown flake with bright stripes that looks and feels moister than it is. Neatly packed in a square tin, or concentrically-arranged in a circular tin.

A strong nut base stimulates the palate and is accompanied by a light, grassy note. A very pleasant plum topping marries well with the base and stays constant throughout the smoke. The nicotine hit is “just right”. When finally lit, it has good smoke production. Wet dottle explains the need for frequent relights.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2015-08-08		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I really liked this blend years ago when it was manufactured in Ireland. It is still a good blend but smokes like most flakes of this style kind of medium to full. It's a traditional style smoke that is meant for slow enjoyment. I don't recall the fruity (plum) top dressing either and as one reviewer mentioned " I could do without the topping". I also agree with Pipestud that this would NOT be a beginners blend. All things considered this is still a flavorful VA that is meant for slow enjoyment. If your new to the hobby you may consider mixing this with a bit of BCA. I also recommend letting this one dry out a bit. Just remember smoke slowly. Sweet smokes!

Pipe Used: John Hines Cutty

Age When Smoked: Cellard one year

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Supo (3)	2015-07-01		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

From original opening of the tin, to my last puff… I enjoyed this University flake. The tin note DID have a mild berry-like fragrance, which is listed a ‘Plum’ casing. Interesting...

What a beautiful looking press of Burley and Virginias with multi colored specs of dark mahogany brown with yellow/golden parts throughout the flake slice. The moisture from my last tin was slightly high, (as many flakes retain moisture well, due to pressing process), so as many have recommended, best to dry it out and rest for 15-20 min. Once rubbed-out (which is my preference on what do with flake) and packed in to the bowl, it lights and burns nicely.

Upon lighting, I find it to have a bit of kick from the Burley (starts a bit strong), but it mellows-out thanks to the Virginias. Don't search for the Plum flavoring/casing, as it’s not immediately obvious. Throughout the smoke however, it appears ever so slightly, but not all the time, and it balanced out the sometimes heavy hit of nicotine.

This is such a nice change of pace. I really enjoy the experience of preparing this one, over simply packing previously cut ribbon tobaccos-- as the preparation process directly affects the way this one smokes. Take your time.

Thankfully, I have had success with prepping University, and as a result mine burns slow and cool in bowl. This is a reliable pipe tobacco, and I recommend it.

Supo.

Pipe Used: Brigham System, 1 Star

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2015-02-06		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

This tobacco is quite bland to me. I believe some would say the plum flavoring is very subtle, but I could not taste or smell it. Actually, it tasted like warm air with barely a hint of tobacco. I prefer more flavor and a good, strong smell. I'm not much of a fan of Irish Flake either, but I prefer it to this for its strength alone. Seriously, why would anyone buy this more than once? There was little to no tongue bite, and that is why it doesn't get just one star.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2015-01-19		Strong	Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

In a word, WOW! I really enjoyed the taste of this flake, one of the best out there. This blend is not necessarily complex, but it hits those plum, raisin notes real well—there's definitely a sweet note working here, while at the same time the burley adds a nutty/butteriness to the proceedings. The side stream to this flake is simply outstanding and, lastly, not least-ly (;), if I were ever to enter a pipe smoking contest, this baby would give me a chance, my first bowl lasted nearly an hour and a half (without even trying too hard)—now, that's longevity! Generally speaking this was a truly enjoyable pipe smoking experience. Then why not four stars instead of three (a strong three)?

Three points prevented me from giving this blend the highest of kudos, firstly, the strength. After having quit smoking completely for better than 18 years, and now having returned to the pipe two years ago, I still do not enjoy getting kicked in the head with high doses of N. I simply don't like it and prefer blends that are more mild in that regard.

Two, I had the foulest coating on the inside of my mouth which lasted for better than three days (must be the casing). Wasn't thrilled with that, and, lastly...

point three, I had a tough time keeping it lit (at least initially), but, this was more my fault, clearly the flakes need some air time (which I will do next time). Outside of those complaints UF is one the best tasting tobaccos I've experienced thus far.

For those of you who bother to read my reviews, I've decided to change my operating procedure. I used to wait till the end of a calender year to write all my reviews but, this year, and, perhaps those following, I intend on writing my reviews as I smoke the blends (hopefully in order). I feel I'll be able to write a fresher "take" on each review, rather than waiting for so long. Thanks for reading, and happy piping!

Pipe Used: Nording Signature Freehand

Purchased From: Can't remember, sorry.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2014-09-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I enjoy this so much more than a regular Virginia flake such as OGS or PS luxury Navy. It has a better smell and a slight sweet topping that makes it a more enjoyable smoke The nic hit could be a little stronger which is why I prefer Irish flake to this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (104)	2014-09-11		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I got into this one during my flake period. I thought it would be a good a blend to try, as I had gotten my bell rung thoroughly by S.G navy. I used an older Grabow I had with a group one bowl on it. Also a cob I bought at the the time for trying this new flake.

It comes stacked up in the tin. Pretty neat little flakes of a mostly brown color with little gold streaks in it. Tin note was pretty earthy, nutty and had light fruity note to it. I was trying to learn folding technique at the time and did that with it mostly. I rub out flakes these days. The char took a little work, but got going well enough eventually. The plum(?) flavoring came through noticeably at that point, but didn't last as such for long.

It burns as well as a flake can, depending on your prep work. It has a nice light va taste to it, and a pretty strong nic hit. I would recommend this as a pretty good flake for most smokers. In spite of its generally mild flavor, it's not for beginners unless they have a good nicotine tolerance. It could make some turn a bit green if they're not used to stronger blends. Well done flake from peterson.

Pipe Used: Various Grabow pipes, MM cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: Wallingford tobacco, Wallingford ct

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Alessandro (14)	2014-08-24		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Simply could not enjoy this tobacco. Tried several times and the last time could not, would not finish the bowl. Too peppery for me, and just didn't like the way it made me feel. Nicotine hit is strong, feel it in your throat. Smells of plum from the tin but taste more like an old heavy burning book.

I will certainly keep this tin as it deserves the respect to be tried again in the future, maybe I'll grow up to it. Till then... Happy Smoking.

I'm returning almost 1 1/2 years later to further review this tobacco. I remember it well after reading my initial review above. But having tried it today after having it sit in a masons jar since August of 2014 I can't agree with it. The only constant is that feeling in my throat that feels like a tightening... that I've learned is referred to as a ''catch'' in a smokers throat that is often caused by dark burley tobacco. It was present but not disturbing, that's were the similarities end. This tobacco contrary to my review above is mild to medium bodied, with a hint of plum. The nicotine level is medium and it does well with 2 to 4 hours of drying. It's clean and not over powering. It's a definite keeper for me and I look forward to exploring other burley blends.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	H Gillman (39)	2014-06-22		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good starting point for those considering a flake for the first time. Mildly sweet dried fruit tin note. Reasonable moisture level. Gravity feed, char, tamp and light .....smooth mellow smoke. I am predominantly a flake lover and this one fills the bill when I'm wanting a change from Perique or Latakia or a strong flue type. The sweetness is there albeit slightly. It's casing doesn't leave a chemical "yuck" on the tongue. I do believe that 6 months in a mason jar helped with the flavour though. It's a nicer smoker now than it was out of the tin.

Pipe Used: Several Peterson's

Age When Smoked: 2 years sealed 6 months jarred

Purchased From: Jades Smokers Corner

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HPFlashman (9)	2014-05-15		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable

Just opened a tin of this tobacco and had the first bowl. The smell in the tin is grass and fruit in tiny nuances of fragrance, after several tins of aromatics, such as MB Navy flake, Ashton Rainy Day and WØ Larsen Old Fashioned.

I rolled and teared a flake in half and dropped it into my Cellini Freehand, with just the tiniest amounts of packing it in, as it filled the rather deep and conical chamber rather well.

The pipe and the tobacco was not a very good mix, but the Cellini is also somewhat new to me and I had not tried it with flake tobaccos earlier and will more than likely not try it again if I do not rub the flake first.

The Peterson flake filled the bowl to the rim in a good way, but I had not forseen the troubles I had with it getting the draft hole jammed solid, even with rummaging through the smoke channel with a pipecleaner would not keep it unclogged. Entirely a user fault but somewhat annoying anyhow.

When it burned, it burned quite cool and nice and gave some hints of the interesting fragrances and tastes I think the University Flake hides. The grassy Virginia was clearly present as was the fruitiness, which I gather is plummish and ripe in character. I think there may be greatness hidden in there, but due to my not too educated choice of pipe, further bowls in different pipes must be undertaken for scientific purposes.

I write this a bit for myself, after one bowl for reference purposes.

I have had further bowls of this in regular billiard pipes, messing around with packing and drying and it is a real good and slow burning tobacco with a quite unexpected nicotine hit. I have just finished a bowl with a flake that I left in the sun for an hour and have a rather dizzy head and an urge to make a visit to the oval office even though I was there just before lighting up. :-O I have amended the rating to highly reccomended and the strength to medium to strong. Of the five tobaccos I have around for now, this mellow little thing is surely the heftiest one....

Pipe Used: Cellini Freehand

Age When Smoked: Fresh from shop

Purchased From: http://solcigar.mamutweb.com/Shop/List/Peterson/197/1

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-01-04		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Virginias take center stage in the first third. Strength ramps up as you smoke on. Burleys come out in second third to complement the Virginias. No flavoring detected, even when sipped. Easily maintained, burns clean. A pleasant 3 star blend, with high quality tobacco.

Pipe Used: Neerup Stove Pipe, MM

Age When Smoked: B&M shelf placement date of JUL 2013 noted on tin

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Jackson, MI

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2013-12-13		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It amazes me at how Peterson can put out such high quality flakes and yet fail so miserably at aromatics. UF is Irish Flake's little brother. A very fine blend but without the Nicotine hit being so heavy. I could smoke this all day and be very content. Highly Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke (41)	2013-11-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Having sensed my boredom for Royal Yacht, my daily blend, I charged to a newer B&M and found some University Flake. It was just what I needed. Different enough from my beloved RY, the Burley offers a full flavor with moderate nicotine. Here's the first tobacco that I could call aromatic yet delivered full tobacco flavor. Once I returned to the car that smelled of tobacco but had this plum perfume infused into the smoke! I think I really caught the aromatic quality of UF- and it was quite pleasant. This isn't some overly infused black cavendish suffering from a lack of nicotine backbone. It taste fruity but not sweet, similar to an eau de vie like Framboise- very dry. Maybe it's presently a novelty for me, but the tobacco flavor is front and center. If you're overly sensitive to nicotine this isn't the genteel aromatic you may be used to. This could be a holiday crowd-friendly tobacco, where Night Cap may offend. I'm most impressed.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigNick (59)	2013-10-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

So many things to say about this blend! First of all, it is my first Peterson blend. Second, its also my first flake, and for my first Peterson experience, I'm impressed. I'm a Burly fan, even more of a Virginia fan. So it was inevitable that I would smoke this blend at some point. My standard is Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, It's my go to baccy, so to find a blend with strong Virginia notes similar to EMP I get all giddy. First thing to mention is the tin. It's so cool, classic and elegant, I attend a major university, so it's fitting. Second is the aroma of the tobacco in the tin. Those sweet and tangy Virginias just stand out. It was a little moist, so I dried it out a bit. I tried a multitude of ways to pack my pipe, the "standard" rub out, roll, square...Personally I found the best was rolling it up, the flavor was much more pronounced as opposed to the other methods. The smoke was milder than I was expecting, very smooth and sweet. The Alkalinity of the Virginias came through more than I had hoped, but the nuttiness of the Burly left a creamy aftertaste. I tasted the plum flavor mid bowl, it was subtle and mild but a rather pleasant taste. After a while that sexy little nicotine head rush snuck up on me and I just started loving the baccy. Even though I rolled it into the bowl, I had no problems with relighting. So all in all I think this is a well balanced blend. It balances the characteristics of the tobacco very well and really brings out the complexities of each. Furthermore, being a flake, the smoker can really connect with the tobacco. Preparation takes more time, so I think one should slow down and really appreciate the tobacco in their hands. After all that's what it's all about. In sum-near perfection

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Elm0 (5)	2013-08-30		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

As said Irish Flake's little brother i smoke both daily while IF has that strong taste that lets you know its got a good nic hit UF has a very pleasing almost aromatic taste, if i was to say you find yourself chewing on the smoke I'm sure you would get my drift

Very hard to put the pipe down once lit ,it burns nice & slow can bite a little if smoked too quick but if you are doing that you are not getting the best out of it ,slow small lingering draws almost let the pipe idle between your lips seems to be the sweet spot for this one

Got to admit when i first tried UF i wasn't that fussed but learning to appreciate it a bit more & as said rolling up the flake's rather than rubbing them out to pack bowl turned this into a firm favorite of mine

Peterson tobacco's have become the bulk of my rotation's lately due to quality, great packaging & price. UF is well presented in a small square tin needs very little if no airing time & has always been consistant ,100+ tins

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	storopoli (2)	2013-07-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

It is my first Burley/VA flake. It is somewhat mild and burns quite cool and slow. I think I preffer something a little more strong in strength and maybe with more sweetness, in other words, with more sweetie VA.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Shoog (13)	2013-04-28		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I first got this tobacco I liked it but did not "love" it. But after smoking this once daily for about a week I found myself craving it more and more. For me it has the perfect amount of vitamin N for the last smoke before bed. Leaving me feeling satisfied without knocking me on my ass. After about a 30 minute dry time the flake rubbed out easily, burned cool and stayed pretty well lit with a very pleasant sweetish burley flavor.

I will be purchasing more and can't wait to try some of the other Peterson blends.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2013-04-14		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

As others have noted, a lightly-cased, somewhat strong dark flake. Not the easiest flakes to get lit, but I did not find them excessively difficult to deal with. On the whole, I found this 'serviceable' rather than 'memorable' in any positive or negative way. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is not often.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2013-03-05		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a well presented VA/Burley flake that comes neatly packed in a convenient square tin. In some respects it reminds me of Erinmore Flake, though the casing is not so pronounced. It's a cool, long, “winter” smoke with a pleasant fruity/woody flavour that does not detract from the natural taste of the tobacco: round, soft, full-bodied without being in the least bit harsh. It's strong without being overwhelmingly so, and well behaved all the way down the bowl: it keeps its flavour to the end, smokes dry and seems to leave no dottle at all. The room note is acceptable to SWMBO & Co. also. An earlier reviewer has called it Irish Flake's “little brother,” and I wouldn't disagree with that. Fold-and-stuff is the best way to smoke it, I think; for a dark and rather moist flake, it needs remarkably few re-lights, though it's a good idea to let it dry out a little before ignition. My first tin was a gift from a friend, but I intend to buy more of it and make it one of my regulars. I'm not sure that I would want to smoke it every day, because the plummy topping can cloy a bit if you have too much of it; but it's very pleasant in moderate doses. Perhaps it's a little strong for the beginner; highly recommended, though.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-03-02		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Simply put, a smashing VA/BU Flake with a nice plum topping. PUF is always a pleasure to smoke and its room note is non smoker friendly.

I have 2 pipes dedicated to this marvelous toby.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-02-25		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

A good tobacco. A bit moist straight out of the tin, but smokes very well after being rubbed out and set to dry for a few minutes. You can taste a little of something fruity, not sure exactly what it tastes like but it tastes good. I really enjoyed the after taste that this tobacco left as well. This tobacco has a little more nicotine than I like, however it didn't detract from the smoke too much.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-01-17		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

This was an important blend for me for two reasons. The first is that this was the first flake that I tried. Secondly, it was my first tackle with a natural tobacco after two years of smoking only aromatics. When I first smoked it I broke the flake because I was afraid of failing with the folding method. After the lighting I was struck with the powerful and amazing tobacco taste. At first I was a little dizzy because of the strong nicotine kick but it passed away quickly The aroma is very light, reminds me a little of forest fruits. It doesn't heat up, doesn't bite and burns very well. It took me some two or three bowls to fully understand it but now I know that I will gladly return to this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-11-23		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very good, very reliable blend. Usual VA notes blue a touch of blueberry (?). High quality flake tobacco, well presented in the tin. Consistent from tin to tin. Great indoors or outdoors, nice room-note. One of the best UK Va blends available, waaaay better than American fair these days.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2012-11-03		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Another bomb by Peterson. Reminds me very much of Rum-Raisin-Nuts chocolate. Not much to say, it is an outdoor tobacco and it is really, really one of the stronger ones. Beautiful, thin flakes, burn excellent, smoke is quite 'pungent sweet' but not like aromatics. If you like light aros, skip this one. If you like pure English/Balkans, skip this one. If you chew a pigtail for breakfast and smoke Irish Flake or the Rope in large bowls, you will definitely enjoy this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	donmartinthree (22)	2012-11-02		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The first time I tried this must've been shortly after I'd smoked up my second tin of Irish Flake... I figured it would be worth a shot, as they were described relatively similarly. But that's beside the point, really.

I remember the first time I smoked this... it was outdoors during autumn in the woods. I know it sounds cliche, but that's the way it was. And it was really really good. It does have a nicotine punch and I can understand it being too strong for some people.

I love it. The aroma when smoked is very kentucky-ish, as far as flavors go. It's earthy, a little musty, sort of wood-like and like fall-leaves. Pretty much like IF, only with that top note of plum, which, in my opinion, brings out the tobacco flavors perfectly. It tastes best to me folded and stuffed, not rubbed out and sipped slowly. That brings out the most nuances. I don't feel this is one-dimensional at all. Sure, there's more complex tobaccos than this, but I wouldn't smoke this without paying attention to it. That would make this one boring...

For me, it's a tobacco I don't smoke very often, and when I do, it's in the colder months. And everytime I choose this tobacco, fill up my group 1 Dunhill with exactly 1 flake, I enjoy it a lot.

I'm finishing my 3rd tin now and it's always great! Recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-10-28		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Opened my 1st tin last night. In typical flake manor, it was a bit too moist right out of the tin so I let it dry out for a 1/2 hour. As I lit it, I enjoyed the flavor and the room note. But 1/2 a bowl later the nicotine punch hit he hard and I had to stop smoking it. I'm not giving up on this blend, it was just too good to. Maybe some time in my cellar will help mellow it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-09-22		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This flake is not nearly as strong as its brother, Irish Flake. The casing definitely mellows out the smoke, but it still has a strong nicotine punch. I found that removing it from the tin and letting it sit in a jar for a few days improved the smoke, as well as vigorously rubbing out the flakes. If you don't, you'll spend a lot of time relighting and not enjoy all the delicious flavor of this excellent tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cgar (37)	2012-09-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Indeed worth a go. Very nice balance and topping is applied perfect. Tin presentation is laid out very nice and flakes are perfect and easy to work with. Will revisit this baccy down the road.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wellpipe (66)	2012-07-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A delightful tobacco flake with no bad habits at all. Gorgeous soft and fruity tin note. When lit the flavor is smooth and the mouth-feel is silky. It is only slightly sweet, the fruit topping is subtle and in good proportion - detectable in the room note and pleasant in the mouth (I love the taste of plum) but not at all overdone - it still allows the high quality of the Burley and VA to shine through nicely. Nicotine is present but not huge. Gives a good, even burn without a lot of relights. My best results: gently rubbed out leaving the strands long, packed inverted, and left to rest for a while (at least a couple of hours) prior to smoking. Tamp gently. Top shelf.

1 person found this review helpful.