Peterson University Flake

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.

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**

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.