Peterson University Flake

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?