Peterson University Flake

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Nice strong tobacco, I love the little tins that I can slip in my pocket (keep a rubber band on it or it will dry out). Tobacco has some N kick. I can smoke this any time of day and find myself reaching for it at all times but not an all day smoke. The taste is predominantly Virginia with the Burley in the background. I tend to smoke this fast and it will bite and burns hot. There is a slight taste and smell of raspberries, but I wouldn't say that it dominates or stays with more than a 1/3 of the bowl. Not a sweet tobacco but I would use the word, "Powerful". I've gotten many comments on how good it smells, but since I'm smoking it, I really don't know . I keep this around but not in my rotation but to smoke it in public. Nice to French inhale. Oh, and let it dry out a little. I just tried a wife test.... RESULTS: " quote " Not very good", there you have it fans, anything that is not, " get the hell out of here with that" is a fine smelling tobacco.

Updated 1/31/12- Well I found my use for this tobacco, "On the go, puff and throw", you know , for those quick puffs between bus stops on the public streets. Using a small "beater", you load it to 1/3 bowl and puff away. The Nic is high so you " get your fix on Route 66" and since it smells so good for the initial 1/3 bowl, loading only a 1/3, the whole smoke is good to the passersby's. Oh, and I have smoked this tobacco so dry it's brittle and it all works the same? Use it this way, you may say it's a 4 star !!!

It's amazing how a title for a blend can set the stage for an experience. How could you not see a university professor at a college in Ireland smoking on the way to his next class? That's the visual I get. Refined, educated, studious. Horned rim glasses, anyone? UF is a nice full smoke with a kick. I must admit that it is my favorite Peterson blend, too. It will quench the fiercest of nic urges, but you won't be craving a pipe when you're done. That's kind of a drawback, really. One good one is enough. It's like Irish Flake in that way, highly doused in Vitamin N. What else you would expect from Peterson?

For me, the strong burley tobacco and berry topping don't go together well. The topping, in the way it is being used here, reminds me of flavouring added to medicine. The combination is simply not congruent. In addition, this blend does not impart that very pleasant pipe aroma that I enjoy so much. And, I find it a bit of a chore to keep lit. Too many negatives for me.

As a result of its nic kick, I enjoyed this blend more when I was still addicted to nicotine (i.e. for a year or so after switching from cigarettes to pipes). Nowadays it holds little attraction. Still, I do recommend giving it a try, as the combination of strength and topping is unique and it clearly appeals to some smokers. Just come prepared: don't expect an aromatic with a kick, nor a good old plain tobacco.

Here we have a strange tobacco blend. It's strange, I think mostly because of it's topping. This could be a great smoke for me. Like Cannon plug, I think the absurdly slathered top coat is both a charm and a drawback.

This the most "english flavored" of the Peterson tobaccos that I've had. It Does Not taste like Gawith tobacco. It is a distinct, if silly, thing of it's own. I really wanna like it. Maybe you will, it has it's merits.

One time in Tirol, at 23 o'clock, I stood in a blizzard and had an amazing smoke of Uni flake. Looking up into the street lights, watching the snow fall and the smoke rise, I thought, (seriously) can a smoke get better than this?

Apparently it can, or maybe not. I have yet to reproduce the sensation. I can tell you this. I was smoking the cheapest pipe I own, and I was far from my home and family in Styria. I was cold like a witches left nut. (can I say that?) The Burley content in Uni flake had me sated. I was amazed since all I could taste was the fine burley. The berries were there, but just. Since then I have had a few bad bowls of the stuff. I do believe it's changed a bit, or maybe me.