Rattray Marlin Flake

After completing the, so called, 'virginia trinity' i found marlin flake to be the most difficult to rate.. It is a great smoke and a fine presentation and Rattray's has yet to dissapoint me. A very fine virginia with a much more noticeable perique character than i was expecting. this would indeed be one of my favorite va/pers were it not for the cavendish which, at the risk of sounding nit-picky, actually brings this one down a notch.. having said that, i see what this blend is going for.. it is going for a smooth rich quality, and it indeed succeeds in this.. but while the cavendish does tone down and smooth out the smoke, it also detracts a little from the complexity of the virginia. the perique is a nice addition and it saves the day for me.. but in my opinion what could have been a great va/per, turns out to be simply a good one.

Update April 2018.. Not surprisingly this really improves with age.. everything melds together. Worth cellaring for 5+ years

Some people had the fortune of finding this early. It took me 31 years. This will be my last virginia and may it forever be made.

The poetic extolling and high hailing in the above reviews may seem excessive, but only to those who haven't tried it. I'm at at odd loss for words, and I can't type my joy at having found this wonderful stuff.

Update 1/11 I must have been having a good day that day. I still love it, yet cycle among latakia-, oriental-, burley- rich blends with VA and return to this as my home base. How some smoke the same thing 365 days a year is a mystery.

Mostly, I want to complain about the lack of accuracy of the component listings at the top. They need to be accurate for this site to be useful. They used to be accurate. What happened? My tin states "Full Dark Virginia Flake". It is. No perique, no cavendish. And yes, it is wonderful.

I've just finished about 6 months of smoking Marlin Flake almost exclusively. I'm listening to the Faure Requiem (Cambridge Singers/ John Rutter Conducting) right now and I'm wondering if GOD Himself might smoke Marlin Flake on occasion. This is so absouletly fine. It is beyond words for me. Enjoy! Thank you Kohlhase & Kopp & Co. You are so right - This is pipe smoking!! May GOD richly bless you this Christmas!!

Ahhh!!!!

A word of explanation- This was my first foray into straight virginias! Although I have tried several since, MF is certainly in a category of its own. This tobacco is so rich! Never have I experienced a better tin aroma than this. The smell was reminiscent of everything comforting in the world- fresh bread, figs, and old hay to name a few. The taste was fairly one dimensional until the last part of the bowl when it got some spice to it. This is not a bad thing! Since I normally smoke english blends, It was a refreshing change to be able to concentrate on the simple, rich taste of tobacco. The only downfall to this smoke was my own lack of experience with VA tobaccos, i.e. the unbelievable tongue burn I experienced when I quit concentrating on my puffing technique and went straight after that great flavor! I have learned much since then but still prefer my beloved english blends. Regardless I would recommend to any VA lover.

##UPDATE## I am updating this review approxiametly 4 months after opening my first tin. It has since become one of my favorite tobaccos, enough that it has led me to try other straight virginia flakes. I simply had to take some time to learn how to smoke it. I think it helps that I let the tin dry out a bit as well. I give it 2 thumbs up!!!!!

Marlin Flake is famous for its presentation in the form of long strips of flakes, though in my particular can they came quite torn apart, appearing more like a broken flake. Very moist and pretty sticky, so I think there might be some humectant or casing added here.

Pretty easy to rub out, but requiring quite a long drying time. Most reviewers mentioned 20-30 minutes, but I've found that's not nearly enough. If I do so, it will not burn properly, it will require a lot of relights, burn hot, leave the bowl almost soaking wet and become pretty harsh. I've found that the best result comes after 90 minutes of drying time, which is far more than I would normally do with a flake. To put it into perspective, not even Gawith flakes require this much drying time for me.

Once at the proper moisture, then it's an enjoyable VaPer. It carries that Dark Virginia taste that seems pretty typical for Rattray's: mature, fermented, fruity, cereal, yeasty, a little toasty, somewhat earthy and sweet. In fact, that sweetness seems a bit pumped up, leading me to believe that there might be some sort of sugar casing added to this, though the Black Cavendish might also be responsible for that. The Perique stays in the background and provides a hint of raisins and figs, with a bit of pepper if doing a retro.

Not a bad VaPer, though it has a bit more sweetness than I usually prefer in a Virginia. I would still reach for Old Gowrie over this, but it's still a good VaPer on its own merit. Plus, that very long drying time can be quite a nuisance. All in all, it's good and warrants a recommendation, especially for one who has a sweet tooth or an affinity for sweet Virginias.

I liked this tobacco from the first pipe I smoked. Although in fact I started to like it before, since I opened the tin, because the presentation and the aroma of the very long flake, rolled and frayed, seem extraordinary to me, with a sweet aroma of stewed fruits that makes you want to eat it. The tobacco comes slightly damp, but good enough to load immediately without the need for many re-ignitions and at the same time allowing it to keep well in its container. The perique feels very little so I use this mix within my rotation as if it were a virginia straight. It does not bite, unless it is smoked too hastily. Highly recommended.

Summary: a sweet Virginia flake with minor contributions from Perique, Cavendish, and a sugary topping.

The question facing any reviewer is ultimately, "Would you buy this again?" This is what your readers need to know, and it is why reviewers who receive free stuff often praise all of it; for them, the question of scarce resources never enters the picture. When you open the tin of "Marlin Flake," a faint fig-like smell drifts up, and on first light you get the flavor of marshmallows from the sugar topping rapidly transitioning to a steady, sweet Virginia smoke. This is a good flake, but the Perique and Cavendish play a minor role, somewhat overshadowed by the amaretto and licorice toppings which with some sugar and PG make this an even sweeter but slow and gently burning blend. To me, it tastes more like "Sir Walter Raleigh" than a straight Virginia flake, and has the similar OTC appeal. You can load this in a pipe, light it, and wander around for a few hours with a thin stream of flavorful smoke at all times. However, to be fair, I prefer the less-sweetened and more varied internal flavor of *Hal O' The Wynd*, even if it unfortunately does not come in flake form.

For me, it was love at first puff when it comes to Marlin Flake. It’s just my version of the ideal taste and strength for an all-day, every day (or until I get bored) blend.

The tin note smells exactly like I think pipe tobacco should smell. The flakes are long, delicate and maybe a tad too moist.

The flakes rub out easily, and we’re left with strands of chestnut brown and near-black.

Once lit, Marlin smokes slow and cool. You’ll forgive me for not offering tasting notes at this point. I just don’t have that nuanced a palate. I will say it’s more savory than sweet, and the overall flavor will be familiar to those who have had Hal o the Wynd, Brown Clunee and, I suspect, Old Gowrie. I haven’t sampled that last one yet, although it’s on deck.

The taste is complex enough to be engaging when you want it to be, but not so much so that you can’t enjoy it while reading or puttering.

Confession: I only smoked Marlin Flake for the first time early yesterday. But I’ve smoked it enough to have already ordered five more 1.75 oz tins, which will put my stash at a little under a pound.

A bit premature on my part, you say? Maybe, but I’ve sampled quite a few blends this calendar year, and none have wowed me quite like Marlin.

This is my new number one, so naturally it gets four stars.

The use of darker, sweet, Virginias is evident compared to the bright and red Virginas used in Old Gowrie and Hal O The Wynd. Because of that, it delivers a fruitier base, cooled and supplemented by the cavendish, and just slightly spiced by the Perique.

The Perique is there but like Stonehenge Flake, it almost doesnt deserve to be labled a "VaPer". And that it isnt a shot against it. The nic content is maybe a tad above mild. Even as a nic wimp, I can have back-to-back bowls with littel to no side affects. An absolutely enjoyable blend that Ill definitely keep around. It is tied, if not surpasses, my enjoyment of Old Gowrie. It probably depends on the day. 8.5/10.