Robert McConnell Scottish Flake

Bought it today after finishing a tin of Oriental, also from McConnell. I haven't smoked a flake in a while now and, since University Flake wasn't available, I chose this (in fact it wasn't much of a choice, this being the only flake available in the respective tobacco shop). Upon opening the tin, the flakes were pretty dry and had the smell of freshly mowed grass with a hint of plums. The tobacco taste after the lighting was of pure Virginia with a small spicy taste from the Turkish. If this is made from an original Scottish recipe then I would say that the Scots prefer milder tobaccos than the Irish. I found this a little milder than University Flake and way milder than Irish Flake. But this is a good tobacco, great to smoke anytime and anywhere. My sincere congratulations to the blenders. This officially became my substitute when I cannot find University Flake.

I am sure I will be told I am wrong... and I probably am... but I would not be surprised if Scottish Flake and Old Gowrie weren't the same tobacco in different tins. Both are Made by Kohlhas & Kopp and both have the same tobacco's making up the blend....and oh yeah the taste the same. I went as far as smoking back to back bowls in the same pipe and I cannot tell the difference. I will admit that my palate is probably not as refined as others that review here, I often miss nuances I read about in other reviewers blends. This blend is earthy, nutty and woody. There MAY be a bit more perique in SF than in OG but I cannot say for sure, I did think I got more of a nose tingle from the SF but nothing more in taste. The profile is the same (see my review of Old Gowrie). The DFK is the star and the VA is toasty and bready. Not complex but very tasty. I don't care if it IS the same, both are very good VABur's and if my local shop is out of one I can always buy the other. I think I was able to get SF a bit cheaper so if I had to choose...this would be the one for that reason alone.

Usually, when i smoke a virginia based tobbacco, it comes out too cigarette-like for my taste (i don't like cigarettes at all). This one was an instant surprise. A warm, somewhat spicy blend with a bit of a kick. Just a small puff is enough to fill your mouth and i love it. It has a steady, continuous taste from top to bottom and it's flavor is rich with amazing clarity, although it burns a bit hot as you smoke it. No casing, no bite at all. Also, it is packed into a flake beautifully. It is a blend that i will not smoke throughout the whole day, but rather wait for a special occasion (perhaps in the evening with a drink). A downside of the blend would be it's room note. The feedback i got from others is not the best as they found it smelling like a heavy cigarette, almost too heavy (even for smokers). I have smoked it both fresh from tin and dry and truth is it retains most of it's well balanced feeling, but when dry it burns quickly (for a flake).

To summarize, an awesome non-aromatic blend to smoke alone now and then.

Would i Buy it again? I most definetely will. Would i Recomend it for new smokers? Yes, but with caution if it is your first non-aromatic. Would i recomend it for aromatic smokers? If you want something different for a change, no second thought.

I feel bad that I did not try this great blend before.

The flakes are dark in color, with a wonderful, pure, grassy sweet, soure fig like, Virginia smell. The flavors are just what I was searching for. The flakes have a high humidity level, so I aired the stuff. The airing settled also the flavors for sure. Flakes pack well. It burns well. Smokes cool. I personally didn't detect any casing. Beside the quality Virginia I enjoyed a spicy flavor which I think means a Turkish addition and somehow a perfectly balanced addition of Burley maybe. The overall smoking experience of this tobacco is great. Offers all the satisfaction of a true pipe tobacco. I highly recommend it.

"Coal to Newcastle" could be the title of this review, since there are plenty here already. But I liked this so well that I have to comment. I'm not generally a "straight Virginia" smoker. I like my latakia and perique and usually don't care for blends without them. This tobacco changed my mind. On opening the tin, I found these lovely, thin and lightly moist flakes. Easily folded, crumbled, rolled into a ball, they lit nicely and burned well. I quickly found that if I hurried, my tongue would get a quick message telling me to slow down. Once I did, a wonderful flavor and volumes of smoke were the results. After just one bowl, this has a place in my regular rotation. Now to try some of the other McConnell blends.

Ahh, Scottish Flake what a wonderful tobacco! The smoke is so full and satisfying right down to the bottom of the bowl. Rich smokey, creamy and never bites always clean burning. I would highly recommend this tobacco. One of my all time favorites!

This is really good, truly delicious. In the tin it smells very tart and sweet. The flakes are a perfect thickness and nice and wide as well. Once lit, it tastes like a tart Red Virginia with an extra level of body than a standard Red Va. flake. I didn’t taste the Perique or the Orientals that are in the blend or the rum topping for that matter, but I’m quite sure I’d miss them were they not in the mix. The Burley pops up here and there, but it’s mostly the tart Red Virginia that shines. Scottish Flake is a prime example of the blenders art, all of these complimentary tobaccos and the rum are applied with a skill that accentuates the Virginia and makes it more than it could be on its own without distracting your attention from the fine Red Virginia leaf. Most highly recommended.

First of all, speaking of the debate about the ingredients of this blend, on my tin there was no description at all, or maybe it was well hidden below the warning label… Anyway I don’t care much of it: for me it’s not important to identify the single components so to tell what is woody, what is grassy, what is earthy and so on, I’m interested in how the single tobaccos interact to generate the overall taste, and in this case their interaction is nearly perfect, the taste is dark, bold and full from the first to the end of the bowl. No byte, no harshness, stays lit (once rubbed) without problems, it’s a real enjoyment! Very recommended.

I wrote K&K to affirm the ingredients here. They claim they have always had rum in this blend. But in fact it is VERY mild. Almost not noticeable at all. It is there to soften the Kentucky smokiness, of which there is only a little. It is a not uninteresting blend. And K&K, as with Rattrays blends, has tried to be loyal to the old McConnell recipe. The mostly succeed I think. It is a true scottish flake in the sense that everything but the kitchen sink is tossed into this. The results are pretty good on the whole. I feel like Im being unenthusiastic when in fact I think it a top flight blend. I almost wish there were more rum to be honest. Dark Virginia and Kentucky, a tiny pinch of Perique. -- and there are several virginias involved and all of it stoved.Its a 3 and a half star blend....although Im only giving it three. Aging may well do wonders for this blend.

Apparently there was some confusion with labeling. A few black labels listed Oriental leaf. So Im told. There is no oriental in this blend. And never was according to K&K.