Tobaccos Mac Baren - Original Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2013-03-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There's a lightly subdued natural Virginia dark fruit sweetness and earth mixed in with the mild earthy nuttiness of the smoky, lightly woody Kentucky burley, which also has a little molasses and brown sugar sweetness. The spice from the Kentucky is very mild. The burley is the lesser component in terms of composition, but there's a healthy amount of it present. A few detect a little Lakeland essence, but I do not. It is not here at all. The topping reminds me of treacle, but I'm not certain that is what it is, and I think it's more fruit-like. Has a mild nic-hit. Won't bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl, requires an average number of relights, and has a nice after taste. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2014-07-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This was a generous gift from a friend. The flakes are dense and dark. There is a wonderful smell of slightly smokey and rich tobacco in the "tin" note.

I have rubbed mine out, and found the smoking experience to be similar to St. Bruno. It had a depth and smokey, slightly spicy quality from the Kentucky. The topping is very mild and may be a berry of some kind. The flavor profile is a little more Virginia forward than St. Bruno. It all works very well.

When puffed, you get more of the topping and the Kentucky. Sipped, it is a slightly sweet Virginia with Kentucky and mild berry notes. The strength is a little overrated in some of the reviews, and I find it to be milder in vitamin N than Old Dark Fired. I liked it and found it nicely balanced.

if this was all I had to smoke, I would be happy with Ogden's Walnut. It is not easily or affordably availible in the US, and that is a pity.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-09-13		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Retyped on 25/08/20.

Mac Baren - Original Flake (formerly 'Walnut Flake).

What a fantastic smoke! I didn't feel my review did it justice so am redoing it! Just opening the tray from the pouch makes my mouth water. Dark flakes, of which there are two rows, they have a slightly leather-like aroma, and a fabulous level of hydration.

The smoke? WOW! It has a slightly leathery touch, as per the tin-note, a strong flavour of nutty Burley, and is underscored by a fire-cured character. These flavours all coalesce together perfectly, resulting in a smoke that's good enough to eat! Ironically, the smoke is almost chewy in its thickness! It burns without a hitch, distributing a cool, bite-free, smoke.

Nicotine: healthy. Room-note: quite nice.

Original Flake? One of those blends where every bowl seems more enjoyable than the last; IMO. Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Various

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2018-01-10		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Children love walnuts, which is evident every time you go to the shops and witness those hordes of little boys and girls nagging and pulling their poor mothers to the nut and dried-fruit section of the supermarket. So Walnut Flake must now be called 'Original Flake', because the original name encouraged too many children to take up pipe smoking. Is this the logic of our nanny state?

Ranting aside, 'Original Flake' is indeed a tasty and nutty blend of burley and Virginia - along the lines of St Bruno, though with far less added aroma, and Peterson's Irish Flake, but with less nicotine. I've always found it a touch less smooth than those two blends, but it's still a very enjoyable tobacco and you should definitely give it a try if you like flake tobacco of this genre and tradition.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Austin Gosling (4)	2016-01-21		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Sometimes, I think it is the circumstance as much as the tobacco. This evening, one and a half flakes of this in a smallish group 3 Dunhill ring grain gave me nearly two hours of a much needed respite from 10h of meetings in a stuffy conference room. That, and a cup of tea.

My first thought was, "Irish Flake!", but I soon noticed a sweet component on top of it that I rather like. Walnut flake maintains its cheerfulness much further down the bowl than Irish Flake, which tends to get into a bit of a slump near the bottom.

Very cool, tasty without requiring much exploring. Just what I needed tonight! It did need a relight about 2/3 down, but that was probably me relaxing so much that I let it go. I had prepared it with half a flake crumbled up in the bottom and a folded flake vertically on top of that, then some bits on top of that.

Suggestion: There should be two room note entries. To me, it was pleasant. to my wife it was, "... oh, one of the strong ones you got from England?".

Pipe Used: Dunhill Group 3 ring grain

Age When Smoked: Freshly purchased

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

Similar Blends: Irish Flake, Stirling Flake.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-12-28		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was fortunate to make a trade with s UK brother, and this fine blend was one he sent me. I have been wanting to try for some time now. This is one mild blend, tame as a little kitten, could not make it bite or scratch. But plenty of great flavor. It is semi sweet in taste, the aromatic aspect is on the subtle side, nothing as flavored in the Highland tradition like a St Bruno or a Condor, but there in the background. It has no soapy taste at all, just a nice sweet mild blend that burned very well in my pipe all the way down, with no moisture and just a little dottle left. The ash in the bottom is a dark grey and very fine, and powdered out of my pipe when tapping it out. The packaging is interesting, comes in a platic tray with a foil cover and then inside a pouch. Only problem is, you can't reseal the container. It is composed of thinly sliced flakes of a dark coffee brown color with some light, almost Khaki colored pieced mingled in. I let mine dry just a little and it was perfect. This is another of the fine UK tobaccos I have come to really enjoy and were it available to me in the US, I would make it part of my rotation. Highly recommended.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2014-03-26		Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable

Walnut is, in many ways, similar to St. Bruno. It contains VA, Burley and fire cured leaf (read: Kentucky), and it has this typical oily texture and feel, as found only in UK.

Whereas St. Bruno is rather soapy with rose, geranium, and perhaps tonquin oils, Walnut is only ever so lightly flavoured.

Walnut is strong, and I recommend sipping it. It also behaves best in a pipe with a small chamber and thick walls.

Taste and smell when lit is pungent, semi-sweet, cigar-like - a bit like Old Holborn rolling tobacco, should you ever have committed the "sin" of enjoying a home rolled cigarette.

I like it very much on outdoor occasions, when the weather is crisp and cool (it's often like that in Denmark), because it seems that I only truly appreciate Kentucky in the open.

Quality leaf, indeed. Monochromatic. Masculine.

Highly recommended for Bruno-fans who seek something less soapy.

=== Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark ===

Pipe Used: Stanwell Lovat

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-12-06		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Walnut is a very pleasant flake of the very most British tradition, something of the same league of St. Bruno.

High density firm flakes, medium-dark brown with lighter specs. A "regular" tobacco smell from the sealed plastic ashtray. Stoved Virginias, Burley & Kentucky, this is going to reveal as a manly smoke. Something similar to Peterson's Irish Flake, IMHO.

A medium-small bowled Sasieni, prince shape, one of my best axes, was used for the purpose of this review. One flake and half were partially rubbed into three small balls. Lighting needs quite a bit of commitment and patience... but then the whole surface went in fire and I'm in the game.

A steadily dry and thick smoke, good volume. It's mainly a nutty/woody/earthy aroma, secondarily musty/sweet. The fire-cured leaf has been used with a perfect balance. No trace of soap into this... and whichever the imposed flavouring is, it's just over the "none detected". Strength starts medium and develops to the strong side, so my rating is the average. The body is firmly in the medium-to-strong territory.

Walnut Flake earns my highest rating. This is one I would have in my regular rotation.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-09-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I have been all round the houses, if you care to search my reviews, to esoteric blends and flakes and mixtures from various companies but in general my enjoyment was not sustained and I could not find a tobacco with consistent manufacturing qualities so I went back to basics. My Dad smoked Walnut Flake so did my Uncle Joe. He smoked it all his smoking life, and why? Well it is simple. It is good, consistent, available almost anywhere and reasonably priced. Who am I trying to kid with all these fancy tobaccos? Those that my Dad used to refer to as sweepings up or squaw tobacco. Well my old Dad died some years ago but he knew best alright.

If you are fed up with not been able to get hold of fancy brands because the company has no idea how to market their product and you are looking for an even mannered slow burning all day smoke that will not offend company which light easily and does not leave sludge in the bowl. Look no further. I honestly can recommend this tobacco of the highest order.

I just noticed the reviewer below state that Walnut Flake is no longer available in the Uk. What absolute balderdash. It is widely available and also stocked in supermarkets.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2003-12-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I like this blend so bear with me as I unfold its history, at least as I learned it.

I first heard of it several years ago while reading a back issue of The Pipe Smoker's Ephermeris (Spring-Summer 1997), p. 70. There a Simon Shepard of England boldly reviewed some 70 exotic blends, in terms of strength, aroma, coolness, etc., and scored each from 0 to 10. At the top of the list, his "king of all tobaccos" was Walnut Flake, with a perfect 10 score! Condor Long Cut, a fine scented flake, was next with a 6.

Walnut Flake was described by him as having superb flavor, cool, slow burings, satisfying, tranquilizing, rich, not too strong so it can be smoked all day, good quality, never boring, etc. He wrote an inquiry to the manufacturer, Imperial, and received a reply on 9/26/96, reprinted on p. 19 of the Winter 1998 Ephemeris. Imperial was pretty secretive, but did say the blend was introduced in 1905 but that they did not know why it was called that other than it tasted as sweet as a nut(I guess also indicating a nut flavoring was not involved). They described the blend process as involving leaf from four continents, large blending units, flavoring, moistening, standing, caking, pressure storing, and cutting into flakes.

I had to try this!

After some time in looking, I found Walnut Flake a http://www.davidsweets.com in Wakefield UK. (About $10.00 a 50 gm. pouch with mailing. Stuff came in one week from England. Good service and a sample too boot. Thanks David.) I ordered three pouches, and have spent a week smoking 11 bowls in a 25 year old, unsmoked algerian briar pipe from the former Garfinkle, of Wash., D.C., a small squat bulldog; and about 7 bowls in a nearly new Nording high grade (#14). I had to smoke several bowls of this new tobacco to smoke some McB Navy Flake out of the then new Nording that I had broken it in with, but the olde Garfinkle broke in after just a few pipefuls. They don't make briar much like that anymore.

The tray in the pouch has some 30, 1" by 3" flakes, mostly brownish leaf, with some black (about 1/3) and a few flashes of blond leaf. It smells coffee like in the pouch. A right level of moisture too.

I am told by relatives that the buring aroma is earthy, foresty (more bark like than just woody). No artificial scent was noted.

I found that twisting a flake and pushing it in the pipe chamber worked fine. It was steady burning after the initial lites. It does burn slowly. It's medium/medium strong, with a mostly natural flavor. It is heavier than F&T cut virginia plug, and similar in flavor to but not quite as full as G&H's Brown Flake (unscented). It does not have a sweet scented flavor but has a relatively deep, dark flavor (but not nearly so as a true all dark flake). It is cool and relatively dry, but it does have some burley and fire cured leaf in it. So some smokers may call it just plain strong, but I've tasted stronger. Aging, beyond what it is already, is not needed.

Well, I don't know that I could call it the king, but it certainly should be knighted. I plan on smoking the other two pouches to see if my opinion stands or changes. I hope to be able to order more. But I did give it a fair test with smoking 50 grams in now dedicated pipes. If you like flakes on the fuller side without being too stout flavored, try some.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2017-12-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

New pouch presentation for me as this came in a plastic tray sealed with a foil top within a traditional OTC type pouch. The flakes were moist but not wet and certainly ready for smoking. Twenty four 1 inch by 3 inch flakes were present, brownish/black in appearance with minimal light leaf visible and thinly sliced ala Mac Baren style. Seems more than what you get with Peterson's University /Irish Flake for 50 gms! There was no pouch aroma at all. Loading and lighting was quite easy, after which I had an enjoyable smoke. At first there was no taste whatsoever, but after a few minutes there was a nice, subtle berry note, and overall sweeter (but not cloying) as compared to Peterson's University Flake; which for me is the most similar tobacco to Original Flake. For me, OF tops UF. Also similar to St Bruno Flake minus the mild Lakeland toppings.The sweetness was brown sugar like and the slightest bit nutty. Unlike UF, there never was any harshness present nor did this smoke hot or with a bite. It smoked clean and dry to the heal. There is the slightest soap-like presence with the after taste (very slight and not always present). There is a moderate nic hit if you tend to smoke too quickly but not over the top. No Lakeland presence that I could detect either. The cost of ordering from the UK for USA delivery is the only negative to prevent this from becoming a regular smoke ($25.93 plus around $10 for shipping for 50 gms). Overall a very nice smoking experience.

Pipe Used: Peterson smooth tankard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: MrSnuff.com

Similar Blends: Peterson University Flake, St Bruno Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2017-02-09		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I first tried this at a forum get together in my first year of pipe smoking. I smoked a bowl. One of about 10 or so I smoked that day whilst consuming a 12 pack of Molson's over a good 12 hour bender. I remember it because I heard so much about this and there was an unopened pouch sitting on a table. I asked about it and the person who brought it said, help yourself.

My thoughts at that time were that it was a smokey and slightly soapy blend. From my jaded memory, I had myself convinced that this blend had latakia in it. I am glad I did not write a review the next day based on that experience. So all of that was just to say that if you are one of those people who smokes a bowl at a social gathering, you should not review it after the fact. A proper review requires time with the blend.

Fast forward to three years later and my piping friends growing outside the US, I have put some trades together to land more Walnut and now have a few pouches in the cellar. After finishing the first pouch, I can affirmatively say there is no latakia in this blend. lol The smokiness I perceived then is still there it is just my palate is more experienced to know this was dark fired Kentucky leaf.

One thing that remains from my first taste to the last, is that this stuff rocks. Between Condor and Walnut, I would say the Brits are truly blessed with their OTC options. Walnut is much different than Condor though. It is much less soapy and perhaps more of a brown sugar/fruity sweetness with just a slight floral twang. The topping is very hard to ascertain and may include some flavors/essences that I am just not accustomed to being an American as I am.

This one also has a decent Nicotine hit, although I find it to be less than St. Bruno. It is really a smooth smoking treat that I believe most Burley lovers would enjoy.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2004-01-31		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a tobacco worth trying at least once in your life. And for me, once was enough.

Upon opening the unique pouch, I was hit with the pungent smell of a cold campfire. The pressed flakes were almost black and appeared to have been stoved for an extended period of time. More dry that moist, the flakes rubbed out easily and an even pack job was simple.

At the match, the campfire smell turned into a campfire flavor (smokey and somewhat ashey) that did not overwhelm me with delight. This blend has some punch (which, I enjoyed) but the flavor was unrefined and became really harsh the farther down the bowl I progressed.

I tried Walnut Flake in a variety of small pipes but never found a compatible briar for this weed. Once half the pouch was suitably consumed, I took the rest to one of my pipe club meetings. While it didn't strike out with the group, it didn't get past first base either.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John_B (35)	2018-08-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I have returned to Pipe Smoking after a hiatus of about 10 years and decided on treating myself to a new Ben Wade Woodsman Dublin Zulu. I wanted to use a bold fuller flavoured flake (nice and cool) to break it in. I would have chosen Redbreast Flake if it was still available but sadly it has long since gone the way of the Dodo. St Bruno is good but not my favorite and it can impart a taste of its own. I had smoked Walnut flake in the dim distant past and remembered that Ogdens had at the time of withdrawing Redbreast recommended Walnut as the closest replacement. Fast forward to the present day and Mac Baren now make Original (aka Walnut) flake and the Ogdens factory is gone. I ordered 50g of the latest production from Mysmokingshop.com and loved every puff of it from the get go. It burns the coolest of any tobacco I have ever smoked and lights easily and stays lit and burns down to a light grey ash. It has a stout leathery earthy honest tobacco pouch note with no soapyness. It tastes amazingly good with citrus notes aplenty and a solid background of Burley nuttyness. Nicotine is medium to strong and perfectly manageable. The room note is one of the best I personally have experienced, being "proper" tobacco aromas and not artificial.casings and toppings. The blend was introduced in 1905 and it and its Stable Mate St Bruno flake are as close to time travel as we can come. The aroma reminds me of pipe smokers that I knew 50 years ago working in a garden potting shed with my father. Just that real honest sweet tobacco smell. In summation, I have found my ideal tobacco and it has become my daily smoke. It is great as it arrives with perfect moisture but jarring it is a must, as the packing is not air tight once opened and I have found that the flavours benefit from the time in a jar. If you are looking for a true English Heritage Flake then look no further than Original (Walnut).This is it !

Update.

This tobacco is exceptionally cool burning and is perfect for those prone to tongue bite. It is at its absolute best in a Falcon System Pipe.

Pipe Used: Ben Wade, Peterson Shamrock, Falcon and others.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.com

Similar Blends: G&H Brown U/S, St Bruno..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (112)	2012-09-04		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I cant express how much I like this blend . It's rich , burns perfect & has plenty of nicotine . It's a finely cut flake that has , imo , what smells like a little bit of Tonka/tonquin bean added to it . I dont get the Lakeland soap thing goin on nor do I get a berry flavor at all . I do taste a rich fermented tobacco flavor . It burns cool and dry as can be . It starts med and tends towards full at the finish . It's a ' back in the day ' blend that , if I could get it all the time , I'd smoke the daylight out of it !

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-08-26		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

finally got around to trying this. glad i did!

pouch note is virginia-kentucky, a mix of fermented leaf and smokiness. a littele flavouring, not as much as there probably is in st. bruno.

easy to pack and light, and initial impression is first of all mature, sweet fruity/berryish tasting virginia - but it is immediately clear that this is potent tobacco. slowly the taste deepens, and the kentucky becomes more dominant. burns well all the way to the ash.

i believe it has a little less kentucky (and perhaps even less flavouring) than does st. bruno, but they're otherwise very similar. a splendid tobacco!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-03-11		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable to Strong

The version of Walnut Flake I've enjoyed is from Ogden's of Liverpool and comes in a plastic sealed tray inside a pouch, not a tin. The in tray aroma is that of pure natural tobacco. Easily folded, bent and stuffed or rubbed out, Walnut Flake is easy to load into the pipe and easy to light.

It is wonderfully rich and stout with natural tobacco flavor that strengthens as the bowl is smoked down with absolutely no bite. It smokes very cool and slow with a superb balance of Virginia flavor complimented with a nutty burley flavor rounding it off nicely. In short it has a very musty earthen taste all the way down the bowl.

I truly enjoyed the time I spent with Walnut Flake while visiting relatives in Scotland. However, since Ogden's is not available in the States, I have to be content savoring the great memories of time spent smoking it. As this review is being written, I'm enjoying my last bowlful and will miss this flake a lot. If the opportunity should arise to procure more of this fine flake in the future, I'll surely do so!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-03-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I seldom read tobacco reviews on any blend before I've written my own in order to stay as unbiased as possible. But the reviews on this one remind me that tastes differ and more so, our interpretations of strength? This one full??? Or strong??? They were hard to miss so I read further. Hmmm... well, MY interpretation follows.

Comes in a pouch with the tobacco inside a sealed plastic tray. Pretty cool. Pop the seal, take what tobacco you need and reseal the pouch. The tobacco is a nice deep brown with a mild aroma of Lakeland essence, nothing too heavy. The flavor is mild as well to my tastebuds, with a muted fruitiness that is quite pleasant. I found the nicotine level on the lower side. Everything about this tobacco screams "mild". Comparisons to St Bruno are prevalent but St Bruno has a much more noticeable burst of flavor at lightup that lasts the entire bowl. This is much more subdued. Where St Bruno is a classic, this one is "merely" good. I can't say the flavor is walnut per se, but I can't say it isn't. Whatever it is, it's mild and pleasant - nothing to write home about, but still quite nice and mellow. Not very spicy or complex, this one could definitely be an all day smoke, as it won't overpower the smoker with flavor or nicotine. Definitely recommended, but not destined for my cellar.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2005-12-02		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

150 grams later and I've decided to upgrade this to the highest rating. I now tend to agree with the sentiments in the Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris article in the review below. =

This is somewhat like Peterson's University flake, and somewhat like St. Bruno, and can give you a gut punch of the highest order.

There's a kind of mysterious berry note which may or may not be an added flavoring. It could be a blend reversal of St. Bruno, I have no idea. In any event, the added flavorings are not as strong, and the presence of VA is further in the background, than in St. Bruno or Condor. I find it very tasty and chimerical.

If fairly moist, smoked slowly, rubbed out and packed lightly, it is only medium in body, a little soapy and fruity, and the strength stays in the background. When dried further, packed too firmly (with unrubbed chunks), smoked quickly or inhaled, it can send you to the showers.

A slightly tempermental but exciting tobacco for the lover of strong English flakes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2004-09-19		Strong	Strong	Very Full	Tolerable to Strong

I finally have managed to get enough of this to say I will smoke it regularly. In the package its cut, texture, appearance and aroma is about as similar to St. Bruno Flake as it could be without being St. Bruno. And its moisture content and handling characteristics are identical. At the match you notice the difference. This does not have as strong a flavoring component. My guess is that the tobacco elements are the same as SB's, but the top dressing is slightly different. While not as pronounced as in SB, the flavoring is there aplenty. The smoke is sweet and spicy (not peppery), and it has no bite. I would also guess that this blend has a bit more burly because the tobacco flavor suggests burly without coming right out with it. This has a full, rich tobacco flavor which grows in strength as the top dressing flavor recedes. Perhaps it was named after a street somewhere or perhaps it contains some walnut extract. I smoke it in a #4 meer. After finishing a bowl, I seem to detect an aftertaste similar to the aftertaste of English walnuts; not the taste, the aftertaste. It's a great companion to SB. Highly recommend to the lover of English scented flakes, and most highly recommended to the lover of St. Bruno. Paddy.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2020-07-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a little bit bland. But it makes up for that with honest quality. It's no nonsense and stays cool and slow burning. It's pretty much st Bruno flake without the perfume infusion. Smells abit generic in the room, and the pouch note is mediocre. All middle of the road . But it's a honest no nonsense quality smoke. It's like Nescafé original in that it delivers the goods without pomp and ceremony. Satisfying nicotine hit too

Pipe Used: Poul Winslow crown Viking Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My smoking shop

Similar Blends: St Bruno flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2017-05-22		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A dark flake somewhat in the tradition of St Bruno; the flavour is similar, but the 'fruitiness' characteristic of St B is nowhere near so pronounced here. Original Flake reminds me a little bit of the long defunct Player's Digger Flake. It's a slow burning and cool smoke with a pleasant room note; like all flakes (IMO) it's better folded than rubbed out. After a fairly unexciting start, the flavour develops in fullness and richness as you go down the bowl, and I never find any messy dottle at the end.

OF is fairly strong and needs to be taken slowly, but I know several people for whom it (and its previous avatar, Walnut Flake) is an all-day smoke. It all depends on what you like, of course; but if you're an old fashioned pipe smoker for whom St Bruno is a benchmark, this'll do you nicely. I think I'd describe it as more civilized and subtle than St B., but with the same kind of old fashioned and substantial fullness.

I find that OF needs quite a few relights, but that's no big problem, and it probably wouldn't if you rubbed it out. It responds well to DGT. Like many traditional blends that have been homogenised for mass production, it isn't as good as it used to be, but it's still a good choice, and value for money. Original Flake is packaged in the same way as St Bruno Flake is now, in an inconvenient (and unresealable) little plastic carton inside a plastic pouch; so you'll need to transfer it to a leather pouch or jar. Jarring it for a while mellows it noticeably, I find.

Word on the grapevine is that Original Flake is to go out of production fairly soon; so if you like it, now would be a good time to stock up.

Pipe Used: Peterson Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the shop

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop UK

Similar Blends: St Bruno Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Causeway (8)	2017-05-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Walnut (now Original) Flake is my idea of a proper quality smoking experience; alongside St Bruno and the now sadly discontinued Navy Cut Players. In a well-packed bowl it smokes slowly and slightly hot, giving off that enviable signal of a delicious smoke - a low, mellow cloud of white smoke that seems to inhabit the bowl along with the tobacco. It has no discernable topping or flavourings; the basic tobacco comes through true and strong, but with a maturity that adds voice to the leaf. It can be an all-day smoke but familiarity tends to lessen its impact, so it's well-worth smoking every other day. Resonantly good stuff.

Pipe Used: Stonehaven

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-04-24		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is based on only three bowls of Walnut Flake. The flakes are dark brown with a small number of light tan specs interspersed into the flake. There is a bit of the Lakeland style scent in the pouch that leans toward the soapy side, but it is not at all overpowering. It is moist is definitely needs some dry time. In the pipe, my best results were accomplished by a fairly light pack of small pieces with some rubbed out on top. This flake is very smooth and offers no bite, even when pushed, although I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re sitting down as it has a healthy dose of nicotine. I am guessing that the smoothness is a result of steaming the tobacco, but that is strictly a guess. The flavor of this blend is quite deep although not complex. I find it richer and fuller than Ogden’s St Bruno. It is earthy, lightly sweet and doesn’t offer the sharpness (for lack of a better term) that I sometimes associate with dark fired. There is some added flavoring that I would liken to dark brown sugar. I think that this would be a great blend to cellar and I found myself wishing that I had.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2014-12-15		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first time trying an Ogden's blend, so it was a little surprising to see the odd little tinfoil covered tray inside the pouch. A pretty good compromise to real tins, I suppose. I'm thinking that if left sealed these pouches should last longer than a normal pouch would. Inside are two rows of 10x2 neatly cut, dark/brown flakes.

Pouch aroma strikes me as a quite stout stoved VA, and I also think there's some fruity alcohol based topping of some sort here present here (possibly cherry), but I don't mind, because it's actually quite nice. After airing the tobacco a little bit I did what I always do with pouch tobacco and promptly moved it over into a jar.

Moisture seems quite good as is and packing it is nearly effortless - I find I get the best results when resisting the temptation of using two flakes (about one and a half flakes is plenty to fill a larger pipe, even though it seems to be too little at first).

During charring it is a little sharp, but it settles down quickly enough to a nice and easygoing smolder. Predominately sweet VA to me with burley solidly set in the background at first. Towards the 2/3 point of the bowl there is a slight tangy spice element coming through that could very well be the KY making itself known, and it is also here that I find a little nuttiness and toast coming through as well.

As 3/3 approaches it seems to have settled more on the burley side of things. I wouldn't really call it full bodied, to me the burley may be dulling it down a little bit too much in that regard, as I think it removes the intensity and clearly pronounced flavours I associate with "full" blends - but I suppose that depends on how you feel about burley and the "toast" that comes with it. Personally I wouldn't have minded a dash more of KY to help expand the body aspect of the blend.

But overall this is a well behaved and pretty consistent tasting flake in the medium range - perhaps tilting towards strong as far as nicotine goes. Nothing unmanageable, but there's a good chance you'll feel it when the dottle is near, particularly if you're sensitive. To me this falls in the 2-star range (albeit in the upper range of the 2). I can see why this blend has a loyal following, but for me the burley seems to take up too much of the stage - but if that's what you're looking for, then this is probably a 3-star blend and the current 3.0 average seems fair to me.

Pipe Used: Northern Briars billiard, Savinelli 804 KS

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: MySmokingShop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-03-12		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Rather close to St-Bruno RR, but less strong. Again, the strength in nicotine overrules the actual taste of the tobacco. If you enjoy St-bruno then I believe you will enjoy this offering as well. For British OTC, I will stick with the excellent Condor RR and Long Cut.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2012-12-07		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very difficult tobacco for me to describe; the flavor is dark, slightly but pleasantly bitter. I get no sweetness at all; certainly not even a hint of Lakeland florals. A few times, I got a bit of toasted walnut or walnut oil towards the end, but that could be the power of suggestion. Overall, a satisfying smoke, but in a smaller bowl! Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is not too often.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2012-06-17		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

50g pouch with foil sealed carton inside.

Pouch aroma;black berry,boot polish,peculiar soapy domestic cleaning product,the magic teadybears floral forest,witches brew medicine,pot pouri incense..

It smells heady in the carton and mysterious,then it became mild as the package atmosphere dissipated.

Appearance;two rows of stacked flakes,dark brown,some light streaks of which some have a blue stain fade,,looks slightly like a sliced revor plug but with more of a robust St BRUNO hand feel consistancy.Quite moist.

I don't mess about and cut both stacks in half with tin snips and transfer to a kilner jar to preserve the essence.

I take about a flakes worth and fill a falcon pipe with a rustic dover bowl,twisted and rubbed out a bit to fluff it up.The flakes are quite crumbly and so loading with the grain of the flake pointing downwards towards the heel is difficult, so i just pile it in roughly.

Lighting;using matches it expands a bit and needs tamping to keep it down,,3 matches later and its going.

Medium light smoke,yet darkish and bodied at the same time,i realise that this is an easy smoke.Only when lit do i get the walnuts,bitter sweet toasted walnuts in their burn't or slightly charred husks,a well done date and wallnut cake edge minus the dates(wallnut cake then)probably an accidental nuance of the natural tobacco rather than an applied essence,it implies a wallnut factor if you use your imagination.

Certainly has charecter and evokes a strange atmosphere where i feel i am playing from the dark end of the chessboard,rosewood peices,its woody.

Being used to potent stuff it doesn't make much of a bombastic impression at this point;it seems quiet but thoughtful, with a wry pleased, private smile, as if it knows something i don't know. The aromatic flavour is strange and in my mind i am transported to an enchanted forest of undergrowth and wild berries,maybe poisonous to eat,or maybe magic?. A super green leafy canopy obove, with branches swaying with the breeze and strobing with the sun rays obove. Rough twisted tree roots abound,and creepers,ladybirds,dead twigs,mounds of green fresh moist grass with daisies,dandylions,dragon flies,some dwarfs,birds tweeting natures song. (I know this sounds stupid and irrelevant,but sometimes if i cannot describe an aroma sufficiently,i can only convey the landscapes i am sort of transported to,and might i add ;this escapism is the reason i smoke pipes,and no i am not a Tolkien romantic fantacist either BTW, although i read the books once.)

The first half of the bowl doesn't blow me away this time, but i appreciate its woody, spring woodland, utopian aroma. Quite a cool one,i decide to puff instead of sip to see what its made of and i get more interested(the visuals start).

Midway i suddenly get some good woodsy, barky soap, which then fades back to a consistant wallnut again.Nearing the bottom i start to taste that mystery,spicy,perfumish berry note,which evokes an indigo colour in my mind.

Nearest tobacco comparisons would be Revor plug,St Bruno flake,condor ready rubbed,but this has a persona of its own..

I cannot remember if i bought this online or at Sainsbury's now(i have bought about 50 different baccies lately).

Yes i would buy this again,i don't know if it will be an everyday smoke with me,it has the capability of being an alldayer but i generally go with harder hitters(kendal ropes,condor etc). But having visited the strange scenery that this evokes in my mind while smoking i know i will revisit once in a while.

The room note is quite mild,burns right down to a roughish dark mottled ash,and doesn't leave much moisture in the moisture trap so its a dry smoker.

An easy,tasty smoke,a teddybears picknick.Its alegorically chewing gum as opposed to a melt in the mouth affair;think of licorice root.It works best when puffed,i may try it folded and stuffed in a narrower gauge bowl later which might make it burn hotter because as it is, its quite a cool smoke.

UPDATE A FEW DAYS LATER:

Having it jarred and since leaving the pouch,a certain amount of the initially strange aromatic properties have faded:The taste is more rounded and less peaky.Expanding on what i have already noted i can say it is a lumpier textured smoke, but not rough,more "agricultural" is a good adjective for this light rustic smoke.

Starts off mild but tasteful,midbowl i start getting real toasted wallnuts again(probably burley producing this) and the berries return nearer the bottom.

Part of me wants to taste the topping as it tasted on the first trial,but i feel for the longterm that the baccy should be the decider of overal quality and not the topping,and so i will say that since the initial topping has dissipated somewhat,it has become a baccy that i will less tire of because i think that topping would become fatiguing if this baccy was smoked exclusively,as such it has transfigured into a more viable alldayer contender.

Definately worth three stars*

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	captain duff (13)	2012-04-28		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Tolerable

This is a 'proper' old english dark flake. Sadly the Ogdens in Liverpool factory no longer produces any tobacco, and I believe this is now made like the other Ogden's blends outside the UK (and has been for many years, no matter what the misleading packaging says). But it is still the 'real deal', alongside St Bruno and Player's Digger (that is still available if you know where to look!).

Less floral than St Bruno, and less sweet too (a bit like the difference between a milk and dark chocolate). I originally thought the name came from the colour, but there is definately a nutty taste there, particularly in the last half of a bowl.

If you only like american style aromatics then you won't like this, but if you like classic english blends where the tatse of natural tobacco is to the fore then you should love it. It may not be from a trendy 'artisan' producer, but it is a quality product nevertheless.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2011-07-21		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

Walnut Flake is a strong, mildly scented tobacco. Though the scenting is mild it is tenacious. Not only does it become a durable resident in the pipe, affecting many subsequent smokes, it also affects the palate and, on the day, you taste any other tobacco through the imprint of Walnut Flake. You either like the scenting, or not.

The flakes come dry and crumble easily. They burn very well and slowly, but very cool, leaving a very fine, dry ash. Inspite of these virtues the over-all experience is of a somewhat coarse, unrefined smoke. I have smoked this blend after seven and a half years. Those years seem not to have made any difference to the tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2010-02-11		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A little dissapointed in this one, instead of tobacco, all I got was soap and berries, all be it somewhat mildly, but enough for me to not want to try it again after only one pipe full and discard the rest. This may ring some bells, but not mine

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-12-22		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I first started smoking pipes this was one of the first tobaccos to really catch my attention (along with Diggers Flake), when it used to come in a little cardboard case with the tray inside (same as Diggers flake). I think it was still made in Liverpool then, so some of this review might be tinged with a bit of nostalgia. The first thing I bought when I started smoking pipes again was this (as most of my other favourites had disappeared from the shelves). As far as I can tell it isn't quite the same product, something has changed. I used to remember it being a sublime tobacco, and I thought upon opening a modern packet that something had gone in the smell of the tobacco and also that the flakes were drier and crumblier (crumbier?)

But having said all that it still smokes well and is easy to handle and is just simple to get along with. I really don't have any trouble with this stuff and I find its taste very agreeable. It smokes pretty evenly and there is a good change of taste about half way into a bowl that gets very nice; a deeper and more robust flavour starts to come out and whenever I finish the bowl it always seems a tad early, which I think is quite a good sign. Burns right down usually too, very little dottle.

I like it and it seems to still be a solid product, even though the packaging has been ruined. I would give it four stars but for the fact that I don't think it's as good as it once was and I hate all this thing where companies buy up brands and still stamp things like Ogden's of Liverpool when such a thing no longer exists. It is good tobacco I think, but there is definitely better stuff out there.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-01-19		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Disappointing that a flake doesn't come in a tin but that's cost cutting I suppose. Once you peel the foil off the plastic tray there's no way of resealing the pack.

Presentation was poor with not all of the flakes stacked uniformly and a couple of them not being intact. This being the case I rubbed out one and a half for my first smoke.

It's called Walnut because it tastes of walnuts. This however can sometimes equate to a dry, bitter smoke. I've never had a really "soapy" smoke before this one but now I know what the term means! It has little of the virginia sweetness of its Ogdens relative - St Bruno.

In its favour it burns well, is cool and mellow with no bite (in a 9mm filter pipe) It offers a satisfying nutty smoke without being too heavy on the nicotine.

The packet states "Rich in flavour and exceptionally cool". It's fairly accurate but whether the flavour is for you is a matter of opinion.

No longer readily available in the shops in the UK, I had to get it mail order.

UPDATE - revised review and upgrade to 2* after a few more smokes of Walnut

UPDATE 2 - Two weeks later and I've finished the 25g pack of Walnut and will be ordering some more. Despite my initial misgivings it's turned into a bit of a sleeper plus it's very economical in use. A good satisfying smoke that I turn to in the evening - probably a bit too heavy for during the day. The soapiness is always there but receeds the more you smoke it. Coupled with Gold Block (another Ogdens of Liverpool product), these two tobaccos are my current non-aromatic daily smokes. Recommmended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-06-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Febuary 2004. Ogdens Walnut Flake. The flakes look good and smell great,not to moist and not to dry. I have twisted folded and also tried rubbing out the flakes when loading the pipe bowl,any technique results in easy lighting and smoking. Taste is definitely virginia with the added taste of burley bringing a low key spice to the almost even background.The virginia and burley two go well hand in hand compilmenting each other. The taste is consistant right to the bottom of the bowl leaving a grey white ash. If your looking for a very simple tobacco that offers old world charm and without all the additives and sweetners,then this may very well be it. Contains a very earthy taste right to the bottom of the bowl,which maybe a little dull to some. If you have a sweet-tooth look else-where. 4 out of 10.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OSR (78)	2003-04-01		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good friend let me fill a pipe with this tobacco at a recent pipe club meeting.

The pipe was brand new so I like to believe that I got a pretty good taste of the tobacco.

My friend had told me that this tobacco was rather 'full' with a nicotine hit but I found that (to me) it doesn't have the fullness of body that G&H Rum Flake or G&H Kendal flake does.

The tobacco was smooth and burned well. My friend is an advocate of the Butera "chop it up" method and I believe that the taste and volume of smoke would have been different had I been able to roll up a flake and plug my pipe with it.

Overall, this is a good blend with very little if any flavoring. Good body, a little thin on the top but with a big, burley middle.

Enjoyable!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fusty the pipe (33)	2020-10-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Smells like St Bruno, tastes like St Bruno and vice versa.

The pouch note is more vinegar than plums and figs, there is not the nearest hint of any walnuts. There seems to be something going on whereby one blend of tobacco is being sold under various names by different companies which makes me think they are all made the same, in the same factory but that could just be my old, cynical side coming out to play.

There’s not much to separate this from Bruno or, for that matter, Condor long cut original, which is a shame.

It’s nice enough but I think it was probably better when Ogden’s made it but I can’t be certain because I never tried the old blend.

Update - I have now had this jarred up for nearly two years and there are some interesting developments. There is a floral/fruity note that now comes in to dance on the tongue. It is similar to SB but it has a different finish - I am finding it quite sour when a lot is smoked in one go. This is definitely becoming a blend that I can enjoy lighting, taking a gentle chuff or two and then letting it sit. I find I can repeat this until the bowl is finished and have a more enjoyable smoke. To the reviewer who said “can leave a flavour in the mouth that no other tobacco can move” I agree - the flavour is one that hangs around for quite sometime but that, with constant smoking, may well become the flavour that keeps me coming back.

Similar Blends: St Bruno in many ways but not in other ways..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2017-03-02		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good friend generously gifted me a few of these flakes.

Pretty and neat medium brown flake with flecks of lighter and darker spread throughout. The moisture content was perfect, no drying time needed. Smelled of lightly sweet tobacco, earth, and a bit of nuttiness.

Was easy to rub out or just load a flake directly into the bowl. Takes just the two standard lights to get it rolling. It remained lit with minimal tamping.

This tobacco produces large volumes of smoke. The flavor is VA forward, which is just the right amount of sweetness with balanced flavors of toast and hints of sour. The Burley/Kentucky adds some depth and character that are quite pleasing mixed with the Virginia's. I got some spice, but nothing harsh, some earth, a little bit of wood, and some nuttiness. There is the typical strength/flavor or the Kentucky, which isn't overpowering in this blend and I appreciate that. The nuttiness really comes out after the 3/4 point of the bowl. If you sip this smoke you will get more of the sweet and nutty. If you puff harder you will get more of the spice, wood, smokey and it can be just a bit harsh when pushed. However, the smoke was enjoyable with a fairly consistent flavor from top to bottom...down to a nice white ash.

Very pleasant indeed!

Pipe Used: Lil Devils Anse (cob)

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gifted

Similar Blends: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Best Brown #2 (Without the lakeland addition).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SamH (31)	2015-10-29		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is an interesting one, I quite liked it. It's an odd taste but was nicer than I expected. Can't really explain what it is but it's nice.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New from pack.

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop

Similar Blends: ??.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2014-04-20		Strong	Strong	Full	Strong

This is what i compare other flakes to, its similar to John Sinclair Highland Sliced in appearance and close in flavour as well. Nice and cool, burns exceptionally slow and certainly a large does of vitamin N. An english tobacco institution.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-05-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This flake is cut very nicely, but it somewhat dry.

The smell is quite sweet, hints of toffee I would say.

Rubbing is quite easy, filling the pipe as well.

I don't know if it is a coincidence, but there is a certain nutty flavour to the smoke. But also, it is somewhat bitter, and since the flake is a bit too dry, I felt that the smoke was slightly just slightly hot.

It is a nice tobacco to try, but honestly, nothing too special about it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-03-08		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

What is this talk of Lakeland scents this is a British industrial flake tobacco nothing more nothing less. Made for the masses in the 60s and still being produced as a poor copy. There are much better tobaccos to be had than this. Just because it is hard to get in the states doesn't mean it is good!! Buy condor long cut instead if you want a good working class British traditional tobacco. This I am afraid falls way short of the mark.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-09-21		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Outstanding blend!!! This stuff takes to the light very well and burns very nicely throughout the whole bowl. Very predictable in a good way, in the fact that it never changes it's flavor whether your sipping or puffing like a loaded train.

I love the very clean slightly nutty flavor and this stuff burns down to as fine of an ash as any blend I've ever seen.

It is a flag bearer for an old time tobacco lovers blend. My wife actually commented that the room note was not bad.

IF YOU CAN FIND IT, YOU BETTER GET IT!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2012-06-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This flake tobacco is within the British family ie. St Bruno, Condor, Players, etc. I find this dark flake enjoyable and of the "family", the least flavored and exceptionally mild.

As has been stated, this is no longer made by Ogden's of Liverpool. Who makes it, I don't know. It has changed somewhat over the years, as I smoked this back in the 1960's, 70's & early 80'S. By that I mean, its not as defined as I remember it to be.

It is not walnut flavored, however, the color of the flake may be similar to that of walnuts. I find the aroma pleasing to my senses, and there is a natural tobacco taste, even with the light floral scent. It can be an all-day smoke for me although I prefer a stronger flake or plug the majority of the time.

Fortunately, I have a friend who sends me this when I asked, and in my travels through Europe, I have found it easily at newsstands, grocery stores, and many tobacco shops. I find this to be a very good smoke and recommend it to anyone seeking a light British flake.

...a pipe is to be savored...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-04-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I can't get excited about Walnut flake.

I suppose if you like Bruno flake then you should try this too. If your tobacconist stocks this then they probably also stock something more interesting as well.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-03-11		Very Strong	Very Mild	Very Full	Extra Strong

My one-ounce pack of original "Ogden's Walnut Plug - Sliced" was an internet find, a very old dehydrated pack from the original Ogden's days. This review is based on only a few pipefuls of the rehydrated tobacco, for that reason.

This has a strong, pungent, full flavor, rich with depth. I am not sure what the flavoring is, but walnut is close enough! I love a very small pipe of this flake, fully rubbed out, now and then. After a meal, to wake up the senses and pep up the blood-nicotine level.

If you can find something like the original sliced plug it will do the trick when you need full flavor and strength. Sharp and strong; that's the summary.

This too shall pass.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philosopher (27)	2011-05-19		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a truly fine tobacco, an understated bittersweet cousin of St Bruno flake. Like SB flake it rubs out easily and is easy to pack. It exudes quality.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-05-18		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Another 'real' falke which is very satisfying - burns well in the open air, A great smoke while fishing for a lake trout.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scamp (20)	2011-04-18		Medium to Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of my favourate tobaccos, and as I live in the UK I'm lucky enough to get my hands on it relatively easily. It rubs out and lights easily with a full bodied taste. As it smokes down the bowl it seems to me that the flavours do indeed develop into walnuty quality. If you enjoy the richer, more traditional tobaccos I would recomend giving this one a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Monopod (26)	2010-12-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

It took me a while to try this one, as although I've seen it termed a " Supermarket shelf-tobacco", I've never managed to find it in our local supermarkets. I even had to wait for our local ( and good) specialist tobacconist to get some in when asked and put it to the test. It was recommended by some of the credible Names hereon too !

Quite a surprise I got as well. A solid respectable tobacco, moist from the packing, and smelling very appetising to boot.

Good rub.. actually goes to shag really quickly, and packs burns and lights easily.

It may never be my first choice, but at my number Five ? it's always going to be well worth an occasional go.

It's still bearing the "Ogdens of Liverpool" crest too. For me ? I'll smoke it in preference to St. Uno any day..... it made me sick as a youth and won't ever get the chance again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-07-27		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Ah yes, my favorite of the UK tobaccos. Even with a friend overseas it's hard to come buy. But well worth looking for. It lights and stays smoldering with ease. The taste of deep rich blackberry's is present. Not a fruity flake as is University. But instead a wonderful robust, flavor that is ever so satisfying. Lost now on the country miles in my Cadillac is no biggie when Walnut Flake is in the passenger seat. A must have!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (156)	2009-02-28		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a very pleasant smoke indeed, worth a try if you want to try an English Flake that's not so strongly scented.

It's actually very similar to St Bruno, similar flavour and aroma, but with far less of the aromatics added, and less nicotene. I'd recommend it to anyone who like St Bruno but found it too strong.

Lights easily, burns SLOOOOOOOOOWWWWW............. and cool, no bite, no drip, no gurgling or sticky goo in the heel of the bowl. The flavour is natural tobacco, a little nutty, a tad leathery but but no so much as St Bruno. Some natural tobacco sweetness, and the aroma is very much pure virginia tobacco, no real aromatic scent.

I enjoyed it very much, it's a nice baccy to have going while reading a book, or washing up. Not quite strong enough for gardening though, I'll have St Bruno for that.

-----—Update 2019 (original review 2009)----

Got another packet of this. Very nice. St Bruno sans soap? Perhaps, and with the strength dialled back just a smidgen. It's nice and sweet, the casings are very subtle, perhaps just a spot of treacle and sugar syrup. Nutty, sweet, slightly fruity dark flake. Sad to see that Walnut flake can no longer keep its Original name... But it's still "sweet as a nut" - good stuff.

Pipe Used: Falcons mostly

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2007-08-25		Strong	Strong	Mild	Strong

If one could set a piece of soap afire and smoke it, this is exactly how it would taste. The soap flavor is so strong that I could not taste any tobacco behind it. I persevered through two bowls hoping that the flavor would recede and let me enjoy the tobacco with no luck.

Stay away from this junk.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-04-28		Strong	Mild	Full	Tolerable

Notes: This is a sample of the readily available British flake, which after a period of unavailability is again being manufactured by the British tobacco conglomerate, Imperial. Not available at all in the USA, it should not be confused with the American drugstore blend by Middleton, also named Walnut, but being an entirely different blend. I smoked this in a few pipes and it seemed rather the same in all of them. I enjoyed it most in a Size 4 patent Dunhill with a large bore shank.

Appearance: A firmly pressed four-inch flake of light to dark brown with some deep reddish strands here and there. The individual strands are fairly thin and the tobacco rubs out very easily. It gives the appearance of being a fairly solid block or plug, having some density.

Aroma: The first thing I thought of was the old red leather booths at the diner in the town where I grew up. Ripe black cherries, milk chocolate, damp autumn leaves after raking, river stones drying in the sun, the embers of the campfire in the morning, Jamaican cigars, tree bark.

Taste: Walnuts. Walnut shells. Walnut oil. The flavor was a big surprise, as the aroma did not suggest it. The first thing I thought was: Ugh! I won?t be able to finish this! My mouth was expecting something similar to St. Bruno based on the smell and appearance, but instead it tasted like I had just eaten a big mouthful of stale cigar butts and campfire ashes. After disconnecting my mind from my expectations, however, I could taste the tobacco on its own terms. Not at all sweet. Undertones of cigar leaf and iodine. Somehow capturing every aspect of walnuts: dry shells, slightly bitter oils, and rich savory nut meats. It burns quickly if you rub it out fully. It is rich and satisfying to the palate. It has some nicotine in it, but is not at all overwhelming.

Comparisons: This is like St. Bruno?s in its burning characteristics but not in the flavor, which is far more austere and not at all sweet -- less of that sweet cherry topping that gives St. Bruno its Virginia sweetness enhancement,d espite its being a burley-heavy blend. It reminds me of the Dunhill blend, Mr. Alfred?s Own, with it?s stale seaweed-y cigar leaf flavor.

Bottom Line: A nice traditional British burley-Virginia pressed flake. If you found St. Bruno and Condor too sweet and strong, this is a possibility. If you have a love for the now long-gone cigar leaf blends, like Dunhill?s Mr. Alfred?s Own or Cuba, this is definitely a blend you ought to try as it really evokes that flavor in some ways. As for me, stiff upper lip, I?ll get by without somehow.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2004-12-24		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Pleasant

As previously mentioned, this flake is almost a mirror image of St Bruno, excepting a different additive. Unlike others, I did not find this smoke bite-free, but it is wonderfully rich and stout and does not seem to lurk in my pipes with the same tenacity as its clerical brother. A pity it isn't available in North America, but then again, Walnut Flake may be responsible for a disturbing lack of interest in much else besides pipes on my part, were it so. Well worth a go if you can procur it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-01-28		Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

This I must admit is as close to perfection as one can find in any tobacco. The tobacco comes presented in a plastic foil covered tray. Once the top comes off you are enveloped in the wonderful aroma of what that perfect tobacco should emit.

Easily rubbed out, easy to fill the pipe and easy to light.

The experience of smoking this ice cool tobacco is a once in a lifetime experience. The flavour is woody, and the nicotine content is just right if you like a full smoke.

If you like a good, low cased tobacco of the highest quality, then this must be the one.

Five stars and beyond with this one!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-01-28		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It would be difficult to add much to Stan's above review. He touched all the bases and perfectly described this blend. If you have smoked and enjoyed Esoterica's Stonehaven, or, Samuel Gawith's 1792 Flake, then you will probably like Walnut Flake. It is stronger in taste than Stonehaven and does not have Tonquin flavoring added as does 1792 Flake. Like both, this blend has been stoved repeatedly and will not bite no matter how hard you puff.

I thought Walnut Flake was fantastic tasting for regular enjoyment. It reminded me of Boy Scouts and campfires at the match. It will flat knock your socks off if you inhale. Not for all day consumption either; this tobacco will leave your palate satisfied for several hours after just one bowl.

Finally, this tobacco is not available in the USA. I purchased a pouch with a recent tobacco order from James Barber Tobacconists in the UK. You can order this and other non-imports by going to http://www.smoke.co.uk.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-04-18		Strong	Strong	Full	Strong

On opening the pouch I found this tobacco quite dry and with a very strong aroma, in the same vein of Erinmore. The nicotine uppercut is worsened by a topping that could be a fruit liquor but it really doesn't matter because you would never identify it behind the soap taste. And it tastes exactly like soap, not the way the aroma and taste we indulgently call "soapy" when it comes to english matured pressed virginias but, literally and I am not exaggerating, like biting a piece of soap.

At the third puff it makes you feel sick, and that is NOT because of the nicotine content, this I guarantee as it causes dizzines to anyone that stays in your vecinity.

The aftertaste is bitter from the first to the last puff, which is absulutely strange as I loaded my pipe with 2/3 of a light virginia first and 1/3 of Walnut ontop. The returning smoke you puffed is lightly bitter like any virginia but uninteresting, with no aroma, just bitter smoke. The room note bears a strong resemblance to those cheap incence sticks made of paper paste which have been impregnated with common cologne instead of aromatic incence oils; this said by my wife, and I agree.

I met stronger tobaccos, which puts this Walnut within the "smokable" cathegory, but it is not a pleasant smoke. Apt for smokers at the end of their given lifetime, for whom nothing would be strong or tasty or smelly enough.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-06-30		Extremely Strong	None Detected	Overwhelming	Extra Strong

Dreadful. It packed easily enough into the pipe, bit I found the taste aromoa and room note to be simply too much - far too strong for my taste. When it burned it smelt a bit like the smell one gets when you gather up leaves during the autumn and burn them - a nice smell from a distance but not in my pipe! I would not recommend this tobacco to anyone.

Nobody has rated this review yet.