Tobaccos Former - Bird's Eye Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2013-02-16		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I found the tobacco to be a little dry, but once hydrated, produced a lot of natural sweet flavor with a very, very slight pepper and raisins from the perique. I detect a very light honey, and light lemon and citrus from the bright Virginia, which is the predominant ingredient. There's a slight dark Virginia in the midst of the light ones that gives this a mild bass note of earth and dried fruit in a support role. Has little nicotine. It's an all day smoke with no bite, even burn, and the taste is fairly consistent, cool and smooth to the very last ember. Requires few relights and leaves little moisture in the bowl.

-JimInks

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-09-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is delicious. Along with a note of hay is a flavor akin to Juicy Fruit gum. The Virginias make up the high and some of the mid-range notes. The Perique some of the mid-range and the low notes. The Perique also provides a moderate amount of spice. The flavor gets just a little deeper and darker as the bowl progresses. 4 easy stars for me. Love this one.

Body starts mild and increases to mild to medium. Can't detect any added flavoring. Taste is mild to medium. Burns very well. Same in briar or cob.

Pipe Used: Chacom cutty, MM Little Devil Acorn, MM Dwarf

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	½ bowl (103)	2015-07-15		Mild	Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

Impeccably manicured flakes required some effort to separate because their moisture was just a tad more than necessary -- not a deal breaker by any means. The taste is wheat-like and racy, with a piquancy that leaves a slight pinch on the tongue. Tasty, and on the sweet side (I'm thinking dark honey or bright molasses). Somewhat of a "Plain Jane" Va Flake for me; and if there is Perique in the blend, it certainly isn't the star of the show.

Pipe Used: GBD, Ser Jacopo, Ardor, Tinsky, Radice

Age When Smoked: 13 months

Similar Blends: Tordenskjold; Hamborger Veermaster; IRC Va Slices; heck, just about every ordinary Va flake out there -- but in a good way.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-07-01		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a light Virginia flake composed of mostly yellow Virginias, with a little dark Virginia and a touch of perique. A very satisfying quality blend that hits the right notes with me. Burns cool and dry from start to finish, with a hint of perique in every puff. An excellent all day blend that burns beautifully to a white ash, for those who appreciate a softer taste. Not a fan of Vapers that dispense their perique with a heavy hand, this is a real find.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2016-03-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Hey, where's the birdseye? I was expecting a flake with lots of birdseye but all I saw were layers of gray and golden leaf with black dots of Perique. A nice combination that produced a cool smoke, but nothing truly exceptional. It did not take long to go through the tin as Former's Birdseye Flake does not bite and is forgiving to those who puff at the cadence of a freight train.

Pipestud

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-04-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Former - Bird's Eye Flake.

Why the name Bird's Eye?!

The flakes appear a little dishevelled in the tin, not for want of a better description, as if they've been 'lobbed' into it! Some are broken, some stacked, and there's a few ribbons. The flakes that are still intact are quite wide, very thin, light brown, and perfectly moist.

The burn from Bird's Eye could only be equalled, not beaten. The temperature of the smoke's about medium, it's quite light in weight, and there's no bite from it. The flavour? There's just enough Perique to add some piquancy, but it's not a spice/pepper bomb, by any means. The prominent flavour comes from the Virginia: notes of hay, and a little bready.

I rate the nicotine as medium, and the room-note's nice.

Bird's Eye Flake? Not my favourite blend but easily worth full marks:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2016-01-27		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Bird's eye met my eye with every promise of being an outstanding Va. flake . The tin note was undistinguished but pleasant . This flake is a little more grassy than other folded flakes but the taste comes through if one is patient .I bought a few cans about 4 years ago and wrote this review based on only one smoked . Recently I found the other 3 cans and opened one . WOW . What a difference a few years make . Properly aged this stuff is deep and tasty with a real nice after taste . Some tobaccos , especially Virginias improve with aging . This is clearly one of those . For the less patient , it's really not a bad smoke when delivered . Bird's eye can be a good mixer , especially good for toning down the rain forest that rests inside every Samuel Gawith can .Good things come to those who wait .

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2012-06-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I largely agree with the first part of portasio's review -- a v good soft VA with hints from the Perique to keep it interesting. I find this a solid, very pleasant, all-around good smoke. From the earlier reviews, not everyone is a huge fan of this flavor profile as I am.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	thefoolish (10)	2010-09-02		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I enjoy puffing this tobacco while doing other things. Actually, it's become my video-game blend. I tend to take a few puff, put it down, play for a while, then come back to it.

The tin note smells a little like hay and has a hint of honey in it.

Packs very easily and lights well.

The taste is simple in a good way, though the perique is not noticeable to my taste.

Not a bad blend; certainly not fantastic, but I will keep it around.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (179)	2005-02-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Rumored to be like Capstan mild, it seems to be a lighter version of Former's Cross Grain Flake. It has more bright leaf, probably less perique and critus flavoring, but more of an edge than Cross Grain Flake. Still a sweet smoke and not bad if puffed slowly in a medium bowl.

Not completely bright leaf. Some red virginia. Comes in flakes easily broken into a thick shag. I try to break it up little (but more so in a smaller pipe). Fairly dry and steady burning to me. No additional aging is necessary in my opinion (though all flakes will improve some with time); it smokes well right off the shelf.

Dunhill's Light Flake is smoother and more tasty to me. This one has more of a straight virginia tang to accompany the sweetness. Cross Grain Flake has more rich flavor. Neither of Former's Cross Grain or Bird's Eye flakes are quite as robust as Solani's 633 flake in my opinion. Reiner's Long Golden Flake is also smoother (due to burley added). Orlik's Golden Slices is sweeter.

So if you don't savor the Dunhill flake's flavor or the Cross Grain extra flavor, and find Solani's or Cross Grain too rich at times, or Orlik's too sweet, this is a step down in strength but still a contender in the bright flake field. But again it must be smoked slowly. Two to three bowls in a day were too much for me even though the blend remained tasty. Maybe you can consume it easier.

Germain's Medium flake is also a comparison that can be made.

I would reservedly recommend this for a spin if you are a bright, sweet flake fancier. You may like it better than the other ones I noted, but I did not. Maybe a bowl a day is o.k.

Well, I continue on puffing with Former's Straight Grain Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (53)	2023-03-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I've got to go against the majority opinion. I did not care for this one. I found Birds Eye to have a harsh decidedly unpleasant flavor and sour aftertaste. I'm certain it just doesn't agree with my personal taste but I will not be buying it again.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2019-08-08		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Well this is one of the mildest virginia flakes out there, that does not mean its bland but it certainly is monotone and not complex, a tad stronger and more mature than orlik golden sliced and a bit milder from peter stockeby navy flake. I cannot detect the perique in it but if its there then it is. Smokes cool and burn to white ash, no flavoring detected and the room note is of typical virginia. If you like mac baren virginia number one and want to step it up some, or find luxury navy flake too peppery then this might fit the bill. Al janabi

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Virginia No.1, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Golden Sliced (Red Tin), Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2019-02-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Might be one of better flakes you can find out there now, if you are a virginia flake smoker. Reminds me a bit of golden glow by gawith crossed with full virginia flake by same. Its right in between. The perique is way in the background but you do get a slight taste of it halfway through more than at the start. `great stuff.

Purchased From: cup o joes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-11-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

excellent first-rate tobacco. not for beginners as most natural va- predominant blends are. must be smoked slowly. room notes are mild and overall tobacco-y, with no detectable other scent present. the perique, as other reviewers have noted, is very subtle and seems to be some sort of flue-cured and/or stoved perique, not the traditionally fermented sort. that's only my guess, from my taste notes. smokes beautifully all the way down to the bottom of my bowl. i'll try this one with some added perique, which should be very nice. excellent job, former. i've tried some of his other, also excellent blends, and this seems leagues ahead of the pack. i'm surprised at the lackluster reviews. and yes, this is as natural as they come, so if you like any sort of (even subtle) topping, look somewhere else. if you enjoy the taste (and smell) of good tobacco, this is where it's at.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-03-12		Very Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

I was sent a 1/2 tin of this to try and as I like Danish style tobaccos, i like it. It reminds me a lot of the old Amphora Brown without the burley influence. This smells very nice in the tin, very much like a Virginia. If this has perique as reported in other reviews, I sure could not detect it. I taste just a mild peppery Virginia, not real sweet. This to me was a good moisture but it is possible the guy who sent it to me dried it out first. It is in long medium brown strantds rubbed out. It packed very easy and lit on first light, smoking all the way down to a grey ash and no dottle in the bottom, just a powder. This could bite if puffed too agressively, but I had no problem with it. it is very light in taste, and one could go serching for more flavor and get bit. While this is a rather one dimentional blend, it is satisfying in the N dept. Nothing real exceptional so i can't give it a high rating, but it is one I am enjoying and Danish lovers should give it a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2005-02-10		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Upon opening the tin, you are greeted with an inviting aroma and nicely prepared, partially rubbed out reddish, brown flakes with hints of golden VAs. Although packing and lighting were easy, I found the initial moisture content too high with no additional rub out and a wet smoke with relights @ the bowl bottom resulted. This didn't improve much even with considerable drying. The room aroma was considered better by others than my preferred VA/periques but that had to be balanced by the lack of taste of this blend. It was milder than I like and although naturally sweet, lacked much of a Perique influence. As I recall it, this is no Capstan and certainly no match to Reiner's or Solani's.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ilDominante (11)	2005-01-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This flake is very easy to pack and that may be because of its inherent moisture. Indeed, if it were a bit drier, the whole blend would be more smokable. Overall, this blend is very similar to flakes like Dunhill's Navy Flake; a good virginia, aged well, packs easily and doesn't burn the tongue. However, the fact that in order to keep it lit one needs to keep drawing rather frequently, does pose a threat of tongue sores if one is not careful. The smell of the tin is particularly inviting, reminding of the scent of walnut and roses. However, while smoking those notes cannot be detected easily. It is very difficult to keep the end of the bowl lit, even after cafeful packing. The tobacco isn't bad, but in the same league there is better. I would recommend it as a leaf to use to clean a pipe after smoking many bowls of strong aromatics like latakia and perique, as the old English chaps on the other side of the pond often do.

1 person found this review helpful.