Tobaccos Borkum Riff - Admiral's Flake Vanilla

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2012-04-23		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Borkum Riff/Vanilla/Cavendish/Burley/Aromatic. Who in their right mind would buy this???

There is no way in HELL i would have paid for this tobacco. In fact i would have easily gone through my entire life without ever trying it. Were it not for the Helderberg Pipesmokers Guild and for the local distributor who has generously donated several tins to our tobacco bar.

To be honest, i would not have tried it were it not for Mr Pieter Claasen who encouraged me to load my pipe that night.

This is the Vanilla blend all the others want to be. It tastes of faint Vanilla. It has some VitN, does not bite, stays composed till the bottom of the bowl and smokes relatively dry.

The taste is simply DELICIOUS.

You gotta try it.

Mo,South Africa

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2007-01-23		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I came across this blend at a tobacconist never visited in the past. This elegant small blue rectangular tin is placed near my belowed Capstan blue. I asked him what is that ? He passed the tin on my hands, I looked at it and said "Oh, Borkum Riff ... sorry, I don't moke aromatics" but kept the tin, turned it on the side and read "Made in Denmark" (good!) and then looked the small label on the back of the tin and read "Selected premium dark Kentucky, cool-smoking Burley and bright Virginia tobaccos specially blended to give a distinguished taste of luxurious fragrant vanilla" (no Black Cavendish, good!). So I decided to give it a try. I was so curious to realize if I was right or wrong, that I opened the tin right after and 1) the tin aroma is spicey vanilla but not at all a heavy aromatic 2) the inner fold is very much similar to McB's Navy Flake, golden foil with printed "Borkum Riff Admiral's Flake" 3) the flakes are a wonderful mix of light and dark tobaccos, they say to both my eye and finger this is very good quality tobacco. Yes, Smoking-Rob, I agree with you that McB may be the producer of this blend. The smoke is excellent, mellow and creamy, a damn good medium blend for everyday. No Black Cavendish in this blend, Kentucky gives some body and strength, and tickles the nose here and there. Vanilla does not cover anything, it just adds some sweetness, this smoke is tobacco. Flakes are not wet. Just fold one or two flakes (one is enough for the small straight oval sand blasted Savinelli De Luxe I'm now smoking), relight and it smokes dry to the bottom with no gurgle, leaving medium grey ash and no goopy at all. All that being said, I highly recommend this blend. You should dedicate it some of your pipes - or avoid those committed to english mixtures - since it delivers them some vanilla flavour.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoking-rob (79)	2006-01-23		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A new flake from Borkum Riff that also has a Cherry variety. The flakes are very high quality tobacco and very well and uniform pressed and wrapped in a beautiful golden foil on paper wrapper. I would classify this as quite a strong smoke, especially in the nicotine department, with a heavy accent on Burley. The vanilla flavouring is quite subdued and not half as present as for instance in Mac Baren's vanilla flake. Mac Baren may well have produced this flake though. Not overtly sweet either. The first half of the bowl is quite mellow but at half bowl the typical Borkum Riff Burley heaviness starts to intrude and that is when the going gets tough. Try it by all means if you like a good whack over the head, it will satisfy for sure but can become overbearing in the end.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old German puffer (106)	2015-07-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a wonderful blend of pipe tobacco. I first found this in Egypt at the airport. I bought two tins. I smoked both in just a few days. It took a while until I found more. I bought the entire stock. I have about 100 tins of this stuff and I do guard it. I smoke it on thanksgiving and christmas. SMELL is wonderful. TASTE is one of those you will not forget.

Pipe Used: Dunhill, Peterson, Savinelli, Comoy

Age When Smoked: Tin - 5 years

Purchased From: London England

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2016-04-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This, for what it is, is excellent. Nice Vanilla notes with ever puff, and the leaf is a cut above what one would expect. I've always enjoyed the Borkum Riff blends but have had a problem with heat. I think the Burley in the Admiral's Flake series is much higher on the ladder and provided a coolness with true tobacco taste that I enjoyed. A blend that I will eventually finish the tin of, but am in no rush.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-03-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Wesleys Tobacconists in Jburg, South Africa carry this (unless Mo has purchased it all - sounds like he cracked a fat at first puff !)

5 tins just arrived - wonderful stuff !!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TEO (33)	2015-12-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

An interesting surprise, this a really odd flake!

Big Kentucky builds the foundation of this aromatic, and it's a pleasant surprise if you compare it to most of aromatic Mixtures and flakes on the market. This keeps away the flake from that citric, bitey feelings some virginia aromatics show and it retains a real tobacco taste.

It has the right amount of Nicotine and soft flavoring to be an odd allday blend.

The Flakes are fairly dark and show sugar crystals on the surface, a good moisture since the first bowl, very tasty and slow burning if not rubbed. The aroma out of the tin reminds of chocolate, anisette and honey.

Ages Perfectly in the jar after 5 years, refining some Kentucky bitter accent.

Vanilla is not Overwhelming and the smoke is creamy, sweet but not too sweet and dry to the bottom of the bowl.

Recommended to anyone.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Oscar, Some Brebbia

Age When Smoked: 5+

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jonoz (14)	2013-11-08		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

this is difficult because in my 'normal'sized pipes it has a chemical flavour that I find a little off-putting.HOWEVER , I have a v.large Dunhill 'Hungarian' that takes two flakes ,lasts about an hour and tastes sensational. I am a little unsteady at the end,but I don't regard the tobacco as over strong as the nic is un- noticeable in a smaller pipe.I have given 3 stars, you be the judge. What's the deal with Cavendish ? One description above says yes and the other says no. One reviewer says yes ,another says no.Anyway Cavendish method sounds very much like Flake method to me apart from cut. After all this rambling ,I've just ordered four more from Sturks.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Papa Koala (12)	2011-07-20		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

The only tobacco of this brand I've tried and it is not shabby. Upon opening the tin there is a rich christmas cake/chocolate/vanilla scent. Light it up and the vanilla is very mild but to my palate a chocolate taste develops and lingers in the background. The room note is a bit like Ovaltine and rather pleasant to me at least. The flake burns rather quickly though although not hot and I didn't get any 'tongue bite'. Recommended + +.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2008-12-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

try this one i would say,,this is the only blend i likes btn all this brand,,burns perfect burlyes n virginia r there and homogenised by the cavendish,,tamping is needed but it goes smoothly,,prefered to be rubbed out and give the tin a chance it needs to breath for a while before smoking,,would consider buying another tin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-11-18		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I disovered this one by coinsidence at the tabacconist, and was reminded about the pretty good critics on tabacco review, especially the one of Skando.

I like it best, when its fold or rubbed to a ball, one or two pieces depending of the bowls capacity.

I completely agree with the nice review of Skando.

Furthermore there is to mention, that it kept me amazed about the aromatic garden which this tabacco leaves behind:

1)First you feel as if baking a tasty vanilla cake, but nevertheless I am impressed that I am smoking a very good quality leaf.

2)At arround mid bowl, I discovered a nice chilly and black chocolate taste, a slight vanilla taste accomponied by the masters of Kentucky and Burley.

3)Later on, at arround the last third, even an earthy taste, discovered in some rare high quality English blends comes out.

4)Almost at the end the srength might get overwhelming, and this is the point, when I begin to clean out my pipe.

After the first two bowls of smoking, I have ordered ten tins, it has become a constant member of my tabacco bar

Give it the time when smoking, which it definetly deserves, and you will be amazed of how cool it smokes. I also experienced the legendary Mac Baren bite, therefore and also because of its "pure taste", I cant imagine that McB could have produced such a nice composition.

I recommend to anyone and also to to "English smokers" who are looking for a great alternative.

In my oppinon it is a good after dinner smoke: I am just smoking it in a nording pipe, which will give two and a half hours of pleasure, with two flake pieces - never smoked anything like this, on an occasion I also try the Brokum Riff Cherry Flake. Two thumbs up......

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-05-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Amazing that we here in the States get all the Borkum Riff Crap but never get to see the Flake versions... Seriously? Do they hate us that much? Anyways I had to ask a buddy to mail me a tin to try and you know what? It was delicious! Reminded me of Macbaren's Vanilla Cream Flake, so much so I wonder if they are the same blend? I really hope we finally get this in the US since I loved the taste and aroma, the vanilla was very natural and high grade, the best part was its a BR blend with NO BITE!!!! :-)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Maccas (6)	2012-11-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

I am keen to try this one - anyone know where to get it on-line or in the UK?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-06-24		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I came upon this small tin when i went to my regular tobacconist to buy my regular tobacco. always game to try a new flavor i bought a tin thinking what the hell you never know. Got home ,opened the tin ,got a fright when i saw the bubblegum like sticks thinking i bought chewing tobacco. read the front of the tin again and saw "pipe tobacco" and thought what the hell! loaded the bowl and lit it up.MAN WAS I PLEASANTLY SURPRISED. I know i found my brand new Favorited tobacco. I am going back and i'm going to buy the cherry flavor to try.

1 person found this review helpful.