Tobaccos Peterson - Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2013-06-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

As this was originally “Dunhill Light Flake”, this review is fairly much the same as the older named blend. There's a natural Virginia tart and tangy citrusy sweetness along with some grassiness and a touch of earth, wood, bread, spice and tangy dark fruit. I also get a little lemony taste with a slightly noticeable honey essence, which comes from the lighter Virginia. The topping is tart citrus, which doesn't sublimate the varietals much. I notice the tobacco flavor is a tad more obvious in the last quarter of the bowl, but the flavors mostly hold their own all the way. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that center. The nic-hit is a slot less potent than the strength level. No chance of bite, and sports no harsh spots. Has a few small rough edges. It breaks apart very easily, and burns at a reasonable pace, cool, clean, and mostly smooth with a mostly consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl, and has a pleasant, lightly lingering after taste and room note. Requires a few relights. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

69 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-07-26		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

A deep, dark, brooding flake - by VA standards. Tin note is traditional VA aromas of hay, sweet feed, earth, with subtle chocolate sweetness and the citrus notes buried deeper in the background. Similarly, the flavors are more robust: not the fresh baked bread and sugar of, say, a Royal Yacht. Rather more earthy: aged (rather than fresh cut) hay, leather, dark cacao. The Port analogy in a review below is apt. The citrus notes are in the background, emerging more expressively at mid-bowl, but always in the background- the more earthy flavors being dominant. I get a bit of licorice in the final third.

Overall a first class VA flake. A bit on the moist side relative to other Dunhill offerings, but nothing like the temperamental SG flakes. Living in a humid climate, I dry this for roughly an hour before smoking and that seems to do the trick. Burns well, smokes cool, almost impossible to create a bite with this one. I enjoy this flake both rubbed out and cube cut, without significant flavor variations. The cube cut expresses a bit more sweet citrus, but it's marginal and, as always, subdued.

A stout VA flake of complexity and substance without the preparatory drama of other flakes in its class. Highly recommended.

54 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Edgy6gun (7)	2014-08-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This is the only review you will see from me with the following sentence: This is my favorite pipe tobacco of all time. Yes, the seemingly unremarkable -but perfectly crafted- Dunhill Flake. It was one of the first nonaromatic tobaccos I ever tried. Since then, I have smoked tins of easily over 50 different blends from every kind of blending style I could find. I always come back to this wonderfully consistent straight Virginia flake from Dunhill. It smells like hay with a hint of ketchup when you open the tin (I remember wondering what the hell I'd gotten myself into when I opened my first tin) it lights and burns great. I find it seems especially flavorful in small bowl sizes. If you are wondering what people mean by "sweet Virginias" in a blend, this is a great place to start. I still don't feel like I am explaining it quite right but it has a natural (no flavoring added) smell when burning like a chocolate cake baking and coffee brewing and just a hint of good teriyaki chicken. ...except even better. I'm doing a terrible job describing it but here's the bottom line: There are more complex, more remarkable, more unique blends out there and most of them are great, but Dunhill Flake burning in the bowl turns into something so good, I haven't figured out a way to explain it yet. Just try it, and see if I'm crazy or not.

Pipe Used: Dr Grabow Lark, Cob, Astley, James Upshall

Similar Blends: Similar to, but better than:, Solani 633 (comes the closest), Rattray's Marlin Flake, Orlik Golden Slices.

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mo (81)	2014-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I cannot and will not be drawn into the old vs new regarding this blend and its previous incarnations.

This is the most anticipated blend i have ever smoked. I finally got my tin as a gift

The presentation was in line with what one would expect from Dunhill and Petersons, first class in all respects. I appreciate this. Samuel Gawith take note

The Flakes were neatly cut and the smell promised a lot in that is was very similar to F&T Cut Virginia Plug, a firm favourite.

I left the tin open for a few hours as per my normal ritual with all blends to allow moisture to evaporate then loaded my first bowl.

Upon lighting, the taste was the first thing i noticed, it was a beautiful, deep, nutty Virginia and produced a LOT of smoke. Unfortunately the bite was there too and that is why i marked it 2 stars instead of 4

Bite is a personal thing and it applies to this piper. Do not let this discourage you from trying it.

Unfortunately for this Dunhill Flake, my vote for the Best Brown Flake still goes to the appropriately named " Best Brown Flake" by SG no less. Hideous presentation and all.

Mo, South Africa

Pipe Used: DB's and Petes

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Got it as a gift

Similar Blends: F&T CVP.

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CriolloCorojo (18)	2013-12-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

let's face it, Dunhill produces some great tobaccos. This blend is no exception. Only dark fired hints of blessed pure tobacco bliss await the smoker. This one only gives as much as one accepts, and then surpasses that expectation with delicious spills on the taste buds. Virginia lovers rejoice!!! This is your howled home. Even after leaving it in cold climates unattended, it reveals its full flavor with little or no relighting and minimal tamping. It is as close to pure tobacco bliss without being too over the top. This one delivers the goods and there is no ketchup or vinegar on the tooth. It is the real Virginia experience with nothing to wane. A++++++

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: 6 months to a year

Purchased From: various sources ( I can't recall, I stock and reload)

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-02-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A beautiful bronze Virginia that Orlik got right from the get go. Although production ended for a few years after the Orlik takeover from Murray's, they finally located the Bright needed to resume production of this rather strong and hearty blend. Despite the strength, the flavor is mellow and palate filling. For those who enjoy a little muscle in their bright Virginia leaf which hints of Lemon and honey as it is smoked. Just terrific stuff.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bonneville (52)	2014-05-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was the tobacco that first showed me the true pleasure of Virginia tobaccos. I had smoked plenty of Mac Baren's Va no.1, and liked it. But the second I first cracked a tin of this open and inhaled the deep sweet aroma, I knew I had stumbled onto something special. So needless to say, I absolutely love this stuff. It is a delicious, deep, rich Virginia flake with the perfect amount of natural sweetness that always satisfies. I have a few tins of the original Light Flake by Murray's and I honestly like this new incarnation make by Orlik as much if not more. If you're a lover of Virginias, you need to have some of this stuff on hand. It's one of the best.

=edit= Thank god I stocked up on this. It is going away soon. The new round tins aren't as sexy, but the tobacco is the same. Enjoy it while you can, friends.

Pipe Used: Peterson Meerschaum, MM Cob, Stanwell

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Beehive Cigars, Salt Lake City, UT

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2012-06-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Original Review 6/11/2012

This is an incredible tasting tobacco. I could be quite content sitting upon a pile of this on some deserted island. It is plain tobacco, nonbiting, but full flavored. Easily an all day smoke. I can't say enough good things about it and can't wait til I get my next tin.

Update 5/17/2021

Not much to add to this, but the first review was done within my first year of smoking and much time has passed and many things have been learned.

Dunhill Flake has grown to be my favorite tobacco to smoke. It is, in my opinion, the straight virginia to which all straight virginias should be compared. It has just the right touch of each flavor I enjoy in a straight Va, (Citrus, sugar and earth) and it performs flawlessy.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2016-11-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one of the best VA flakes I have ever tried. It has all the quality character and depth of Christmas Cheer, but is different enough to be it's own master. The flake NEVER bites,, and is never bitter, in fact it leaves a noticeably sweet taste on my tongue at times. Classic hay savor along with that VA creaminess that is so loved. The tin note is absolutely magical and wonderful, grassy-hay-cream magic.... Yum!!! It is amazing to me how even to this day Dunhill offerings are such high quality and world renowned. Dunhill Flake is surely right up there at the top. VA fans will instantly love and appreciate this tobacco. Ever so slightly damp,, but that's a good thing,, be warned VA fans,, any VA that's bone dry will get harsh and bite fiercely,, this one does NOT,, no need to dry it. Just rub out, fill and light. a few relights are no big deal and then this one will smoke like a dream. High Quality and no-fuss. Brilliant Dunhill........I will be ordering more. 4 stars..

Good Draw to You,, Cheers,,,

Glorfindel

Pipe Used: Peterson Christmas 2016 Full Bent

Age When Smoked: New Tin

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Christmas Cheer, Bjarne Flake DeLuxe, University Flake.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	balkan_boy (49)	2014-01-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm halfway through my first tin of it. Although a great fan of Dunhill english mixtures, I've always been sceptical about other types like this one let's say. I always thought of it like fancy snobbish smoke that is never too bad, but not too good either.

I've decided to give it a try, and I wasn't disappointed at all. I got pretty much what I was expecting, but also i got surprised by it's quality. I don't know why this tobacco is marked as non-flavoured, since there is a lot of casing or maybe even topping added to it.

Flakes appear visually similar to Orlik golden sliced and also smells similar. First part of the bowl, you can feel some "Danish" flavouring" which fades away and disappears completely at the middle of the bowl. And then something very strange happens. Floral aroma comes up to the front, as in the first lit of the Lakeland tobaccos. After the danish taste, this is awesome. Not overpowering, but pleasant. And this goes for about a third of the bowl, then the pattern changes and darker VA's come upfront, all until the end. Burns perfectly to white ash, comes in a perfect moisture condition ready to pack immediately, doesnt dry out easily and stays in perfect condition for a week or two. Dunhill and Orlik guys have done wonderful job, by creating a very good flake that can be smoked all day, every day regardless of the mood and situation. It's "danish" flavoured, I guess that's the only negative, everything else is good. Highly recommended from me.

Pipe Used: various

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-12-21		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a truly magnificent flake, not too strong, tasty & smooth. A very relaxing smoke every time. It has a strange fruity aroma, akin to lemon, with a fresh hay undertone. It is a classic VA that deserves its place in anybodies collection.

I vary the way I smoke this, but usually just gently rub a flake out and stuff it into the bowl, not too tight and off I go, absolute bliss.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kapet 606

Age When Smoked: Straight from the tin & 1 year later.

Purchased From: James Fox Dublin.

Similar Blends: Erinmore Flake..

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. Bertram Peterson Dunhill 3rd (2)	2015-12-14		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This is the quintessential straight Virginia. The one from which all others should be measured. If you want to see what a non-aromatic, non-blended pure Virginian experience is like, this is the first thing to try. Why? Dunhill tobacco is superior. Flake is unadulterated and smokes with a sublime crisp purity as intended. From here you may venture into VaPers, fruity casings, or dalliances with Orientals (I think I saw that movie) but this is my one stop, always satisfying mild Virginian favorite.

Further, this is the single best tin to cellar and age. Nothing ages like pure Virginia tobacco.

Pipe Used: Dunhill, Peterson, Bertram

Age When Smoked: Various tins from pup to ol' dog.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-10-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I'll probably always call this "Light Flake" but I'm reviewing the newer version, so I'm putting this review where it belongs. The tin has changed - it's now shallower and wider - but the flake appears the same as I remember it. I didn't smoke a lot of this "back in the day", as I preferred other VAs, just as I do now. But this one is easy to recommend.

Nice golden brown flakes with the tin aroma of citrus. As I'm not a huge fan of overly-fruity VA's, I wasn't encouraged. Ultimately I found that this one liked to be rubbed out to perform at its best. No extra drying needed, either.

Citrus flavor, for sure, but also a wonderful earthy undertone that kept this one from being monotonous. The lemon and bronze virginias play to a draw here, with neither holding sway. It's a medium strength blend that doesn't overpower. It starts out fairly robust, with that sweet yet masculine flavor, and only slightly strenthens as it is smoked. I guess it is sort of monotone and non-complex but it's a great classic virginia. The flavor never wavers, but a little more zealous puffing takes it to another level, as long as you don't overdo it. I'm giving this 4 stars even though it's probably a 3 for my taste because I think every virginia smoker should give this a run. It's a venerable blend that appears not to have been messed with by the new blender, and it's a lot better to me than several other highly regarded VA's I could name.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fire and Oil (16)	2014-12-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I'm a fan of Virginias in general and this flake is a perfect example of why. It's bright and fragrant with just enough body to be satisfying without being overwhelming.

It's... clean. In this case, "simple" is not a criticism. Dunhill Flake showcases everything that makes a Virginia flake wonderful. The purely natural flavors develop and subtly change throughout the bowl, the leaf burns evenly and cleanly, leaving a fine, white ash and (if dried properly as you should all flakes) requires little to no relighting. It's a delight to smoke.

I opened a tin of this and then smoked it exclusively until it was gone which is not normal for me as I love variety... and I was sad when I finished it! Will be getting more of this to cellar for later.

Pipe Used: Moonshine Pipe Co. Cutty

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2018-02-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

once upon a time this was the gold standard for lighter virginia flake. It was superb. Now, made by scandinavian tobacco, its merely another decent sort of generic virginia. its fine...but there are certainly better virginia flakes out there (everything from mcClelland and gawith for example). In a pinch this is ok but god I wish one could still get the original.

And someone mentioned presentation and suggested gawith should take note. Im sorry but gawith makes tobacco on presses over 150 years old. Ill take their idiosyncrasy anyday over the new mass produced dunhill clones.

Purchased From: smoking pipes dot com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LondonCalling (13)	2014-02-25		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Of late this has become my go-to smoke when my palette has wearied of latakia or Lakeland flavours and I want a straight, no-nonsense virginia. The term "plain" can be taken as something of a criticism in certain circles. But it's exactly how I'd describe Dunhill Flake, in the sense that it shows an admirable reserve and understatement, whilst delivering more than it at first promises. There's nothing fancy here, and nothing to distract from the enjoyment of the pure leaf. To my nose, the scent from the tin is grassy, even a little on the thin side. But once one sets a match to it, it takes on greater depth, more woodsy and nutty, while there's a peppery tang towards the bottom of the bowl. I find on occasion, particularly if it's my first pipe of the day and I'm craving a bit of a nicotine lift, that I can smoke this too fast, as I enjoy it so much. But be warned: not only is it a tobacco which will only reveal its true dimensions if savoured properly; like many straight virginias, it can also bite back a little if it's taken too fast.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Smoked from date of purchase

Purchased From: Various

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2014-02-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Dunhill - Flake.

I like the unlit aroma, sure, it's a steadfast Virginia one, but there's also a touch of earthiness to it. The moisture of a fresh blend's acceptable: slightly moist, but not wet!

The smoke: a brilliant, and full, Virginia flavour. Not intricate, but satisfying nevertheless! The burn from it's nice and steady, requiring little attention, once lit. I find the burn cool, and to get a very delicate bite needs massive puffs; and even then it's minor.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: nice pure Virginia.

Easily rated. Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Various

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wilhelm Joharsányi (33)	2017-09-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Presentation: Premium Dunhill presentation. It has an earthly and grassy, slight citrus aroma. Tobacco is neatly packaged in an attractive tin, wrapped in a decorative white tobacco paper.

Taste: Premium, straight Virginia tobacco, the first thing you notice is the a light grassy and hay flavor, with a gentle citrus after-taste. After 5-10 minutes, you will notice a freshly baked bread taste, with subtle sweetness after every puff. I didn't receive any tongue bite. Just an enjoyable, relaxing smoke. A bit light for my taste though.

After thoughts: A very enjoyable, luxurious smoke made from high quality straight Virginia tobacco. This is perfect for an all-day smoke, preferably while reading a good book, drinking some coffee or tea, or watching an enjoyable movie. I preferred Samuel Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake a bit more, but this would be my 2nd favorite Virginia thus far.

Pipe Used: Vauen, Cumberland CL103, Billard, 9 mm

Age When Smoked: 0-1

Purchased From: https://www.danishpipeshop.com/

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2014-04-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Really good stuff! Out of the tin it smells like an orange, or at least it does when you open it for the first time. The smoke is nothing complicated, just sweet and citrus. Virginia flake done excellently. Just don't smoke too much, it does have a little buzz to it.

Age When Smoked: 0-1 years

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-07-30		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was the first pure Virginia that I had smoked after returning to the pipe a little over a year ago. At that time I thought that it was pretty good but did not want to review it until I had tried the gold standard of Virginia flakes (SG FVF). The flavor and nicotine hit is a little milder than FVF but the poor smoking characteristics of the latter made Dunhill Flake my favorite by a mile. It is a shame that I have a pound of FVF to get rid of now! We should all have this kind of a problem, right?

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2013-07-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Adjectives like sweet, clean, light, and elegant all come to mind when I think of Dunhill (Light) Flake. It is a high quality Virginia that just might be my favorite in the category. The flavors are a mix of a little bit of fruit and a little bit of hay. I prefer it to Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake for a couple of reasons. The first being that when fresh from the tin as it isn't sopping wet and packs with ease. It is also much easier to find. When it has some age on it, I find it sweeter and more flavorful that FVF. Every Virginia flake fan should have this fine flake on the must smoke list.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JamesDarwin63 (6)	2018-02-13		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is one of my go to tobaccos. A mild and smooth smoke, this tobacco is a straight Virginia tobacco, which tends to be a firm favourite. I find this tobacco surprisingly sweet and slightly creamy however it is not overly complex and is just an all round great straight virginia, I smoke this in my high end pipes as it does not ghost at all. Dunhill make outstanding quality tobaccos so if you are looking for a straight Virginia Flake this is definitely worth a try.

Pipe Used: My new favourite Dunhill Shell Briar Bulldog http://www.gqtobaccos.com/alfred-dunhill-white-spot/

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of the tin!

Purchased From: Local tobacconist (this blend seems widely available to me in the UK)

Similar Blends: Solani Virginia Flake, SG Full Virginia Flake, Marlin Flake, Gawith Bright CR Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skoma (32)	2016-07-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin is the typicall Dunhill understatement. It just reads: Virginia pipe tobacco and nothing else. For a flake this blend is very easy to smoke and i hardly needed a second relighting. The taste is rich, creamy, sweet and still smoky. Enjoy it slow and relaxed and it is a pleasure for your taste buds! Highly recomended for smokers that wan´t to try out a full virginia flake without worrying too much about smoking technique.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Viscfab (36)	2020-08-17		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Oh wow, this is gorgeous. Everything a VA lover craves in a blend is here. Flakes are honogeneous and meticulously pressed and cut. Pop the tin and get a whiff. Citrus and stewed figs all over the place. A ripe Virginia aroma. I fold a flake and pack it on a larger size bowl. Lights pretty well after 3 or four charing lights. Luscious smoke, tart and creamy, hints of lemon , natural sweetness, medium to full taste. Retrohale has some woodsy and floral notes. Mild nicotine for me. Delicious blend. Burns down to a almost dry ash, very little moisture. Absolutely recommended. One of my faves, for sure.

Pipe Used: Vauen, Savinelli, Stanwell

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: local importer

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John_B (35)	2019-11-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This revered Straight Virginia is deemed by many to be the benchmark for it's genre, and for good reason. It is well presented in very neatly cut Danish style flakes at perfect moisture level for enjoying straight from the tin. It is very well behaved and packs and lights incredibly easily. The tin note is at the bakery end of the Virginia spectrum with some dried fruit and spice. Cinnamon and star anise are evident and perhaps a hint of baked apple. Upon lighting, the flavour is light and bready and develops into something deeper and rounded as the bowl progresses, with fruit and citrus notes becoming more pronounced. It burns even and cool and doesn't bite if smoked with a normal relaxed cadence. The room note is a very pleasant typical unadulterated Virginia and it has a great aftertaste and beard/moustache note. It compares well with Capstan Blue and Charatan Flake and also Gawith Best Brown in that it has a fuller taste than many straight Virginias and a certain tang that keeps your interest. My sample was very fresh (9th september 2019) being the new production under the Peterson name. It can only improve with age and has a good reputation for cellaring. All in all I am very pleased with Peterson Flake and will be adding it to my list of regular smokes in my rotation. It's reputation is well deserved and it is an easy 4 stars for me. Highly reccomended.

Update 6/2/2020:-

This is now my go to smoke and even in the short time since my review, it has improved and smoothed with age. It is the most consistently good and flavoursome Virginia flake that I have tried, and has all the qualities I look for, and none of the vices. It is very like Capstan Blue and Sam Gawith Best Brown, but it is better than either of those hallowed blends. Praise indeed !

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

Similar Blends: Capstan Blue Navy Flake, Sam Gawith BBF, Charatan Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2018-05-28		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

A sweetly powered of a significantly qualified Virginia is combined with the experience of the ages in this creature,a real hit of mid-nic in a sophisticated honey flake. A bit moist, but good taste of sweet and low pace of burn are the main characters I experienced. Not much earthy and woody but makes lots of smoke clouds and draws the attention of public in terms of a mellow sillage. Easy to load and burns smoothly. a good choice for summer days especially if you wanna be an all-day smoker. Don't miss the last part of the bowl if you peruse a sweet mouth after.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	niko (4)	2018-04-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Love, love, love it! My number one Virginia flake! A crispy easy to fold and pack flake in high quality. Pure Virginia taste with a tiny bit of natural sweetness. This is great stuff and taste good bot fresh and aged.

Pipe Used: Castello, Tom Eltang, Dunhill

Age When Smoked: From 2017

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia, Freibourg & Treyer Vintage Flake , No Name from The Danish Pipe Shop, My Own Blend 333, My Own Blend Vintage Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	westfalia_piper (3)	2017-09-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I never got the chance to try neither the original, nor the Murrays' version of the Dunhill Flake, so I'll have to concentrate on the current version made by STG in Denmark. In general, I don't care about all the discussions concerning the quality changes of the different Dunhill productions through the decades. The Dunhill and even the Murray days are over, what's now produced in Denmark is high- grade pipe tobacco overall. If some blends have changed in character and/ or content, the result is of course a subjective matter of taste. In my case, I enjoy many of the Dunhill tobaccos and I hope, they will be continued by the STG in 2018 when the BAT company drops the Dunhill brand. Having said that, I must admit that the Dunhill Flake is not one of my favourite presentations. Why? Well, so far....The flake is actually nice, smells good, smokes well without any problems, doesn't smoke hot too easily and has a pleasant taste. All good characteristics so far. The point that really puts me off about this flake is that I don't think it's a standalone or something special. But that's exactly what I'd expect from it, concerning its name AND PRICE. There are numerous other flakes offering excellent qualities for less money. Of course, the price isn't always the main point, but from a tobacco like this one- I think you could expect something that puts it high above the others.

Pipe Used: Stanwell 13, Stanwell Trio 118

Age When Smoked: new/ six months old

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2017-08-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is one of those benchmark blends on PSU, and I had never tried it. Someone gifted me a tin of 5 yo Dunhill Flake, so my review is based on the aged 50 g sample. I have finished the tin.

The tin note is a slightly sweet hay with some earthiness. The flakes are beautiful, and I rubbed them out. I did not dry them, and smoked them at the tin moisture which "may" have been slightly moister than I am used to with Virginia flake. It smoked well and did not require any more relights than usual.

The flavor is a wonderful Virginia - light citrus and grassy. There are hints of a honey note that might be a very subtle topping. It was an easy smoke and did not have tendencies to burn hot. My wife commented that the room note was very pleasant and asked what it was. I showed her the tin and explained it was more of a treat or special occasion smoke. She is well aware of the fact that this is code for "I like it, but it is too expensive for regular consumption by a cheap guy."

This is an easy one to rate. I understand that it is a reference point for Virginia smokers. It is very good. I do think everyone should try it.

Having said all that, I am not going to stock up or anything given the price point. I will probably buy a tin every now and then as a change of pace when it is on sale. I can also believe that my wife may have made a mental note, and I might find a tin in my Christmas stocking.

Pipe Used: a GBD pot and a BST pot

Age When Smoked: Five years

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-01-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

This virginia flake is awesome!i found nothing unpleasant from this blend!it has all the quality standards of dunhill blends!full virginia flavour with some sweetness and citrus taste!also a bit grassy if you go wild!i can only compare it to samuel gawith's str8 virginia flake wich is equal but a bit milder.just perfect,highly recommended!

Age When Smoked: After 1 month

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith str8 virginia flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TimD (3)	2016-09-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Took me a while to appreciate a straight Virginia. After reading other reviews about how great they are, subtle tastes, and the need to smoke them from sun up to sun down, I figured I just must not be chemically engineered to appreciate them. Then, one smoke, it clicked. Now I love it too, and Dunhill Flake is my go to Virginia smoke. Smoke on!

Pipe Used: Dunhill

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2016-06-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A solid and dependable classic Virginia flake that presents a satisfying combination of rich & toasty flavor with a perfect balance of bright citrus and grassy hay-like notes. The aroma is a bit fruity and is more pleasant than not. The flavor remains consistent throughout the smoke, and typical of most quality Virginias, it builds nicely and becomes more interesting and robust as the bowl progresses.

To my palate Dunhill Flake is not a very sweet VA. I find it to be a bit more earthy and somewhat dry and woodsy tasting, especially past mid-bowl. The mouth-feel is slightly astringent and a bit spicy. The smoke is very smooth with no harshness or bite. I detect a hint of a lightly applied topping in the flavor, it's scarcely noticeable but does pop up from time to time on the finish.

This is an easy flake to work with and it performs well right out of the tin. It smokes with relative ease when folded into the pipe, rubbed out, or cubed and gravity filled. When rubbed out there's a bit more richness to the flavor, but overall I prefer the complexities that come forth when it's folded and stuffed. I found a little dry time to be preferable but it's not entirely necessary. Dunhill Flake is a modest, unassuming tobacco and although it does not have the wow factor of some other Virginias that I have tried, it still makes for a darn good pipe. I look forward to aging a few tins to see what the coming years bring.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	stavros (3)	2015-12-05		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

After sampling several kinds of tobacco over about four years, this has become my absolute favorite... for now, at least. My experience with flake is fairly limited, but I enjoy Dunhill Flake the most out of the ones I've tried. It has made me a lover of both Virginia and flake tobacco. The tin aroma is chocolate and wild grass. After struggling through a temperamental tin of SG Full Virginia Flake earlier this year, I find the Dunhill to be so much more user friendly. In fact, a quick shredding of the flake and an hour or so of drying time out of the tin makes for a perfect smoke. And I mean perfect. For me at least. All things, tobacco included, are open to subjective evaluation. I have scarcely had a more enjoyable smoke than Dunhill Flake. The flavour, dryness, cut, smell, nicotine content... everything about this tobacco just works for me. I can't recommend it enough.

Pipe Used: Lorenzetti - Julius Caesar

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: 4Noggins

Similar Blends: SG FVF, Escudo.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manno (50)	2014-12-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I've no idea why I'm writing this as I find that reviews of highly "documented" blends are moderately useless, but thanks for the cathartic opportunity. I love most Dunhill tobaccos. Like a protective parent I always assume that the naysayers are expressing prejudice against the "establishment". As my 20-something daughters say too often to me, "Whatever". Flake is simply greatly simple. I've smoked perhaps 400 tins of it since the 70s. Perfect moisture, packing traits, lighting properties, smoke production, consistent rich VA taste, satisfaction, nicotine, rich-like-a-chocolate-mousse-cake feeling and aftertaste. OK, that's all I've got. Just felt like sharing. If you like to smoke pipe tobacco, you can't not (double negative -- sorry English majors) like DFlake.

Pipe Used: straight billiards and dublins

Age When Smoked: new and old (me, i'm old)

Purchased From: various etailers

Similar Blends: any of your favorite straight VAs.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2014-12-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This was the only flake I smoked for years until recently. It is a bit of a heavier VA flake; by that, I mean that it tends to be a bit darker than other VA flakes. The tin note is pretty typical: dry hay, grass, citrus, and a slight anise note in the background. It rubs out pretty easily, but you'll probably need to dry this out some. In fact, I prefer to smoke this flake as dry as possible because I believe it burns cooler and tastes a bit sweeter (you'll lose some of the citrus notes when doing this, however). I always seemed to get a slight coffee flavor during my last quarter of a bowl or so, which I found interesting.

It's not a bad smoke at all, but it seems to me that my tastes are changing. With that being said, I have found myself preferring Orlik Golden Sliced and Newminster 400 flakes. I may still pick up a tin every once in a while for nostalgic purposes.

Pipe Used: Various briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh, aged 6+ months

Purchased From: JR Cigars, Statesville, NC

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2013-08-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Dunhill Flake is all about having your cake and eating your gateau, too. It is good on a "simple" level from beginning to end, and its depth and complexity quickly mount for a rich smoke that is interesting and also quite satisfying to the end, especially given its profile.

Tin note is not unusual for a 1st class, aged VA flake, namely golden cake, with just enough hay and soaped saddle leather so you know it's tobacco, with maybe just a drop of rum (or the like). Tobacco, preparation, presentation and smoking qualities all do Dunhill proud. I like to fold and twist a flake (or part of a flake). It "packs", lights and smokes without its own demands, so you can concentrate (or not) on the tobacco. There is some sort of treacle (or something) that sweetens the smoke and the taste from the get-go; but one is not simply left with this. Rather, the aged VA taste and smell deepen and enrich, and the side notes unfurl, including some citrus. Unlike many VAs, DF never really gets bitter, or sour, or ashen. The only downer for me is an unoriginal, spent-campfire aftertaste that lasts a good 20 minutes before it fades back to VA sugar and citrus, and a now-darker cake.

While I want to compare DF to Astley's 109, I will instead refer readers to that review. IMO, Dunhill Flake is 4 star tobacco with a 3- aftertaste; still, a 4 star recommendation.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2011-04-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I wanted to like this more, but...I guess I just need a bit more flavor in the Virginias I smoke. It's obviously a very high quality VA and for those looking for a mild to medium-flavored weed this is perfect. Flavors are there, just not in the proportions I like. Very grassy and hay-like in the tin, and also in the pipe, it could easily be an all day VA for those who like this genre. I'll age the rest of the tin and see what happens...

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2010-12-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Quite simply put, and excellent flake.. This is the former light flake.. and it is well not exactly light but then again not strong a true medium smoke.. but the flavor complexity is what makes you really question the lightness.. there are plenty of beautiful moments to be had trying to figure out what you are tasting (which is not always possible but an interesting adventure nonetheless).. All of the virginia notes are here just as in full virginia flake.. it is just much more subdued.. the quality is immediately evident. Hard to light at times and keeping it lit can be a chore.. but this is a virginia afterall so you will want to take your time anyway. This is one of the best true virginia smokes i have tried so far.. I will age a tin for a year or two to fully appreciate it.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	troyniss (38)	2021-02-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Presentation: Lovely, even stacked flakes with a nice paper wrapping. Golden yellow and brown with a slight tinge of orange. Nothing has changed apart from the Dunhill name.

Palette: Citrusy, light, bright and a tad bready. A touch of hay. Tin note is gorgeous. Not a typical light virginia smell that I get with others. I generally find most bright virginias very haylike and young, but this flake has gone through a 3.5 year aging process and it's wonderful.

Performance. Breaks apart easily, stays lit well. Mild nicotine. I didn't really feel anything. Hardly any moisture in the heel of the bowl.

Conclusion: This was one of the first blends I tried almost 3 years ago and this is my second tin. I wish I smoked this more because it reminds me of when I started and fond memories. My tin had just over 3 years of age on it and it was superb. A classic for pipe smokers and a must try for Virginia leaf lovers. I have about 6-7 tins already in the cellar aging.

Pipe Used: Peterson Summertime 2017 X105

Age When Smoked: 3.5years

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cherry picker 1779 (52)	2020-05-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Peterson flake - the description is right on. A medium strength and body Virginia that does indeed burn relatively cool for being a Virginia. Lemon Virginia zing, and a nice sweetness. There is a stewed fruit note. The zing and lemon Virginia almost creates a menthol like effect if you choose to retrohale and concentrate on it enough. I don’t like menthol, but this sensation is a little different but it is really good.

It stands out to me and I would consider this my favorite Virginia blend. The nic hit is mild but noticeable after a sizable bowl. This can be enjoyed in any size pipe, however to really get the widest ranges of all the players I recommend a large bowl with a good cake in it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cleonides (21)	2019-10-14		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A sweet fruity straight virginia with a unique flavor profile. It is cased/topped with various sugars, PG and unknown flavoring as per the German BMEL website: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=100567&site_key=153&stichw_suche=dunhill&zeilenzahl_zaehler=47

From the tin note I suspect the unknown flavoring added is the same plum juice they use on Deluxe Navy Rolls (see BMEL website) and maybe something else. Very strong plummy/figgy smell, but fades with age. The flavor is unique and wonderful and I can only imagine that is due to the topping. The virignias are very good and probably brights and reds so you get the typical flavors from both. It's smooth, mildy sweet, and mild nicotine.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-12-01		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The most deeply fermented virginia tin note I have ever come across. How this is discontinued yet again, will result in people having questions, and enquiries for centuries.

The virginia is the richest flake I have tried for a virginia. Great tanginess. Plently of nicotine, and a golden room note, for anyone who smoked at least. What is not to like? Sadly no longer available. This was the standard virginia in my book.

A lot of the fribourg and teyer flakes are close but do not quite reach this level of perfection in my book. I liked this flake even more than solani's virginia flake 633, which is saying a lot.

Pipe Used: My best briars.

Purchased From: All over.

Similar Blends: Solani 633, fribourg & treyer..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2018-06-26		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dunhill Flake is a consistent & loyal & very well behaved flake, composed of light and dark Virginia.

Visually I would compare it to a Capstan Original (previously Medium). Flavourwise, the one coming closer seems SG’s Best Brown Flake. Close to the medium strenght, mild-to-medium in body. I don’t detect any flavouring, just the hay/citrus/bread thing. Good indeed. Burns exceptionally well, no hot smoke, no bite, no harsh spots. No high spots too… unfortunately.

I could see myself smoking this all day. Easily three stars. This tin was received as a gift, one and probably the last I will see… PS: And, yes: I smoked the old Light Flake in the late eighties. That was stronger than this.

Pipe Used: Castello's

Age When Smoked: a couple of years

Purchased From: received as a gift

Similar Blends: Capstan Original & Best Brown Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gorilla Guy (1)	2017-09-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not what it used to be. Unfortunately Dunhill switched to a round tin and the once elegant rectangular flakes are now jammed into the tin; squeezed together in a wet glob at one end and then spread out ... they cannot be separated and must be rubbed out as a package and dried. The tobacco is still very good in the end, but sadly not as good as it was.

Orlik figured out how to package their flakes nicely in a rectangular paper package and then put the package in a round tin. Perhaps Dunhill is planning to exit the tobacco business and is just doing the cheapest thing to exploit the brand until the end??

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New tin

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	taima (12)	2016-12-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A tasty, smooth, all-day smoke. Fairly mild, but inoffensive. Smells, looks, and smokes beautiful from the tin. I'd recommend this for virginia fans, I'm not sure the price is justified here....

Pipe Used: Corncob, clay, briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-01-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's not that I hate Dunhill Flake - Murray's version of Light Flake was the first pipe tobacco I smoked and a good part of the reason why I stopped smoking as many cigars and moved almost exclusively to the pipe. It's just that Flake - Orlik or Murray's production - is Virginia flake pipe tobacco with training wheels on.

The mechanics are super solid, the cut is precise, the moisture is perfect, it rubs out the same every time, it tastes the same every time, it tastes the same from start to finish. It's almost the perfect starter flake. If someone said they wanted to try straight Virginia pipe tobacco, I'd point them to Dunhill Flake without reservation.

But after a while I want the training wheels to come off. It has gotten to the point where it is a chore for me to finish a tin of Flake, because I know there's something out there with more nuanced and varied flavor, with more depth, something more interesting.

Two stars out of four, it would be three out of five in a more intuitive rating system. Perfectly middle-of-the-road.

Pipe Used: basket pipe

Age When Smoked: freshies

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden Sliced.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2015-12-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If I can compare this to anything, it would be EMP. The Virginia in EMP tastes exactly the same as Dunhill flake obviously without any oriental. Very pure light Virginia flavor that is slightly sweet. I don't get any hay or baked bread like flavored, just I slight blink of an eye citrus flavor. The tin note is different. Obviously it's a Virginia tin note but I also get a slight black pepper note to it. No bite to it at all. Burns clean and cool. Unfortunately there is no nicotine to it. At least for me.

I bought a tin of this a couple of years ago but I couldn't remember much about it until I bought a tin a couple of days ago. Overall a pure and simple Virginia flake that you don't have to think about. Rubbed out or folded, it smokes the same. Very enjoyable and recommended. Prefer this over Orlik golden sliced.

Pipe Used: Eriksen pot style pipe

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Ye Ole Pipe Shoppe

Similar Blends: Dunhill EMP.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	onurturker (14)	2015-12-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not for every virginia lovers but it must be try to grasp differences in the virginia blends.As a fan of FVF it has not given firm virginia taste like as FVF-BBF. it is a tobacco that enables us to give thanks to SG legend.

Pipe Used: Peterson Standard System 304

Purchased From: jamesfox

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ross Arlen (5)	2015-09-23		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Dunhill Flake is a yellow Virginia, with some amount of red or orange Virginia speckled throughout. The tin has beautiful, classic styling, and the flakes inside are always neat and unbroken, per Dunhill’s spectacular packaging standards. The current instantiation of this flake, which is what I will be exploring here, is made by Scandinavian Tobacco Group in Denmark. I am smoking a brand new tin of this stuff, made in early 2015. I will talk about differences in aged Dunhill flake later. The tin note is typical but balanced. You get notes of hay and honey, slight citrus (some say orange, but I think it is more along the lines of pummelo or grapefruit). There is an underlying floral scent, which most people miss, reminding me gently of cultivated roses or even rose flavored snuff. Sweet livestock feed is there, kind of–the molasses is missing, but you can pick up malted barley, oats, and in certain tins, even a corn note, which is however buried under the citrus and floral aroma.

I’ve found that Dunhill Flake works best fully rubbed out into a ribbon. It still burns much slower than other Dunhill Virginias, which seems to move along very cheerfully. It also works best in a bowl which allows some air–a prince, maybe, or a pot. Rarely do I recommend using a bowl wider than 5/8 inch for flake Virginias, but Dunhill flake seems to burn best in a 3/4 inch bowl, with not too much depth to it, no deeper than 1 1/4 inches. It needs some air, and in a bowl this size (I’m smoking in a 1965 Dunhill Prince), it’ll burn for a little over an hour, right out of the tin, a little faster if left to dry for 15-20 minutes rubbed out.

Leave some tinder on top so that it lights easily with a match. Matches burn at about a tenth of the temperature of a lighter–use matches. The heat of your lighting method affects the flavor far more that the chemicals in matches or butane. Not only that, but matches give you more control over the direction and intensity of the heat. Use. Matches. Let me make something clear. Tongue Bite is a chemical reaction. No one is really sure about what causes it, and pipe smokers are not the type of population to fund independent research on the matter. It is a quality that is native to aromatic tobaccos, and tobaccos with any liquor added. The ‘nip’ you feel when you burn a Virginia, English, or Burley is NOT tongue bite. You are burning the tobacco too hot, or you are discovering some spiciness on the tongue. But natural tobaccos don’t bite. So when one talks about Virginias, the category of “bite” is incorrect. It is either spiciness, which comes mostly from Burleys, or from your own smoking cadence. If you smoke a Virginia too hot, too fast, too open, too tight, or if you re-light it too many times, it will burn your tongue. Virginias have a high sugar-content because of the flue-curing process, and sugar has a high combustion point–which is why it burns hot.

Back to smoking. Dunhill Flake on a gentle light will start well, but you might need to pack down the ash more than once, as the rubbed-out ribbon expands a lot. You should get notes of canned mandarin oranges and cedar–from the match as well as the tobacco. A buttery texture with some citrusy acidity develops. There is a small bit of curry-like spice way in the back of the mouth, but it is noticeable only as warmth, not sharp at all. It burns evenly and slowly, and there is remarkably little change throughout the bowl, although you should notice a steady increase in hay, fresh grass, mandarin orange, and sweetness. It has a toasty, buttery room-note, which my wife says reminds her of good cigarettes and popcorn. It stands up to more vigorous smoking, but the orange notes and butter happen with a slow, even puffing cadence. I think people are imagining the vanilla, although with a year of age, some dry vanilla flavors do make an appearance. There is a jasmine tea flavor that whispers in towards the end of the bowl if you are paying attention. It inhales well, but heavy, and the nicotine content is low. The retrohale will reveal some earthier flavors, like wet wood. It leaves the tongue feeling like you’ve eaten a warm orange. The aftertaste is very clean, and similar to the mouthfeel of sweet corn. The ash is a very light grey throughout. Towards the finish of the bowl, there is a nice nicotine warmth, and a sharper pine emerges to finish it off completely with no dottle whatsoever.

Overall, Dunhill flake is not a complex or rich tobacco. You can easily ignore it, and enjoy the top notes of cedar and orange, enjoy the mouthfeel of butter and mandarin oranges. It is not striking in any way. But, Dunhill flake is perfectly balanced, perfectly constructed, perfectly gentle without being boring. The weight of the smoke is perfect, and it is generous with the smoke without billowing. If you are looking for an extreme or distinctive smoke, look elsewhere. But the fact that I have smoked through probably a hundred tins of this stuff should tell you that Dunhill flake is an approachable, affable, and sophisticated smoke that has never failed to please. With a year or two of age, dry vanilla, butter, and toast take the foreground, and the brightness of the orange and green grass fades gracefully to the back, although it is still present. Think of this as the Moet & Chandon of tobaccos; nothing new, everything right.

Pipe Used: 1965 Group 3 Dunhill Prince

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: The Briar Shoppe

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden Sliced, any classic yellow VA flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pDzine (12)	2014-03-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Deep dark earthy... call me crazy, but I think Pecan Pie best describe the array of flavors that dance in and out when this tobacco starts to sing.

I folded stuffed and tufted this fresh from the tin into an orlik rhodesian. The first part of the bowl was very woodsy and dark with hints of leather and essential oil very little sweetness. It gets a bit dry and campfire towards the burn out of the first relight. However, beyond the first light when the bowl starts to heat up and the tobacco hits its stride, I taste dark cocoa, with creamy top notes and a hint of a sweet nut meat that permeates the palate. As this progresses the flavor intensifies and the taste of toasted coconut or pecan pie is incredible. A dark savory meal with a side stream of biscuits and sweet hay.

The burn characteristics out of thr tin are phenomenal and if you stick wiith it past the first few lights it will reward you with a treat. I will try a few other methods to see if I can get past the admittedly rough front end.

Definitely a 3 star blend that will probably earn a 4 star if I can massage it into its zone sooner.

Pipe Used: Orlik Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Uhles

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	henwrench (16)	2012-10-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Clean. That's the key word with this one. Pure too. Fantastic tobacco, try it straight outta the tin if you like but I found it to be very slightly 'young'. As I do with all my baccies, jar her up and leave her in the dark for at least a week or two. Really, the quality is top. Yes, not particularly complex, no rising and falling overtones, but for sheer consistency and smokeability, this tobacco is very highly recommended. Good all day smoke and a superb first of the day bowl.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2011-02-19		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I was at JR Cigar today and spotted Dunhill Flake and purchased a tin. I am happy I did. The flakes were arranged neatly in a row with a tin note of hay-like Virginia. It folded and loaded very easily and took to the match without effort. The taste was perhaps one of the best straight Virginias I have ever smoked, and it wasn't at all hay-like in taste. It was spicy and had a raisiny presence. I couldn't detect any other flavors. If you like a straight Virginia with natural sweetness - and not over the top - Dunhill Flake is surely one way to go. It is sweeter and more flavorful for me than Pease's Union Square by way of comparison. Also, much better than FVF and BBF from Sam Gawith. A bit stingy if puffed on too fast, but one need not worry. There is enough flavor to satisfy with slow puffing. Not a hot smoke by any means. Really smokes best for me when near to brittle dry. A superior offering all the way around. Very nice DGT by the way.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RK_Oz (15)	2022-12-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Peterson Flake

Got a 2 yrs aged sample.

Dark brown and golden Flake,  thinly sliced. Dried it for a bit and then folded and rubbed followed by some more drying before packing the bowl.

Initial light gave stewed fruity sweetness with very mild tangyness.

As the bowl progressed fruity sweetness was consistent along with some sugary sweetness (lighter than molasses) was present. I could also taste some bread notes.

The beauty of the blend was mild creaminess all along with the sweet notes.

Mild spice detected on retrohale.

Overall a satisfying Virginia blend. Not complex but yet very enjoyable.

It did need average amount of lights, mostly tuned into grey ash and left a little moisture.

Strength - Medium Taste - Medium Overall score ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pipe Used: Falcon

Age When Smoked: 2 yrs

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipesolitude (23)	2022-06-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I discovered Dunhill flake late. I absolutely fell in love with it. Wow - I had found my desert island choice. Unfortunately, I bought the tin just before the transition from Dunhill to Peterson. It was very dissappointing when it dissapeard from the market, and I was equally relieved when it returned under the Peterson flagship.

It might be nostalgia, because I lived abroad when I enjoyed my only tin of Dunhill flake, and I fell in love with it while reading at cafés in Brussels and France. But in my mind I remember the Dunhill flake to be somewhat more complex and more perfect than its current reincarnation. Well, well...that's all in the past now.

Peterson Flake: This might not be the most intricate or flavour rich virginia out there. But it must be appreciated for its other characteristics. This might still be one of my favorites, because it is so reliable. A very nice everyday smoke. Perfectly cut flakes, not too thick, no excessive moisture, easy to dry out as you like it. Burns well without too many relights. Smokes very nice with enought flavour not to get boring, but also a mellow smoke that allows you to focus on other things. Very easy to fold and stuff, or rub out if you prefer. It never burns hot, and that alone is worth praise. I love it with coffee.

Most of us probably go through a phase when we love to search out and try new tobaccos in hunt for our favorite. But Peterson Flake is the tobacco that you will start to appreciate once you realize that the grass is not always greener elsewhere. In fact, this is a winner due to the fact that it is so reliable. And for that reason alone, it might end up being a favorite. If you have not tried it, be sure to respect it for its own virtues, and its everyday quality. Also, if you are new to smoking flake by fold and stuff-method and find it difficult, this one is a very easy flake to begin with.

Taste: This is not a light virginia, it is definitely on the darker side, but not tangy and free from bitterness. Bready and yeasty notes are in the foreground but subtle nevertheless (but perhaps a little flat in this regard, I remember the Dunhill version to be more complex), and with a rounded sweetness. There is a kind of tension between the more mellow and the robust side, and it also shifts depending on how you smoke it. Can be a bit spicy on the retrohale. If you sip on it the sweetness comes through more. However, I do think PF lacks that nice balance with brighter, grassy notes that was present in the Dunhill Flake. Oh, how I wish I would find an exact replacement for Dunhill Flake, but I don't think this is it.

My review is based on at least 2.5 years of aging in a jar, and I don't know how it compares to a fresh tin. But there are probably other virginias that would age into an even smoother smoke by that time, and I think PF would indeed become more interesting from maturing further in that direction.

__________________________________ UPDATE 25/11/2022:

I am prepared to alter my judgment above, because I now think PF ages very well. With just some further aging it has matured into a very sweet and well integrated smoke. After having smoked this a lot as my everyday tobacco, having dedicated my favorite pipes to it and also breaking in a new pipe with it, I have also reached a clearer impression regarding flavoring. I would be surprised if the sweetness is all natural virginia. Especially the finish of the bowl can be exceptionally sweet and truly magnificent; where many tobaccos will get foul at the finish, PF only gets tastier and allows for a dry smoke all the way down to a fine ash. To be honest I do not know how sweet natural virginia can get. Is it the magic transformation of aging? But I would not be surprised if there is a very (!) mild casing of sugar water that is there only to enhace the natural tobacco in a beautiful way (it could be that it is more detectable after some aging). Be it as it may, the sweet nature of this flake is nevertheless perfectly integrated with the bready body of the tobacco.

Another important note: I just opened up a new tin, and I was expecting the tobacco to feel fresh and a bit astringent. But I was actually surprised how good it is now fresh from the tin. So while cellaring some tins for the future, I will also enjoy PF fresh from the tin. I think it is better now than when Peterson Flake was still quite new on the market. It could be that Peterson now had the time to let this tobacco mature a bit more before tinning. It is a speculation, but it would probably make sense. I feel I could write a different review now, because what I get is a more integrated tobacco. The fresh tin of PF still can't compare to what you get with aging, but I think the tension described above is no longer there. And the same could be said of my initial nostalgia for the old Dunhill version. Peterson Flake has completely won me over. And after trying out so many tobaccos, my ability to appreciate PF just keeps building, it is always my favorite. Peterson Flake - this is why I smoke a pipe!

Age When Smoked: 2.5 years + 3 years + fresh 2022

Similar Blends: Capstan Original Navy Cut.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2021-03-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Smoking now:

Let age for a while in my basement. Tin note is grassy lemon sweet hay. What you would want from a straight Virginia. Moisture is fine, flakes are light in color and fold or break apart nice.

The taste is as it smells. A really mellow and easy smoking blend. Not getting any bite or mouth tinge. Retrohale is pleasant and the bready hay taste comes though nice. It’s very light in body but has a wonderful grassy tart hay bread like flavor. Easy and enjoyable.

It’s a absolute classic.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 1 year

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bigdadz (39)	2020-11-30		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Had the privilege of smoking both the Murray’s version as well as the Orlik version of this flake.

The Orlik rendition is definitely milder and quite reminiscent of Orlik golden slices. Not bad, but nothing to rave about.

The Murray’s version is full bodied and stout and satisfied my tastebuds.

Pipe Used: Blatter

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Louis (1)	2020-03-09		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

light taste. less tougn bite. medium to high sweet taste, and a significant flower/honey smell which is very pleasant for me. easy smoke than FVP, rub and smoke right away. Peterson version btw. 味道相对淡，比较不容易舌头痛。甜度挺高，而且有明显的花香/蜜香，非常好。 比较容易抽，水分不那么高，搓开后直接抽也没问题。是peterson版本的不是dunhill老的。

Pipe Used: peterson preme b42

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: US

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MAddMAnn (17)	2019-11-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great easy virginia blend. However it doesn’t have some of the more interesting diversity of flavors of some of my other favorite Virginia’s. Likely to be a custom blend base for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2019-05-26		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dunhill Flake: A medium strength Virginia flake with a hint of citrus and spice

This was one of the best Virginia flakes on the market. The tobacco is a mixture of brown and lighter Virginias. The smoke has a nice medium body to it and is dominated by the citrusy side of Virginia leafs with some grassy and a hidden spice note. There is a slight citrus casing that plays well with the lighter leaf, but it does not dominate the smoke as with an American aromatic. A solid four stars.

Similar Blends: It is similar to Capstan Yellow in terms of the Virginia varietals and the citrus casing. However, Capstan Yellow lacks the body of Dunhill Flake..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Artyom (12)	2019-04-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just a great virginia Dunhill tobacco. It will be hard for me to find any straight virginia as good as this one. Good for evening smoke.

Age When Smoked: 4

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2018-12-29		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Dunhill Flake (No longer in production)

As of December, 2018, I would say that this review is irrelevant due to the fact that Dunhill Flake is no longer being produced, except for the fact that Dunhill Flake is still being sold and traded online.

When I first picked up the pipe five years ago, I initially shied away from Virginias (straight Virginias, VaPers and so on). I gravitated towards English and Balkan blends. As my palate matured, I tried to better understand and be au fait with the straight Virgnias everyone was raving about -- Virginias that were all such a key component in the English and Balkan blends I was so besotted with. In order to really understand and better appreciate those English and Balkan blends, I needed to better understand the flavor profiles and characteristics of all those Virginias in all of their assorted varieties.

Upon learning of Dunhill’s corporate, shareholder-driven designs to shutter its pipe tobacco operations, I purchased ten additional tins of Dunhill Flake (along with some Nightcap, a [relatively] long-time favorite of mine, as well as some Navy Rolls, another eventual Dunhill favorite of mine).

Dunhill Flake perfectly illustrates the challenge I still encounter with various Virginias. After carefully reading all of the reviews on this tobacco (before even smoking it), I am reminded how subjective this subject of reviewing a pipe tobacco (offering one’s personal opinion) actually is.

On the tin note for instance, some of the comments were: “Milk chocolate with raspberry fruitiness”, and “hay” and “sweet feed”. I didn’t get any of that in the tin note. One reviewer commented “dried plums, figs and raisins” – and I definitely did get that – along with some earth (I don’t know what “sweet feed” smells like – I’ll have to ask my horse owning niece for a sample some time). The product description reads: “Lemon and bronze Virginias – ideal for sportsmen” . . . (?) If there were “subtle chocolate sweetness” and “citrus notes buried deeper in the background,” then they were a tad too subtle and perhaps buried a bit too deeply for my olfactory lobes to detect.

Upon ignition: I guess I kind of got the hint of lemon and citrus, and I got the “dark earth” part of Dunhill Flake. The high point of this tobacco for me was when I immediately and very definitely picked up on the ginger bread hit, and that was at the very beginning (on the char, in fact) and not towards the end (as was noted by one reviewer).

The 4-star ratings for Dunhill Flake outnumber the 3-star ratings by 2-1 (116-58), and on the 4-star ratings, some of the reviewers’ comments were: “This is my favorite pipe tobacco of all time”; “This is an incredible tasting tobacco”; “the quintessential straight Virginia” and “The one from which all others should be measured” (which is ironic, because this is exactly the same thing I said about McClelland’s 40th Anniversary Straight Virginia Flake in my 4-star review of that tobacco).

It is socially inappropriate to speak ill of the dead. (JimInks, unquestionably the most ambassadorial of commentators on this site, is ever so diplomatic and gentlemanly in the wording of his reviews, even whilst eviscerating some poor example of a tobacco with his single star). It is not my intention to demean Dunhill Flake in any way, but there are other reviewer comments that better reflect my own views of this tobacco, which were: “A straight, no-nonsense Virginia”; “Not a bad straight Va flake, just not my favorite”; “Not for every Virginia lover”; “Perfectly middle of the road”; “generic Virginia” and “boring” (the word “boring” appeared twice, and that is what I found this Virginia to be – quite boring). Personally, Dunhill Flake is not a Virginia I will bemoan the loss of the way I do the McClelland Anniversary editions and Christmas Cheer. A two-star tobacco for me.

I will revisit Dunhill Flake some time in the future, and if it improves with age (or my palate improves with age) I will edit this review.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaylotw (16)	2018-11-06		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Honey! This stuff smells like honey, and for me that’s a good thing. I grabbed a tin of this along with a tin of Balkan Sobranie on a recent trip to Ashville NC and man am I glad I decided against two tins of BS...hahaha what an apt abbreviation for that stuff...Dunhill Flake is absolutely delicious and should be hoarded jealously by anyone who is lucky enough to find it now.

Yeah, honey. Honey with maybe a little orange rind, that deep rich smell that only a fine pressed VA can deliver. Other reviewers have stated that the packaging on this stuff was sub-par, but I found it to be just fine...I had a nice bed of flakes with two or three placed on top, none were broken, no stray shreds about. Just beautiful, soft flakes.

I found the moisture to be right where I like it for a VA flake and so my first smoke was rubbed out and the entire pile packed into my most trusted of trusty Savinellis. First puffs were a little light flavor wise, but as the heat of the ember began to work a little magic the flavor became fuller, not ever reaching a mark I would call “Full,” but enough body to allow me to pick out some subtle flavors while enjoying the steady band of citrusy, honey goodness. There are also some deeper caramel notes, and here and there almost a clove or nutmeg touch, something my mind calls “Christmas Spices.” Think sweet spices, like that tea blend, but very subtle and a great counterpoint to the citrus and honey

Someone else said that this blend has an orange note, and I agree. I’ve tasted lemon, grass, hay, caramel and all the other standard VA flavors, but never orange until I tried Dunhill Flake. What a treat.

I suspect that this stuff is cased with honey, and probably orange blossom honey at that.

I’m going to sell my kidney and sink the proceeds into stocking more of this stuff. Whatever the costs, this one deserves close to top spot in my VA rotation. Only FVF scratches the straight VA itch a little better, but not by much. I can’t wait to see what this tastes like with some age on it, if it even lasts that long.

Strongly recommended.

Pipe Used: Sav, Comoy’s, various cheap briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: B&B Ashville, NC

Similar Blends: Not sure..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The prof (2)	2018-06-11		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I am a huge VA flake fan, and as far as I'm concerned, McClelland (RIP) was the king of the VA flake. I have enjoyed many others, but none have matched the sweet, deep woodsy flavors and consistency of any of the offerings from the king.

Enter Dunhill Flake. Out of the tin, the thin flakes resemble the run of the mill, grassy VAs and VaPers that characterize so many of the average and unremarkable choices (think Stokebye's luxury flake), but the moistness of of the Dunhill supports a rich aroma that promises something more.

I live in a dry climate, and I tend to appreciate the moisture in flakes. I never dry them before smoking, and I rarely rub them out. The denser the flake, the better (a little nursing is often required, but the flavors are deeper and the bowl lasts forever).

The Dunhill Flake has not disappointed. I pack my bowl by folding a few of the thin flakes and stuffing them firmly in the bottom. Rubbing out a small amount for the rest of the bowl fills in some gaps, and some fine remnants placed loosely in the top allows for a easier light.

While not as sweet or rich as the McClelland, the flake is more woodsy and less grassy than most, making it a welcome staple in my rotation (at least until it too is no longer available).

Pipe Used: Savinelli Qandale

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden Sliced.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2018-02-08		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not a bad straight Va flake, just not my favorite. Compared to Opening Night or SG Full Va Flake, the Dunhill is a little lacking. I tried it fresh, then tried it a year or so later and still, it does not impress me. It's not horrible, it just lacks some fullness I get from other blends.

3.3 stars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2017-11-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

UPDATE 12/20: Have you ever gone back to a blend that you haven't smoked for awhile and then wonder how you could have ignored for so long? It is like running into an old best friend. I don't think I have smoked this in the last 12 months and man am I wondering why (probably because I was worried about running out before it was revived under the Peterson name). This really is my number 1 VA Flake, and that is a bold statement as there are some really strong contenders in this field. Baked bread with a thin coat of honey that deepens as you smoke down the bowl. One other comment, this tobacco takes on different character in different pipes. While there may be some nuances from briar to briar and cob to cob, what I mean is between distinct pipe types. I have found this to be superior in a meerschaum; great in a cob, clay or briar but this really sings in my meers.

ORIGINAL: This is my favorite VA Flake tobacco that is not in the "reserve" category. This beats our Orlik and the Gawith's to me hands down (and I really like them too). Tin not is sweet Virginia: Grassy/Hay like with citrus hints and a bready quality. The smoke is fantastic from first light to last puff. I prefer to rub out my flakes and the Dunhill line are the only ones that require no dry time. The flavor is not complex but it is quite enjoyable. It has a sweet bready like quality, toasty. I would say if you could smoke wheat toast with honey on it while mowing your lawn that is what this tastes like. It is a rich flavorful smoke and one that I would like to last forever. I get a slightly different profile in Cobs, sweeter and even more monochromatic, but still very satisfying. For a VA it is light on the vitamin N (good in my book). If you ever are feeling adventurous take an unopen tin and throw it in the oven at the lowest setting for 4 hours with the door cracked a smidge. This creates an even smoother breadier smoke. Absolutely fantastic.

Pipe Used: Briar, meerschaum and cobs

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: B&M

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.James (39)	2017-11-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Dunhill flake is a nice change of pace, straight forward and refined. The dark Virginias bring dry fruit and sweet hay while the bright Virginias add grassy and citrus notes. The subtle lemon topping reminds me of Dunhill Early Morning and brightens up the blend bringing the flavors together resulting in a smooth medium body smoke that is satisfying and won’t bite. Wether folded or rubbed out, a few relights may be necessary. Burns at a medium pace to a white ash and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Almost medium in strength and can be an all day smoke. Pleasant room note and aftertaste. Great right out of the tin but is best decanted in a jar for a few months. Stock up while you can!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	roadkill0000 (23)	2017-04-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

this review is just to keep track for myself mainly, less intended as a serious in depth review. Just to keep an eye of what ive tried and what I like, with quick notes about it. alot of these notes are from memory, and I will update the review as I continue smoking them.

really amazing tobacco. This tobacco is so well balanced. biscuity flavor to it. absolute classic and must re order more. this one is made to be a staple or a classic

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Alper (1)	2017-03-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I really like that tobacco. I am a big virginia fan, therefore I tried many of them. But dunhill's flake is one of the best experience I've ever had. very easy to flame, and once you flame it, you don't need to use matches anymore. From the first breath to last one, I got all virginia taste in my tongue and there were no any tongue bite. If you don't have any hardness for finding that tobacco, buy some and wait for at least 1 year without open it to make the tobacco get mature. you will realize the taste difference and quality at all.

Pipe Used: Peterson Standart System

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: London

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Yonatan (7)	2017-03-04		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Beautiful smoke. Came a bit wet and had to be air dried a bit, but what pure and gorgeous flavor. A blissful pleasure. Recommended to anyone.

Pipe Used: Falcon with Hyperbole bowl

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Theosprey247 (73)	2017-02-04		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

The presentation of the flakes in the tin is flawless the taste of the flakes leaves a lot to be desired. Folding and stuffing or rubbing the straight Virginia flakes out gives similar taste of grass or hay with an occasional sweetness. Boring. This tobacco just doesn't do anything for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	downeck (4)	2016-09-15		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It smells very nice out the tin. It is moist so allow some drying time. Wonderful Virginia...I haven't smoked a lot of straight Virginia to know where it ranks in that category. I think it's better than Full Virginia Flake from SG. I don't taste any citrus- I don't know how other reviewers can. It is best when you sip the tobacco and catch a whiff of the aroma from the bowl. Very pleasant.

Pipe Used: Edwards Briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mawnan Smiff (28)	2016-08-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I wonder how many folk have dismissed a blend simply because they smoked it in the wrong pipe. I know I have!

In the square 50g tin the two rows of neatly stacked flakes looked enticing. Mostly mid brown interspersed with flecks of golden leaf and rather thinly cut. Tin aroma was not at all what I was expecting, it was a little vague but hints of fresh turned hay intermingled with tea leaves were the most evident with a very light 'scent' which suggested some kind of topping.

Rubbing out was no problem largely due to the fine cut of the flakes and only minimal airing was required afore I loaded up my McQuade bent bulldog. Char light, tamp and light proper and the ball was rolling. Huge plumes of white smoke initially billowed from the bowl but then settled down. From start to finish I got none of the gorgeous flavours one usually gets from a straight Virginia like FVF or Golden Glow, all I got was a taste of cigarettes with the occasional hint of Virginia sweetness and the meerest whisper of citrus and I really had to look hard to find that.

This really is more of a 'dry' Virginia than a sweet one and to be quite frank this was rather akin to smoking cardboard. Yes there is flavour in there but it is so hard to find and once found it is so diluted it might just as well not be there at all.

Now fast forward to a week later.

Not too happy with my initial experience with this blend I decided to give it another go but this time in my Bernina bent billiard, an ancient pipe that so often has revealed flavours in blends that were not so apparent when smoked in other pipes. The difference was quite amazing. I was now tasting what I should have the first time around, what was then a hard sought citrus sweetness became much more apparent and I no longer had the impression of smoking cheap cigarettes or cardboard. The typical Virginia flavours one would expect were there in every puff though they did flatten out slightly the closer to the end of the bowl I got.

I am now smoking this in a larger GBD bent billiard and am thoroughly enjoying every moment. Though not as flavoursome as Sam Gawith's Golden Glow or FVF I still feel Dunhill Flake is up there with the better straight Virginia blends. Mild to medium in strength, slow burning with zero bite this is a very 'clean' smoke.

So it just goes to show that not all blends sing their hearts out in every pipe. I wonder how many folks have dismissed blends simply because they were smoked in the wrong pipe...I know I have!

Would I buy this again? What with so many straight Virginia blends out there, many of which I have yet to trial I cannot honestly say I would. What I would do however is recommend this blend for those seeking a good Virginia, it may well prove to be a favourite. A well deserved 6/10 from this piper.

Pipe Used: McQuade bulldog & GBD bent billiard.

Age When Smoked: Fresh.

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop.com

Similar Blends: A milder FVF..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xortex (6)	2016-03-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my favorite tobacco, period. Beautiful flakes, classy presentation, smokes and tastes just right for me. Ex-cig smoker, so I don't have brilliant taste or smell. It'd be an all-day smoke but it's a little pricey and cigarettey for my apartment (my all day is Prince Albert). Like Escudo without the perique, golden slices without the heavy citrus, SG's FVF without the BS and price tag, Erinmore without the wet and topping. Good smoke output too: I like a good cloud.

Pipe Used: Peterson Rosslare 106, cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Holt's, philadelphia

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Escudo Navy De Luxe, Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake, Erinmore - Erinmore Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Italo Svevo (26)	2016-01-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

When I first opened the tin, I was greeted by a nice, intense sweet-sour scent of what made me think of dried plums, figs and raisins. The flakes were quite moist and impossible to smoke right out of the tin, especially with the fold method. I tried again with the crumble method, this time succeeding; the taste was sweet with the same persistent notes of dried fruits.

After one week in the tin, the tobacco has dried out a little bit. The perfume in the box is still there, while the smoke tastes exactly of what others say is not there, i.e. fresh baked bread and sugar. When the pipe goes out, the warm tobacco smells strongly of sweet bread. Interesting how subjective perceptions can differ. In any case, this is a very good tobacco, surprisingly complex in my opinion for being just virginia; it smokes very cool with practically no bite.

Update: after almost a year, I'm almost done with the tin, of course much of the scent is gone, but the flakes are still enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 1w

Similar Blends: I don't know, my first virginia flake....

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wīglāf (13)	2015-10-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Smoking a straight Virginia blend is not unlike riding a unicycle. You have to be good at it and not fall off, or else the scrapes on your knees will quickly make the whole ordeal not worth it. With straight Virginias, you have to puff lightly, keep the smoke cool, and keep the moisture level down or else it just tastes like every other Virginia blend and burns your tongue. If you can get it right, which I do not always do successfully at this point in my experience, you start to notice that the quality, nuance, rare varieties, etc. of Virginias can really make or break a blend. All of this to say, you get out of Dunhill Flake what you put into it. I personally prefer blends that have at least some Latakia and more depth of flavor. I look forward to getting better acquainted with this blend, but I can't say it knocked my socks off.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Unfinished Vulcanite

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Similar ilk of Virginia to those in, McClelland - Stave-Aged Virgina 35 Ribbon.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-10-28		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Flat, uninspired. It makes a decent summer morning smoke, but there is nothing to recommend it over Full Virginia Flake or Best Brown Flake or Stokkebye's Luxury Twist Flake or any number of other fantastic VA flakes.

The presentation is top notch though, maybe keep a tin for when you need to convince someone that you are refined.

Age When Smoked: 10 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2015-08-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Straight Virginias seem one-dimensional to me, but Dunhill has done the best with this genre of tobacco by producing a top-quality flake. What looks like light and toasted or dark-fired Virginias are combined in a tan-grey flake which emits the sweet hay season smell of a good Virginia. This burns cooler than Newminster and other flakes, and like all Dunhill products -- this is their secret -- carefully balances its flavors for a mature, slow-paced smoke. Dunhill did their best to mediate the one-dimensionality of straight Virginia with this mix, and in the process, came up with something that is basically like smoking a cookie. Sweet, with some added earthy flavors, it provides hours of light puffing fun for those who do not want intensity of flavor or too much nicotine hitting them in the face like a political scandal.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eric Cioe (37)	2015-04-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a pretty tobacco in a pretty tin. I rubbed out the flakes pretty finely and they smoked well. The flavor was toward the grassy end of the Virginia spectrum, with some zesty notes as well. One thing I dislike about Virginias in this subgenre is that they sometimes take on a cigarette-ish note. While I like pure tobacco flavors, that's just not quite quite what I'm looking for most of the time.

That said, this did go very well with my morning coffee, and while I'll stick to Gawith's Full Virginia Flake and Pease's Union Square for most of my Virginia needs, I might revisit this. And certainly every Virginia fan owes this one a try.

Pipe Used: Lots of them

Age When Smoked: One year

Purchased From: Hostetter's News Agency, Grand Haven, MI

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Armac (10)	2014-12-13		Medium	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

Memory is tricky. When long gone, or original blend tobaccos are remembered, it often makes bad ones worse and good ones better. Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, a lady friend and I were on our way to Niagara Falls. I had filled one of my car pipes with Dunhill Light Flake (Dunhill Flake, today) and lit up after we'd made a stop at a gas station. About 20 seconds later, she asked, "What's that tobacco you're smoking?" I told her, and she went on to say it was the nicest aroma of any tobacco I smoked. Needless to say, I picked up several more tins at my earliest opportunity.

Fast forward about 30 years. I suppose it's been 20 years or more since I smoked Dunhill Flake but have been trying a lot of different flakes lately and so bought a couple tins. This evening, I broke up a strip (Didn't rub it out) and filled a 1997 Ashton Pebble Grain 3X. After a false light and re-light, I walked out of the room for a few minutes, wanting to check the room note, then came back in. What I remembered from years ago was a light, spicy aroma, rather unique in its scent. What I smelled this evening was smoke. Not unpleasant, not acrid, but simply smoke. The only spice I got was a tingling on the tongue and mouth as I smoked.

Now, it's entirely possible my nose and taster are shot after 50+ years of smoking a pipe, but I don't seem to have that problem with most of the other tobaccos I've been trying. The Flake itself is undoubtedly high grade, of proper moisture content, and nicely presented in even strips in the tin. It simply isn't the Dunhill Flake of memory.

Pipe Used: Ashton Pebble Grain XXX 1997

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cjone107 (18)	2014-03-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Athough I'm primarily an aromatic smoker, this provides quite an enjoyable smoke. It smells okay and the dark, natural taste can be a pleasant change of pace from my super-sweet cavendish blends. I can see how somebody who doesn't like aromatics would love this. I, on the other hand, still prefer something a little sweeter.

Purchased From: Smoker's Choice - Bloomington, IL

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kraft1994 (54)	2014-02-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A great virginia classic from one of the tobacco greats. A dark yet sweet virginia flake. very similar to Samuel Gawiths Full Virginia Flake. A little lighter and milder. A nice all day smoke for the Virginia lover but not quite to the level of Full Virginia.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2013-12-27		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the best straight virginias on the market today I would say. You can see the quality of the leaf as soon as you open the tin. It has a just right portion of Vitamin N for my taste and it leaves for me a nice room note as you smoke it. It lights well and stays lit with little effort. Highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Coltrain (8)	2013-11-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Great tobacco. Probably one of the best straight virginias on the market. Would loved to have tried it in the old days on Dunhill. Must have been amazing. A must tobacco in my opinion.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quaffer (18)	2013-09-21		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It is a decent blend, but there are many better viriginia's out there. This blend lacks complexity and I seem to detect a slight bit of flavoring added. I'll smoke it if I have it around, but I don't plan on buying more of this because there are just so many better choices of tobacco.

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Orlik Golden Sliced.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-08-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

A great Virginia blend, That is all it is, Virgina. If you like Virginia you'll love this. If you don't you'll either hate it or find it boring. No flavoring on it, Virginia is naturally sweet. Plenty of Nicotine, very flavorful despite its lack of complexity. Good.

Mild tongue bite on this one but good overall.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	alesouza (4)	2013-03-05		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my mixture of choice. It is a high quality VA. It is almost pure virginia tobacco. It is perfect in many senses! I usually smoke it in a Corn Cob pipe and it tastes very, very good. It easily heats the bowl a lot, so one has to smoke slowly. Nevertheless, it does not bite the tongue. I highly recommend it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-11-22		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Subtle ammonia aroma when smoking a large bowl. All in all a good smoke with a nice tin aroma.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This was one of the first flakes i ever tried, and wow did it surprise me. i was expecting an overwhelming nicotine hit, and granted being a new pipe smoker it did have quite a bit of nicotine, but once my pallet started to become accustomed to it, it took my tastebuds on a ride of utter bliss. it has that kind of hay/straw/barn-like smell to it, which i am assuming is in all virginia blends. it was one of the best smokes i have ever had. i highly recommend it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I never tried the old Dunhill stuff, so I can't speak to the "closeness" of this vs. the old Light Flake. And I'm no expert. What I can tell you, is I smoke this 3 out of 5 times I smoke anything. It's just good. It's easy to find, not insanely pricey, and simply tasty. I've used it to introduce some of my new-to-pipes friends (who usually smoke cloying syrupy sweet things) to the wonderful world of straight VAs, with much success. Nothing extreme or intense here, just good, non-bitey, flavorful but not overwhelming baccy. Won't win any wife awards, but it's far from stinky. If I have to run into the store or gas station and leave my pipe in the car with the windows up, I LOVE the way it smells when I get back in.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2011-11-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A VA on the milder side.

When i first smoked it i was quite disappointed as i was expecting something stronger and i puffed away too hard in my search for strength. A tin later and slowing down has brought out the great subtle flavours. Smoke to hard and this is on or two star baccy. Slow down and it's sublime. Yes, it's one of those tobbaccos. Same packing format/tin as Irish Flake which is great.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-10-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is awesome, very pure tobacco taste. A little bit sweet with enough nicotine to keep my happy. The flakes are pretty big, and I have only smoked this rubbed out. Moist or dried out, it smokes well. I thought I didn't really like virginia tobacco.... I was wrong, I will be buying heaps more. This is a winner for sure.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke (41)	2011-09-16		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Light Flake vs. Flake: I never bitched or moaned as much as I did during the recent US, Dunhill absence. If I had to pin a date as to my earliest Dunhill Flake smoking I'd go back to 1976. I remember as if it was yesterday the tin aroma of a newly bought can. Its smell reminded me of a freshly sharpened new pencil. I know, crazy? I never imagined Dunhill not making pipe tobacco. I never stocked up much because it was always available. Well, anyway, I didn't catch the fresh tin scent of a Dixon #2 pencil, freshly sharpened, from the newly opened Dunhill Flake tin. I did find the pseudo (read: fake) “Royal Warrant” stamped on a shallower tin- oh well. Anyhow, I like it. Is it the same? It's too soon to tell. I found the tangy taste and the advancing strength I loved. Yeh, I like it. I need to finish a few more tins to give it a fair review. How do folks submit 10 to 15 reviews at once- it's baffling to me?

This latest rendition had me looking at the flakes to a point where I consciously book-ended the flakes rather than as they are tinned, fanned or staggered. What I glimpsed was I wide variety of tobacco leafs making up these slices of the original cake. Some light, some dark, some with a greenish hue, my imagination soared at the thought of the subtle and complex recipe coveted by Dunhill.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-09-10		Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

First review on here, gotta say I love Dunhill flake. I smoke it mainly in my dedicated VA Savinelli and I love every minute of it. Medium Virginia with a good dose of Vitamin N, and a cool easy smoke. Love the flake, I usually just rub it out, but have tried folding it, seemed to stick to the side of my bowl a lot, probably just need to dry it out.

Will definitely be getting another tin of this soon.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	joeljcj2 (13)	2011-07-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

as a decades long admirer of the old dunhill flake, i was heartened to see it reintroduced. i see very little difference--even in smoking the new very soon after smoking one of my very few remaining tins of the old. i do not find any added flavoring or casing. it is a clean , bright virginia flake. i compare it favorably -to gawith fvf and gawith best brown ( a bit heavier and more complex) and iwan ries flake.--although i still smoke both of these frequently. orlick golden seems to me to have a bit much of a flavor added,and reiner golden flake, a marvelous tobacco, also seems a bit sweetened. as a lighter - morning smoke dunhill is still unrivaled just a note on packing. i find folding and rubbing just a bit , with the grain and then sort of stuffing it in so the grain is in essence running down the pipe, provides a long continuous burning , quite cool ,flavorful smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	meerkat (64)	2011-02-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really don't want to be one of those pipe smokers who write prose poetry to the blends of the past and engage in much wailing and knashing of teeth at their demise.

We have lots of great tobaccos available now.

Dunhill Flake is a good tobacco. You should try it. If you like straight virginias you'll find much to admire here. It seems to offer the full plethora of flavours available to the virginia smoker.

That said...

I have done side by side comparisons of it with the last incarnation of the blend (Orlik and Murrays, respectively, I believe). This involved two identical and unghosted meerschaum lined billiards. The new version is almost identical to the older one. Almost. There seems to be somehow less flavour here. The experience is slightly thinner, flatter, less rich. There also seems to be a light casing (an attempt to replicate the exact flavour profile?). I don't want to overstate the differences, they are only slight and should not put you off smoking this wonderful (and, crucially, still available) tobacco. In the interests of fairness I should say that the differences experienced could be due to the effects of aging on the older blend and I am certainly intending to lay down some new tins for future enjoyment.

In conclusion, (Light) Flake was my favourite pure virginia flake, just beating Full Virginia Flake. The new version (Light Flake Lite?) probably comes in just behind FVF in my estimation but I'll still buy them both for their differing flavour profiles. DF is strong with plenty of body but has more brighter, fresher, sweet flavours as well; more lemony/grassy, bready, sweet hay, no florals. FVF is darker; more raisiny/toasted, hint of lakelands, more woodiness, slightly oily...

Happy smoking.

UPDATE...

The more I compare this with FVF the more I favour the Dunhill offering and the more my affection for the Samuel Gawith product wanes. This has more varied levels of complexity and refinement to the flavour and mouthfeel.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-22		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

OK, this one was love at first puff. I've smoked enough to say that while the honeymoon is over, there still is reason for me to be in love. (This, as opposed to my marriage.)

Kidding(?) aside, Flake is a blend that doesn't bore me. A beautiful tin with beautiful flakes, it has a tin note and moisture level that says 'Good times ahead.' (Betcha this will age like a dream, too.) Vaguely similar to Orlik's Golden Sliced, I find DF to be superior, if only ever so slightly. Whereas OGS is a perky, citrusy mild VA (from start to finish), DF is a medium bodied VA with a wider range of notes. While not overly complex, DF does build in strength and flavor down the bowl, ending with a sweet baked bread taste that I can't rightly describe. Now, seeing as the reviews on the old production of (Light) Flake seem to echo my thoughts on the new version, I'm guessing I'm essentially smoking a faithful rendition of the original. Not that it matters, I suppose, but it is a nod to Dunhill for (finally...)being faithful to their loyal customer base. Seeing as I fully intend on stockpiling this one, I guess Dunhill can count me in as a loyal customer too. They best not muck it up...

Four stars for a new favorite.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-14		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

I have been smoking for over 30+ years and there has been a lot of Virginia tobaccos in my pipes. I recently tried Dunhill Flake after CAO started importing it. WOW! With diligent rubbing and careful packing in a Meerschaum pipe I could not believe the range of flavors. I tasted all the varietals inherent in this blend and I did not blister my tongue. If you are new to pipes or a hard smoker I would stay away from this and all Virginia tobaccos as they will burn your tongue good. On the other hand if you are itching to try a Virginia and want to spend the $$ on Dunhill do try this. Flake could use a bit of drying and it most certainly will lend it self to being put away for a while in the cellar.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mitchell Alan (22)	2023-03-26		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A perfect and wonderful Tobacco. Fresh like water, with the taste of grass and a bakery. This was an emotional blend. It made me feel very nostalgic, reminding me of my great grandma’s soda cookies while smelling the woods and leaf litter through the windows. It’s not complex. It’s not full flavored. It’s exactly what it’s wants To be and it’s perfect that way.

Pipe Used: Person p-lip

Age When Smoked: 1yr

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (166)	2023-03-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the one Dunhill blend I have cellared the most, though in the meantime I’ve discovered other Virginia flakes that I like even better. I do consider this a sort of benchmark for darker flue-cured Virginia flakes, and unlike Astley’s 44, I find the presentation here very natural, with very minimal pH tempering. As for aging, it takes a long time to notice much difference, I’m thinking about five years, and even then the transformation isn’t as dramatic as it is with some other Virginia flakes.

Even when fresh you will discern that this is made of the highest quality leaf, and the depth of flavor is most satisfying. I get winter hay, toasted Cheerios, toasted wheat bran bread, and on long, slow retrohale a faint trace of anise. When young I also experimented with some tweaks (I know: sacrilege!) and found that a drop of Watkins coffee extract with this was simply amazing. Trying a tin with nine years on it I get the usual predominant taste of brown bread, slightly rounder and mellower now, but also surprising nuances of inexplicable flavor toward the end of the bowl: orange peel, and dried apricot. I never tasted those before, and they are fleeting impressions, but shows that some surprises await as the tobacco ages. I have several more of the older square tins with nine years on them, and I will try those when they hit the ten, fifteen and twenty year mark. Something to look forward to!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ferrigno (7)	2023-02-13		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I'm smoking Peterson's flake in parallel with other straight Virginias: Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, Gawith's Bright CR flake, GL Pease's Union Square, Mac Baren's HH Pure Virginia, Dan Tobacco's Veermaster and Amphora Virginia. Peterson's Flake is a compact flake, with light leafs streaked with brown leaf, wet but not soaked with moisture, with a light and peculiar sweet topping reminding me of citrus and cotton candy. After rubbing and some drying time, the topping disappears and the natural blond Virginia flavour comes out, with its citrus, hay and honey notes. In comparison to the other Virginias in my rotation, this one is similar to GL Pease's Union Square; the dark, figgy, chocolatey notes of Full Virginia Flake and Bright CR flake, as well as the toasted, burnt notes of Amphora Virginia and HH Pure virginia, are not present here. Very sweet and citrusy from the beginning to the end, this tobacco is smooth and absolutely gentle to the tongue, it burns easily with very few or no relights. Especially when well dried, it tends to burn fast; this tobacco is better enjoyed when sipped very slowly.

Pipe Used: Castello, Savinelli, Meer, others

Age When Smoked: 12 months

Purchased From: German shop

Similar Blends: GL Pease Union Square.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot79 (32)	2022-10-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Glad I tried this one when my shop was out of the habitual Capstan Yellow flake. It's very well-behaved and would be an ideal introduction to flakes for anyone wanting to try them. Burns evenly and calmly without any trace of bite and with no weird tastes. Great for any time of day, but I like to use it when out walking. That creamy Virginia 'satisfaction' is present to some extent. Just fold and twist into the bowl - no need to rub it out. Nothing to detract and nothing bad to say about it.

Pipe Used: High end English briars

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Tobacco blends Australia

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (70)	2022-05-21		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not complex, but very good. Notes of hay, bread, and brown sugar sweetness. It's not overly moist, so fold and stuff works very well for a cool, slow burning, flavorful, sweet smoke. It's mild to medium in flavor, but there is a certain richness to it that can be attributed to the quality, as well as the age. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Cobs

Age When Smoked: 7 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeQuest (20)	2022-05-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was hesitant to try this tobacco since I had a bunch of the Dunhill square cans, I figured this was the same thing in a round can with Peterson name. I broke down and bought a few cans, to my surprise this tobacco tasted almost exactly the same as the old Dunhill light flake which I smoked exclusively for many years. Dunhill Flake in the square can is good but this one is beyond good, it is awesome.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulMcCoy (78)	2021-10-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a beautifully sweet, and citrusy pure Virginia. Its got hay, grass, lemon, and hints of honey. Great any time of the day, and ages fantastically.

Pipe Used: Everyman 158

Age When Smoked: Up to 8 years

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FilipPruncu (89)	2021-05-31		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This review is based on a 2015 tin (the square tins) meaning 6-7 year aged.

Tin note: Full sweetness with fruit/dark fruit.

Cut & Moisture: Perfectly cut flakes, wide and thin, with lots of sugar crystals. Was and still is quite moist. Lots of dark tobacco, some brown and little gold parts.

Burn: Just perfect. Can be lit with one match and will stay lit. Won’t bite, won’t get the pipe hot. This is actually one of the best burning virginias i’ve come across.

The smoke: First smokes are somewhat peppery for some reason, then comes a bready and hay flavor. There’s dark fruit but also lemon. Eventually, a delicate sweetness comes to accompany the mentioned flavors, and offers a great, great aroma medium in taste.

The taste is so good, of lemon and honey, that would make a summer day perfect with just about any beverage, be it beer, cola, rum, or some cocktail.

Offers a cool smoke full of natural flavors of best quality virginia.

Room note: Pleasant, acceptable. It doesn’t smell much, actually.

Age When Smoked: 6-7 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2021-02-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A pleasant tobacco for all the senses involved in the pipe smoking process. When the tin is opened, beautiful brown, reddish and orange flakes appear well ordered, giving off a very rich aroma of bread and sweet hay so typical of the Virginias. It is also pleasant to the touch, since when rubbed it is of a very spongy texture, probably due to the degree of humidity it has, but this does not prevent it from burning well and it can be loaded directly from the tin.

Some users have mentioned that the tongue itches but it has not happened to me. Another different thing is that it is a tobacco with a spicy flavor, which it is, but it does not bite if it is smoked with a medium cadence. The retronasal exhalation is very smooth and rich, reminiscent of bread in the oven. It is recommended to smoke it slowly so that the flavor is not lost, and although this is a valid advice for most tobaccos, it especially affects it.

I hope to order a few more tin in the future.

Pipe Used: Jan Kloucek Italy Silhoutte

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot (33)	2020-11-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This light Dunhill Flake was a surprise for me. Wonderful hay tin note brought me back to memories of the Indian summer. Nostalgic, nice straight Virginia pressed into flakes. Nice enjoyment.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (221)	2020-08-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Peterson Flake - My tin is mostly bright Virginias with a few light brown and orange strands . The blend is fairly sweet with hay and grass and citrus mostly . Some notes of bread and dark fruit and a tea flavor come in and out during the smoke kind of changing places with the hay grass and citrus . It is quite pleasant . The tea notes kind of remind me of Irish breakfast tea . A very mild blend in taste and strength with very little nicotine . Easily an all day smoke . I read some other reviews and nobody mentioned the tea notes I think but that’s what I get sometimes after many bowls . If you like Virginias I would say give it a try . In my early days of smoking I would probably give this 4 stars but I am leaning 3 now . Maybe 3 1/2 . It’s very good .

Age When Smoked: 11 months old

Similar Blends: In between OGS and BBF.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2020-05-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review concerns the Dunhill Flake. It is an excellent product, from presentation to quality of leaf. It has everything in the right proportion, taste, strength. Easy to load, easy to light and smoke, easy on the tongue. Reminds me a little of Capstan, dark, pressed, aged Virginia. Here the casing is even more minimal. It is a little sweetish, but not overwhelmingly so. Though maybe not the most exciting blend in the world, I’d be happy to smoke it again anytime.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Harbor Seal (12)	2020-03-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dunhill Flake or Peterson Flake as it is called now represents the quintessential Virginia tobacco blend to me. The tin note is sweet and fresh, slightly citrussy (perhaps a little topping?). Tastewise, this blend is dominated by the lighter virginias, giving you that typical grassy, hay-like aroma with a good amount of sweetness. An association that sparks to my mind is lemon curd which is probably stemming from the virginias but could also come from a very mild topping as well. You will also find the typically bready, yeasty aromas of the darker virginias, but they stay in the background and gain some more ground as you progress towards the end of the bowl. Personally I prefer to rub out the flakes (for easier lighting and less trouble keeping it lit) and give it a good amount of drying time, 20 to 30 min should be fine.

Comparing it to other Dunhill blends, the virginias used in Ye olde signe and Elizabethan are definitely more on the darker side with far less sweetness and more bready aromas. Comparing it to Orlik Golden Sliced, I would say that OGS has somewhat less sweetness but is also representing the more grassy side of Virginias.

In summary, highly recommended for people who would like to know what Virginia tastes like. Beginners be advised that smoking this slow and cool is absolutely necessary to maintain the aroma (I struggled with this during my early days)

Pipe Used: Savinelli 623 9 mm charcoal filter

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Navy Flake, not quite exactly the same as the Navy Flake contains burley and the tin note is quite different, but the virginias used in both blends are similar, Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Golden Sliced (Red Tin).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (401)	2020-02-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

My second Dunhill Flake that I received yesterday from a fellow member celebrating International Pipe Smoking Day. When I first looked this up in the review site, I could not find it and then switched over to the Peterson link. This is a Dunhill tin dated June 2018. Nice looking brown flake, slight sweet tin note, very mild. This as stated is a straight Virginia and smoked pretty smooth with little or no bite. As with a lot of Virginia's I chose a corn cob, in this case an Old Dominion Cob. The first bowl was okay but as this is a light tasting blend probably more due to whatever tobacco I had previously smoked. The second and third bowls I sipped on it and detected a nice grassy hay taste. The flake was slighty moist and I basically just folded and twisted it up into smaller ‘ribbons’ before loading my pipe. Good, but with my jaded taste buds a little too light in flavor but that is okay. I am sure the Peterson edition is the same. Side note, it is in a round tin now. If to choose between the two I would go with the dark flake.

Pipe Used: Old Dominion Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: Almost 2 years.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (156)	2019-07-09		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A medium strength Virginia flake with subtle, almost undetectable topping.

I often smoke fragrant English mixtures, hearty plugs and strong dark flakes. I like the scented flakes from Kendal, and from time to time I like the spice of Perique. Some days I like a hot, spicy curry, others a delicious slow cooked lamb shoulder. But there are times when you don't need all the spice and richness, but can really enjoy the simple pleasure of some freshly baked bread and butter. This flake is a showcase for just how delicious pure Virginia tobacco can be, and to me, it's the bread and butter of pipe smoking.

In the tin we have neatly cut stacks of light brown flakes with seams of gold throughout. Aroma in the tin is mild, bready with the aroma of new mown hay, and subtly sweet. There is a hint of raisin or dried fruit, which I remember being more prominent when I first smoked this more than a decade ago (it was called "Light Flake" then). It rubs apart in your palms with ease, and moisture content is perfect for smoking.

It takes a light with ease, inviting the flame to the leaf. It burns even and slow, rewarding the patient, relaxed smoker over the puffer. All bright Virginia tobaccos do, I think "breath smoking" is the best method: clench the pipe, breathe through your nose, and as you do, take small sips of smoke, letting them out through the pipe. This brings out delicious bready, oaty, biscuity flavours, with hay and a subtle, natural malty sweetness. The sweetness builds the slower you smoke it, as the bowl progresses.

It needs a couple of relights, doesn't gurgle, and smokes to a little dottle. It works very nicely in a large pipe, and I like to smoke this kind of tobacco in a Canadian. It can get a bit hot, but I've never found it prone to bite like some of the other mild Virginia tobaccos (Holger Danske Royal Navy Flake comes to mind). Just put the pipe down to cool if it's warming up, it is delicious when relit. The aftertaste is mild and pleasant, and if you'll forgive a slightly obscure comparison, reminds me of a green tea with toasted rice that I'm quite fond of.

All in all, a highly satisfying, mild to medium Virginia flake, which I will miss greatly when my stash is consumed. The Charatan Flake seems to be an acceptable substitute, but in its raw state at least seems to lack some of the bready, malty, biscuity complexity I find in Dunhill Flake.

Pipe Used: Chacom lazur 297 Canadian, other briar Canadians.

Age When Smoked: 1 year ish, and sometimes older.

Purchased From: Various tobacconists over the years.

Similar Blends: Charatan Flake, Capstan, Holger Danske Royal Navy Flake, Orlik Golden Sliced, Dobies Foursquare Medium Navy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2019-01-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Theis is the quintessential flake. A rich bodied Virginia flake, when well aged is a delight to be savored and remembered. The final tin of my cellar is opened and I enjoying this flake immensely. This blend is not to be missed, but sadly, with the cholorforming of Dunhill it will RIP Dunhill flake.

Age When Smoked: 2 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2018-11-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very mild and superb Virginia flake, one from which I get the occasional taste of fresh buttered bread, raisins and a hint of lemon, I loved this as an early morning smoke before going on to heavier tobacco's during the day. This along with Royal Yacht I will miss

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: New to 10 years

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith's Golden Glow, only SG is stronger and tastier.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	archéologue (14)	2018-05-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mild and pleasant smoke. The smell out of the tin is pleasant, smells like fresh hay. Moisture is on the high side, so it has to sit outside in contact with air. Doesn't bit, no high nicotine content. Very pleasant. However, the new tins are round not square.

Pipe Used: Nording

Age When Smoked: Almost new out of tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tschenyinkoh (51)	2018-02-13		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Warning: my tin shows that Dunhill - Flake is produced in Denmark rather than the UK. For your guys know and I don't wanna edit the tobacco profiles anymore.

My review is based the STG square tin rather than the current ugly round tin.

The legendary beautiful cut Virginia flake is on the "green tea" and citrusy grass side. The hay smell is not as strong as Golden Flake ( yes, Golden Flake is a Virginia Flake rather than VaPer). There is subside earthy note.

No topping for me.

This originally “Dunhill Light Flake” is a gentle all day mild to medium smoke.

WARNING: DO NOT DECREASE THE MOISTURE OF THE FLAKE AND THAT WILL MAKE THIS FLAKE SUPER HARSH AND BITE.

Pipe Used: churchwarden

Age When Smoked: my tin production in December 2015

Purchased From: 2 oz tins from pipesandcigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2017-07-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

UPDATE: I was a little hasty with my prior review. This is a good quality flake that smokes oh so much better under cooler, drier conditions. There's a delightfully refreshing citrus top note that I find attention grabbing, enough so to smoke 3 consecutive bowls this morning. Due to the higher cost and my very rare desire for straight Virginia's, I doubt I will purchase again, but I did want to return and bump this one up a notch.

I had read so many favorable reviews about this one that I sort of built it up in my head as to what I should expect. Price always put me off, but I finally jumped on a tin last weekend. The tin note is incredible and definitely suggests a darker, deeper fermented character. There's a predominant twang that resembles Worcestershire or bbq sauce. I may prefer that to the delicious McClelland ketchup aroma! Sadly, the smoke never delivers. There is just not much flavor there, and what little is there is very flat, monodimensional, and all around disappointing. But I can forgive this...perhaps the blend is too fresh and young. Perhaps this will mend in time and blossom, like all of McClellands VAs do. What I cannot forgive, and what consequently drives my rating, is the heat and bite. A blend just cannot be enjoyed with a swollen tongue and burnt taste receptors, no matter how slow and easy you take it. I had the same issue with SG FVF, and it took months of trial and error to find a magic combination that made it bearable. I don't wish to repeat the process. I'm giving a low rating but will return with an edit if further findings warrant it.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Caramella & Stanwell HCA I

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Cigars International Hamburg

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Napping Puppy (25)	2017-05-29		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Even though it is not filled with unique surprises, but Dunhill Flake remains a shinning star among flakes of this group. It is a true classic that never begs for attention. Magnificent in taste, and probably unmatched in flake presentation. A true jewel in both your jacket pocket and pipe. Very highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ahmad Othman (51)	2017-01-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is quite an interesting tobacco. And despite being labelled as "Straight" virginia, it isn't so straight at all. The reason for this is it applies the concept of appearances vs reality. When you open the tin, it's like sunshine in the plains. Sunny, bright virginia thin flakes with a beautiful high note of grass, hay and citrus. My tin came at perfect and I repeat perfect moisture content. That was enough to tempt me to just fold and stuff it. And again I was welcomed with a high note of citrus, following a really easy lighting process. It remained consistent, stayed lit save for a relight or two in a very large bowl and when finished it needed one knock to clean the bowl leaving a tiny ball of white ash in the tray. And that's when the appearances end and reality start. With the second and third bowls, I rubbed it out, and was that a different experience. The high pitched grass notes disappeared completely and instead it was a middle of the road earthy, rich and bready flake. I enjoy those more, so I had to re-evaluate the blend in that light. And again it delivered. Alas, it was milder than my taste but other than that, perfect virginia blend. It is a smooth, light all day smoke. And doing my research I learnt it was originally called light flake and I think that name suits it better. I am not sure I will buy more of it, but if this is the light flake, I am certainly a fan of dark flake even before I try it

Pipe Used: Stanwell Deluxe Royal Danish Brandy billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Erinmore Flake, Peterson - University Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Richard Jhonson (13)	2017-01-13		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

The unlit tobacco gives a full Virginia aroma with a certain "earthy" quality to it . The actual flakes are of a perfect thickness and moisture content to rub and fill with . The smoke is (as you expect) a full Virginia flavor and unless you "strain" the draw you get no bite . It is steady to smoke and burns very evenly .The room note is as you would expect from a full Virginia . Considering I favour Cavendish and Latakia I am surprised with my liking for this one ! If you like a straight Virginia then go for this !

1 person found this review helpful.

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

This has a nearly identical flavor profile as John Aylesbury's Luxury Flake, which by a weird coincidence I just reviewed yesterday. Earthy hay with a bit of lemony tang and a slight creaminess in the second half of the bowl. Only a modest amount of sweetness. The difference is that this flake has more body and nicotine. Both are great smokes. I gave JALF 4 stars and DF gets the same.

Medium to strong in body. Nic is about medium. No added flavoring detected. Taste is medium. Burns very well.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Acorn, MM Little Devil Cutty

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doctor Max (29)	2016-06-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Light pleasant tin note, dried fruits and nuts, hay and allspice. The tobacco comes in beautiful wide rather thin flakes. One flake folded, twisted and stuffed is just enough for a corn cob. Lights very easy for a flake. The smoke is a pleasant, dry, light bodied Virginia with a sweetness that develops, without any hint of sour notes; this one is a rather frank and clean tobacco flavour, earthy, notes of hay, leather and spice, but remains in the lighter shades of the spectrum. Also in terms of nicotine it is rather light, which can be a good thing. Burns cleanly all the way and leaves a very fine ash - beware if youre unfilterd like me. All in all a clean, pleasant, consistent, light smoke without surprises

Pipe Used: Corn cob

Age When Smoked: Varying

Purchased From: Dan tobacco

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crazy owl (74)	2016-04-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Fine leaf,of course,perfect cut,easy rubbing and burning but...IMHO it lacks of pe rsonality,it can´t match any of 3 Va from Samuel Gawith or the wonderful for me and disputable for others Mc Clelland virginias,or Solani´s.In short really good stuff but I prefer other options in Virginia´s planet.It worths a try but it doesn´t enter in my rotation.

Pipe Used: cobs and meers

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: local tobacconist

Similar Blends: Capstan blue tin,but better and more expensive..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sjdugi (22)	2016-03-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First flake and I have to say, it makes me want to smoke this cut more often! The virginia used in this blend is top notch and offers a great smoking experience. No tongue bite (so long as you don't smoke it too fast), slow burn, and has a lot of great subtle flavors.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2015-09-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening my first tin of the tobacco I was greeted with uniform medium brown slices and a wonderful scent of fresh mowed hay. I broke up and rubbed out the flakes and set the resulting pile of tobacco out spread on a plate overnight to dry. Next morning I loaded up a fine briar pipe and took it outside with a freshly brewed cup on coffee and proceeded to light up to enjoy my morning pipe and newspaper. My first reaction was "wow", what a smooth creamy smoke! I proceeded to enjoy that pipe all the way down to the bottom of the pipe and have continued to enjoy bowls of this until now I have only enough for one more bowl left. I have smoked it in a variety of pipes and have to say it is a great unflavored straight Virginia tobacco.

The flavor is not only smooth and creamy, it has a sweet fresh flavor on the palette with the hay like flavor of most good Virginias leaving a nice room note and no flavoring or preservative aftertaste. For me there is no bite that some Virginias have, but of course smoke it too fast and I suppose one could make it bite. I like that it smokes clean and dry all the way down producing a medium grey ash and little dottle and no moisture at the bottom of my pipe. Among the Virginia tobaccos out there one would be hard pressed to find one better than this blend. I rate it very highly and recommend it highly.

Pipe Used: cob, briars, meers

Age When Smoked: 1year approx

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	r (34)	2015-09-17		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Strong

Open the tin and be amazed at how neatly presented these flakes are.

There is a nice earthy, peaty, and grassy character throughout the smoke, with a little bit of very acidic lime at the top of the profile. These flakes don’t bite, burn fine, and handle easy. The nic hit is on the heavier side.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mnadz (69)	2015-06-22		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Coming from an latakia lover, and one that has not found straight Virginias anything to write home about, I was amazed how flavorful and easy to smoke this was. I have only found one other Virginia, Marble Kake, that delivers as much flavor as this one. The advantage of this one was how clean tasting this was. From start to finish, it gave the light sweet taste that I have heard others rave about. I am thoroughly impressed with Dunhill's blends, and would be happy with getting any of them, including this mild yet tastey blend. My wife, who ranks all tobaccos for room note, enjoyed this one...though not as much as the few aromatics I smoke. From those like me that typically shy away from straight Virginias, you're doing yourself a disservice by passing this one by.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2015-05-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I agree: there is no point in comparing this tobacco to long gone Light Flake produced by Murray. It is a not entirely different animal, but it is simply not the same. In terms of strength (the term "light" in the old Duhill flake was referred to the color of the Virginias empoleyed), texture and density this new Flake is closer to Orlik, Capstan or most of the Danish style of Virginia flakes: tasy, smooth, very nice and easy to break and smoke.

I enjoyed it very much and defenitely recommend it. In fact it does manage to keep that very special sweetness (dry raisins, molasses) of its former self, but only as a whisper, a reminiscence. Still, a very nice smoke, kind on the palate (for a Virginia), very supple in texture and quite friendly.

Pipe Used: Savinelli

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: Nat Sherman, NYC

Similar Blends: Capstan, Orlik Golde Sliced.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As all the Dunhill blends, this is a high quality pipe tobacco, where in this case the mottled brown flakes come in perfect shape and condition.

The tin note gives a rather earthy, typically grassy, haylike smell with a subtle sweetness in the background.

Using the fold and stuff method, filling your pipe is easy. After a thorough charring light it'll stay lit and burn down evenly.

The taste is quite typical for a straight Virginia blend: dark, earthy, grassy notes with a slight tangy sweetness in the background. All of this rather mellow. I experienced no tongue bite whatsoever.

The room note is a natural tobacco scent.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Siena 320

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

Similar Blends: SG Full Virginia Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2015-03-21		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is definitely one good flake; a helluva great taste and side stream. It gets a bit acrid and bitter on the snork, at least for me (not a deal breaker). As far as nicotine levels, this baccy is stronger than I usually prefer (though, again, not a deal breaker). I put this flake on the same tier as Orlik Golden Slices (that is to say same level of quality—it's even presented in much the same way). If one is to compare Virginia Flakes, I like Gawith's Full Virginia Flake over this one, it's smoother and offers a more interesting taste (though SGFVF doesn't behave as well in a pipe as this flake does, however). There are a few other flakes I prefer over this, but, honestly, I wouldn't pass this flake by, it's worth a good look. The moisture level was no problem; I didn't have to wait around for it to dry, I just folded it up and fired it up. It burned down to a nice light gray ash. Recommended.

Pipe Used: Nording Freehand

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: Pipes&Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2015-03-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Excellent pure straight Virginia, without any flavoring. This is the real Virginia tobacco and you can simply smoke it straight. If you want to try the real taste of Virginia, this is one of the best opportunity. To detect and perceive the difference between a pure Virginia and a pseudo-pure Virginia you can make a comparison between Dunhill Flake and Dunhill Royal Yacht and in this way you can understand that the first is simple straight Virginia and the second is an aromatic heavy flavored. In my personal rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 9 and three stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-02-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This is one difficult flake to abord.

The flakes are uniform, thin, but larger than say, Solani ABF, or MacBaren flakes. The smell is of very "fresh" tobacco, hay, pasture, nothing too sweet, too figgy, too jammy; honestly I wasn't impressed.

The flakes are easily foldable and smokeable or if you prefer to break them, it's also fine. The moisture level is ideal, I didn't need to dry the flakes before smoking them. The smoke is easy, almost no need to relight, no tongue bite, but the taste is quite below average. This is one honest VA flake, it can be an all day smoke, but it is quite dull. The only point of interest is it tastes a bit peppery (black, green and white). The hay, bread, citrus aromas are very very "backgroundish". 2*

Pipe Used: Large Billiard Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Pipe-shop.net

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2014-11-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have been smoking this tobacco for a couple of days now and I still don't know what to make of it. It has sort of a chocolate or maybe vanilla flavour to it, but it does not taste like a Virginia as it states in the tin. I like the smell of it as you open the tin, very fruity indeed, and the flake appearance, but this tobacco fails to deliver in my personal opinion. For one thing it does not burn evenly in your pipe and you have to relight it every now and again, but maybe this is due to it not being properly dried. I hope this is going to fix itself as the tin starts emptying. It has a good powerful nicotine kick if you smoke it on an empty stomach, but for the rest I'd say it is quite insipid. It crumbles easily in your hand as you rub it to fill your pipe, but I don't think it is well fermented, of aged for what it matters, despite its appearance. It sort of gets stronger as you go past halfway through it, but it does never quite satisfy you, or give you any hints apart from the chocolate like flavour, which does not develop into something else. I guess the Virginia is still in there in the background, but the chocolate flavour is so overwhelmingly present you never become quite aware of it. I guess this tobacco has no faults of its own, but certainly not my cup of tea. Perhaps my appreciation will change as my tin empties, and if this is the case, I will come back and add up to this review.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: 1 year, perhaps

Purchased From: John Hollingsworth's

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-01-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pure tobacco, notes of ketchup and vinegar delivered in tin aroma, and, when smoked in the bowl. Nice spice note on retrohale. Not as complex as other VAs (example - SG Best Brown Flake), but good pure flavor all the way through. Packs and lights well. 3+.

Pipe Used: Bjarne Stove Pipe, MM

Age When Smoked: undated tin; bought 2 months ago

Purchased From: Corona Smoke Shop, Battle Creek, MI

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crackonosh (8)	2013-11-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Beautiful, colorful flakes with a wonderfull layers of virginias. Easy to crumble (if you want to) and easy to light. Gives sweet, cool, pleasant smoke. Fine tobacco for virginia suckers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2013-10-30		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A good rendition of Light Flake with a bit more topping and overall a sweeter taste because of it. We approach the classic Danish Flake. More sweetness an almost tart aroma, with figs and hay that stay with you for the entire smoke. Considering that things change and that the past is gone, it's better to concentrate and enjoy the present. Unless of course you have those precious tins of Light Flake made in the U.K. that have now matured into an unforgettable Virginia Flake tobacco.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kruppstahl (3)	2012-11-14		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Upon opening the tin I found the scent to be "cigarettish", and thought "oh no". I was pleasantly surprised to find, half tin done, that the tobacco finished with a wonderful pure tobacco sweetness,and the scent from the tin had also transformed into something with much more character. Maybe the tobacco just needed some air time. So, though my first impression was not the best, I now rate the product quite highly. As others have noted its moisture level is about perfect, it rubs out easily gaining lots of loft in the process. It burns perfectly leaving only a little white ash in the bowl. Having dedicated a pipe to it, I'll always have some of this stuff around, pricey though it can be.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jallen49 (25)	2012-08-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Fantastic Virginia for either those who know they love Virginias or for those who would like to try a virginia for the first time.

Upon opening the tin one is greeted with a lovely light, sweet, dried fruit smell. At this point, none of the typical grass/hay aromas come through.

The flakes themselves are lighter than are normal Virginia flakes, and are presented in near optimal moisture, ready to smoke at once!

It tastes wonderful. I get a dash of the fruitiness from the tin notes, supported by a lovely natural earthiness/hay note, and all wrapped up in a nice easy sweetness. For me that is what makes this blend stand out from others I have tried thus far: the light, sweet tasting notes.

The nicotine has never been all too noticeable to me, and normally I am sensitive to it. For a straight Virginia, it is quite cool smoking.

All in all, I highly rate it. I really don't think you can go wrong with this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-08-02		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A classic that will almost always satisfy. Although it can be pricey at times, it is worth it. The somewhat mild flavor almost seems sweet at times with can be very relaxing. The lighting and tongue bite is never a problem. A classic, perfect Dunhill.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2012-03-29		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Quite big, thin, beautiful reddish-light brown flakes. In my tin these flakes were not perfectly cut through at one edge. Dunhill Flake smells like dark German bread out of the tin. I rubbed it out slightly before putting the baccy into the bowl, it needed a little bit of drying time. The smoke itself is very enjoyable, cool but tasty, and reminds me somehow of Golden Sliced sans the "citrus" edge. A smooth, creamy and sweet, very peaceful and honest tobacco with - as most VA's - a tendency to bite (and to taste one-dimensional) if smoked too hastily. Personally, I didn't find the Vitamin N to be too much, but I'm coming from cigarettes, so YMMV. Cannot comment much on the room note, it smells quite neutral. So far, this has been the best pure VA flake I had. I'm giving it a full score and warmly recommend it to the relaxed smoker.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2012-03-28		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My thoughts on this are close to many previous ones, esp those by Michael and (minus the 'lemony' note) ErichPryde. A well-made but very one-note tobacco. Your rating will depend on how you respond to that one note. For me, a B- ;solid, somewhat enjoyable, but in the end really nothing more for me than 'all right'. 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 no.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was lucky enough to run into an original red tin on ebay recently in Australia for under $10. This must be many years old - the tin was rusty and the tobacco was dried out, but responded superbly to rehydration. My review is based on this one tin. Dunhill pipe tobaccos are not currently available in Australia, to the best of my knowledge.

So: delicate, thin, perfectly formed little flakes, crammed into the tiny tin. A hay-like, refined tobacco tin note, inviting the smoker to dip in. The flakes rub out very easily and pack well.

From the first charring light the quality of the tobacco is obvious. Clean flavors of hay-like pure tobacco, reminding me of what a really good Virginia cigarette used to taste like 40 years ago, but several degrees better. Every puff is a blissful, subtle experience, from char to dottle.

This is a refined, subtle, character filled smoke, and I hoard the pipefuls I have left like a miser, for when I think I really deserve them.

This too shall pass.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is not much to say about this excellent flake, other than it is well worth your money. I'm always hesitant about buying a tin of tobacco - even with such a legendary name as Dunhill attached to it. This flake is some high quality Virginia with typical Virginia tobacco flavors of hay, citrus, and butter. Sound odd? If you have not tried flakes, do so and you'll see what a delicious combination those can make!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	under the arbor (13)	2012-02-22		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

As my readers hold their collective breath as to what the sage of New England will write (while knowing full-well his weakness for all things "Dunhill") I must confess; this is not going to dethrone any of my favorite "flakes" other than to say that the blend is far, I say far more conducive to "anytime" (so long as it's not with morning coffee) smoking. I should explain; DF is much more one dimensional than say Gawith or Reiner's. DF has all the positives that we seek yet it's more subtle far less demanding of a mid-day, after lunch palate. Whereas my beloved Cluney, HOTW or Blend 71 demand a wee bit o' whiskey to keep them company, DF can get by with just a spot of sweet tea. This does not disappoint. DF has not the "tin - nose" of FVF or MacBarens Navy Flake for that matter, but there's no bite no need for drying- rubbing or overworking. You simply open the exquisitely packaged flake fold-twist-stuff and light. Marvelous,smooth and comforting. Orlik knows it's stuff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-15		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

After a long day filled with disappointments I arrived home and opened my first tin of this blend. I packed a bowl and poured a drink. The first few puff did not impress me at all but the longer I smoked this bowl the better it got. I think we all relate our pipe and tobacco to time and events. This smoke simply relaxed me and helped me forget the day. I rather pleasant way to recover don't you agree?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-12-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I haven't found a better, more well rounded, and generally available Virginia than this. From price, to tin note, to burning characteristics, flavor, strength and room note - ACES.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Withnail (16)	2011-10-25		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I really love this blend! I have been working my way through various different flake tobaccos and would compare this to another firm favourite of mine, Peterson University Flake. This Dunhill Flake has less of a nicotine kick, but makes up for that with a wonderfully smooth flavour.

There is a very pleasing mushroom / woody flavour that lasts to almost the end of the bowl. It burns well, even when only slightly rubbed out and takes on a woody / nutty flavour as you reach the end of the bowl. I highly recommend this blend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2011-10-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Go figure... All Dunhill blends have undergone a steep decline in the past ten years, while this one actually seems to have IMPROVED.

I hadn't smoked it in a long time, since it was actually called Light Flake and I had found it extremely underwhelming. Now I got a free tin with the purchase of a new Dunhill pipe, and I am enjoying it quite a bit.

Lower nicotine content, easier to keep lit, less sweet/soapy and more salty/sour, and definitely tastier. It tastes like Orlik (who makes this one for Dunhill) has added some (more) burley to the bright and red Virginia base. Ok, maybe now it's a bit less unique and it tastes more like other similar products... but it's much more enjoyable and less bland to my tastebuds.

Still not my benchmark flake, but not so distant from the very best ones (MacBaren Mixture Flake, Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, Rattray's Marlin Flake). Even if you despise the bastardised new version of the old Dunhill blends like I do (they are true abominations), give this one a try: evidently the Danish manifacturers know a trick or two about flakes, and know how to still make good ones while they suck at making replicas of the historical Dunhill latakia mixtures...

UPDATE 2018: The review is confirmed for the most recent version in the round tin.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-09-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Great flake from the newest incarnation of Dunhill. Very mild aroma from tin promises a nice, easy smoke ahead. No drying time needed--just separate a couple of flakes, rub or fold and stuff, and you are off to the races. Very high quality Va. leaf here that just barely makes its presence known initially. Strength increases slightly as you work through the bowl. Nice ending. A staple of my rotation and a classic.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2011-09-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I get this going real strong after the false light and then just sit back and slowly puff... and it is just magical.

Highest quality of tobacco = natural sweetness (no topping), not too strong, no bite and organic/ earthy/ zesty taste. Room note is not overly offense to others.

A lot of other VA Flakes are good but are way strong in the nicotine department. I have smoked this at all times of the day and it has always satisfied without knocking me over.

This is pretty much the perfect pipe tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My first review on here, hello everybody. I am comparing this highly-rated Virginia to another highly-rated virginia, namely Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, which is actually the only other pure virginia tobacco I have smoked so far. I have put this review in the Gawith's section also.

I have only been smoking a pipe regularly for about three months having first purchased my old Duncan Delta filter pipe 37 years ago at the tender age of 16. At that time I dabbled with Clan (as you would expect, what a disappointment when that lovely sweet room-smell wasn't replicated in my nose when smoking the stuff), Holland House, Three Nuns, St. Bruno, Erinmore Flake, and Tetley's loose tea when skint, only once. It has been used on and off over the years for the smoking of various herbs legal and otherwise and has now returned to its intended use as an incinerator of fine tobaccos.

Here we go then for my first simple comparison of two virginia heavyweights. The big picture for me is that the Dunhill Flake is much sweeter and milder than the Gawith's. It is better presented in smaller more regular flakes and is overall much more delicate, or dainty. This presentation in a smaller tin, full of smaller flakes, gives an impression that in comparison to the Gawith product in its larger tin full of big rough meaty flakes, you are being short-sold. Not being a sad enough person to weigh the net contents, I cannot confirm this and I am sure the effect is purely one of perception.

The Gawith flake is much moister in the tin and I find that it does need to be dried for an hour or so before smoking to avoid your pipe gurgling, tongue bite and bitterness. The Dunhill requires less drying and you have to work it hard to get any tongue-bite.

The Dunhill in the tin smells much sweeter and milder although the Gawith smells more complex and fruity, like dried apricot and raisin. Not yet possessing the olfactory skills of other reviewers I am not able to offer any more elaborate distinctions once the tobacco is alight.

Both tobaccos are highly enjoyable smokes. Of the two I prefer the Dunhill.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-10		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Learning how to smoke this tobacco was a rewarding (if at times frustrating) experience. It is by no means a strong smoke, but it must be treated with care if its full potential is to be realised.

The packaging is just gorgeous: a dainty tin filled with neatly sliced and arranged flakes. On a visual level, this tobacco makes a great first impression! The aroma in the tin is very fruity with raisin and apricot notes predominating. In fact, it's almost too fruity. Have Orlik added a mild topping/casing to this 'pure VA' flake? I'm too inexperienced to say for sure.

It took considerable trial and error before I really began to enjoy this blend. Packing, lighting and puffing cadence were the major obstacles to overcome. I experimented with various methods before settling on one which worked for me.

I used the following 'half-and-half' method to pack the tobacco:

1) I split one of the flakes in half 2) I rolled, folded and stuffed one half into the bowl (leaving an air pocket at the very bottom) 3) I rubbed out the other half and sprinkled it on top, pressing down very gently to level it off.

Lighting-up usually required three matches with some gentle tamping in between. Once the tobacco was burning evenly, the biggest challenge was keeping it lit without letting it get too hot. Tongue-bite wasn't a major issue, but I found that too much heat destroyed all the subtle nuances and left the tobacco tasting rather bland. With gentle puffing, however, this blend really comes into its own. Drawing the warm smoke over the tip of the tongue is an utter delight. It is naturally sweet with a gentle fruitiness to it. There's also an underlying hint of toasted bread. Apricot jam on toast, anyone?

This slow-burning, long-lasting flake is highly recommended. I want to concentrate on Latakia blends in the immediate future, but if this is what a 100% VA flake is supposed to taste like, I may consider branching out and trying another - perhaps Gawith's FVF.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-08		Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

A lovely smoke, one of the best flakes, I have smoked others and I really like this one a good strong taste

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Just bought a tin because I have heard a lot of good things about this blend. I have been wanting the SA FVF but cannot find any so this was recommended. I have several Virginia flake blends and brands in my cellar however this might just be my new favorite. I folded with the grain first then against the grain and then rubbed it gently and packed it into my Stanwell 63M. It took one false light then after the second light it stayed lit for about an hour and 15 minutes. I didn't notice any dottle even though I didn't dry it out before stuffing in the pipe. The taste is remarkable. Very smooth with fantastic taste and note.

I highly recommend this if you are a fan of Virginia Flake as I am. I don't know that you will find a more premium blend of flake than this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PastorPipe (21)	2011-07-05		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I enjoy smoking flake tobaccos, and this one is of a very high quality. Pure Virginas with pure tobacco flavor. It lights well and is long-burning. My method is to rub out one flake for the bottom of the bowl and then fold and pack the second flake. This insures a nice draw (flake tobaccos can get plugged up easily). The tin had a hay-like aroma. The first third of the bowl or so was rather uninteresting (just some mild sweetness), but the more I smoked it, the more tobacco flavor came through--smokey with almost a bourbon flavor However, there was no real complexity about it--just a good honest Virginia flavor. I just found this tobacco to be a little monotonous after a while, and a little boring. I am partial to Orlik's Golden Sliced flake which, to me anyway, has more character with it's delightful citrusy tones. Would I smoke it again? Of course. Do I think others should give it a try? Of course. I am going to try blending it with some black Cavendish and maybe just a hint of Perique. I also think it would be nice to smoke this with some Latakia in the bowl to make it more interesting. I'm used to Dunhill Standard Mixture and Royal Yacht, so I get bored with plain-Jane Virginia tobaccos. Nevertheless, this is good stuff and I recommend it. Also, it has no bite, and that's always a good thing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Katharsis (39)	2011-06-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Good straight Virginia. Lighter in flavor than say, FVF, but delicious. If FVF is the de facto standard for darker VAs, then I'd say this could be a standard for bright/golden VAs.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2011-05-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Nicely prepared flakes ~ 1"x3"x1/16" that are slightly moist right from the tin but have an inviting aroma. I didn't rub out and the inital lighting was a bit difficult but no relights required. A cool, naturally sweet VA smoke without condensation or bite. If I could find it in bulk, this would be a steady. Give it a try if you like straight VAs.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-05-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I normally purchase all my pipe tobacco and smoking needs on-line, as the price is considerably less. However, I caught myself short this time, in that my current order wouldn't be arriving for a couple of days.....and I was out of pipe tobacco. So I went to a local pipe & cigar shop, that had a fairly decent selection of tinned tobacco's....but the prices....WHEW. So I saw this 50g tin of Dunhill Flake for $19.95, and I thought.."Dunhill....it can't be bad." My normal favorite is MacBarens Navy Flake (still is), but this stuff is so good, I'm not sure whether to smoke it....or, eat it!! Nice, smooth, full flavored smoke, with absolutely no bite. This is some no-sh**, high quality Virginia. A little moist out of the tin, but light once, tamp it down, light again, and you're good to go.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Billy777 (18)	2011-04-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This benefits from quite a long drying out period before smoking, about an hour is good or 30 mins if you are in a room with air con. I found that it was better if rubbed out, rather than folding and stuffing. Gentle puffing is the way to get the most out of this blend; fast or hard smoking gives nothing.

Update: this blend grows on you. The fact that it's so much lighter than most other blends means that I am beginning to find most other blends too thick and tarry, even Tudor Castle seems too heavy.

Update 2: it's got to the point that I want a massive pipe filled with this tobacco so that I can smoke it all day. So good it should be illegal.

Pipe Used: Bent Brandy, Bent & Straight Billiards, Zulu.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-04-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Heavenly. This is the best blend I've ever smoked.

It comes very neatly packed in a handy, reusable, rectangular tin with understated design. The flakes rub easily, and its good to let it dry for just a few minutes if the tin is new. Rubbed properly, it packs easily. I use a large bowl for this tobacco to let the flavours develop properly, and I pack it tightly.

The pipe lights very easily and you are ready to go within seconds. It burns consistently and effortlessly and produces white, even ash. This is pure, high quality tobacco, with nothing added. It smokes like a dream, and tastes the way top grade tobacco should.

I taste hay, maybe a hint of raisin and nut. The only sweetness here is the natural sweetness from the Virginia leaf, and it tastes just right. Leaves a pleasantly tangy and clean aftertaste in the mouth. Everything is perfectly balanced here: just strong enough, just enough nicotine. The room note is nothing spectacular, but it is certainly not unpleasant.

While writing this review, I am enjoying a bowl in my dedicated Savinelli Accademia 141, which is just right for this tobacco, with a glass of fresh apple juice. Almost anything could compliment this tobacco, especially whiskey, fresh ceylon tea with milk, or your favourite brand of bottled water.

To me, this is pipe smoker heaven. If I could afford it, this is the tobacco I would smoke 90% of the time. If you haven't tried this blend, you should. This is my all-time favourite pipe tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-02-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For me as a new pipe smoker, this tobacco was a little strong at first, but now I find splitting a flake down the middle and carefully folding and packing that it smokes very nicely and gives me just the introduction to flake tobacco I was looking for!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Apart from the initial problem of packing my pipe with this fine blend I have nothing but good things to say. Nice medium strength flake with a pleasant room note. A highly pleasant smoke

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2011-01-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I wasn't sure whether to put this review under 'Flake' or 'Light Flake'. They are essentially the same blend, but since this is what it's currently sold as it makes sense to record my thoughts here.

Well, Full Virginia Flake this ain't, but that isn't to say that it isn't clearly a high quality tobacco. All the flavours that I associate with a good VA are there at light up, and my only criticism really is that they don't seem to maintain down the bowl - things become a bit homogenous and flat, rather than building.

Nevertheless, it is a good smoke with good presentation, and a distinct plus for me is that it is the only genuine straight VA I can get locally without resorting to mail order tactics. I still prefer the Gawith offerings overall, but when I want something that sits squarely between Golden Glow and FVF in the strength department then this will be the one I go for.

I suspect that it would age very nicely, so laying down a tin or two might not be a bad plan.

Definitely worth a shot. For some folks this could be their ideal VA flake - Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Smells like a mix from every spectrum of virginias. From the bright golden/hay smell, the orange/red, and the darker tangy smell. VERY MOIST in the tin. After 15 minutes of drying it was still pretty moist. I rubbed out a small strip from a flake and it felt wet :/

I used the fold/stuff method. With a little more drying it would have packed much better. The taste also covered the full spectrum of virginias. Notes of hay and slight sweetness mixed with the buttery and leathery taste of the darker virginias. Nothing too surprising or extra special about this blend, just a great straight forward virginia. The "room note", which i experienced by smelling the bowl, was AMAZING! Reminded me of fresh baked bread and every flavor mentioned above! I could not stop smelling it, it was that good. Not much of a nicotine kick until the last 1/4 of the bowl i could feel the strength get a little more intense.

Definitely recommend this to anyone who likes virginias! Especially in the absence of FVF.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tobaksrøg (53)	2022-09-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Typical VA blend, very similar to Capstan blue and the other staples of the genre. I can't see how it can disappoint anyone who even slightly likes virginia blends.

Age When Smoked: New

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SpicyLegato (9)	2021-09-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my favorite VA I've tried. The tin note is very pleasant and inviting. I'll often open the jar just to smell! Presentation is elegant and rubs out easy. Compared to Orlik Golden Sliced this burns less hot and offers a sweeter and stronger body. This will always be in rotation.

Pipe Used: Peterson System Spigot

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Preacher_Pox (1)	2021-08-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

There is something different from this tobacco, in my experience. You already read the other reviews, so I will not add too much to it in terms of what's inside, except one thing: The taste, for the best way I could describe it, would be "woody"; hence it's a perfect smoke when you're having a good time relaxing somewhere in nature. It fits perfectly into the environment. Have this in the mountains, have this in the middle of the forest, have this even when you're writing something. It definitely deserves its own pipe, that's a certainty.

Also a long, good, pleasant and easy smoke. It being a flake, it's not surprise it would take longer to smoke than something other than a plug or whatever cut is packed tightly.

An unimportant note on similarities: I kinda had this one on the shelf alongside an Astleys n°44, which smell the same out of the tin. I tried them both in the same meerschaum-lined pipe, but now considering I've fell in love with Dunhill (at the time I got it) Flake, I don't remember the n°44. Still, once I run out I'll probably switch to n°44 (haha European tobacco international trading laws haha gottem), though I can't say it's similar because I don't remember, and I'm not interested in smoking it at the moment. Though I did buy them together on the idea that they would be similar.

Pipe Used: Briar, Meerschaum-lined

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aurorasofautumn (38)	2021-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

I like trying and reviewing new tobaccos as a hobby. Only once in a while there is a new blend that kicks another one out of my rotation, as all in all I remain quite loyal to the tobaccos I have held so dear for many years. Within the genre of Virginia Flakes, I have always been happy with my McClelland No. 22/24 and SG FVF/BBF and didn't have a need to change my habits. That is until quite recently, as I decided not to indulge in my heavily treasured McC that much anymore and was on the lookout for another flavor profile to complement the one Sammy Gawith offers. I revisited some old friends and have found a worthy winner - Dunhill/Peterson Flake.

What can I say. The flakes are flawless and smell heavenly. The taste is "honest" and has the right level of complexity for a VA flake. The smoke is creamy and sweet but not overly so. I taste some citrus and some faint notes of plum. I prefer to fold and stuff this tobacco and the taste does not change much throughout the bowl. It's a world class tobacco that can be had at a very decent price.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dplinker (1)	2020-12-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

I find it harsh in the nose, when breathing either smoke coming from the bowl or when I puff out. Less appealing than a Virginia/Cavendish blend that I buy for half the price.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaulyMcBee (3)	2020-02-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Flakes (sliced about 2mm) still moist in tin; a clean, easy smoke; very light honey and citrus flavors over the tobacco leaf; clean and mellow throughout burn. As a novice pipe smoker, found this to be a pleasant and undemanding tobacco.

Pipe Used: Gasparinni, briar, brandy (filtered)

Age When Smoked: new from tin

Purchased From: Cup O' Joes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2019-04-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I've been pipe smoking for about 3 years and 4 months and have learned a lot. Dunhill Flake (DF) was actually my baptism into full Virginia tobacco and was a real wowser to me back then. I loved it! I soon after bought about 20 tins and they were stored in my cellar now for about 3 years. So long because I had begun to relish the McClelland blends. This past week I cracked and began to decant a tin of 3-year-old DF and this evening really enjoyed a bowl full. Age has improved it. It's very much softer, smoother and creamier, so I look forward to feeding on this tin over these next several days.

6/16/19 I am just now finishing the 3 years aged tin and It was so very delicious. Too bad it is no longer being made. But I am hearing that Capstan Blue is a very close match.

8/15/22 I still have several of the Original rectangular Dunhill Flake tins from 2016 (now 6 years aged) in my cellar that have been calling my name. Hopefully, soon I will answer. It will be good to revisit this old friend, and discover how it likely has improved with time. :)

Pipe Used: A large American Artisan bent scoop

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2019-02-01		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

At first light, a slight lemon flavor makes itself known from the lighter Virginia leaf and maybe a slight casing/topping. This flavor dissipates rather quickly and is replaced by the the grassy and richer dark Virginia leaf. The smoke is smooth with some pleasant crisp edges that keeps me interested. If you are looking for a similar blend, check out Fribourg and Treyer's Virginia offerings. If you are okay with a little less citrus notes, Capstan Blue easily fills the gap.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Johnny Do (1)	2018-07-10		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

I feel Flake is so delicious and cool sweet like light bananas, espcially with coffe or Heniken beer. I advise you using Flake after meal or before sleeping

Pipe Used: President Real Briar

Age When Smoked: 36

Purchased From: Vietnam

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Polseidon (2)	2017-09-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my first tobacco. later on I will review it. Just for the record.

It's a must on yor list. I will buy a few tins of it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Contemplative (29)	2016-02-03		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Bought this yesterday afternoon (it's now 2.a.m.) Thought I'd put up this initial review and update in later days/weeks.

First visual impression is of thin but pleasingly cut flakes, and lots of 'em packed into the small tin, you won't feel you've been shortchanged. I could only fit about a quarter of a flake, partly rubbed and folded, into the bowl. First olfactory impression (from the tin) was of strong lemony sweetness. It's rather extraordinary how this can change: about 4 hours ago the tinned flake smell was of freshly mown hay, and nothing else. Just before typing, I opened the tin and got that strong lemon sweetness. Put the tin down, lifted it up, smelled again, it was nothing, but nothing, except strong chocolate! I think that only quality Virginia tobacco is able to have these swift changes from one aroma to another quite different one.

As with my first smoke, soon after I left the tobacconist, the baccy lights well, smokes smoothly and slowly, and there is no, absolutely NO bite whatsoever, at any stage of the smoke.

It ain't heavy on the lungs, but on this, my third bowlful since purchase, I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of aroma from the smoke. The smoke is fine as far as being substantial enough. but there's little that I can smell, and little to smell if I leave the room and come back. However, this is definitely a very good tobacco, pleasant to smoke, and I will most probably discover more profound impressions, as regards aroma, from future bowlfuls. So far, the only impression I got was of a slight lemoniness, and that was only from the first 2 or 3 puffs.

Hope to update future impressions.

End of tin update: I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that this is a nothing smoke. Nothing to it - no flavour, boring, boring, boring. The best thing about this tobacco is the smell when you open the tin. After that it will do nothing but disappoint. I said before that it's 'pleasant to smoke' - well, yes, it smokes fine, but there's absolutely nothing to it. It's the equivalent of a flavourless vape.

So I won't be purchasing this again.

Update Sunday 15th October 2017: HA! Went into the newsagents at the south side of Dover (England) Market Square today (not the one on the other side of the square, they don't do baccy tins) hoping to get my mitts on a tin of Dunhill's Aperitif, but they didn't have it in. So I plumped for a tin of Dunhill Flake instead. Couldn't remember that I'd ever bought it before, such are the joys of senior memory.

Quel revelation! I was amazed, This Flake lights up so easily, burns so slowly, even indolently, and releases the most satisfying, full, deep almost creamy aroma, an absolutely classic Virginia one, which evokes memories of pipe smoke experienced secondhand when I was a kid 60 years ago, and which grows on you every minute you smoke it. Brilliant stuff. Absolutely love it. Made my day.

What was I thinking of when I typed that previous review? Well I didn't, evidently, get Dunhill Flake then. I absolutely do now.

I will add that I've found lately that Dunhill Nightcap, 221B Baker St., Dunhill Dark Flake all burn too fast. This stuff burns at the civilised, slow, indulgent rate that you want all decent baccies to do (one sometimes can't wait to finish a bowl of the rubbish stuff, but that's another story). There is also absolutely no bite whatsoever from Dunhill Flake. I love it and will now live in sin with it for the foreseeable future.

P.S. Changed the rating from my original one star to maximum four stars.

Pipe Used: Dr Plumb meerschaum lined half bent billiard

Age When Smoked: Same day.

Purchased From: Canterbury (U.K.) tobacconist.

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	McGrandpa (2)	2015-09-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think I may have found myself a new favorite blend.

Opening the tin I was greeted with a sweet, earthy aroma (similar to dried fruit, but with notes of coffee and dark chocolate). The tin note was 100% Virginia, but overall was less bright and sweet than other, lighter Virginia blends. I packed my bowl using the "fold-and-stuff" method (the flakes fold beautifully and are the perfect moisture level straight out of the tin). It lit easily and stayed lit with little to no fussing. The flavor, like the tin note, was distinctly Virginia, but rather than the grassy, citrusy flavor of many Virginia's, I instead found a malty, bready flavor with wonderful notes of coffee, toffee and dried fruit. The flavor is deep and complex, but by no means overpowering, and grows sweeter towards the bottom of the bowl, with notes of chocolate and espresso beginning to show through about halfway down. The nicotine level is perfect (enough that you'll feel it but not enough to give you the spins). The room note, like most VA's, is more or less a generic tobacco scent, but I've heard it described as "much more pleasant than any cigar or cigarette". All and all, this is a fantastic blend. I can't reccommend it enough.

Pipe Used: Falcon Coolway 12

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Peretti - Oxford Flake (Flake).

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	pecheur (19)	2015-07-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Lovely looking flake that screams quality and can be smoked straight from the tin but I like to give a flake a bit of time to dry first. Fold and stuffs or rubs out equally well, a very easy to deal with flake.

Straight forward virginia taste that has a mild sweet hay flavour, I can see how it reminds people of cigarettes. Stoves down in the bowl well and gets sweeter as you smoke, has a hint of pepper at times. It's nice not brillant.

Going to cellar a few tins and see how it ages.

Pipe Used: Smoked best in a falcon

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.com

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	Cloud (11)	2015-07-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is my favourite dunhill blend. I was worried when I tried EMP that I wouldn't take to dunhill tobacco. But I quickly realized it's just balkan blends I can't stand. Dunhill flake is the perfect, natural tobacco. It has a zesty sweet tin note. The tobacco tastes very pure and quite mild. It's not easy to get tongue bite with this blend. It's my go-to for breaking in a new pipe, or for a pipe with a big bowl it's a great choice. Whenever I'm taking a break from a mcclelland virginia, I'll be enjoying a bowl of flake. I haven't tried Mr. B's version of it called klondike gold but for now I'll stick with Dunhill. Tin was produced on August 5 2014 making it 11 months old and I smoked it and reviewed it upon opening it. As it goes a bit stale it kind of loses character, I found. But it's definitely a 4/4 pleasure to smoke when it is completely fresh.

Pipe Used: dunhill bruyere, cc churchwarden, P Rathbone

Age When Smoked: freshly opened (from Aug 5 2014)

Purchased From: city cigar

Similar Blends: Klondike gold by Mr. B (but you get what you pay for).

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	Kokinhenik (93)	2015-06-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Great Virginia flake. One of my top 10 I will say. Smokes well, no fuss, no tongue bite. Flavors of grass with distant citrus in the background

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	point9 (114)	2015-06-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Dunhill Flake is one of the first straight virginia I have tried. Since then I have experienced many different Va blends but I still use this as a benchmark. This is one clean, bright and sweet Va blend. A little mild for my taste now.

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	D.A.M. (9)	2015-06-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a really nice tobacco. The tin aroma reminds me dried fruit; plums and raisins with dried apples. I have rubbed, shredded, and folded this, and personally prefer the fold method of packing for this particular flake. The taste hits several notes all at once: it's simultaneously salty, ever so slightly spicy, but fruit is the dominant flavor, with out being too sweet. Think of the best piece of raisin toast you have had with salted butter and your on the right track. About half way through the bowl, the saltiness subsides and the flavor becomes more floral in character, but still maintaining the fruitiness without competing with it. Dunhill Flake pairs nicely with American style drip coffee, fruitier red wines (shiraz), and rye or bourbon whiskeys. I would smoke this more regularly, but I prefer stronger coffees, espresso and dark roasts; they don't pair well with this and overtake the subtleties of the flavor.

Age When Smoked: New

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	atomicbuster (79)	2015-05-13		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

I have tried some other, well-reputed VA blends and they do not compare with this one. I'm not partial to VA blends, so this has won me over by being easy to use, as the other blends always caused some difficulty. I let it dry a full 24 hrs before smoking and give it a good charring light. Not very spicy or harsh. No bite, but it does smoke hot. Requires an easy cadence. Mild tobacco taste, which is fine, and it burns well. Still looking for the best VA blend, but now I have a standard. Recommended.

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	SamH (31)	2015-03-13		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Just opened a small sample of this to try. It rubs out really nicely, don't know what else I was expecting from Dunhill. A treat at 4AM (Just got up, I don't stay up all night). Although I know it's a pure Virginia, it almost reminds me of what might happen if I crossed a really good flake with a bit of Balkan mixture (the pleasing dry note I think). If a good cigar is a decent espresso and a pipe is a nice cup of tea this is a lovely mid strength tea with a pleasant dry note to it. One to add to the rotation. Very nice and strong enough as well.

Pipe Used: Peterson Killarney

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the shop

Purchased From: Smoke-King

Similar Blends: Not much..

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	sirchud68 (60)	2014-12-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

An outstanding virginia flake. Superb. Not much else to add to what has been said by much more informed pipers. Viginia lovers should have a tin or two of this on deck at all times.

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	Jevverrett (106)	2014-12-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I got this so I could start trying some pure Virginia tobaccos. It was during a buy "x" get one free sale online. I even got a pipe just for this type of tobacco. A savinelli one kit off smokingpipes. Nice little kit btw.

One opening the tin, nice grassy, kind of lemony scent. Not too strong, sweet in a way. Nice uniform flakes, light brown with yellow here and there. About the size of macbaren mixture flakes, which should be good for a group 1 or 2 pipeful. I'm giving it quick half rub, just enough to sort of make it round. Little too big a flake for this pipe, some of the bits for tinder and on to the charring light.

On the light, it tastes sweet and citrusy. Some of the lemon I smelled in the tin as well. This taste carries over into the smoke through the true light and into the first half bowl. It burns nice and cool, and stays lit well. It has sort a delicate smoke. Not quite so creamy and thick as I'm used to with English mixtures. Making my mouth water as I'm catching some sour notes to it. Not like sour pipe, more like sour candy as this is wonderfully sweet. It also has some darker note to it in the background. I'm noticing a little bit of bite, which is most likely from the sugars present in this flake. I bet this would bite badly if you pushed it to do so. It lost its sour notes about the halfway to three quarters mark. At this point I noticed some almost like toasted marshmallow to it. I've heard that some Virginia tobaccos Caramelize during the smoke and change sweetness. It's pleasant and not taking a center stage.

I'm not detecting much nuance to this tobacco. Just a good solid Virginia. Light and clean, the room note is not overpowering or offensive, to cigarette smokers anyway. It burns down to a nice clean ash. Never did bite or turn acrid, but never became too sweet either. All in all very nice. I have come to expect this from anything dunhill makes. I will recommend this one and may buy more after I have sampled a broader range of straight Virginia tobaccos.

Pipe Used: Savinelli one billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-10-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great VA flake. Opening the tin greets you with a touch of sweetness and smells and tastes amazing. One of my favorite VA's for sure.

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	Halbarad (4)	2013-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Very delicate and nuanced Virginia. When I first opened this tin I was struck by how much this smells like a champagne or maybe a nice crisp hard apple cider. It is wonderfully sweet, but in a natural way. Most aromatics that are almost sickly sweet, this Virginia, on the other hand, is just sweet enough for you to taste but is not overwhelming at all. Could easily become my go to smoke.

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	Blue Bayou (60)	2013-08-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice, soapy baby powder undertone, light airy ash. Woodsy campfire notes. Great!

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-07-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tin purchased in August, 2012. Stored in mason jar.

Appearance: Brown with khaki tan streaks with lots of pockets of whitish flecks.

Tin note: I LOVE the tin note on this. Milk chocolate with raspberry fruitiness. A floral undertone. This is a rich tobacco. Reminds me of port: big, sweet and fruity.

Comes out of the jar fairly wet, so I let this dry a bit. Slightly rubbed into smaller strips and gravity packed into my Brebbia Fat Bob Bulldog. Probably got about 3/4 of one flake into the bowl. Topped with some extremely rubbed for easy lighting.

Taste: Start: On the charring light you're hit with that great VA sweetness. I recommend being a bit judicious with your initial light, it can be a bit stubborn in staying lit. Pepper and chocolate starting off with a apple/pear flavored sweetness. Now don't think when I say sweet that I mean saccharine. Think rich sweetness ala honey.

Mid bowl: Fairly straightforward. Sweet and rich with just enough twang so as to not make the sweetness cloying. Lemon and orange flavors starting to come through more too.

Final: The acidity is starting to pick up, not in bite territory though. The nicotine is starting to ramp up royally so I'm taking this last third rather slowly. It seems like everything is starting to concentrate nearing the end of the bowl.

Thoughts: This blend does it all. Rich yet sweet, light yet full bodied. I love latakia but this is tobacco at its unadulterated finest.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-07-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Great Virginia 3 stars only, I reserved 4 stars for SG FVF.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

"Barnyard." How many times have we used the word to describe pipe tobacco or cigars? Too often. And I'm not an innocent party. It's a vague word in that it encompasses everything in the barnyard from the barn's hay loft, to the calf barn, to the machine shed, to the silo, to the cow pasture, and even to the cesspool. Dunhill Flake is the sine qua non of so-called "barnyard" tobaccos, in pipe or cigars. It is the beam of light illuminating the hay loft on a 65-degree autumn day. Okay, that's over the top. But not really.

When I opened my first tin of Flake, I was mesmerized by sweet earthy grass and hints of natural spice. The medium chestnut flakes are consistently beautiful and well constructed. I've learned that folding, twisting, and rubbing one flake yields a mound of magic that fills a compressed 3/4-inch diameter bowl just fine. The rubbed-out tobacco strands burn cool and slowly. Allow a char light, tamper, and second and third lights and tampers while using a match and shallow puffs to ensure coolness, lest face bitterness, bite, and ash, as is standard for all Virginias.

For a Virginia, it's remarkably complex. You will detect sweetness but also dry cocoa, white pepper, cream, and yes, everything good about barnyard. It's a fresh, sun-grown style Virginia that evokes memories of visiting my uncle's farm on a September Saturday afternoon.

One of only two tobaccos that I'm willing to rate four stars.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-17		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I first smoked this I was not too happy. The problem was my ignorance about smoking flake. Through my reading I found someone suggesting this should be smoked in a pot shape pipe. The large area is favorable to this tobacco. Another suggested to cut up the flake into small cubes and gravity pack the pipe with only a slight packing down before you char it and tamp it down ever so slightly for the second light. I also let the tobacco dry out a little. At least for me this made a very big difference. It smoked down to the bottom. Small puffs never heated up the pipe to the point it was painful to handle. It actually was pretty cool. I'm really enjoying this mild and flavorful tobacco and now understand the high rating.

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	CubanPiper (13)	2013-06-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is a good tobacco, sometimes is a little boring but must of the time is really good. the more you let it dry, the more taste you get

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-05-25		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I find this flake to be milder and lighter than Orlik. Although the taste is mild, it is no doubt a Virginia flake. I find milder tastes, and in this form an entirely mild experience to repeat

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-05-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Great tobacco. Very similar to Orlik Golden but a very subtle difference can be distinguished only when smelling the tin or blowing smoke through the nose. Orlik is a little on the brighter/lemony side. Even if you prefer Dunhill flake a little I doubt it can be as good of value as Orlik.

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	Smoking Sam (20)	2013-05-21		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is my favorite Virginia flake, followed closely by FVF.

I usually prepare this flake by folding it and cutting it into small cubes, then packing it loosely. It seems to burn better for me this way, versus the fold and tuck methods which necessitates frequent relights.

I like the honest, straight tobacco taste. It burns cooly, and a bowl lasts a long time. As other reviewers have noted, a little drying time is rewarded in a better burning mixture.

Usually easy to find in stores and on line.

Currently, my favorite Dunhill tobacco. Highly Recommended.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-03-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dunhill flake...lovely flakes of pure Virginia tobacco. Smokes very well with a lovely sweet flavour. I used to love Benson and Hedges OVF but alas this is no longer available...this is a good substitute. Interestingly this flake tastes to me identical to Richmond flake which I purchased in Germany (only available there I am led to believe?)

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	Balisong (3)	2013-02-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Definitely an A list tobacco. I prepare one half of a flake for the type of pipe I want to enjoy. For a 3/4 by 1 1/4 or so deep bowl, I fold the half flake twice against the grain and stuff into the pipe with the grain parallel to the rim. For wider bowls I'll start the same but rub it between my palms to make a ball to stuff into the pipe. The charring light is a bit harsh, but the next light tones down to a crisp, smooth, and sweet smoke. If they fuel the fires of hell with this one I'll be in heaven!

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-01-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Death row smoke! If its the last thing I smoke, I'll die happy.

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	Ludwig (1)	2013-01-10		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has to be one of Dunhill's classics. If you love the taste of tobacco and like the less aromatic blends you should definitely try it. The tobacco has a subtle hint of pineapple and honey. It has a medium to strong strength and the flavor is very mild. The room note is tolerable and tends to give a hint of cigarette tobacco and cigars. I highly recommend it.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-11-12		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

An all around quality VA. Of quality, I would put it above Orlik Golden Sliced and below SG Full Virginia Flake. It is very smooth, and aged to perfect natural sweetness. I seem to get a hint of ginger bread cookie in the finish, but not in an aromatic way.

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	johnstaf (12)	2012-11-04		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

The beauty of the (almost) pure VA in Dunhill Flake convinced me, once and for all, that tobacco is one of the great gifts given to mankind. It's up to us to use it wisely. This realisation rid me of any guilt associated with being a smoker, along with any desire to stop. It might have the same effect on you, so proceed with caution...

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	Knightsmoker (218)	2012-11-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a quality VA flake. It is topped with something. I cannot quite put my finger on it. I wish someone would. Whatever it is, in my opinion instead of complementing the VA's it actually seems to mute their flavors. It is a good flake to be sure sweet and at times very sweet, perhaps it is simply a sweeter that is added? In any case I think this takes away more than it adds. I would recommend this to anyone starting out looking for a good VA, I simply prefer others.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-10-25		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pop tins like PEZ...'nough said...if you love pure Vs and have not had this one yet...buy a sleeve of it for yourself

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	Demetri (113)	2012-10-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After decades of pipe smoking I am embarrassed to admit that this is my first straight VA flake. Heavy English/Oriental blends are my usual smokes with VaPers (ribbon cut, flakes, krumble kakes, spun coins...all really) being an occasional bowl.

I pretty much am saving time and verbage and will just say Jallen49 below pretty much nailed my impressions of this one.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-09-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is just a perfect smoke! Opening the can you feel like you have jump into a pool of dried fruit. Smokes great, tastes better. No dottle at all, just thin grey ash. Will I smoke it again? I have dreams about smoking this thing!

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-09-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A valued customer shared some of this with me the other day.

I'm not a huge flake fan as a rule finding them either rather too heavy or too banale and just not worth the time spent rubbing them out. I had also heard damning criticisms of Dunhill for meddling with their blends, so I was doubious to say the least.

This tobacco proved to be a different kettle of fish. The Tin-note was of mild figgy fruit and slightly tarry, nothing new there. but it rubbed out well and made a good fill lighting reasonably easily with 3 matches.

It was a very smooth smoke burning down to a clean grey ash with no dottle worth talking of. The taste was clean, that of an excellent virginia cigarette with a chocolate note and a slight spicy aftertaste. Very,very pleasant. The room note was clean and subdued with a slighlty vinus/chocolate smell. Unlike other flakes I tried it did not burn hot and bite towards the end of the pipe and the flavour was pretty consistant throughout.

A very clean-tasting, well-balanced flake. I will certainly smoke this again if I have the chance.

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	AlexL (26)	2012-07-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my first flake tobacco. I've deliberately decided to begin my flake career with this sort knowing the quality and consistency of Dunhill.

On opening the tin smells fresh straw and some tutti frutti. I've loaded my pipe with two flakes using fold and twist method (hooray to YouTube) and after a number of relights got it properly. It burned right to the bottom of the pipe with ease.

It's for pure Virginia lovers, straight and simple tobacco with typical sweet aftertaste. I personally prefer more complex mixtures with higher nicotine content. If I invest a full hour in global warming, I'd like to get at least some punch. But given the high quality of this tobacco and ease of use, I give it 3 stars.

Update 05/03/2013 Now it became my favorite. 4 stars and not less.

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	Capt (339)	2012-06-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I didn't get this blend at first. It seemed flat. After finishing a tin and buying another, it became more obvious. A good flake that doesn't require a lot of fussing to enjoy it. A fruity Va that doesn't have a ton of punch. The flakes rub out easily, and 1 flake is enough for any of my bowls! Burns nice, clean, and without bite.

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-06-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

one of the greats . as a returning pipe smoker after 20 yrs where do you start . i first smoked this 40 yrs ago and its as good now as it was then . a classic !

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	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-06-09		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

New to pipe smoking, and didnt like this leaf at first.Then I realized how to pack and smoke it. Smoke it like your making love to a woman ; SLOW take your time it wont disappoint.I found it to be on of my Favs so far next to Londen Mix.

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	JustinCarcerated (99)	2012-05-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

Bought this from seemingly reputable tobacconist who hooked me up with a pound of Penzance when no one else had so much as a tin. Bought this and EMP, both of which I could smell thru the tin :( So upon opening, no swoosh, tin top even loose, equating to dried out flake. Tried a bowl anyways, pathetic in every way. Going to try to get a swap for another tin, wanted to compare to Orliks other Va, Golden Sliced. This not a fair match. Hope to update with onther tin later.

Updating my review as I recd another tin for Christmas, this one properly sealed and smelling and tasting like the highest quality Vas should. I have been mixing it 2:1 with Solani Aged Burley Flake and the combo is as perfectly matched as peanut butta & chocolate. Very good stuff indeed!

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	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2012-04-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I won't bother going on one of my usual rants, the quality of this speaks for itself. Classic virginia.

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	SmokingMySav (9)	2012-04-19		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

If you want quality and consistency - Dunhill is your guy. And the Flake doesn't disappoint. It's a pure Va mix, so the taste is pretty one-dimensional, as others have mentioned. If you like the taste of pure Va tobaccos, this one is the best you can buy.

I personally smoke a few tins of Flake come summer time, even though I am not a fan of pure VAs, but sometimes I long for something simple. If you need a bit more complexity out of your Va baccy, Dunhill Deluxe Navy Rolls or the Royal Yacht are great options, as well.

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	derlict311 (71)	2012-04-14		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Comparing Dunhill Flake to other fine Virginias, I would say it is nearly as good, but not quite. It is up there with other quality, straight Virginias (Blackwoods Flake, FVF), but kind of like the Nebraska Cornhuskers when they were in the Big 12, they just can't whoop Texas. There are moments that will bring "much happiness", but it doesn't leave me spellbound like FVF. It is satisfying, so I smoke this when I want a Virginia and nothing better is available. It has its character and that makes it better than Opening Night, which was flat to me.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-30		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I love this and it is simply put one of the best Flake Tobaccos money can buy. Beautiful presentation in a simple but elegant square tin. I find it needs a little drying out and straight out of the tin it can be a little harsh on the tongue. With patience though and a week or two to "air out" this becomes a magical experience. Smooth and pure - the essence of a a pure virginia smoke. I made the mistake initially of smoking this after having been smoking Rattrays Accountants mixture ( a very full blend )so my initial thoughts were that this was a little bland. When smoked on its own though one really begins to appreciate the unaltered flavour and heavenly pure virginia taste. I get hay and straw with just a hint of pepper from the smoke. Personally I find this does better when more fully rubbed than other flakes and with simple fold and stuff the burn rate could be slow. Highly recommended . Going to stock up on this as I have a feeling it will be even better with a few years of age on it. Another Dunhill legend fully deserving of its reputation.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I love this flake. I love that every so often I get a gift of sweetness from one of its puff. Great taste, it burned great. It was a calming, pleasant smoking experience.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-11-30		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco does seem to have changed! i always remember DF as a very straight and pure virginia and smoked a lot approx 10 years ago. This is my first tin and without wishing to jump to a premature conclusion: there seems to be a taste present that is unfamiliar - a sort of syrupy/sherbety tang that coats the mouth and pallete. Still a pleasant tobacco, but not as nutty and pure as i remember? maybe i need another tin for comparison.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-11-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I expected a little more taste with this one, but still a good mild to medium smoke. No bite. Smoked well outside even in the strong winds of southern Minnesota in early October.

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