...in social situations and for both beginning and advanced pipe smokers. I say socially, because 1-Q is the quintessential pipe smoke whose aroma non-pipe smokers remember with fondness. The room note is so pleasant that anyone who complains about it is just plain being a freakish, high-minded wood tick. Good for beginners because 1-Q doesn't take a lot of fuss to enjoy. It's a good one with which to learn to pack a pipe because I've always found it easy to light and also forgiving if I don't get the pack quite right, and we do tend to learn from our mistakes where packing a pipe is concerned. And, you'll get a good Virginia tobacco flavor along with the light sweetness of the casing. Good for advanced pipe smokers too because, having worked at a local tobacconist for a couple of years after college, this was far and away our best seller to young and old pipe smokers as well as our most common ingredient in blending. It's a smooth, lightly sweet flavored tobacco without being overpowering on the tongue. That light sweetness feels natural to the tobacco too, not heavy as with some other cased products like the cherry or whiskey flavored aromatics, nothing against them. An excellent choice with which to begin your pipe smoking odyssey, and you'll likely return to it again and again as well, as one does with an old and trusted friend. P.S. My own experience was that once I wanted to expand my palate and choices, a good place to go from Lane's 1-Q was to try McClelland 2010, followed by McClelland 2000. Read Less

You can't go wrong with this stuff. Open up the bag and you smell what you'd expect; bready Virginias, rum, and a bit of that Stokkebye sweetness. The flavor's right about in the middle of light n grassy and the dark and malty type Virginia. I rate a blend as it is out of the package, and this one is great. Given time I imagine it'll age well. A great value for the Virginia smoker as well. Read Less

Update: After trying GH Bob's Chocolate Flake, I find that Luxury Twist Flake has a topping that's quite similar - sans the Lakeland essence. This is a great flake with a beautiful presentation; LTF does not disappoint. On the other hand, it is probably not going to please Virginia purists with such a distinctive casing. The pouch/tin note smells like powdered hot cocoa mix and fresh-baked bread. Its room note is pleasant as well. Preparation is easy, and behavior is good. Whether you choose to rub it to ribbons or fold-&-stuff, it's hard to mess this one up. The smoke is creamy, with a flavor that's mildy sweet with hints of cocoa and brown sugar, and I find it to be almost entirely bite-free. Additionally, the nicotine level is very low—even a big pipe of this on an empty stomach wont make you dizzy or ill, making it a very agreeable flake. As for aging, blends that are good when fresh—especially Virginias—are a thing of greatness, and this is one of 'em. With that said, it absolutely gets better with age. Still, it's nice to buy fresh flakes and be able to enjoy them as is. LTF is a perfect blend for those who want a Virginia flake with a sweeter twist, and if you liked Luxury Navy Flake, it's likely you'll enjoy this as well. Read Less

I've been pipe-smoking for 45+ years and "grew up" with the OLD Balkan Sobranie, Dunhill 965 and Standard Full, Rattray's Red Rapp and Black Mallory as well as Bengal Slices, State Express, etc. While I have found nothing like these old blends, some of todays are very smoke-able. This, however, raises the bar to another level. If you have been lamenting the old/good stuff, this is worthy of your attention! I wanted to give it 5 stars, but somehow the website wouldn't allow it. Give it a try, you won't regret it! Read Less

Why the five star review? Some people may reserve this only for Esoterica-esq blends. I either dislike, enjoy or really enjoy a tobacco. This is worthy of top honors. Don’t let the ‘evening’ name confuse you. This is a morning, noon and nighttime smoke that will be a best seller in a few months right up there with their Navy flake. Slightly lighter than their LNF. The hot pressing imparts something I can’t quite articulate but is wonderful. Luxury Navy Flake, in my humble opinion, is one of the top ten bulk tobaccos available all the time (Lancer Slices are my favorite). Now we have a new member (is it new or just new to us here in USA?) that will be held in the same regard as the classic. The Stokkebye name means quality tobacco and this flake is so good I hate to even write a review. The flakes are beautiful. I’ve said this before but Stokkebye takes a lot of pride in producing fine tobacco and has done so for many generations. There’s a lot to love for everyone in this flake. Virginia’s are soft and delicious. Virginia’s are 75% of the taste and just like Navy flake are extremely mellow, mild and flavorful. The Perique adds a smokiness that lends itself to all day smoking. The strength is manageable by even the most nicotine affected smokers. I put one flake on a plate and rolled it out into a rough ribbon cut. I also fold flakes and stuff them. If you smoke a small bowl you can easily fold this flake and get an extra 30 minutes of smoking due to the amount of compressed tobacco you don’t get from a ribbon cut. Had the pleasure of smoking this out of an unsmoked Stanwell. The soft smokey flavor is a beautiful bouquet of floral and spice. Exactly the quality and experience you would expect from such a beloved tobacco company. I have no doubt many of you will have this in your rotation very soon. Read Less

I am definitely a Virginia and Va/Per lover. I have recently been having an affair with burley, particularly the lighter, OTC blends. I've come to like most burley-based blends very much. I guess my tastes in pipe tobacco are fairly eclectic: I also like light English blends and certain other latakia blends - long as they aren't "lat bombs". But I find myself always coming back to Virginia and Va/Per blends. So, after the fling with burley, I wanted to get several good quality Virginia-Va/Per blends for a nice change. Sutliff's Virginia Slices was one of them. I must say that the presentation is very interesting and attractive. These slices are cut considerably longer than most other flakes I've seen. I read that this is a European style. These slices rub out pretty easily, but my preferred method of flake preparation is a variation of "fold & stuff" I think of as "wad & stuff". So, I pulled a slice into a shorter section, then took a bit and simply wadded the tobacco into a ball and stuffed it into the bowl of my pipe. I repeated until the bowl was full. Bag note: smells like fresh, good ole tobacco. I couldn't detect a topping. This tobacco lights and burns readily to a fine, gray-white ash, and very few re-lights required. As with other Virginia blends, smoke this slowly to get the most flavor. Sip it! The smoke was cool and lasted a long time. Now, I usually have difficulty tasting the citrus notes everyone describes with Va blends. Plenty of grass and hay and all that, but citrus always seems to elude me. But with this blend, I was able to detect it! That sorta citrusy taste was subtle and would shy away whenever I tried to reach for it, but I was definitely getting it with this blend. Some earthiness in there, too, but lots of good, solid tobacco taste. Most Virginias leave a good after-taste for me, and Virginia Slices is no exception. It is also not hard on the tongue provided you don't huff n puff it. My favorite straight Virginia is G.L. Pease "Union Square"; Virginia Slices isn't going to beat it, in my opinion. But, just the same, this blend is tasty. Yes, it is a basic tobacco that is one- maybe two-dimensional. But, sometimes that's what is needed. This blend is good, especially for the price. I recommend it! Read Less

Guys and gals this is a real bargain. I love it fresh or aged a bit. This is a Virginia that from first light to the last puff is creamy and in the pastry realm. It smells like a bowl of Golden Grahams cereal. I like to fold and stuff for best results but rubbing out is sublime too. It does have a slight earthy quality but on the sweet side. Sometimes I get a touch of cinnamon, but overall is toasty and bready and doughy. Burns super easy. I love it! Read Less

The Key to BCA is to let it ghost your pipe. The more you smoke it the more the flavor grows. For me it has gone from tasty air to a really great smoke. I have tried about all of the sweetened Black Cavs and to me this is the best. It is also the most unique as it does not have the traditional chocolate flavor that is in most, but to me has the best chocolate like flavor. I have come to smoke this blend the most and also find it awesome when mixed with other tobaccos. For a change I may mix the following 1:Add about 25% of your favorite VA especially some fresh C&D bright va with a citrus flavor. 2: Also wonderful is about 25% of your favorite vanillia ( I use C&D Green River) this is a soupy blend but awesome. 3: Another awesome favorite and addition is about 25% RLP6 from lane limited. 4: Lastly I will add a disk of Lane bullsey to equal about 25%. It seems that adding morethen 20 – 25% of another tobacco takes away from the BCA portion to much atleast to me. I have tried and love about all the tobaccos the pipe world has to offer, but these have grown to be my favorite all day smokes. Also after 30+ years of offending others by cigarettes it is really nice to hear someone say “WOW that smells GOOD” My response is that “It taste good too” ; ) Read Less

Great Tobacco. Smokes cold, smokes dry, does not itch the tongue, great aroma, great flavor and the best thing is that smokes so easy. In a small pipe of 1.2 in chamber depth you can smoke for about 40 minutes smoking pleasurably. This is my 4th Sutliff tobacco and none disappointed me, I can say that it is a house that gives great guarantee on the quality of their tobaccos. Read Less

This is truly lovely English blend. I would recommend it to those looking for a replacement for the original Frog Morton.. I really love this tobacco -- mildly sweet, but you know there is latakia in there. That is comes is bulk is quite a bonus. Read Less

I keep around 10 blends in my rotation but this is my favorite. Some people liken it to the current (orange) version of Three Nuns but I beg to differ. Both Three Nuns and 403 share similar ingredients but they taste different. The dark fired Kentucky in 403 is not what we are used to tasting in the likes of Orlik DSK, HH ODF, you name it - it provides a serious dose of woodsy spice, almost bordering on a good Dijon mustard in the retrohale. The tin note is almost identical to Wheaties cereal. The taste profile is built upon the sweetness of the top quality and grassy VAs, which provide a very balanced and consistent sweetness in the background, with pops of delightful brown sugar taste every now and then. Somewhat forgiving to indulgent puffing, but still at its best when sipped. Never bites or gets bitter if packed right (loosely) - and for me the only way the pack this tobacco is to asymmetrically stack a few coins, roll and then stuff with the bottom half less dense and the top of the bowl denser. Oldest I've smoked had 6 months of aging in the jar with no mind-blowing improvement but I suspect it will improve with more time. If you want a tobacco with balanced sweetness and serious woodsy spice, then look no further. Happy smokes everyone! Read Less

EDIT: 06/20/2019-2 years on and this is still one of my favorite blends. The DFK keeps drawing me back. Mixed this with some Five Brothers recently... wow, just wow. What can be said that hasn't already been said about this amazing blend?! Not much. I will just add my own two cents by saying that this is probably one of the most satisfyingly pleasant blends I have smoked to date. Really rich, wonderful flavor that gets only better as you work your way through the bowl. The flavor that it ends with is the highlight for me. There is a cocoa like flavor that comes through about halfway down. There is a bit of a nic-kick here to, so if you're a lightweight, smoke it on a full stomach and take your time. Another thing about this blend, it ages REALLY well. Buy yourself enough to enjoy right away and enough to squirrel away in your cellar. If you like Dark Fired Kentucky, this is one of the best I have tried thus far and it has been holding steady in 1st place of my tobacco rotation. Read Less

I eyed this tobacco for some time, and waited until Autumn to buy it. I was scared that it would be an overly moist, soapy aromatic, and I had friends who said it was “bitey”. As soon as I opened the tin, my nose hadn’t even got close to it and I was greeted with a beautiful sweet smell of maple. I was intrigued to find out about this ‘red virginia cavendish’ from C&D and I packed my pipe and lit it for the first time. It was good, sweet and took light easily. The flavors were subtle and I got the taste of maple with the virginia cavendish tobacco. Middle of the bowl, it got a lot better, and I must say that that’s where the fun will stop for some people; during the final stages of my smoke I couldn’t taste any maple, but I could taste the tobacco. I have never tasted the straight red virginia cavendish from C&D so I couldn’t tell you if there was a difference, but boy I felt the nicotine was strong. It was relaxing - this is probably one to smoke indoors sitting comfortably with something good to read. I did take it out once, but didn’t appreciate it as much. There’s not a lot going on at once, it’s not a complicated blend. However, I would go as far as to say it’s one of the best aromatics I have tried. I enjoyed it so much, I bought a new pipe and dedicated it solely to this tobacco. That way nothing can change the delicate flavour this gives. It doesn’t bite as much as I was expecting - dumping the ash mid bowl seemed to revamp the taste of the maple. Read Less

I actually like this blend quite a bit. It is smooth, easy to keep lit, and has all the mellow breadyness we love about Virginias. Not very figgy, but very bready. One downside is that due to the cut it is quite dry, which means a faster burn and a hotter burn. But, then again, that makes it a perfect option for a quick smoke. It is also quite ideal for balancing out some of the wetter blends. A necessary staple for any well-stocked tobacco cellar. 3.5 stars. I recommend it. Read Less

When I tried Creme Brulee, I was at once transported to an enchanted oasis of tranquility and repose. It was smooth but had the robust, yet gentle power of one point four billion butterfly sneezes. My faithful companion Penelope, called to me from the garden in a pert and attentive tone and inquired as to what this amazing aroma could be that was entrancing her delicate nostrils. I thought the only thing that could be more comfortable would be the slippers that would adorn the delicate feet of my queen. Upon opening the blend it smelled so enticing, that I was tempted to eat it like sweetened, shredded coconut of my youth that mother had been saving for the cake. But I refrained. I hesitated for a moment and considered to partake in bowl of salted caramel ice cream to set the stage for the smoke I was soon to enjoy, but couldn't wait a moment longer. Loading the bowl was a pleasant, tactile adventure all its own, and whilst I was tempted to lick my fingers, I thought better of it and simply used a moist towellete. It took a few seconds before I could maintain a good, consistent burn, however once lit, this magnificent blend of tabaccos stayed smouldering with little effort for a good twenty minutes and no overabundance of puffery was required to maintain the slow burn. It retained its majestic integrity like the steady gate of a jaguar loping through the forest at dusk in search of its prey. Yes, indeed, this blend will be finding its way into my Dunhill on a regular basis and Penelope will be very pleased, of this I am quite certain. Read Less

I've tried many English blends -- and will continue to do so to satisfy my curiosity -- but this remains my daily smoke. Flavorful with just the right Latakia perfume. Read Less

I've been making an effort to try all GH bulk blends, especially the strong ones, because they are just such amazing tobaccos in general. What I've found, generally speaking, is that while sharing many components and similarities they are all unique and singular blends to be enjoyed in their own way. Dark Birdseye might be the new crown jewel of my collection. Full, rich, deep, sweet, smoky, and spicy flavors of dark fired Virginia and Kentucky that's just burst onto your palate and give lasting flavor. Even after putting it aside for a few hours or a day it doesn't overpower. Strong enough to satisfy, smooth enough to smoke multiple times per day, and with enough dark virginia sweetness to keep bringing me back, I'm really enjoying dark Birdseye right now. When I put it down and come back I notice a very rich and delicious cigar aroma from the smoke that is just heavenly. As I near the bottom of the bowl the flavors deepen and the smoke strengthens, but since it isn't a super strong blend I simply enjoy the transformation. My batch came with the perfect moisture content to be packed and smoked right away. I tend to smoke this one in a meer or cob, and I pack it tight and filled to the brim. Rarely requires even a single relight based on my experience so far, and is one of the easiest blends to smoke that I've yet to put in my pipe. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl. Contrary to some of the other reviews, I don't view dark Birdseye as a top strength blend in the same league as brown twist or Kendall Kentucky. Yes it is on the stronger side but should be manageable to all but the most sensitive of smokers when it comes to nicotine, especially when smoked at a leisurely pace. You can always pack a smaller bowl if you disagree, but whether you like a large bowl or small I highly recommend giving this fine blend a try. Read Less

Are you looking for the best "bang for the buck" blend? You came to the right blend. My opinion here is also shared by fellow pipe smokers here in my country. We have tried various blends of englishes. But we all came down to one common consensus: this blend is the most cost effective but tasty English blend there is. Give this blend a try, its affordable yet good. Read Less

Ok, one bowl of RLP-6 was enough to make me a fan of this blend! I know I'll need more time with it to get to really know it, but my first impressions are very favorable. Many of the other reviews of this blend mention flavors like vanilla, nougat, chocolate, and various fruit. I guess I could taste some of these things, like the vanilla, but more than anything I was tasting caramel, something rather creamy, some nuttiness, and banana. Especially banana! No kidding. Banana! I didn't see any other reviews here or elsewhere mention a banana flavor. Maybe it's just me. Banana... Hmmmm... Anyway, don't get me wrong: I LOVE banana! And I love this blend. Also, there was plenty of real tobacco flavor in the mix, especially nuttiness from the burley. Great stuff, huh? I guess for me at least, RLP-6 drives me bananas AND nuts! Cheers. Read Less

The SP description lays it out. Not for the faint of heart. If you're new to VA/Per's, don't go here. Go with a 10-15% perique. Also, the particular Perique that C&D uses is very intense. It's dark, oily, musty deliciousness. The VA's in the blend are excellent. Sweet, clean favor. The perique in this blend is above excellent. It's what perique should be. Hints of dark fermented fruit. Only slightly "peppery". A nice loose leaf blend. Packs and lights perfectly, smokes through with only the occasional re-light. No bite, no gurgle, only a small dottle left un-burnt. Yes, it's full and intense. Yes, it strengthens as the bowl progresses. This is not a "light" blend, and not meant to be. It's heady and them some. I cannot say enough about the perique used here. The VA's are good, but there are lots of good VA's out there. This perique is special - very special. It's full flavored and totally satisfying. I looked for years for "my" favourite VA/Per - this is it. Heads and shoulder above and C&D blend I've ever tried - I found most of theirs sorta bland. This - this is wonderful. I will be buying pounds of it. Read Less

After smoking this blend, I find it hard to enjoy anything else. They say that a person always comes across that one blend that is for them, and this one is mine. I smoke about 4-5 bowls a day of it and it never gets old. For me it has a wonderful chocolate kind of flavor. I love the way it smells and tastes. I order about a 1lb a month of this and still have almost none cellared. I enjoy it that much. But I am also a simple person. YMMV. Read Less

I've been smoking a good bit of LC Virginia and Burley, Virginia and Oriental. So I'd say I knew the general flavor of the Virginia. I smoke a good bit of C & D Yorktown, which is a great blend of fine Virginia. LC Virginia blend here is half the price of Yorktown, is it half as good? Let me say, it's almost as good. Smooth and sweet. A great no nonsense Virginia suitable for blending or straight...price wise, it's exceptional quality for the money. I'm waiting for LC to offer Burley and Oriental in bulk...I'm waiting... Read Less