Public Profile

Wessex - Brown Virginia Flake 50g
Bready
Smoking a 5 year old tin that my local shop had on the wall (sorry SP, I buy 90% of my tobacco from you guys, but still shop local every once in awhile because I don't want those guys to disappear!). Absolutely tastes like bread, and I mean that as a compliment. I never understood the bready reference to Virginias before, but that was before this tobacco. Medium body, simple flavor. 1/3 of a flake lasts me 30 minutes. Required some drying, but who cares. Damnit, now I need to get golden and red to compare.

Erinmore - Erinmore Flake 50g
Nice, but forgettable
I love the tin art and wanted to love the smoke, but this one is forgettable. Great tin note, but the taste is similar to PS Luxury Twist Flake to me - exciting for a few puffs, and then settles into a pleasant but average smoke that's a bit too generic to me. For reference, in the Virginia flake category, I really like PS LNF, Marlin Flake, and OGS.

Savinelli - Brunello Flake 100g
This is the one
I got this tin for free with the purchase of a Savinelli Pipe. I only say that because I usually like things more if I had to pay hard earned money for them, so being "free" doesn't endere it to me at all. The tin note is absolutely the star - reminds me of strawberry fruit leather, but not in an aromatic way. That sounds like a contradiction, but my very uneducated guess is that it is the chemistry of exotic tobaccos and the processing that produces the aroma, not a strawberry topping. Who knows, either way it's sublime. Presentation in the tin is very handsome in the classic MacBarren gold foil wrapper and flakes cut perfectly on an OCD level. The flakes rub out with surprisingly little effort, moisture is on the dry side of perfect, ready to pack right away. Takes a char and lights quickly, and stays lit with little effort. The smoke is mild to medium in strength, medium body, and "fluffy" on the palate. The smoke is quite sweet in the way that the very best Virginas hope to be, and that tin note carries through in residual sweetness, but not in cloying flavor. Overall a really great blend for a Virginia smoker looking for complexity. Finally, I have read other reviews that prefer this in a certian pipe. I am not experienced enough to make a judgement, but for reference, I am smoking it in the Savinelli 320 KS that earned the tin. Huge bowl that is almost as wide as it is deep. I will be buying several more tins. Great stuff!

Sutliff - 526 - Old Professor
Very mild
Pouch note suggests English, but the smoking experience is so incredibly mild that I can't think of an audience that would enjoy this except maybe aromatic smokers looking to try out something with Latakia. It really feels like a drug store version of an English blend - not offensive, but just so lacking in strength that I would reach for any other English or Balkan blend first. I also prefer a finer cut as this is so course that it is difficult to pack in a smallish bowl.

McClelland - X9 - Blended Light Burley Ribbon
McClelland X9
Another great burley from McClelland. I find this more "natural" than X10, my go-to. I agree with the description that the flavor in this one is more process than casing, slightlt sweet, and overall a very simple, easy smoking blend. I like this best in small bowls as it can be a little one dimensional over a long haul, but it is one that is always on hand and never disappoints.

McClelland - X10 - Burley Ribbon - Unflavored
McClelland X10
This has been my favorite tobacco for years! I discovered it as a house blend at a local shop when I first started smoking, and I have kept it in rotation since. Although it is marketed as un-flavored, it is still cased enough to bring out natural nuttiness and sweetness but not anywhere near enough to be considered an aromatic. It gets great comments from bystanders, and the cut and moisture content is always perfect for quick packing and easy smoking with minimal re-lights. In a huge bowl (MM General or McArthur) it is nearly maintenance free for over an hour. I've never experienced the "burley bite," especially not here. Sometimes I intentionally smoke it a little hot for a little bit of pleasant char. I really like variety and pairing tobaccos with the situation (drink), so I smoke between 6-12 blends every week, but this is always at least one smoke a day, usually the longest. This is a really rare tobacco in that it is a GREAT pairing for incredibly hoppy beers. If I had to give up all others and pick only one, this is it. Surprised that it isn't ranked in the top 10 on this site...