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Clinton B.
Reviews
John Aylesbury - Sir John's Flake Virginia 50g
an attractive woman
Dry or damp, aged or not, this tobacco always delivers a pure, mildly tangy dark fruit sweet, very earthy Virginia taste with a touch of pepper/spice, a fair amount of wood, a little tart and tangy citrus, grass and mild floralness. It does mellow with age (which is typical of straight Virginias), but not enough to lose the mild pepper/spice note. The taste level is medium. The strength is a couple of slots past the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is a step below the center of mild to medium. Burns slow, no matter the moisture content, with a very consistent cool, clean flavor, and a small rough edge or two. Won't bite or get harsh, though Superman puffing might get you a harsh note. Requires some relights, and leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a tad stronger. Can be an all day smoke. It ages exceptionally well.
Sillem's - Commodore Flake 50g
flopped
How ironic that there is a faithful looking retriever on the front of the tin..... The only thing that's missing, is the accompanying freshly laid 'lawn turd' situated right behind mans best friend in said picture.....Because that's what this bland flavourless dross smoked like. Weak, tasteless, smokeless, indulgent rubbish.
Sillem's - Mayor 1814 Flake 50g
aftertaste was also unpleasant
The vanilla topping is light with little depth. The Virginias are grassy, a little earthy with some citrus and a touch of dark fruit, The tobaccos have less strength and taste than the usual products. The nic-hit is mild. Burns at a reasonable rate with a consistent flavor. It won't bite, but will get slightly harsh and a little ashy at the bottom of the bowl. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. The after taste is weaker than it should be.
Brebbia - Balkan 50g
good
I tend to measure these kinds of blends against what I consider to be the gold standard, Penzance. I found the Brebbia Balkan to be actually a bit smoother than Penzance but lacking that oriental zing that one finds in Penzance. However, I enjoyed this blend immensely, finding it to be to my taste more of a classic English blend than a Balkan. But then my taste buds are a tad old! Anyway, I now have Brebbia Balkan in my tobacco rotation and happy to have it there. If you are looking for a mild to medium English blend smoke, I don't think you can do better than this Brebbia blend which, I believe, is actually made by Dan's and could, in fact, be Dan's Bill Bailey's. Whatever - I give it four stars.
Wessex - Brigade Campaign Dark Flake 50g
fine
This tobacco is a very fine, quality product. Packs and burns nicely, not overly wet in a freshly opened new tin and dries well after opening. The overall taste is oats, apricot and molasses. The rich sweetness ventures to the level of pronounced at the onset, but a mild darkness develops to balance the sugar out before it becomes overwhelming. I find that I enjoy this most in a big bowled bent-billiard, the more the space the more mild the blend seems to smoke. I drink big draughts of the stuff this way, and although it is so good I that I tend to puff too often, burning the bowl is a concern but burning my tongue is not (and here I give the big bore Radice most of the credit). In a smaller bowled apple the blend has a bit more punch. Either way, delightful taste with either a glass of cool water or unsweetened black tea.
Peterson - Nightcap 50g
very bad
I did not know this was made by Dunhill, which bad experiences taught me to avoid, but is likely the culprit whom makes a few things I do enjoy and was simply unaware of. The real question is of course, is this similar to Dunhill's Nightcap? Well it has been a few years since I've had it, and I am unwilling to crack my last cellared tin, so lets hope the holes in my memory are not too wide. The contents certainly has more twigs than the original, so quality 'control' is not up to speed. The oriental and the raw charcoal note is tamer, yet not too far of the mark. The lit product is lighter and sweeter (not sugary, but if you can imagine the bloody taste of a steak that's savory, that eventually leaves a sweet finish). The total effect was certainly English and flavorful in its own right, but milder in nicotine and strength (though my buds may have leathered over time). I'm glad this Match product exists to dampen the pain of Dunhill closing production. I could see giving this 1 stars, but felt it would be in poor form since that is the rating I gave to the better original.
Peter Heinrichs - Curly Special 200g
bad
Yes this smells like DLF out of the tin, and the red an golden virginias look promising. But in a pipe and when lit; we're talking a whole new experience here! First of all. This stuff is loaded with peppery perique. Secondly and probably most important:it is a wicked, wicked clove-bomb! In DLF it was balanced and subdued during smoking, but in No 2, we're talking almost asian clove cigarettes. Seriously folks: the clove topping, be it naturally og synthetically (eugenol), actually numbed my tongue and palate. Dentists use it as a mild anaesthetic, and apparantly so does Astley. This was a very, very weird experience in a pipe smoking perspective.
Peter Heinrichs - Curly Special 100g
bad
Yes this smells like DLF out of the tin, and the red an golden virginias look promising. But in a pipe and when lit; we're talking a whole new experience here! First of all. This stuff is loaded with peppery perique. Secondly and probably most important:it is a wicked, wicked clove-bomb! In DLF it was balanced and subdued during smoking, but in No 2, we're talking almost asian clove cigarettes. Seriously folks: the clove topping, be it naturally og synthetically (eugenol), actually numbed my tongue and palate. Dentists use it as a mild anaesthetic, and apparantly so does Astley. This was a very, very weird experience in a pipe smoking perspective.
Peter Heinrichs - Dark Strong Flake 100g
why
In the tin: Pretty, dark brown flakes. Pleasant slightly acrid smell of fermented Virginias. Packing and Lighting: I rubbed mine out to a fairly coarse texture and it packed, lit, and stayed lit just fine. The Taste: Yuck. Strong tobacco taste admittedly. but harsh and lacking in the sweetness I would expect from a Virginia blend. Towards the end of the bowl, intrepid explorer that I was, the "taste" just became stronger and more noxious. I can't recommend this to anyone. Maybe it's the flake form. I've never met a flake that I liked. I'm very much in the minority here and haven't been pipe-smoking that long. Perhaps I don't know how to rub out a flake satisfactorily yet.
Peter Heinrichs - Golden Sliced 100g
nice
What a delicious tobacco this is. It had me captivated the moment I cracked open the tin. Rather than being separate flakes this has been packaged in a similar fashion to Orlik Golden Sliced; one long flake rolled up. Upon the opening I can see that the tobacco has secreted a fair quantity of oils as the paper that tops the tin is heavily stained from them. The smell from the can is so enticing, a sort of raisin/dough/bread like aroma. The tobacco is quite dark in appearance and although the paper top had a good oil covering the flake itself is of a perfect hydration to smoke right away. I opt to tare off some of the flake, rub it out, pack my pipe then light it up and if I was captivated from the aroma I'm truly enchanted by the taste. I get a flavour very similar to the tins note. Obviously the Virginia is the main player, grassy and fresh but alongside it there's that same raisin/dough/bread enhancement which is absolutely lovely. The nicotine is about medium in this which suits me well. If you require a tobacco to sit and relax with without the need to keep fiddling about with your lighter and tamper then this is for you; it can be enjoyed with very few relights and only a little tamping. If someone were to say to me "this is the only blend you can smoke for the rest of your life" my retort would be "well I can easily deal with that". Total smoking bliss. Highly recommended.
