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In honor of the spring season and the fact that, for once, it doesn't feel like the middle of the f&#!*% arctic circle, I popped open a nice VA flake last week, my first tin of Dunhill flake. I have a pretty good stockpile of this stuff going, and I'm kind of glad. Like most other offerings from Dunhill, this flake is very elegant, tasty, and complex. The flakes are presented beautifully in the nice square tin and rub out fairly easily to the shredded kind of broken flake consistency that I like. Needs a little bit of dry time but not overly moist. Takes a light very easily and is a no brainer to keep lit. The thing that I like most about the flavor of Dunhill flake is that, even with a tin as young as this, it doesn't have any of the grassy, citrusy edge that a lot of young VA flakes have. Instead, Dunhill flake leans more toward the dark wheat, honey, and fresh baked bread kind of flavor that my man dhizzy and I are always talking about. Towards the end of the bowl, I start to get an overtone that is very much like perique in a peppery and lightly fruity sort of sense, and as far as I know there is no perique in this blend, but the last quarter of the bowl sure does taste like it. This will probably be considered heresy by fans of the particular tobacco, but Dunhill flake reminds me of a lot of the flavors I get from FVF without all the headache that comes from prepping that particular flake. Burns down to a very fine powder and is effortless to maintain. My only criticism, if there is one to be had, is that the nicotine hit from this blend is almost non-existent, which isn't a deal breaker for me, but for those who have that craving it may warrant a disclaimer. I can't wait to see what happens to this stuff once it has sat for a few years, but it's really good right out of the gate. Definitely a must try for all VA fans!
