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.
:
