Have You ever Heard of Walnut Flake By Ogdens

Paulie - I am very familiar with this blend, very familiar indeed. It was certainly a popular OTC in my dad's day, in fact I can remember its aroma when, as a boy, I used to rub it out for him. He swore it was a better baccy than the original Bruno. To me, it still smells the same as I remember from those long-ago days. It has a flavour which I can only describe as "Olde Brit" (definitely not "Lakeland Essence"!!) and which, to my palate, is shared by Bulwark and Irish Slices (which are now defunct). Glynn Quelch (master blender) agrees with me about this very special (to me) casing/topping/whatever, but can't define what exactly it is
OWF (now called "Original") is still available from some UK e-tailers (see link below). I love it, and not just because it reminds me of my dad. I have about 20 packs in my retirement cache.
http://www.mysmokingshop.co.uk/index2.php?mod=category&nm=Original%20Flake%20Pipe%20Tobacco&nc=PIPE%20TOBACCO&man=699&cat=69

As Flaky said its a good OTC ni the UK. To me it tasted like a cased (aro) version of St. Bruno.
Cheers,

Chris

I've tried it and prefer tobaccos like University Flake.

Paul, SmokingPipes has St. Bruno both in Flake and Rubbed form
St. Bruno Flake
St. Bruno Ready Rubbed
Cheers,

Chris :puffpipe:

I have seen the old tins kicking around with drill bits or screws in them so I guess it was a very popular blend back in the day. I think I had some sent over to the U.S for one of the forum members a few years back. Strangely enough you don't see the stuff around much like a lot of the British OTC tobaccos such as Condor, Mellow Virginia or St Bruno but I suppose that reflects changing tastes.

condorlover1 - I think you are right, but also it doesn't seem to get the press that IMO it deserves. I heartily recommend this old-style blend to any serious tobacco lover who has access to UK e-tailers.

I bought a pouch or two off Pipestud a couple years or so ago. I have never opened it. There isn't anything on tobaccoreviews.com concerning it and I thought maybe it was the flake version of Walnut, that is Middleton's Walnut. I don't know why I thought that since it says Ogden, but now I'm REALLY glad I have it as I love the old British blends. Flaky, thank you for sharing that, and Paulie for starting this thread

I like Walnut Flake and the Bruno for a nice change of pace.

Mac Baren Original Flake, whose name has likely been changed from “Walnut” to adhere to EU tobacco laws, is part of Mac Baren’s St. Bruno line, which was long-produced by Ogden’s. It is available in a pouch at an OTC. I purchased mine from the very fine shop in Edinborough, The Pipe Shop, but IIRC, it was also sometimes available at supermarkets. I wish I’d bought a whole lot more, since I live in the USA, where this tobacco is not sold at present. As far as I can tell, it is only sold in the UK, which is unfortunate, since UK tobacconists no longer ship to the USA. If I get desperate, though, I’ll enlist the help of a UK-based friend to ship some to me. As a side note, folks in the UK are fortunate to have several excellent blends sold as OTC pouch blends. Like in the USA, most, if not all, are somewhat aromatic, but not in the Captain Black vein. These are aromatic in the British sense, like Condor and St. Bruno.
Like all Mac Baren flakes, it is a beautifully-formed, thin flake which is perfect for foldind and stuffing. Here’s in the USA, I know of no flake tobaccos sold in a pouch, so it was interesting to see how this was packaged. Inside the pouch is a small plastic tray with a foil cover which is adhered to the tray. After an hour of so of drying, the flakes are ready to smoke. I use a fold and stuff method with these, which produces a lengthy, cool smoke. My group 4 Dunhill shell took two flakes, but I triimmed a bit of excess, some of which was then used as kindling on top.
As others have noted, it’s definitely in the St.Bruno family in terms of flavor, but for me, the reduced floral aspects (allegedly from the tobacco and not a topping) make it more to my liking. It’s a delightful smoke with a pleasant room note. If it produces any sort of ghost, it will be short-lived and probably enjoyable. Looking at the reviews on tobaccoreviews.com is perplexing. In particular, Steve Fallon’s description of a cold campfire seems odd. His review is quite old, however. Maybe the Mac Baren version is very different. Never having smoked the Ogden’s version myself, I can only speculate.

DavidinTexas: Original Flake is listed at TR under the current manufacturer, Mac Baren. Wish I had some to smoke. Anyway, here's my review of it:
There's a lightly subdued natural Virginia dark fruit sweetness and earth mixed in with the mild earthy nuttiness of the smoky, lightly woody Kentucky burley, which also has a little molasses and brown sugar sweetness. The spice from the Kentucky is very mild. The burley is the lesser component in terms of composition, but there's a healthy amount of it present. A few detect a little Lakeland essence, but I do not. It is not here at all. The topping reminds me of treacle, but I'm not certain that is what it is, and I think it's more fruit-like. Has a mild nic-hit. Won't bite or get harsh. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor. Leaves very little moisture in the bowl, requires an average number of relights, and has a nice after taste. Can be an all day smoke.
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/1762/mac-baren-original-flake#review50697

Being British, this one has been on my radar for years but I have never gotten around to trying it. I just added it to my shopping cart for the next order. Thank's for the reminder.

Your description of it in your original post is exactly how I would describe it, however, I did taste a very faint topping but to me it just felt like something was missing. It’s definitely a high quality flake and it has its fan base but I’ll stilck with my St. Bruno. If it were released in the States I would definitely buy some for the cellar but not worth the cost of importing it in my opinion.
Edit* just now realizing that this is an older thread.

Ah yes Jim. Thanks for pointing that out. Don't know why I didn't do a search. Just looked under Ogden's. The consensus seems to be that it's a brother/cousin to St.Bruno and or University Flake. So I think I will just leave my package undisturbed for the foreseeable future. I like St. Bruno just fine and if Walnut has less or none of the floral essence that SB has, then I would probably not enjoy it as much, similar to hawky454.

I just opened my first pouch I picked up on eBay. Supposed to be from 2014. Its very good. Its a bit moist in the tray. Dries easily. It seems a quality flake. Thinly sliced. The flavor is mild and smooth. I get some mild Lakeland essence. Its been a long time since I smoked any St. Bruno and it was from a pretty old tin. This seems a bit more flavored than that. Similar to Glengary Flake to me.
Mike S.

It has been awhile since you smoked St. Bruno if you think Walnut Flake is more heavily flavored than St. Bruno. St. Bruno has WAY more sauce added to it than Walnut Flake.