My thoughts cut/pasted from TRC -
Blackwoods Flake: I don't normally head in this direction when choosing a blend, but a friend recently sent me about 25 grams of this and it was from a 1998 tin. The age may have something to do with the fact that I kind of liked this stuff... Okay, I loved it!
It was not difficult to load and stayed lit well. My sample was quite dry and burned that way. And wow, the smattering of about ten different flavor sensations all at once was delightful. Smooth, refined, spicy, tangy, sweet, sour, mellow and strong rather than weak pretty much sums up the way Blackwoods Flake presented itself to me.
#25: The predominant element is the matured and stoved Virginias - dark brown sugar sweetness, an earthy smoothness, a nice musty character that reminds me of the smell of mushrooms at the grocery store veggie section. Like most McClelland Virginias, the flavor deepened and developed as the bowl continued to burn lower. This is not an "obvious" tobacco, it doesn't leap out at you. But it piques your curiosity. The closest comparison is Esoterica Tilbury.
#27: I recently cracked open a 22 year old tin of this delightful Virginia/Oriental broken flake. I cannot remember a time I had more fun smoking a tobacco. The tin top was actually puffed a bit and let out a gentle swhoosh when the seal broke. The broken flake was extremely dark and the smell told me the leaf was richly fermented. The tobacco was almost totally dry, but retained just enough dampness to make it perfect for smoking. It burned clean and cool right down to the bottom of the bowl leaving nothing but ash. Just past mid bowl on my second smoke, I hit an otherworldly zone that I'll remember forever. A pure aged Virginia naturally sweet and tart at the same time. This old 100 gram tin will not last long.
Pipestud