Smoking Some 65 Year Old Scottish Flake --- A Group Review

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May 31, 2012
4,295
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Here's an old advert from a Jan. 1950 copy of The Cigar & Tobacco World,

it pretty much has the same text copy as the paper tin insert seen earlier in the thread

with the exception of mentioning the new Scruvac tins...

XLVTcKb.jpg

The 1935 Tobacco World Retail Prices lists Thomson & Porteous as having only 4 available pipe tobaccos,

Mound Mixture

Luntin Mixture

Two Hours Mixture

Drifter Flake
I wonder when Scots Cake came onto the scene?
T&P must have been a fairly small concern,

but they seemed to have lasted a good long while.
Judging by this old stuff,

they knew what they were doing.

 

flakyjakey

Lifer
Aug 21, 2013
1,117
7
Troy, sorry you got that wrong - it is I who am in YOUR debt. As I said, it was one of the most special tobacco-tasting experiences, not least for personal reasons.
I have since read the reviews you have received so far, and valuable they are! There are some common opinions - The old "English" :lol: taste, hints of St Bruno, the difficulty in a tobacco of this age of knowing what other ingredients might have been in the original blend etc.
Please forgive me for using another wine analogy (but it is all about 'taste'):- With VERY old bottles, particularly of red Burgundy, it is advised not to decant but to drink the wine immediately after pulling the cork. Otherwise the subtle nuances of what might be a very expensive wine can dissipate very quickly.
I suspect this might to a degree have happened in my case. The flakes were very dry indeed, and in the clay especially it took half a bowl (with presumably the water vapour from combustion moistening the blend) to produce any flavour. If you accept this hypothesis it means that YOU, and YOU ALONE got the "real" taste of this ancient tobacco - you lucky ducky!! :puffy:
PS I know my late dad would have loved this blend, perhaps he may even have smoked it?

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
:D

Lucky ducky me is!

The first bowl was quite intense.
The aroma is still lingering in the tin,

I've lifted the lid off a couple of times and become entranced by its smell.
So, when are you going to offer your talents to a good blender for a tribute baccy made to your spec and come up with something like this for us all to enjoy right off the shelf, in plug form of course...
...who could pass up an oppo to try some of Flaky Jakey's Smelly Olde Scots Jock ?!?!?!?!?

LOL

8)
I would hoard it.

:puffy:

 

jimbo44

Might Stick Around
Aug 2, 2010
62
0
It's interesting that you and others thought there might be a touch of Latakia - which was indeed used in condimental quantities in some old time British Virginia flakes - but perhaps more likely to be Fire cured Va. (or other non-oriental baccy) as used by Ogdens in St. Bruno and Walnut and Wills in the old Bulwark?
I was fortunate to score a cutter top tin of similar aged (or a bit older) St Bruno a few years ago that was in perfect condition and tasted mellow and sublime - probably the best tobacco I've ever smoked.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
Interesting theory, Jim. I have a flake and a half left -- I'll have to see if I can detect anything that's reminiscent of any kind of dark fired leaf.

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
:!:

Jimbo!

:!:
So very good to see you here and weighing in!
Thank you.
You are the kind man who set me off on this journey of digging into history, giving me one of my first Oh My God moments when you sent over the St. Bruno - I was still fairly early into my piping, and tasting many different baccies looking for that deep satisfaction everyone raves about, but had found only a few that had did the trick...
...I remember asking something like "what is St. Bruno and how does it taste?" and later you sent me a pm asking if I'd like to try some, I was like how? Through the mail? LOL You were my first baccy bomb and not only did you flip my lid with the Bruno, but also sent along some Murray's Warrior Plug which to this day remains my favorite tobacco...
...I couldn't believe what I was tasting, it was somewhat alien, strange, but hit me deep in the soul with a satisfaction I can't really describe - and there's nothing else much like those trad Brit codger blends, even if they are made in Denmark now, they stand in a class unto themselves and I find them to be of the highest class in terms of delivering a full flavorbomb of contentment...
...I can only imagine what the real stuff was like when fresh off the shelf, but at least I've gotten lucky enough to scrounge a few true experiences with some of the old stuff, and even after all the years, they most notably denote and highlight the fact, in my opinion, that UK-made tobacco achieved a pinnacle of excellence in blending that may remain forever unmatched - call me overly romantic, but the old UK stuff has the magic in more ways than one...
...of course, we're lucky today too, we have a wide spectrum of quality options and there's some tremendously great baccy being made right now, and I appreciate it too, but the days of cutter-top tins carrying robust flavorful stout manly tobacco is something that can never be recreated or reinterpreted - it is a pure joy when fortune shines and allows me to sample an example from the glory days.
I give you my heartfelt appreciation for your generosity Jim.
It seems like it has been a long journey, but it has only been a short while, after my OMG moment I set off to uncover the secrets unknown to me, how could the industry collapse when they made stuff so good? How do they get these flavors? Why are many of them high nicotine? And other questions. I started seeing the old adverts, reading old review reports, seeing many varied old tins - I was hooked!
At this point my mind is so saturated with the residue of this stuff that I can identify most old UK tins on sight and they feel so familiar, even if I've never actually experienced them, yet they live strangely in my brain - like noticing Sherlock is holding a tin of Godfrey Phillips Grand Cut, LOL
Thank you Jim.
Thank you.

:puffpipe:

DUPNXhU.jpg


 

jimbo44

Might Stick Around
Aug 2, 2010
62
0
Well Troy - a bit Mr Spock "You were, are, and always will be, my friend"
After the intro' to St Bruno, didn't you do some research as to the components; it'd be good to know if the Fire cured component was Va, (or Kentucky)?

 

jimbo44

Might Stick Around
Aug 2, 2010
62
0
Different site - different technology; managed to post that twice!
So what else are you doing Troy?
Have a look in at PipeSmokerUnlimited (won't mention the other place) - Chris is there as well (note to Kevin - not poaching - just sharing!).

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
After the intro' to St Bruno, didn't you do some research as to the components; it'd be good to know if the Fire cured component was Va, (or Kentucky)?
These were the components circa the late 60's - early 70's:
35.0% semi-bright, medium-heavy bodied, flue-cured, USA

27.5% semi-bright, heavy bodied, flue-cured, USA

15.0% dark-fired Virginia

15.0% heavy-bodied, dark-fired, Malawi

7.5% heavy-bodied, flue-cured, Canada

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

30% Dark Fired!

Maybe the Malawi was burley?
(also,

pm sent.)


 

Dutch Pipe Smoker

(arno665)
Apr 3, 2013
376
120
46
The Netherlands
dutchpipesmoker.com
I was fortunate to score a cutter top tin of similar aged (or a bit older) St Bruno a few years ago that was in perfect condition and tasted mellow and sublime - probably the best tobacco I've ever smoked.
I once send most of the contents of my old knife cutter tin St. Bruno to a British member of SmokersForums before that crashed. I think his name was Kirk (not his nickname there, can't remember that one..). But Kirk send the St. Bruno to some other members in England. Did he also send some to you Jimbo?


 

jimbo44

Might Stick Around
Aug 2, 2010
62
0
It was Briar Spirit Arno - and, yes he did thanks. That was younger thn the very old tin I mentioned above and the degree of mellowing between those and modern was about pro-rata.

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
porteous.gif


Porteous family tartan
Attempted to look up and compile diverse opinions on what exactly a Scottish blend is,

I didn't get too far...
...but I did find this old post,

I didn't know Sinister Topiary was a member.

He's a great tobacco reviewer.
Way back when, he asked "what the hell is a Scottish blend?"
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/scottish-blends-what-the-hell-is-it
And for those who didn't grok the GLP purple giraffe thing,

well here's some good reading and it's on topic:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/dont-think-of-a-purple-giraffe/
38898979.png


 

Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
First, a big thank you to Troy for the opportunity to sample this tobacco. 
Second, my apologies for being late on my review.  Between working out of town and getting a cold, I was pushed back a bit.  But I wanted to really experience this tobacco and take my time with it.  Hopefully I have produced a review justifying the delay.
I am very sensitive to ghosts.  So to do this blend justice, I smoked it in four different pipes. My tasting notes follow below, beginning with my general impressions.  I have not read this thread, prior to posting this.  So hopefully these impressions are without bias.  On to the review:
What immediately struck me about this blend was the tin note (or, in this case, the envelope note). An overt, grassy sweetness that was backed by a subtle cigar aroma. I didn't get the deep, stewed fruit Perique style scents from this flake. I would classify this as a Haylage aroma: freshly cut hay with alfalfa, with a cigarish backbone. 
The flake was on the dry side and took a match readily.  Throughout my tastings, there was no bite of any kind, not even a hint.  This tobacco produced copious amounts of smoke, and was extremely smooth-smoking, if a bit dry. In all cases this blend left the pipe bone dry, not a hint of goop or mess. 
On to the actual tastings.  What follows are my tasting notes as I experienced them:
Pipe 1: rubbed out in a Prince used for VaPers and VaBurs.  Lately used mainly for McClelland VaPers. 
First Third:

Initial light produced a brief hit of sweetness on the tip of the tongue.  Some soggy flavor followed - like tangyness gone off.  There is a mustiness to this blend.  There is also an ashiness to the flavor.  As the smoke progresses, the predominant impression is a damp, leafy flavor.  (possibly past-its-prime Latakia?)
Middle Third:

The sugars really shine through by mid-bowl.  That damp leafiness is still there, now with a hint of raisin in the background.  I can't discern if it's very old Syrian Latakia or very old Kentucky I'm tasting.
Final Third:

Some harmony of flavor begins to come together.  The mustiness is still there: damp leaves, an almost mushroomy flavor.  Some raisin/date flavor in the background.  And a hint of saltiness.  Lowercast has asked if this tobacco might be past its prime.  It's a difficult question to answer.  Probably.  But it provides an amazing flavor profile for the pipe aficionado.   Alec Baldwin, when interviewed for Cigar Aficionado magazine, described the flavor profile of a cigar as 'the perfect combination of chocolate and horse shit.'  I'm getting some of that here.
Pipe 2: rubbed out in a Dublin used mainly for Rattray's Marlin Flake, and the occasional VA flake.
First Third:

I get that same initial sweet note on the charring light. I expected the Dublin shape to concentrate the sweet notes, but it didn't highlight sweet as much as it reduced mustiness. That damp leafiness is still in the background. 
Middle Third:

Similar to my last tasting: sugars buried in the background. Ashiness prevails. Framed in that same damp mustiness. I didn't taste Perique.  It could be that Perique doesn't age well past a certain point prior to losing flavor?
Final Third:

No significant changes in flavor profile in the bottom third of the bowl.
Pipe 3: rubbed out in a hybrid (Scandinavian) Pot, used almost exclusively for Escudo
First Third:

I didn't get the same initial hint of sweetness at the charring light (perhaps it dissipated a bit in the pot shape?).  Some mustiness is still there. Exceptionally smooth without a hint of bite. Some ashiness towards the back of my throat. 
Middle Third:

 Lots of smoke, big puffy clouds. A good, rich mouthfeel. Mustiness seems subdued compared to my previous tastings.  A hint of raisiny/datey sweetness, felt near the back, rather than tip, of tongue. Towards the end of mid-bowl that saltiness reemerges. 
Final Third:

A little sweet begins to break through. Date and fig. Really glorious. Might just be my anticipation fooling my taste buds, but I'm liking it. Still some ashiness, and some saltiness. But that sweet date flavor, even though it's subtle, is divine. This tobacco rations out its sweet like a bad mistress. 
Perhaps it's the Kentucky mellowed and flattened a bit by extreme age, but the flavor profile is really unique: dates and salt and maybe the faintest hint of dark chocolate. Whatever Virginias are in here are smooth as silk, but have lost their more overt sweetness with time. You have to really sip this softly to get at the flavors. Longer draws bring an ashiness that overtakes the nuances. There's something about the color and texture of the smoke that makes me think "cigar". 
Pipe 4: fold-and-stuff in an MM Cob used for (non-aromatic) burleys and VaBurs
First Third: 

Nice tang on the initial light that makes me think Kentucky. That initial sweetness is there as well. That mustiness is also there but buried deeper in the background. 
Middle Third:

This blend is really coming alive for me in a cob. The sweet of the Virginias and the tang of what must be Kentucky are interplaying nicely. Smokes very dry.  There's some saltiness that I associate with African Virginias. The cob seems to soak up the mustiness and leave an even dryer smoke. Again, produces copious amounts of smoke and, despite some ashiness, tastes very smooth. You can really puff on this with zero tongue bite. A mellow, dried fruit sweetness behind the mellow tang of aged Kentucky. 
Final Third:

Little change in flavor profile in final third of the bowl
Conclusion: This blend worked best for me in a wider, flatter briar bowl.  And it really came alive for some reason in a cob.  Narrower bowls seemed to emphasize the mustiness, counterintuitively, rather than the sweetness.  I am very grateful for the opportunity to try this blend - how often does one get to smoke 65 year old tobacco?  And I'm eternally grateful to Troy.  My overall conclusion is that this may be past its prime, but nonetheless offers an amazing flavor profile for any tobacco lover.  A blend like this gives us great insight into how different tobaccos age, how flavors develop over time, and - to me, at least - illustrates the commonalities of wine and tobacco collecting.  The infinite variables and complexities of constituent, varietal tobaccos are so fascinating to us, as pipe and tobacco hobbyists,  and I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to sample this blend.
-Perique

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
Perique - you delivered a professional grade review here, no need to apologize at all, this is aged tobacco after all, we ain't inna sprint to the finish is we? :wink:
I'm glad you got over your cold, that can wreak havoc on tastings and I'm glad you didn't rush it or feel obligated to force yourself before you were actually in top performance mode.
I have not read this thread, prior to posting this. So hopefully these impressions are without bias.
I've read your review and I think you have met this goal, I really appreciate your gravitas and the seriousness with which you approached this sampling.
What immediately struck me about this blend was the tin note (or, in this case, the envelope note). An overt, grassy sweetness that was backed by a subtle cigar aroma. I didn't get the deep, stewed fruit Perique style scents from this flake. I would classify this as a Haylage aroma: freshly cut hay with alfalfa, with a cigarish backbone.
This is a bit different from many of the reports, but Joe spoke of hay as well, it really is striking how diverse our opinions can be when talking about stuff like this, yet one more reason to admire the great blenders of today, for their job is exceedingly difficult, to broaden the spectrum as far as possible so that a wide swath of folks may enjoy it, I'm sure it may take innumerous little tweaks of perhaps tiny proportions, but those subtle hints seem to go a long way in our determining what something tastes like, oftentimes it's those fleeting traces that capture our full attention and we home in on that flavor desiring to savor it as deeply as possible --- sorry, got offtrack there...
The flake was on the dry side and took a match readily. Throughout my tastings, there was no bite of any kind, not even a hint. This tobacco produced copious amounts of smoke, and was extremely smooth-smoking, if a bit dry. In all cases this blend left the pipe bone dry, not a hint of goop or mess.
Same here, no bite whatsoever, even with vigorous puffing, and readily to the flame indeed, effortless.

The smoke produced by this stuff is enough to make one take up poetry!

Smooth as silk, butter, or any baby's bottom!
I like the way you used multiple pipes with differing chamber geometry, it really is amazing what distinct differences it can all have, well, I guess it ain't really amazing, but it is something that can be used to ones advantage when one is mindful of such things.
Pipe 1: rubbed out in a Prince used for VaPers and VaBurs. Lately used mainly for McClelland VaPers.
First Third:

Initial light produced a brief hit of sweetness on the tip of the tongue. Some soggy flavor followed - like tangyness gone off. There is a mustiness to this blend. There is also an ashiness to the flavor. As the smoke progresses, the predominant impression is a damp, leafy flavor. (possibly past-its-prime Latakia?)
Funny you mention tip of the tongue, I was getting a pretty intense reaction from the tip of my tongue as well, it seemed to concentrate itself full force in that area most intensely, as compared to mid or rear tongue - it was an effect that so enchanted me that I smoked abnormally than I usually do in attempt to heighten the effect.
Mustiness yes, and ashiness as well, I got that too. It produced some of the finest ash I've ever had in fact, that is, like a very fine powder.
And Latakia?

That's now 4 votes, must be something there?

Syrian is something I know absolutely nothing of, so I'm in the dark. 8) pun intended
Middle Third:

The sugars really shine through by mid-bowl. That damp leafiness is still there, now with a hint of raisin in the background. I can't discern if it's very old Syrian Latakia or very old Kentucky I'm tasting.
No doubt, shiny shugar! Again, I was amazed how the baccy progressed from initial char and kept building this slow growing profile like a huge swell carrying me off into a sea of total forgetfulness, it swept me away.
My opinion is in favor of dark-fired or Kentucky, but as I said, I ain't got no chops for distinguishing that old Syrian dark leaf.
Final Third:

Some harmony of flavor begins to come together. The mustiness is still there: damp leaves, an almost mushroomy flavor. Some raisin/date flavor in the background. And a hint of saltiness. Lowercast has asked if this tobacco might be past its prime. It's a difficult question to answer. Probably. But it provides an amazing flavor profile for the pipe aficionado. Alec Baldwin, when interviewed for Cigar Aficionado magazine, described the flavor profile of a cigar as 'the perfect combination of chocolate and horse shit.' I'm getting some of that here.
The melding was quite notable.

Here I think of The Harmony of the Spheres, also referred to in Esoteric Christianity as the place where the state of consciousness known as the "Second Heaven" occurs, and to play on that I'd say perhaps the leaf has delivered a nicotiana universalis, because in a way, it was divine.
I'm glad the raisin showed up, this to me was its driving force on my palate.

And thanks for your honesty about it being past its prime, bluntness is often too rare a trait, but something I highly value. In fact, one of the reasons I needed help determining if it was past its prime is because it gave such a wonderful smoking experience yet it felt almost as if it was at half strength, hinting at a lost potential of incredible deep fullness, and it perplexed me as how to gauge it.
LOL

I got a little horse shit too!

...but maybe it was actually camel dung? Considering a possible Lat presence.
Pipe 2: rubbed out in a Dublin used mainly for Rattray's Marlin Flake, and the occasional VA flake.
First Third:

I get that same initial sweet note on the charring light. I expected the Dublin shape to concentrate the sweet notes, but it didn't highlight sweet as much as it reduced mustiness. That damp leafiness is still in the background.
The Stanwell 19 I used is a dublin, it served me well. I would like to try it in other chambers though, but ultimately I'm glad I chose a reliable carrier.
Middle Third:

Similar to my last tasting: sugars buried in the background. Ashiness prevails. Framed in that same damp mustiness. I didn't taste Perique. It could be that Perique doesn't age well past a certain point prior to losing flavor?
I was hoping you'd weigh in on this and give your opinion, after all, your namesake is perique and you seem to be an invigorated VaPer enthusiast. I think I'd have to listen to your verdict because you're so well familiar with such stuff, and I'm easy to fool once I step off into the wrong stream - unless you are correct about the possible perique having a diminished intensity, at this point I don't think there was any perique, at most it'd be a miniscule percentage if at all.
Pipe 3
Middle Third:

Lots of smoke, big puffy clouds. A good, rich mouthfeel. Mustiness seems subdued compared to my previous tastings. A hint of raisiny/datey sweetness, felt near the back, rather than tip, of tongue. Towards the end of mid-bowl that saltiness reemerges.
Yessir, big puffy clouds! I'm reminded here of an old Orb track, "little fluffy clouds", I've never been much into the techno stuff, but an old friend used to always play this song and I really really duggit.

http://youtu.be/FHixChYgGRI
More up my real alley would be something like Yume Bitsu,

a soft expansiveness, yet intense,

this tobacco reminds me of them.

http://youtu.be/pSYaHIiAaAM
Final Third:

A little sweet begins to break through. Date and fig. Really glorious. Might just be my anticipation fooling my taste buds, but I'm liking it. Still some ashiness, and some saltiness. But that sweet date flavor, even though it's subtle, is divine. This tobacco rations out its sweet like a bad mistress.
Love that bad mistress quote!

Really glorious indeed I'd say, it makes me only want to smoke vintage stuff dammit! Too bad so many other people with deeper pockets feel that way too LOL
Perhaps it's the Kentucky mellowed and flattened a bit by extreme age, but the flavor profile is really unique: dates and salt and maybe the faintest hint of dark chocolate. Whatever Virginias are in here are smooth as silk, but have lost their more overt sweetness with time. You have to really sip this softly to get at the flavors. Longer draws bring an ashiness that overtakes the nuances. There's something about the color and texture of the smoke that makes me think "cigar".
Really unique to say the least, would something that matched be possible off the shelf new? Is this a unique profile that can only be achieved with longterm aging?
Pipe 4: fold-and-stuff in an MM Cob used for (non-aromatic) burleys and VaBurs
First Third:

Nice tang on the initial light that makes me think Kentucky. That initial sweetness is there as well. That mustiness is also there but buried deeper in the background.
Awesome call on the cob!

So glad you did this, and a revelation it turned out to be!
Middle Third:

This blend is really coming alive for me in a cob. The sweet of the Virginias and the tang of what must be Kentucky are interplaying nicely. Smokes very dry. There's some saltiness that I associate with African Virginias. The cob seems to soak up the mustiness and leave an even dryer smoke. Again, produces copious amounts of smoke and, despite some ashiness, tastes very smooth. You can really puff on this with zero tongue bite. A mellow, dried fruit sweetness behind the mellow tang of aged Kentucky.
You're the first one to mention African Virginias specifically I think, and you're probably right, this stuff was made in the heyday of Empire Leaf, so it's very very possible that that is one of the elusive elements.
I really dig this descrip:

A mellow, dried fruit sweetness behind the mellow tang of aged Kentucky.

Good stuff.
My overall conclusion is that this may be past its prime, but nonetheless offers an amazing flavor profile for any tobacco lover. A blend like this gives us great insight into how different tobaccos age, how flavors develop over time, and - to me, at least - illustrates the commonalities of wine and tobacco collecting. The infinite variables and complexities of constituent, varietal tobaccos are so fascinating to us, as pipe and tobacco hobbyists...
A most excellent summary and very well put, sir.
I heartily thank you for giving us these impressions and critical analysis - and for being patient and taking the necessary time to do it justice.
Well done!

:puffpipe:

 
May 31, 2012
4,295
34
Just moments ago I finished my maiden voyage with a newly acquired estate pipe, an old Savinelli 101 De Luxe sandblast, I've been wanting one of these lovely chubbies for a while and finally found the right one for me. I smoked some of my fave Robt. McConnell Latakia Flake and the pipe delivered in spades - I love it so much when an old estate shines so brightly, especially on its first voyage, as my experience with estates have been that only around 2 out of 5 are true keepers. A large part of my enjoyment with pipesmoking has been seeking out good pipes, evaluating what I happen to end up with, then passing it along if it doesn't meet my standards - it's that romantic grail searching that adds a detective element that I so enjoy, but I try my damnd'st to not let "acquistion fever" get a hold of me where I forget about the truly important things. Indeed, it is crucial to have some focus on the vessel, but the voyage is where the real fun and revelation lay.
Anyway, while smoking I thought it a good and proper occasion to read, once yet again, Fred Hanna's most supremely titled essay called "Tasting Pipe Tobacco: The Sublime and the Ambiguous" - I've read it so many times that I should know its refrains by heart, yet reading and rereading it somehow always puts me inna sweet spot of heightened awarenesses.
So I decided to use the tobacco rating form that he had developed and here it is,

with 0 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Brand of Tobacco - Thomson & Porteous Scots Cake

Blend and Type - unknown

Date/Age of Blend - circa 1949

No. of Days Opened - 1 to 7
Power or Body - 3

Depth - 5

Complexity - 2

Balance of Flavors - 5

Strength (Nicotine) - 2

Smoothness - 5

Finesse - 5

Richness - 4

Sweetness - 3

Pleasant Fruit - 5

Pleasant Spice - 1

Pleasant Tang - 0
Tin Aroma - the most delightful I've yet to experience
Overall Rating as a Tobacco - 4

Overall Personal Rating - 5
Pipe Brand or Maker - Stanwell

Grade or Model - Rustico 19

Shape - Dublin

Shape of Chamber - semi-conical

Height of Bowl - around 48mm

Chamber Diameter - around 21mm

Wall Thickness - around 13mm

Cake Composition - paper thin

Engineering/Draw - excellent
Comments - see various points in thread discussion above
:puffpipe:

 

voorhees

Lifer
May 30, 2012
3,834
937
Gonadistan
I'm a little late to the show, but I did not intend on reviewing this tobacco as I was unsure I could do a review for this tobacco any justice. I did express how lucky those were that did.
I read the reviews and gathered from them what I could and that was that.
In comes 12pups. Seeing my earlier post contacted me if I was interested in getting a sample of his small stash. An honorable gesture to say the least. I thanked him and said I would do my best to review it when it came in and I got a chance to smoke it.

So, yesterday I received the tobacco. Enough for one bowl. I took a sniff and got mostly the same experience as others. Dried fruit, figgy and almost a bit musty. I gently rubbed out the flake, which was seemingly dry and somewhat brittle.

I used my Falcon with the new meer bowl for this testing and wanted the purest flavor from the tobacco.

I lightly toasted(key word here)the tobacco on initial char. Putting as little heat to it as possible. The longer pieces stood up in the bowl, so I used my finger to gently nudge them back in.

Second light cause even more rise in the tobacco, almost trying to leave the bowl. Common throughout smoke.
1st third bowl impressions.

I had never had anything like this, only thing close was maybe some GL Pease Sextant or Navigator. Although much more muted in flavor profile. I also did some early through the nose exhaling and I got some intense spiciness to the point my eyes watered a bit. I let the bowl settle a bit before doing it again.

I smoked this bowlful outside as I was unsure how the wife would react, her only comment was it seemed "strong".

Not very helpful, but she has limited descriptions of my tobaccos (either pleasant or strong).

I picked up on a toasted bread like quality during the 1st third,
2nd third bowl.
The "toast" continued mid way through and was welcome. I almost want to say a "sourdough" toast quality. However, quite unexpectedly I got some "ammonia" like aroma at this point. I may have been smoking it too hot, so I gave it a rest and it disappeared.
Last 3rd.

Ashy/Bitterness started to prevail and gently tamping resulted in fine grey ash. I also had 3 relights during this time, probably due to my slowed cadence to keep the "ammonia" at bay. I also had the scratchy throat several noted and drank tap water(no ice) during this trial. There was a bit of moisture in the humidome, so the tobacco was still moisture even now.

Overall I got the raisin/dried apricot notes, although musty and muted. The bread like quality was nice, but one dimensional. I did however become sad as I would like to have had more time with it.
I'd like to thank Troy who brought this party together. His kind gesture to the members with this is immeasurable. And again to 12pups for allowing me to get in on the action.
-Jason

 

Dutch Pipe Smoker

(arno665)
Apr 3, 2013
376
120
46
The Netherlands
dutchpipesmoker.com
I am also a little late to the show! Busy working and finishing a blogpost.. Troy, thank you very much for the sample!!!


Package: An envelope from the US of A with inside a piece of tin foil which held several intact, thinly cut flakes. Nice to see a bit of crystals on them. I expected the tobacco to have a darker colour because of the age. I immediately and carefully transferred the contents to a small sample bag.
Smell from the package: When I unfolded the tin foil and saw the pristine flakes I smelled something that I can best describe as raisins drenched in some liquor (whisky?) mingled with a bit of hay. After a day in the sample bag I also smelled a tiny bit of chocolate.
Composition: Nooo idea. No latakia, that is for sure. Lots of good ol' Virginias and perhaps a bit of perique. Although pretty muted.
Taste: The first two flakes (I smoked 1 flake per bowl) were horrible.. I did not know what to think of it.. I smoked it in 2 different pipes and got mixed results. Then I loaded up a 1979 Dunhill zulu and *tadaaa*, I had a good smoke in which I could actually taste some nuances! So I kept that pipe for this tobacco. Personally I think the level of perique (if it was being used at all) is very low. Although my nose prickled sometimes. To me it tasted like a straight Virginia with a pretty noticeable topping. About that topping, I think whisky was used. I already told the smell was raisins-drenched-in-liquor like. I once smoked a blend with a heavy whisky topping (can't remember the name.. Arghh..) and somehow I had to think about that one while smoking the Scottish Flake. Throughout the bowl I tasted (softly) roasted bread with hints of hay and sweetness. Indeed a bit raisin, apricot like. I did not detect bitterness at the end of the bowl. All by all it is not a spectacular tobacco, for me it has no "wowww" factor. It is more like a tempting snake which curls itself more and more around your taste buds with every time you smoke it. I was sad when the last flake was gone..
Combustibility: No problemo whatsoever. Because of the long journey the flakes were a bit dry but nothing a little blowing through the bowl just before smoking couldn't fix.
Room-note: I got no complaints from my girlfriend. Definitely no latakia was used.
Miscellaneous: My throat also became a bit dry during smoking. I made the mistake of drinking coffee during one smoke which polluted my taste-buds.. Whoops.. In the nicotine department the flakes were precisely enough for me. Any more and it would have been uncomfortable.
Price: Priceless :mrgreen:
Conclusion: At first was a bit appalled when I smelled the flakes because of the topping. Remember that whisky-blend it made me think of? I did not like that one.. But I am glad I persevered because in the end I was rewarded with some very nice smokes. I think that back in the days this was not a spectacular blend, an all day smoker. But the thing is with all day smokers, they have something that want you to come back to it every time. Troy, thank you for the experience!!! :clap:

 
K

klause

Guest
Where to begin?
First off, let me just say I have avoided this thread like it was a medieval citadel infected with the plague. As mush as I have wanted to explore the wonder contained within, I did not want it's delights to infect my thoughts, colour my thinking or create expectations. In a little while I will wander through this thread and see what I see, read what is held within.
I received a large envelope from the postman over a week ago and was very excited, as I knew it was a gift from Troy. But, I was a little nonplused as it was a large a4 envelope. These must be some massive flakes! On picking it up off the floor by the front door I noticed an aroma, kind of musty, coming from it. What the heck was this? Upon opening it I found a wonderful gift of a magazine which contained an article about Svend Axel Celius, and a Celius pipe sock.
Troy, you already know my thoughts on this, but publicly, I just want to thank you for the kindness and the most thoughtful gift I have received in many a moon. I learnt more from that article than I had from many years of fruitless searching. Thank you. You made my day. It was a treasure to receive, and the thought behind it was priceless.
Also, in the envelope was a zip-lock Baggie, in which were 2 neatly wrapped tin foil packets. It was from this sealed Baggie that the aroma was emanating. At first I was at a loss. It smelt a little musty, but as I paid attention to it and breathed deeply it reminded me of something; something I had not remembered in a long time. So I opened the Baggie and stuck my m'nose right in.
Oh! What an aroma. This was a sweet dense scent. If it had a consistency it was like treacle. It did not smell like treacle, but that aroma positively oozed out of the bag, it clung and filled my nasal senses. It was sweet, and complex. It promised flavours and good times. I struggled for a moment and then thought of Clan pipe tobacco. That's exactly what it reminded me off. That beautiful smell, a smell I could breath in for hours on end.
I put it away. This was to be savoured, at the right time. But there were things to do, and considerations to be addressed. Mainly, what pipe do I smoke an exceedingly rare 65 year old tobacco in? I read the article on Celius. I sat. I thought. I was filled with the enthusiasm of the author for Celius pipes. I remembered the Celius Fantasy I got from Dave Neeb. I had yet to smoke it, as the occasion had yet to arrive. Well, today it did. I hadn't planned this. I had planned to work on filling the log shed, but, as it walked my dogs this morning I realised that I was going to take time to be with this pipe and this tobacco, and all else in the world could wait. It was a beautiful, bright, sunny, warm morning and I had the day to myself........
I took down my Celius (stunning example of the artists craft) and retrieved the Scots Kake. I opened the packet and was hit by a more subdued aroma, but beheld beautiful flakes. Shorter than modern flakes I'm used to and deeper, like stretched squares, or slightly truncated oblongs. I sniffed deeply, and there was my long past recollection of Erinmore flake. I sniffed again. Yes! This was Erinmore, not Clan. Ah! How I love Erinmore. This boded well.
I rubbed out 2 flakes, roughly, and loaded the pipe, packing loosely as is my preferred method, and trotted off to the greenhouse. No tea, or coffee, as I wanted to concentrate on the tobacco, and didn't want anything competing with its tastes and flavours.
Charring light! Hmm! Bugger! Nothing. Just hot smoke. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. But, perseverance is the key - sometimes! I didn't let it get me down. Hey! It could have been the loose pack. I tamped the expanded tobacco back down. Second light. Nothing. Flipping heck.
Tamped it down and decided to go for it. Strong light. Deep draws. Thin, wispy, hot, flavourless smoke!!!! Damn and blast! Where were the flavours promised by the aromas emanating from the Baggie? Ok, ok......settle down. Go easy and relax. I was going at it like the proverbial bull in the china shop.
As I settle in I start to get a sweetness that gently fizzes on my tongue, that lovely virginia sweetness. It comes and goes. It's burning hot and perhaps a little acrid. I slow, I let the ember settle down and draw gently on the pipe - the sweetness is getting more and more consistent. It's not a high pitched sweetness like some Virginias - it's almost muted. I settle some more. Thin strands of smoke and it starts to develop. But it's hot and moist, almost steamy. Maybe the humid heat of the greenhouse is affecting the smoke. So I move outside to the bench and sit on the lawn. The sun is bright, there's a gentle breeze and the birds are going mental in the early summer morning. The world is alive with joyous activity. And, suddenly, as though enlivened by all the joy around about, the tobacco starts to gently sing. The sweetness is deep and mellow. The more gentle the smoke the more beautiful the flavour.
This reminds me of Players Navy Flake. At first I'm thinking it's a simple one dimensional smoke, as I first thought of Players, but, like Players, as I pay it attention I notice nuances of flavour - nothing spectacular, but there none the less. I slip into the smoke, and as I progress down the bowl (a couple or relights), I'm reminded of Richmond Navy Flake after about 1/2 hours smoking any of the sharp sweetness has gone, and it's settled into a beautiful mellow, with a subtle flavour, a tang that just sits on the tongue, and brushes over my nasal passages.
The harshness of the smoke on the exhale has gone. I'm literally smoking so slowly and gently that I'm getting almost no smoke, but oh! lord! That flavour. Push it, and up the tempo, or deepen the draw, push the ember, and it's gone - it turns mean and rough. Let it settle on the edge of extinction and it revels in life.
At this stage I'm oblivious to all the riot of life around me. I'm thinking of how this smoke caresses me. I'm thinking of the finger tips of long ago brushing the back of my hand, and the electricity than ran through me. The merest touch of lips on my cheek from the first admission of affection, from a summer of my youth. How the slightest touch made me soar higher than I had ever thought it was possible for a human to achieve while his feet were still planted on the ground. As the smoke slips through my lips I am lost in the past, my lips are not touching sweet, sweet smoke, they are touching the softest of skin, sweeter than............
And, soon the ember dies, and I am left sitting in my reverie, looking at the fish in the pond, basking in the heat of the sun. The birds singing works it's way back into my consciousness. I am surrounded by light and joyous sounds. They never disappeared, they simply provided the base notes for a sublime moment in which I was transported by a superlative tobacco into a time I had long since tucked into the depths of my being.
This is what a pipe and tobacco is for me. This is what THIS tobacco is for me. It is heaven. It has taken it's 65 years of maturity and shown me how beautifully something can age, how it can be appreciated, how it should be. It does not need to be brash, to be handled unthinkingly, to be taken for granted. It needs gentle, total attention, an appreciative understanding to see what is held within, what it has to offer, what it will share, will give freely, if only you know how to ask, and are prepared to accept it for what it is. It will surrender it's hidden secrets, open it's depths to you.
This is a moment I will never forget. This is a moment that has left me a little shaken. This is an experience I never expected to get from a smoke. It is a gift I am so grateful for, and I really do not know quite how to thank those who gave it to me......that blenders of this tobacco.....the person who bought it and stashed it away.......the eBay seller who put it out there.......but, most of all, Troy. Your beneficence is quite astounding. You got a tin of the rarest of the rare, and, instead of enjoying it all to yourself, you shared it. It is quite astounding to me. I am so grateful, I cannot adequately express it. Not just that I got to taste such a blend, a blend our grandfathers would have smoked and loved, or a 65 year old rarity, that few will ever get to try, but that it created a moment for me that was quite literally sublime.
I've used that word many times in the past, but then I'm easily pleased, but I think only now does it do justice to the tobacco I have tasted, the experience I have just had - from a piece of wood, and some old vegetative matter.
What am I going to do with the remaining flakes? They are going into a jar, where they will be nurtured, and, in a few years time, when the sun is bright, and the birds are in full voice I will take it and let it lull me into sweet, sweet reverie.
Troy, thank you.

 
K

klause

Guest
Ok - read through this a couple of times now, and I'm completely blown away by what's here. What a fantastic thread. There is so much in this, great experiences, vast knowledge and deep appreciation. Amazing- utterly superb.
I don't know where to begin with all the reviews and insights - what's to say? All rang a bell with me. But this one made me laugh out loud, because it articulates something I've felt for a very long time:
In the UK there are plenty of pipemen who went their entire lives and only smoked one tobacco, and they might've been the happier for it. They were in an actuality, in a constant motion, a smooth fluidity, a living life, callused hands, hard times and vulgar language --- smoking to smoke and being content with what they had.
Usually what they had was something like Condor, a common pedestrian blend available at every cornerstore. Perhaps the sophisticated Londoners would sneer at such a fellow and label him a country rube, but it mattered not to the old pipeman, he was what they call a codger, and a proper codger don't fuck around with taking seriously what such effete nancyboys may utter.
There is smoke,

and there is True Smoke.
Bravo, Troy. And, the same for everyone who has added to my knowledge, experience and pleasure by putting their thoughts into this thread - this is truly epic.
Should be a sticky, or something.........

 
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