@jmatt.
Damn it! I forgot all about Dunhill Flake!
I have about 10 tins of it in the cellar, but I've yet to try it.
Damn it! I forgot all about Dunhill Flake!
I have about 10 tins of it in the cellar, but I've yet to try it.
It's a good list, but it reflects the pretty idiosyncratic tastes of just one guy. For example, there's nothing in here with a significant amount of red Virginia in it. He's said that he can't smoke red Viriginias, but most of us can, and there are a dozen great blends I can think of right off the top of my head that he can't smoke.I can't believe no one has linked this yet:
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/cigrmasters-list-of-flakes
It doesn't cover latakia flakes, but it is pretty much the bible for Virginia based flakes.
There is a wealth of information if you search the alt.smokers.pipes page for 'szabady' and 'flake.' He disappeared from the internet in about 2000, five years before I turned 18, but having spent hours reading the archives, I have found him to be one of a handful of true pipe mentors for me.It's possible and perhaps useful to put flakes into rough strength
categories that coincide with the country of manufacture.
The Danish/Dutch/German flakes tend to be the lightest in flavor
intensity, verging on cavendish-type mildness and flavor and all are
artificially flavored to some degree. Because of this added flavoring
and their light flavor qualities, I haven't found anything from these
countries that really hit the spot. And it hasn't been from lack of
trying...
The UK/US (that is, McClelland, since they are the only US company
producing virginia flake) flakes offer a range of flavor intensity and
nicotine potency to meet my preferences more exactly. I have a core
group of 'default' tobaccos that I always keep on hand and smoke through
them as mood, pipe and season require.
They are: McClelland #2010, #22, Gawith Best Brown and Full Virginia
Flake. These are straight unflavored virginias. I also keep some default
va/perique flakes around; these are McClelland #2015, St. James Woods,
Ashton Black Parrot, Escudo and Three Nuns.
Around this core group I also smoke McClelland Dark Star, #2035, #5115,
Ashton Brindle Flake and Rattrays Brown Clunee and Hal o' the Wynd.
I've attempted to sample all of the virginia flakes on the market over
the last 20 years (an ongoing Odyssey) and am dismayed to find so many
manufacturers adding flavors to their virginias as I don't feel the
tobacco needs them: they have a range of flavor, aroma and sublety that
is only polluted by the addition of flavorings.
The third category is the UK-sourced high nicotine potency bars, twists,
ropes and plugs. These often include a goodly bit of burley to up the
nicotine level, are often flavored and sweetened heavily and while being
generally smooth and mild on the tongue, tend to simpler and more
monotone in taste than the typical bright virginia-dominated flakes.
One's tolerance of nicotine levels will be the primary determinant of
whether one enjoys these tobaccos as many smokers find them too potent
to enjoy, no matter how much they might like the flavor/aroma.
The world of virginia flake is wide and broad enough to match the taste
and strength requirements of almost all smokers, so it is merely a
matter of searching for the Goldilockian ideal 'just right' tobacco.
I've been fortunate enough to find at least 15 that really work for me..
Paul Szabady
If your palate has become accustomed to the flavor intensity of English
mixtures, sampling va/perique flakes first might make for a smoother
taste transition. Yes, Escudo, but also McClelland's 2015, St. James
Woods and Ashton Black Parrot would be the obvious choices. Adding
perique and integrating it seemlessly into the blend (a rare art!)
produces a more intense flavor and aroma while also upping the nicotine
content a bit. It can also cut the sting of bright virginia. Though
never getting as potent in flavor as a turkish or latakia, va/periques
have a unique taste and aroma that is every bit as satisfactory.
If you dive straight into the pure virginia flakes, make sure you take
the time for your palate and your pipe to re-adjust: the carryover of
turkish/latakia in a pipe will mask and distort the subtler flavors of
virginias and lead to fatally erroneous conclusions.
Make sure you smoke very slowly and that you smoke all the way to the
bottom of the bowl: virginia is unique in that it gets better as the
bowl progresses and most devoted virginia smokers will attest that the
bottom 1/4 bowl is the best of the smoke. You might start with
half-bowls to get to the 'good part' quicker; also the bottom of the
bowl needs to be thoroughly caked for the tobacco to reveal its glories.
Smoking a bowl of virginia has many of the characteristics of a good
short story, drama, or musical composition: the arc of its structure is
very similar. Upon lighting one is usually greeted with the initial
rather simple tastes of the virginias in the blend: these are almost the
equivalent of themes and motifs: they are introduced, interplay and
slowly evolve as the smoke progresses. The sweeteness of the virginias
changes, getting more complex - the way brown sugar is more complicated
a taste than white sugar. The effect of these changing sweetnesses at
times evokes a taste sensation of caramelization, but not all virginias
will produce this particualr taste. Often times a deeper complex flavor
emerges - a kind of savory, almost salty flavor that produces a
delicious aroma. The flavors continue to merge, interplay, evolve and
gain in intensity until they reach a climax of flavor, smoothness,
intensity and aroma that lasts all the way to the bottom of the bowl.
This climax can occur as early as 1/4 bowl smoked but should be in full
evidence by half-bowl and absolutely by 2/3 bowl.
In general bright virginias produce the most complicated taste and aroma
and the greatest evolution during the smoke, but sometimes they can cloy
with an unrelenting sweetness and a potential for bite. If smoked
slowly, this bite can ease and disappear. Some tobaccos in this category
would be Esoterica Brighton, Peacehaven, Stokkebye's #701 Virginia Long
Cut and MacBaren's Virginia #1.
The classic va flakes are a blend of various virginia tobaccos: golden
brights and lemons, reds, browns, and stoved or cooked tobaccos that
range in color from brown to black. Depending on the proportion of each
of these tobaccos and the omission or inclusion, the resulting taste can
range from the light zesty and sweet effect of the virginias already
mentioned to a dark rich bite-free taste. In this classic traditional
category would be Butera Golden Cake, Dunhill Light Flake, Capstan
Medium, McClelland 2010 and #22, Rattrays Brown Clunee and Hal o' the
Wynd, and Gawith Best Brown.
As the proportion of red and stoved virginias increases you get a
richer, darker,' fruitier' taste that moves away from citrus
associations and starts evoking nuts, apples and non-acidic fruits.
Tobaccos of this type include McClelland Dark Star, Blackwoods Flake,
Gawith Full Virginia Flake, Rattray's Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie.
As the dark stoved virginias continue to dominate nutty, raisin, date
and other robust flavors emerge. Stoving cuts bite substantially,
darkens and enriches flavor at the cost of simplification but at the
gain of smoothness. Nicotine levels also sometimes rise substantially.
Tobaccos in this category would include Rattrays Dark Fragrant and McC
2035. At the furthest extreme of these types of tobaccos are the twists,
ropes and plugs. These are heavily cooked and steamed, often are heavily
flavored, use coarser grades of virginia (cutter and lug) that is often
fire-cured rather than the classic flue-cured brights. In addition
fire-cured burleys are often included to up the nicotine punch. These
tobaccos produce the largest nicotine punch and are usually quite smooth
and sweet, though somewhat monotone. Don't look for subtlety or
complexity: these are robust strong tobaccos.
Paul Szabady
How many real red Virginia flakes are out there? Everything I have tried from McClelland has been broken flake, which doesn't qualify as flake in my book.He's said that he can't smoke red Viriginias, but most of us can, and there are a dozen great blends I can think of right off the top of my head that he can't smoke.
Also glaring is the omission of any McClelland flakes.