Yes, Redburn is the stuff
Your Favorite Navy Flake
- Thread starter alexnc
- Start date
- Status
Salty Dogs far and away, followed by SG, MB, and Newminster. Also like GH Rum Flake If that counts.
Mac Baren Navy Flake has really been growing on me, it’s nice and sweet. I also love Salty Dogs. I’m going to have to revisit SG Navy Flake but I remember being underwhelmed by it years ago but we all know how that goes... some of my favorite blends today are blends I was originally underwhelmed by.
That’s why all those threads that read, “I tried (insert name of blend here) today and I was totally underwhelmed.” get pretty annoying. I remember a long time ago someone started a thread to tell us all that after one bowl of Dunbar he’s decided that it’s not good and it’s overhyped. As the thread developed you come to find that not only has he barely even given the blend a chance but he had a freaking cold while he was judging it.
Okay rant over. Yeah, how ‘bout those Navy Flakes! Good, right? Goooooo Navy Flakes!
That’s why all those threads that read, “I tried (insert name of blend here) today and I was totally underwhelmed.” get pretty annoying. I remember a long time ago someone started a thread to tell us all that after one bowl of Dunbar he’s decided that it’s not good and it’s overhyped. As the thread developed you come to find that not only has he barely even given the blend a chance but he had a freaking cold while he was judging it.
Okay rant over. Yeah, how ‘bout those Navy Flakes! Good, right? Goooooo Navy Flakes!
It's curious how tastes change.
At first I loved PSLNF. The tin note is just lovely with a bit of age.
Recently I took out a couple of ounces of 2yo LNF and really didn't like it much. It's just odd how my tastes could change that much.
After blending in 20% MB #1 Virginia and 20% of either AJs Vaper or another straight Virginia [I forgot to label the jar - it's a long cut VA flake with a reddish hue] it brought it back to life for me.
It's odd because the jar note is just so nice that I'm tempted to chew some.
MB Navy Flake is rather good. Glad to have about 12 ounces jarred.
MacBaren NF is some good stuff. It was the first flake tobacco I ever tried, in fact, and it really turned me on to the cut. I also think the MacBaren flakes are some of the nicest packaged tobaccos out there, with the cleanly stacked flakes and gold paper in the 3.5 oz tins, and it smells fantastic.
Navy Flake is an interesting category partially because there are a number of pretty different blends that are marketed as such, some pretty much straight VA, some VaPers, VaBurs such as MB, and then blends with Latakia such as Sam Gawith and Black Frigate. Seems that the only thing they have in common is some sort of rum flavoring, although that seems to range from soaked in booze to just a hint of the stuff.
+1 for Newminster, and I like Stokkebye LNF as well. Black Frigate is great and even better with a little age on it. One good smoke I haven't seen mentioned yet is G. L. Pease Sextant, a tasty English-style Navy Flake with plenty of rum and latakia.
Navy Flake is an interesting category partially because there are a number of pretty different blends that are marketed as such, some pretty much straight VA, some VaPers, VaBurs such as MB, and then blends with Latakia such as Sam Gawith and Black Frigate. Seems that the only thing they have in common is some sort of rum flavoring, although that seems to range from soaked in booze to just a hint of the stuff.
+1 for Newminster, and I like Stokkebye LNF as well. Black Frigate is great and even better with a little age on it. One good smoke I haven't seen mentioned yet is G. L. Pease Sextant, a tasty English-style Navy Flake with plenty of rum and latakia.
Show-off! ?How about twenty-three years?
I've always enjoyed Mac baren navy flake, and if we're counting anything with rum, black frigate too.
MB Navy flake is one of my go to's, and of course, Black Frigate.
YEP! Good stuff and with age is KILLER (to me)... ?
This would be showing off. ?
I've been smoking BF since the late '90s. Even had Craig Tarler make me a latakia free pound brick years ago that was amazing!
I was recently given a tin of MB navy flake from the mid 90s by an amazingly generous (potentially insane. Lol) forum member. Almost too scared to pop it
Is navy flake different than flake? My understanding was that the terms were interchangeable. Does the addition of rum make it navy as opposed to just being pressed and cut?
I have not smoked any flake, but just got some Peter Stokkebye LTF.
Somewhat off topic, I am finding conflicting descriptions of this with some indicating it has flavoring and others saying it does not?
I have not smoked any flake, but just got some Peter Stokkebye LTF.
Somewhat off topic, I am finding conflicting descriptions of this with some indicating it has flavoring and others saying it does not?
My understanding is that "flake" tobacco is just sliced plug tobacco. The flakes can be thick or thin, long or short, the tobacco rolled or pressed, flavored or unflavored, straight Virginia or blends, etc. The term "Navy" may be a traditional or historical designation, but there are plenty of Navy flakes that don't contain rum. As with many things related to pipe tobacco specifically or any product in general, I believe that much of the terminology used by manufacturers is mostly for differentiation and marketing purposes.
I did have one of those "nirvana" smokes with Mac Baren's Navy Flake once but on balance I'd say Mac Baren's version of the Navy Flake isn't any better or worse than most of the other Navy Flakes out there.
Right now my favorite Navy Flakes are made by Sam Gawith (Navy Flake), GL Pease (Navigator and Sextant), and F&T (Special Brown Flake).
Others that I'd place in the same category as MB would be Cornell & Diehl's Speakeasy Blend and Comoy's Cask No. 4. All very enjoyable smokes.
Right now my favorite Navy Flakes are made by Sam Gawith (Navy Flake), GL Pease (Navigator and Sextant), and F&T (Special Brown Flake).
Others that I'd place in the same category as MB would be Cornell & Diehl's Speakeasy Blend and Comoy's Cask No. 4. All very enjoyable smokes.
Well I sure have a hankerin' for a bowl of some sort of navy flake now! Mac Baren Navy Flake was the first blend I ever bought a pound of, I really love that stuff ...just the right amounts of sweet, leather, bread, and straight up tobacco.
I think if I had to choose an absolute favorite navy flake it would be PS LNF just because I really like that bit of Perique ...this one also has a bit more of a 'bright' side on my palate that I really like.
Also gotta show some love for Newminster 400. ...upon retrospect, I haven't really come across a navy flake I didn't like, yet.
I think if I had to choose an absolute favorite navy flake it would be PS LNF just because I really like that bit of Perique ...this one also has a bit more of a 'bright' side on my palate that I really like.
Also gotta show some love for Newminster 400. ...upon retrospect, I haven't really come across a navy flake I didn't like, yet.
I don't know what a Navy flake actually _is_. I always assumed it's a flake, which doesn't make sense, since If I were going off on my tall ship, I'd rather it be a rope or plug, and I assume it has rum, which many members here say is also not a requirement. So I can't say, 'cause I don't know what the hell it is 
I would say that navy and flake don't even belong in the same sentence.
I would say that navy and flake don't even belong in the same sentence.
Last edited:
- Status