Manufacturer Description:
A traditional offering of pressed Virginias with a hint of Latakia and a dash of Rum make Navy Flake a medium strength, aromatic and easy to smoke tobacco.
Characterisation:
In the tin the tobacco appears as rather thin, dark brown and oily shining slices of about 7.5 x 2.5 cm. Some bright speckles indicate the various Virginias. After opening the tin an intense smell of Latakia with a slightly sweet, aromatic odor of raisin appears. The tobacco is a little damp, so you should let him lie befor the first plugging possibly 1-2 hours in the air. The consistency is fairly firm but velvety-soft.
Plugging:
The Navy Flake, as almost every flake, can be plugged in different ways: with the buckling and folding method and soft-turning into the tobacco chamber, or ready rubbed. With either method, it is advisable to fill the upper layer with a few smaller crumbs that facilitate lighting up. One must always be careful not to cram too much, because the tobacco expands a little bit while burning down.
Light up:
Depending on the humidity level the Navy Flake can be light up with 2-3 flames easily. If the tobacco is still a little damp, you should light it once, then wait a moment and re-ignite until a uniform glow is created. The tobacco tends to straighten a little bit and should be early pressed down evenly with the tamper.
Smoking properties:
Burning down is slow and cool, whereby some condensation develops, so that medium sized pipes with not too high bowls are recommended. Although the Navy Flake can be smoke relatively good-natured, yet something needs to be paid to the temperature evolution, so that tobacco flavor and aroma can thrive. Of course, the taste of Latakia is dominant, but also sweet and fruity rum flavor is noticeable. The Navy Flake is a medium strong tobacco that is very well tolerated. The taste is relatively constant until the end, where a medium-fine, gray ash with few black units remains.
Redolency:
The redolence of the Navy Flake is also influenced by the Latakia. Typical smell of Virginia isn't remarkable and even the rum flavor is more subtle. As a result, the Navy Flake isn't suiteable for every society, but rather for leisurely parties, where English tobaccos are welcome.
Conclusion:
The Navy Flake is a dark brown, oily shining flake with some brighter speckles. The smell of tobacco is significantly determined by the Latakia, whereby a subtle scent of raisins is recognizable too. The Navy Flake can be plugged and light up good, but tends a little bit to straighten. The burn is even and cool, but one should pay attention to the temperature, to get the best of taste and flavor. The redolence is space for like-minded societies, but probably not for every occasion. The good-natured burning behavior and the simple handling of the Navy Flake recommends the tobacco for beginners as debut in the English Lakelands.
Copyright © 2012 by TECON GmbH
with friendly support of Heinz-Günter Döteberg