Peter Stokkebye -- Luxury Bulls Eye Flake

Brand: Peter Stokkebye
Blend: Luxury Bulls Eye Flake
Style: Virginia/Perique
Pipe Used: Mario Grandi Freehand Poker
Price: $17.99/8oz.

Appearance: 10
Taste: 8
Room Note: 8
Value: 9
Overall: 9

Continuing my foray into the world of Peter Stokkebye I finally got around to trying the much-lauded Luxury Bulls Eye Flake. This is a Virginia and Perique blend that is rolled around a center of Black Cavendish and then sliced into coins.

The tobacco itself looked great and that dark Cavendish core certainly stood out. The aroma was nice and sweet although a bit mustier than I found with the Luxury Navy Flake. Tthe Black Cavendish added the delightful aroma of bittersweet chocolate.

Since this was my first time smoking this type of tobacco I tried it fully rubbed out into a ribbon cut and then sampled it again using the fold and stuff method I often employ with flakes. While both methods worked fine I found that the constituent flavors were more distinct when the coins were left intact so this is the way I plan to smoke this blend from here on out.

When I first lit my Mario Grandi Poker the rolled up tobacco curled up over the top of the bowl and it took a few relights and tamps to get it burning with an even ash.

The overwhelming flavor was provided by the Virginia tobacco and it had a strong hay or grassy aspect to its sweetness leading me to classify this as a medium-strength VA. The Perique was evident in a nice tanginess on the tongue that reminded me a bit of rhubarb pie of all things. The Black Cavendish offered up a smooth and creamy, almost caramel, flavor that really played well against the Virginia and Perique.

All in all this was a very complex blend and its three distinct flavor profiles emerged and ebbed at various times throughout the course of the smoke. This was especially noticeable when the tobacco was folded and stuffed into the pipe as parts of the coins burned at different times.

The room aroma was very nice and the Cavendish added some of that classic pipe smell as well.

When I use the fold and stuff method my pipe tends to require frequent relights and this blend was no different. It may have been a bit high maintenance but the tobacco still managed to burn right down to the ash and left no dottle whatsoever in the bottom of the bowl.

I'm becoming a big fan of Peter Stokkebye's offerings and the Luxury Bulls Eye Flake is an unabashed home run blend. It looks, tastes, and smells like a million bucks but is available at very reasonable bulk prices. For me this is a perfect change of pace tobacco for those times when I want a complex, challenging blend.