Virginia Tobacco » Orlik Golden Sliced Tobacco Reviews

OGS

This is the only tobacco which, when i think about makes me salivate. When you open the tin it smells like a freshly cut stack of hay. This is a very subtle delicate blend and the more you smoke it the more you will appreciate it and i have a pipe dedicated to this blend alone.  It tastes of hay, lightly sweet with a slight citrus aftertaste and find that it never bites. If you havent guessed already I like this blend very much and its a mainstay in my pipes. I highly recommend it and enjoy it in good health :)

Great VA flake

This is one of my favorite blends. The tin aroma reminds  me of early morns spent in the hay fields. There is a slight hint  of citrus.The flake is beautiful and works up just right for a great smoke. Golden slice loads nicely and lights with ease. It burns well and re-lights are kept at a minimum. The taste is that of premium Va. naturally sweet with that hint of citrus. Moisture level out of the tin is perfect as well. Great taste, no tongue bite and pleasurable to the bottom of the bowl. A great VA. worthy of a try!

OGS: zesty, but sweet and smooth

The taste of Orlik Golden Sliced is what comes to mind whenever I hear mention of straight Virginia flakes. It has the qualities that are associated with, in my opinion, the truest examples of that blend type – a preparation that concentrates or intensifies the leaf’s taste. Due to its popularity OGS inevitably comes up in discussions; and over time it has emerged as a de facto standard of comparison – a benchmark.

My sampling was the square 50 gram tin that holds about 12 exquisitely manicured flakes of about 3” x 1½” x 1/16”, and at an ideal moisture level for immediate use. The tin note is grassy, and sweet, and promising; and it sets one’s salivary glands on edge. The flakes rub out easily and blossom into a springy clump of ribbons. One-half of a flake rubs-out to fill a group 3 bowl nicely. The rub does generate some crumbs, and I use them for tinder.

On first light OGS produces Virginia’s characteristic grassy taste, with a mahogany sweetness. An agreeable citrus rind flavor emerges quickly and becomes prominent without dominating the blend. As one continues to smoke, there may be nuanced changes in the basic Virginia tobacco flavor, but the one constant will be its sweetness – something akin to cane sugar or turbinado (“raw” sugar). By mid-bowl one senses a hint of something dark, suggesting licorice or fennel – too shallow to discern with clarity, but a key part of this blend’s intrigue. Sometimes on a re-light a mild carob-like flavor appears then suddenly vanishes. As one approaches the end of the bowl OGS is decidedly less grassy and citrus; the sweetness deepens in character if not intensity; and the smoke softens and smoothes out considerably, developing a creamy mouth feel. The finish has a citrus taste that is vague but long lasting.

OGS is in the family of the sharp, grassy Virginia flakes. While it can be a little parching, and it does bathe the mouth in a gentle peppery haze, it does not accost the palate with the vile, hot tasting piquancy for which lesser grades of leaf in this genre are notorious. During my entire experience with this blend there wasn’t even the suggestion of bite – perhaps due to the purported Burley content, which an investigation by PipesMagazine.com* has recently discovered is really Perique. Since OGS delivers a nice volume of smoke, I take particular pleasure in breath-sipping and channeling it from palate to nose and sinuses. In sum I would call this a medium tobacco: in flavor, in strength, and in body. It has a temperament that is zesty enough to wake up your taste buds, but sweet and smooth enough to enjoy frequently, if not all day long (as it seems they do in Europe).

Maybe not amazing, but pretty darn good, OGS belongs somewhere in every Virginia flake lover’s rotation – or cellared in reserve at the very least. It may not be a blend for everybody, but it is a blend that everybody should try.

*http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/kevins-blog/orlik-golden-sliced-update-no-burley-yes-perique/

A mild, tasty blend that I just can't grow to love.

Upon breaking the seal, the first thing I notice is that the paper liner is the self-same which is presented by Peterson Tobacco's newer K&K blended flakes; not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, but rather just something I found of interest.

Lifting the liner reveals two parallel rows of loosely pressed flakes, measuring in the vicinity of 3"x1.5"x1/8". The leaf itself is a melange of hues, bringing bright yellows, golden browns and tans.. The prevalent aroma is one of freshly cut hay and dusty-barn (think hay-loft), with very subtle hints of what I can only describe as lemon-drop candy and earthy, raisin-esque aromas. For any Canucks (or other Common-wealthers), the aroma is very reminiscent of Dunhill or DuMaurier Virginia cigarettes pack odour (and, in a pinch, isn't bad as a roll-up replacement). This blend was ready to smoke directly out of the tin; in-fact, once cracked, I would highly recommend jarring any left-overs immediately, as the square tins will not re-seal.

I found that this blend smoked the best for me when packed with the fold and stuff method; smoked in a GBD Prodigy oversized, three flakes at a time. Unlike other flakes I've smoked, Orlik Golden Sliced does not require a dozen matches to get going, nor does it require constant attention.

On the false light, I notice a strong flavour of fresh-cut hay with slight hints of golden-raisin, with a definite creamy feel to the smoke as it passes across my palate.

True light brings more thick, creamy smoke that fills ones mouth with mild flavours of fresh-cut hay, brown-butter, and raisins, with hints of caramelized berry-sugar and an almost peppery sensation on the back of the tongue; not like a hit of perique, but rather like a dusting of white pepper on tomato juice will bring.

The flavour profile remains fairly mono-chromatic throughout the bowl, however, at the two-thirds point, the brown-butter flavour undergoes a change into what I can only describe as buttered white toast.

As I progress though the heel, I notice a somewhat ashy flavour begins to creep in, followed by an almost salty, acrid bitterness...but somehow, this isn't actually a bad thing. While the flavours are certainly there, they meld beautifully with the natural sweetness of the leaf, making the heel actually the most satisfying part of the bowl for me.

This blend does not take to the Delayed Gratification Technique very well. Upon relight, a strong sour, dirty flavour will prevail for around 7-10 puffs before the blend settles down.

The room-note on this blend is what I can only describe as the "classic" pipe-tobacco smell - hints of hay and citrus intertwine with leather and an underscoring nuttyness in the creamy blue smoke.

Any smoker will find themselves satisfied with this blend, the nicotine is comparable to what one would find in a standard cigarette....however...

If I have any one complaint about this blend, it is that it too much resembles a Dunhill Special Reserve cigarette in both flavour and aroma. Not only does it make me crave the real McCoy, as someone battling a cigarette addiction, I strive to avoid the flavour of the brand that got me hooked!

All in all though, Orlik Golden Sliced is a tasty, mild blend, and a great way to wet ones feet with Virginia forward blends. The price point makes it even better. Although I tend not to smoke OGS, I would have to recommend the blend.

Orlik

This is my hands down go to blend.  Smells like hay in the tin, smokes like hay and lemon.

Has a lot of sweetness in it that i just cant get enough of.

This is my favorite all time tobacco and i think everyone should try it

A Shrewd Judge Indeed!

Good VA flake

I first met this blend when I was looking for a replacement for my then-favourite Richmond (medium) Navy Cut, which was not available with local tobacconists at the time. My trusted tobacconist recommended OGS as a replacement, and so I bought the 100g tin.

Opening the tin, I was reminded in no small way of Earl Grey Tea: the topping on this blend is, definitely, Bergamot citrus, and it is not applied sparingly. Whether that is a good or a bad thing I guess the individual smoker has to decide for her- or himself; I find no fault with it.

In the 100g tin, the leaf comes in long strips of flakes; I tried both tearing off enough for a bowlful and folding and rubbing out. Both ways give me a very much above-average smoke for a straight VA flake; I get sweetness and hay-ish notes in the room, and this stuff is pretty easy to maintain, with very little condensation in comparison with other notable VA flakes.

So, if the shrewd judge mentioned on the tin is judging VA flakes, yes, he should be smoking this. It is an excellent tobacco and smokes very well. However, I have had better blends both before and after, and so, while I do occasionally smoke a tin of this, I tend to stick with those others--among others Samuel Gawith Full Virginia, Poul Ilsted's Own Golden Flake, and Dunhill Flake, all of them being VA flakes with less topping, and IMHO just as good or better.

My go to blend!

Love this tobacco! Certain pipes in my rotation give the blend a different smoke and I like them all but my Savinelli's gives it the best smoke. It has come to me my go to tobacco.