Davidoff Flake Medallions

‪@SmokeSnacks‬ My Written Review: Note: This review is primarily based on a 7 year old sample from 2019, supported by my memory of smoking a fresh tin. Presentation: From the tin, Flake Medallions is presented as a typical coin cut blend. The edges seem to fall apart easier than other blends of this cut. The moisture was good for my smoking style, but others may prefer some drying time. The tin aroma is moderately fermented dark and tangy fruit, slightly fermented hay, a lot of notes of spice, and some bread. First third: The flavor profile opens with dark fruit, earthy semi fermented hay, notes of spice, a moderate amount of earth, some bread, a hint of grass, a fair amount of sweetness, with a lot of richness as well as creaminess both in taste and smoke texture. The Perique is spicy with black pepper notes, as well as some raisin/prune notes. The Black Cavendish is randomly distributed no matter how you prep the blend. When you hit a black cavendish note, there is burst of brown sugar, a touch of espresso, some cream, and additional sweetness and richness. Second Third: Leading into the second third, there is minimal flavor change. The fruit notes have concentrated by a touch and they are a little more apparent than before. I can also pickup on more obvious notes of raisin. Final Third: In the final third, the Perique has become a bit stronger. There was already a good dose of black pepper, but it has increased without becoming too potent. The retrohale sting has increased while still remaining at a comfortable. Performance: Overall, Flake Medallions performed well. It was easy to prepare and light, followed by an average number of relights. There is no rough edge to the blend, and no sharpness or bite present. It offers a mostly consistent flavor profile with mostly minimal flavor transitions and change. Like any Virginia/Perique blend, it has the capability to become hot and lose flavor if puffed aggressively, but this is easily avoidable with a proper cadence. Overall, Flake Medallions is a rich, creamy, sweet, and peppery Virginia Perique blend. Final Thoughts: I have enjoyed Flake Medallions both fresh and aged, and both were good experiences. Unlike other similar blends, such as Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake, this tastes mature and ready to smoke from a fresh tin. The tin I am smoking now is from 2019 with seven years age on it, and I can say from experience that it ages very well. When comparing it to Escudo and Deluxe Navy Rolls, I would say this falls between the two, with more similarity to DNR. It is rich with a lot of dark fruit notes like DNR, but does have a hay component such as that in Escudo, though the hay notes present here are darker. It is most similar to PS LBF in terms of richness and sweetness, but with darker and more mature Virginias, a much lighter grass component, and again, darker hay.