Brindle Flake

Brindle Flake is a pressed Virginia blend produced by McClelland for Ashton in the 1990s. Premium flame-cured Virginia leaf is tightly pressed, deepening the leaf's natural sweetness; the sliced flakes are tinned partly rubbed out, and the blend also contains a small amount of black Cavendish.

Its flavoring is measured: a top note leaning toward apricot and peach turns, midway through the bowl, into buttery-candy and toasted-Turkish-delight tones, then into a sweetness close to brown sugar. It's an easy-packing, low-strength blend, appealing to those who like pure Virginia flakes and are inclined toward resting and slow smoking. Its production ended with McClelland's closure in 2018.