Sutliff Cringle Flake (2019)

Sutliff Cringle Flake 2019

Cringle Flake is Sutliff’s limited-edition holiday release, and the 2019 batch is one that collectors still talk about. It’s a straight red Virginia flake: no Perique, no Burley, just red Virginias pressed into flakes and given a light touch of fig. When it was new, the tin smelled of bread, tangy dark fruit, and quiet sweetness, with the bright, vinegary bite young red Virginias are known for.

Seven years in the tin have tamed that edge. Pipe smokers who have opened aged 2019 tins describe the blend as richer, deeper, and more mellow than it was fresh, and several call it the best Cringle Flake vintage. The fig never steps forward. It reads as natural fruit and bread with some wood and earth underneath. Strength is mild to medium, the smoke is smooth with little bite, and the room note is pleasant.