Personally I started out on aromatics only. At first they burned the heck out of my tongue. After some time though eventually I learned to slow down enough to not get the tongue scorched. That's when I moved on to VAs/VaPers. I started with Luxury Bullseye Flake from Stokkeby and then into Orlik Golden Sliced and so on. I got the gist of VA flavors from them and then moved on to others like Newminster 400 Superior Navy Flake (highly under the radar blend), Capstan Blue, Dunhill Flake (RIP), HH Pure Virginia, Sutliff's 507C Virginia Slices etc..
I would agree you HAVE to slow down and also not expect for plumes of smoke. Also you need to make sure your palate is moist and stays moist. I HIGHLY recommend sipping water just water when you're starting out on Virginias. The more moist your palate is the more flavors will come to light and the less likely you are to burn your tonuge (probably because the flavors are more pronounced or noticeable so you realize you can puff more infrequently and keep the heat down).
Recently I cracked a tin of McClelland's Mature VA 22 from 2008 and it was HEAVENLY. The age just mellowed it out and made it even more naturally sweet. It was an incredible smoke. The people that I gave a bowl to at the West Coast Show concurred.
I would agree you HAVE to slow down and also not expect for plumes of smoke. Also you need to make sure your palate is moist and stays moist. I HIGHLY recommend sipping water just water when you're starting out on Virginias. The more moist your palate is the more flavors will come to light and the less likely you are to burn your tonuge (probably because the flavors are more pronounced or noticeable so you realize you can puff more infrequently and keep the heat down).
Recently I cracked a tin of McClelland's Mature VA 22 from 2008 and it was HEAVENLY. The age just mellowed it out and made it even more naturally sweet. It was an incredible smoke. The people that I gave a bowl to at the West Coast Show concurred.