Why Do Virginias Taste Harsh to Me?

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stevuke79

Might Stick Around
Sep 21, 2016
54
22
Obviously its all personal preference but ive read that virginias are generally more mild.
Ive really enjoyed stanwell fruit and vanilla, macbaren vanilla and mcclelland bombay extra (an aromatic burley/Cavendish, an aromatic Cavendish and an english)
But mcclelland navy Cavendish, blackwoods an matured Virginias (all Virginias) taste harsher and more caustic....
Actually... as i say this... im smoking matured Virginias right now... and its getting much better as i type...
So maybe one of 3 explanations...

1. This is my first time leaving out the balsa filter

2. This is my first time breaking up a flake and packing it like ribbon

3. Maybe as i type... im slowing down... and virginias need to be smoked more slowly...
What do you think?

Anyone else get sour tastes out of virginias?

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
I think you have it with number three, that you are puffing too fast. Sip don't puff. The other two would also contribute. I think with filters of any kind, you tend to puff harder to get the flavor, so it throws you off when you smoke unfiltered. And, smoking flake requires some learning, so you can play around with that, rubbing it out more, packing it a little tighter, until it suits you. Smoked properly, most Virginias are pretty mild.

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
I may have experienced what you called harshness, in Full Virginia Flake, but it was absent from a flake that had 10 years of age to it.
Try with a filter on, maybe that's what caused the harshness?

 

aldecaker

Lifer
Feb 13, 2015
4,407
42
I have to be very careful with Virginias due to the pH of my mouth not agreeing with them very well. I like them, just have to smoke them in moderation.

 

stevuke79

Might Stick Around
Sep 21, 2016
54
22
Yeah MSO... i think its number 3.. perhaps tge burleys and Cavendishs didnt compell me to puff as much.
I do like filters.. hopefully ill be able to work a filter back in.
Kanse.. yeah... i bought the navy and the blackwoods months ago... by now they've aged 6 months in mason jars.... maybe the trick is also that ill like my Virginias better with age.
I may also have packed the flake in a way that didn't allow the moisture to cook off... there was often a larger than usual puddle at the bottom of the pipe with my Virginia flakes ...
Definitely MUCH better today!

Thanks guys!

 

kanse

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 9, 2016
548
5
Yeah, what Cosmic said. Don't go all crunchy but dry that stuff.

 
Jul 28, 2016
7,564
36,057
Finland-Scandinavia-EU
Me Too, I have to be prudent with virgina and bright vapers, Yes I do like them,this spectrum of tastes,but often they tend to bite me more than burleys.I do air all tobaccos prior to smoke minimum 10 minutes up to a half an hour,

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
Virginia's can be harsh, including McClelland's. Give it another month and come back to it. If it still bites, give it another month. It will eventually come around and mellow out to your liking. I opened a fresh tin of Boston 1776, smoked one bowl, and it's now sitting in the cabinet waiting for me to try it again next month. Virginia's need time to relax.

 

stevuke79

Might Stick Around
Sep 21, 2016
54
22
Ahhh.. and when you say "let the sit and age"...
You mean aged in sealed tins/jars... where im not opening it in between?
Good to know... i can do that... i can jar this up and i do have plenty else to smoke in the mean time... including virginias aged from 6 months ago and other non virginias..

 

stevuke79

Might Stick Around
Sep 21, 2016
54
22
I actually didnt dry them this time... but i usually do for like 20 minutes and they still bit in the past.
So going forward ill age and then dry a bit

 
Dec 28, 2015
2,337
1,003
As everyone else said slowing down makes a world of difference. Also #2 breaking or rubbing out the flake helps. Especially until you get more used to smoking flake. In the beginning, if you are not careful you will puff vigorously in an effort to keep a flake lit. Just don't give up on it because once you get the hang of Virginia flakes there is a good chance you will prefer them to anything else. At least that is my experience.

 

stevuke79

Might Stick Around
Sep 21, 2016
54
22
Yeah... when i pulled them apart into a ribon i just got a nice smoke.
Perhaps it was easier to keep lit.

 
Dec 28, 2015
2,337
1,003
Some say it alters the flavor to rub out a flake. But I don't get that myself. I do it more often than not. The bowl does seem to last longer when folded and stuffed.

 
How long a flake sets out to dry doesn't mean diddlysquat. There are so many variables, such as room humidity, temperature, light. Some days it is so hot, but humid, that I can leave an open tin open on my dashboard all day in 105F temperature, and it will actually get more wet than it started. I have left open S&G products for months at a time, with them never drying. But, 8-10 seconds in the microwave does the trick. Or, placing it under a light bulb. Drying out tobacco is a chore in 100% humidity, Alabama.

All of my blends in rotation, I just leave the tops off of the jars or tins while I smoke my way through them. If they ever do get crunchy, that is when it is best IMO. The bowl, practically smokes itself, and the flavor is so much easier to get to, because no puffing is required. It's like work-free smoking.

 

tschiraldi

Lifer
Dec 14, 2015
1,813
3,555
55
Ohio
I keep the blend I am currently smoking in a leather pouch that I never close tightly. Sometimes, in the first days, I will leave the pouch all the way open. It may not be as fast as Cosmic's open tin method, but it works the same way. The tobacco will continuously dry as I work my way through it. This seems to work best for me.
Tim

 

dread

Lifer
Jun 19, 2013
1,617
9
Let it age, slow your cadence. And McClelland Navy Cavendish is really harsh to me too.

 
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