Bagged tobacco can be pretty low on the pecking order, especially leaf sold as pipe tobacco but aimed as much at roll-your-own customers. About six years ago, my sister sent me a bag of Four Aces along with a tin of "better" tobacco she'd located after buying the Four Aces. I quickly smoked up the "good" tin, and kept the Aces around for the occasional puff. I'm reasonably sure this is entirely Virginia, from the color and smell. After a long time, I finally jarred it and taped part of the bag as a label on the outside of the jar. It sits behind a jar with my two packages of Semois on the top shelf of a bookcase. Today I had another bowl of Aces and find that aging has treated it well. It is mild, sweet, hay-flavored, and burns evenly. Not the raggedy old cigarette smell you might think. Some of what ends up in bags is good to better than that. I've just ordered a pound of D&R Two Timer burley, which is specifically pipe tobacco and in a higher category, perhaps. It came recommended by Cosmic and jiminks, so I am confident I'll like it, as a burley fan. Have you had any luck with bagged tobacco? Or not? I think I'll be going back to Aces for a bowl now and then, and probably dip into it for mixes as well, maybe with the Two Timer now and then.
