Good Virginia and English?

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A good starter Va IMO is Lane Ltd MV-1000 or VIllager 1888Late Night

For english Frog Morton, Any of them really, but I like "On the Town"

We should really sticky one of those 631 "recommend a starter VA" and "recommend a starter English" threads that have been created in the last year ...

I'm not entirely convinced that a "starter" blend necessarily needs to be mild. . . or, for that matter, anything other than just a good blend in general. I don't typically recommend flakes to folks just starting out, simply because it adds a variable to the packing of a bowl that beginners probably shouldn't worry about. So, with that in mind, I'd recommend:
Virginia: Ratrray's Old Gowrie, McClelland's Anniversary (although not a straight Virginia)

English: Brebbia's Preludio Mixture No. 60, Butera's Royal Vintage: Latakia No. 1

VA: McClelland 5100, C&D Opening Night, Dunhill Flake
English: Sam Gawith Squadron Leader, Dunhill MM 965

I'll go with rothnh on the Orlik Golden Sliced. This requires the small accommodation of

breaking up the slices and "rubbing them out" in your hand to smokeable size, but most

find this a pleasing and appetizing procedure, part of the ritual. The tobacco is a classy,

nuanced smoke. I have to think it is more than one Virginia in there making it a blend.

This was one of my first Virginias and was a sort of revelation. A great introduction.

Rub out just the quantity you need for each bowl. Leaving the slices intact keeps the

tobacco fresh.
For English, though I am not experienced in a great many blends, many people find Dunhill

Mixture 965 to their liking right away. It's not the only way to start, but it is a good

one.
If these are a little pricey for now, a good tobacconist (or thise Forum) can steer you toward

others. Some expense to get introduced might not be a bad thing. We're not talking

home equity here, more like a fair bottle of bourbon or a 2 pound bag of gourmet coffee.

As excellent as the above suggestions are, for someone just getting into Virginias, I think H&H's Virginia Nights fits the bill of a tasty, easily accessible, no-fuss VA ribbon. The original Frog Morton is also very accessible.
hp

les

IMO; Try both light to dark...can't have one without the other ;-)
+1/Dunhill Flake and Orlik but also try some FVF, Wessex Dark flake,etc.
+1/Dunhill EMP & MC Frogs but also try some Night Cap, C&D's Billy Budd, etc.
Also mix it up and put a spin on things with some blends like a good

VaPer/VaBur and a few Balkans as well; Escudo, Peterson UF, Marlin flake,

Black house, mag opus, SPC plum pudding, etc
Now taking my advice here could be both a blessing and a curse,

why? I happened to like them all, creating a fierce TAD beast

MC 5100 is a very good and approachable Virginia for newer smokers. Peter Stokkebye English Oriental Supreme for the English blend. Smoke them individually. Mix them 2 parts 5100 and 1 part EOS and you have an excellent third blend!

The smooth SG BBF is a nice start down the VA path, and FMOT is very nice all around english.

+1 McClelland 5100

+1 Frog Morton and Frog Morton's Cellar (Absolutely without a doubt I would recommend FM Cellar)

+1 EMP
Also:

Solani Silver flake(Virginia & Burley)

GLP Haddo's Delight (Va/Per & Burley)

GLP Navigator

H&H BlackHouse

I smoked MC's 5100 for years. It is an easy on the tongue Virginia. Hard to beat for beginners, or even us old coots.
As for English, I love the Frogs, and the old Dunhill 965 (yes, I confess to snobbery).
C&D also has some wonderful light English blends. And as the man said, the price is right. Oh, and try Boswell's English. Delightful and lightful.
This is not a commercial. I have no stock in any of these endeavors. They have plenty of my money, however.