My First Bowl of SG Full Virginia Flake

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

Watch for Updates Twice a Week

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

mtwaller

Lifer
Nov 21, 2018
1,311
5,330
34
Atlanta, GA
Wiser minds please educate me, because I don’t get it. I’m smoking my first bowl of fresh FVF and it doesn’t light, doesn’t stay lit, bites like a rabid dog, and genuinely tastes worse than quite a few cigarettes I’ve smoked. And it’s not a Virginia thing... I quite like straight VA tobaccos. I let it dry for 45 minutes, it wasn’t sticky or clumpy or anything when I packed it. Does this one need to dry for like 1.5 or 2 hours? Or maybe it needs to age for a long time before revealing it’s charms? I’ve heard nothing but great things about it, but honest to god if I didn’t know what it was and smoked this pipe full, I’d think it was some garbage drug store tobacco. Please send help.

 

danimalia

Lifer
Sep 2, 2015
4,385
26,440
41
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
FVF is one of those tobaccos that has a reutation for being finnicky. Have you been able to smoke other Gawith flakes successfully? In my experience, they're a bit more work than the tidy Mac Baren/STG/Danish flakes.

 

mtwaller

Lifer
Nov 21, 2018
1,311
5,330
34
Atlanta, GA
I just smoked my first bowl of 1792 the other night and LOVED it. Came from a bulk 250g box just like this FVF, bought both from the same retailer and opened both tobaccos at the same time.1792 burned great, tastes amazing.. blew me away. This one is a different beast, apparently.

 

jaytex1969

Lifer
Jun 6, 2017
9,517
50,591
Here
I also had a rough start with one or two of the English flakes, initially.
Start with some overkill in the drying department and then back off incrementally until you find your happy spot.
I'd recommend "cube cutting" a flake and leave it out on a plate tonight for use tomorrow. It will then be quite dry unless you're in a humid environment.
Gravity fill your pipe and fire it up. Tamp only when needed and very gently.
Also, you are correct that age will transform it for the better, but that won't help you now. Divide the box into 3 jars. One for now, one for next year and one for the year after.
Let us know how it's going, as we all enjoy reliving our pain vicariously! :)
jay-roger.jpg


 

kcghost

Lifer
May 6, 2011
13,140
21,408
77
Olathe, Kansas
A lot of smokers have FVF on the preferred smoking list but I do not. But, I greatly enjoy 1792 which I let dry for at a half hour before smoking.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
It needs to dry much longer. If it bites, you must be puffing too hard. My guess is that the bite is actually steam. Try drying it for 24 or even 48 hours. Rub it out or cube cut it.

 

mtwaller

Lifer
Nov 21, 2018
1,311
5,330
34
Atlanta, GA
Thanks gents, more drying time it is, then. I have it divided into 5 small 4 oz jam jars, I only left the small scraps out to try a couple bowls. I’ll try once more with some serious dry time, but then I think I’ll let the rest age for a bit.
workman - I’m sure you’re spot on, it felt kind of steamy. Smoked very wet and weird. And I was puffing too hard, I couldn’t get it to stay lit for more than a couple minutes at a time, and even then it was smoking about as well as a pair of wet socks. Bleh.

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
I have had some not so good smokes of FVF, but normally it's good stuff. Fantastic even. What steam does, besides destroying your tongue, is mute flavors. IMO tobacco needs to be dry to get flavor. Especially straight virginias, for some reason.

 

ray47

Lifer
Jul 10, 2015
2,451
5,610
Dalzell, South Carolina
I don't like to fold and stuff flakes, so what I did with FVF was put the flakes in a small food grinder and ground them up to a ribbon cut. I thought FVF smoked a lot better. Some would think this is a sacrilege, but it works for me.

 

jeff540

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 25, 2016
514
788
Southwest Virginia
bought both from the same retailer and opened both tobaccos at the same time.
Some may not find this funny but I do: Are you sure you didn't accidentally switch your labels between FVF and 1792?
I bought a tin of 1792 once, and threw the last half of it away after repeated attempts to both keep it lit and taste anything other than burned cardboard.

 

mtwaller

Lifer
Nov 21, 2018
1,311
5,330
34
Atlanta, GA
Much obliged for all the helpful advice. I hope I can come to love it and get it working properly. And I definitely didn’t get them switched up! 1792 is pretty distinctive stuff. I’ve heard quite a few less than stellar reviews on 1792 but I found it to be well-behaved and quite tasty with my “normal” dry time of 30-40 minutes. I’m going to leave the last bowl of FVF out tonight when I get home and try it tomorrow evening and see what sort of results I get. Can’t possibly be worse than the first attempt was.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,621
44,831
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
When I first tried FVF I hated it. Little flavor, and what flavor there was tasted terrible. I tried drying it out for an hour or so and it was marginally better, but nothing to write home about. Then a kindly soul here suggested that I leave it out for 5 hours and then give it a go. That made all the difference in the world. I got a beautiful smoke, full of flavor and effortless to keep lit. Gawith blends have a lot of moisture. Give them serious dry time.

 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,801
FVF is my favorite Virginia, no contest. I recommend drying it with a heat source. I have a candle warmer type thing where I can dry my tobacco over a light bulb. In the colder months, I just set it on a ceramic dish by my wood stove. If using this method (drying by heat) be sure to keep a very close eye on your tobacco, lest you dry it too much. Also, I like to either cube cut or gently rub out the flake, rather than using the "fold and stuff" method. Once you figure out the proper amount of drying FVF gets a lot easier to smoke.

 

npod

Lifer
Jun 11, 2017
2,942
1,024
It took me a very (very) long time to understand, let alone enjoy FVF. For me I needed some time to mature (myself) and learn more about pipe tobacco, and Virginias in particular. Once the learning curve was achieved, it was game on and true love blossomed. FVF is truly a wonderful tobacco and a pillar of Virginia blends for a reason. But it doesn't give up the magic, it requires a bit in return from the pipe smoker.

 
Status
Not open for further replies.