Blind Tasting: Red Virginia

[Mr_houston]

Sample 6

This sample came too dry for me. I placed into a bowl with a damp paper towel over it for 1.5 hours and it was perfect.

The tin note is lightly sweet bread. No vinegar note, so not McClellands or Sutliff.

I smoked it in my small lovat. Very spicy as I start the smoke - I think it has perique. Lightly sweet. Not much of the traditional red VA flavors like fruit and VA spice. It was very consistent throughout the bowl, but did get ashy in the 2nd half.

It reminds me of GL Pease Stratford and that is my guess. It’s a good example of what I’ve thought about the reds in the past few years - they just aren’t as good as they used to be, with a few exceptions here and there.

I’ll post some final thought on the 6 blends tomorrow.

 

[Non-Mentholated Black Man]

Even without knowing what constitutes a proper tobacco review, I can assure you that the following will not qualify as such.


2) Upon opening, my first thought was that this tobacco had a strikingly similar aroma/appearance to the previous sample. Then, after nearly thirty (30) years of pococurantism towards anything related to my pipe smoking, my wife declared that she wanted to "have a sniff of the *noodle packet." While she did agree that it has some similarities to the secret-ingredient barbeque sauce I noted last night, her insight of an additional "appassimento" component was spot-on.
Having come to an agreement on the aroma of the tobacco, I loaded and have now lit the clay Lepeltier pipe that was chosen for this endeavor. Though I expected this to be inline with my memory of the previous sample, a slight peppery (similar to rye) note at the beginning of the bowl has me wondering:

Is this Blind Tasting nothing more than trickery being perpetrated against me/others by the possibly nefarious Mrs. Pickles?


*After a slight bit of confusion about the origin of these samples, I played a joke on my wife by pretending to open the package and find nothing but flavor packages taken from a few Ramen Noodles.

 

[Jbrewer2002]

Sample 6

This sample came too dry for me. I placed into a bowl with a damp paper towel over it for 1.5 hours and it was perfect.

The tin note is lightly sweet bread. No vinegar note, so not McClellands or Sutliff.

I smoked it in my small lovat. Very spicy as I start the smoke - I think it has perique. Lightly sweet. Not much of the traditional red VA flavors like fruit and VA spice. It was very consistent throughout the bowl, but did get ashy in the 2nd half.

It reminds me of GL Pease Stratford and that is my guess. It’s a good example of what I’ve thought about the reds in the past few years - they just aren’t as good as they used to be, with a few exceptions here and there.

I’ll post some final thought on the 6 blends tomorrow.

If number 6 is Stratford then I’ll be opening the only tin I have bought and buying more for the cellar

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Congratulations to @Mr_houston on evaluating all six samples and bravely offering a guess for each one!

 

[Sandblast]

Sample #3

From the first charring light, I'm really liking #3. Scent was dried fruit & sweetness, nicely fragrant.
I'm also getting some rich hay. This is a nice easy-going smoke, nothing controversial.

My sample had a bit more tobacco than #1 and #2. There's at least a good half bowl left, so I'm going to mix in some Burley & some Oriental (Smyrna), just for the "What. The. Heck." thing. I'll be really interested in the July 24th revelation as to what these samples are. I'd buy Sample #3.

 

[Mr_houston]

Final thoughts

I am sitting on the porch smoking the remnants of Samples 1 & 2 mixed together to make a full pipe. Lovely!

For my tastes, I rank the samples as follows: 1, 2, 5, 4, 6, 3.

Thanks again @Mrs. Pickles . I look forward to the big reveal.

 

[umbrella001]

Sample #6:

This was a much more straight forward Virginia with little to none of the fruit/tartness that I noticed in the previous tobaccos. Pouch note was sweet and mildly spicy. I dried it for about 10 minutes before loading into my clay cutty. The smoke for the first half was one dimensional with grassy and sweet flavors that quickly dissipated. I even felt there was a tiny bit of harshness in the smoke despite sipping and letting the pipe go out a few times. The second half was similar but with a faint fruit impression that I detected at the end. Overall, I think this was my least favorite of the bunch. 2/4.

This event was such a great idea and gave me the opportunity to try an amazing variety of different reds that I might not have been able to try so closely together. It was great to see what attributes stood out between each sample and I’m excited to see what each of them were.

My ranking for most to least enjoyed: 1,4,2,5,3,6

Thanks so much @Mrs. Pickles for inviting us to participate in the tasting! It was a blast!

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

A job well done by @umbrella001 on six thoughtful reviews!

Hmm! Sample number 6 continues its steak as the most polarizing of all the tobaccos in our lineup. As we await next week's reveal, I'll offer few hints about sample six in particular:

Spoiler: Six Secrets About Sample #6

1. It is the youngest production of all the samples in the mix.
2. Its blender says up front that it contains some bright Virginia in addition to the red.
3. The blender doesn't mention any perique, though.
4. It is currently in production...
5. ...but its future is uncertain.
6. No one has guessed it exactly right yet.

 

[Sandblast]

Sample #4
Appearance: medium brown with some lighter bits -- I left it out in a dish overnight to dry even further, although it was already fairly dry.
Scent: dried fruit like raisins or dates, no "ketchup" nor "vinegar".
Smoke: likeable, nothing really jumps out, very "middle of the road" -- fairly smooth, no harshness, burns well w/o many relights -- not much sweetness -- this Sample would welcome some Perique with open arms, or would blend well with a potent VaPer with 50% Perique.

Interesting that on Page 4, Sample #4 ranked both last & first.
Also, Sample #4 DGT's very well. It's nice with black coffee.
I could see Sample #4 easily becoming "a reliable, old friend, a nice companion."

NOTE: I'll continue giving my reviews. Samples #5 & 6 remain. However, I won't rank the 6 Samples.
Of course, they're each unique & I've had different reactions, but I like all of them for different reasons.
Like, if you had 6 dogs or 6 cats, unless one of them (figuratively, literally) crapped the bed, of course they're each different, but how could you really get rid of one?
So far, I've not experienced any Perique in Samples #1 through 4. So much for McConnell Red VA.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Happy Sunday, everyone.

We’re in the final few days before the scheduled reveal on Wednesday July, 24th.

Seven smokers have finished all the samples, two more are about half way through, and we haven’t heard much from the remaining three.

It occurred to me that those last three smokers, @vosBghos @brooklynpiper and @bent1 , might be planning to post their notes all at once in a single post. If so, let me know if you need more time for that.

Likewise, if things just didn’t work out and you can’t participate, that’s okay too. The goal is enjoyment, so I hope you’ll still find the chance to enjoy the samples later on, when the time is right for you.

 

[brooklynpiper]

Sniffing at pouch 1: the smell of playdough and of the sweat of schizophrenics. The smell of garbage pickling near rat holes burrowed under city trees and the streets filled with children who will later at inexplicably late hours phantom the streets with none for a parent but New York.

Further from my window, I sniff again. Hit with a vinegar smell and the smell of fermentation. Definitely a fruity Virginia, reds and some kind of stoving.

Out of the pouch, the flakes are dark and speckled with age. Big thick jerky flake. Somewhat gummy when rubbing out. Very dark Virginias and a small smattering of rusty lighter leaf.

On first light, very acidic. Quickly, the ember steadied, a good amount of body and a heavier tobacco room note take over (when compared to other Virginias).

The taste has well-developed sweetness and citrus-sourness - a blend that makes it’s way over the whole tongue.

For the first half of my smoke, I couldn’t find my tamper and it was a blessing.

All of this makes me think McClelland, though I’m not sure I’ve ever had the specific blend.

After leaving the remainder of the tobacco to dry for a day or two (it’s more humid than normal), the rest of blend I could appreciate the soft edges of the stoving, the slight buttery popcorn note that was more muted behind the full classic Virginia flavors. The Meerschaum I used for the second half muted some of the flavors.

I don’t smoke Virginias much anymore. I rarely ever smoke straight Virginias. In all, this was a terrific smoke. Very unique in character, and has strengths you don’t often find. High marks.

 

[brooklynpiper]

@Mrs. Pickles

Sorry about that! I'm lagging because of the heat-wave up here and I don't have a very consistent smoke friendly setup.

I'm about halfway through the samples and will post more thoughts soon.

Don't worry about me when posting the results - post when you'd like and I won't look until I'm done. Have been avoiding looking at the other reviewers too.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

@brooklynpiper No worries! I think a couple of the other fellows are in a similar situation with the weather. I'm loving your writing in the first review and can't wait to see your takes on the rest of these. Enjoy!

 

[Butter Side Down]

Post script follow up. I still have about a quarter of a bowl of sample #6 left over and this morning as an experiment I mixed a little bit of it into a bowl of Luxury Twist Flake, which is a lovely if somewhat one-dimensional flavored VA/Cavendish. Normally my home experiments in this direction have gone more or less badly and have only served to give me a greater appreciation of the skills of people who actually know what they're doing. This one turned out well though. It added a bit of depth and complexity without stepping all over the buttery caramel sweetness of LTF. All of which leads me to think that for the folks who have some blending chops, #6 might make a pretty good base.

 

[Sandblast]

Sample #5
Appearance: not an extreme ribbon cut but still more than a broken flake.

Scent: strong "fruity" scent, almost like cherries or freshly cut apple, no vinegar.

Taste: I'm getting strong hints of 5100 -- hence, this Sample has excellent potential as a blender plus could easily just be enjoyed by itself, relaxing, uncomplicated.

I am totally with both jbfrady & AcesAndEights on their comments (!).
NOTE: I could have certainly added "cranberry" to my Scent comments. I also like making my own cranberry sauce, plus I'm a fan of all the canned cranberries as well. Turkey sandwiches must have cranberry sauce.

No offense to Mr_houston, Sobrbiker, etc. I enjoyed & identified with everybody's takes on this Sample. I could live with Sample #5.

Well, Mrs. Pickles, 5 now down, 1 last Sample to go, #6. This has been really fun.

 

[vosBghos]

Happy Sunday, everyone.

We’re in the final few days before the scheduled reveal on Wednesday July, 24th.

Seven smokers have finished all the samples, two more are about half way through, and we haven’t heard much from the remaining three.

It occurred to me that those last three smokers, @vosBghos @brooklynpiper and @bent1 , might be planning to post their notes all at once in a single post. If so, let me know if you need more time for that.

Likewise, if things just didn’t work out and you can’t participate, that’s okay too. The goal is enjoyment, so I hope you’ll still find the chance to enjoy the samples later on, when the time is right for you.

I have to get smoking I think I might compare 3 a day starting today as I was sick and lost what little taste COVID had left me but reds still seem to sing I'll post up tomorrow night guesses and all before reading the thread

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

I have to get smoking I think I might compare 3 a day starting today as I was sick and lost what little taste COVID had left me but reds still seem to sing I'll post up tomorrow night guesses and all before reading the thread

Ooof! I'm sorry you've been sick.

There's no pressure if you'd rather not rush back into it. You can always save the samples for when you're feeling back at 100% and post your thoughts later.

 

[Sandblast]

Sample #6
Appearance: ready rubbed, but not a ribbon -- light brown, some yellow

Scent: hints of dried fruit, but to me, almost like cooked oatmeal, no ketchup nor vinegar
NOTE: I did cut open the packet last night, dumped into a bowl & let it sit open to the air overnight

Smoking: lit easily on the second match, a bit of "richness", no real sweetness but not bitter either, kind of earthy, enjoying it with black coffee, some spiciness (Perique?), got a little "darker" towards the bottom with a small rough edge showing (which I kind of liked)

I'd like to live with a tin of Sample #6 & try blending it with Dark VA or Black Cav, with Oriental (Turkish), with Perique, even with touch of Balkan. Would be interesting to also trying mixing with Burley. This Sample would easily earn a Reliable, Go to, Old Friend classification.

Well, Thank You to Mrs. Pickles (again) for this opportunity!
As I periodically return to the jars with Red VA from my cellar .... Wessex Red VA Flake, McClelland 2015 & Christmas Cheer, etc .... I'll carry over the new, refined analytical skills I've honed from this exercise.
It was FUN, FUN, FUN.

 

[Mrs. Pickles]

Three cheers to @Sandblast for his informed reviews on all six samples!

To his point, even if you don’t discover a new blend to enjoy among these samples, I hope all this analysis and tasting inspires you to find renewed enjoyment in the blends you already know well.

Onwards to the big reveal tomorrow.

 

[Non-Mentholated Black Man]

For brevity purposes and the reasons excuses stated in my previous reviews, I have elected to consolidate the remaining samples into an abbreviated submission.

3) This tobacco removed the suspicions that I was starting to have about a certain individual connected to this endeavor. That is not to say that it was any better than the first two (2) in my opinion, nor worse; only that it was noticeably different before/after lighting it.

4) Here we go, again. This seems to be another okeydoked sample, just like 2) was in relation to 1).
I am through with being a guinea pig for a man that calls himself Mrs. Pickles. What is that supposed to be in reference to anyway? I am familiar with Mr. Pickles but haven't a clue about who/what Mrs. Pickles is.
Hey, Andrew, the Tuskegee Study/Experiment days are over and I am not going to play your "three (3) identical pair(s) of samples to make these volunteers look like fools" game any more.