No thank you. I don’t like it at all. I really like Watch City Old Dominion and 558 flakes. I love Veermaster and OGS. I like Opening Night and 507-C and Newminster 400 and PS LNF and HU Haymaker and…you get the idea. I cannot wrap my mind or pallette around Carolina Red Flake. This tin of 2018 has been in a jar for 6 months. I find it bland but also ashy and tingly. I get 0 bread, or fruit, or molasses. I know it’s quality tobacco so I’m not saying it sucks, it’s just not for me. I understand Virginia tobacco. I understand how to smoke it and I am able to perceive deep, delicious, satisfying smokes from ALL of the aforementioned blends except CRF. As soon as I’m able to sell here, it’s gone. Thank you for reading.
Carolina Red Flake Is Yucky
- Thread starter Auxsender
- Start date
Too bad you don't like it but it should be an easy sell
Consider yourself lucky. I can't smoke Virginia blends at all. I hear so much good, and am always disappointed.
Everyone has different palate. It wasn't meant to be.
I started getting that with Lat blends, they would get ashy and sour. I enjoy a bowl here and there but VaPer is the bees knees too mes
Same here. I used to chief the shit out of Mississippi River until one day it tasted like your description. Haven’t been back since. Currently up to my earballs in VA and VA/Per.
Mississippi River is sour as it is and they went ahead and bourbon barreled it and caked it and turned it into a sour
. I can smoke it and enjoy it but I gotta be in the right mood.
Can’t smoke for what reason(s), VA bite/irritation?
There are a lot of very mellow easy to smoke VAs.
Also if you are sensitive, you need to dry them fairly crisp, or no moisture at all and crispy.
Never tried it myself, but I hear you loud and clear. Anthology is for me what CRF was to you. I tried to like it, I truly did. But you can only try to cram that square peg into a round hole before the white flag must be pulled out and waved. Life's too short to spend trying to force blends that just won't work. Good on you for trying.
Exactly. I don’t smoke a pipe to convince myself I like what I simply don’t. It’s a very easy going, zen-like affair for me; I’m either in or I’m out, I never try. And that’s my 100th post. Adios, CRF.
Of course not everything is for everyone, also, as you may or may not be aware of, different years/crops for blends will vary too.
So while you might not enjoy one year for a blend, you might the other.
2020 CRF was sweeter than 2022, not sure what 2018 was like.
Just smoke what you enjoy, everyone will say the same thing!
It is fun to try various blends, there are so many great ones out there.
Enjoy!
So while you might not enjoy one year for a blend, you might the other.
2020 CRF was sweeter than 2022, not sure what 2018 was like.
Just smoke what you enjoy, everyone will say the same thing!
It is fun to try various blends, there are so many great ones out there.
Enjoy!
Red Va just doesn't work for some people...
Jim mentioned to me to watch out for Bright...
I’m sensitive to VAs, so I either dry them out really good, but I always sip very small and slow amounts.
I never worry about trying to also keep an ember going, keeping the pipe lit, especially on VAs, I light, sip, let the pipe go out.
I think anyone sensitive, unless you have an issue, dry them out and sip extremely slow, only a wisp or two, and let the pipe go out, and relight later, you’ll be much better off.
Looks like you got 100 posts and you've been here over 4 months, so put it up for sale. You'll probably get rid of it fairly easy. I'm sorry you didn't like it. For me, the 2018 was one of my favorites. Just shows that we all have different tastes.
@Auxsender I was editing over my last reply, have a look again, in case you missed the Edits I did.
Have fun!
Have fun!
They all burn hot, taste like ash, and irritate. I smoke all my blends extra crispy. Just burley blends all the way for me.
Red Va is rather intense for me. I like 'em just fine, but straight out of tin can get me really sick to the stomach. After letting it breath for couple of weeks, they are usually great.
Unless you have some sort of medical issue or body sensitivity, I wouldn’t give up trying.
If it helps, for some encouragement, I’m a lightweight, and very sensitive, but I’ve found a way.
I must admit, it did take me around 6-8 months, it took some time.
Red VAs and Brights are more irritating, also just like any blend, the fresher/younger it is, greater the chances for irritation. So be on the look out for aged tins to get a hold of.
Tastes are certainly subjective, and inexpensive pipes can certainly smoke as nice an expensive ones, so I would make sure you know the pipe you are using for VAs is a nice one.
When you say; Hot & Ash, I have noticed this also to be true, when smoking a VA to fast, or keeping the pipe lit for too long.
Also whatever you drink and eat while smoking can affect your palate in a negative way.
So, for anyone experiencing issues with VAs, the only way I see smoking them, is to barely light the pipe, take a few very small sips, that’s all, no big mouth full of smoke, and then let the pipe go out and cool down before relighting.
I think for anyone struggling, Light Aro VAs, or VaBur, or VA forward blends, are the way to transition.
Something also to consider, maybe PG with VAs is also creating problems. PG does irritate people, possibly combined with VAs, it is to much.
I’d also look at G.L. Pease’s VAs, as Greg uses no PG.
Grousemoor has a lot of very nice VA notes, not drowned in the topping.
John Aylesbury Sir John's Flake, is a very nice light VA aro.
Esoterica Brighton and Tilbury are very mild, also Dunbar, Dorchester.
When I light VAs, I only light them as much as it takes, just to get a few small sips, no big glowing ember.
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