Carolina Red Flake Is Yucky
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Those are all some of my favorite VA's as well. I see you don't have any Wessex on the list, gold brick is one of my favorites but it's a plug and harder to come by. Wessex Gold Slice is another VA I love. And if you can find it, F&T Cut Virginia Plug is really solid as well.
Hamborger Veermaster, HU Haymaker, KBV Byronic Hiro, KBV Jupiter Slices (or plug). Then there are the big 3 bulk flakes which aren’t exactly sleepers: Newminster 400, Sutliff 507C, and Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. Recently I’ve been combining Newminster 400 and Peter Stokkebye Bullseye for a rich, sweet treat.
That certainly looks like a small pipe from the outside, but the chamber (18mm x 33mm) strikes me as fairly conventional. Is the chamber more V-shaped?I agree on small pipes, +1!
My tiny Bay Denmark apple is my VA only blend pipe, and this is very small, slowly is the only way to go.
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Pipe Mike Bay Apple w// Bamboo Rusticated - Tabaccheria Corti Lecco - Online Shop
Pipe Mike Bay Apple w// Bamboo Rusticatedtabaccheriacorti.com
Pipe Mike Bay Apple w// Bamboo Rusticated - Tabaccheria Corti Lecco - Online Shop
Pipe Mike Bay Apple w// Bamboo Rusticated
I've changed my tune with this one. At first I was mildly disappointed, but, I tried it in my little 60's era dunhill bulldog which has a tiny bowl, and, well... it's completely different: that "cranberry" taste others mentioned in reviews came through with some pie crust/cookie flavor with a cream like base. Absolutely delicious, but, I could only get that flavor from a specific pipe, after rubbing it out and letting it sit for about 15. Next release I'm picking up as many tins as I can.
For me the VA cadence is my natural cadence. Well at this point. I think that might be why a few of my favorites are Va. I don't have any dedicated pipes I have a few 90 percent of the time they smoke this or that in them but....I didn’t mean that comment, as I only smoke VAs in this pipe and no other pipes. I meant, I dedicated my Bay Denmark as a VA pipe.
And I also meant, given it’s size, smoking and sipping slowly with it, is the only way to smoke VAs in it. Of course with a lot of VA blends, you need to smoke them slowly anyways.
I actually love VAs in my bigger pipes too.
I smoke now more VAs/VaPers than any other blend, in all my pipes.
The whole serious pipe smokers smoke this or that thing is so funny to me. It reminds me of the time I saw some junkies or alcoholics making fun of other people for having a smaller tolerance then them. Like wow people can make anything into a matter of pride. I've found I like a lot of different types of tobacco for different reasons. Yeah I even like aromatics and some codger blends.I think that’s already happening. You hear more and more talk of Burley these days than I’ve ever heard, it will swing back around to another genre that “serious” pipe smokers enjoy. Smoke whatever fits your fancy, otherwise there is no point to it. Who are we trying to impress, other pipe smokers? Haha! The pinnacle of pipe smoking is not VA’s, it’s whatever does it for ya. Be proud of what you smoke and who gives a damn if you smoke some dainty shit like Molte Dolce…
I kind of can hold my liquor, I have that horrible trait of seeming lightly buzzed and then one sip latter having trouble standing up. Also I have a kind of high alcohol tolerance for the amount I don't drink. Which means the stuff costs too much to enjoy. Now the one I can't handle is beer. At a certain point my drunk brain says it's practically water don't worry about your pace. Liquor still taste like alcohol no matter how many I've had.I bet you can't hold you liquor either.
Edit: JK... I can't either.
I also considering saying there is nothing wrong with my hands. I never dropped a bottle.I bet you can't hold you liquor either.
Edit: JK... I can't either.
I am a complete lightweight, and proud of it.
at the least it's far more economical. I remember working with alcoholics that bragged about starting their night with a case of beer and thinking man that would last me quite a few sessions not be a starter.
I might add Sutliff Crumble Kake Red Virginia , feel like it's going for the McClelland vinegar/ketchup thing and does it well , comes pretty wet , and the Fribourg and Treyer stuff as well
These are the specs;
- Length: 4.68 in. | 119 mm
- Weight: 17 grams
- Bowl Height: 1.33 in. | 34 mm
- Chamber Depth: 1.14 in. | 29 mm
- Chamber Diameter: 0.66 in. | 17 mm
- Outside Diameter: 1.22 in. | 31 mm
The chamber is cylindrical, with straight parallel sides.
I would say, as for an Apple, style/shape, I would call this pretty traditional styling, or it is straight up traditional. I mean Apple looks can vary, I don’t think this goes outside tradition, in the sense of not looking Apple.
The bowl on the outside, begins to flair, around the quarter or half point, and progresses slightly wider till it reaches the bottom.
This side view I don’t consider to be unusual shaping, seems fairly traditional.
It’s hard in the lighting and my camera, to get a clear pictures inside the chamber, but looking at all the other pictures and seeing the round shape of the top, hopefully helps ro see how the chamber is cylindrical from these outside pictures.
Looking down on the chamber, below the brown grain rim, if you zoom the pic up, you’ll notice black below, this is the bowl flair outward a little as it progresses down.
Looking at the front, you can see it slightly flairs outward at the quarter top, or midway, ever so slightly increasing to the bottom.
Looking here at the front flipped upside down, to get/see a different perspective of the bowl flair.
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Ironic considering the post title, but... I just had another bowl of CRF, and I'm in love. It took a few bowls, and a new pipe, but it's incredible--to me.
That being said, from fellow CRF lovers, are there any other blends (available) that taste very similar? Or, am I just going to have to wait for 2023 release and hope its a straight red virginia blend!
The tobacco review said the similar blends were "christmas cheer", which I cannot get, haha.
That being said, from fellow CRF lovers, are there any other blends (available) that taste very similar? Or, am I just going to have to wait for 2023 release and hope its a straight red virginia blend!
The tobacco review said the similar blends were "christmas cheer", which I cannot get, haha.
Yeah man. I like sweet, bready, grahamy Virginias. This is that with just a tiny smidge of pepper jelly from the bullseye. I smoosh em together and stuff em right in. Love it especially in my MM Diamondback.
The VAs I've been smoking most recently are 4+ year old Bijou (well, it's a VaOr with honey), and Derringer, for a nice contrast. Turns out I can tolerate and enjoy the Derringer more than the Bijou. Something about it being younger, albeit still two years old, stored in a mason jar from bulk.
I'm curious: how do these two compare to other C&D VAs, especially CRF? I'm thinking also of Yorktown (which I've tried, but it's been a couple months), and C&D's other flakes: Red Carpet, Opening Night, etc.
And then there's the non-C&D's: Orlik Golden Sliced, Union Station, Edisto, HH Pure Virginia Flake, Capstan Blue -- which I have never tried (!) -- and 507-C Virginia and MB Virginia No. 1 -- which I have tried. How do these stack up?
I'm curious: how do these two compare to other C&D VAs, especially CRF? I'm thinking also of Yorktown (which I've tried, but it's been a couple months), and C&D's other flakes: Red Carpet, Opening Night, etc.
And then there's the non-C&D's: Orlik Golden Sliced, Union Station, Edisto, HH Pure Virginia Flake, Capstan Blue -- which I have never tried (!) -- and 507-C Virginia and MB Virginia No. 1 -- which I have tried. How do these stack up?