Change My Mind About Virginia's I Dare You
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Smoke it at the pace you like. Could give a shit less how someone else smokes...?
I'm with you. I've tried a handful of straight Virginias and Virginia predominant blends and am coming to realize that they just don't do it for me. The tangy, citrus, and hay flavors that some reviews celebrate aren't to my liking and I don't, at least for now, appreciate those high, and sometimes, sharp notes. Generally I find Virginia tobaccos a bit thin in body. I am a big fan of Burley and Kentucky forward blends and greatly enjoy the full body and middle and bass notes they offer. This being said, I do have some tins of OGS, Capstan Blue and Gold, and Aylesbury Luxury Flake sitting in the cellar that I don't plan on opening for years, hoping the aging will make them more enjoyable. As they say: To each his own.
M
Marindas
Guest
Primarily liking Latakia blends, off and on over the years I have tried to find Va's or VaPers that would appeal to me. Earlier this year I got around to trying Anniversary Kake and so far it is the only one that I like enough to add to my rotation.
Smoking 40+ years and never got the sip thing myself. However. I also don't draw in that forcefully, but sipping never got me the fullness of taste I sought. As to Virginia blends, straight Virginia blends don't do it for me either.
Just stay away from Virginias, it's nothing but heartbreak and work. You have to get the cut just right, dry it out just right, get the right smoking cadence and when you finally have it mastered....either everyone else starts liking it and it's permenantly out of stock, or they quit making it all together.
Seriously, if they don't click for you, why work at it? This is supposed to be relaxing. If you are happy with burley, rock on. If you want to try some though, I guess maybe trying some Bullseye Flake or Capstan (I smoke so slow, every flake is cool....to unlit) and really focus on slowing down.
Seriously, if they don't click for you, why work at it? This is supposed to be relaxing. If you are happy with burley, rock on. If you want to try some though, I guess maybe trying some Bullseye Flake or Capstan (I smoke so slow, every flake is cool....to unlit) and really focus on slowing down.
Funny, that's how I've felt about burley-forward blends until I discovered Old Joe Krantz. Burley rarely seemed to have the robust flavors I was looking for. On the contrary, I have a hard time imagining smokers not liking Virginia blends, especially good Balkans. I get that flakes, cakes, and ropes are a hassle, but you don't have to go that deep. There's plenty of great ribbon cut blends that give instant gratification without too much fuss.
same here Virginia tobaccoes taught me how to smoke slower, but there still excite few cool burning Virgina forward tobaccies which are a bit more forgiving when it comes to smoking cadence, among other some G&H blends with faint ?! floral /fruity toppings,and ST Brunos+Condor
Kevin, being a chiefly burley smoker, you're apt to being drawn to fuller flavored blends. Ever smoke Black Twist XX?
Duane,
I have, that one was the grossest of all! No flavor to me. But maybe I can try to revisit it again...
The recent 10 year aged 4th generation would have been a great example of how good VA can be. But your love of Burley might mean you don't like sweet tobacco, which VA can tend to be. Especially with age.
I have to agree with others that C&D's Yorktown would be the proper gateway. I love Virginias but I also tend much more towards Burley at the moment. Dunhill Flake was probably the first one I really couldn't stop smoking, but once again it was rather sweet.
I have to agree with others that C&D's Yorktown would be the proper gateway. I love Virginias but I also tend much more towards Burley at the moment. Dunhill Flake was probably the first one I really couldn't stop smoking, but once again it was rather sweet.
Why go through all the hassle? Would you buy a CD of music you don't like? Would you try foods you know you hate? Would you buy footwear that you know you won't wear? If you know what you enjoy, just enjoy it.
When I first started, the first little podunk tobacco shop that I visited had three jars, one was an English, one was like Captain Black, and another was a cherry blend. The guy told me to try one of the first two, that the third was for the more "experienced" smokers. I translated that into, "you're not man enough." So, of course, I got an oz of the cherry. Now, I know better, and I leave the cherry mouth burning bl;ends to the more experienced smokers.
Don't fall for peer pressure. Just enjoy what you enjoy, smoke what you like.
Because my tastes slowly change over time. I used to only smoke Carter Hall for years. Now I don't even enjoy the stuff. I'm hoping that I can teach myself to enjoy more tobacco's, and open the possibilities more.
BUT on the other hand I know where your coming from, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
::
M
Marindas
Guest
^^^ This ^^^ I keep trying different styles of tobacco to discover ones that I didn't know that I would like and my tastes are seeming to change this year. For whatever reason this summer I was not into Latakia blends much even though they were my go to previously. I chalked it up to the heat and smoking more this summer (outside) than times past.
Now I find myself going for a variety of OTC blends (SWRA, CH, PA, etc) and Anniversary Kake. Much of my venturing out into new territory has been based on discussions on this forum that have caused me to try things that I would not have thought of previously (especially OTC blends). The one other standout blend that I tried due to the forum was Black Frigate, and I really liked it, but I think I need the weather to cool down a bit before I get back into it.
Why would I want to change your mind? You like Burley and why not? Burley's offer a nice range of flavors, smoke cool, are very forgiving of mediocre smoking skills, and can provide enough nicotine to fell an Ox. Burley doesn't change much with age for the most part, and long after that tin of rare Virginia blend has turned to zombie sludge because you waited way too long to smoke it, the Burley in the blend will still be fine.
And if VIrginias cauterize your mouth on contact, you may have a body chemistry issue, so why bother? So what if you never experience the subtleties of Virginias myriad range of flavors? Not that many smokers actually have the skill to pull them out, or the palate to fully taste them.
You've got Melanie, rather than Scarlett, and though Scarlett is probably the more interesting lay, Melanie has fine qualities and is far less of a pain in the ass.
I would say that if you wanna try them again, go for it. Now that you're more experienced I think you might find them quite pleasing. The key is to go slow. The hard part (atleast for me) is when you go slow the flavors start to come out and then that makes the pace of ones cadence increase (becuase it starts to taste so good) which then causes the flavors to diminish.
But maybe, instead of going straight into a pure VA blend, go for a VA/bur since you like bur.
But that being said, with any pure va blend you get my personal recommendation is to try and get one with atleast 3-5 years of age on it. I believe it makes a huge difference. Right now I'm finishing a tin of no longer available "Raw" pipe tobacco from 6 years ago (a Va/bur prob 90 percent a 10 percent bur) , and a 5 year old tin of 4th gen 1855. Also have a tin of orlick with a couple years on it, but it needs a couple more years to shine. I honestly dont really care for fresh (less than 6 months) va, they need age!
But maybe, instead of going straight into a pure VA blend, go for a VA/bur since you like bur.
But that being said, with any pure va blend you get my personal recommendation is to try and get one with atleast 3-5 years of age on it. I believe it makes a huge difference. Right now I'm finishing a tin of no longer available "Raw" pipe tobacco from 6 years ago (a Va/bur prob 90 percent a 10 percent bur) , and a 5 year old tin of 4th gen 1855. Also have a tin of orlick with a couple years on it, but it needs a couple more years to shine. I honestly dont really care for fresh (less than 6 months) va, they need age!
In general, I don't like Burleys. I prefer the sweetness of Virginia. I'm happy with liking Virginias. There are a few Burley blends I like and I smoke them occasionally. There's a reason there's thousands of blends, people have different preferences. Quit trying to paddle upriver and enjoy what fits for you. There is no right or wrong aside from what is right for you.
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