Confused: What Does A Naturally Sweet Virgina Taste Like?

[geopiper]

I've been looking for an uncased, untopped virginia blend that is considered "sweet" by the masses. I like the virginias I've smoked, but I can't say I consider them as sweet as others claim they are. Maybe my palate isn't refined enough. Maybe my expectations are too high. Maybe I don't know what I'm looking for.

I've tried, Orlik GS, SG golden glow, best brown and FVF, Capstan blue, all the PS luxury flakes, Solani 633, MacB HH pure virgina, Sutliff 507-S. Probably a few others.

Just what exactly should I be tasting when I smoke what is deemed by most a "sweet" natural virginia?

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Maybe your tastebuds are just different. Not everyone tastes the exact same thing as everyone else, but for me, bright Virginias taste sweet and grassy, kind of hay-like, not that I eat hay. Sometimes I get a hint of citrus, though not as much as some other people do it seems. Reds tend to be a little less sweet for me, but a bit more caramelized and/or fruity. These are just generalizations, of course. Every blend is different, and so is every smoker.

 

[Sonorisis]

To my sensibilities, SG Best Brown, GH Best Brown #2, and Dunhill Dark Flake are all similar, sweet, and are the benchmarks I use for sweet without a lot of other stuff going on.

 

[renfield]

Sweetness in a Virginia is similar to the sweetness you can get from freshly baked bread or pastry, to my palate. It’s not heavy and sticky sweet, but light and more perceived towards the back of your mouth and on the retrohale.

Properly cured reds like McClelland did are good examples, unfortunately.

Things that are in current production seem to need a bit of age for the sweetness to become more obvious. The European Virginia blends fall more on the toasty, dark or grassy end of the spectrum than on the sweet, to me.

Blends leaning to a lot of reds are your best bet.

 

[donjgiles]

Try an ounce or so of Newminster 400 Navy Flake. Sweet, economical and .. flakey...

 

[Chasing Embers]

I've been looking for an uncased, untopped virginia blend

Unless you grow it yourself, there's no such thing. All commercially available tobaccos are cased.

Try an ounce or so of Newminster 400 Navy Flake. Sweet, economical and .. flakey...

That one's got a honey topping, but is very good.

 

[chopper]

Unfortunately I haven't tried that many straight Virginias.
From what I have tried, MacBaren Virginia #1 is my favourite.
It does have a very light sweet topping that adds to the Va's natural sweetness.

 

[sittingbear]

G.L. Pease Union Square. I'd advise making sure it's aged at least six months!

 

[BROBS]

To my sensibilities, SG Best Brown, GH Best Brown #2, and Dunhill Dark Flake are all similar, sweet, and are the benchmarks I use for sweet without a lot of other stuff going on.

These tobaccos are nothing alike.

 

[logs]

I've been looking for an uncased, untopped virginia blend that is considered "sweet" by the masses. I like the virginias I've smoked, but I can't say I consider them as sweet as others claim they are.

For straight VA the Gawith blends you're smoking are about as sweet any I can think of--particularly FVF. It's generally a subtle kind of sweetness; not cupcake sweet. It's more something you notice over time and it might depend on the pipe you're using and how you smoke. Try directing the smoke to different areas of your tongue to detect different flavors.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Needs Age.
Even if you can't taste it, the smell coming out of a jar of two year old Virginia blend will probably be enough to convince you that you are tasting it (smell being most of what we experience in "Taste").

Cellar a jar of reputable Virginia blend three or four times a year for two years, then after time is up you'll get to see what age does to flavor at every stage.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

Or if you want a shortcut I'd get some Sutliff Elizabethan Match: Sutliff Bulk: DUNHILL MATCH VICTORIA (ELIZABETHAN) BLEND - https://4noggins.com/sutliff-altadis-bulk-dunhill-elizabethan-match-blend.html
This stuff is artificially flavored and not exactly like an aged tobacco but I think it's in the same ballpark, and the cut of the blend makes this a very easy going smoke.

 

[Chasing Embers]

Or if you want a shortcut I'd get some Sutliff Elizabethan Match: Sutliff Bulk: DUNHILL MATCH VICTORIA (ELIZABETHAN) BLEND - https://4noggins.com/sutliff-altadis-bulk-dunhill-elizabethan-match-blend.html
This stuff is artificially flavored and not exactly like an aged tobacco but I think it's in the same ballpark, and the cut of the blend makes this a very easy going smoke.

No artificial flavoring in that one.

 

[frozenchurchwarden]

No artificial flavoring in that one.

If Elizabethan Match is actually free of toppings then it's just outright the best Virginia blend I've ever smoked (with the caveat it's actually a VaPer not just Virginia, but most people don't significantly differentiate between the two).

In my tasting notes the flavor of Elizabethan Match is described as "almost cloying".

 

[Country Bladesmith]

(with the caveat it's actually a VaPer not just Virginia, but most people don't significantly differentiate between the two).

I know I don’t. A little Perique is just like a little pepper on a steak. It’s still steak in my book.

 

[briarbuck]

It's taken me the better part of 5 years to barely starting to really understand the nuances of various tobaccos. Depth of knowledge only comes through time and experience. I still consider myself a nube as compared to most of you salty dogs.

 

[logs]

Needs Age.

No. That's not needed to taste sweetness in a VA.

 

[dquisenberry]

I get sweetness from red Virginia based blends.

 

[virginialover]

Yellow: citrus
Golden: grassy
Brown: hay
Red: Sweet brioche

I don't smoke Red Virginia by itself but I like it a lot as a condiment for other Virginias.

 

[stokesdale]

Don't listen to people that tell you it tastes like 'hay' or 'freshly cut grass' or 'a fresh loaf of bread' etc...no one, i'm sure, has ever smoked hay, grass or bread (and I grow hay for a living). Sweet is a relative term...if what you are smoking tastes sweeter than an untopped uncased burley, then its sweet, if it doesn't, it's not. 90% of what I smoke are pure or nearly pure virginias and they do tend to be relatively sweeter on average than other types of leaf...that's about the size of it...it's not rocket science.