For those of us who have a hard time getting FVF, fyi it's available on smokingpipes.com right now! I haven't been able to buy this stuff since it wasn't IMPOSSIBLE to get. Maybe ten years ago. Picked up a few tins, can't wait to try it out.
Full Virginia Flake
- Thread starter LakebottomPiper
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I have way too much already, so i only grabbed 10.
I have enough FVF I think, but I grabbed some Navy Flake. I may also pick up some Balkan Flake.
I think you'll enjoy it a lot! Full Virginia Flake is a lovely tobacco, and very similar to Mac Baren's HH Pure Virginia if you've had that before. The big difference is that (to me at least) the primary flavor note of Full Virginia Flake is a tea sort of flavor, a little green and a little black, whereas with HH Pure Virginia the most forward note is a bready one; like a loaf freshly baked whole meal bread cooling on the hearth. In any case, they're both very good dark Virginia flakes and well worth a try!
My only tips for Full Virginia Flake would be to give it a much longer dry time than you'd usually give a Virginia before smoking. Rub out a flake and dry it until you think it's ready to smoke, then give it another 20 minutes or half hour of drying and be prepared to still relight your pipe rather frequently. It's a bit troublesome mechanically speaking, but worth the effort!
My only tips for Full Virginia Flake would be to give it a much longer dry time than you'd usually give a Virginia before smoking. Rub out a flake and dry it until you think it's ready to smoke, then give it another 20 minutes or half hour of drying and be prepared to still relight your pipe rather frequently. It's a bit troublesome mechanically speaking, but worth the effort!
Great comparison. I tend to enjoy HH Pure Virginia more. I favor the sweet bread notes of it, and it's a lot easier to get going.I think you'll enjoy it a lot! Full Virginia Flake is a lovely tobacco, and very similar to Mac Baren's HH Pure Virginia if you've had that before. The big difference is that (to me at least) the primary flavor note of Full Virginia Flake is a tea sort of flavor, a little green and a little black, whereas with HH Pure Virginia the most forward note is a bready one; like a loaf freshly baked whole meal bread cooling on the hearth. In any case, they're both very good dark Virginia flakes and well worth a try!
My only tips for Full Virginia Flake would be to give it a much longer dry time than you'd usually give a Virginia before smoking. Rub out a flake and dry it until you think it's ready to smoke, then give it another 20 minutes or half hour of drying and be prepared to still relight your pipe rather frequently. It's a bit troublesome mechanically speaking, but worth the effort!
Agreed! HH Pure Virginia is my favorite dark Virginia flake (Sutliff 507C Virginia Slices is my favorite bright Virginia) since I really enjoy that naturally sweet breadiness, and it's very non-fussy to smoke. Most of the time I don't even need to give HH Pure Virginia any dry time, I just rub out a flake, pack it, and go. Relights are minimal too. Full Virginia Flake on the other hand is a pretty high maintenance smoke in every respect!
I thought I'd signed up for an alert but I didn't get one. Maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, if anyone hears of Samuel Gawith Black XX Twist up for sale, let me know! 
Once upon a time, I would have greeted this news with enthusiastic buying. But the new silver tins are sealed with a flimsy cellophane band and a half-hearted attempt at vacuum sealing and I have little confidence I could smoke many tins before some of them go bad.
I plan to buy a tin or two for smoking now but if they sell out before I get around to it, I will have the most "meh" of reactions.
I plan to buy a tin or two for smoking now but if they sell out before I get around to it, I will have the most "meh" of reactions.
Yeah, I picked up the FVF, Navy Flake, and Balkan Flake. All a first for me. I really look forward to the Navy for whatever reason.
Ive got a little bit of it aged. Its pretty good but I tend to like taste bombs more. Straight VA blends dont get me too excited.
None available in the UK at the moment, I'm on notification for it.I thought I'd signed up for an alert but I didn't get one. Maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, if anyone hears of Samuel Gawith Black XX Twist up for sale, let me know!
I was absolutely hooked on the Navy flake for months, managed to wean myself off it eventually. It's very tasty.
Indeed, I picked up some tins and it isn’t the same FVF that I remember from a few years ago.