FVF NEW vs FVF AGED
FVF NEW- A flake of rich brown with light streaks.
Bag note- recognizable Virginia certainly hay like. Fresh and organic but not green or immature.
Because this was a taste test I approached this tobacco a little differently then I might normally have. If someone had said just try this I would have grabbed any old briar, rubbed it out and smoked it. Instead I cube cut the tobacco and let dry for several hours. I also smoked it in a small clay for its neutral character.
It took a couple of lights to get this blend going but it was worth it. At first this blend was instantly recognizable as a straight Virginia. It had that recognizable taste that we call hay or straw but that somehow does not do justice to that signature flavor.
Here is where it gets interesting for me, can something be sweet and savory? After I taste the signature Virginia flavor I get a secondary flavor of the subtle non-cloying natural sweetness-Then I am hit with an assertive full mouthing filling richness that makes my mouth water. I also noticed a slight mineral-earthiness I do not think I would detect in a briar.
Recognizing that those were the range of flavors I was going to get, I kicked back and developed a smoking cadence that made this a wholly enjoyable smoke.
At this point I should say I was at first uncertain the clay would work because of the small air hole but my fears were unfounded. I also tried to approach it gingerly because Virginia has a reputation for biting. I did not get any bite. I did not try to push it. Sipping, teasing and slow smoking is certainly how I got the most out of it.
I did not find this monochromatic because that would suggest this is a dull blend, it is not. I would described it as a taut tobacco.
Room note was light and pleasant when I went back to sniff my room.
FVF AGED- Dark with the light streaks replaced with plume.
Bag note of silage.
Prepared the same way. Took to flame easier then the new sample.
The Virginia taste and the sweet component were now merged into one flavor.
The full mouth feel and salivation was replaced with a tingle on the palette.
The blend was still did not bite. What I did get was the sense that the component that people would say bites helped give this matured tobacco some structure. Earthy mineral taste is still present. The mature sample may present a little more sour. This was enjoyable in a different way then the new.
Room note was still pleasant.
Take away-I can see why the blend is released when it is and why it has it fans who smoke it young. It certainly has allot going for it. The only thing I am second guessing myself on is that the mouthwatering feeling in the new blend may be that fruit component more then sour. I find it hard to imagine this is a bad smoke at any age. My smoking personality lends me to favor old tobacco even to the point where others would say a blend as gone off. So on this first go around the fresh FVF is like a Beaujolais nouveau while old sample more like a Fino.
Thanks so much ashdigger.
