I was a VA lover for many years but three years ago I suddenly lost my taste for VA. I remember one evening I was enjoying a delicious bowl of Scottish flake. The next afternoon on lunch I had another bowl of SF but it tasted terrible, like tar and burning plastic. Nothing changed either. I’m healthy, extremely, have a very clean and strict diet, am on no medications and have no issues with tasting other things. I’ve tried everything: cleaning my pipes, drying my tobacco, sipping, breath method, different VAs, etc. At this point, three years later I’m exhausted with it and am throwing in the towel… for now… luckily there’s tons of other delicious tobaccos that I can fill my cellar with like English and Burley blends. Oh well… I’ll give it a shot in a few years again.
I Think I’m Finally Throwing in the Towel with Virginias
- Thread starter fishmansf
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Well, that’s unusual, in that we do not typically read admissions such as this. It is often the other way around, with pipe smokers gravitating towards Virginia as they increase their appreciation of them. But, it is your own taste and preference that matters. And you have plenty of alternatives from which to choose.
I'm shocked that you've persisted for three years! Were that me, I'd have moved on much sooner tbh.
I went the other way, English to Virginia. I’m glad that you are able to make peace with it and move on to other tobaccos and can continue to enjoy smoking. I can help you dispose of those nasty Virginias 
Just be sure to not throw anything away...Maybe three more years, maybe ten, you can come back to the VA's you've cellared and find what you've lost...
Tastes can certainly change over time. Early on, for the first few years of pipe smoking, I was not a fan of Virginias. There were precious few that I could smoke or enjoy. Then I drifted toward cigars for many years - never gave up pipes, but smoked far more cigars. When I came back to more consistent pipe smoking I found that my taste for Virginias has completely changed, and I now enjoy them quite a lot. Strange. Can't explain it, but thankfully there is a huge variety of pipe tobacco blends out there for virtually every taste.
Absolutely not, whatever I have in my cellar stays and will age. I will revisit in a few years.
The only other variable I have not tried is trying VA's without Perique. OGS was always my favorite VA blend and while it supposedly contains trace amounts of perique, it has been one of the few VA's I regularly enjoy. I haven't tried it in a year or so though as it is in my out of state cellar but when I am back home, I will crack a tin and see if that one has diminished according to my palate as well.
I gave up on pure Virginia blends years ago. I really want to enjoy them, but they all burn my mouth like no other. If it's not a burley blend, I dont want it.
The burley blend i like the most, is Briar Fox. And that one has the most virginia mixed in with it (out of all the blends I've tried).
CD burley blends, are what got me to like a little bit of latakia as well.
The burley blend i like the most, is Briar Fox. And that one has the most virginia mixed in with it (out of all the blends I've tried).
CD burley blends, are what got me to like a little bit of latakia as well.
I find that often pipe tobaccos just taste different to me at a different times. Sometimes whole styles do this sometimes just a blend. I just roll with it.
English for example either are great or not depending on the day.
English for example either are great or not depending on the day.
Straight Virginias have always tasted like cigarettes to me. No matter the brand/blend. I have a few tins in the cellar for guests who might want some in the future, but the closest I get to one for myself is Orlik.
I wouldn't consider Scottish Flake a straight virginia, you having the same experience with straight Virginias? Regardless, if Virginia blends aren't doing it for you, move on. I admire your persistence but gimme to find something you do enjoy. If you have some sealed time of straight Virginias you want to trade, I likely have some other blends types of consider trading you. PM me.
What is it with autocorrect changing "tins" to "time"? It's mad for it, like tins is a banned word. "Timebids".
Virginias are my favorite.....or maybe Latakia blends are my favorite.
I guess it depends on the day.
Ive never really had a favorite anything....except my wife....she's the best....so far. She's the first also.
Every time I find a great Virginia I think THIS is my favorite. Until my next bowl of Balkan, now THIS is my favorite.
I guess it depends on the day.
Ive never really had a favorite anything....except my wife....she's the best....so far. She's the first also.
Every time I find a great Virginia I think THIS is my favorite. Until my next bowl of Balkan, now THIS is my favorite.
Careful, some people here will tell you its piss flavored and you’re a troglodyte for liking it. You certainly dont want to mess with them and their opinions.
I avoid smoking straight bright virginias expecially those from Mc Barens but I'm ok with Orlik Golden Sliced and Reiner Long Gold