This description comes from GQ Tobaccos’ website: “Every time Samuel Gawith produce on their large cakes (plugs), they have to cut off the rough edges. Rather than wasting these ‘off cuts’, they store them up and sell out as a 'Pensioners Mixture’. This tobacco is not as refined as the usual tobaccos from the Iconic Kendal factory, but offer a high quality smoke for less money than the cheap shags made for supermarkets.”
In this case, Full Virginia Flake and Best Brown Flake are the tobacco off cuts mixed together. The rich earthiness, natural sweetness spice notes from FVF meld perfectly with the mildly tangy, creamy, citrus, bread, light grass, dried fruit taste of Best Brown Flake. The contrast of how each blend is processed is more obvious at different times, and often work together in the same puff. In any event, the Best Brown does smooth out the few rough edges of the Full Virginia Flake.
Experienced smokers of these tobaccos can look into the bag or pouch and discern which flake is which, and one could “stack the deck” as to how they load the pipe to emphasize one tobacco over the other. I prefer to balance it all out so I can basically get the flavors of both in every puff. To do other wise would, in my opinion, defeat the purpose of smoking it, unless your sole purpose is to save money by buying this offering. As it is not available for sale by US vendors, the later option would only work if you live in the UK. No matter how you decide to pack your pipe, you will get the flavors of both Virginias during the smoke. That, to me, is the purpose of purchasing this Pensioners Mix.
As of now, it's not a commercial release and is only available at a couple of on-line vendors, GQ Tobaccos being one of them. If it becomes a commercial release, I can understand some smokers preferring this to smoking FVF or BBF separately. Burns slow, cool with very little moisture, you get the best qualities of both tobaccos every time.
In this case, Full Virginia Flake and Best Brown Flake are the tobacco off cuts mixed together. The rich earthiness, natural sweetness spice notes from FVF meld perfectly with the mildly tangy, creamy, citrus, bread, light grass, dried fruit taste of Best Brown Flake. The contrast of how each blend is processed is more obvious at different times, and often work together in the same puff. In any event, the Best Brown does smooth out the few rough edges of the Full Virginia Flake.
Experienced smokers of these tobaccos can look into the bag or pouch and discern which flake is which, and one could “stack the deck” as to how they load the pipe to emphasize one tobacco over the other. I prefer to balance it all out so I can basically get the flavors of both in every puff. To do other wise would, in my opinion, defeat the purpose of smoking it, unless your sole purpose is to save money by buying this offering. As it is not available for sale by US vendors, the later option would only work if you live in the UK. No matter how you decide to pack your pipe, you will get the flavors of both Virginias during the smoke. That, to me, is the purpose of purchasing this Pensioners Mix.
As of now, it's not a commercial release and is only available at a couple of on-line vendors, GQ Tobaccos being one of them. If it becomes a commercial release, I can understand some smokers preferring this to smoking FVF or BBF separately. Burns slow, cool with very little moisture, you get the best qualities of both tobaccos every time.
