I'm glad I didn't try that first, I really enjoy Virginia's from the start but my first blends were Newminister Navy and PS Luxury Twist.
Me and Virginia Tobacco
- Thread starter DanWil84
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Try Meistermischung #88, Ascanian #1 and/or #2, Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake (when it gets back in stock), HU EdwardG, Louisiana Broken Flake, and since you like some burley in your Virginia, try HU Nashville County. Most of these have some Perique in them. The Meistermischung doesn't, nor does the Gawith Full Virginia Flake.
You've been bit by the infamous MacBite. Revisit it in 6 to 7 years and the bit should be gone.
You've been bit by the infamous MacBite. Revisit it in 6 to 7 years and the bit should be gone.
I'll add my standards here. Don't dry Virginia's out, unless they really need it. IMO dry Virginia's are harsh and they lose their subtleties, and burn hotter. MacB no.1 should be perfect to smoke without drying. There are exceptions. Especially in a meer though, dont dry tobacco out...I really don't know why that's become so popular ??
Move on and come back to it down the road. Why fight something you're trying to enjoy. A very old Chinese saying goes "Fuck That!" ( only they say it in Chinese )... ? 
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Because it’s the moisture that “steams” the tongue!
C&D Opening Night would be a good choice and I do believe available through SP EU.
which is oddly the opposite experience I've had. I find dried virginias more nuanced and less bite prone. You just have to take it slowly. Which is why they can get bad is when they're dry they can really catch fire. When you get the hang of dry though it's easier to control. For example you barely need the flame to be drawn toward the tobacco for it to combust perfectly.
Funny, I had this same thought last night. They just don't have the flavor profile that I'm looking for. And at this point I don't care about the reason - maybe the way I'm smoking etc. I pack and smoke how I smoke. If it doesn't speak to me it doesn't speak to me. I'm done chasing for now. I have a handful of blends that match me and I'm fine with that. There also are few I think I'd buy to try. Id like to try Black Frigate, also McClelland Yenidje if I can find and afford some. Other than that, don't think I'll be buying outside my go tos for a while.
Let’s not forget Stoving.
- @DanWil84—————————————-
Heat oven to use 190F
Place tobacco you want to stove in a jar.
Take a sheet of aluminum foil and use that in place of the jar lid. (this is so that the jar won't blow under pressure from heating, as the foil doesn't seal)
Screw ring down over aluminum foil.
Place jar in oven for whatever amount of time you wish. Most folks will stove somewhere between 2-4 hours.
Remove jar from oven and with an oven mitt or some other heat resistant aid, unscrew the trim ring.
Quickly replace the foil with the jar lid and screw down tight. It's important to do this as fast as possible so as not to allow all the humidity that has built up in the jar to escape.
Allow the tobacco to set for at least 24 hours before opening so that it can re-absorb the moisture that was driven out with the heat. Some recommend at least a week before opening to fully equalize and let the tobacco settle down.
P.S. If anyone has any better stoving methods, please share.
I'm a burley devotee but have slowly come to appreciate Virginias and Va/Pers, as a change of pace and a regular part of my rotation. They have a lot of nuance on their own, and do excellently as a condiment to burley and in the vast array of English blends. It sounds like you're trying too hard, but you have the right idea with Virginia and burley mixed blends, and some unflavored black Cavendish makes a good third component. Don't push yourself, and I think you'll come around to enjoying Virginia leaf in your own way. I did.
Everyone's different when it comes to moisture level. I know what you mean. If you dry the tobacco too long, they do turn harsh. But, there is a certain point where dryness brings out the best in tobacco, at least pipe tobacco. And Va is very forgiving with that range. Crisp around the edge works great for me.
Because it works. I get a lot more nuances in Virginia blends when they're dried to just shy of bone dry than I do straight from the tin. I don't dry them out completely. There's more intense flavor in a reduction than in a thin broth.
There are exceptions. Doblone d'Oro doesn't need any drying. D&R blends need no drying. Most of the H&H blends need little to no drying because they're tinned at the optimum moisture. On the flip side, Samuel Gawith blends are sopping wet.
What's funny is I didn't really like Doblone too much until I let it get insanely dry. Now it just smokes wonderfully. It could all be in my head but it seems coins and flakes don't lose too much when dried to a fragile state.
It's whatever works for you. I didn't start out drying my tobaccos. I just loaded them up straight from the tin or pouch without questioning it. Over the years I started experimenting with different moisture levels and found that, in general, Virginias provided many more flavors when dried down. Doblone d'Oro has much more going on in it than Virginia, so it may do fine when crisp. I find it's good as tinned.
I've only had one tin and at the start it got weirdly funky at times. Like road tar funky. No idea if the drying has much to do with not getting that effect but it's much more enjoyable when it doesn't suddenly get weird and the drying hasn't seemed to harm any of it's other qualities. I used to religiously avoid drying tobacco until I did it by accident and found it smokes more agreeably for me. I don't really dry it though except for cracking a tin and waiting a week before smoking it. More accurately I don't stop it from drying.
But certain aromatics and VAs seem to agree the most with drying. What aros? Ones that have surprisingly good tobacco that is nearly 100 percent obscured by topping.
Unfortunately, Doblone 'Oro is another blend that has been
That's certainly how these things work. As long as it's not ruined I can live with it. Like when Drum changed hands. It became unsmokable and the worst part is it wasn't the tobacco but the papers. But gosh darn if I buy rolling tobacco I shouldn't have to buy decent papers unless it just doesn't come with them.
Virginia tobacco Burns very hot. If you don't dry it some reasonable amount, steam will be generated when you smoke it causing some bite. I probably smoke mine a bit wetter than most but I almost always pop a tin and let it sit a week or two before smoking it. If you prefer yours without crying, have a happy. But I think you'd enjoy it more by drying it out a reasonable amount.
I too have found that Virginias tend to get a bit foul when wet, but pack very loose, and slow down so far that you think you're backing up.
The Mac V1 is a bit bitey, but if you have a P'lip, that can be easily avoided.
The Mac V1 is a bit bitey, but if you have a P'lip, that can be easily avoided.