Need Advice on Smoking Virginias.

[Ghosted Tamper]

If you want an exceptional VA experience without sacrificing 100% of the Latakia, try GL Pease Laurel Heights. There's merely a whisper of Latakia in the blend, but it wisps in and out, adding depth and intrigue. Phenomenal blend worth a shot to see if you'll enjoy VAs.

 

[renfield]

For pipes I much prefer a taller bowl and a group 4 size with straight Virginias. I usually rub out straight Virginias but see what works best for you.

Leave the McClelland blends for later. You’ll appreciate them more, especially if you’re coming off of a lot of Latakia blends. They’re a special and unique thing.

GL Pease Union Square would be an easily obtained quality blend with which to make the transition to straight Virginias. One tip is to open the tin and put the lid on for a week before smoking it (IME this applies to all C&D produced blends). The flavors will bloom with a chance to breathe.

Good luck and post your experiences.

 

[GreatWhiteNorthPiper]

This is a great thread. I've learned so much. Thank you to all you experienced folks for the insight. I'm salivating already!!!

 

[didimauw]

I tried for about 8 years to get into straight virginia blends. Then I gave up.
That stuff is terrible.

I just stick with my Burleys.

 

[sparker69]

I started smoking straight Virginia because I wanted to educate my palate too. But it's a slippery slope and before I knew it, over half of the tobacco that I have is either straight Virginia or some variant.
Not having as much experience as many on here, I can only offer what I've found from my own experimentation. Yes - Virginia is a subtler taste profile than English/Balkan blends - cut grass, hay, citrus notes, some sweetness. I tend to prefer it in flake form that I fold and stuff in taller narrow bowls - I find when it's folded that it tends to burn slower which helps me to keep it from getting too hot - where you lose a lot of the flavour. I don't usually dry it because what I've had hasn't really needed any drying time. Which ones do I like? Fribourg & Treyer, when I can find it is amazing! I've had the Vanner's Mixture (with a touch of Cavendish) and the Cut Blended Plug and they're both great. Capstan Blue - although a bit expensive is wonderful as well. I've tried the HH Pure Virginia - I love the HH flakes, but it isn't my first choice. There is the controversial choice of Orlik (perique or no perique?) which is a fine flake. I haven't noticed any perique in the taste, but that could just be my undeveloped taste. Close to the Capstan, but with more cirtrus notes.
And I agree with what some others have already said: Virginia is a bit more of a learning curve - in terms of packing and especially cadence. But when it all clicks in, it can be an amazing experience!
And yes - is GREATLY benefits from aging.

 

[PipeIT]

@sparker69 I’d add a dark flake like Wessex Campaign Dark Flake to your list if you haven’t tried it.

It has quite a bit of different floral and sweet notes. I find at times, slightly chocolate like, along with subtle fruit like raisin, plum notes.

Hopefully you get a good tin, because the tin I have is absolutely amazing.

 

[bullet08]

Dry GLP Union Square to right before crumbling. Loaded in smaller, tall chamber. Make sure plenty of air circulation. Light the tobacco slowly and cover all the surface. Enjoy.

 

[ParkitoATL]

I'm fairly new to Virginias myself but really starting to enjoy them, esp as so many dark-fired and perique blends just burn out my palate after 1/2 bowl.

PS Luxury Twist Flake may seem plebeian to some, but it has really been a winner for me. Lighter but not dull, still flavorful and sweet without the alkaline, aggressive edges that waste my taste buds. LTF might just be my gateway drug.

 

[sparker69]

@sparker69 I’d add a dark flake like Wessex Campaign Dark Flake to your list if you haven’t tried it.

It has quite a bit of different floral and sweet notes. I find at times, slightly chocolate like, along with subtle fruit like raisin, plum notes.

Hopefully you get a good tin, because the tin I have is absolutely amazing.

View attachment 257209

Thanks! I'll add it. A few I've been curious about were Newminster Superior Flake and Hearth & Home Bright Night.

 

[Ghosted Tamper]

Thanks! I'll add it. A few I've been curious about were Newminster Superior Flake and Hearth & Home Bright Night.

It seems like you like bright VAs, so Newminster is a no-brainer to recommend. Buy a pound and put her down for a bit; you will thank yourself for doing so. Even fresh it is a great smoke. Has a wonderful Honey Graham-like note, similar to Savinelli Brunello Flake, however SNF is straight VA. Price and availability make this an incredible addition to your cellar.

 

[solideogloria86]

I'll share my story. I came to pipes from cigars. I loved dark oily maduros. No pipe tobacco I tried had any flavor until my first bowl of properly dried nightcap. I chased Lat blends for a couple of years. VA's were always bland and one dimensional, except for McClelland Dark Star. I bought a tin of 10 year old Union Square for $15. I would try it about once every other month. Nothing happened. Bland and one dimensional. Then after about a year, and after I had smoked or given away all but two bowls worth, I tried again. That's when the magic happened. Rich, deep, toasty, bready goodness, with a hint of something like honey Graham crackers. It just happened out of the blue. Then I chased VA's of all shapes and sizes for about a year and if I smoked a Lat blend, all I could taste was Latakia, so only VA's for about 2 years. Now I'm coming back around where I enjoy Va and Latakia as long as the Latakia is on occasion. I guess the moral of the story is buy a good Va like Union Square or HH Pure Virginia and try a bowl every now and then and it just might click one day.

 

[ParkitoATL]

I'll share my story. I came to pipes from cigars. I loved dark oily maduros. No pipe tobacco I tried had any flavor until my first bowl of properly dried nightcap. I chased Lat blends for a couple of years. VA's were always bland and one dimensional, except for McClelland Dark Star. I bought a tin of 10 year old Union Square for $15. I would try it about once every other month. Nothing happened. Bland and one dimensional. Then after about a year, and after I had smoked or given away all but two bowls worth, I tried again. That's when the magic happened. Rich, deep, toasty, bready goodness, with a hint of something like honey Graham crackers. It just happened out of the blue. Then I chased VA's of all shapes and sizes for about a year and if I smoked a Lat blend, all I could taste was Latakia, so only VA's for about 2 years. Now I'm coming back around where I enjoy Va and Latakia as long as the Latakia is on occasion. I guess the moral of the story is buy a good Va like Union Square or HH Pure Virginia and try a bowl every now and then and it just might click one day.

Similar experience, I loved those big Nicaraguan toros that were 100% fire and pepper and the ultra-hopped IPAs. As I crossed the 50-year mark, suddenly none of that tasted very good to me anymore. So I've been moving towards the lighter end of the spectrum and finding so much more flavor and enjoyment without the big mouth hangover.

A wonderful English blend is PS English Luxury. It's lovely Va/BUR with a really light lick of Latakia. It has kicked Nightcap to the curb.

 

[sparker69]

It seems like you like bright VAs, so Newminster is a no-brainer to recommend. Buy a pound and put her down for a bit; you will thank yourself for doing so. Even fresh it is a great smoke. Has a wonderful Honey Graham-like note, similar to Savinelli Brunello Flake, however SNF is straight VA. Price and availability make this an incredible addition to your cellar.

I'd be curious in suggestions for some darker Virginias as well. Just not sure where to find them - with a preference for flake.

 

[kcghost]

Don't waste good tobacco that is becoming increasingly hard to find like 40th Anniversary and Christmas Cheer trying to learn Virginias. They're no longer in production so save them. Try Union Square or Wessex Campaign Flake or another other good blend to learn on. A number of us were latakia smoker until late in life when suddenly our desire for Virginias kicked in. I don't know why but it does for some of us. I suspect it has a lot to do with how we smoke tobacco. You need to develop patience with Virginias and learn to smoke them slowly. Also, keeping your Virginias pipes reserved for just Virginias is a good practice.

 

[RudyG]

I've read everyone's replies and appreciate all bar none.

Picked up a tin of Union Square and will heed all the advice that was so kindly given.

Hoping to join the Virginia aficionados.

I think it's best to hold off on the Latakia bombs and stick to Orientals when I want to change up from my Virginia lessons.

Going to have fun doing it. Once again, my thanks to everybody here at this great forum.

 

[Ghosted Tamper]

I'd be curious in suggestions for some darker Virginias as well. Just not sure where to find them - with a preference for flake.

Readily available (meaning easy to obtain most any time - not currently being produced but only found once a year) I would recommend Peterson Flake. It has Bright and Brown VAs and has a deeper, darker flavor compared to OGS and SNF, whilst still retaining some of those brighter, sweet notes to the profile. It adds some bready and earthy notes, which would be more akin to the Capstan Blue that you've smoked, though sans the top note. Kind of sits in between the afforementioned blends in flavor profile.

Another great available blend would be GL Pease Union Square. Looks to have been recommended already, and I will piggyback the recommendation. Aside the caveat of it being a broken flake, it combines Bright and Red VAs, adding a deeper sweetness to the sweet notes, along with a rich, savory, spicy tartness. Truly an exceptional smoke.

Two other darker VAs that I would highly recommend (though more patience required to acquire) are Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake and Full Virginia Flake. Not much I could say to add to their reputation. These have a deep tea-like quality to their flavor profile that I find absolutely delicious. These two are to be sought out by any respected VA smoker, IMO.

One last recommendation is Gawith Hoggarth Happy Brown Bogie. This is my all-time favorite tobacco. Provides the most "tobacco" flavor, along with enough nicotine to keep you satiated if you're a heavyweight. It will deeply seat you into your britches if you're less-than-adapted to a strong dose of nicotine. Extremely dark, earthy and deeply robust flavor profile. This description should not however be a detractor. It should be a no-holds-barred, highest recommendation for cigar smokers looking to transition into pipes and for any tobacco connoisseur. It is a twist tobacco, and I find a double guillotine cigar cutter most effective for slicing fine coins, to then be rubbed out and dried a bit before smoking.

 

[sparker69]

Readily available (meaning easy to obtain most any time - not currently being produced but only found once a year) I would recommend Peterson Flake. It has Bright and Brown VAs and has a deeper, darker flavor compared to OGS and SNF, whilst still retaining some of those brighter, sweet notes to the profile. It adds some bready and earthy notes, which would be more akin to the Capstan Blue that you've smoked, though sans the top note. Kind of sits in between the afforementioned blends in flavor profile.

Another great available blend would be GL Pease Union Square. Looks to have been recommended already, and I will piggyback the recommendation. Aside the caveat of it being a broken flake, it combines Bright and Red VAs, adding a deeper sweetness to the sweet notes, along with a rich, savory, spicy tartness. Truly an exceptional smoke.

Two other darker VAs that I would highly recommend (though more patience required to acquire) are Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake and Full Virginia Flake. Not much I could say to add to their reputation. These have a deep tea-like quality to their flavor profile that I find absolutely delicious. These two are to be sought out by any respected VA smoker, IMO.

One last recommendation is Gawith Hoggarth Happy Brown Bogie. This is my all-time favorite tobacco. Provides the most "tobacco" flavor, along with enough nicotine to keep you satiated if you're a heavyweight. It will deeply seat you into your britches if you're less-than-adapted to a strong dose of nicotine. Extremely dark, earthy and deeply robust flavor profile. This description should not however be a detractor. It should be a no-holds-barred, highest recommendation for cigar smokers looking to transition into pipes and for any tobacco connoisseur. It is a twist tobacco, and I find a double guillotine cigar cutter most effective for slicing fine coins, to then be rubbed out and dried a bit before smoking.

Thanks for those suggestions! I actually have some Peterson Flake - but have just started dipping into it and it has no age on it. I'm going to pay more attention to it on my next smoke. Union Square has been on my list.

 

[PipeIT]

I'd be curious in suggestions for some darker Virginias as well. Just not sure where to find them - with a preference for flake.

I know you asked for Dark, but let me throw some others out there too, if you haven’t had any of these.


Samuel Gawith: Full Virginia Flake & 1792 (both dark)

Former’s: Cross Grain Flake - somewhat dark at first, darkens up more with age.

Former’s: Bird’s Eye Flake, not dark, but nice.

Dan Tobacco: Hamborger Veermaster, lighter, darkens slightly with age, and a little age in it, quite nice.

John Aylesbury: Sir John’s Flake, light, but oh so nice!

Orlik: Golden Sliced, light, but very nice, at least the tin I have.

Solani: 633, light but elegant...

 

[sparker69]

I know you asked for Dark, but let me throw some others out there too, if you haven’t had any of these.


Samuel Gawith: Full Virginia Flake & 1792 (both dark)

Former’s: Cross Grain Flake - somewhat dark at first, darkens up more with age.

Former’s: Bird’s Eye Flake, not dark, but nice.

Dan Tobacco: Hamborger Veermaster, lighter, darkens slightly with age, and a little age in it, quite nice.

John Aylesbury: Sir John’s Flake, light, but oh so nice!

Orlik: Golden Sliced, light, but very nice, at least the tin I have.

Solani: 633, light but elegant...

Thanks for the suggestions! There are never too many!
The Solani - one of my very favourites, although a bit more expensive - I have two tins sitting.
The Orlik is a great one - really like it.

 

[proteus]

Slow draw, slightly looser pack to let the air flow better. Hold the smoke a bit. Virginia is definitely the slowest of the smokes. Depends on the draw hole size of your pipe so try not to pack too tight either way.

Try Newm 400, Sut 507c, and ps 402 twist flake, capstan blue which are all on my rotation with the Newm being my favorite of the bunch. It is somewhat darker than the 507c which is brighter.

More of a VA Bur and a rope not twist but very dark are the GH Irish X ropes in brown and black. Strong and dark those two. I enjoy them. You might too.