Sam Gawith Burnt Ends
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Pretty much, but I've spoken to some people who took the language to mean that something else had been done to it, or that it would be different than the usual FVF in some way. Just aiming to clarify is all.
I think the Laudisi Facebook post description might be what is throwing people off. They claim the burnt ends are slightly charred as compared to the rest of the cake after heat pressing, resulting in caramelization of the sugars and a marrying of flavors in a "profoundly extraordinary format", resulting in "deeper notes" and more "well-aged characteristics"
@gawithhoggarth is there some truth to this? Do the ends that get snipped off actually get more charred during pressing, thus providing more caramelization of natural sugars, additional marrying of flavors, deeper notes, more well-aged characteristics, and a profoundly extraordinary format vs the regular FVF?
@gawithhoggarth is there some truth to this? Do the ends that get snipped off actually get more charred during pressing, thus providing more caramelization of natural sugars, additional marrying of flavors, deeper notes, more well-aged characteristics, and a profoundly extraordinary format vs the regular FVF?
I would imagine it's similar to the cigar industry when they do quality control for cigars going into a box. They want all the cigars in the box to look the same, so if one of the cigars looks off compared to the others it gets set aside to go in a second's bundle or something similar.
Or think of Cheez-Its. They now have the toasted Cheez-Its, so when the Cheez-Its are baked some get burnt, so during quality control they remove the darker (burnt ones), so all the Cheez-Its in the box are the same. Cheez-Its decided they can take these "bad" crackers and package them and sell them in a separate box full of burnt crackers instead of just throwing them out. My wife loves the Toasted Cheez-Its, and it's a very smart business decision.
So my guess for Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends, it's the tobacco flakes that came out darker from the heat press and didn't match up well with the rest of the flakes in the tin. Instead of tossing out that charred tobacco, they're re-packaging it as "Burnt Ends." Great marketing and you're not tossing out tobacco that people will still enjoy.
Or think of Cheez-Its. They now have the toasted Cheez-Its, so when the Cheez-Its are baked some get burnt, so during quality control they remove the darker (burnt ones), so all the Cheez-Its in the box are the same. Cheez-Its decided they can take these "bad" crackers and package them and sell them in a separate box full of burnt crackers instead of just throwing them out. My wife loves the Toasted Cheez-Its, and it's a very smart business decision.
So my guess for Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends, it's the tobacco flakes that came out darker from the heat press and didn't match up well with the rest of the flakes in the tin. Instead of tossing out that charred tobacco, they're re-packaging it as "Burnt Ends." Great marketing and you're not tossing out tobacco that people will still enjoy.
If it means anything, a few years back, Ken Byron sold a run of ODF burnt ends. I thought those ends had a deeper, richer flavor than the regular flakes did.
Sam's burnt ends may be good, but for my money I'll take Gates' any day of the week!
i have a bunch of the original pensioners (FVF and best brown edition). Sounds similar to this. I prefer it to both fvf and the plug. I’m not referring to the current pensioners which I think is now an actual blend.
I also prefer the st Bruno RR to the flake (again the scraps from squaring up).
I also prefer the st Bruno RR to the flake (again the scraps from squaring up).
I didn't realize until after my post(s) that both SG and GH&Co had a "Pensioners Mixture", and of course they're not the same thing, so some wires got crossed.
I figured it was just like what happens to the apple pie filling that leaks out and gets dark and crispy during baking... nothing special needed to make that happen and it's a tasty treat!
When I got mine from Paul (Larrysons) he said it was “pluggy bits of yummy stuff”. That’s all I needed to hear. It has just over a decade on it now and I’ll occasionally grab some out of the jars. Yummy stuff indeedI didn't realize until after my post(s) that both SG and GH&Co had a "Pensioners Mixture", and of course they're not the same thing, so some wires got crossed.
I love the message that I've been temporarily banned from the site. Makes me feel good about being a customer.
Atta boy
Shane and I did a pretty deep dive on this in this video:
Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends | Tasting Notes
Join Shane and Sykes as they discuss and experience the unique sweetness of Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends, available now.
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It's literally the edges of the block cut off from heat pressing. It hasn't gone through further processing, but being on the edges means that it's been processed differently from the rest of the block because it's where the tobacco is touching the hot metal. And it is distinctly different, and we think it's rather good.
But, like back meat on a turkey or (yes) burnt ends, it's the sort of thing that the guy (me in my house) in the kitchen doesn't plate nicely, but does eat with his fingers when his wife isn't looking. It's legitimately more of a project to smoke, even compared to a plug, but but it's also really tasty.
Good to know! Thanks for the clarity, Sykes! I’ll check out the video.Shane and I did a pretty deep dive on this in this video:
Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends | Tasting Notes
Join Shane and Sykes as they discuss and experience the unique sweetness of Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake Burnt Ends, available now.
It's literally the edges of the block cut off from heat pressing. It hasn't gone through further processing, but being on the edges means that it's been processed differently from the rest of the block because it's where the tobacco is touching the hot metal. And it is distinctly different, and we think it's rather good.
But, like back meat on a turkey or (yes) burnt ends, it's the sort of thing that the guy (me in my house) in the kitchen doesn't plate nicely, but does eat with his fingers when his wife isn't looking. It's legitimately more of a project to smoke, even compared to a plug, but but it's also really tasty.
Enjoyed the video! Thanks for making this happen, @swilford . Glad to hear this wasn't a one-time thing, either! 
I picked some up already along with some Full VA Plug when the website decided to play nice. That last picture in this thread makes me think I made the right decision 
Well I have not spoken to any retailers about this. And there is no one else he would have talked to as everyone on holiday.
Yes I guess so as the ends kind of squelch out of the forming plate. As for the rest well I guess that will be for the individual smoker to decide on how they decide it smokes and what characteristics it has.