-Sammy G Va Flakes-
L-R: Golden Glow, Best Brown Flake, Full Virginia Flake
Ever since reading Samuel Gawith's Golden Glow, Best Brown Flake, and Full Virginia Flake were all the same blend of tobaccos with varying amounts of heat and time in the press in a post by @bent1 on a recent thread about Golden Glow:
I wanted to compare them.
I was already familiar with Golden Glow but had yet to try the other two SG Classics. When @BROBS generously hooked me up with a VA flake sampler that included BBF and FVF, I figured now is as good a time as any.
All blends were dried fully to a springy but not crispy consistency. Flakes were rubbed out to roughly the same mix of ribbons and flake chunks as Golden Glow.
Peterson Army Mount Billiard was broken down, paper towel reamed, swabbed with q-tip and pipe cleaner, and cooled between smokes.
Golden Glow:
One easy light, and we're smoking- The flavor is bright and a bit sharp. I pick up citrus, sugarcane, hay, cream, toffee, sweet black tea, and bread.
Relight after 1 hr- Half baked bread, sour mash, cereal grain, sweet feed, caramel.
Final relight/bottom 3rd- Earth, baking spices, cinnamon raisin toast, prune, brown sugar.
Slightly bitter, woody, ashy, cigarette-ish note toward the end.
Summary- Grassy sweet, cereal, citrusy, straight forward Va that finishes toasty and woody with wisps of dried fruits. Cooler than most American or Danish VAs, but will warm up quickly if stoked hard.
Best Brown Flake:
Charring light- Sweet. Bread. Malt. Instantly recognize more depth and sweetness.
True light- Easy enough to light. I get deep whole-grain bread, sweet woody maple sugar, toasted almond, Irish Breakfast tea, marzipan, maple latte, MaryJane candies. As it smokes down it gets maltier and picks up more mocha notes. Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Whoppers malt balls.
Relight- Relighting brings toasted marshmallow. The whole s'mores experience kicks in with graham crackers and a hint of cocoa. More marzipan. Ferro Rocher.
Final light after almost an hour- Dawn at the campsite. Cowboy coffee.
Summary- Tastes "Brown" in all the best ways. Burns easy and clean. Pretty surprised by the depth and range of flavors. This could easily be an all day/every day smoke.
Full Virginia Flake:
Charring light- Deep, dark sweetness.
2nd char- a roasty note, darker bread.
3rd char...- more of above.
True light- Finally! Not easy to get burning but holds on once lit. I pick up some french roast notes. Dark chocolate, earth, silky pinot noir, muddy creek bank.
Relight- Slightly burnt fruitcake, hint of dried figs and dates. Flamed orange zest. Cola-nut?
Final relight after half an hour- Ambiguous machine made cigar-like note in the background, stewed dark fruits, wheat toast crust, turns bitter just as I reach a slightly damp heel.
Summary- Roasty, toasty, silky and smooth. Subtle flavor. Tbh, I expected more fruit and sweetness. Nice satiny texture to the smoke.
Comparison. The tobaccos don't jump out as being obviously the same blend, although they do seem to lead from one into the next with a little overlap. The very bottom of a bowl of GG tastes a bit like the start of BBF and the end of a bowl of BBF has some of the qualities of FVF.
GG seemed bright and fresh and paired well with coffee. I could see it being a good hot weather smoke. I expected FVF to be my clear favorite but BBF surprised me with more pop and a nice malty-sweet flavor. Descriptive superlatives just flowed when taking notes on BBF. It's nice when the flavors come to you instead of having to search for them. I appreciate the subtlety of FVF but it left me wanting something more.
All three could certainly have a spot in the rotation, but if I had to pick one to cellar it'd be Best Brown, hands down. ?
I have to say, this was a fun and educational little journey through Lakeland's most iconic Virginia flakes that really showed me the power of those ancient steam presses!
L-R: Golden Glow, Best Brown Flake, Full Virginia Flake
Ever since reading Samuel Gawith's Golden Glow, Best Brown Flake, and Full Virginia Flake were all the same blend of tobaccos with varying amounts of heat and time in the press in a post by @bent1 on a recent thread about Golden Glow:
I wanted to compare them.
I was already familiar with Golden Glow but had yet to try the other two SG Classics. When @BROBS generously hooked me up with a VA flake sampler that included BBF and FVF, I figured now is as good a time as any.
All blends were dried fully to a springy but not crispy consistency. Flakes were rubbed out to roughly the same mix of ribbons and flake chunks as Golden Glow.
Peterson Army Mount Billiard was broken down, paper towel reamed, swabbed with q-tip and pipe cleaner, and cooled between smokes.
Golden Glow:
One easy light, and we're smoking- The flavor is bright and a bit sharp. I pick up citrus, sugarcane, hay, cream, toffee, sweet black tea, and bread.
Relight after 1 hr- Half baked bread, sour mash, cereal grain, sweet feed, caramel.
Final relight/bottom 3rd- Earth, baking spices, cinnamon raisin toast, prune, brown sugar.
Slightly bitter, woody, ashy, cigarette-ish note toward the end.
Summary- Grassy sweet, cereal, citrusy, straight forward Va that finishes toasty and woody with wisps of dried fruits. Cooler than most American or Danish VAs, but will warm up quickly if stoked hard.
Best Brown Flake:
Charring light- Sweet. Bread. Malt. Instantly recognize more depth and sweetness.
True light- Easy enough to light. I get deep whole-grain bread, sweet woody maple sugar, toasted almond, Irish Breakfast tea, marzipan, maple latte, MaryJane candies. As it smokes down it gets maltier and picks up more mocha notes. Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale. Whoppers malt balls.
Relight- Relighting brings toasted marshmallow. The whole s'mores experience kicks in with graham crackers and a hint of cocoa. More marzipan. Ferro Rocher.
Final light after almost an hour- Dawn at the campsite. Cowboy coffee.
Summary- Tastes "Brown" in all the best ways. Burns easy and clean. Pretty surprised by the depth and range of flavors. This could easily be an all day/every day smoke.
Full Virginia Flake:
Charring light- Deep, dark sweetness.
2nd char- a roasty note, darker bread.
3rd char...- more of above.
True light- Finally! Not easy to get burning but holds on once lit. I pick up some french roast notes. Dark chocolate, earth, silky pinot noir, muddy creek bank.
Relight- Slightly burnt fruitcake, hint of dried figs and dates. Flamed orange zest. Cola-nut?
Final relight after half an hour- Ambiguous machine made cigar-like note in the background, stewed dark fruits, wheat toast crust, turns bitter just as I reach a slightly damp heel.
Summary- Roasty, toasty, silky and smooth. Subtle flavor. Tbh, I expected more fruit and sweetness. Nice satiny texture to the smoke.
Comparison. The tobaccos don't jump out as being obviously the same blend, although they do seem to lead from one into the next with a little overlap. The very bottom of a bowl of GG tastes a bit like the start of BBF and the end of a bowl of BBF has some of the qualities of FVF.
GG seemed bright and fresh and paired well with coffee. I could see it being a good hot weather smoke. I expected FVF to be my clear favorite but BBF surprised me with more pop and a nice malty-sweet flavor. Descriptive superlatives just flowed when taking notes on BBF. It's nice when the flavors come to you instead of having to search for them. I appreciate the subtlety of FVF but it left me wanting something more.
All three could certainly have a spot in the rotation, but if I had to pick one to cellar it'd be Best Brown, hands down. ?
I have to say, this was a fun and educational little journey through Lakeland's most iconic Virginia flakes that really showed me the power of those ancient steam presses!
