Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake

[cortezattic]

it was good to re-read the banter

Ditto, Cosmic; but your last comment was among the most insightful.

 

[yazamitaz]

I have to agree Cortez

 

[layinpipe]

Just put a big tobacco order in with Smoking Pipes and in it will be my first date with FVF, amongst a list of other (mostly flake) highly acclaimed baccy. Getting my Moretti Morta Poker in the mail today as well, so i might have to pair the two up!

 

[yabo71]

FVF is some great stuff. It typically benefits from a good hour or so of drying time but there are some folks who prefer the flakes a bit on the damp side. I usually smoke aros as well but FVF is one non aro I enjoy

 

[tom12]

Got some that I put in a jar six months ago, may have to grab my CC general and try it out again.

 

[fadingdaylight]

I tried this for the first time about a week ago. I noticed as soon as I opened it that was very damp, with an almost musty odor. I rubbed two flakes and left it to dry on some tin foil overnight. It was fairly crispy in the.morning, but smoked well and tasted great.

 

[rmbittner]

I would have a very hard time picking a favorite straight VA between Full Virginia Flake, Dunhill Flake, and Rattray's Old Gowrie. But I might have to give the edge to FVF.
Bob

 

[wnghanglow]

I miss Rothnh, the anonymous poster above. His taste were always comparable to mine and he always had a few suggestions. I am not sure if anyone above mentioned but it's hard to see if a flake is dry all the way through, which could lead to a moist smoke.

 

[hotshot]

Well I just finished a very good bowl of SG FVF. It is really my first very successful experience with it. Much thanks to this thread for helping me learn to prepare and smoke it. I rubbed out two flakes and let it sit on a plate in the sunroom for a couple of hours, then rubbed it out a little more. I loaded up my 37 yr old GBD and I'm telling you I had a very enjoyable smoke. I had to relight a good bit but I was reading and watching TV while smoking it so my attention was not always on keeping it lit. But folks, it was good.

Question, I had enough fron what I rubbed and dried out to prob get another bowl of smoke, so I dumped it back in the FVF tin, is that ok? Should I store this another way? I keep my Black Gold and English blends in mason jars, should I do the same with these Virginia Flakes?

 

[saltedplug]

Prime VA flake such as FVF is fine to smoke fresh but sublime with age. I've got a number of pounds in the cellar but won't smoke any until at least two years, more probably 5+.

 

[halfy]

I was NEVER able to rub out FVF without getting mad. Neither was I able to keep it lit until I completely dried the whole tin in anger (opened and put it in a very dry room for a week or two).
This thing always burns like a watermelon. Even I rubbed it to fine single layers on 1-2mm scale (takes an hour for a flake) and dried it out till I felt no moisture.
Nor could I feel it enjoyable until the last third of a bowl.
Can any FVF lover tell me how you deal with it?

 

[yazamitaz]

FVF is a funny creature; so much so that I bought a 250g box back in September 2013, jarred it up, and haven't touched it since. I am not intimidated by it, I just want it to mellow out a bit BEFORE I start smoking it. I bought 250g of its little brother, BBF in February 2014 and that guy is still in the sealed box. I will jar it soon, but guidance that I have received from many of you is that it is a finicky flake. I have many other tobaccos open at the moment so I don't mind letting them rest a bit. I will approach them soon and hope the wait was worth it.

 

[fadingdaylight]

This stuff has become my favorite blend. I am planning on picking up a 250g tin as soon as I can. The trick is pretty simple, open it up, pull out a few flakes. Let them dry for a few hours, then rub them down as well as you can. It will still be kinda moist. Then leave the rubbed flake sitting out over night. By morning, it will be crisp. Rub it down just a touch more, just to thin out any spots that didn't break up right. Pack it in a narrow chambered pipe. This stuff is amazing, I can't get enough of it.