I don't enjoy straight Virginias. For some reason they always seem very bland and lacking flavor. On the other hand, I enjoy VaPers very much. I guess the perique they have gives me and my two taste buds enough kick.
Straight Virginia's
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To be clear, this isn't a saying that I came up with, it's one that I read somewhere, perhaps in a review."Hot air blowing over mouldering grass clippings" is one of my favorite comments after being disappointed by a straight Virginia.
I found that for me, where I live-the weather affects my preferences. Take it with a grain of salt as I’m very new to all this, but heavier flavors (as heavier meals) are much less appealing as the desert heats up.
Now that the low temps overnight are only dropping to the high sixties/low seventies and the highs are getting into the nineties/hundreds, I only smoke maybe one or two bowls a week of light aros, only in the evening (and even then I find myself cutting them with Va’s). Daytime smokes working outside are mainly Va’s, with VaPers mixed in. When it was sweatshirt weather or cooler, I smoked just the opposite, no straight Va’s at all, VaPers/balkans during the day mixed with some burley Aro’s and hearty flavorful aros at night.
I’m learning to just smoke what I like, when I like.
All I know is I personally haven’t found a time for solid Lat bombs.
Now that the low temps overnight are only dropping to the high sixties/low seventies and the highs are getting into the nineties/hundreds, I only smoke maybe one or two bowls a week of light aros, only in the evening (and even then I find myself cutting them with Va’s). Daytime smokes working outside are mainly Va’s, with VaPers mixed in. When it was sweatshirt weather or cooler, I smoked just the opposite, no straight Va’s at all, VaPers/balkans during the day mixed with some burley Aro’s and hearty flavorful aros at night.
I’m learning to just smoke what I like, when I like.
All I know is I personally haven’t found a time for solid Lat bombs.
And yes, drying/rubbing out, and learning not to overpack Va’s has completely changed my experience with them for the better.
If you're used to the big flavors of Oriental leaf, Virginia is going to come across as pretty faint, at least initially. There's a period of adjustment, learning how to get the best out of Virginias. Smoke them too fast and they will incinerate both your pipe and your tongue. Smoke them too wet and there's no there there, just a bunch of hot air.
I had to revise my approach to smoking as Virginias are not as forgiving as English blends. But I've found the change to be entirely worth it and I now smoke Virginias or VaPers about 95% of the time, and can appreciate the subtleties they bring. Matured Red Virginia offers me the biggest flavors, and I like dark and brown Virginias as well, and sometimes I like the very citrusy flavors of lemon or bright Virginia.
It takes time to adjust your palette.
When I gave up salt for health reasons, food seemed to have no flavor, but as my palette adjusted I came to appreciate subtle natural flavors and now find that when I eat at a restaurant all I can taste is the salt that gets poured onto food because most people are used to a lot of salt.
I had to revise my approach to smoking as Virginias are not as forgiving as English blends. But I've found the change to be entirely worth it and I now smoke Virginias or VaPers about 95% of the time, and can appreciate the subtleties they bring. Matured Red Virginia offers me the biggest flavors, and I like dark and brown Virginias as well, and sometimes I like the very citrusy flavors of lemon or bright Virginia.
It takes time to adjust your palette.
When I gave up salt for health reasons, food seemed to have no flavor, but as my palette adjusted I came to appreciate subtle natural flavors and now find that when I eat at a restaurant all I can taste is the salt that gets poured onto food because most people are used to a lot of salt.
I almost exclusively smoke straight Virginia Flakes. Love the sweet flavors. If you smoke them too fast to where they become htoo hot, they start to taste ashy and bitter. They aren't for everyone, no rule that says you must like Virginia tobacco.
Boring, hot, bite, that is certainly smoking style, as Chasing pointed out.
The PH balance of VAs is the worst, especially Bright or Red VAs.
Dry them out crispy, depending on the blend, especially if it’s a Flake, or PG added drying times can vary.
Now, I’m not talking bone dry, it turns to dust, just dry it, until it becomes crispy, and in time, when you pinch a clump between your fingers and squeeze it, you will be able to gauge/feel the moisture, if any left.
Next as pointed out, don’t pack to tight. I personally Gravity Pack, sprinkling a little pinch at a time, each time filling, tapping the pipe to help it settle. Then when it reaches the top, gently pressing down, and I do mean gentle, to ever so slightly pack it.
Now, when you go to smoke, and it won’t stay lit, just use the weight of the tamper, to ever gently allow it to pack.
Last note, so many people want to keep pipes lit and don’t want to relight.
But, complex blends, with a lot of flavors and nuances going on, under constant fire and heat, will loose their complexity.
So, if you have a complex blend, or with VAs, barely light them, just so you can take a few small sips, then let the pipe go out and cool all the way down, then relight over, repeating like this, and you are then going to taste a lot, if it’s a good blend.
With a nice dry blend, packed just right, in time, you will be able to keep it lit longer, but a minute or two, is all I have found is good. Beyond this, I also find the blends starting to loose it’s profile, because of to much fire/heat going on.
Check out the last reply I made, I found some really great info on Bite.
I’m like hoosier, I smoke exclusively VAs now, and if you get the good ones, WOW, they are amazing!
Bread, honey, graham, grass, hay, various floral and citrus notes, sometimes smoky/woody tones, these are just a few to name, it can really depend a lot on the blending of the VA. Sometimes I have also noticed Kentucky notes, and the ever so presence of very faint smoky like Latakia.
Next, introduce Perique, and you have another world, of raisins, plums, as natural flavors and like stewed fruit, and nice pepper notes.
Good VAs and VAPers have a lot of profile to them.
Enjoy!
The PH balance of VAs is the worst, especially Bright or Red VAs.
Dry them out crispy, depending on the blend, especially if it’s a Flake, or PG added drying times can vary.
Now, I’m not talking bone dry, it turns to dust, just dry it, until it becomes crispy, and in time, when you pinch a clump between your fingers and squeeze it, you will be able to gauge/feel the moisture, if any left.
Next as pointed out, don’t pack to tight. I personally Gravity Pack, sprinkling a little pinch at a time, each time filling, tapping the pipe to help it settle. Then when it reaches the top, gently pressing down, and I do mean gentle, to ever so slightly pack it.
Now, when you go to smoke, and it won’t stay lit, just use the weight of the tamper, to ever gently allow it to pack.
Last note, so many people want to keep pipes lit and don’t want to relight.
But, complex blends, with a lot of flavors and nuances going on, under constant fire and heat, will loose their complexity.
So, if you have a complex blend, or with VAs, barely light them, just so you can take a few small sips, then let the pipe go out and cool all the way down, then relight over, repeating like this, and you are then going to taste a lot, if it’s a good blend.
With a nice dry blend, packed just right, in time, you will be able to keep it lit longer, but a minute or two, is all I have found is good. Beyond this, I also find the blends starting to loose it’s profile, because of to much fire/heat going on.
Check out the last reply I made, I found some really great info on Bite.
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I’m like hoosier, I smoke exclusively VAs now, and if you get the good ones, WOW, they are amazing!
Bread, honey, graham, grass, hay, various floral and citrus notes, sometimes smoky/woody tones, these are just a few to name, it can really depend a lot on the blending of the VA. Sometimes I have also noticed Kentucky notes, and the ever so presence of very faint smoky like Latakia.
Next, introduce Perique, and you have another world, of raisins, plums, as natural flavors and like stewed fruit, and nice pepper notes.
Good VAs and VAPers have a lot of profile to them.
Enjoy!
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Straight Virginia and VaPers are my favorite tobaccos...but not at first. It took me awhile to really appreciate what they offer and to find the flavors hidden within them. Others have made excellent suggestions on how to go about developing that. I'll just add that you might revisit Virginia blends after a year or so and find that you like them...or maybe not, who knows. I did and now Virginias make the overwhelming majority of my cellar. YMMV. We all have different tastes and that okay 
Like beer, Virginias are proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
Sutliff 507C slices are Little Slices of Heaven, and they are possibly the simplest of virgina tobaccos.
Sutliff 507C slices are Little Slices of Heaven, and they are possibly the simplest of virgina tobaccos.
I remember early on in my journey I didn't understand straight VA. I was mostly smoking Orientals and lat blends. Then I learned to smoke alot slower and cooler, correcting my cadence. This was the "ah-ha" moment of Virginias for me. Burned hot, they taste like a cigarette or just harsh.
YMMV
YMMV
For me it was def worth the lessons (hard lessons won with some tongue bite) on how to load and smoke Virginias, loading, cadence, thinking smoking meats low and slow, i enjoy the subtle notes, being able to pick out what sweetness each blend brings, white sugar, honey, molasses, different blends have subtle differences, i usually switch back and forth between VA and VaPers depending on the mood. I'm about 99.99% Virginias at this point.
I enjoy Virginias and vapers greatly as my smoking technique has improved. I also dry them to a fairly crispy state. For a while, I was smoking Burleys primarily but would keep circling back to Virginia forward blends, then at some point, it clicked. Hopefully, you too will discover the joy that is Virginia pipe tobacco. If you don't, there is still joy in other genres.
At this point, I smoke Virginia forward blends about 80% of the time. Opening Nights, HH Pure Virginia, Elizabethan Mixture, the Capstans, Old Gowrie, Union Square, and Fillmore are among the favorites.
At this point, I smoke Virginia forward blends about 80% of the time. Opening Nights, HH Pure Virginia, Elizabethan Mixture, the Capstans, Old Gowrie, Union Square, and Fillmore are among the favorites.
If I was to start, (I'm not, so don't get excited) I thought straight Virginias might be the way to go. Capstan blue or Peterson Flake.
I know gloopy aromatics are a common error for newbies. But without having any experience, I don't really know. Probably never will.
I know gloopy aromatics are a common error for newbies. But without having any experience, I don't really know. Probably never will.
If you're getting a boring and bity experience you're smoking it way too fast. I used to feel like you, they tasted like nothing but burning leaves. However, I had to slow my cadence waaaaaaay down, I am talking 6-7 second slooooow draws and waiting three to four breaths between each draw. VA's are very delicate and temperamental, meaning you have to take your time smoking them or they will bite and burn too hot. I've experimented and found a few things that have helped me enjoy VA's:
1. I never let go of the pipe - Clenching in my experience has caused me to draw too hard and too frequently. Holding the pipe in my mouth makes me draw much slower and intentionally.
2. 5-3 rule - A very sloooooow 5 second draw minimum and at least three breaths in between each draw.
3. Retrohale - towards the last 2/3 or 1/2 of a bowl I can start to lose flavor in the mouth and can only detect flavor on the retrohale but when you do, it's glorious.
4. Pipe stem shouldn't "enter" your mouth - not everyone will agree with this one but I found if I hold the stem against my lips rather than putting it in my mouth and draw, it is a much cooler, savory, and pleasant smoke since less smoke is coming in and the smoke that is coming in is cool. If you're not sure what I am talking about, watch the way that Matches860 used to smoke, he never put the stem in his mouth but held the pipe against his lips.
The other alternative is that you might simply not like VA's and that is okay
. The above tips are only for you if you are actively trying to get into VA's.
I think as pipe smokers, as I smoke for the sole purpose of tastes, and only wanting to smoke complex blends with a lot of various flavors going on, and also not experience any mouth irritation or tongue bite, that the terms, fast, slow, and cadence, isn’t the only way to be looking at this.
Fire, heat, and volume I believe are more important, and I’ll explain.
Think about it like this, when you think of the words Sip and Gulp, what come to mind?
Because with a pipe smoking VAs, you can sip slow, or fast.
The speed doesn’t matter, it’s the amount, because when you take a big draw, that typically causes the ember inside the chamber to start glowing, creating more heat and fire, and these are the problems with VAs, or any complex blend, to much fire and heat.
I barely light the pipe, only enough to take a few sips, and that can be as many as 3-4 in row as an example, and I can sip quickly like;
sip sip sip sip
Almost as fast as you read that, now wouldn’t you consider that a Fast Cadence? See, that is not really slow.
Then I let the pipe cool down and repeat sip sip sip again.
Speed is not the issue, if the Volume you draw is small, because when the volume is small from small sips, you won’t create a lot of heat and moisture destroying the complexity of the blends, or get bite this way.
The bite and bad experiences everyone is talking about is with to much fire in the chamber, smoking to fast, drawing to much volume into your mouth.
‘Fire Heat and Volume’, these are the terms we should really be thinking about, and these three are taking into account nice and dry tobacco, packed good.
Think about this...
Fire, heat, and volume I believe are more important, and I’ll explain.
Think about it like this, when you think of the words Sip and Gulp, what come to mind?
Because with a pipe smoking VAs, you can sip slow, or fast.
The speed doesn’t matter, it’s the amount, because when you take a big draw, that typically causes the ember inside the chamber to start glowing, creating more heat and fire, and these are the problems with VAs, or any complex blend, to much fire and heat.
I barely light the pipe, only enough to take a few sips, and that can be as many as 3-4 in row as an example, and I can sip quickly like;
sip sip sip sip
Almost as fast as you read that, now wouldn’t you consider that a Fast Cadence? See, that is not really slow.
Then I let the pipe cool down and repeat sip sip sip again.
Speed is not the issue, if the Volume you draw is small, because when the volume is small from small sips, you won’t create a lot of heat and moisture destroying the complexity of the blends, or get bite this way.
The bite and bad experiences everyone is talking about is with to much fire in the chamber, smoking to fast, drawing to much volume into your mouth.
‘Fire Heat and Volume’, these are the terms we should really be thinking about, and these three are taking into account nice and dry tobacco, packed good.
Think about this...
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AbsolutelyI think as pipe smokers, as I smoke for the sole purpose of tastes, and only wanting to smoke complex blends with a lot of various flavors going on, and also not experience any mouth irritation or tongue bite, that the terms, fast, slow, and cadence, isn’t the only way to be looking at this.
Fire, heat, and volume I believe are more important, and I’ll explain.
Think about it like this, when you think of the words Sip and Gulp, what come to mind?
Because with a pipe smoking VAs, you can sip slow, or fast.
The speed doesn’t matter, it’s the amount, because when you take a big draw, that typically causes the ember inside the chamber to start glowing, creating more heat and fire, and these are the problems with VAs, or any complex blend, to much fire and heat.
I barely light the pipe, only enough to take a few sips, and that can be as many as 3-4 in row as an example, and I can sip quickly like;
sip sip sip sip
Almost as fast as you read that, now wouldn’t you consider that a Fast Cadence? See, that is not really slow.
Then I let the pipe cool down and repeat sip sip sip again.
Speed is not the issue, if the Volume you draw is small, because when the volume is small from small sips, you won’t create a lot of heat and moisture destroying the complexity of the blends, or get bite this way.
The bite and bad experiences everyone is talking about is with to much fire in the chamber, smoking to fast, drawing to much volume into your mouth.
‘Fire Heat and Volume’, these are the terms we should really be thinking about, and these three are taking into account nice and dry tobacco, packed good.
Think about this...
I often use the word "gentle" in lieu of "slow" or "cadence" for the exact reasons you mentioned.
You can still burn the carp out of yourself (and kill flavor) if you gulp slowly.
This is the way.
I took about a quarter century break from the tobacco pipe. The odds are quite high that the last thing I smoked before the break was Captain Black.
The first leaf I bought when I picked it back up was Peterson Flake. My first response was ‘HOLY SHITE!! that’s not what I remember!!’
Right away I wondered if I made a mistake getting back into it. Now the Peterson Flake is one of if not my top favorites.
I really appreciate the straightforward smoke a Virginia brings. It’s a welcome break from a complex blend, which I equally like.
I still haven’t tried the captain since starting back up. Not sure that’s going to happen.
The first leaf I bought when I picked it back up was Peterson Flake. My first response was ‘HOLY SHITE!! that’s not what I remember!!’
Right away I wondered if I made a mistake getting back into it. Now the Peterson Flake is one of if not my top favorites.
I really appreciate the straightforward smoke a Virginia brings. It’s a welcome break from a complex blend, which I equally like.
I still haven’t tried the captain since starting back up. Not sure that’s going to happen.
You should try to be more inclusive and accepting. There are many Virginians who are not straight. Try one of them.
There’s actually a lot of Straight VAs, that are complex, with a lot of notes going on.
Bread, hay, grass, citrus, floral, honey/sugar, graham, vanilla, to name a few. Then these can present themselves, tart, tangy, sweet, spicy, etc.. I’ve also experienced very subtle fruit, a bit perique raisins like, and then stewed like raisins/plum with aged, or more pressed, fermented blends, as well.
If you aren’t finding complexity in VAs, you’re not smoking the right ones, of course, there are very straight VAs, without a lot of depth to them.