Sutliff Matured Red Virginia 515-RC

[Effortlessdepths]

Well, I mixed and pressed a Burley blend (what I thought was going to be a Burley blend, at least) and added 10% Sutliff Mature Red Virginia 515-RC, and 10% of their Stoved Virginia offering, all the rest a blend burleys, even with 10% of those being Dark Fire Cured.

Damned if all I can taste is the Matured Red 515-RC... Geez this stuff is tangy. To be honest, when I started sampling all these blending Virginias, I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty they each were, including the 515 although it seemed really cased and tangy. It was damn sure a mistake to put it in a Burley blend though. I'm looking for a softer red Virginia, and though the blending red longcut va and blending red ribbon va from P&C are fairly soft, they aren't quite as good.

Anyone know of a good soft but decently flavorful pure Virginia I can blend with? I seem to like the red va that C&D uses, has anyone tried theirs? Would it fit the bill for "soft"? Any others?

 

[Country Bladesmith]

515 RC-1 does have some tang to it, but I like that. I like to mix it with Orientals and/or Perique. If it’s clashing with your Burleys, maybe consider stoving it first. Or maybe use a flue-cured gold Virginia in place of the red. D&R is a good source of nice flue-cured Virginia if you’re not going the whole leaf route. Just some options.

 

[Ahi Ka]

+1 on using it with perique - maybe add some to a small batch of current blend and see how it changes.

 

[Ahi Ka]

Also if you’re willing to play with whole tobacco - WLTs red va is superb

 

[dmcmtk]

Maybe Low Country Natural Virginia?

Low Country Natural Virginia | Smokingpipes.com - https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/low-country/Natural-Virginia/product_id/237142/bulk/

or even,

Low Country Natural Virginia & Burley | Smokingpipes.com - https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/low-country/Natural-Virginia-&-Burley/product_id/237134/bulk/

Is Sutliff J4 one of your Burleys?

Sutliff J4 - Burley | Buy Sutliff Pipe Tobacco at Smokingpipes - https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/Sutliff/J4---Burley/product_id/70448/bulk/

 

[Effortlessdepths]

I do play with whole leaves from leafonly but they are cigar leaves since I roll my own when I'm feeling dextrous. I don't have a tobacco shredder, and will never buy one of those hand crank one's ever again because they are impossible to clean, so I can't see buying whole leaves of Virginia unfortunately. I tried cutting with a good knife too and that was still an inconsistent nightmare. I'll check out low country Virginia, and I use burleys from P&C as well as C&D dark burley. I'm not a fan of sutliff's Burley, but the 515 did come out good as the base for a VaPer blend I did last month.

 

[Ahi Ka]

C&D dark burley is good. I would also recommend D&R Two Timer ( yus! Recommended it before @mso489 got the chance).

I hear ya when it comes to prepping whole leaf. I’ve found that the easiest way is to either make a pressed plug and then slice/ru out or to roll a twist/stick and then do “bobs chop“

 

[Ahi Ka]

Some outfits even sell threshed leaf without stems. If you’re gonna go down the plug track this is an option which would save you a step

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I suggest rolling the leaf up... you don't have to be perfect, but make it about cigar wide. Then take a cigar cutter and lay it on a table. Just cut an end to get it flat, and then put the roll into the cutter while it is laying on a table. The clip, move what was cut, lay it down, and clip again. You'll get a rhythm, and it doesn't take terribly long. Keeping it on a table, helps you keep the thickness consistent.

I think that I've made my disdain for this Sutliff blend known. No reason for me to repeat it, but blech, vinegar aromatic.

 

[Effortlessdepths]

I've been eyeing Two Timer, probably time I just got some. And I am quite familiar with whole leaves, and I am a decent cigar roller, the only problem I had was the shredder, but I never thought of just pressing whole leaves to make a flake or rolling them up and using a cigar cutter, that's brilliant. Thanks Ahi Ka and Cosmic!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Two Timer is a favorite of mine. I haven't blended with it, but damned if it aint tasty by itself.

 

[supdog]

Have you tried red virginia cavendish ?

"Red Virginia can add a toasty bit of sweetness to a blend, but they can sometimes be a little sharp. By taking ripe, red Virginias and slowly toasting them until they become a deep mahogany color, that edge goes away, and the body and flavor become deeper. If you're looking to add some richness to a blend without amping up the strength (like dark Burley and dark-fired would do), this is a great component to try."

 

[dmcmtk]

Two Timer is a favorite of mine. I haven't blended with it, but damned if it aint tasty by itself.

Haven't tried it, going to have to add some to my next order! There's another thread about why this forum is so great, my answer is, because member so freely help other members spend their money.

 

[Effortlessdepths]

Have you tried red virginia cavendish ?

"Red Virginia can add a toasty bit of sweetness to a blend, but they can sometimes be a little sharp. By taking ripe, red Virginias and slowly toasting them until they become a deep mahogany color, that edge goes away, and the body and flavor become deeper. If you're looking to add some richness to a blend without amping up the strength (like dark Burley and dark-fired would do), this is a great component to try."

That sounds lovely. I almost ordered some from smokingpipes, maybe I should have

 

[Ahi Ka]

Haven't tried it, going to have to add some to my next order! There's another thread about why this forum is so great, my answer is, because member so freely help other members spend their money.

The one upside of the NZ import ban! I don’t have to include tobacco in the weekly budget...ok yeah, not so much of an upside. Lol

 

[Ahi Ka]

@Effortlessdepths i wonder whether MB golden extra would work well as the burley base to blend with the 515

 

[BrewerZach]

Haven't tried it, going to have to add some to my next order! There's another thread about why this forum is so great, my answer is, because member so freely help other members spend their money.

Red Virginia cavendish is great stuff. I use it at 15% or less to soften and round out some otherwise more "verdant when young" blends. Have you tried ready rubbing Sutliff's VA slices and using that in your blends? I've seen stellar result with a couple of pounds that I age every time P&C has an unbeatable price break on the Sutliff bulk. At about two years you start to get that intense figgy pow and it just gets better if you press the whole loose mixture in mylar for a few months.

 

[badbriar]

Red Virginia cavendish is great stuff. I use it at 15% or less to soften and round out some otherwise more "verdant when young" blends. Have you tried ready rubbing Sutliff's VA slices and using that in your blends? I've seen stellar result with a couple of pounds that I age every time P&C has an unbeatable price break on the Sutliff bulk. At about two years you start to get that intense figgy pow and it just gets better if you press the whole loose mixture in mylar for a few months.

Where do you source the Red Virginia Cavendish from? Sounds amazing!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Where do you source the Red Virginia Cavendish from? Sounds amazing!

C&D has a delicious one.

 

[BrewerZach]

C&D has a delicious one.

Agreed. Two Friends' Redwood has a nice grip of it in there. That is without a doubt one of the best C&D all VA mixtures imho.