The First Pax Virtual Tobacco Crawl - Virginia Burleys

[sallow]

I am having a hard time finding the flavor in 3 Nuns. I have moved on to McConnells Folded.

 

[mcitinner1]

I ordered the August selection today and am following every ones posts. I will catch up eventually, but would like to mostly just listen and learn.
tinner/tinman

 

[lincolnsbark]

Welcome aboard tinner.

 

[brass]

Welcome, Tinnerman. Even the most experienced smokers are here to learn, as well as to share their knowledge. And impressions from beginning smokers are valuable in their own right.
Anyone can join the tobacco crawl at anytime and smoke as few or as many blends as they like. Anyone can join the conversation at anytime, as long as they've smoked the blend.
However, declaring your membership, as you have, gives you an official voice in the blend selection and theme planning. You'll have lead off pick for the new year.
Procure your selections from your favorite vendor, your cellar, or swap samples with fellow tobacco crawlers. PM CmdrMcBragg, our TinMaster for sharing assistance.
August Selection Team

Theme: Virginia Burleys

misterlowercase (Chose Old Dark Fire)

Pax - Chose 3 Nuns (Cmdrmcbragg (Gets a selection next up or if anyone defaults)

thesmokingtexan (Deferred Selection)

lincolnsbark (Jacknife plug)

catyrpelius (Peterson Perfect Plug)
September Selection Team

Theme: Tobacco 101 - A tour of the Major Blend Styles

puffdoggie (Chooses McClelland's Deep Hollow for the Straight Virginian)

smokeybear (Picks G.L. Pease's Barbary Coast for the Burley)

rsuninv (Will choose a VaPer - Leaning towards Escudo but waiting for confirmation)

TwoOneFive (C&D Epiphany English blend)
October Selection Team

Theme?

Settersbrace

Sallow

Darwin

eightywon
You guys want to start thinking about your theme? Do we want to continue surveying the major blend types or start a month focusing on one style?. We could do an aromatic, cigar leaf based, American, Oriental, straight burley, etc Or do a month on the top VaPers or Navy Flakes, or Aromatics. Please PM me about theme. Settersbarce has mentioned VaPers or Virginia Dark Pressed.
November Selection Team

Theme:?

Stosho

Ruger414

Dread

SailorJeremy
December Selection Team

Theme:?

Pruss

Mike73

mrEnglish

Cmdrmcbragg



January

Theme

Tinnerman

 

[sallow]

. Settersbarce has mentioned VaPers or Virginia Dark Pressed.

I would prefer vapers to dark stoved.

 

[thesmokingtexan]

Is it correct that all the tobaccos this month are Virginia Burleys? Why do they have such a different flavour? I have been reading what yall have said about the 3 Nuns and I have” accidentally”  opened the Jack Knife plug early and it seems they all have a different flavour. Are they all Dark Fired? Are they smoked for a different time? The tobacco does come from the same region area right? What makes the flavour difference?

 

[mcitinner1]

P&C has fairly good descriptions of the contents and any flavoring if used in most tins, though it could stand improvement. All the blends for August are non aromatic Virginia/Burley or Virginia/DFK on the stronger side. 3 P's doesn't say dark fired, but the rest are.
tinner

 

[lincolnsbark]

I had another really good smoke of 3Nuns last night. I enjoy the flavor, medium strength, and excellent combustion of this tobacco immensely. My only critique is, at least to my amateur taste, this blend is very similar to MacBaren Dark Twist Roll Cake so for a little bit less money and much greater availability I will probably always buy Dark Twist over 3Nuns.

 

[brass]

SmokingTexan, all selections for August are Virginia Burleys. In developing my palates, I'm striving to determine what the blends have in common, and likewise, how each differs. The blender, like a chef, adds a little of this, maybe not so much of that, and then processes, cures, fires, smokes, presses, tops or whatever else makes the blend distinctive. It probably isn't a coincidence that Greg Pease is both chef and master blender.
It would be very cool if your question could be addressed by one of the professional blenders (or amateur) who sometimes frequents the site.

 

[brass]

September Selections

Theme: Tobacco 101 - A tour of the Major Blend Styles
Greetings Everyone:

The September Menu has been confirmed. Our VaPer pick was Rattray's Marlin Flake but we couldn't find a source, so rsuninv went with Escudo, perhaps the most famous blend of it's class.
Note that sources are listed for your convenience. However, I will note that 4Noggins has all four blends in stock and Rich will be more than happy to help you.
Going forward, when it is your turn to select, I'm asking that you include at lease one source that you have verified has your pick in stock.
puffdoggie - Chooses McClelland's Craftsbury: Deep Hollow for the Straight Virginian

Components: Virginia Family: Aromatic

Cut: Ribbon

A soothing, relaxing mild aromatic, Deep Hollow consists of rich, Red and Black stoved Virginias lightly top-flavored with hints of apple and vanilla. Relative to most aromatics it smokes very cooly and cleanly with little moisture or bite.
Sources: SmokingPipes.com; 50gr $8.72; 4Noggins: 100gr $14.99
smokeybear - Picks G.L. Pease's Barbary Coast for the Burley

The finest cube-cut Burley, chosen for its deep, nutty flavors, forms a robust foundation for this sophisticated blend. Rich, Red Virginia tobaccos are added for their subtle sweetness and complexity, while the unique spice of Perique provides added dimension. A delicate kiss of brandy polishes this blend to a perfect finish. Barbary Coast is delightfully satisfying, with hints of black walnut, dark chocolate, and dried fruits. The perfect "all-day" smoke! (From SmokingPipes)
Sources: SmokingPipes; 2 oz $10.72; 4Noggins $10.19
rsuninv - Picks Escudo, the classic VaPer

A combination of full bodied Virginias from North Carolina and Virginia blended with Perique from Louisiana are the cornerstones in Escudo. The blend is pressed and matured before it is spun and cut into coins. This process ensures the unique character of Escudo.
Sources: 4Noggins 50gr $9.14; Pipes and cigars 100gr $15.89
TwoOneFive - Picks C&D Epiphany English blend

Reminiscent of the original Revelation said to be the favorite of Albert Einstein, this singularity is an adroit melding of Virginias, Burleys, Latakia, and Perique in unified harmony.
Sources: SmokingPipes 50 gr $9.91; 4Noggins $9.99

 

[smokeybear]

I have some Roll Cake aged 3-1/2 years and compared to three nuns fresh the roll cake is the dominant blend in my opinion. I have not officially reviewed roll cake but im positive it would score higher then three nuns especially when aged.

 

[mcitinner1]

Are 'dark fired kentucky' and 'dark fired burley' the same thing?
tinner

 

[brass]

At first perusal, it is easy to come to the conclusion that they are the same, but not so. The following is a .pdf of a University of Kentucky Power Point Presentation, complete with pics.
On point, there are Dark Fire Cured and Dark Air Cured Kentucky baca's and they are not burleys.
Basic Principles of Dark Tobacco Production in Kentucky and Tennessee

http://tobaccoinfo.utk.edu/PDFs/2004TWCWebSite/TWC2004Presentations/TWCPresentation-2004-BaileyDark.pdf

 

[settersbrace]

I'm on board with VaPer's for the October crawl and I'd like to nominate Haddo's Delight by GL Pease as the week one contender.
If the rest of the months selection team would PM me we can iron out any changes or theme selections. If not, just post the VaPer you would love to nominate.

 

[brass]

A couple of more points on 3 Nuns. One of the old timers here advised me to smoke through a tin before making judgment, that it takes time to get to know a blend. I'll admit after a few bowls a day, for several days now, that 3 Nuns is growing on me. The flavors are subtle and satisfying - the opposite of an English blend. (Ok, English can be satisfying but still they are far apart on the spectrum)
I do believe that 3nuns burns hotter than ODF but no bite. But I like the way you can just grab a pinch or two, stuff and light. It requires minimal touchup lights and burns to ash. The room notes are negligible but not offensive. I think this would make a very good introductory blend for a new pipe smoker.

 

[sallow]

I'd like to nominate Haddo's Delight by GL Pease as the week one contender

A fantastic tobacco. I choose Cornell and Diehl's Night Train.

 

[brass]

Hello Settersbrace, Sallow, Darwin, eightywone, our October Crawl guides
Am I correct in my understanding that your team team has selected VaPers for the October theme? If not, please clarify with your team members and let us know.
Regarding Sallows pick, we're doing Virginia Burleys this month and I believe Night Train is at least technically a VaBur. I do see that Night Train has some perique, and these blend lines sometimes blur. If it is Sallow's contention Night Train is actually a VaPer, then he gets final say.
Just want to make sure we're on the same page and that the pick fits your chosen theme. ::

 

[pruss]

A couple of more points on 3 Nuns. One of the old timers here advised me to smoke through a tin before making judgment, that it takes time to get to know a blend.

That's interesting. I agree with half of the sentiment, "It takes time to get to know a blend." But I don't think anyone needs to smoke through an entire tin to provide sensory feedback on a blend. At it's simplest sensory analysis amounts to answering the question, "What did you taste/smell?"
Lots of us have sworn off food and beverages after one, negative, sensory experience. Think about the, "Yuck," face that kids make when they taste something they don't like. Can they build up a tolerance, or acceptance, of things they don't like by eating it more often? Sure. Should they have to do that? I guess it depends on the desire of the parent. But since I'm not being parented I don't think I should have to smoke an entire 50g pouch of Boswell's Berry Cobbler if I don't like it. I also don't think that not having smoked the entire 50g devalues my sensory evaluation of the bowl I smoked.
$0.05 in the bucket.
-- Pat

 

[brass]

Pruss, I understand and agree. M;y point was that the more I smoke a blend, the more I start to taste and understand the nuances. I don't think 3Nuns will make my favorites list but the more I smoked, the more I liked it.
I've always been a bit of a flitter. When it comes to food, I like the variety of a pot luck. I'd prefer buying bundles of cigar samplers to committing a couple of bills to a box. Eventually, I find cigars that I like enough to buy by the box but for most, three or four are enough.
I smoked pipe baccies the same way, flitting from on tin to another, form English to cigar leaf to navy flake to VaPer coins.
I'm pleasantly surprised that by smoking mostly from one tin a week, that I am enjoying the blends even more than sampling.
But I agree with you that very pleasant or unpleasant first impressions are not going to change significantly over time. I've liked 3Nuns from the beginning, I just didn't love it. I like it more now after a week but still don't think it will make my "buy again" list. There are too many others I like better and cost less.

 

[smokeybear]

I read somewhere that for someone to get used to enjoying a certain food or drink or taste for that matter, they simply need to endure it roughly 42 times and the body and mind will accept it and grow to enjoy it. So there is truth in what brass is saying, however that being said if you were to try something you like 42 times giving that fact you would enjoy it that much more. So I personally rather smoke something I enjoy now and expand my taste on that blend until I know it inside out rather then Try to accept a blend I am unsure of taste wise. There are way to many blends out there to try for me to get stuck on one.