Virginia Enlightenment

[hitman]

Let me start by saying I am a novice pipeman. I began the journey a few months ago with a couple cobs and samplers of aros and pouches. Nothing hit the spot until cracking a tin of Frog Morton's Cellar. That turned me on to English blends. Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe, My Mixture 965, and Nightcap are now my go-to's.
That said, I am eager to try new blends. This usually amounts to ordering a couple ounces of highly touted tobaccos in bulk or in single tins. I have tried a number of Virginia or VaPer blends, but just cannot "understand" them. This includes Escudo, Luxury Navy Flake, Luxury Bullseye Flake and Louisiana Red. I picked up 4 different G.L. Pease tins in my last TAD which included Sextant. As much as I want to appreciate these blends, I just do not get much satisfaction from them.
I am admittedly still refining my piping technique: drying, packing, puffing/sipping tempo, tamping, relights, etc. and have conquered tongue scorch (I don't know that I have ever truly been "bit"). I have a couple of cheap estate briars, but they just don't smoke as well as my cobs.
Any suggestions for unlocking the Virginia mystery are very welcome.
Many thanks,
Don

 

[beastkhk]

Are you picking up any flavors at all when you smoke a VaPer or Virginia blend?
I can commiserate to an extent; my pallet leans towards English/Balkan blends as well.
I find to really get much flavor out of a VaPer I personally have to retro-hale; or I believe another thread called it snorking in the pipe world.(and it sounded like mixed camp on how bad it is for you as involves pushing smoke out through your nose)
I find the nuances a little more subtle on the VaPer blends as well compared to the boldness of something with Latakia. It might be a little harder to pick up those subtleties if changing back and forth between English without giving the pallet a break.

 

[Perique]

Begin the journey with Orlik Golden Sliced. Remember to sip Virginia blends slowly. However, it could simply be that you don't like this style/flavor of blend.
If you're not liking more traditionsl VaPers, try a hybrid: GL Pease Haddo's Delight, Rattray's Marlin Flake, McConnell's Scottish Cake, or Peterson Irish Oak.

 

[hitman]

Good suggestions.
@beast, I am definitely not a "super-taster." I don't pick up much from the VA's or VaPers I've tried. Not much mouth feel to the smoke, and I end up smelling like cigarettes after a bowl. I regularly retrohale. I have experienced the Perique pepper sensation and enjoyed it, but it's not been very "meaty."
@perique, I had a few bowls of OGS, but it wasn't enough to capture my attention. Could it be my lack of flake technique? I have battled to keep bowls lit. Drying them out just results in a flat, cigarette taste to me.

 

[cobguy]

It looks like you appreciate a more "full flavored" smoke, ie. Nightcap, etc.
Perhaps try a straight Virginia that is more full and easily tasted.
McClelland is my "go to" for Virginias and Blackwoods Flake would be a great one to try.
Another great one is SG Full Virginia Flake ... nice full flavored Virginia.
If you end up not "getting it" right now, don't worry about it.

Put the Va's in a jar, store them for 6-12 months and come back to try them later.
Good luck and happy smoking! ::

 

[escioe]

It took me nine years to go head over heels for Virginias. The tin that did it for me was 5 year old GL Pease Union Square. From that came Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, McClelland's No 24, and McCranie's Red Flake, all entering my pool of favorites. I now consider myself a Virginia smoker, when a year ago that was basically unthinkable for me. It came down to technique and persistence.

 

[andrew]

Escioe has it right, Va's are usually the last type of tobacco pipe smokers learn to enjoy, do I wouldn't bother trying to "get it" when you're still new to smoking. Perhaps you never will, but I wouldn't try to hard at this point to learn to smoke and enjoy va's. There's too many good english blends you'll "get" to waste time and money to not enjoy in the meantime

 

[billypm]

One important part of Virginia technique is the level of moisture in your tobacco. Everybody has a different take on it, but nobody says it's not important to find the moisture level you prefer. All I can tell you is that in my case Virginias just opened up to me and got a lot more satisfying after I learned to rub (or cubecut) my Vas a full tin at a time and then dry out to the level I prefer, which in my case is dry to the touch but still pliable-- NOT crispy. Then I put the top back on the tin or zip the freezer bag closed or screw the Mason jar tight and wait for a couple of weeks. Exposing the prepped flake to the air as well as getting the excess humidity out of it, followed by some closed tin time, has changed so many blends from steamy, hot, drab tasting tobaccos to rich, cool, smooth ones.
I'm not saying it'll work for you, but it ALWAYS works for me. Good luck!

 

[buroak]

I would recommend a sugar-rich red Virginia as a gateway into the genre. McClelland's 5100 Red Cake, though not the first Virginia I ever tried, was the leaf that fully brought me aboard the Virginia bandwagon. 5100 is also an easier introduction than flakes that require rubbing.

 

[torque]

+1 to all the suggestions that McClelland blends are a good entry point into VAs. Several great suggestions have already been made and I'll throw St. James Woods in as a wonderful intro blend to the VaPer category. Too light in the nicotine department for me but the intense flavors really helped me "get" the inherent sweetness of Virginias while also highlighting the condimental value that Perique can provide to a blend's flavor profile. Don't try and force it. As has already been stated, if VAs don't fit your tastes then set them aside and smoke what you like. It's all about relaxation, enjoyment, and finding what YOU prefer.

 

[judcole]

Escioe has it right, Va's are usually the last type of tobacco pipe smokers learn to enjoy, do I wouldn't bother trying to "get it" when you're still new to smoking. Perhaps you never will, but I wouldn't try to hard at this point to learn to smoke and enjoy va's. There's too many good english blends you'll "get" to waste time and money to not enjoy in the meantime

This is very good advice. Explore lat blends for awhile. Dunhills are fine, but there is much, much more to that part of the smoking world.

 

[waxmojo]

If you don't "get" Virginias then put them away and smoke what you like. Who knows, you might like them in the future. In the meantime, don't worry about it.

 

[jah76]

I honestly don't enjoy "pure" Virginia's. I can appreciate things like Capstan Blue and the like, but I just find them one dimensional and "thin". I tend to lean towards VaPers and hybrids with Orientals and Cavendish in them. I think I am able to pick up the interplay between the different tobaccos better then I can with a straight Virginia.
FYI. Even though I enjoy them I (and the missus) think all VaPers smell like cigarettes. I find they take longer to "clear" out from a room then English blends do. *shrug*

 

[smeigs]

I mainly smoke VA flakes. My daily smokes are PS lux flake, navy flake or bullseye. I also enjoy some of the Newminister bulk blends which are somewhat similar to the PS blends. If I am going to smoke a tin blend I enjoy Firedance or Orlik Golden slice. It honestly took me about 2 years or so before I really started enjoying VA's. Sometimes it just takes time and practice with your pallet before something becomes enjoyable.

 

[freakiefrog]

Va's and VaPers are not going to smack you in the face with flavor at first it took me a long time to really pick up on any flavor to be honest. Technique is as important if not more important when trying to taste these. Don't try and !!!SMOKE!!! them rather small dainty puffs let the smoke gently exit or mouth or nose. With English blends you can smoke them with a blow torch out of an old drain pipe and still get flavor. Also having one or two pipes that haven't been accosted by latakia is a huge help. I have a couple that are just VaPer pipes. The other and last thing is I can't smoke Va or VaPers for a couple of days after any English blend so you might give your pallet a chance to rest for a few days before changing up blend types. Some people can flip flop all day and say they get all the flavor in the world, I can't.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

+1 escioe, although I find on here that when someone says that you have to be a mature or experienced smoker to "get" the Virginias, we usually see the smoker focusing even more and more on "getting" them. I think this is because no one wants to be hanging on to those newbie latakias if someone out there thinks that makes them a neophyte, ha ha. Smoke what you like, and don't give those Virginias for the grown ups another thought. ::

 

[cortezattic]

Hitman (Don): it sounds to me like you already have a developed palate when it comes to the taste of tobacco;

that is, you came to the pipe from the cigar or cigarette world.
Stay with what appeals to you, and on occasion, experiment. Use small (½-pint) Mason jars to store

the blends you reject -- you can revisit them in time.
You'll get no badges from this community for being a Virginia aficionado.

 

[escioe]

Absolutely, cosmicfolklore. There are way too many good latakia blends out there to be concerned with smoking something you just don't like. There may come a time when latakia blends all start to blur together, and you're in the mood for something different. When that happens, pick up a tin of Full Virginia Flake, and see if you like it.
Regarding getting Virginias with age, it seems to me that most McClelland Virginias I've received have had at least a year on them, and usually more like two years. That's a nice, free headstart.

 

[delro]

First time I tried SG Full VA flake it burnt so bad and tasted like old cigarettes. This completely turned my off to VA's for my first year of smoking. In the past few months I have tried easier smoking VAs such as escudo and orlik GS. I now LOVE them. I will be revisiting FVF soon, it has some ago on it so maybe that and my past experiences will help make it enjoyable.

 

[Perique]

@perique, I had a few bowls of OGS, but it wasn't enough to capture my attention. Could it be my lack of flake technique?

I don't think so. It may simply be that you prefer earthier flavors to sweet, citrusy flavors.
In that regard, if you're still interested in trying Virginias, I recommend the hybrids. A few good ones with more earthy flavors are VaBurPers. Among my favorites of this style, with more earthy and robust flavors, are my previously recommended Scottish Cake and Haddo's Delight, as well as GL Pease's Cumberland.