What’s Your Top Choices For Virginias?

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maxx

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 10, 2015
709
6
I’m a Latakia fan and have focused on English blends, so I haven’t explored Virginias. What’s your top personal choices for Virginias?

 
Mar 29, 2016
1,006
5,540
Fribourg & Treyer: CUT VIRGINIA PLUG

Fribourg & Treyer: VINTAGE

J.F. Germain: BROWN FLAKE

Samuel Gawith: FULL VIRGINIA FLAKE

Samuel Gawith: BEST BROWN FLAKE

Dan Tobacco: HAMBORGER VEERMASTER

Dan Tobacco: SKIPPER'S FLAKE

Astleys: No. 44 DARK VIRGINIA FLAKE

Capstan: FLAKE GOLD

Capstan: FLAKE BLUE

 

workman

Lifer
Jan 5, 2018
2,793
4,219
The Faroe Islands
If we're talking straight virginias, my favorites are Full Virginia Flake and Capstan Blue Flake. They are flavorful and filling.

Fribourg & Treyer Golden Blend is very good as well. Light, burns fast and leaves a nice acidic tingle on the tongue. Their Cut Blended Plug is also nice. It's topped with some orangy stuff and maybe a hint of vanilla.

 

maxx

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 10, 2015
709
6
I forgot about Va/Per - How do they differ in flavor from straight Va? I’m assuming more tangy.

 
Jan 28, 2018
12,952
134,613
66
Sarasota, FL
My favorites are F&T CVP and Vintage, both straight VA with no topping. I also like CBP even though it has a noticeable fruity topping. John Aylesbury Classic Va Flake (formerly Luxury Flake) is very good. Astley's No 44 is superb. Wessex Campaign Brigade and Gold Slice are very good. C&D Opening Night and GLP Union Square are in my rotation. Hamborger Beermaster is very nice even though a bit mild and one dimensional. I like the Mac Baren Virginias which benefit a lot from some age. There are a few others but these would certainly give you plenty to work from.

 

homeatsea

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 6, 2013
509
4
Dunhill Flake and Capstan Blue are my two favorite VA’s.
I also really enjoy Orlik Golden Sliced for a much more mellow smoke.

 

curl

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 29, 2014
722
461
I went thru a pouch of Amphora Virginia mas rapido.

I bought a few more pouches because it compares well with more expensive tinned Virginias.

 
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pianopuffer

Can't Leave
Jul 3, 2017
491
140
NYC
Capstan Yellow

Capstan Blue

McConnell London Fine Cut

PS LTF & LNF

Country Squire Green Dragon (a sleeper IMO)

Aylesbury Luxury Flake

OGS (technically not a straight VA)

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
There has to be a link for this? No offense, but c'mon. I guess I've been posting shape suggestions?... Okay, here we go again...
FVF

CVP

McReds

Capstan

Campaign

PS LNF

Aylesbury LF

Dunhill Flake

Opening Night

Union Square

Gold Slice

Klondike

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I recommend you start your journey into Virginia's with the following readily available blends from the 3 major categories.
Capstan Blue for a Virginia.

Escudo or Solani 633 for a Virginia/Perique.

Mac Baren Old Dark Fired for a Virginia/Burley.
There is no reason to start chasing hard to find blends when these these are easy to get. See if you like these first and then branch out.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Forums members who smoke mostly Virginias have a wide range of these nuanced blends, very refined and subtle these blends. If you're just starting, I think Orlik Golden Sliced is a fine standard cut and blend. I'm more of a burley smoker, but I enjoy PS Luxury Navy Flake and PC Fire Storm a lot, among others. I'm aging a sample amount of Sutliff red just to see how that ages.

 
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mikefu

Lifer
Mar 28, 2018
1,976
10,506
Green Bay
My top 5 VA:

Wessex Campaign dark

Astley's 44 and 109 (tie)

Opening Night

Sutliff Crumble Kake red VA

Capstan Blue
VaPers:

Telegraph Hill

Anniversary Kake

Dunbar

Viprati (it has a touch of Ky as well)

Sutliff Crumble Kake VaPer

 
May 9, 2018
1,687
86
Raleigh, NC
So far, I've explored C&D's Yorktown and it's pretty good. I like it, anyways. Rattray's Hal O' The Wynd is very good, but it's a Va/Per/Ky,and can be hard to get from time to time. I bought a 100g tin of it from my local B&M when I bought my Ardor, in which I have dedicated to Virginias and it's a fantastic product. I've also gotten into PS LTF, LNF, and LBF which are all fantastic, but only the LTF would be more of a straight Virginia. All very good though with quite a bit of that citrusy goodness that the Virginia provides with just a little kick from perique in most of them.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,623
44,833
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
So, the question is what are my top choices for Virginias, not what's easily available Virginia, difficult to get Virginia, or you're SOL that ship has sailed Virginia. These are in the "cellar".
More or less easily available:
Astley's - #44

Astley's - #109

C&D - Yorktown - C&D Virginias aren't the best, but this particular one I really like a lot

Wessex - Campaign Dark Flake

SG - Full Virginia Flake

SG - Best Grown Flake, or plug if you can find it

F&T - Cut Virginia Plug

GLP - Union Square

MacBaren - Capstan Blue and Yellow

Robert Lewis - Wingfield Mixture

John Aylesbury - Luxury/Classic Flake

John Aylesbury - Sir John's Flake
Hard to find but still in Production:
Esoterica - Cardiff

Esoterica - Brighton

Germain's - Brown Flake
You're SOL, that ship has sailed:
McClelland 40th Anniversary

McClelland Chistmas Cheer

McCranie's Red Ribbon and Red Flake

McClelland 22, 25, 27

McClelland 2010, 5100

McClelland Blackwoods Flake

McClelland Dark Star

McClelland Aurora

McClelland Virginia Woods

McClelland Tawney Flake

McClelland Red & Black

Brigham - Klondike Gold
Va/Per:
More or less readily available:

STG - Escudo - STG's version is not the best, but it's still a good blend, just no longer a standard.

D&R - Rimboché AB, AP, SJ

Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Bullseye Flake - tastes like cardboard when fresh, but just magnificent with 4 or more years on it.

GL Pease - Telebraph Hill

GL Pease - Sixpence

GL Pease - Filmore

GL Pease - Haddo's Delight - not a purist's Va/Per, but one of my faves.

HU - Director's Cut

HU - Old Fredders

H&H - Louisiana Red

H&H - Anniversary Kake

Rattray - Marlin Flake

SG - St James Flake

Solani - 633

RO Perique Series - GP-11

MacBaren - Savinelli Doblone d'Oro

MacBaren - Acadian Perique

Seattle Pipe Club - Deception Pass
Hard to find but still in Production:
Esoterica - Dunbar

Esoterica Dorchester

Peter Heinrichs - Curly Block
You're SOL, That ship has sailed:
McClelland - Beacon & Beacon Extra

McClelland - 2015

McClelland - St James Woods

McClelland - Tudor Castle

Motzek - Strang Curly

A&C Peterson - Escudo - this is when Escudo was the standard.
Besides the above, I also like the following Virginia Based blends:
Rattray's - Hal O The Wynd

Solani - 600 Silver

MacBaren - Savinelli Brunello Flake

Esoterica - Tilbury and Stonehaven

GL Pease - Montgomery

GL Pease - Jackknife Plug

D&R - Two Timer

D&R - VIP

MacBaren - Modern Virginia
I've got a few other assorted tins of this and that, just can't remember what.

 
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