Your Favorite Virginia Blends?

[cwarmouth]

I've been mostly smoking VaPers and fairly heavy Latakia blends for the past three'ish years. Recently I started trying some Virginias and I really like them. What are your favorites? What should I add to my next order?

 

[alan73]

West Virginia is top of the list. Virginia Madsen second. Germains brown flake is impossible to find and fairly mediocre

 

[thomasw]

My favourite VAs are flakes: HH Pure Virginia and SG FVF and McClelland's Cheer. I do like Germain's Brown Flake but I don't enjoy sourcing it.

 

[alan73]

I was messing with you a little. There are a ton of old threads on this forum exact same topic , use the search bar for a quick way to research topics of interest. the old threads are an amazing source of information. . so many good choices, good luck. Teach a man to fish blah blah

 

[Chasing Embers]

Christmas Cheer

Superior Navy Flake

Marlin Flake

Luxury Twist Flake

McCrannie's Red Flake

Red Cake

Black XX Twist

 

[bigpond]

Dark Star

Butera’s golden cake

Brunello flake

HoTW

Sam’s flake

Bbf

Fvf

 

[futureman]

So much great stuff. It's easy to fall down a rabbit hole and get overwhelmed when exploring the variety. For me, I focus on a fairly narrow range of Vs: medium strength, sweet & bready. I avoid reds for the most part (by the way, is FVF a red?). Browns and Golds are my go to's.
Dunhill Flake

Cut Virginia Plug

Capstans (Blue and Gold)

Best Brown

University Flake (this has Burley)

Orlik Golden Sliced
I've yet to try Erinmore flake, but it's on my list.

 

[prairiedruid]

McCrainie's Red Flake and Red Ribbon

 

[cosmicfolklore]

(by the way, is FVF a red?)

FVF is a blend of yellow to brown Virginias.
Butera's Royal Vintage is what I am smoking right now.

I, I really would have a hard time giving one specific favorite, as mood, time of year, and the alignment of the cosmos have such a strong impact on my tastes. But, it would be fair to say that my palate has a strong favoritism for McClelland Virginias.

 

[hawky454]

I like switching it up between houses otherwise I get bored of a particular house. My top 3 houses; Esoterica, Samual Gawith and McClelland (in that order).

 

[jazz]

These are my regulars but there is only one straight Virgina among them.
Rattray's = Hal O'The Wynd, Brown Clunee, Old Gowrie, Marlin Flake.
Dunhill = Navy Rolls, Elizabethan Mixture, Dark Flake (Bloody love this presently).
Samual Gawith = Full Virginia Flake, St James Flake, Brown Sugar Flake.
And my absolute favourites without question are Solani Silver flake and Solani Virginia with Perique.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

So, if Lane bought Germaines, then Esotericas are now made by Lane, and Lane now makes a Virginia that people love. That right there is a paradox of the highest order. The universe could just suck itself up into a wormhole and disappear.

 

[hawky454]

Wait wait.... what?

 

[deathmetal]

A few that I keep meaning to try:
https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/gawith-hoggarth/Bright-CR-Flake/product_id/4011/bulk/

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/rattrays/40-Virginia-100g/product_id/179032

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/g-l-pease/Union-Square-2oz/product_id/49966

https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/mac-baren/Modern-Virginia-Flake-50g/product_id/158878
A personal favorite:
https://www.smokingpipes.com/pipe-tobacco/cornell-diehl/Virginia-Flake/product_id/79409/bulk/

 

[cosmicfolklore]

On another thread a day or so ago, someone said that Lane LTD bought Germaines, which blows my mind if that's true.

 

[blendtobac]

On another thread a day or so ago, someone said that Lane LTD bought Germaines, which blows my mind if that's true.

I find this dubious. We're part of STG, so I would think we would have been told. If STG were to buy Germain, it would more likely be Orlik that would take it over.
Russ

 

[deathmetal]

And guess who makes Captain Black Grape... yep, full circle. CBG is the new Penzance.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I find this dubious. We're part of STG, so I would think we would have been told. If STG were to buy Germain, it would more likely be Orlik that would take it over.

Thank you for the clarification, Russ. I was just about to max out my credit cards in prep for the oncoming disaster. ::

 

[hawky454]

What thread was that in? I hope nobody buys out the Germain’s cause no matter who it is, it would go down hill... that’s the only way it can go.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I just did a quick search of the threads that I thought it would make the most sense for someone to throw out something like that. But I read almost all of the threads in a day, trying to be on the look out for trouble, and I can't find it now. Maybe I just jumbled some stuff together. I'm old, but my kids had me chipped, so they still let me drive. ::