Ahh the pleasures of Virginias

[dillonmcmurphy]

When I first got into pipe smoking I was smoking only aromatics (Boswell blends), but after about a month I tried some Latakia English blends and fell in love. I was pretty much on a strict Latakia diet after that with the occasional aromatic or Virginia tobacco thrown in. I was never really fond of Virginia blends though, because I didn't think they had enough flavor. At the time, I either smoked them in my aromatics pipe (big mistake. couldn't taste anything except for smoke) or a cob (which wasn't too great either). The cob didn't really show the subtle flavors I had heard were so wonderful in Virginias. Well recently I picked up a Savinelli Natural and decided to dedicate it soley to Virginias. So far I've smoked four bowls of Rattray's Marlin flake (rubbed out) in it smoking only 1/3 bowls. The first two smokes were alright, but still nothing special although I expected that because it's a brand new pipe. On the third bowl however, I was tasting these amazing sweet notes that I hadn't detected before. It tasted wonderful!! I just finished the fourth bowl in that pipe about twenty minutes ago and I tasted even more flavors than on the third bowl. I have a few more Virginia Flakes in my cellar that I'm now eager to crack open. Smoking these 1/3 size bowls to help build cake in the heel of my pipe has also made me realize that I must be normally smoking too fast. A full bowl of tobacco in a regular sized pipe will usually last me anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on how much I'm concentrating on it. But with the 1/3 bowls I'm making sure I smoke very slowly and take my time so I develope minimal moisture and maximize cake production and it still takes me about an hour and a half to finish the bowl. It seems this very slow smoking is also the key to tasting all of the flavors Virginias have to offer. What are your guys experiences with it?

[Vrbas]

That Marlin is some good stuff. For some reason, it feels a little on the "aromatic" side for me. I'm not sure what there is to it, but when comparing to other Virginians that have that distinct "toasty" flavor (at least that's how i read it), it comes across as if there's some flavoring.

I easily have more Virginians in my cellar than anything else. English blends still haven't done it for me yet, but i keep them around. Definitely a fan of Anniversary Kake as it was probably my first introduction to Virginians and really has that unique toasty taste. Escudo is also top notch (no exaggeration). I tried a bowl of MacB Mature Virginian and it was fantastic. Their Virginian #1 is also quite tasty as well (recently i've been a big fan of MacB).

So i say keep it up man! You're definitely on my train right now as most of my smokes at hand are Virginians, with the occasional aromatic which i enjoy to the fullest. Happy smoking...

[SmokinJohnny]

I have trouble defining specifically what I am smoking and go by blend name more than anything. But to put it in a nutshell, I rotate between virginian and burley based aromatics. Otherwise, they become bland. I also like non aromatics laced with latakia and/or perique.

As far as Virginians go, I have some Virginia Spice and it took a few bowls for the sweet spicey flavor to kick in. Otherwise, I love it. Dan Tobacco Black Velvet is another Virginian favorite but the richness can give my mouth a hangover if I indulge too much. I have to smoke it slow and easy or it is too harsh. Maduro is less rich and sucks the crap out of my mind putting it in a neutral medatative state.

[dillonmcmurphy]

Yeah I have some Peterson's Irish Flake and University Flake in my cellar I really wanna try. I also have some McConnells Red Virginia which I have already opened and smoked in a cob, but to be honest I wasn't really paying attention to it. I don't think I should smoke it in my Virginias pipe since it does have a slight berries casing. And do you guys recommend having separate pipes for Viginia/Burleys and VaPers? Or is it fine just smoking them both in the same rotation of pipes?

[Cliffhanger]

Not all virginias are good - I just smoked a bowl of the infamous B&H Mellow Virginia. It's a UK tobacco they sell down at the newspaper shop.

Mild hints of soapy/incense flavours, but otherwise, I might as well have puffed on a rollie! In fact, it tasted very much like Golden Virginia which is a shag cut you buy for hand rolling cigarettes, only with hints of soapyness. The packet smell has a hint of caramelly rum & raisin type smell but otherwise,the smoke is kinda tasteless - I'll bear with it though, it was the first smoke out of that pipe afterall.

[SmokinJohnny]

And do you guys recommend having separate pipes for Viginia/Burleys and VaPers? Or is it fine just smoking them both in the same rotation of pipes?

I think so. I do dedicate pipes to blends with similar tastes. I accidently loaded a bowl with burley based Par Shooter in a bowl I smoke my VA based stuff in and got a definate VA taste. The ususal taste of Par Shooter was not there. I think it was what some call a ghost? I dunno but I did an imediate dump.

[dillonmcmurphy]

Originally Posted by SmokinJohnny

I think so. I do dedicate pipes to blends with similar tastes. I accidently loaded a bowl with burley based Par Shooter in a bowl I smoke my VA based stuff in and got a definate VA taste. The ususal taste of Par Shooter was not there. I think it was what some call a ghost? I dunno but I did an imediate dump.

Thanks. Do you think its safe to smoke VaPers in a Virginia pipe though? Or do you recommend I have different sets of pipes for the two categories?

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by dillonmcmurphy

Thanks. Do you think its safe to smoke VaPers in a Virginia pipe though? Or do you recommend I have different sets of pipes for the two categories?

Depends on how much perique is in your Va/per. If it's a hefty amount, like Fillmore, then you might want to only use that pipe for Va/pers.

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by dillonmcmurphy

Thanks. Do you think its safe to smoke VaPers in a Virginia pipe though? Or do you recommend I have different sets of pipes for the two categories?

Perique has a unique flavor that will leave a mark behind. Sometimes, thats not a bad thing. But I like to keep my pipes separated by VA, VaPer, and Burley. One aero pipe but I rarely smoke that lately.

No latakia - I hate that stuff, and it will ghost something dreadful.

[dillonmcmurphy]

Thanks. I think I'm just gonna have a separate rotation of pipes for Va/Pers. On another note, should I have separate pipes for very mildly aromatic blends like Red Virginia or University Flake? Or is that just pushing it? Because I know both of those blends have a light berries topping and I'm concerned they're going to leave a ghost in my Virginia/Burley pipes for the next one or two smokes.

[RJpuffs]

Originally Posted by dillonmcmurphy

Thanks. I think I'm just gonna have a separate rotation of pipes for Va/Pers. On another note, should I have separate pipes for very mildly aromatic blends like Red Virginia or University Flake? Or is that just pushing it? Because I know both of those blends have a light berries topping and I'm concerned they're going to leave a ghost in my Virginia/Burley pipes for the next one or two smokes.

Depends on your palette sensitivity and how many pipes you have

[dillonmcmurphy]

Originally Posted by RJpuffs

Depends on your palette sensitivity and how many pipes you have

lol ok. sounds like I'm gonna have to experiment. thanks for the responses

[SmokinJohnny]

RJ Puff makes some good points. For me it just worked in reverse. Yesterday I did a good sweetening and ream job to one of my bowls and just did a bowl of Seattle Pipe Club Plum Pudding with it. A krumble cake VA with perique and latakia. The flavors of Plum Pudding really came through this time like I never tasted before. I love the stuff now and will dedicate this pipe to it or similar blends. There is a lot for the mind to absorb with all this and it seems to be coming to me with experience as I read. That and learning proper lights, puffing speed, etc, is pretty much why I stick to pipes in the $30 to $50 range for now. Otherwise, I have been casually puffing on pipes for 25 some odd years off and on. Just stuffing whatever pipe I had on hand with whatever drug store or B&M bulk blend I happened to grab. I never seemed to care if I was doing it right or wrong and missed out on some great tastes I think.

[dillonmcmurphy]

Yeah its amazing all the subtle nuances a tobacco can present when you smoke it in a pipe used for only that kind of blend. Every time I smoke my Sav Nat with Marlin Flake (which is so far the only tobac I've smoked in it) I taste more and more flavors I hadn't noticed before. Of course it also helps to have good smoking technique, which I am glad to say I am improving on every day lol.

[SmokinJohnny]

Marlin flake? Yea..I've been looking at Rattray blends. Red Raparee is something I've always wanted to try. The descriptions describe it as sweet and spicy. The tin art alone is enticing. LOL. My wife sometimes picks up a good smellin OZ from the local book/tobacco store jars. "here try this". (I think the cigar and tobacco smells entice her to that store). I have a couple cheap Dr Grabs for that because some of those good smellin blends leave dry holes in my mouth.