Bad luck with virginias

[Buster]

I've heard people describe straight virginia as being sweet, mild, and strong in nicotine content. Almost too boring to enjoy alone.

Having tried both hh mature virginia, and gawith's full virginia flake, I'm finding only the last to be true.

The smoke of both seems so strong and acrid, and nose-burning, that it's hard to enjoy, and I don't notice much sweetness at all. I also notice quite a bit of tounge burn.
Ive tried them in corncobs to be sure, as well as briars, but I don't notice much difference in the above taste.

Is this an issue with my smoking technique, or is it simply a matter of personal taste? Can anyone here relate? I love english blends that have virginia in them, as well as stronger stuff like latakia or perique - these usually seem cool and mild to me (penzance, maltese falcon) .. But virginia alone seems to be murder.

 

[jhuggett]

Full Virginia Flake is about as good as it gets with Va's (well behaved and flavorful) so they just might not be your cup of tea. I personally love straight Va's and can't tolerate anything with Latakia in it.

Having said that you really do have to pay more attention to smoking Va's so they don't bite and you get the full enjoyment from them.

 

[Justpipes]

I'm not much of a straight VA smoker either though I do enjoy them every once in a great while. I could probably enjoy them much more if I smoked more of them. When I do amoke them I find that they are much better if I dry them out quite a bit and it also helps to rub them out real good. Most likely the tongue bite that you are experiencing is from the moisture content creating unwanted heat from the steam effect. Try drying them out by rubbing them thoroughly and laying the tobacco out on a paper towel for a while to dry.

 

[Anonymous]

Slow it way way way way down. You can't huff the stuff the way you can with burley. Tiny, shalllow, occasional sips. If it keeps going out, good.

That's where you start from.

:face:

 

[ftrplt]

I do not smoke straight Virginias in briar. I just cannot smoke/sip slow enough to not create tongue bite. I gave up on smoking any straight Vas until I hit upon what should have been obvious to the most casual observer!! I smoke'em in long-stemmed clays, meers, cherrywood, etc. No bite problem!! I've mentioned before that I have my great-grand father's hand-made cherrywood (might be maple, my Dad wasn't sure!) pipe with about a 14" arced wooden stem. This jewel smokes Vas and Burleys like a champ :cheers: I can't handle Burley in anything other than my great grand-dad's pipe! ipe: FTRPLT

 

[Buster]

good to know It's not just me! I'll get a clay and try it through that.
Drying definitely calmed the HH down quite a bit, but I still thought it was 'meh'

(Incidentally I was eating with my girlfriend tonight at a restaurant and thought the food was awfully bland.. that's the result of a bowl of VA last night smoked with too little discipline. :bounce: )

 

[Anonymous]

With virginia's try letting it just smoulder in the pipe

They must be smoked very slow
I usually just sip it like taking a very hot drink through a straw
I take a sip about every count of 10

As you become more experienced it will become natural


You will get less tongue bite with a full flake than rubbed out

I
Mcbarrens H&H mature virginia has the least tongue bite of any virginia I have tried


Some cant smoke some tobacco's because of body chemistry There was a time that burleys bit me so bad I couldnt smoke them now They are in my regular rotation

 

[the macdonald]

Buster,
I'm with you, I can't enjoy Virginians to save my life. If I have to babysit a blend to enjoy it, I'll go elsewhere, life is to short, Give up and join the darkside...Latakia is the way!

 

[hazmat]

Buster... you may have to just play around with all sorts of different VAs until you find one you like enough to get you further into them. When I first started smoking them, I couldn't deal with them. Tongue burn, acrid, bleh....but now, I smoke VAs almost exclusively. While it's true you need to slow down while smoking them to avoid tongue bite, I've found that the better ones mellow with age and you can huff a bit harder on these. My experience, anyways.

 

[Natch]

I smoke mostly straite Va's (at least in the summer) and love them. All good advice above, though I too can't slow down so I do occasionally suffer the consequences. One observation, if I may, while H&H mature is the "standard" for many here (I like it, but don't consider it the benchmark to test others against) Mcbarrens Va#1 can be a flame-thrower, as the McB blends have a reputation for. I've got some I just un-jarred that reached 10 years and it's dark, much softer, great flavor, but still I need to smoke it as slow as I can to avoid a blistered mouth! While not "pure" Virginias, have you tried Orlick's Golden Slices, Hamburg Veermeister, or Reiner's Long Golden Flake? All are soft and easy to smoke and to me taste mostly of Virginia. I recommend all three.

Natch

 

[hazmat]

I smoke mostly straite Va's (at least in the summer) and love them. All good advice above, though I too can't slow down so I do occasionally suffer the consequences. One observation, if I may, while H&H mature is the "standard" for many here (I like it, but don't consider it the benchmark to test others against) Mcbarrens Va#1 can be a flame-thrower, as the McB blends have a reputation for. I've got some I just un-jarred that reached 10 years and it's dark, much softer, great flavor, but still I need to smoke it as slow as I can to avoid a blistered mouth! While not "pure" Virginias, have you tried Orlick's Golden Slices, Hamburg Veermeister, or Reiner's Long Golden Flake? All are soft and easy to smoke and to me taste mostly of Virginia. I recommend all three.

Natch

I'll give a second recommendation on the Orlick's and Hamburg Veermeister. Never had the third.

@Natch...I have some Mac #1 and found the same to hold true. It's over 8 years old and has changed visibly a ton and smokes much nicer than it did when I first opened the canister. Then, I had to smoke it with crushed ice in my mouth. Evil stuff when it's fresh. Yikes.

 

[Mikem]

Slow it way way way way down. You can't huff the stuff the way you can with burley. Tiny, shalllow, occasional sips. If it keeps going out, good.

That's where you start from.

:face:

Very good advice. I can only add that with Virginia's I try and use a smaller pipe then compared to an English or burley blend. I use to get tongue bite to the max until I changed over to smaller pipes and slowed by smoking done.

 

[Natch]

"I had to smoke it with crushed ice in my mouth."

Yea, that's the way I smoke to this day, but usually I fill the spaces between the ice chips with Bourbon. :mrgreen: Kinda like a booze-hookah with me as the vessel.

Natch

 

[m2j3t6]

Hey Buster. Just thought I would put in my two cents here. I have been smoking straight VA's for over 15 yrs now. Much good advice from above. The best advice I can give is to smoke slooooow. Dont rub your flakes out too much. As for drying I have found there is a sweet spot, not too wet and not too dry. I experimented with the drying until I found the right level. That level is different for different VA's. I smoke Rattrays most of the time (Old Gowrie and Marlin Flake) and also like SG FVF and Best Brown flake. The SG I have to dry more than the Rattrays. I normally open a tin, put it in my humidor, humidify it and slowly let it dry until I find that just right level. I age all my VA's for a minimum of five years. Five to six years seems to be optimal for me. I smoked a tin of Rattrays Brown Clunee that was a year old, didn't think too much of it and noticed when I left the room and came back it smelled like old fish in the room. I am smoking a tin of Brwn Clun now that is seven yrs old and really enjoying it. Also, no nasty smell in the room. Small pipes smoke VA's best IMHO. I prefer grp 2-3. I love Peter Heeschen's pipes but also love Marlin Flake in Dunhill Grp 4's. Your taste will change over time (it happens to all of us) I started smoking a pipe when I was 16, I'm now 50. Started with aromatics went on to danish cavendish then to mild english then to latakia's and finally found myself smoking only VA's. I can't smoke more than one or two bowls of a latakia anymore. So in general I would say small pipe, slightly rubbed but still in flake form, right moisture level for you and the particular blend and smoke slowly. Smolder is best. Above all else smoke what you like.

I guess I put in more than two cents.....about a buck fifty :shock:

 

[Buster]

thanks for all the advice, guys. What a great site!

I tried my gawith's full virginia out of a small cob today, after drying for 20 minutes on a paper towel.
Tasted much better, with slow smoking.

I'd heard virginias described as very sweet and mild, so was expecting that!

 

[frankluke]

i wasn't much help in your english thread, here i can help a little more as i'm a virginia smoker.. you want sweet and mild, astley's 109, buy it, thank me later. more sweet blends, mcclelland's matured virginia line up, most of the rattray's VA blends especially dark fragrant. mccrannies red ribbon, flake isn't as sweet but good and worth trying. mcclellands christmas cheer, try getting one that is at least a couple years old.. dark star also from mcclelland and butera's matured ribbon, similar to red ribbon but with stoved VA's.


all of these are much sweeter then FVF.

 

[SailorJack]

I also had problems with Virginias until I tried Old Red from pipesandcigars.com.
If you need strength and complexity this may not be for you. It is soft, tasty and smells great. You can puff on this stuff as hard and fast as you like with no hint of tongue sizzle. I did try MacBaren's HH Virginia and enjoyed it very much but I still like Old Red better.

If you need more strength than I would recommend one of pipesandcigars many excellent Virginia/Perique blends such as Anniversary Kake or Rolando's Own.

 

[tin man]

I'd like to echo all of the positive advice written here, and it's all worth exploring. I must admit that I don't find it necessary to use a small pipe (or a special pipe) to enjoy a straight VA. A group 4 or 5 briar is perfect for me. Maybe as I gain more experience I'll notice the difference in pipe size. Sometimes I rub it out or just crush the flakes into the bowl. It depends on my mood but I have success either way.

Anyway, I had the same trouble with VA in the beginning too, but now it's just about the only thing that I reach for anymore. I like straight VA, VaPers, and burley's with or without VA. I think that Gawith's bulk Medium Virgnia Flake is about the best bargain for a satisfying, smooth and sweet virginia experience. Ages well too. Try smoking it indoors if you can. (I go into the garage and crack the door for a little ventilation.)

Great with a mild cup of coffee!

 

[Islander]

FVF is among my favorites. As others have said, rub it out, let it dry for a while and be patient getting it lit. I pack it a bit on the light side as flakes will expand as they smoke. If flakes are packed too heavy, one will need to relight often and draw too hard, creating the bite. Smoke slow and easy and the rich flavor comes through. I've enjoyed FVF in various bowl sizes depending on how long a smoke I want, from group 3s to group 5s - it's the packing that's key....

 

[Justpipes]

Great with a mild cup of coffee!

I find that most any tobacco I smoke is best when accompanied by a cup of Java, with a shot of Old Crow if possible.