Wessex Gold Virginia Flake

Wessex - Gold Virginia Flake.

When I opened the tin I was greeter by a tobacco with an appearance second to none. Two rows of flake just over an inch wide, medium brown with a few yellow mottles, medium thickness, and perfection where moisture's concerned. I like to fully rub my flakes and this is a doddle.

I don't find the smoke as citrus-sharp as I'd expected. Sure, there's a slight citrus note, but this isn't anywhere near as potent as the oaty/grainy, hay, note from the Virginia; it tastes a little different to the usual Virginia's, for the first half, or so. It takes until about a half, to three quarters of the way through a bowl for the citrus flavours to race ahead. I find the burn impeccable, it needs hardly any attention, once lit.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: quite nice.

Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Having smoked this new and now well aged (16yrs) I have to say that Br. Big’s prediction concerning aging this blend it quite true. In the tin, the golden flakes are neat and thin. They don’t offer much in the way of the grassy hay scent that one would expect. This is very straightforward in taste and offers some grain-like flavor when new. There is no bite, but it will burn hot and did for me. I found myself picking up my cadence as I was searching for more flavor beyond a light citrus topping. When aged, the flakes darken quite a bit, but the same pedestrian taste remains. To my surprise, it didn’t pick up nearly as much sweetness as the aged tin scent seemed to promise. Since there are a number of comparisons to Orlik Golden Sliced, here’s my two cents on that; It has less topping than OGS and lacks the depth of flavor the OGS has, especially when well aged. It is also more expensive than OGS. This is definitely one that I am happy I didn’t cellar more than a couple of tins. With the vast offerings of Virginia’s out there now, I won’t be buying it again. I still find Wessex’s Brigade Series, especially Campaign Dark Flake, far superior to this blend.

A bright yellow Virginia flake with an extremely light citrus topping. Nice Navy cut presentation, the flakes are meaty with a golden-brown texture. The moisture level is perfect for using right away.

Upon lighting, there is a slight citrus topping that is not constant in the smoke, I get a very zesty and tangy flavor that is not very sweet with hay like and grassy notes. Citrus and oats are also present from time to time.The smoke tingles the tongue but it's manageable. Overall a classic gold Virginia flake that would benefit a lot from aging.

Virginia lover

The usual pressed flakes like the other two "color" Wessex VA flakes. Tin flakes that aren't the easiest to load as flakes, but it was do-able. Definitely a golden-brown color with hints of dark. This worked best in a sort of modified flake fold and at tin moisture. Wessex tins are suspect in their vacuum seal and this, as with the others, came drier than most VA flakes. Fine with me - saves me some drying time and trouble.

This was probably the coolest and easiest to smoke of the Wessex VA's, and it had a nicely subdued but still present citrus flavor among the tang and oats. Not a complex smoke, but good tasting. I can't decide if there is added flavoring or not - there probably is, but it's still very close to a "straight" VA. I preferred their Brown Flake but this is a nice, lighter tasting version. I got a slight "spice rack" flavor from time to time but the overall taste was orange peel mixed with an oat cereal sort of taste. Not overly grassy or hay-like.

Recommended as something to try but all the Wessex VA's seemed sort of ordinary... nothing new here. Kinda pricy to recommend for what it is, but it's worth a sampling.

Before smoking, let this tobacco dry out some. You will be rewarded. The House of Wessex does a credible job with their tobaccos, and this is an elegant smoke that requires skill and patience to smoke properly.

Although I tend to completely rub out my flakes, the sight of all the lighter (thus hotter) leaf in this blend begged for a coarser, chunkier rub out. Once properly dried and smoked slowly, there will be rewards!

This tobacco is tasty, rich and packed with nicotine - ahhh!

While this has decent flavors, they are milder than I prefer. The citrus note is an obvious addition. The hay and grain notes are nice, but very mild. If not for the citrus addition this wouldn't have much to offer. I think most of the sweetness, which is minimal, is also an addition. Not a terrible smoke, but there are better values in this crowded market.

Mild to medium in body. Mild in taste. Added flavoring is mild. Burns a little warm, but I wouldn't classify it as hot.

Nice simple virginia flake.. very much in the style of dunhill flake or orlik golden sliced.. it doesnt bring much to the table to set it apart from other virginia flakes, but it is nevertheless a good smoke and a nice presentation. its a bright tasting somewhat cereal like flavor. not too complex but not bad.

I like this quite a lot. The flakes themselves are neat and uniform, and are easily rubbed out, or folded and stuffed. It tastes pleasant and naturally sweet, but will bite like a lion if you smoke too fast. nothing super complex here. I found it to be very similar to Orlik Golden Sliced, just less sweet and citrusy. my onlyy real gripe is that it tends to gurgle in the pipe. 3 stars

Here in middle Tennessee the mercury is pushing 100 with moderate humidity. The breeze doesn't whisper, it barks.

The dog days of summer are here. No better time to crack a six year old tin of Gold Virginia Flake. Perfect moisture right out of the tin. Full rub out with a few chunks. First charring light is bitey and bright. Second charring light settles down a wee bit. Final light and tamp brings out some great citrus notes on top of hay, grass and white grapes. A little brown sugar as the smoke progresses.

No dairy products present, nor any confectionary flavors. A nice agricultural smoke with plenty of fresh produce in the mix, along with some grains like toasted oatmeal. I would bet this stuff kicks butt in a cob!

DGT while checking my eyelids for light leaks in the hammock.

A tall, ice cold Arnold Palmer as an afternoon eye opener. Relight. Even better. Dry as dust, no gurgle or steam. Medium gray ash and four (count 'em) shreds of dottle. Pipe is sweet and dry and ready for another round of Gold Virginia Flake. Me Too! Me Too!

This does not seem to have been reviewed for a while, I managed to buy a couple of tins and did so thanks to this site, otherwise, I would never have heard of this Flake. For sometime I have been looking for a replacement for Dunhill Flake, and this is about as close as I can get, it doesn't have the buttery taste of Dunhill, but this is a nice light early morning smoke. The tin I opened was not on the moist side, on the contrary, it was very dry, it more crumbled than rubbed out, but still gave a good cool smoke with just enough nicotine. I Know, there are those that claim Orlik Golden Slice has to be the closest, as Orlik now own the receipe for Dunhill. But IMHO, this is much closer, and you don't need the asbestos gloves with this as you do with Orlik. I can see myself buying more of this and stocking up on it. Most definately Four ****