Rattray 40 Virginia

Kind of interesting cut of mostly ribbon with several chunks of narrow flake, almost like someone neglected to rub it out completely. As the blend proclaims, honey and grass is a perfect descriptor. It's what I smelled in the tin, amidst the basic tobacco scent. I smoked about 2 oz of the 4 oz tin.

This one strikes me as a Virginia/burley blend for OTC lovers. It's close to as basic as can be, much heavier on the VA, but very balanced and "tobacco-y". Nothing sticks out to upset the apple cart. This is a very lightly sweet "honey and grass" blend, emphasis on grass. Almost zero complexity, but not boring. Rattray blends have been in my rotation for decades and what they all seem to have in common is a huge depth of flavor and complexity (more so in the earlier days than now, perhaps) and a very Scottish signature. Not so this one. This is for "smokers" that don't want to be nuanced from here to eternity. They just want a down to earth honest-to-goodness tobacco taste with more than a hint of sweetness. This probably won't knock your socks off but it's relaxing enough that you might find yourself taking your socks off yourself. Worked well for me during yard work and when my focus on something else needed to be maintained.

This is a pretty nice smoke. The first thing I tasted on lighting is honey followed by a hay/grass note. A few puffs in and the Burley shows up with a light nutty note. The Burley is just background flavor and also adds some roundness and a little depth. The Virginia is the star. Until I read the description I thought the honey was an added element. It's a fairly strong note to be natural. Very nice. Not complex, but it is very tasty.

Mild to medium in taste and body. Evidently there are no added flavorings although I'm a little suspicious of the honey. I'll take their word for it though. Burns very well.

The Virginias offer quite a bit of honey, citrus, grass and straw along with a touch of dark fruit, earth and a little spice. The nutty, earthy, woody burley also has a few drops of molasses in a secondary role. The strength and nic-hit are a couple steps past the mild level. The taste is just past the center of mild to medium. May bite a fast puffer, and has some acidity that tingles the tongue as well as a little roughness. Burns a little warm, but clean at a moderate pace. The flavor weakens a little once you get to the last third of the bowl, and you’ll get a couple cigarette notes. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, routine after taste. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

A lighter cousin to Old Gowie and HOTW. Less burley and no perique I think.

The cut is mostly ribbon, but a few cubes and some broken flakes are seen. Brights and browns. Easy to pack and smokes steady. Little tang. Not too moist out of the can.

The natural Virginia sweetness is toned down by some burley. This is to me a basically straight tobacco smoke. Sniffing the tin may reveals some nuances and flavors, but it still tastes pretty staight to me from the pipe. Like hay and a bit of earth. Some age may bring out more Virginia sweetness, but such is unnecessary to me. It's nice the way it is now and neutral enough to break in a pipe with.

A good "all day" type of smoke. Not heavy, but more flavor than just the word delightful would describe. I still wouldn't puff too hard due to the Virginia content. Maybe Rattray's Scottish answer to a reborn "half and half" type of blend, but I doubt there is that much burley in it.

Recommended for straight tobacco puffers who prefer something a little on the lighter side, but who don't want to search for flavor.

This tobacco is so exceptionally mediocre that it deserves a review. I can't imagine a more mundane pipe smoking experience. There's nothing wrong with the blend, but there's nothing to recommend it against other va or va/bur blends.

I get a distinct anise shot in the tin. I can't imagine that this is uncased. (EDIT with time this has totally receded.. a product of fermentation or imagination?) Uniform golden brown mixture, very wet (British wet if you will). Easy to pack it too tightly because of this.

Tastes like tobacco, not bitey but a little acrid.

That's it. That is literally the whole bowl in one sentence. This stuff makes Orlik Golden Sliced seem like a complicated and overwhelming blend. I dunno. So many good offerings in this category, I have no idea why anyone would choose this. It's not BAD but it's just completely underwhelming. Give me Navy Flake. Give me Brown Clunee. Anything really.

The cut is definitely a mixture of ribbon and broken flake, or light, medium, to semi-dark brown and yellow tobaccos. It smells of grass, hay, honey, and even some fruity notes, as many others have noted. It's of the perfect moisture to load in the bowl and smoke.

Easy to load and light. Took a few relights to get and keep going. Light tamping is sufficient to keep it rolling and burning gently.

The smoke flavor is quite enjoyable and surprising, at least to me. It smelled like an aromatic in the tin and smells like an aromatic while burning, but it's not an aromatic. It doesn't burn hot and isn't sticky or cloyingly sweet. Flavors of fruit, grass, and yes honey, are the primary flavors rounded by a bit of nut and woodsy natural tobacco notes. The aroma and taste remains consistent throughout the bowl. A great tobacco that I can see being an easy to approach, no nonsense, all day smoke. I don't see it as a prime favorite, but it's quite good and exceptionally executed.

Excellent tin note of well cured hay and some honey notes, also a bit of nutty burley essence. No added flavorings so the tobacco is the star. Packs well and burns well without an excess of relights. Flavor profile is semi sweet with a bit of tang. Smokes like mostly Virginia which I believe it is. The burley seems to be there as a contributing partner. While you can taste it there it does not overwhelm the sweet Virginia. Will jar a couple of ounces and vault it for a couple of months, I believe with a little age in a mason jar this will become a 4 star for me. One reviewer said it may be the Scottish half and half but I think not. High quality leaf that I find in every Rattray blend I have smoked

Ever just want to stuff something in your pipe and smoke it?

Ever just want an authentic, uncomplicated experience with solid, straight-forward flavors?

That is really the essence of Rattray's 40 Virginia. The Burley component provides excellent burning qualities that make it light easily, burn completely, and smolder consistently without fuss. The Burley also provides its signature nutty flavor. The golden Virginia makes the blend predominantly a light, sweet smoking experience with flavors of honey, hay, grass, and maybe a little bit of muskiness. As with most golden Virginia blends, even ones with typically less or no Burley component, the flavor profile is subtle and might take a few bowls to appreciate and get a sensitivity for if you are used to your palate being assaulted by robust flavors.

This blend is extremely easy to smoke like an OTD, but it features high quality tobacco and no foul casings.

If you only smoke a pipe for bedazzling experiences of exotic, complex tobacco blends, then this probably isn't for you. This is a simple thing done well, which is a hard thing to come by these days.

This is a wonderful light Virginia blend with a little Burley. The tin aroma is sublime. I found it to be cool smoking and tasty all the way down the bowl. The quality of leaf used is exceptional, as expected; as it was created to celebrate John Aylesbury's 40th Anniversary. This is an excellent blend for those of us who like their pleasure on the milder side. Naturally sweet. A new favorite! This is also nice mixed with Macbeth. Three parts 40 with one part Macbeth.

Virginia 40 is a high quality mixture that is very well presented in the can . The tin note is mild as well . The presentation invites smoking . The problem with this bland is the taste; there is very little . Toward the end of the bowl I noticed a slight Virginia taste , otherwise nothing . This tobacco is real good as a Virginia add on in a mixture that needs to be toned down a little . Especially good for Samuel Gawith which needs some kindling to be able to light it . If you just want smoke this is fine but if you want some taste skip it .