Fribourg & Treyer - Vintage pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 19 of 19 reviews of this tobacco
Kilmarnock Piper	02/20/2012	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I've been really going through this tin. I have to say, that while I have enjoyed it, it is a pretty ordinary Virginia flake. Interesting aftertaste sometimes, and nothing to really set it apart. There is absolulely nothing wrong with it (besides the occasional strange aftertaste). I have gotten the best results from spicing it up with a little Perique. I would buy it again if it were $6.50 a tin, but not for $11.00. That's all I really have to say: it's a decent Virginia flake, but one of many, and there are better.
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DK	10/24/2011	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
Flat tin and nice, wide flakes, perfect for folding. This is a darker shade of VA and doesn't have that overly citrusy tin nose. Kind of a non-descript, slightly hay-ish quality. The flavor is middle-of-the-road and unassuming straight virginia. I don't taste any flavoring, so apparently the Navy designation is in the cut only. This one is not at the high level of F&T's Blackjack, but it's a decent smoke. The lighter notes are present and some mid-level as well but this one is firmly in the light camp. The Dunhill Flake I smoked recently had the bass notes as well, which I appreciated, as well as this company's Blackjack. The lightness of this one makes it good for a straight VA newbie, something to get the feet wet while he moves toward headier fare. This is certainly a good smoke with nice hay-like qualities - it just doesn't distinguish itself in the genre as some others do. I finished the tin but won't buy any more. Blackjack owns that part of my cellar that is F&T's.
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nitekrawlr	07/29/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Decided to try this particular flake, as I have never tried anything by Fribourg & Treyer. Was not disappointed, an excellent and high quality Virginia flake, that burns evenly, and fairly slow. Out of the tin, the flake was neither too moist, or too dry....just right. For anyone whose a fan of quality Virginia flake, this one shouldn't be passed.
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eamonclever	09/29/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
mild and tasteful mixture, very distinctive for tastebuds and nosetrils.Out of the tin it comes a little dry for my liking, but this is navy cut. i smoke it in small and medium pipes, easy to light, not much effort to smoke it down to the bottom of the pipe. this makes it a pleasure. if mac baren navy is too sweet for you, but you like navy cut, this is the tobacco one should try. good for starters and newbies.
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Taste Buds	08/23/2010	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I havn't smoked this excellent flake in years. But I must have read Eulenburg's expressive review a dozen times. That man sure has a way with words and I agree with everything he says about this blend. The taste is very fresh and delicious. I could see myself smoking this regularly for the rest of my life. It is not boring or monotonous; just an excellent mellow flavor that's satisfying and enduring. I've read all the previous reviews, both positive and negative, and have come to the conclusion that this is the most elegant and refined red virginia flake I have ever tasted. I regret that my recent reunion with this esteemed tobacco took so long to occur. Vintage will remain one of only a handful of mixtures that I will enjoy till the end of my pipesmoking days. Definitely a 4 star blend and one of my top 5.
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Pipestud	02/01/2010	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
This is a very unusual Virginia Flake... It has little strength and a mild flavor despite the darker composition of the leaf. Additionally, when opening the tin I smelled fruits, nuts, etc. I thought it was an aromatic. The taste is totally different than the sweet and pungent unburned leaf. The flavor presentation at the match was simply a mild, quality Virginia with perhaps a dusting of natural casing. If you are prone to tongue bite then be careful with this one. The mildness of the leaf may cause a revved up puffing cadence to try to find the beef... and there ain't none. It burned clean, dry and evenly from top to bottom.
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Russell	12/09/2008	Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
There are some things in life we know we should have done earlier, and trying this tobacco was one of those things for me. Well, where to begin? One of the smallest tins I've come across, for ten bucks, I almost thought that I'd been ripped off, until I picked it up. The lid says London, but the sticker on the back says "Made in Germany." It is more than likely, made by Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG. The tobacco is beautiful dense flakes, mostly golden virginia, interwoven with brown, and speckled with black, which is probably a dark fired virginia, (I distinctly smell that latakia scent, but it is so faint, I barely can pick it up). The scent in the tin is of a small amount of unfermented golden virginia, raisins, a smoky latakia-type scent, and the traditional tobacco scent. On lighting up, I get the faintest flavor of a top note, not honey, but a neutral sweetener, which may just be part of the tobacco, or in my opinion, may be licorice (NOT anise) based, which gives it the faint perfume note which a few reviewers have mentioned. It changes taste three times in each third of the bowl, growing more deep as it went down. Nicotine is definitely a solid medium, and I felt relaxed on the last third. This stuff is so good, that given time and a trip through other pipes, has the potential to oust every other tobacco I love. I will be cellaring as many tins of this as I can afford to buy. Don't hesitate to try this stuff, you'll be glad you did!
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Pseudo Nim	09/19/2008	Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
An Excellent quality virginia as would be expected from this fine house. I was able to find this through the good graces of Synjeco who seem to have a plentiful supply of hard to find and interesting tobacco's. As has already been noted by our esteemed and most worthy colleagues, this blend has a little more flavour than the usual F&T offerings, A very nicely presented flake, with a moisture content that few could complain about, I think I detected a little sour note to start but this soon settled down and a fine quality virginia took centre stage for the duration, neither too sweet, nor to dry, but a steady body that a good red virginia can deliver. This may not go into rotataion, only because I have more than enough choice as is, but a fine treat and change of pace from time to time. Well worthy of 4 Stars.
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lisztman	10/24/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
The tin opens to a single pressed slice. I rubbed out a bit, put it into the pipe, and smoked a fine light cigar. Honest. Except that unlike a cigar, it doesn't "accumulate" from one end to the other because it's a much smaller dose, so the pleasant taste stays with it throughout. I also tried it with minimal rubbing -- instead folding it into the bowl. Now the cigar taste is subdued and some buried spicy tingle comes through -- almost as if it were a different blend. I think I prefer the flavor of the former, but since I only really enjoy the flavor of a good cigar a few times a year, I'll leave this one to others.
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LoisKelly	08/15/2004	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Given my unbridled enthusiasm for F&T's Cut Virginia Plug, I find myself quite disappointed in this perportedly similar blend. It falls flat, and appears devoid of the humble yet endearing charm displayed by CVP.
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Jakob Kiilerich	06/14/2004	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Vintage is soft as velvet. It is the mildest VA flake that my palate has encountered, ever... Upon opening the tin, i smelled dried fruit and alcohol. It has a very pungent odor, but also a very pleasant one. Like Cognac and raisins. It is a bit moist so i would recommend drying it before packing. Now.. here comes the weird bit; I'll bet my fur that this little flake here contains oriental leaf! I may be way out in the woods here, but i'll bet my fur that this blend contains a tiny dash of turkish... Besides from that, it is quite similar to Astley's 109 i think, and has flavor notes similar to those in Osborne 63... Nothing new here, good quality VA; i'll be stashing several tins for later. Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark
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Pounder 5000	06/13/2004	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is not bad stuff! As opposed to the CVP that I tried, this stuff smokes quite cool, and has some very nice darker flavors. The Va experience is all red for me and this makes the overall experience very nice indeed. I'm not a big fan of the lighter Va's and in this blend they stay out of the way. This is the flake to share with your upscale friends at the local club when you want to show off. This isn't really a priority for me, but who knows? Someday it might be just the thing!
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Paddy	11/17/2003	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
A very well made Virgina flake, typical of the F&T cut plugs. The flakes are medium brown and neatly packed side by side in the tin. This is a lightly sweetened flake and provides pleasant Virginia flavor. The uniqueness of this tobacco for me is in the nose. Clearly, there is a top dressing that provides a distinctive scent throughout the smoke, and faintly reminds me of a woman's perfume I smelled as a youth. This is not a typical full blown English scented flake. The scent is far more delicate, ephemeral, and it is there in almost every puff. It is not overpowering or distracting, but adds an interesting dimension, very subtle and satisfying. This should be an enjoyable smoke for both the lover of English scented flakes and for those who enjoy the taste of Virginia tobacco. Highly recommended. Paddy.
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Tantric	02/12/2003	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A very nice Va. flake. Not unlike Gawith?s Best Brown, Vintage has however a more consistent structure, a superior body and IMO it is easier to handle and smoke. Its flavour, though not complex, is sharp and rich. It doesn't get off to a great start but as you progress through the bowl, it really grows on you and settles down perfectly well. It also has a wonderful aftertaste. I agree with other reviewers in that the difference with other offerings from the same house (Cut Plug in particular) are so subtle that it takes a while before you actually realise you are smoking something different. Less fruity than Cut Plug, with perhaps a bit more of aggressiveness, Vintage is an excellent medium strength straight Va., very palatable and traditional. Recommended to all Va. lovers.
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Eulenburg	02/06/2003	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
VINTAGE is a smidgeon stronger-flavoured than Cut Blended Plug: just enough to give it some of the cozy Red-Virginia character that that blend lacks. I did something I rarely do, and smoked a series of pipefuls of this during a long Spring walk (I really needed it!) With and without a windcap, this tobacco consistently burned easily, cooly and dryly on an old Sasieni, a small Peterson bent, a Danish-made Jobey Freehand. When I got home (having decided not to jump in the Hudson river after all?too much fine tobacco out there waiting to be smoked!) I tried it in an ARDOR churchwarden?same smooth result. It never fatigued my taste buds or burned my delicate tongue. The taste is cool and mild enough to please white burley fanciers, but there is a smoldering douceur, an intriguing finish to this that you could never get out of boring old burley. A soupçon of stoved meatiness makes this just that much more interesting. The more I smoke this blend, the more I like it. A fine recommendation.
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Bear	08/16/2002	Extremely Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
50 gram square gold tin. Label is gray with black calligraphy Tobacco appearance and tin note: Beautiful tiger striped flake, with just an occasional bit of dark weed peeking out. Moisture: perfect. Flakes separate easily into nice, thin strips. Tin fragrance, glorious, rich undernotes augmented with that "tang" representative of light, sweet Va. That "tang" is sans hints of acetic acid, or other negatives occasionally associated with Va's. Packs perfectly. Die Warchow's "Rubber Glove" remix of KMFDM'S "Light", on the faithful Nakamichi,.... let's rock! Flame hits weed releasing one of the softest, lightly fragrant smokes that I have ever encountered. It has sufficient body that the delicate hints of lemon and grapefruit has some grounding, but just enough. Smooth? This stuff is slicker than Johnny Cochran coated in Crisco. If it's your thing, this one is extremely inhaleable. The fragrance and room note is not particularly remarkable, but pleasant in a Carolina evening kind of way . Mid bowl: the fruit mutes a tad, moving a hint of peanut brittle to the foreground, the complexity remains stable. Mellow.... wonderfully mellow. End bowl: Excellent. This Vintage Flake has the least traumatic "end game" of any Va that I have tried. Summary: Oh, yeah! One of the finest Va flakes that I have tasted recently. Deliciously light, smooth and pleasant. A great one for those reluctent to jump into the Virginia "sea". This one is great for morning to late afternoon smokes .Good stuff, Maynard! 8 out of 10 Bearclaws. -- Bear Graves
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Sykes Wilford	10/08/2001	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
I've been slowly working my way through a tin of this for some time now-- picking it up off and on for a few months. I must admit that I prefer Cut Virginia Plug to Vintage and they are relatively similar straight Virginia blends. The tobacco is very pretty-- various shades of tan and brown Virginias intermingle in this pressed flake. The smallish tin holds perhaps fourteen thin slices that break apart easily for full rubbing out or partially breaking the flake for packing. I personally prefer the latter with large pieces over fully rubbing it out. The tin aroma is pleasant, but unexceptional. Slight sweetness is evident plus a tartness from the acidity of the lighter Virginias. The blend smokes much as one would expect given the tin aroma. This is superficially a very simple Virginia blend with a basic 'tobacco' taste and little else. As the bowl progresses, the sweetness becomes more evident as does a slightly tart taste (probably stemming from the lighter Virginias). All in all, it is a pretty decent, if unexceptional, smoke. Definitely worth a try for the lover of straight Virginias, but not interesting enough to differentiate it from other similar blends in my mind.
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Noorrmm	06/27/2001	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The tobacco is mostly red, with some light and dark flashes evident. The flakes are of average thickness and easy to rub out. They are also soft enough to fold and roll. The aroma is what I expect from a well matured, but not heat treated virginia. It's slightly sweet and pungent, but lacking the McClelland "vinegar" tang. The flavor is absolutely delicious, a perfect medium body with a hint of natural sugar. It burns slow and cool, and allows you to enjoy the flavor without having to concentrate on the pipe. I think it makes an ideal companion for most daytime activities, like writing this review. I'm smoking it right now in a vintage Sasieni Four Dot.
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Jon Tillman	04/26/2001	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Tin Aroma: A pleasant blend of sweet and sour notes. Mellow compared to some Virginias I have smelled, particularly those with Perique. Physical Characteristics: A mostly light colored flake, approximately 2.5 to 3 inches long. The flake is well put together; does not crumble to dust, bends enough to be rolled up and inserted into the pipe that way. Rubs out nicely into approximately 1/2 inch long ribbons, with very little 'shake' created in the process. It usually takes one and a half flakes to fill my pipes, but I don't know if that means I smoke small pipes or big pipes. I have yet to find a flake that fits any of them in whole flakes, whether it be one per pipe or two per pipe. First Light: Hints of vanilla and something sweet that I cannot put my finger on. The vanilla note dissapears almost immediately, replaced by the clean, almost stringent taste of the virginias. Notes: Responds well to DGTing, but I had trouble letting it sit around long enough to discover that. I had never encountered the 'soapy' flavor that ome have spoken of in relation to Lake District tobaccos until I smoked Vintage. This is only odd in that Vintage is NOT a Lake District tobacco, but sure enough, the soapy flavor showed up a couple of times over the course of a bowl.
Showing reviews 1 through 19 of 19 reviews of this tobacco