This is a classic British newsagent pouch tobacco. It's less strong than Condor or St Bruno, but the clue was in the title, it's mellow.

Perhaps some here might feel that "Recommended" is too generous as this tobacco is nothing unusual or special. But isn't that exactly the point of this tobacco? For a mellow unassuming pouch tobacco it doesn't put a foot wrong, and just because it's mellow that doesn't make it bland.

The aroma in the packet aroma is reasonably pleasant though nothing special. Lighting and packing is easy too. It's there that the troubles start. Even with filters in the bowl and stem, the flavour is, at best, okay and descends reasonably quickly into that rough bitter taste that cigars often reveal towards the end of their smoke. Without the filters, I get about two good puffs before descending into bitterness. I get not so much tonguebite as tongue three course meal and my lips feel so swollen and numb that they feel like Lesley Ashe after her botched collagen treatment. Also, the gurgling from the bowl suggests that this is a very damp smoke, not a pleasant sound when I'm trying to chill with my pipe.

Okay, so I admit I am still an inexperienced pipe smoker, so might be packing it wrong or suchlike, but considering this is the only tobacco I've not enjoyed thus far and the only one where I've thrown away a half full packet, I see no reason to try this again.

Update: 14/02/2013

Strange that I find that myself reviewing this again. I only bought 25 grams of this recently as it was a week before payday, only a fiver left in my pocket and was in desperate need of some of the naughty leaf. I was in my local shop having just topped up my electricity key and espied this on the shelf. In my hour of need, I took the plunge and thought "What the hell! At least it will give me something other than money to worry about.".

After finally getting home, I thought I'd best tuck in. The packet aroma was as nice as I remember from the first time, it was the best bit of it back then if I rightly remember. A little trepidation crept in as I whacked it in the pipe and lit up. A hint of pleasure and pleasant surprise as tasty wafts of toffee arraigned themselves upon my taste buds and nostrils as I sat back and chilled out. There's also something else there, something akin to a milder Condor Green. The flavour continued throughout most of the smoke only getting a little rough towards the end. There was only the slightest hint of tonguebite at the bottom of the pipe and none of those numb lips either.

Although my original review was right at the time of going to press, I can't help thinking a lack of both experience and a certain physical tolerance to the vagaries of pipe smoking played a part in my lack of enjoyment of this and some other tobaccos. With a bit of hindsight, wisdom and experience I am now in the process of correcting some of these. My correction here then, is that this is a good, solid, earthy smoke, perhaps a little brother of Condor Green. At some point I look forward to getting a full 50g of this so I can enjoy its worthy three star delight.

I must say that in my opinion it is nowhere near as bad as some say; I actually find it a pleasant mild smoke with a proper 'Grandad' room note that reminds me of going to watch Bradford City at Valley Parade when I was young, and sitting behind a pipe smoker. Slightly vanilla scent in the packet, not much in the smoke, which is fine by me. I doubt I'll buy it again since I have to get all my tobaccos by mail normally and I prefer tins, but I'll finish the packet happily. Three stars!

Once the lovely sticky toffee flavour has worn off you are left with a very mediocre tobacco. There is none of the blending skill you find in quality blended tobacco. I think part of the reason for this is that they have used very average tobaccos to go in the blend. This is not the worst tobacco I've tried but is sure is not the best by a long way. The good thing about Mellow Virginia is that it's cheap and readily available. If I was to buy a supermarket tobacco I'd buy something else. If the topping lasted the whole bowl I'd give it more points but it doesn't so I wont. All in all a disapointing smoke, not recommended, there are far better tobaccos out there.

It’s the moment you pass the quarter mark that problems start and boy do they start with the rapidity of a peeved off tornado. Suddenly the delightfully sugary flavour evaporates and is replaced a bitterness which is stomach retching in its intensity. This lasts for the reminder of the bowel and gets its worst. Yes it is actually possible to go beyond gut retching. I suspect this foulness is because as this point in the smoke the casing is used up and the cheapness of the tobacco reveals itself. Nasty, nasty stuff.

All in all the last three quarters of bowel was without doubt the most horrendous smoke of my life. Even though this tobacco is readily available in most supermarkets in the UK and Ireland, my advice is to avoid unless your tongue delights in having a trowel load of hot ash plastered over it. I’ll very reluctantly give this blend two stars but only because enjoyable start.

Flavour & Taste: a bit like sticky toffee pudding with a slight 'soapiness' - not in league with Condor original though (wich made me feel sick). Needs to be smoked gently to taste the flavour and not get that harsh bitterness of ash lower down in bowl.

Room smell: sweet toffee aroma (possibly a bit sickly), not the richer molasses & peaty smell of St Bruno.

Had some St bruno left but not enough for a full bowl, so mixed some Mellow Virginia with it. It was quite pleasant. Fuller flavour, not as sweet & sickly as MV alone.

Not good....

Once lit I get some very sutble flavours of caramel which makes for a very pleasant smoke. As has been said, the further down the bowl this gets it starts to turn bitter and ends up being nasty.

It is a real shame because it starts so well.

As I remember it though, it wasn't half bad actually and like another reviewer I wonder if the recipe has been changed or the standard of tobacco diminished. For one thing the flavour seemed to last to the end of the bowl...which it doesn't appear to do today. Smoked gently, it starts off well enough and lasts maybe to the last third of the bowl and then goes a bit sour and ashey. I'm quite sure that it's the topping not lasting, and once it has gone, the cheap tobacco reveals itself.

Shame really: if Imperial/Gallaghers/Whoever took a bit of pride in what they produced and not just set out to make the cheapest crap that they can get away with, with the punters; this tobacco could become a nice little number again.

As it is, it's just about tolerable...well no...it's tolerable...but could be a lot better.

Several people that I’ve known over the years have adopted MV as an all-day smoke. It’s certainly unassertive, and it won’t weary you in the way that more robust and demanding tobaccos can. Like several other reviewers, I’ve noticed that MV tends to deteriorate in quality as you go down the bowl. DGT fails to deliver its customary reward, too: re-lit, MV comes across as hot, tasteless and ashy. Personally, I don’t care much for the vanilla-type flavour, and the product as a whole leaves me with the impression of something a bit cheap and third-rate. My suspicion is that the topping is there to gussie up a somewhat low-grade leaf.

Let me try to rank MV in relation to other UK supermarket tobaccos, though. On the one hand, if it’s a choice between MV and St Bruno or Three Nuns or Player’s Whiskey, don’t go for MV. On the other hand, MV is far, far superior to either of the Craven abominations; it has more character and body than the contemporary version of Gold Block; it smokes better than Clan (cooler, and without the mannerisms of flavour and room note); and it's nothing like as strong as the Condors. I don’t notice that MV bites worse than most other Virginias will, either. The secret is not to rush, and not to smoke it when it’s too dry.

As supermarket brands go, MV is all right, even if no more than all right. Availability is its strongest point. I’d give it two and a half stars if I could. Somewhat recommended: if you’re stuck, it's a decent stopgap; MV is by no means a tobacco of distinction, but it's not bad for what it is.