The tin aroma is somewhat similar to MB Mixture, but less honey-ish and somewhat less sweet. The leaf in the tin I got was just right for smoking; not too moist as some reviewers have experienced. Packing is the usual easy deal for a ready-rubbed; just don't stuff it too tightly, that's all. Lights up nicely and evenly, and burns all the way down with a minimum of dottle.

The room note is warmly dry and does not turn stale over time - I re-entered the room I had smoked this in the next morning and it was still nice. The taste is of sweet VA with some spiciness. Smoke this too hot and you'll suffer, though. Keeping it cool may be tricky at times, but it can be done.

The taste is even throughout the pipe, gains only little in strength and taste as you smoke along.

Not recommended for beginners, but this blend will be on my regular buying list.

The tin aroma is very sweet, and grasslike. It is quite exactly just as the description says, very sweet "golden" taste. No real surprises, though; on the verge of monotony in fact. But on the other hand, it is very accessible for both new and old and certainly has its moments.

I often use this blend to break in new pipes, and it does an excellent job at that, since it leaves very little flavour in the pipes, is ready rubbed and easy to handle and smoke, have a good price and good availability makes this a good value tobacco which is well worth a try.

As others posted, opening the tin was like walking into a haybarn. It is pungent in that respect. It packs and lights well straight out of the tin and stays lit leaving that little grey dottle behind. It did take a few bowls for the sweetness to kick in and it is there for me. This is not a mouth party. For me, it is a soothing, mildly sweet smoking tobacco with no bite.

Edit: This tobacco smokes cooler after drying a clump out for 30 minutes. Should curb the tounge bite as well.

Smokeable and faintly pleasant,yeah,but why bother when there are so many superior alternatives?

It smells and tastes subtly sweet. The sweetness reminds me of chewing on a piece of rye grass. From the first, a noticeable tang...then, hot and juicy! Still, I kept smoking and shrugged it off as normal for an aggressive smoker. I started really paying attention, in terms of technique in smoking. So I began using VA #1 as a training tool in patience. I smoked it slower. Much better slower! And drier! Alas, still, it had some, rather enjoyable, tongue bite. I noticed a sweet after-taste on lips, leaving me wanting more. 10 minutes after smoke, hay-like smell in room.

This is my first Virginian flake and immediately ran out to buy another tin. Not going to be a day after day smoke. Tongue can't handle its roughness. Rather, this will be a change from the day to day. I'll try my best not to smoke until after a year. (See if it's true that it mellows with age.)

Can't really say I'd buy much more then a couple 100g tins. Too many others to sample. Reasonably priced at $8 for +/- 3 ½ oz.

It is a fairly simple and enjoyable smoke which I'll recommend to people who are experimenting with virginias or those who like the fuller versions but feel somewhat overwheelmed. I probably won't buy it again since I like "spicier" virginias, but I can see how some guys could adopt this as an all day smoke. I burns slow adn evenly, it's easy to light and it does not bite. I've never experienced the severe bite that some reviewers here experience with Mac Baren Blends.

So far, I've only tried a few tobaccos, and Virginia nº1 is not for me... I've never experienced the infamous tongue bite with any tobacco (and I've been smoking 3 bowls a day over the last few months), but the honey sweetness of this Virginia nº1 is not for my taste (and I supose it will not appeal to any ex-cigarette smoker). It packs and lights fine, but it burns too hot.

Still, in my effort to understand pipe tobacco better, I've placed about 35g. in a small jar and will keep it stored for some months.

***UPDATE*** 6 months after, I opened the jar and gave it a try...puff,puff... very nice! I don´t really know if it changed with time or if the change was in my personal taste. It´s not a blend to smoke daily, but when carving for something on the sweet/honey side, I'm going to want Virginia nº1 around.

Upgrade from 1 to 2 stars

Already bought 4 oz. of it and placed them in 2 different jars. One will be cellered for some months, the other for a couple of years. (for some reason, I did´t smoke any from this new batch) Also, this 4 oz. where very dry, and I had it rehydrate with destilled water. Hope it will age fine.

This has great flavor that lasts all the way down the bowl. It's sweet but it's great at certain times. This is one of my favorite blending tobaccos! I've blended this with varying amounts of latakia, perique, burley, stoved virginia and even some McClellands Red Cake (which didn't work out too well for more than a couple reasons!) and it's so heavy in flavor that unless I went totally overboard with the condimental tobaccos, this one took center stage. But it was graceful in victory! Stoved virginias and perique with Virginia #1 yielded some nice results. The stoved toned down the MacB's a bit and the perique added some spice to the sweetness.

But still this is a nice smoke on its own. I couldn't smoke it all day every day just as I couldn't eat chocolate cake every day but I always have some on hand when the mood strikes. If you like a sweet virginia, you should definitely give this one a spin.

A very pleasant smoke that has entered my weekly rotation and I would have no problem smoking it on a daily basis. A very enjoyable smoke, indeed! One of the few tobaccos where after I finish a bowl, I immediately want another of the same. Different enough from Mac's Virginia Flake offering to include both into rotation.

UPDATE 4-3-12: Down one star since having smoked a lot of Orlik's Golden Sliced, Wessex Brown Va Flake, and a few others, I have found Va No. 1 a bit too mild for my tastes at present.

Original Review: Fresh outta the tin, Va no. 1 calls to mind hay and honey. It tends to smoke hot, as I hear is to be expected given its pedigree; it is very bright and sugary and sharp. It is not unpleasant if smoked nice and slow.

8 oz. of Va no. 1 + 1 oz. McClelland's blending Perique, left sealed in a jar for a year, yielded delicious results for me. The sharp edges were smoothed, and the bright sugariness subsided to a fuller, more caramelized sweetness.

A very simple, straightforward smoke; somewhat recommended fresh, but recommended without reservation aged with a bit of Perique for a pretty cheap DIY VaPer.

I have used this blend to mix with some other stronger tobacco to tone it down a notch with good results.

My review is so based on the last half of the tin. The humidity is just perfect, the colour is bright and medium brown. The pipe is a bend rhodesian, filtered with 9mm balsawood, medium bowl, Brebbia. This pipe has smoked exclusively this, and few others virginias.

Vno1 chars good and steady: until mid bowl the strength is mild, the typical McB "honey on toast" is present from the very beginning both on the tongue and the nose, really very pleasant, just a faint metallic note on the tongue tip. Leaves a sweet tongue. The palate is not scorched, even in deeper sips, just a bit acidic note, nothing so annoying.

From mid bowl to the end, everything melts fine with no aggressive notes, just a bit sourish. The strength develops to mild to medium. Reaching the end the smoke is pleasantly piquant, seems a VaPer... and the strength is medium.

Never a goorgle, no sharp notes, just the pipe a bit on the hot side (like all the Va's). Everything runned smooth, pleasant and satisfactory. I just wanted one more bowl.

Compulsory condition: sip slow and short.

Four stars.