Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Preface: I have been smoking Dunhill Standard Mixture Medium for near-on 30 years, believing that it has no equal anywhere on earth. But it is gone now, and so I begin a quest for my Holy Grail: A substitute to replace the standard on which all English tobaccos are based:

If you search here for the tobacco with the most 4 star reviews you have Full Virginia Flake. No, not an English type, and not a likely SMM substitute, but how could I go about my quest of trying all of these tobaccos while ignoring numero uno?

In May 1607, the London-based Virginia Company's three ships landed in Virginia and founded the first permanent British settlement in North America. It was a for- profit expedition. They hoped to find a route to the Far East (the infamous Northwest Passage) in order to further advance trade with China and/or to discover gold. They accomplished neither, while their mortality rate due to disease, starvation, & Indian warfare approached 70%.

What saved the remaining intrepid souls and their colony at Jamestown?

Tobacco.

Seedlings from the Caribbean blossomed in the inviting Virginia soil & climate and Virgina-Type tobacco was born. So flavorful was this tobacco that it's reception in England was overwhelming. Demand skyrocketed from a little known or used product to a popular pastime. A colony was saved, which lead to a nation.

And now I know why, having sampled FVF! Oh, Virginia tobacco!

Sometimes we try too hard, and seek too fiercely, that which has always been. Like Mother's comfort food, Samuel Gawith's FVF satisfies us because it is simple, and simply, good. You don't have to put this brand in a cellar for 20 years to enjoy it, or search the far corners of the earth to find it, or pay dearly to buy it. Just open a tin, rub out the delicate flakes, pack your pipe, and relax. Your pleasure is assured.

I like this stuff a lot, and I now recognize that it is a very important component of SMM, and that blends without a proper Virginia component do not appeal to me. Virginia is the richness & the body. Add Latakia for it's wonderful smokiness, & Orientals for some complexity and viola: Perfection in a tin! Easier said than done perhaps, but we are closing in.

Smells too sweet in the tin, but doesn't smoke that way. The flakes are delightfully moist and any attempt to dry them would be immoral. Put down whatever you're doing instead, and just smoke. If you do that, I promise it will burn perfectly. And you'll savor the creamy richness that is the hallmark of a moist tobacco such as this. It is a proper example of how long a tobacco should burn, which is a long time for FVF! If you dry it out and then go on Tobacco Review to write how you find FVF to be boring and unappealing, I will come and find you...

Rubbing out the flakes is fun and easy, but I suspect as a regular daily tobacco this process might become somewhat tedious.

I would add that everyone should try FVF except that, -based on the review numbers-, everyone already has!

Update: I prefer my tobacco tinned, even though it is more cost effective to purchase bulk. I like knowing that everything is perfect and undisturbed in that tin until I open it, and that specifically includes proper moisture content. But it seems everyone is out of FVF so I resorted to ordering in bulk, specifically the original 500g box that comes direct from Samuel Gawith. I was expecting to be a little disappointed, but I was surprised instead. The flakes arrived completely sealed and with perfect moisture content. And for those upset about "quality control" when broken flakes are found in their tins (I fail to grasp the import) a 500g box is a thing of beauty to open. The box is specifically designed to hold flakes, there must be a million flakes in a 500g box, and (in my box at least) every flake was perfect and intact, all neatly aligned, row upon row, of delicious fragrant flakes.

141 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2012-10-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Original review: 10-2-2012. Dry or damp, aged or not, this tobacco always delivers a pure, mildly tangy dark fruit sweet, very earthy, woody Virginia taste with a fair amount of bread, sugar, a little tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, mild floralness, light sour lemon, and a touch of pepper/spice. It does mellow with age (which is typical of straight Virginias), but not enough to lose the mild pepper/spice note. The taste level is medium. The strength is a couple of slots past the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is a step below the center of mild to medium. Burns slow, no matter the moisture content, with a very consistent cool, clean flavor, and a small rough edge or two. Won't bite or get harsh, though Superman puffing might get you a harsh note. Requires some relights, and leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a tad stronger. Can be an all day smoke. It ages exceptionally well. Four stars.

Update 1-13-2023. I have smoked several productions in the past three years, and there’s been a consistent change in all of them. The Virginias are lighter with the aspects one expects from that particular strain. The tart and tangy citrus and vegetative grass now leads the tangy dark fruit, earth and wood. The sour lemon notes are a little higher as well which helps reduce the sweetness a notch. The strength and nic-hit are a step stronger now. Has a little less flavor depth and body. All previous observations remain the same. Three stars for these versions, and my ratings here reflect them.

-JimInks

128 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Michael Kindt (18)	2014-09-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Ah, Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake. What more can be said? Well, frankly, THIS:

This is an old-school tobacco in the purest sense. One type of quality leaf, handled and prepared with care and love, by an old-school company using, by and large, old-school methods.

For those of you complaining that the size and shape and thickness of the flakes are uneven: quit it. This stuff is made on machinery that dates back to the 18th Century. I kid you not. Look it up. Some of the machinery Sam Gawith uses is actually protected by the UK government as historical artifacts.

You can't get much more old-school than that.

And unlike most of the fine blenders that were once in the British Isles, they haven't sold out to tobacco company eating monsters from Denmark. Imagine: an English tobacco still made in England! Holy beans!

I love Sam Gawith on principle. If they were an attractive woman, I would ply them with alcohol and try to get them in to bed.

Tin note: fermented Virginia glory, a wet field in the Fall with year-old, mostly-rotted away manure on it. Gorgeous, gorgeous scent.

Smoking: dry out first! This advice about all Sam Gawith offerings is so important, it's not even funny, but still kinda is. A 50 gram tin of Sam Gawith tobacco contains around 25 grams of moisture, but, like a beautiful woman who lies to me just to build up my ego, I'm totally ok with it. A pleasant, mutli-dimensional, rich, Virginia experience.

Sip for best results. Relax while smoking it. Do nothing else.

Fermentation is very present to me with this tobacco. Though no sugar crystals seem to be on fresh flakes, it is obvious in so many ways that this has been aged quite a bit before being sent out.

It's just delicious.

A word about smoking high quality Virginia flakes: keep at it, even if you have several so-so smokes in a row. Try it in different ways, in different pipes. Once you figure them out, you will reach the promised land.

I promise.

90 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2002-04-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is indeed a full Virginia flake. It smells like a typical grassy Virginia in the tin, but the stoving keeps the aroma subtle.

A depth of flavor hard to find, even for a class Virginia, FVF is a long-time staple. Just marvelous.

85 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Whats to say that has not already been said? This is a wonderful tobacco that is very straight forward. Upon opening the tin I have to marvel at the aroma. Its very flavorful smell of fruits like raisins and plums. It reminds me of my grandmothers hand made farm jelly. Heavenly bliss in a tin.

The flakes are a little large for the pipe I smoke them in, so I usually shred a full flake by hand and allow it to dry in the open air for about 15-20 minutes. Then after loading I like to draw on the pipe unlit to allow for savoring the straight tobacco aroma.

I usually do 2 or 3 charring lights depending on the moisture. This allows a nice charred "cake" to form on top. After that its on to the enjoyment. This tobacco is very pleasurable for the aromas it imparts, as well as a flavor that reminds me of fresh cut hay. I spent summers on my grandmothers farm (mentioned briefly above) and that taste is unmistakable. They say that taste and smell are tied to memories, and this brings back some of the best for me. Anyhow the flavor is very unadulterated and I find it highly relaxing. It also stays on the pallet for a while after smoking so I usually find myself wondering when I can get the next bowl! Its that good.....trust me.

I usually sit down and allow time to smoke every last bit in the bowl, as even the dottle is not overwhelming like other tobaccos I have tried. Ash is always a white/gray color and smoke is a thick creamy white. My live in room note adviser (AKA my wife) says the room notes are very tolerable, and she like the smell.

All in all this is a no nonsense VA blend that should be tried at least once. I venture to say this is the best of the Gawith blends. St James Flake is also recommended for a good change of pace.

Happy smoking, and please remember to support your local tobacco shops!

49 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Do we reallly need another review of this excellent tobacco? I say yes, because previous reviews are misleading.

Is this most likely the best pure Virginia pipe tobacco out there today? Yes

But this tobacco is, quite simple, a pain in the ass.

Now I know there are those out there who relish in the thought that they are amongst the elite, the cognizanti who are anointed into the secret club of spending at least as much time preparing and tinkering and babysitting your tobacco as you do smoking it. But for those among us with other things going on in our lives besides pipe smoking, this tobacco is simply a pain in the ass: a pain in the ass to find, a pain in the ass to prep, a pain in the ass to keep lit.

Flavors are amazing - the best pure VA you'll find. Final third of the bowl is a glorious experience, But getting there, to me, simply isn't worth it. Especially when there are so many amazing (and better behaved) flake tobaccos out there.

So I'm going to go against the crowd 'wisdom' here and say this is a pain in the ass, MF'er of a tobacco. If that's your thing, this is your blend.

That said: nic heavy, glorious final third of the bowl, undoubtedly the best pure VA out there. Does not bite (and it's a good thing too, because you'll have to puff this sucker to get it burning).

39 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aphexafx (3)	2014-12-17		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Full Virginia Flake. I am not new to FVF; I have collected more of those lovely gold and yellow-green tins than I care to admit. I am simply here to help spread the word and remark on a few points for any novices of this flake.

My first point, based on reading these reviews, is this: if you feel that FVF produces for you only hot air, steam, and/or lacks any kind-flavor… you are not treating it properly. And you should not give up, because once you figure this stuff out, you will understand why it flies off the shelves. FVF is amazing.

Secondly, ignore the value hunters who moan that FVF comes moist in the tin to cheat them, is rough cut, or contains a piece of stem now and then. Please. The people behind this blend know well what they are doing. No one is trying to pull anything on these paranoid pipers. That is akin to exclaiming a love for delicious steak and then whining about the marbling and drippings. FVF is what it is, that is how they make it, that is how they tin it, that is how you get it, and in the end that is why it is so great. There is no need to compare a traditional Lakeland flake to a machine-made Danish-manufactured one. This is a flake of the highest and purest quality prepared in the oldest manner.

My experience with FVF started just like some of the negative reviews I have read. I didn’t get it. I was into heavy Latakia blends at the time, trying to get more out of my pipes…Old Ironsides, Penzance…my first pipe full of FVF tasted like paper to me. It was unwholesome and uninteresting…I nearly gave it away. But instead of whining that I had been swindled, I persisted. I got some advice and pressed forward in my determination to figure this stuff out. It was the single greatest endeavor in my piping career because not only did this flake finally give up to me its luxurious, syrupy, sweet, heady goodness, it also qualified me to master Virginia flakes in general, and I can tell you with honesty that I have never looked back. Latakia has become boring, overbearing, and unappealing to my palate. Burley blends are even further lost on me. Full Virginia Flake is largely to blame for such an about face. It is that good.

FVF must be learned, but when you get it, oh boy do you get it. This dubious looking hot-pressed flake, made of African leaf and English know-how, will turn to ambrosia in your pipe when you do it proper. Tangy, rich, heady, syrupy, and sweet. It fills my head without a hint of irritation or bite. The tin note is deep and rich and evolving…like dark, dripping Christmas cake. And even better, FVF is a rare tobacco that produces a room note matching the glorious tanginess of its palate. When I smoke this flake every room in my home is bathed in its deep, tangy, luxury.

This flake ages wonderfully due to the purity and quality of the leaf, but it is also enjoyable from a fresh tin. It is affordable and, with patience, actually fairly easy to procure. To those who whine about the unavailability: you need to pay closer attention and be patient. SG is a small company that makes their tobaccos one batch at a time on presses and hand-operated cutters that are probably older than anyone alive. They are not a giant manufacturing conglomerate. If you require that kind of security and mechanization, then just move on and shut up already.

FVF benefits from some breathing time after unsealing. It usually (not always) requires drying before loading. It is best folded when the flakes are thin or broken when they are thicker, but not rubbed, which can be difficult to get right. It can be stubborn to develop its deep flavors until you figure it out. Too much overhead? It’s a no-brainer for me. FVF is, quite simply, the tastiest tobacco I have ever smoked, and I can say that with confidence because my opinion hasn’t changed in over twenty years.

Long winded reviews may be annoying…but I could not help myself on this one. Full Virginia Flake has provided me with so much pleasure and satisfaction that I owe it as much. Cheerios!

Revised: May 2023

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 1 to 20 years

Similar Blends: Best Brown Flake, Kendal Plug, HH Pure Virginia.

33 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-09-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake:

So much has already been said about this particular offering from the esteemed Sam Gawith that it is fairly hard to make any new observations other than personal ones about this blend.

So here they are:

Really a professionaly done product. The Virginias used(wherever they come from) in this mixture (flake) are superb. Simply that. The initial light up is a delight and the following burn is ,of course , remarkable. My pipes and my taste buds and my contemplations all are overjoyed with my choice of this tobacco in my daily itinerary of smoking indulgences. We just loves it!

Strength: Perfect, not overpowering but definitely robust and hearty. I have several other of the Kendal tobaccos from Sam Gawith and from Gawith and Hoggarth that I enjoy but I always return to the main course- Full Virginia Flake confidently and often. I am justified each time with the choice. Conistency of taste and all the other looked for attributes are the result.

Flavorings: Good Tobacco and various undertoines that are very pleasing. I am not sure if they are natural to the tobacco or applied. I really don't care either way. It really makes little to no difference in the "botto0m line" taste for me. The best advice I can offer for those wanting to know exactly what the taste is I can only say try it. I really can't say anything authoratative as some have about"rasins" or "figs" or any other subtle taste aspects. Mama and Papa's marinara sauce was like that. Nobody seemed to have time to ask why it was so good they were too busy enjoying it.

Room note: I don't give this much thought. It is tobacco, good tobacco burning and that's good enough for me. I'm not sure how everyone else does it but personally I can't much smell what I'm smoking. I refuse to get up and go outside to clear my sinal passages to find out. I am too busy enjoying myself for such activity. Besides which it is just not that important to me and mine.

Recommendation: Fairly obvious from the above review I would think. A professionally done product with everything that a medium to mild blend of Virginia tobaccos could posibly be expected to provide for a grateful pallet.

Get some.

-------------The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

33 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-04-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I just finished a tin of this and I'm going to buy more in bulk and put into my steady rotation. It's that good.

Thankfully, no Lakeland florals are present. This is a rich flavorful, no-nonsense virginia flake that has loads of depth, color and nuance. A complex flake that yields vast riches of complexity. Not much to add to other wonderful reviews here except to say that if straight virginia is your thing (if you're a Hal O' The Wynd fanatic as I am) you definitely need to check this out! I won't say it's "better" than the Rattrays but it will sit proudly alongside the Hal in my tobacco bar. I'll bet this stuff ages beautifully! Well done, SG!

25 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2010-08-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Full Virginia Flake is about as good as a flake can get: full of flavour, sweet (in a natural way), cool, slow-burning with a pleasant room note, and uniform all the way down the bowl. Taken slowly, it's absolutely delicious, though it probably won't appeal much to the lover of strong flavours.

This is IMO far and away the best SG tobacco. The only quibbles that I have are (a) that it comes much too moist in the tin, and (b) that the flakes tend to be rather thick and difficult to rub out (at least this was true of the 50 gm tin I bought). I find it better to rub them out, rather than folding and stuffing. If you fold and stuff you'll be forever relighting.

Excessive moisture is a besetting sin of SG tinned tobaccos, all of which benefit from drying. One aspect of this is that, as part of your 50 grams, you get a significant amount of water that evaporates off and leaves you with less weight than you think you bought. This is more than a little naughty on the part of SG.

But these drawbacks are so insignificant compared to the exceptional quality of this tobacco as to be hardly worth mentioning. It should be pointed out, though, that the FVF experience is greatly enhanced by a little drying; you won't get the best out if it if you plunge straight into a newly opened tin.

With those few insignificant caveats, a first-class all day smoke. Absolutely outstanding.

Update: I am beginning to notice a significant decline in the quality of FVF since the Gawith merger. Perhaps it's just me? I hope so.

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FunkyD in the Morning (8)	2011-12-12		Medium	Extremely Mild	Extra Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Full Virginia Flake, what's there to be said that already hasn't? Hmm...Well here's one for you. STOP HORDING THIS SHIT YOU DUMB A- HOLES!. Don't you realize that most of you will be dead by the time you actually smoke one third of your tobacco? And then what huh? Your spoiled kids aren't going to be fighting over ownership of your old stinky tobacco when you're dead, no, they'll go for the house. Maybe the car, what kind of car do you drive? If it's a nice car that still has a lot of value, hmm, ok so the kids would fight over the house and the car after they stick you in the ground. Then what, your one kid that none of his siblings like (probably has some kind of mental dysfunction) will be stuck with it. And God knows what he's going to do with it after you're rotting. Maybe toss in some grass and smoke one for Papa. How degrading!!!!! This is an excellent tobacco that you'd rather spend money on and throw away than give someone else a chance to enjoy it. You're tobacco will outlive you. If I knew who you were, I'd form a FVF rescue and break into your house and steal your shit. Let it be enjoyed.

21 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2014-09-14		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Samuel Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake is on a short list of tobaccos that I think “every pipe smoker should try”. OTOH, if you “just don’t like VAs”, then stay away, because FVF is nothing more (or less) than a consummate VA. To me, it is the Unwobbling Pivot of VA flakes. Yes, there are other good ones with more “obvious” qualities, if that’s what one wants; but, while the others might be “different”, FVF is ever unbowed and “the same”, and I hope it never changes.

In the tin, FVF looks ordinary enough, dark and lightly mottled, and the flakes are a little on the thick side. The tin note is restrained, TOP quality, stoved and hot pressed, fermented VA leaf, with shades of dark, figgy raisin bread, medium roast coffee, and a bare brush of dark chocolate. Surely, too much has been made here of the original moisture. It’s perfect for sealed tin aging, and it’s fine for smoking, too, given some technique and some patience at the light. YMMV, but drying FVF too much results in a harsh smoke, especially for deep sniffers. I like to fold, spindle and loosely stuff most of a moist flake into a dedicated VA pipe. FVF always smokes fine for me with minimal (if regular) attention, although it took practice to consistently smoke the very last of it. There is plenty of smoke for a VA, and the scents and tastes start deep for a VA and then they get deeper, with subtle and subtly spicy overtones, and it’s all pure, premium tobacco, from top to bottom. I actually enjoy the “sophisticated” casing and/or topping, very mild, with a nice taste and smell. Like any good VA, FVF gets better as it is smoked down. It is a very “mature” smoke, complex but never popping its buttons. Basically, it smells and tastes well-aged when it’s fresh from the tin, then it gets even better with aging. Strength is medium. Tastes are fuller than medium. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste is best of the smoke, only sweeter, and it lingers long, adding just a hint of anise as it trails off.

4 Stars, of course, for this excellent and very satisfying tobacco, and I’m sorry if I’ve ever taken it for granted. I wish I could stay away from my cellared tins.

Pipe Used: various briars; dedicated preferred

Age When Smoked: fresh to 18 mos; to 8 mos. from jars

Purchased From: 4 Noggins

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2013-11-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening a tin or a box of Full Virginia Flake is always delightful. The flakes are usually full of plume and marvelously presented. FVF is moist out if the tin and needs some dry time prior to smoking. As far as prep goes, I have always rubbed this flake out thoroughly and I have never had a bad smoke. It smokes dry, soft and cool with a slight fruity flavor that could almost at times be mistaken for a Lakeland essence, but the flavor is a bit different as it is not floral or soapy. It's quite light and refreshing on the palate and I find the first portion of the pipe to have a sprite tanginess along with a whisper of sweetness that is tremendously enjoyable.

FVF gets a bit spicier down the bowl and the flavors firm up a bit bringing forth an array of toasted grain and bread like flavors. Mid to end bowl flavors remain steady and quite delicious. At a proper pace it rarely turns bitter, never bites, remains exceptionally cool and it keeps its warm tone and semi-sweet dark fruity essence.

Another aspect of FVF that I enjoy is that it's fairly forgiving when smoked at a steady pace. A slow cadence will reveal the most appreciable flavors but it doesn't seem the budge too far from tasty when stoked up a bit more than usual. For all its flavor along with its moderate strength, FVF has a nice aroma. You gotta hand it to the British, I love their sensibility when it comes to tobacco.

FVF is a beautiful, excellent and quintessential English flake, and for certain one of my favorites from the Samuel Gawith catalog.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-04-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

I loose count of how many tins of this I've piped, it's simply an awesome straight Va.

Opening the tin reveals the usual S.G. problem: moisture. But after a few years of airing, o.k. that's melodramatic, a few hours, lol, it's a great smoke. The slightly earthy smelling blend transpires into a wonderful Virginia smoke: medium thickness, grassy tasting, even burning, bite free, just below medium nicotine amount, and a steadfast Virginia room-note.

This isn't flashy, fancy, or flamboyant, but it is, in my opinion, a necessity to every rotation: a benchmark Virginia Flake.

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Every pipe I own

Age When Smoked: New and aged from opening

Purchased From: Various

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2013-10-23		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A bit too mellow for my taste. I wish it had a little edge to it and a little more body. All in all though, a quality tobacco worth 3 stars.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bonneville (52)	2014-05-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Out of a freshly opened tin, this stuff is nearly impossible to smoke. It's sopping wet. I open up the tin and stick it in my cigar humidor for a week or so to dry it out a bit (while simultaneously humidifying my cigars LOL). Once you get the moisture content just right this stuff is delicious (note- it CAN be smoked wet, but I find that too much steam in the smoke is not ideal for flavor). I had a bowl of this last an entire full length movie once. It burns slowly and sweetly. It's for the PATIENT Virginia lover. It is indeed one of the premier Virginias on the market and I have plenty of this stuff on hand. In my top 5.

==EDIT==

It has now become my desert island tobacco. This may be the only blend out there I could ever smoke day after day after day without tiring of it. Damn it's good.

Pipe Used: Peterson fermoy

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Beehive Cigars, Salt Lake City, UT

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2014-01-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I'm not a huge fan of straight Virginias, but I enjoy quality VAs and VA/Pers now and then. Given the hype surrounding this iconic VA, I gave it a try.

Tin note was interesting, not great. Hay and fresh grass, but not very vibrant. Kind of flat, even a bit sad. Flakes were damp and limp compared to others I've tried. Burn was lousy despite using multiple approaches. Plenty of relights and more than one bite.

Maybe this would be better with some age, but compared to other VAs of similar age, it just struck me as a lousy tobacco. (Admittedly, I could be approaching this the wrong way, but I have not found similar blends this fussy.) It also seemed like a lot less care goes into the packaging than with other brands. I'd be OK with that for the right price or a quality tobacco, but that wasn't my experience at all.

Bad tin? Bad day on the Gawith factory floor? Maybe. I'm not planning to buy any more of it though. Life's too short and there are better VAs out there, in my non-expert opinion.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eric Cioe (37)	2014-09-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I started my foray into Virginias, I ordered an 8oz tin of Union Square, a 250g box of Gawith's Best Brown Flake, and a 250g box of this. I had smoked Union Square aged before and loved it, but fresh, it didn't quite do the same thing, so most of that is aging away. The BBF is really subtle and after smoking 2oz of it, I don't feel like I have a good enough handle to review it.

Then I opened my first 2oz jar of this, and it was love at first smoke. Yeah, it's wet and needs drying out. Yeah, the 250g probably turns out to be more like 175g once you dry it out to smoking levels. But once you get your technique figured out, you'll be rewarded with a delightful middle ground of all the best parts about smoking a straight Virginia. On lightup, it has a little bit of the tang I associate with red Virginias and a little bit of the zest I associate with brights. It's sweet, but not too sweet. It's tangy, but not overly so. But as the smoke progresses, it gets a little earthier, a little darker. The sweetness takes on a deeper note I associate with stoving.

For me, I like to dry this out for at least a few hours. Sometimes I dry it out overnight, then breathe onto the flakes a bit to give them a little pliability back. I rub it out fully and pack tightly, as I find that gives me a consistent, long-lasting smoke. A group 4 sized pipe can smolder this stuff for two hours. That somewhat makes up for the moisture taking up so much of the packaging weight. I usually find that I can get 16 pipefuls out of 50g, but this was more like 12-13.

This is a serious desert island blend, and that's fresh. I'm guessing aging will deepen the flavors a little further, and am looking forward to order lots and lots more of this. That you can order it in bulk for totally reasonable prices makes it even better. Highly recommended for almost anyone.

Pipe Used: Lots of them, but especially a group 4 Comoy apple

Age When Smoked: Fresh

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manno (50)	2013-09-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm with Elmo somewhere below. I am the most generous giver/friend/parent that I know in my little slice of life. I've been blessed with an embarrassment of good fortune professionally and have no qualms about, for example, tipping for great service at twice or more the accepted rate. But I don't like pickpockets. Despite my having written many times that price is what it is and that a tobacco review should concern itself with just that -- the tobacco -- I can't help but to say that not only does one have to fuss to an incredible degree to get this stuff ready for use, but in doing so I hear laughter from abroad as the flakes dehydrate with a good third of the purchase price following into the netherlands. That said, once played with, set aside, allowed time to dry and having had the (imagined?) ridicule subside, you can light up and enjoy an extremely satisfying flake that embodies what at least I think to be "the true tobacco taste". I have 8 more tins in the den and I'll still smoke them, but I've got to get to an anger management course before popping the next soaking wet lid.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2002-08-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Full Virginia Flake is a straightforward, almost dry tasting, medium to full smoke. Unlike other natural Virginias reviewed here, FVF is of a rather austere variety: there is virtually no natural sweetness and no flavour complexity to it. Still, it is a very pleasant natural tobacco, easy to rub out, with a good burning rate and a lasting, toasty denouement (redolent of Grape Nuts cereal). The flakes are medium to dark brown, slightly oily but not moist, with a very plain and agreeable aroma. One could safely say that what you see and what you smell is what you smoke.

Personally I wouldn?t smoke it all day, because by the end of the bowl you do get a subdued harshness that tends to go relatively bitter. It also provides quite a strong nicotine kick. But other than that, it seems to me an excellent example of what a clear-cut, uncomplicated Virginia tobacco tastes like. Again, if someone out there is trying to switch from cigarettes to pipe smoking, Full Virginia Flake can be an excellent choice, albeit it?s by no means a beginner?s tobacco.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-07-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This offering from S.Gawith & Co. is a leaf of first class preparation. The tin aroma is scrumptous Virginia, as only Virginia can be. The flakes are large, and break up for smoking with little effort. No flavourings are present here, just pure leaf. I noted that this leaf smokes quite differently from my normal McClelland and Rattray Virginias. It has less of the sweet/sour peaks of say #22 Virginia or Old Gowrie. The tones are far more earthy. Rich, but not overly sweet, and cool so long as you keep the pace down. Overall a good smoke for relaxing by, but perhaps a little lacking in the flavour department for my tastes.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-01-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is the best virginia flake to me!when you crack the tin you get the foul citrusy aroma with earth notes,grass and fruits.after rubbing it packs easy.needs a few relights in the beginning.burns quite well and cool even if go go really hard.the virginia aromas are there till the end.it has the right moist and the most balanced flavour while smoking.the flavours are sweet fruits,grass ,citruses in the right tense.medium nicotine level.you can start your morning very pleasantly.all day blend.definitelly a must try blend.to me it has lots similarities with dunhill's flake but it's more citrusy and fruity.

Age When Smoked: Rubed and left it dry for 1/2 hour.

Similar Blends: Dunhill flake.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2005-12-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The Little Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach includes a cantata that Bach wrote on the pleasures of pipe smoking. I have often wondered what kind of tobacco burned in his pipe as he engaged with the monumental architectonics of the Mass in B Minor, the great passions - or the kindly humour of the Coffee Cantata. It is a pleasing fantasy of mine that the tobacco was something like Full Virginia Flake. It has a simple, rustic charm which is immediately appealing. The charm endures, but it is simple and needs to be leavened with other flavours.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roger Xavierq (34)	2015-08-21		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After reading many of the reviews on this site I have decided to open one of the 3 tins of SG Full VA I bought. I have read mostly positive reviews, but some very negative as well. So I was a little bit intrigued and curious. Being a big SG fan, I tried to be unbiased when I decied to try this flake. was not disappointed.

Upon opening my tin, I saw the dark flakes. They are a bit uneven in size, but I don't care about that. The tin aroma is delicious, more fruity than grassy, IMO. A bit too moist, but after 30 minutes of drying they are good to be rubbed out. Easy to pack and to light, this tobacco burns evenly throughout the bowl.

It burns cool and produces a delicious fruity smoke that leaves a wonderful after taste in the mouth and a okay room note. No tongue bite. If you puff very slowly you can get more sweetness and more flavour out of it.

I have to say that after my first bowl I already knew this would be a permanent tobacco in my rotation. I have been smokying Capstan, which I found to be more grassy and 'hay like' then SG Full VA flake. And now I think I prefer SG to Capstan.

The mixture of leaves, length of pressure, water quality and the expertise of the blenders are all present in this very English Virginia Flake. Thanks to this baccy I can say I'm turning more and more into a VA Lover.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Royal Prince

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Tabac des Vosges, Paris, France.

Similar Blends: .

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Berthold (4)	2014-04-26		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I bought a can of this because of the huge amount of positive reviews, and I think I've played for a fool. I do like straight tobaccos that taste nothing but a good, solid tobacco so I thought this was something for me, but it wasnt.

To make it short; FVF is a very mild virginia flake that doesnt really taste much of anything. I tried drying it, moisturizing it, smoking it out of every pipe that I've got but nothing could give any of taste that taste these reviews are talking about. Im disapointed.

It does smell like wet hay out of the can though, but I dont buy tobacco to smell it. I buy it to smoke it.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2012-09-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

7/6/15 Edit

I read my original review on this and thought it to be pretty amateur and it should be as I still had less than a year of pipe smoking under my belt when I wrote it; however, the rating is still the same. To some extent my initial logic in rating this 4 stars is still somewhat sound. If you are constantly hearing about a blend and see so many people singing its praises, it is usually for a good reason; and that reason is, that its pretty darn good.

FVF is one of the best Virginias produced. It exemplifies what one should expect from a quality Virginia. Hay sweetness with light citrus tones. It also has an appreciable amount of nicotine in it as to not leave you feeling under nourished when your smoke is done.

I have gone through a lot of this since I first reviewed that first tin and have quite a bit aging to see how it is in the future. Of straight Virginias, I do rate this as slightly below Dunhill Flake which is my favorite Virginia, but I do think the two have enough to differentiate them. DF is substantially lighter and heavier on the citrus tones. It is likely topped with something that adds to the citrus sweetness, but I am not certain on that. Just a guess.

FVF does not have a sweet topping so far as I know. The sweetness is more of a raw Virginia sweetness. The blend has more gravitas. There is definitely room for both in a cellar.

ORIGINAL REVIEW 9/4/2012

I have rated this as highly recommended more due to the fame of this blend, but I find that I find that I enjoy a few other Va flakes as much if not more than this one. I do think anyone smoking a pipe should try this blend if only to use as a benchmark to others of its kind.

It is no doubt a high quality flake. I think that I prefer Marlin Flake (EDIT 7/6/2015 - MF has perique and Cavendish burley in addition to Virginia - My confusion on this was that Marlin Flake only notes that it has red Virginia on the tin. I have since learned it is not a straight va. Also I have noted that it is not nearly as good new as it is aged) to this and it is definitely easier to find. I will note that I bought two 100 gram tins of Marlin that were likely old and the tin of FVF I smoked was new. Perhaps with some age this one may be better to me.

Anyway, I feel fortunate enough just to secure the tins I purchased (EDIT 7/6/2015 It may be hard to believe to those reading this review today, but when I wrote this review, FVF was almost as hard to find and Stonehaven, Dorchester and Dunbar were everywhere; now it is pretty commonplace) and may sing more praises after a few have had the chance to age.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ian0077 (7)	2009-09-16		Medium	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant

this is the ultimate in tobacco. if you like va or are trying for the first time imho i would definately try full virginia flake.

if you just dry out for about 30 minutes or microwave for 5 seconds and leave for 5 minutes. just ready to fold and stuff into your pipe, with just a little rubbed out on the top, to light and your in for a very slow burning, enjoyable slow smoke, which lasts for ages.

you will not be disapointed at all, believe me, enjoy.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Max1a (38)	2009-02-06		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Pyrolysis single-photon ionisation (SPI)?time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) and statistical analysis techniques have been applied to differentiate three major Virgina flake type tobacco by means of the gas (combustion) phase. SPI is known as a soft ionisation technique that allows fast and comprehensive on-line monitoring of a large variety of aliphatic and aromatic substances without fragmentation of the molecule ions. The tobacco samples were pyrolysed at 800°C in a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting pyrolysis gas contained signals from more than 70 masses between m/z 5 and 170. Mass spectra obtained were analysed by principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) to distinguish between different tobacco types. Prior variable reduction of the data set was carried out by calculation of the Fisher ratios. Results achieved give information about chemical composition and characteristics of the smoke derived from each tobacco type and enable conclusions on natural aromatic compounds and nicotine content to be drawn. Based on LDA, a model for tobacco type recognition of unknown samples was established, which was cross-checked by additional measurements of each tobacco type by human ingestion(pipe smoking). Furthermore, first results on the recognition of tobacco mixtures based on principal component regression (PCR) are presented. When tested against MacBaren Virginia Flake, and Erinmore Flake; Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake was deemed superior in every respect except nicotine content. Erinmore flake produced a higher percentage of nicotine in all procedures at 1.9883223ppm. Taking into account any subjective influence beyond the control of these tests, it nonetheless determined that Samuel Gawith FVF is the best Virginia Flake in the world!

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	idbowman (26)	2014-09-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is virtually nothing to say about this blend that hasn't been covered in any of the other 400+ reviews, but I would mention that ones enjoyment of this blend (assuming your not predisposed to dislike VAs in the first place) depends on patience.

Like most Sam Gawith tins, the flakes (which are quite dense to begin with) are very moist. Given 12 hours of time to air out in a dry room with decent air circulation will work WONDERS for the experience. Smoked straight from the tin you'll consistently be relighting, fussing, and struggling for a smoke that is slightly sour, lacks body, and is unsatisfying. Smoked with appropriate drying time, all of the wonderful flavor and aromas that you're expecting come to life in a smoke that is full-bodied and rich.

Otherwise, to summarize for the sake of expediency (when appropriately dried):

Deep, dark fruit tin note; complete, rounded, and unadulterated VA tobacco flavor; consistent from tin to tin, from bowl to bowl, and throughout each bowl itself. Good fresh, but improves dramatically with age (even at 2 years old it goes from good to very VERY good).

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeDragon (44)	2019-03-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

In typical SG fashion, this comes very wet out of the tin and you have that dark, grassy, earthy smell that's so often associated with Virginia. What I found interesting about this one is that, unlike other flakes I've tried, these are very long and have a raw, almost aged appearance. Of course, it requires a bit of drying time. In my case, rubbed out and left for about an hour, maybe a bit more.

Mechanically, it won't give you a headache if dried to the proper moisture. If you rub it out, it can be a bit trickier to pack than your standard ribbon cut, but can provide the right tightness if tamped properly. After that, it goes fine. Lights well, burns nicely and dry, doesn't require many relights and, at least in my case, didn't heat the pipe too much; it was more on the warm side.

The smoke itself is pretty much what you would expect. The pretty full flavored taste of a straight, dark Virginia. Sweet, grassy, hay, earthy, slightly fruity and floral, it's all there. It's not spicy and the taste is uniform from start to finish. That's what I like about tobaccos like this: you don't have to contemplate, focus and delve into the different flavors, the melange, the bouquet. You just need to sit back, relax and enjoy the simple, yet very pleasing taste of a good Virginia flake. A truly venerable classic.

Age When Smoked: Few days

Purchased From: Online tobacco shop

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bascer81 (1)	2016-01-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is one of my very favorite flakes of all time. I am well aware that personal opinion is what has shaped this mediocre rating posted for this underrated gem. I would like to share my opinion about flake smoking method in general in order to clarify what I believe to be some reasons why this and other flakes like it are underrated. First, I am of the seemingly opposed view that a flake should never be dried out for any reason. "Wet" flake properly rubbed out and packed (Patience required with a little practice) gingerly, as well as tended skillfully, can be the coolest, most pleasurable smoking experience on earth. As with all fine fermented and or aged luxuries such as tea, coffee, tobacco and others, once the original moisture content that was so skillfully and patiently crafted is depleted, along with the natural oils that are so flavorful, you are left with something that looks like it's former self, but even with careful rehydration will never be what it once was. Second, a deep somewhat narrow pipe is ideal for flake smoking, I do believe that a large part of some people having difficulty with moist flake is a less than ideal pipe for this type of tobacco. I just purchased a tin of S. Gawith Full Virginia Flake this morning, popped the seal, rubbed out a half flake, and was able to enjoy a 45+ min smoke on my way home without a single relight. I hope this was helpful, happy smoking.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kinsale XL11, Savinelli 803EX

Age When Smoked: 2016

Purchased From: Marty's Cigar and Divan Glendora CA

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Granny Smith (29)	2014-11-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Rich, creamy and oatey is how I would describe the taste of this Lakeland style blend. I don't often smoke pure Virginnia's since most of my regular blends are heavily blended with latakia, and this makes a nice change and gives a pure tobacco taste. Earthy, yes, full flavoured yes but never overpowering.

Pipe Used: Dunhill

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Black Swann

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Danno (106)	2004-09-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Unnoticeable

I purhased a tin of this virginia from John and his cronies @ Smokingpipes.com for a friend of mine. I have a poor relation with virgina's, especially flakes(St Bruno is the exception), but rather enjoyed trying this. Said friend was good enough to give me a few flakes which I promptly stored with little intention of smoking. Some months later, being in the mood for change, I pulled the forgotten flake out. It certainly is attractive, rich and slightly oily to the touch. I gave 2 flakes a good rubbing out and funnel-filled an old rusticated pot, which is my St Bruno pipe. Out to the back porch and up we lit. Initial flavor is soft, straight forward tobacco taste, very smooth. Continuing through the bowl, taste becomes increasingly rich but remains gentle. Nicotine content does sneak up, but i do enjoy a good toe-tingle. Near the bottom of the bowl a slight murkiness creeps in, nothing too off-putting. Ash is fine white powder. I puffed steadily but was not bitten, much to my surprise. All in all, this is good tobac, a pleasant switch from my usual Englishes. I think some time is needed to really let this blend expand, so I'll order up a tin or 3. NB-I found the room aroma to be very subtle, when I moved to the kitchen, almost neutral. 09/04-Like Paddy I jar this tobacco. Smoked slowly it is tantalizing. Puff hard and, well, EEK.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-08-16		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

I don't get it, I just don't get it!!! I've read hundreds of notes singing the praises of this flake..."Oh, it smokes so cool", "Yum, it tastes sooooooo good", " I am smoking it right now in my Abbott & Costello, who's on first pillow shaped cardboard freehand and I'm having an epiphany and my life is now complete and I will go to join my maker right after I tamp this down"! Well, here's my thing. I Don't Like This Flake!!! I like other Va/flakes. I like other Va/flakes from S.G.. I've tried it in many differt pipes...don't like it! I've been ageing my stash for over 4 years under a good vacuum and have sampled it every one of those years to monitor its progress...don't like it! I have folded whole flakes, rubbed it out corsely and fine, broken it into manageable pieces, cut it into cubes...don't like it! Smoked it wet, smoked it dry, smoked it in-between...Don't like it! Don't think it has much aroma. I find that it doesn't burn very well for me. I can't taste it very much 'cause the Tongue-Bite demon tends to rip my mouth to shreds no matter how slowly I sip. Don't like it! If anyone feels that I'm hiding my true feelings about this Flake, feel free to e-mail me and I will endevor to be more clear. In conclusion, for a long time I had massive feelings of inadequacy over this (Everyone likes it...what's wrong with me?!?). However, after a year of intensive therapy I now believe that I'm OK and you are all Pod-People!!!

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ElMog (36)	2017-08-31		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

As much as I try, I cannot bring myself to like this tobacco. The flakes are thick and break into chunks. It is hard to light. Hard to keep lit. For the 1st 10 minutes, there is no taste at all, like smoking hot air. Then a faint sweetness and, if pushed a little, some spiciness do show up. There is an inherent paradox with FVF: it has to be sipped to be appreciated, but puffed quite vigorously to keep lit... It may be due to my inept handling of the flake, or my deficient technique, I do not care. My smoking moments should be moments of peace, quiet and enjoyment, not a constant struggle to keep baccy burning, nor a struggle to find any trace of taste whatsoever. On a side note: i only ever bought 1 tin of FVF, and when it arrived it was not properly sealed, so the tobacco was already a tad too dry for my taste, and maybe this has affected the taste. But even once re-hydrated, I have not yet found any redeeming quality for this blend. Meh. But, i must be wrong with all those 4 star reviews.

2020-05-20 update: well, I've had some wonderful smokes with FVF lately. Time spent in the jar ? I don't know... i tried cube cutting it since the flakes are so goddamn thick, and it worked wonders. On some cool spring evenings with a light breeze, the pipe keeps lit, it burns just right and now i can really appreciate this blend.

Pipe Used: Orlik Captain black sandblasted canadian

Purchased From: 4noggins

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-07-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The gold standard for Virginia flakes. Yes it is heavy and pungent. Its not a mild virginia. But it has layers of flavor and smokes at an insanely slow rate for a straight virginia. This is just gold. Its just the best of its type you can get. McClelland's Blackwoods flake is great, and so is their 1776 -- and Butera has two blends worth checking out too. Even macbaren's HH Viriginia Flake is worth getting as well. But none are quite as good as this. It is also a bit of history, actually. You are smoking what was smoked a hundred years ago and probably much longer. Anyone not giving this four stars would have to explain that one to me.

Michael Kindt's review mentions, for new pipe smokers, the advice to stick with it if you havent had straight old school virginia flakes before. And he is right. Pipe smoking is an art. It takes time to learn, especially with this kind of tobacco. But once you get the hang of it, there is no turning back.

oh, and to complain that the product is too wet or the flakes not perfectly uniform to expose yourself as a pipe philistine. This is as good as it gets guys. Learn and enjoy.

Purchased From: 4noggins

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2017-04-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

FVF has long been a staple in my cellar. I stumbled across this blend late in 2010 as a fairly new smoker. At the time all I could say is that I really liked it but the flavors were somehow muted and it was largely indescribable. I had picked up 2 tins the second I opened in 2012 and immediately began buying the 250 gram boxes. The VA's had grown sweeter and it was a WOW smoke for me but still aspects remained hard to quantify. Now, with jars in my cellar I have cracked a 5 year old jar and I have to say it was so worth the wait! The VA's are so sweet! There is a marvelous dark fruit sweetness and a slightly earthy taste with just a hint of sweet spice. This is trailed with citrus and grassy notes. About mid-bowl I start to pick up on various toasted grain notes (think wheat and perhaps a darker rye) that comes through. Smokes slow and dry. I would recommend a little drying time after rubbing it out for me about 12-15 min. is all it needs to find that perfect moister level. I am glad I have several jars in the cellar and I am purchasing more this year when it is available I cannot wait to see what this will be like at the 10 year mark, which may be the sweet spot for this blend but we will see. I will update accordingly.

=Update= 4/15/23 This is a jar that has a date on it from 10/03/12 so a little more than 10 years on it. It now looks nothing like the flake pictured above, it is a solid deep mahogany looking more like a stoved VA that McClelland used to make. It smells deeply of dark fruits with just a note of citrus. The taste has not changed all that much over the 5-year-old version of this, but the dark fruit notes have gotten deeper everything else is about the same. Still, no crystals forming at this point. The flakes feel leathery, but still, break apart as they had, and the moisture level still requires several minutes of drying time. Very smokable at both the 5 and 10 yr mark. I have 2 other jars left from 2012 and will wait to open those while smoking what I have that is 5+ years old. This is an outstanding blend to age.

Age When Smoked: ROTT to 5 yrs.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StogieBear (20)	2017-03-26		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

A fantastic Virginia flake. Dark flakes, with enough age that you'll often see plume in a new tin. Needs drying. Folded and stuffed, it burns well with a few relights.

The flavor is dark but naturally sweet. There's a Virginia hay and fruit. Prunes maybe. I love this as a night time smoke on the porch, with a scotch neat.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 114ks and 122

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Dunhill dark flake.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Strong

I could have saved some money & just purchased a couple of cheap cigars. I really didn't like this stuff, I tried every way in the world to enjoy it thinking maybe it was my packing/smoking method or my pipe. Smoked it slow, smoked it fast, did the 50% method, did the folding method, tried it in a car, tried it at a bar...I realize a lot of people like this tobacco, and I will say, without apology, that I am not a fan.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Robguitar (3)	2020-08-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My favorite virginia flake is my #2 review here. Obviously, much has already been written about this fine flake and I doubt I'll be able to impart any wisdom that hasn't already been heavily discussed, but off I go anyway! This is the flake that taught me to dry flakes thoroughly prior to loading and smoking. I discovered this quite by accident one day many years ago when I opened a tin whose seal had popped. The tobacco was very dry and the forlorn look on my face is probably best imagined. I considered rehydrating, which I ultimately tried with one bowls worth, but smoked the first bowl in that tinder state. I quickly realized how much I'd missed by smoking this blend moist! The flavors truly opened up and that semi-sweet, bready virginia goodness became amplified. It's amazing how much of the flavor is covered up with the moisture. But it appears you seasoned veterans already know this, and as I said, I'll probably impart no new epiphanies.

This is a lemon virginia that is lightly stoved to bring up the more subtle flavors, so it's not as tart and sweet as a straight bright. It becomes deeper and more nuanced as a result. I've probably smoked over 50 tins of this since I discovered how much drying matters, and it never fails to deliver a mellow and satisfying smoke. Hugely recommended!

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Wizard (18)	2019-10-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Straight forward full flavoured Virginia flake. Comes very moist and will require a fair bit of drying time to be properly appreciated. Notes of grass/hay and citrus with pops of mild sweetness. I personally prefer the plug version as I like to cut thinner slices but I think both the plug and the flake deserve a 4 star rating.

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Plug.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2019-02-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I got about 5 oz of this that had been jarred since 2016. The flakes are a little thick and a mottled brown. The pouch note is a slightly heavy sweet and some earth. It may have been a little on the moist side of ideal. I rubbed it out and smoked it as it came.

This is very good! The flavor is a mildly sweet overripe citrus. There is a little hay in there. I claim there is no topping. It was easy to keep lit, and was a slow smoke. The flavors became slightly more intense as the bowl progressed but they were otherwise pretty consistent.

This is an easy 4 on the scale. I think everyone should try it. It may not be your favorite, but it really is one of those things that so many people have smoked, it is a reference point. It is also a great smoke.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hilbertastronaut (7)	2017-10-27		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Review #7

Date: 26 Oct 2017

I have been smoking pipes for a few months, and cigars for a few years. I am an occasional (2-3 times a week, a bowl or two at a time) smoker.

I ordered this in bulk from Cup O' Joe's (cupojoes.com). It arrived yesterday. I opened the tin today.

Cut: Intact flakes, chunky, moister than the other two flakes I've tried (4th Generation 1931, McClelland No. 2015) but not to the point of stickiness.

Tin note: Silage, damp barn, but in a good way (I grew up on a farm). It doesn't fill a room like the aroma of 4th Generation 1931, and suggests a more aged product.

Preparation: I air-dried the flake for about half and hour (ambient humidity 20%), then folded and stuffed into a tall bent billiard.

Lighting: It took several matches to light, but then stayed lit for a while. Relights took effort, but were mostly free of unpleasant relight taste. I had trouble near the bottom of the bowl and had a fair amount of dottle that just wouldn't stay lit, but that may have reflected my inexperience with fold and stuff.

Taste: Mild and natural. Aftertaste reminds me a tiny bit of mineral blocks for livestock, also in a good way. You know that taste you get after a bowl or a good cigar, when you close your mouth and blow out through your nose over the roof of your mouth? That's really good with this stuff, stronger and rounder, with both minerall-y and plant-y sides.

Room note: Spouse detects almost nothing.

Notes: The one flake took me two and a half hours, admittedly smoked very slowly and with more frequent relights as I got down the bowl. I smoked while reading C. G. Jung's Liber Novus. It took focus, but the end result was as if I had meditated. I don't even want to talk afterwards (in a good way).

I feel like this flake was teaching me pipe technique. I was careful about lighting and tamping, and sipped gently. It was moist but never gurgled. Initially I stuck a pipe cleaner down the bit to catch some moisture, but I only had to do that once. I was sipping pretty often and I'm a nicotine lightweight, but never felt overwhelmed; spreading it out over such a long time probably helped.

This is stuff I would want to smoke regularly, as a way to learn technique. I could see wanting other tastes, like really incense-y latakia or funky fruity perique, now and then. This stuff isn't super rich. However, it's solid and smooth.

Pipe Used: Bent billiard briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Cup O' Joe's (cupojoes.com)

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_dalai_lama_himself (43)	2017-06-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Usually I smoke this rubbed out with some dry time, but woke up early this morning grabbed a flake folded & stuffed it into my Old Dominion Virgina planter cob... heavenly. It was a 4 star blend for me prior to this bowl, (not sure why I haven't reviewed yet Probably bc it's so enjoyable) and yes it's a bit wet and you'll definitely want a lighter but it performed quiet perfectly with a few relights necessary. I'm not even going to go into the flavor, fact is if you want a cool deep rich sweet Virginia to smoke SG Full Va Flake is it plain and simple.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Napping Puppy (25)	2017-05-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Easily the best natural, purely Virginia based, blend. This blend contains no additives and implies first class natural sugar that the body needs for its daily energy supply. It does not get any better than this for what concerns pure, natural, no-compromise tobacco. I may even say that this sort of tobacco prolongs the human life in a healthy way, and is matchless food for the contemplative thinker and smoker. Beyond the four-star rating for sure. Enjoy and store as much as you can, even if you had to take a loan.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Toasterbottom (13)	2015-01-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I want to love this, given how much I love Virginia flake tobacco in general, but I find the high moisture level makes it really hard for me to work with. Don't get me wrong, once you get it lit (if you can keep it lit) it tastes lovely, but I just don't have time to take out a long moist strip and leave it out to dry for 20 minutes or so before rubbing it out and smoking it. And half the time I either leave it out too long, in which case it doesn't rub out very well (you get thick chunky bits of tobacco rather than slender pieces), or I rub it out too early and while it smells awesome on my hands, it's just a big nuisance to smoke. I dunno, maybe it's me. I am fairly new to pipe smoking, after all. Or maybe it's that I bought the big box of this -- perhaps it's different in the tin? But I'm not going to hurry to buy more only because when I want to smoke, I want to smoke. I don't feel like fidgeting around with something as moist as this.

Pipe Used: all kinds

Age When Smoked: fresh. Too fresh maybe.

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipesINpairs (19)	2021-07-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I can't get this stuff to smoke well for me. I've been trying for ten years now. I'm a Virginia veteran, but there's something about Sammy G's flakes that make them almost fire-proof. It's a damn shame, because it's a really fine tobacco. Really fine. But it's not worth the 6 months of dry time needed to get it flammable. Granted, people smoke it moist, as I have, but it really only opens up when it's dry and stays lit on its own, which is as often as the ocean catches fire (maybe that's a bad analogy...). Nevertheless, you get really wonderful floral tea notes and matured grass/hay/leaves when the planets are aligned on the fifth Sunday of the harvest moon at 291 feet above sea level standing on one foot twenty-nine minutes before the cock crows and it's finally smoking well for about fifteen seconds.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Green Leaf (15)	2019-10-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

My oh, my. Where to start. This tobacco was love at first sight. I walked into the local shop and asked for something that wasn’t an aromatic. Nothing against the flavored tobaccos but personally I find the taste of the tobacco is lost in these types of the blends. The man obliged and pointed me towards Full Virginia. He claimed that this tobacco was his favorite and him being the “pipe expert” at the shop I knew I was in for a treat. Let me tell you, this tobacco did not disappoint. My first bowl was that of pure beauty and the second was even better. This blend is a straight Virgina yet the taste is complex and has a lot going on. I can’t help but think of Corn Chips while smoking. A nice salty flavor and yet there is a sweetness here as well. However there is some preparation required as the tobacco smokes best if dried a little. If you’re looking to really taste tobacco in its purest form do not pass this blend up. I cannot recommend it enough!

Pipe Used: Briar

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2019-07-17		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

If I'm doing it right, my tin dates to 1/3/19 so by the time I opened this tin a month ago, it had 5 months of age. The tin aroma was what I didn't expect. It was sweet with a slight coconut. Almost like P.S luxury twist but less potent and more deep. The flakes are super thick and brown. From first light until about the second third, I get deep sweetness, a nuttiness, with a coconut and slightly charred flavor. Very interesting. But the last third is when the magic happens. A slight spiciness comes through, the coconut drops out and the sweetness amplifies a lot. I have to relight quite a few times. It's not overly moist like I would have expected. Burns all the way to a grey ash. It can bite some but not terrible.

That big punch of sweetness reminds me of just plain sugar. The coconut could have been a topping transfer from the factory but I'm not sure.

This is a very nice flake. I would buy it by the box if I could get my hands on it and let it age for a while. I can definitely see why people get so hyped up about it. I couldn't compare it to anything I've ever had. Very one of a kind.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BrokenRecord (124)	2019-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Samuel Gawith, FVF: A king amongst Straight Virginia Flakes

Simply put, FVF is one of the most flavorful medium-bodied Virginia flakes. The Virginia varieties seem to be quite different from those used by Mac Baren, Kohlhase & Kopp, or C & D. The flake is a good mixture of bright leaf with some darker brown leaf. The smoke is medium-bodied and offers pleasant earthy and rich fruit notes that are unparalleled in any other straight Virginia flakes.

FVF can be hard to keep lit straight out to the tin. The flakes come sopping wet, so I either leave the lid of the tin slightly ajar for a few days or just rub out all the flakes and leave it on a towel for 24 hours.

Similar Blends: None, there is only room for one king.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2018-05-16		Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

I'm in danger of being flogged out of here and shot at dawn for this one. Sorry chaps, just don't get the hero worship of this blend in here at all.

Oh, it's not bad. A classic such as this can't be bad. It's just, well so......ordinary.

Yes it is a quality flake. But is it the very best on the market ? I don't think so.

I think Capstan exceeds this by a mile. No, I'd say this is probably the best of the rest behind the aforesaid blend.

I mean, look at it.

It looks amd smells just like any other virginia flake. And let's face it there are a lot of them, including all the German ones. There's just nothing particularly distinctive about this flake. It has no real character, or exceptional taste, to distinguish it from say, Timms virginia flake. It doesn't dance across the taste buds. It doesn't bite. Or burn hot. It packs nicely. But...

Oh yes, it IS good no doubt of that, but in a blindfold taste test I wouldn't pick this one out in a hurry.

At UK prices you're better off buying something like Timms or Kirswell for half the price.

O.k I'm just a philistine and deserve shooting anyway. Send the tobacco police ot the boys round I don't care.

Pipe Used: All of them (briars)

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Cgars

Similar Blends: Most virginia flakes of this ilk..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tiedemann (13)	2018-04-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Medium dark flakes, somewhat uneven in appearance. Wonderful tin smell, deep and ripe and fermented.

Somewhat moist and perhaps not the easiest flake to rub out. It's not a bad idea to let it dry out a little before packing.

An extremely rewarding smoke. As complex as a straight Virginia can be, deep earth notes layered with dried fruits, fermented hay, grass, something citrusy and with a tiny bit of spiciness in there too. Smokes easily if allowed to dry out just a few minutes, otherwise a few relights might be necessary. Will not bite the experienced.

I doubt there are many better straight Virginias out there.

The only negative thing about this glorious tobacco is the tin. It has an amateurish, cheap early DTP-look to it, with an unnecessary big, ugly barcode. As a professional designer, I would have loved to make this tin match the quality of its contents.

Pipe Used: Various briars and cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Cup O'Joes

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-05-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Samuel Gawith’s Full Virginia Flake is a pain in the ass! It not only is too moist – it’s ridiculously moist. Don’t dry it enough and you’ll need at least half a dozen cleaning sticks to keep your pipe dry and if you use filters you might need a second for just one bowl - it’s also so dense that it’s hard to rub out or brake and so thick that I do not dare fold and stuff. I only occasionally succeed in preparing it in the optimum way. In fact for me it’s the most difficult tobacco to handle even among the Gawith flakes. To be a little sardonic I could suggest that FV flakes can usefully be used as pipe tobacco moisteners put in the same jar with other dried out tobaccos.

Were it uninteresting I would have given up on it, but FVF is indeed a rich, uniquely tasting Virginia flake occasionally producing a sublime experience. It is leathery, honeyed, yeasty, malty, has a wonderful brown bread flavor. When good, this flake can be magnificent. I also like it blended with some 20-30% Oriental leaf (Basma or Izmir), a thing which improves burning qualities. Still I think FVF is a tobacco that needs time for preparation. It’s not like many other excellent flakes that you just rub or fold, pack, light and go. FVF is very demanding. At least for me…

Generally I am very generous with my stars but I am going to give FVF just three until I get a handle on it…

Revision:: I have bought FVF in fresh tins and also in the 250gr package and it has been an elusive pleasure for me. I bought again in bulk from Synjeco and the tobacco I received is another animal altogether! Still moist but manageable, it rubs out more easily, burns slow but with ease to the end with no dottle and no significant moisture. Yes, this tobacco I adore but the problem seems to be batch variation and not me after all. Until this batch I could not properly rub FVF out... This tobacco sings, not in complexity but in a solid deep natural earthy and yeasty tobacco flavor. I wonder am I alone in experiencing great differences between batches?

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (86)	2016-09-25		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

In the world of tobaccos, Pure Virginias are what Blanc Sec's are in the world of wines. Both are the pinnacles of their respective industries, being the most refined, complex, nuanced, noble and delicate products in their realms. I do humbly acknowledge that the Full Virginia Flake is the epitome of the SG blends. It's unsurpassed in complexity and subtlety of its delicate flavours. It's fearfully and wonderfully made of the best Virginia tobaccos available today. I acknowledge the same regarding the best Dry White wines as well.

Saying that, I don't care about Dry White wines however good they are. What I truly like, is some pronounced flavor and aroma in my glass as well as in my pipe, and not the faint play of hard-to-catch aromatic molecules. Better gimme my blood-red Porto and my strong Dark Fire Cured Tobacco.

FVF is really nice but it's too mild to my taste, I find its flavour complex and pleasant but absolutely unsatisfying. So I'm leaving 3 stars. FVF is a legend, and one must try it, whether he would like it or not.

Pipe Used: Peterson Zulu

Age When Smoked: 2

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Little Steven (76)	2016-07-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

This is quite possibly the best straight virginia to be had. It's gorgeous.

All the best possible virginia flavours coming through with an occasional saltiness.

Largish pipe, no drying needed. Fluff up a flake, loosely fill your pipe and away you go.

Pipe Used: A Stanwell Billiard 29.

Age When Smoked: Fresh.

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop (nice chaps)

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J.R. Patton (106)	2016-07-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very straightforward, no frills Virginia flake with the distinctive Lakeland floral essence that is suggestive of a topping. I don't think there is a topping, however, because other tobaccos I've tried using similar regional tobaccos exhibit the same, more or less. It's pleasant, and a departure from theMcClelland styled Virginias I normally smoke.

Flakes are dark brown, narrow and long....my first thought is of jerky strips. There's a noticeably strong and pleasing aroma of hay. Seems like pure, unadulterated tobacco, and I approve at first sight/smell. As with other Gawith flakes, it's exceptionally moist and will need a little longer drying time than your average flake if you want it to burn well. Don't over-dry it, though, you want it springy, not crumbly. Otherwise you will lose the flavor. There's some conspiracy around the wetness of Gawith flakes, with some voicing their concern that Gawith purposely over moistens to pad profitability. I don't agree. The moisture content lends itself well to aging and fermentation. Also, Gawith is known to employ some of the oldest processing equipment used in the tobacco industry, which probably accounts for the unique shape and higher moisture of the flakes.

Smoke is bread-like and just barely detectably sweet, with that Lakeland nuance already mentioned. It burns best rubbed out, but I've had success fold and stuff in smaller bore pipes. It's a very mellow smoke...don't expect to be knocked over with flavor...and probably a tad too mellow for my normal tastes. But it is quite relaxing, something to sip on gently while lost in a book. Tongue bite was at first a big drawback, but after learning to relax and slow my cadence, it's no longer an issue. It's basic and it's old-school, and if that's your thing, you must try this blend.

Happy smoking!

Age When Smoked: 1 year 6 months

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TwelveAMnTX (28)	2015-07-21		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is my first review of any tobacco. I really enjoyed the mellow flavor & taste of the FVF. It has more prep time than I am used to for smoking my pipe, but it is fully worth it. I've tried it in my MM cob I use for non-aromatics & my briar which I've just restored not too long ago.

FVF burns well in both pipes, a little hot, but that might be me being a new pipe smoker. I have been using different prep techniques over the course of several bowls in each pipe. Each technique has it's own merits. I have been letting the flakes dry from 15 - 30 minutes before prepping them to smoke. So far, I prefer pinching off small pieces & loading the bowl until full or cutting up little cubes & gravity filling. They both provide a pretty consistent burn rate.

The sweetness is combined with a wealth of flavors from Va. tobacco. I noticed the natural pure tobacco taste throughout the bowl growing as I made my way to the bottom. I'm not good at describing the flavors, but I taste several distinct different flavors in the tobacco as I smoke. Everyone else seems to sum those up pretty well with grassy & earthy tones being what I sense most as well as the sweetness.

This being my first flake & finding out that I, being a new pipe smoker, can prep & smoke this type of tobacco without too many problems. I know I will be trying different flakes in the future. Thanks to all those who have posted flake prep tutorials & support new pipe smokers in there journey!

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Bent Billiard, MM Legend

Age When Smoked: fresh out of tin

Purchased From: local B & M

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2015-04-11		Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I really cannot find much of a difference in between Full Virginia Flake and Best Brown. The flakes seem to be just a little bit darker than its little brother, but the tin note and flavour feel about the same (not very pronounced, but plummy and somewhat tangy). It seems to smoke a little bit hot in your bowl during your first quarter, but after it settles, it will smoke cooler evolving in flavour and complexity. The flakes, as it is customary with Samuel Gawith, are presented in different lengths and thickness and will benefit from some drying time. Also, looking at the flakes gives the impression of a well aged/fermented tobacco. Some of the reviewers seem to agree in that FVF is somewhat stronger in the nicotine department than BB, and even though this is actually be true, I find both blends quite consistent with each other. Therefore, I'd not recommend to smoke this tobacco on an empty stomach or as an early morning blend. The topping/flavouring is mostly mild and falls within range of all Samuel Gawith tobaccos in this category. Smoking at a lower pace will release more flavour, but this is true with every other Virginia/Vapers that are currently in the market. The ash it produces will vary depending how dark the tobacco leaf is, ranging from light brown to white in this array of different densities and colours. As you progress onto your second/third quarter the flavour seems to get more pronounced and zesty. A tip of advice is let this tobacco sit for a while in your bowl when it smokes too hot and come back to it latter. As your are not in a smoking competition, the fact you relight every now and then should be no object or something to complain about. I cannot detect any tongue bite, but this is based on my experience and the way I like to smoke my tobacco (that is, properly dry). I just found this blend very fulfilling and satisfying. If you are an experienced pipe smoker who likes strong nicotine tobaccos, you will probably enjoy it: this is one of the very few tobaccos that actually does something to you.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: Spain

Similar Blends: Best Brown.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-03-17		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

To me Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake represents the quintessential straight Virginia blend.

In a new tin the freckled, dark brown flakes tend to be on the moist side, which is why I usually let them dry a little before smoking. The strong tin note bursts with typical grassy, haylike, natural Virginia scents.

To fill your pipe you can either rub the flakes out or use the fold and stuff method. I prefer the later alternative, because it gives you a cooler, more complex smoke, and crumble some broken bits on top. After the charring light I level out the ashes, before setting the true light. As long as the flakes are still pretty moist lighting can be difficult.

Like any Virginia blend, the Full Viginia Flake needs to be smoked deliberately gently and coolly in order to develop its full flavor. If it burns too hot, it'll loose its complex aroma and might even cause tongue bite. The full bodied, tangy taste has a distinct natural sweetness that reminds me of dark chocolate. The tobacco burns down evenly and slowly leaving some powdery, dark grey ash. However, as long as the flakes are still too moist, they tend to go out.

The room note is unobtrusive, but has a slight sweetness as well.

Pipe Used: Lorenzo Spitfire

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	coldmoon (24)	2015-02-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the tin I am greeted with aroma which reminds me of dried plums and freshly baked rye bread. The flakes themselves are kind of loose and very moist. So I had to rub them out and let them sit for half an hour or so. The dried tobacco packs quite easily.

I usually need a few relights at the beginning to get it going, but once it does it pretty much stays lit with no problems. You need to smoke FVF very slowly, almost on the edge of the ember going out, to be able to enjoy full spectre of taste nuances that straight VAs bring. I love this tobacco. It's my favorite straight VA.

It's interesting that the taste varies a bit depending on the pipe I smoke it in. I have now dedicated a pipe in which I smoke exclusively FVF. The strength at the start of the bowl is very mild but it gets a bit stronger after 2/3 of the bowl. The nicotine kick at the end of the bowl is very noticeable.

The room note is quite tolerable. No one has ever complained about me smoking this tobacco in-doors.

The ash is nice light grey color. I would recommend this to any pipe smoker who loves VAs, especially fermented VAs.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Bing's Favorite

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incognitopoet (37)	2014-10-03		Extremely Strong	Extremely Mild	Extra Full	Very Pleasant

There are already a lot of great reviews, so I will just add my own notes.

The first thing I noticed about this flake is the mouth feel. I wish I would have known about this stuff when I was trying to switch from cigarettes to a pipe. It offers a blast of heavy tobacco flavor without any complicating factors. The nicotine levels are so high that the smoke is almost bitter. It doesn't taste like cherries or chocolate or anything else but good, strong, super clean tobacco.

In a way, it has the powerful flavor like a good cigar, but without the acrid tinge. I can smoke a bowl, go into the library for several hours, and enjoy the flavor and nicotine the whole time. I am a man who requires decadent amounts of nicotine the entire time I am awake. This stuff takes care of business!

February 12, 2016 Update: I am going through some of my past reviews just to see if further experience with smoking each blend over time. When I wrote the original review I was smoking so much Lakeland tobacco, for so long, that I couldn't notice the whisper of Lakeland essence in this flake. Then over time I started to notice a lingering scent in pipes I only use with FVF. It is subtle enough, but it is present. Would I prefer that SG change it in any way? Definitely not. Pound after pound of this masterpiece has been thoroughly enjoyable over the years.

I am hoarding this flake. Cornell & Diehl's Opening Night is a slightly sweeter, slightly creamier flake, and between the two I have my needs met. Both are worthy of multiple-pound purchases.

Magnificent work of art. Absolutely amazing!

Pipe Used: Peterson 302 and 303, CAO meer

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Opening Night.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ethan (34)	2013-12-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This blend confirms my opinion of straight Virginia tobacco. I'm not the biggest fan of them, I feel like something is missing in them. They are just plain high grade tobacco, which I think is the point of a blend like this so it is spot on as far as that goes. With that being said, if that is what you want this is definitely it. Not bad by any means just not for my taste.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-05-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Near to some 200 reviews, FVF is a top candidate for the HoF, it deserves for sure !

I shall cut mine as short as possible.

I do consider FVF a milestone in the family of Va flakes, possibly the most natural one I have ever smoked, far better than his cousins BBF and SF of the same brand. It enormously benefits aging, drying, and extremely slow sipping. It developes a wide range of delicate tones, from grassy to malty, biscuity, sometimes even cigarish& never harsh or bitter or hot or biting, no matter how hard you draw. The mellow sweetness is steady and natural, comes from the tobacco itself, no aids beyond nature.

But it does not get me enthusiastic, even I would, that is why I am rating it three stars. Virginia based tobaccos are my top preference; but have to admit that, after my 50th bell rang and some better self knowledge, need they are helped by something else, be that the Perique or even a (very moderate) topping/casing. I am not a so patient smoker to mine so deeply in search of flavours as they were diamonds.

Not that it is boring, but I would a more in-your-face experience.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2005-05-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another blend that I was afraid to try due to its reputation for strength, but I was pleasantly surprised when I finally did.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautifully arrayed 1" by 3" flakes with lots of sugar crystals evident. Mostly darker VA leaf. Smells like a good fortified hay, definitely rivals the best out there.

Packing and Lighting:I tried many ways and settled on rolling a slice and then peeling a few strands off of another slice and gently rubbing out on top of the rolled slice in the pipe. This blend seemed to taste best in this way IMO. The flakes are pretty oily and when the tin is firsst opened, can be a little fussy to light. 3-5 Lights typical, but worth it.

Initial Flavor: This is smooth, complex, and rich from the get go. I am sorry I waited so long to try this flake. You get sweet notes, middle notes, bottom notes, etc...

Mid-Bowl: Delicious, round, and smooth. There is a symphony of flavor. DGT works awesome at this point.

Bottom of Bowl: Yes, there is a definite increase in strength, but it is not overbearing. I usually will take a sip, let it go out and relight and repeat this until done. Ash is mottled and fairly fine. Can leave a lot of moisture in the shank when the tin is first opened. You will be left pleasantly satiated when done.

Overall: This is a world-class VA flake. I thought that Marlin Flake was the standard by which to judge all other flakes. I was wrong. This blend is the standard. It is truly delicious and ages marvellously. Go get some now! Lastly, you do not have to worry about tongue-bite with this blend as it generates plenty of flavor at the slightest sip, nicotine is there a plenty too, so eat before you smoke. Enjoy....

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2002-02-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

My review of this dropped out of the site during some primal cybercataclysm, and it has been suggested that I re-enter it.

I will not search again my quote from Alfred Dunhill, to the effect that "Empire" [i.e., Zimbabwe] flakes are rather monotonous and one-dimensional: I get a generalised feeling of bloated smokiness from FVF that is not unpleasant, but not very stimulating, either, and, at flake-length, becomes boring.

I am sorry to be a party-pooper, but I don't really see what all the fruity-toned crowing about the "Lake District" marvels is all about?I am yet to try one truly memorable mix from S. Gawith & Co., or Gawith, Hoggarth, Ltd. Would so much clucking ensue if the 'baccies were blended in, say, the vicinity of Lake Winnipesaukee?? I think not.

Royal Vintage has put out flakes just as predictable, and as well processed, as this. Not to mention such legends as ST BRUNO, the stronger CAPSTAN, or the Sobranie Pure Virginia?R.I.P.

My own favourite Virginia flake, bar none, is the misnamed LIGHT FLAKE from Dunhill: it is a flavoursome beauty, much more entertaining than this monochromatic, stolid heavyweight, and made, not in some swampy backwater, but where NIGHTCAP and My MIXTURE 965 are made. It has a much nicer finish than this lake thing.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	incendio (45)	2022-09-20		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This tobacco used to be one of my favorites, though I'd never gotten around to reviewing it. Perhaps three years ago several of the 250 gr boxes became available and I purchased approximately 40 of them as I'd been meaning to put away a good amount.

When I opened the first box I was met with something unfamiliar and altogether different from what I was expecting. Everything was different---not a single dimension left unchanged. The cut of the flake, the quality of the leaf, the depth of flavor.

I thought I'd got a bad box and opened another. Same thing. The earlier FVF was thinly sliced, moist and almost completely dark-brown to black and had a wonderful depth of flavor fresh out of the box. The current production were thicker cut, dry and flat, straw and hay--looked like something a German company would make.

Many of the other flakes and plugs have suffered the same fate. I've just rub out a portion of the new RB Plug and it's a ghost of its former self. It's all straw and hay, airy and thin, not like the rich punchy Virginia of old. A real shame, frankly.

I've lost the desire to purchase any more Samuel Gawith tobacco, though I understand that many younger smokers, not having sampled the earlier confection, don't much mind, and even some seasoned smokers don't seem to detect much difference.

Pipe Used: Every size and shape

Age When Smoked: Prior to, and after 2015

Purchased From: Every vendor imaginable

Similar Blends: More Hamburg than Kendal, if you take my meaning..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WorkingClassChap (197)	2022-02-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Smoking now:

This is a ten year old tin. Sugar crystals that sparkle in the light. No white powdery mold, but translucent specks that glisten in the light. Dark brown flakes that stuck together. Pungent smell of tart citrus preserve. It aged like Jennifer Aniston.

SG blends are known to be wetter than a whale in a rain storm and after 10 years in a tin this is still moist. Some dry time is still recommended.

The taste is full Virginia. Tart. I get tart citrus, a little bit of bread, sugar cookie, yeast, a small amount of hay. Mainly tart and cookie/bread. Like a gourmet version of a fig newton. There’s a sweetness to it but it’s natural and mild. Not enough where I would call this a sweet Virginia flake.

Some mild spice and pepper that is more noticeable at the end of the bowl, however over all it’s not a spicy pepper blend. Towards the end it takes in less tart and more wood, earth and hay flavors. Little harshness, and mouth tingle for a straight Virginia. I’m a Virginia smoker so no bite for me. The retrohale is easy and pleasant. The flavor and beloved tartness peaks at the midway point of the the bowl. With morning coffee the nic hit wasn’t bad. Burns slow and relights are required as with all SG blends I’ve smoked.

This is a great example of what an aged straight Virginia flake can be. It’s a legendary blend, not my favorite Virginia flake, but it’s pretty good. 3.5 stars, aged 4.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: 10 years

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2020-04-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

50g Rectangle Tin

Rough cut thick flakes. Dark brown with some tan streaks. Forgive me if I compare this to SG's Best Brown Flake at the same time, I have been smoking both back to back and they are quite similar though slightly different.

FVF is more savoury than BBE , its more bready, yeasty, crusty and considerably less bitter,sweet and sour than the lemony ,grassy hayish BBF. FVF is oranges to BBE's lemons.

FVF has its own citrus notes, but closer to fresh squeeze orange , smooth apricot puree, and persimmon fruit. All this is natural accident of the virginia itself and not an applied essence, i suppose you could call it mature or fermented. Its smooth. The virginia has an earthy fresh baked golden crusty bread, with a slight burnt crust taste. A certain brown beer body like hops,malt and wheat. It is full body and gives a flour baked floury mouth sensation.

The room note is like a bread oven bakery with egg white glaze cooking off a sour dough. The nicotine is above medium and robust but not a knockout. My jar is from 2013 and i havent smoked it enough to say if it has aged much,perhaps it seems more bready now and the grass and hay have gone. FVF is good to go even when new.

Both FVF and BBF are about as strong as each other in different ways. To be honest i have smoked so much lemony virginias lately i have been going off it a bit, I been using up some jars in my cellar in this pandemic lockdown in reverse order of favouritism where things can only get better taste wise, and FVF virginia flake though still a virginia is a welcome remedy that keeps my interest in virginias.

I used to prefer BBE for its juicy fresh lemons way and I have smoked more of that over the years than FVF ,I still think its good, but recently I have to admit to myself I prefer more earthy dark savoury tastes to sweeter in the natural strait tobacco field.

Well behaved. i cube cut it with carpenters pincers, stays lit, burns cool, tastes consistent down the bowl,burns to thick white dense ash pellets, no bite or scald. 4stars**

Pipe Used: Falcon Shillelagh Solid XL Meer Bowl

Age When Smoked: 7 years.

Similar Blends: SG Best Brown Flake. St Bruno Flake.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2001-03-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

FVF is a lovely, dark flakewith a slightly sweet natural aroma. It rubs out easily to any degree desired by the smoker. I preferred it just broken into smaller pieces for slow burning in a medium bowl, but in a small pipe fully rubbed worked fine. The flavor is rich, sweet, not very complex, but satisfying. It burns slowly, without moisture, and leaves a clean, white, fluffy ash. This is NOT as strong as their 1792 Flake, and IMHO can be smoked at any time by Virginia lovers.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big T (5)	2020-11-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I've been a pipe smoker for 25 years and still feel like I've only scratched the surface of all the great tobaccos out there. Having said that I believe I've found my desert island smoke in FVF. If you feel that there's a void in the Virginia department after the demise of Mc Clelland, don't fret. IMHO, FVF buries anything McClelland ever produced. It is robust, complex, and for lack of a better word, delicious. The issues raised with dampness and lighting in other reviews are minor. Enjoy.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	runswithdogs (41)	2020-05-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I do enjoy dark Virginias, but I confess to noticing a very distinct difference between a new tin of FVF and a well aged tin. My first tin of FVF I ever tired was over a decade old. It had sugar crystals everywhere, and sipped slowly, provided a sweet, delightful smoke. I then tried a new tin, and really disliked it. I found the blend to taste and smell like cigarette smoke. I tried it in different pipes, always using a gentle cadence of puffing—but I still hated it. I gave the remainder of the tin away. Recently I broke open another 11 year old tin, and I loved it! So...not sure what to say. I think it’s obvious FVF ages fabulously, but I will not crack open another tin less than a decade old. I like my Dark Star better. A lot better. But that’s just my two cents.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lingo (39)	2019-03-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

What can be said about FVF that hasn’t been said yet? I’ll give it a try: The smell will blow your mind, it’ll take you hours to decide “what it smells like”. It is hard to pack, take your time and do it looooose. It tastes like NOTHING else. It will put a reference mark in your list, and you will compare ANY virginia to this. Yes it needs relights, like every beauty on earth needs to be cared and cured. She’s no “quickie”, as a demanding lady she wants to be at the center of your attention, that is why FVF is the quintessence of pipe smoking. Last point: age it and you’ll know what heaven tastes like.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	glaswegian (18)	2019-03-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think this kind of Virginia Flake fits no category. Old school handcrafted Virginia flake with an outstanding dense taste. It´s sweet and bit fruity. The smoke is extremly dense and potent with the virginia aroma. Sometimes nearly overwhelming. Coats the tongue with a longlasting spektrum of aromas. Sweet, fruity,citrusy and creamy as hell. The flake changes once in while through the production process. Sometimes it´s soaking wet and needs a few days drytime. My actually batch is on the dryers side and needs just 2 or 3 hours drytime before smoking. Well recommended for every pipe smoker. It´s an experience you should make.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spitfire1 (15)	2018-08-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

After two years I found a hadden box of this tobacco. At first I thought it might be dried out, but not at all and I was astonished to see the pearls of sweet sugar on the flakes ! I wonderen how it would taste ? The taste was Marie-Louise, dark and sweet from the start and with a fine taste of prune and nuts. This is the prof that good tobacco just Agnes well, like good wine.

Pipe Used: Peterson Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: 2years

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheSeuff (5)	2018-08-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Overrated Hype Blend! Wet (albeit beautiful flakes) that needs a whole days worth of drying minimum to smoke, that’s only a decent Virginia blend at best. In an oversized tin with a skimpy ration of overpriced Virginia flakes that’s half water weight. No Thanks!

Pipe Used: Cobs, Briars, and Meers

Age When Smoked: 1 year

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2018-03-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This flake is extremely moist and thick (their machinery is from the 18th century, give them a break) and is a dark brown. This tobacco requires a decent amount of dry time, being as they are famous for delivering a sopping wet tin. The tin aroma was naturally very sweet, with notes of grass and hay coming through. Once lighting up, however, this flake deepens into a very earthy, zesty, and complex smoke that takes the smoker through a journey of the higher notes of grass, while giving the toasty, musty, sweet dark fruits of a darker Virginia. I found that as one smokes through the bowl, these flavors showcase themselves quite distinct from one another, taking center stage at different times.

It takes a bit to get this flake started, but once you get it going it will stay lit most of the bowl, requiring minimal delights. The nicotine level was in between mild and medium, but closer to the medium end of the spectrum. The contemplative effect of nicotine was there, while never pushing further beyond into the buzz/spins world. Quite pleasant.

Truly, if you love Virginias, this will inevitably become a staple on your Virginia diet, as it should be. Far few and in between are the Virginias that offer such a full, and complex smoke as Full Virginia Flake. Highly recommended.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antihero (17)	2017-11-26		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow, I totally understand all the fuss around this tobacco! I'm completely convinced that this is the best VA I have ever and will ever smoke. I simply don't know what should be or can be improved. I think all is said about the taste etc. and therefore I just want to confirm the excellent smoking qualities (better after a bit of drying time, but can be smoked right out of a freshly opened tin as well) and the overwhelmingly good, full, juicy, fruity aromas you get. It can bite your tongue when igniting, otherwise it's rather gentle. Can be re-lighted almost endlessly w/o negative consequences (taste-wise) and tastes good until the very end. My absolute winner of the year and I ask myself why it took me so long to try it (being a pipe-smoker for over 15 years now, shame on me!...).

Pipe Used: Savinelli 320

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: www.tabak-kontor.de

Similar Blends: Tabak-Kontor's Kontor-Tabak No.33.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wilhelm Joharsányi (33)	2017-09-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Full Virginia Flake is a truly remarkable smoke, the ideal Straight Virginia experience. This is the perfect tobacco to smoke during a bright Sunday afternoon, a corncob gently clenched in your mouth, underneath a giant tree, reading about American military history: from the heroic deeds of Stonewall and Longstreet, to the determination of Patton and MacArthur, and the resilience of Washington and Theodore Roosevelt against enormous odds. The only word to describe this tobacco is: Tranquil, puts your mind at ease and transports you into a better place. That is why I started pipe smoking in the first place.

Presentation: Standard, high quality Gawith presentation. Very moist, will need some drying time and make sure to rub it out well first. There is a very grassy and earthly aroma, with a hint of dried fruit. It has a very pleasant and inviting aroma, in eager anticipation of the first puff.

Taste: A very premium, high quality, straight Virginia tobacco indeed. The first thing you will notice is the smooth, balanced flavor of the earthly Virginias with a pleasant, yet mellow sweetness of dried fruit, perhaps fig-like taste. It is a medium strength tobacco, not to harsh and not too mellow; it really is the perfect tobacco.

Afterthoughts: A very enjoyable, luxurious smoke made from high quality straight Virginia tobacco. Full Virginia Flake is the perfect all-day smoke and I will purchase plenty of tins in the near future. I am more of a VaPer kind of guy, but this will be the one Straight Virginia I will smoke regularly. I would smoke this all day and night if I could. Highly recommended.

Similar Blends: Dunhill Flake, but better!.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jhand45 (13)	2017-09-15		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another spontaneous B&M buy, I was not disappoined by this tobacco. It is extremely wet but not overly difficult to work with when given a bit of drying time. The flakes are thick and juicy, cut on antique equipment that just keeps going. The Lakeland essence is there, both in tin note and in the smoke but its not overbearing, it's almost like smoking a lightly ghosted pipe. The virginias rise to the occassion and are delicious. Very little bite. A keeper worth stocking up on that is reputed to age well but I smoked my tin so quickly I didnt have a chance to find out.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BC (21)	2017-04-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is interesting to me how Virginia flakes age, and how your initial impressions can change. I bought a tin roughly a year and a half ago. I stored it maybe 6 months, opened the tin, and I did not care for it. The smell in the tin was wonderful, like fresh hay and leather, dark brown, and very, very wet. Smoking this tobacco was another matter. It was steamy, monochromatic, and I could not keep the damn stuff lit. I threw the rest of the tin into a mason jar, aged it another year, and when I opened it, dried a sample for about an hour. This was a totally different experience. I tasted citrus and hay, a little grass, but also a wonderful sweetness and bready quality that gets stronger as you go through the bowl. It tastes creamier to me than a lot of Virginias. Virtually no bite. I have heard a lot about Lakeland "essence", and I do not like the floral taste that is supposed to be characteristic of these blends. I experienced none of that with FVF. I have to say I understand now what all of the fuss is about. Full marks, and an enthusiastic recommendation. If you can fold and stuff this flake then good on you, but I suspect it works better if you rub it out, let it dry at least an hour, pack it lightly, and take it slow.

Update: 6-22-19

This tobacco seems to do better in a large wide bowl.

Update 4-20-20

This stuff only gets better with age. I have 2 years on this tin. Beautiful sugar crystals. I wanted to pass on a drying trick that seems to work with this blend. I like my VAs on the dry side, and FVF is tinned pretty wet. I empty a tin in a medium bail jar, and do not seal it. I close it with the bail in the open position so that the jar is open a crack. I then leave it this way for several days before I close the bail. I then take out a pipeful and rub it out to dry for 30' to 1 hour. I pack the pipe relatively loosely, strike a charring light, then a regular light, and away we go. It works well for me.

Pipe Used: Vauen bent billard

Age When Smoked: 1.5 years

Purchased From: Watch City

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hawky454 (107)	2017-03-06		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

Hands down the best of it's kind. I do not recommend this one for beginners though, as you have to know how to dry, rub out and pack this leaf and can easily be done wrong by the novice and this one will give you hell if it's done wrong, I hated it when I first tried it several years ago when I first started smoking a pipe. It also takes experience to get the best flavor out of this one but once you got it, it will not let you down. This is also very satisfying in the nicotine department as most straight VA's usually leave a lot to be desired as far as that's concerned. Once you properly dry and rub out the flake (I don't recommend the stuff and fold method with this one) it will easily light and smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I don't really get the grassy hay-like flavor from this one instead I get more of a yeasty, bread-like flavor and it's extremely rich and creamy. One of the reviewers said that it tastes like buttered pancakes and I absolutely agree with him on that one. I usually prefer straight Virginia's in the warmer months and this one is no exception. The room note on this is amazing and in fact it's the only blend my wife actually enjoys the smell of when I smoke it near her. It really doesn't get much better than this my friends.

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL!!!

Pipe Used: Neerup, Stanwell, Charatan

Age When Smoked: 6 years, 3 years, 1 year, fresh...

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	anglocatholicpiper (34)	2016-08-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Two days into this tin and I'm absolutely enthralled. It has a much fuller flavor than best brown flake and, frankly, any other Va Flake.

I was worried about the moisture content out of the tin but haven't had any trouble with it. In fact, I was able to pop my tin with my own hands...and that made me wonder if the seal had been broken perhaps. At any rate, the moisture content seems to be perfect for simply pulling out a flake from the jar I've placed it in, rubbing it out, and lighting up (with one good solid strong wooden match!). Once lit, this tobacco has burned all the way down for me- in a MM General.

The flavor is incredible. It's complex and robust. And rather than grassy or hay flavors, I get the bakery vibe: sweet baked bread.

Can't wait to fill up my cellar with this stuff.

Age When Smoked: fresh tin

Purchased From: smoking pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	donmartinthree (22)	2015-10-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Upon opening a fresh tin, it smells overly ripe, almost the way perique does, just lacking the bite or sharpness rather. There's smells of wet autumn leaves, something figgy or even raisin-like, a slight acidity like rotting foliage and wood, some spice.

It sounds disgusting, but it's great.

This is very wet, like all other Gawith flakes or blends ever. I rub this out, because fold and stuff is no fun whatsoever with this. So I rub it out completely, which, due to it's rather thick cut, makes a wider ribbon with some flake pieces strewn in.

Leave that to dry for between an hour and two hours and it's good to go. It's important to pack this loosely and to tamp only very lightly very infrequently and to puff slowly, or sip rather.

Then there are tastes of earthy, dark lemon with some background nutmeg and cardamom-like warm spice, a very bready, yeasty character thoughout, akin to maybe navy rolls, just, again, darker and lacking the plum-like peppery qualities of the perique. The flavors are never constant, but interplay and change frequently, sometimes a hint of salt, sometimes smoky, sometimes dark and deep, earthy, musty, sometimes sweet like butter toffee, then again earthy lemony citrus notes.

This has so much to offer if smoked properly and with patience. I love it and it is my staple autumn smoke with coffee in the morning. Also goes great with a pint or two of Guinness and is to pipe smoking what comfort food is to eating.

Pipe Used: Parker Bulldog

Age When Smoked: 1-5 years

Purchased From: Linzbach Duesseldorf

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	point9 (114)	2015-06-26		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Full virginia flake may be the most renowned and reviewed tobacco in pupe smoking world and it deserves all the hype it has. Deep, dark sweetness with some fruity, citrus flavor from top to bottom. And it ages well! The king of straight virginia in my mind. As to the painful preparation, it's worthy and I can share my two cents. I bought 250g bulk box, and took 50g out and put to my daily jar which was not sealed. The flakes dry out in really slow speed, which will shorten the time of dry out before packing. The rest I put into heat-sealed foil bag with some air in it to facilitate aging process. If you don't want to bother, I will recommend cube cut the flakes. BTW, the bulk version is way better than the tins.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	weePipe (5)	2015-03-14		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've smoked many a bowl of this flake over the years and love it's simplicity and subtleties. Preferably rubbed out in a smaller pipe- left to dry but not too dry- It begins with an earthy dusky Virginia taste that is deep and lightly grassy. Take your time lighting and sipping this flake and you will be rewarded with a smooth creamy smoke with hints of grass- hay and a wee bit of spice. As you smoke down the bowl it becomes a bit more stout and full and the grassy notes become more of a bittersweet dark chocolate and unripe honey dew flower. The spice remains- it's quite satisfying and comforting down to the dottles. Take your time with this one- this straight Virginia flake is a true classic-

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SamH (31)	2015-03-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Firstly I like St Bruno Flake. However, this is a treat. Thick-ish flakes, but not hard to rub out. The whole process is rather nice actually. Smells lovely in the tin (as do most good quality Virginias). I do not know exactly what they do to this, but it is probably the best tobacco around. Smoked slowly it gives an astounding mix of sensations and aromas. I could liken it to a really good strongly brewed Indian tea. Rich and deep (I still marvel at how this is achieved from one kind of tobacco). Highly recommended, this one.

Pipe Used: Various billiards

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the shop

Purchased From: mysmokingshop

Similar Blends: Not really anything..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aseduikis (5)	2015-02-23		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A PERFECT tobacco for straight virginia lover. Smells woody and sweet from the tin. Flake color is dark brown with a little brighter spots and islands of sugars came out. Amount of moisture is quite high so packing and lighting depends on how you will prepare it for smoking. Burns cool and even, flavour is dark, full and decent, naturally sweet, with a good nicotine kick. Pure pleasure from the beginning to the very end of bowl. Real poetry, uh? :-) One of my favorites for long time.

Pipe Used: Aldo Morelli Palazzo

Age When Smoked: Right after the purchase

Purchased From: www.pipe-tobacco-shop.de

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Best Brown Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2014-09-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first experience with Samuel Gawith flakes. I had the experience that many people talk about with this brand, namely that the flakes seemed to have encountered a Super-Soaker at some point in production. Out of the tin they were moist to the point of not being smoke-able. A few minutes of letting them sit out seemed to do the trick though.

The smell from the tin is not quite like the other straight Va blends that I've had. It does have the sweet citrus you'd expect from a Va, but it's more of a sour lemon-grassy than actual citrus fruit. It also has a slight wheat note to it as well, which so far I've only really gotten from Orlik Golden Sliced.

I did have problems getting this blend to actually start smoking, but after it got going it stayed lit just fine. The smoke was a little milder than I expected in the flavor department, yet somehow the body of it quite full. The flavors were of a mostly sweet citrus and a hint of that wheat grain came though as well. It also produced slightly bluer smoke than most other blends I've had, but that might just be my imagination.

Overall a very pleasant Va blend and one that I would likely return to.

Pipe Used: Medico Crest

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Auroch (2)	2014-06-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

As a cigar smoker, this reminds me of a mild-medium connecticut wrap cigar. Very nice hay/light leather flavoring with mild nutty tones.

tin note - smells like standard virginia - vinegar/ketchup. The smell will grow on you.

room note - decent, not overpowering, but definitely not as attractive as aromatics

taste - great smoke, nice and even burn. After you let it dry out it burns great.

Pipe Used: Peterson Belgique Fishtail

Age When Smoked: 1 year, 2 weeks open

Purchased From: JR Cigar, Statesville NC

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigarcohiba (36)	2014-04-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Extraordinary mellow. A tobacco that gives off a smooth sweet taste. An easy smoke that can be chracterized by its constant stabilty as far as its smoke properties.A spicy taste is detected at times. Difficult tobacco to rub. A very good virginia blend.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	codyp (65)	2014-02-10		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not much to say about this blend besides a simple, brilliant blend. It's one of the first of the Gawith blends I have tried, and because of this, will acquire many more.

The flavor is a simple Virginia, which to me is almost hay stackish, in a good way. A lot of Virginia blends try too hard to make the blend pop, by making it sweeter. Whether that is adding a casing, or making it cavendish. The room note is quite pleasant compared to some other darker Virginias.

The strength is mild. The flake rubs out well, but I prefer to bend and stuff which seems to work very well, and gives you a long chill smoke.

Pipe Used: AKB Smooth Freehand Meerchaum

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Industro (2)	2013-12-18		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Of course I can´t add anything to a tobacco that´s been reviewed well over 400 times, besides my personal impression. I haven´t smoked a better straight Virginia than this. But is it better than my other few favourites? No. But it is quite different. The flakes burn for a remarkable long time, even if dried a bit more than they afford to. This tobacco never implies, no matter which stage of the smoke, that there´d be anything added to the pure Virginia. All flavours seem to unfold due to the processing method. At least it tastes as natural, as you can imagine. If you fancy straight VA´s, you owe it to yourself to try this tobacco at least once.

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Synjeco

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-05-06		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I know a lot of folks love this flake and I smoke a lot of flakes, but I can't help but think this is way overrated. It lacks the sweetness of other flakes and tastes too much like hay. I will admit that the oldest tin I have smoked is just over a year old so maybe it gets a lot better?? I have several tins cellared so time will tell. I have tried sipping it, smoking it in flake form and rubbing out in many pipes. It will steam your mouth if not dried properly. When its available (which is next to never) FVF at a low price point (at the time of this writing) and taking that into consideration I have given it two stars. I also wonder if FVF was priced at the level of most other flakes if as many people would feel as strongly about it as they currently do?

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sinister Topiary (84)	2010-10-05		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What hasn't been said about this flake? This is the quintessential virginia flake, the standard by which others are compared, and rightly so. It is truly an exceptional flake, rich, sweet, smooth, creamy, buttery, etc... it's all true.

So why three instead of four stars? As delightful, even perfect, as it is, it seems to my tastebuds a bit too monochromatic and planar (or, more accurately, as they say in computer graphics, two-and-a-half dimensional). I require more nuance to maintain my interest over time. (Frankly, I find FVF a little bit boring.

Nevertheless...) This is a standard which all serious pipe smokers must sooner or later give a try, even if only to have a yardstick by which to measure other pure virginias.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I'm redoing this review for my Lakeland Tour (stop 6)

The first tin of this I smoked was outstanding for about half the tin and then sour and bitter for the second half. The second tin was consistent, always good, but never quite as good as the first half of the first tin. The second tin was much more spicy and almost harsh. It was as if they had overcooked it. This deserves at least 3 stars even when it's only so-so. But the occasional mind-blowing smoke puts it at three and a half at least.

This always seems to lose flavor after a while. I know others don't experience this, so I'm a bit baffled by it. I'm still trying to figure it out, and it's given me enough smoking pleasure to merit the effort.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-05-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

(05/15/2007) A rich and flavorful virginia with no bite,who could ask for more?Do yourself a favor,buy some and let the tobac do the talkin,you wont be disappointed.

(05/26/2008) Even better with one year of age on it! An amazing tobacco!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Now this is one fine smoking piece of beef jerky!

A bit difficult to work with but more than worth the effort.

FVF has a delicious tobacco taste with a nice nicotine kick. This is one of the finest virginias I've ever smoked.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Backwoods Piper (70)	2006-12-10		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a winner for sure. It is nice and rich in flavor and aroma everything one would expect in a great VA flake. I strongly suggest a gentle to full rub out depending on your desire as to the fullness of the smoke and then an hour or so drying out period. Truly one of the best and honest smokes of all time. I purchase several tins for my cellar. I am sure as these tins age the satisfying flavor and richness of this tobacco will improve. No wonder this tobacco has been in production for over 200 years.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2005-09-22		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

The legendary FVF!

Mana from heaven for sure. This masterpiece beats all flakes I have ever tried, and I've tried a few in my 12 years as pipe smoker.

The flake is dense and dark, almost like rubber or pencil eraser and it is very difficult to rub out. It is also oily and greasy, but I seriously doubt that propylene glycol is being used here. FVF smeels sweet and stoved - like bright sultanas and prunes; which is, IMHO, an indicator of extremely fine VA.

Plumes of rich, thick and creamy smoke emerges from the bowl and notes of melted butter, whipped cream and Bailey's comes to mind. While being gentle this beauty also packs a good wallop, and to summon up: FVA has it all, not too strong as some Lakelands, not too sharp top-notes as some of the brighter VAs, not too zesty as some of the US products and most important: Not that German "remake-taste" as many blends tend to have these days.

One of the few true, still English made, quality flakes available. A true masterpiece from SG

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RickPiatt (16)	2005-06-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

This is the VA standard. None better on the market today. One piece of advice if I may, the tobacco tends to be a bit wet in the tin ... let it dry out a bit before lighting up.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-05-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Although I usually smoke Rattray's and F&T Virginias, I continue to try other old-school VA flakes just out of curiosity.

The review of fourshephards below completely agrees with my experience with FVF, so I get off easy here. A top-notch tobacco, a standard VA flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2005-04-29		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the best VA flake I have smoked to date. It delivers a full, smooth, sweet, natural tobacco flavor from beginning to end with no bite. And it has none of the ?soapiness? that is characteristic of other SG blends. Some folks may find it a bit strong but this is simply a delightful tobacco with excellent burning qualities. I?ll be cellaring many more tins. Don?t miss this one!

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.98 out of 10.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2005-03-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

A great Virginia flake, one of the best out there.

Absolutely not flavored (which is good, compared to some soapy scents that Samuel Gawith applies to the vast majority of their products), this is almost exactly what the name says. "Almost", because it's not that full in my opinion: it's very tasty, but it's actually a medium bodied tobacco and nicotine content is low (I had two whole flakes in a huge Mastro de Paja and at the end I was perfectly allright).

A sweet, natural, very pleasant tobacco: pure virginia (probably African) joy. Nothing is wrong in this tobacco: honeyed flavors, a gentle round smoke, no nasty notes, no tonguebite.

Why not a maximum rating? Probably because it's so "perfect" that sometimes it leaves me wishing for some interesting "excess", for some weird change of taste or a sudden growth of intensity.

But this is a very minor complaint: it's one of the very few Virginias I'd pick immediately for a relaxing, uncomplicated evening smoke.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flint (30)	2004-12-01		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It looks like this has been reviewed to it's fullest but I'll add my two cents. This is with out a doubt one of the best aged and pressed vrginia flakes I have ever tried. My tin had some age on it even had a bit of rust in the tin. I didn't get tongue bite at all and this is sweet ambrosia in a can. Also after smoking two bowls I noticed I didn't have a bad after taste in my mouth as with some blends I could name. This is just one heck of a good full quality tobacco and I look forward to getting some more. I highly recommend this to lovers of straight virginia flakes. Amen

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rosczich (10)	2004-10-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Full Virginia Flake is for lovers of pure pressed Virginias created in the heart of Lakeland. Full Virginia starts life as a blend of Virginias in the cold press. Hot pressed for 2-3 hours and allowed to cool overnight, the cake takes on it's delicious and distinctive dark colour that creates a pipe smoker's dream; a feeling of calm, serenity and anticipation for the next pipeful.First, by no means I can use the word "Full" to describe this tobacco. It'smooth on palate, tongue, throat and stomach. The taste is simply fabulous. It's a tobacco I could smoke all the time for the rest of my life.It is good to have a good meal before and beside a good glas of wine or single malt.i like it to be smoked in my fantastic morta pipe from mr. prammer. I most highly recommend it to those of you who appreciate the wonders of natural pressed Virginias.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-10-02		Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is pretty good stuff, kind of reminds me of a slightly more refined dark star. It is sweet and tangy, slightly spicey at times and delicous. The one thing I dont particularly enjoy in this blend is the nicotine strength. While it is not overwhelming in strength it does pack a hard punch and is sometimes a tad to strong for my enjoyment. I highly recommend this to flake lovers who love a good nicotine wallop!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OSR (78)	2004-09-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Enough has been written about this flake, it's wonderful.

FVF is the closest thing I've found to two of my old favorites, Capstan Full and Gallahers Rich Dark Honeydew flake (when they were manufactured in England). Capstan Full was a wonderful flake and I'd almost say that this is the same tobacco.

For those who like a rich, cool and satisfying 100% Virginia Flake then you need to try this. Superb!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-08-10		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

Full Virginia Flake (FVF) is a real treat, and I treat myself to it regularly. This natural tobacco is well presented in the tin, and the slices look truly wonderful. Lots of very dark leaf with some deep brown as well. My tin had some age on it, as I noted crystal deposits. These are not sugar; rather, I believe they're either the byproduct of pH shift over time or residual metabolic wastes produced by the orgamisms responsible for aging/fermenting the leaf in the tin.

Regardless, opening the tin revealed a nice scent, not unlike Nori, that blossomed into a wonderful earthy raisin/date/fig-like aroma. The smell is mouthwatering. The flakes arrive moist, but not drenched. However, they're way too wet for me to smoke out of the tin.

I always allow flakes like these to dry before smoking, and I only set out and prepare as much as I think I'll need for the bowl in hand. I slice the flakes into two sizes: a cube-like cut that I rub out, as well as some very narrow strips that I fully rub out to use as kindling.

Packing this stuff requires a gentle hand. I never use any pressure to load a bowl. I sprinkle in what will fit, tap the sides and bottom of the pipe to get everything to settle, then continue loading. Midway through, I'll sprinkle some of the narrow-cut leaf in to aid the burn. Then I add more of the broad-cut leaf and top the whole thing off with the narrow.

The light is simple, though a few lights may be necessary. This stuff can burn all the way down with one or two lights, and it's smooth enough that I can puff the way I want to without experiencing bite.

FVF offers a good mouthfeel and a flavor-forward smoke that serves up one big note after another, rather then weaving them in and out. You may note some grassy flavors, particularly if your embers are about to die out. The cilantro/soap notes are kept to a minimum. They're actually quite nice in this instance, and I rarely experience them past the early puffs of the top third. Otherwise, it's rich, sweet, natural VA flavor. Great stuff.

The mid-bowl notes also are fantastic: freshly baked bread, dark coffees, dark chocolate, roasted nuts, and other savory delights. End bowl is as good as the rest, but if you smoke this stuff on the wet side, you may find some dottle. If not, it smokes clean to the heel.

The smoke is constantly delicious, never getting bitter or too hot. Nicotine is not an issue. The "Full" in FVF must refer to the flavor and/or body.

FVF is a regular in my VA line up, right along with Dark Star. FVF is worth buying by the pound (by the truckload??), aging, and smoking regularly. It's truly a satisfying and wonderful smoke. Enjoy it.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-06-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

This is quite simply a beautiful flake. This was my first introduction to Lakeland tobaccos and I have to say I can't wait to try some others. It reminded me of old, slightly fermented hay bales, and fresh bread baking. This leaf has very little sweetness for a straight virginia, but don't get me wrong- it is certainly not bitter or sour. I've been smoking it in a group 3 Nording full bent pipe that has only had straight virginias in it, and the flavors have come through extremely well. The first few puffs are very unsubstantial, but this quickly builds up into a rich smoke. My wife even likes the room note (said it reminded her of her mother baking!). This can bite a wee bit if you are not careful- but I find DGT'ing solves this completely. I had to buy some more and put it in the closet for some additional aging and to have some for back up. Buy some quick!!!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2002-12-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin claims that this tobacco has been manufactured for 200 years and I understand why. Oh, sweet, unadulterated, straight Va. The nicely prepared flakes of dark brown to black tobaccos are intermixed with some lighter brown, but not much. The flakes are more flexible that many others thru the end of the tin and prove ideal for my packing technique without any rubout. With this packing, I experienced no bite even @ a relatively fast smoking pace. The taste is quite strong, rich and one dimensional, but not so overpowering that I can't use this one as an all day smoke. Tastes the same thruout a bowl and in varying bowl sizes. The room aroma is also preferred by my family as compared to other straight VAs. The only disappointment was that the 50 gram net tin weight only partially filled the oversized tin and made it seem that I'd devoured the tobacco. Maybe I did since I really enjoyed this blend. If you like straight Va flakes, you must give this one a try.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rev. Smoke (24)	2002-08-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I thoroughly enjoy this blend. Presently, I am smoking through some I got in bulk. The flakes are some six inches or so and rock solid, if there is any problem with this blend, it is that FVF doesn't rub out as easily as do some other. Of course, if you enjoy a more solid flake in your smoking, then this shouldn't bother you.

I love the tin aroma of this blend - rich and buttery sweet tobacco.

Some may claim that it is one-dimensional in flavor. Hmm, take some time and ponder the many dimensions. I don't know that "full" is the operative word in this blends description, but it is of the highest quality. This is what straight VA flakes aspire to attain when they grow up.

I can smoke this and ellicit comments of how good is smells, interesting response for a "straight" tobacco.

How can I describe this one? Rich and buttery, even the smoke has a creamy texture in the mouth. This is something you must try if you like a good Virginia.

4.5 out of 5 halos (smoke rings).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tillmanj (73)	2001-06-11		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable to Strong

Tin Aroma: Plain old tobacco. There is nothing noteworthy about the aroma, which is very nice in it's own way. I know, sniffing this, what to expect; big bold TOBACCO taste, not apricots or smoke or anything else, just tobacco.

Physical Characteristics: Perhaps the prettiest flakes I have ever seen, they are predominately dark drown with flecks and swirls of tan and light brown through them. They really are a marvel to look at. I am not one for rubbing out a flake, prefering to fold and roll, which this flake is amply pliable to handle, and my experimental flake did rub out nicely.

Notes: Now this is a satisfying smoke! Big bold tobacco taste, a slightly spicy, lingwering aftertaste, and a good sized nicotine hit. What a perfect flake for an ex-cigarette smoker. This flake and some strong dark coffee create some wonderful early morning experiences. For me, a good first smoke of the day, it gets me up and moving. Being that it is a Lakeland district tobacco, I was on the lookout for the telltale 'soapy' flavor they are all said to have, but I have not been able to discern as such. The room note is rather strong, and not what I would call pleasant to a non smoker, or another smoker for that matter, so be warned!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (556)	2022-10-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin notes of figs, grass, and lemon. The flakes are light, medium and dark brown, with flecks of yellow. The flakes are fairly dense and requires some prep. No drying needed. Once lit, it burns slow and consistent with relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected and taste is medium. Taste of sweet grass, stewed fruit, lemon, floral and pepper in the retro. Room note not offensive and has a great after taste.

Pipe Used: 2015 XX Ashton Sovereign Prince

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (130)	2022-09-27		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Bag note is sweet straight Virginia. The flakes rub out vey easily and the moisture content is perfect. I rub this out rather than stuffing and puffing. This is a mild smoke not too complex but satisfying . Lots of hay, grass super lite citrus, with just a bit of sweetness and pepper. Easley an all day smoke. Strength I find is quite mild nic hit is mild as well. Needs a few relights but very consistent flavor. 4 stars

Pipe Used: many different briars

Age When Smoked: gift not sure but aged a bit

Purchased From: friend gift

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Deckard Cain (39)	2022-09-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

Very smooth, with one of the most pleasant Virginia flavors to be found anywhere. This stuff is quite moist coming out of the tin. Some might want to dry a little, I don't. The Virginia in this is so fruity, that it is practically appetizing. All the usual Virginia flavors, except the hay flavor isn't very noticeable. This tobacco is fruit forward. Prunes, apricots, almost smells like bananas sometimes. It may be cased lighty, but I think it's a testament to perfectly prepared Virginia tobacco of the very highest quality. This stuff is a real treat for every Virginia smoker. The nicotine level is low, but this is a rich and wondrous tobacco. Hard to get your hands on. But so worth it. This may be my very favorite virginia. Sweet, savory, fruity, tangy, and so smooth. Four stars. I would give it five if I could. If you find yourself with a big pipe filled with Samuel galwith full Virginia flake, life is good indeed.

Pipe Used: Cobs, bonez

Age When Smoked: New, new and old

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Slickshooter (4)	2021-02-03		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Hmmmmmm...I really wanted to like it and expected it to blow my hair back but that didn’t happen. I love Dunhill 965 and like to smoke Solani Virginia flake so I should love this stuff right? Unfortunately not...I just can’t seem to find any taste to it. I will cellar it and try it again in the future but I won’t be buying any more tins at the moment. My two cents

Pipe Used: Peterson DeLuxe 20s

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2020-11-19		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Fortunately, I have not suffered a disappointment with FVF. Despite the current problems getting Samuel Gawith tobaccos, my efforts paid off and I was able to get two tin. Being a new pipe smoker, when I see so many compliments to a tobacco that I have not tried yet, I feel a certain fear that my expectations will be disappointed, either because the tobacco in question is somewhat overrated, or because I am not able to appreciate it. It has not been the case with FVF, despite not having been love at first sight, since in the first pipes it seemed quite insipid, increasing the fears already mentioned.

However, from the fourth pipe on I began to appreciate the great straight virginia that people talked about. In addition to the rich, typically Virginian flavor, it performs wonderfully well, as it doesn't heat the pipe or sting at all. Following the wise advice that appears in the review of “Emeritus Account” (04/18/2009), I loaded the flake by crumbling it but without letting it dry and the tobacco burned perfectly. Of course, doing it this way is easy for some moisture to appear during smoking, but that's what brushes are for. No problem in this regard, something that I really appreciate because I don't like having to dry the flake for several hours as it happens with other tobaccos. The only precaution I take (and this seems very important to me) is that I smoke it slowly so that the flavor is not lost. And it's worth doing it that way, because even though it's a mild tobacco, it's actually very tasty too.

Ultimately, FVF has come to me to stay.

11/26/2020: I am writing this addition because I was too short with the review. This is absolutely delicious. The last flake of the tin made me salivate in such a way that I had to wipe my whiskers with a napkin. I find it hard to believe that there could be a richer Straight Virginia than this one and I just hope that FVF returns to the tobacconists soon.

Pipe Used: Jan Kloucek Italy Silhoutte

Age When Smoked: unknown

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gchiaram (12)	2020-05-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I started smoking a pipe back in the '70s, I smoked what my father usually bought in those years, some Half & Half and then some Dunhill Early Morning, and the glorious Capstan in the small, light blue tin. Then I started smoking cigarettes, and I started with an unfiltered black tobacco called Particualres 4, which no longer exists. A unique flavor found today in Particulares 30 (with filter), which by far may resemble a French Galois or an Uruguayan Oxibithué. When I started buying pipe tobacco without finding Capstan, I went through countless tests, all quite disappointing, and learned to hate "chocolate", "rum", and other flavored tobaccos ones. One day I decided to go to a tobacco shop in the center of Buenos Aires, and ask for help. I was recounting my experiences and with the help of the seller I could verify that what I longed for as Tobacco was the flavor of Virginia in its purest form. And I think Full Virginia Flake is the basic flavor I've always been looking for. This tobacco is not easy to smoke, since like all flake, you have to find a way to assemble the pipe. But if you can sacrifice some flakes in this, when you can smoke more than half an hour without it going out, and the smoke flowing with the earthy and fermented flavor (with some sweetness left far behind), it is unique! For those who find it simple, without "taste", ok, go straight and switch to a mix. For me, it is my par excellence tobacco. The mystical feeling of smoking by the fire this tobacco to think of nothing, without that the tobacco "calling" and saying "here I am", is my best time of day. In Argentina, in addition to the can, it is sold in a 50-gram metallic envelope packaged here, which is the one I buy.

Pipe Used: Butz Choquin cocarde

Age When Smoked: I brought it home and opened it immediately

Purchased From: https://www.franciscodemiranda.com/

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RandoloBrandybuck (16)	2019-12-01		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

To me this dark SG flake is an adventurers Tobacco. The tin notes are very much the way you expect from a down-to-earth VA. Malty, hay, dried figs is what I smell. Initially very moist it was way nicer to smoke after drying. Mine was sitting in a mason jar for over half a year now and somehow became very smokable.

The easily lit bowl tastes very much like summer in the hills. Different types of earth, dry country air, fresh sweet weeds, resins. It takes me far away from my room. In a medium sized bowl or above this tobacco gains spiciness towards the bottom. That's why I prefer a small pipe or a half-full bowl.

Burns well and leaves little moisture. Recommended for everybody who cares for non-aros.

Pipe Used: Several Briars i.e. Vauen Quixx

Age When Smoked: Fresh - kept in jar 6 Months

Purchased From: Nancy Friedenthal Vienna

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2018-03-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Tin note is very fresh, lemony and hay like. Nice pure VA aroma.

I will say I have waited to finish a few tins of this prior to review, mainly because of all the high praise I have heard and read. This is a great straight VA no question but I am not sure if it is as great as the hype (is anything ever?). Straight VA's have become a crowded category and there are many good/greats in it. This is a very clean and pure smoke. Fresh, bright and slightly sweet with some fruit and citrus notes. As the bowl progresses there are some nice toasty notes, like lightly toasted rye bread. Consistent flavors through out the smoke. Smokes clean and cool no matter how you pack it. Very nice smoke but to me this is average/good but not mind blowing.

Pipe Used: briar's, cob's and meerschaum

Age When Smoked: 1 year

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JamesDarwin63 (6)	2018-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Samuel Gawith's has to be my second favourite tobacco brand after Germain's. I have been smoking a lot of this lately as it has been on offer at the online store I use http://www.gqtobaccos.com this is a tobacco that has really grown on me, I must add that I cannot smoke it fresh out of the tin. This tobacco certainly needs drying before smoking IMO. It is a fairly medium strength straight Virginia tobacco, for me this a great all day smoke, I don't find it complex enough to really interest me but I find it ideal for a smoking break at work or a morning smoke, however in the evening I would prefer something a little more complex to reflect on. I must add the latest packaging from Samuel Gawith's is genius, I love tins without a health warning on.

Pipe Used: Parker Jockey Club

Age When Smoked: Left to dry

Purchased From: http://www.gqtobaccos.com/tobaccos/samuel-gawith-full-virginia-flake/

Similar Blends: Gawith & Hoggarth Bright CR Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JJ Sir Emmitt (40)	2017-06-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I found this tobacco to be very frustrating. The flavors are very nice. Very earthy, malty, and deep flavors with notes of rose water, coco, orange citrus, bread, and a wonderful sweetness. However getting and keeping this tobacco lit is a nightmare. I have tried giving it a lot of dry time. I have rubbed it, cubed it, and grinded it, but nothing really helped. Simply put this tobacco is just way too wat for me.

Pipe Used: Peterson Kinsale XL13

Age When Smoked: 6 Months

Purchased From: JR Cigars Detroit

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pastor Puff (15)	2017-04-15		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

Tasting Notes: Gawith Full Virginia Flake

Component Tobaccos: Virginia

Cut: Flake

Tin Note: Hay and grass. I mean this is a Virginia did you expect anything else?

Body: 5/10

Strength: 4/10

Nic: 2/10

Mechanics: This is a very wet tobacco. I let it dry for 10 minutes and, even so, I still have trouble keeping it lit. As a result, It burns if you are not careful. Should have gone for 20 or 30 minutes.. maybe even a full hour of dry time. Even slow smoking it has a tendency to burn hot. Halfway down I sat the pipe down to let it cool off.

Taste: At first light, you get some grass on the pallet and bread through the retrohale. As the bowl matures it settles slightly into a dark Virginia profile. There are still notes of grass but it is now more like moldering hay. The tobacco moves continually to the dark side as the bowl smokes down. At the halfway point it's lost nearly all of it's bright Virginia profile. It settles into a moldering grass and stays there through to the bottom.

Thoughts: There's not a whole lot to say about this tobacco. It's a great Virginia that is slightly on the dark side. You have a bit of fresh cut grass up front and it matures into decaying, 3-day old, cut grass. Then, you get hints of bread through the retrohale. The big downside is the harshness. It has a tendency to get way hot even with a slow cadence and in a corn cob, no less. This is not a particularly complex tobacco, but hey, it's a Virginia. It's a good smoke that, unfortunately, has a tendency to be harsh.

Overall: 6/10

Pipe Used: Cob

Purchased From: Local shop

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - HH Pure Virginia.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leaf Packer (30)	2017-04-07		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

Maybe it's just me ? Does anyone else feel ripped off?

I bought two tins after reading the reviews on this page, a waste of money. The flakes are beautiful dark brown nice and thick heavy even. Don't you know I was ready for a good smoke. Tin note only added to my anticipation, sweet fruity aromas I have never seen a more mouth watering presentation . After drying (which you have to do) appox. an hour or so it was time to light up. I rubbed out for easy lighting and packing and stroke the match. Absolutely no taste. Where is the citrus, grassy hay, even the " essence of Lakeland " was not noticeable. If you ever smoked cigarettes , you just paid almost ten dollars for some. Will not buy again. Will stick to Pete Stokkeby Luxury Navy Flake more flavor and cost less

Pipe Used: AGED briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Honestly can't say.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Caracara (1)	2016-10-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

FVF was a staple of mine, along with St James Flake and Balkan Flake; all three rather difficult to manage, but the rewards were well worth the effort. I've recently stocked up on all three, and have been horrified by the change in quality and taste.

FVF is still a tolerable smoke, but both the colour and texture of the flakes are lighter, and the taste is less rich and fruity and has gained a harshness it never had before. There is a leaflet included in the tin, which I'm not sure will enhance the aging qualities of the tobacco but usefully supplies contact details. I called the phone number to ask if the decline was a temporary aberration and was sympathetically told the blender would return my call the following day. He didn't, of course. I sent an email, which was ignored.

The offending tins have a "Kendal Tobacco" sticker on the bottom, and are presumably post-Gawith Hoggarth takeover. Unless you can find old stock without this sticker, I suggest you purchase with caution and in small quantities. I used to get through three or more tins a month, but shall not be buying again unless I hear the quality has returned to previous levels. I'll smoke the new tins without much relish, which is at least better than I could manage with the 250g bulk St James I bought recently - that tasted like a blend of cheap hand-wash and essence of soot. Tragic!

Pipe Used: Several variously sized and shaped briars

Age When Smoked: New

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Cardinal (4)	2016-03-11		Strong	None Detected	Full	Unnoticeable

As it stand's I just don't get this 'baccies appeal. It's fussy (because Flake) and needs drying out when you purchase. I'm looking for that grassy bready joy that should be a Virginia but haven't found it. Yet? We'll see.

Something tells me this is for tobacco enthusiasts that like jarring and collecting as much if not more than actually smoking the damn stuff.

More museum piece than smoker.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: None + One Month

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2014-02-08		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I finally got the chance to get a 50g tin of this and I can see what all the 4 star entries are about. The only fault I have with this blend is the moisture level is way too high on first opening the tin. Picking one flake up at this point has the feel of a stingray or shark (very moist and leathery) that you can pet in the petting pool at the local aquarium. Lighting right out of a freshly opened tin is almost impossible with the fold and stuff method of packing. I find that once lit, it stays lit all the way to the bottom and gives a very nice dosage of nicotine. You will not find much uniformity or any neatly stacked flakes in the cutting and tinning of the flakes, which is by no means a detriment. It smokes down to a nice ash at the bottom of the bowl. All in all I would definitely recommend this for all to try, when it is available.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	O'Confrère (40)	2013-06-10		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Yep, this is a tobacco that everyone should try, and, yep, it definitely needs drying before smoking.

This tin is from 2008. The flakes are dark brown, mottled with lighter birds' eyes, and are very moist. The aroma in the tin is attractive, fruitily sweet with notes of fruitcake (or Christmas pudding), berries and herbs. If dried, it rubs out well to a stringy ribbon and packs easily. In the unlit pipe it tastes sweet and confirms the aromatic qualities noticed in the tin. It takes to the match and burns well to the end of the bowl with little maintenance. It's an easy smoke that offers earthiness with toasty notes of coffee, hickory nuts and walnuts. While the well- known Lakeland flavorings, often called 'floral scents' or 'soapiness', are not as strong here as in other blends from the same house, they are recognizable from first light and become stronger as the bowl progresses. These are absorbed quickly by the pipe and are easily detectable for many smokes to come, so be aware. If you like them and smoke them often, you may want to dedicate a pipe to them, and you may miss them in other blends. Here they seem to meld with a certain tarriness to provide the backbone of this blend.

FVF is a diplomatic and very easy smoke, with some depth, a smooth and full mouth-feel, and a Lakeland tang. If you are looking for a regular nicotine fix this will deliver reliably, if a bit stolidly. Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake is a tradition and one of the very few remaining blends to offer this traditional smoking experience. It is one that every smoker should try, especially if they are looking for "their brand" to smoke daily. Thank heavens (and Kohlhase & Kopp) that SG is still around! Maybe this is for you. However, if you are looking for complexity or a broader flavor-spectrum, look elsewhere.

Reccomendation? The Lakeland perfume is present from first light to aftertaste and that is difficult for some. This smoker prefers other Virginia blends (including SG's Best Brown, and others by McClelland, Comptons, McCranie's, C&D and Pease), but this is a must. Two stars.

Pipe Used: Several. All reserved for Virginias w/out topping.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2013-03-17		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The highly acclaimed SG Full Virginia Flake - finally I got to try this nearly legendary tobacco. Before this my only experiences with Va flakes were McClelland Dark Star and Dunhill Flake. Dark Star is in a class by itself and to me defies comparison with anything else and so it is only the Dunhill to which I can make any comparison. My B&M charges exactly $.09 more for a tin of the Dunhill than he does for FVF. That 9 cents in my estimation buys a better blend in the Dunnie. Despite SG claiming the matured Virginias in FVF I found it to taste too green. Plain and simple. I do not expect it to be tang-less; it is a Virginia after all. But after the hot pressing I would have expected a more mellow blend, less tart. There is a difference to me between tart and tangy.

I intend on exploring this genre more with other blenders (C&D's Simply Elegant series to be specific) shortly, but FVF did not exactly enthrall me. It would rate above two stars if I had not already given Dunhill Flake three.

Purchased From: Cigar Express; McKees Rocks, PA

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2010-12-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This product alone could serve as an introductory to the law of supply and demand. Plentiful in the past, the cellar dwellers have stockpiled batch after batch, clearing store shelves and the entire inventory stockrooms of online retailers. A couple years ago, I was able to order a few ounces without any great hassle, and certainly no fan fare--it was an ordinary transaction. Now, the honor of claiming a single tin has risen higher than witnessing the coronation of kings.

It's fitting, as FVF is widely regarded as the king of Virginias, and I can't disagree. This blend does everything, and it's difficult to find fault in such a rounded product. In its absence, I ordered a tin of Union Square, and now I'm not so sure that its reputation should go unchallenged, particularly with such problems in the supply chain. But I'll save that bit for my next review.

My most recent tin of Full Virginia Flake was supposedly created in harsh conditions--the distress of Samuel Gawith's production arm--struggling to meet demand, undermanned, overworked, short in resources. You would think someone hit the lottery and just kind of forgot about the factory. Of course, I'd probably be happy to own that factory, only if the market wouldn't drop out like the cigar boom in the 90s, whose implosion destroyed everything in its once glorious path. What happens when the cellars are full, I wonder.

In any event, this new sample of FVF does seem rushed. The dark shaded, moisture laden leaf has been replaced with a different looking flake, a lighter brown in color, stringy, and exceptionally dry. I pulled up an image search to see if I've been imagining things, and I was confronted with the reality that this batch is seriously different than what I've come to expect.

Obviously it wouldn't be fair to bitch and moan without at least smoking a single bowl, and in this odd state, FVF smokes very close to Union Square. The strength is there, but the apparent lack of a dark press has lightened the flavor, and that caramel note replaced by the more familiar grassy undertones reminiscent of those other Virginia flake commoners that no one bothers to care about these days. The sugary, raw molasses flavor seems lessened, as a consequence, absent even. What's going on here?

Even in its compromised state, there is much to admire. The ripe sweetness still dominates, and the bowl develops that concentrated strength as the smoke goes on. The more I puff, the greater a memory my recent fit. I like to complain, but this is still great stuff. It will take me a couple months to finish off this tin, and hopefully I'll curse a lot less when trying to get my hand on another sample.

Four of Five, for now.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2010-12-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Over six months ago I decided to try Full Virginia Flake only to find it was not available - anywhere - in the USA! I finally snagged 3 tins from Pipes and Cigars just last week (they are now sold out of all SG tobaccos!).

The tobacco content was very moist upon opening the tin and initially smelled like freshly mowed, wet grass. I couldn't pick up much else until a few days later when the tobacco dried a bit and then I got the hint of raisins. I was hoping to find some sugar crystals on the leaf, but so far the first of the three tins that I opened didn't reveal this. I picked up several of the flakes, folded and stuffed them in a meerschaum-lined briar. It took several attempts to light, but once lit, it burned fairly well till the bowl's end. The was way too mild which did not add to any real smoking pleasure for me. At times I perceived a bit of the Lakeland taste - but not in the way that is typical of SG's Lakeland signature flavor. It came every now and then in small, subtle bursts, never overwhelming. Perhaps it was the leaf itself, so I can't say for sure as it was never present coming from the tin. It was almost incense-like and. Lately, I've been loading a bowl the night before smoking and let it sit over night. By morning, the tobacco is sufficiently dried out to take with a charring light and one additional light, always burning evenly and cool. I wasn't particularly overwhelmed by the nicotine presence, nor do I really look for that in a tobacco anyway.

In my opinion, FVF is not the quintessential Virginia flake. I really don't see (or taste) what many others have with FVF. Even after very sufficient aging/drying, I find this to be next to flavorless. The every now and then hints of flavor that at times come through are not satisfying enough for me to want to revisit. My opinion is based on 3 tins of the stuff. Only 2 stars from me.

UPDATE 4-7-12: Similar to my recent revisit with BBF (see my review), I tried some leftover and very brittle flakes from an old tin. It seems like drying these SG Virginias to the point of brittleness seems to bring out the best in them - at least for me. Not as astounding as with BBF but improved somewhat.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2010-05-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

perhaps the favorite of the gawith flakes, i still have a few left to try myself, full virginia flake has a solid reputation.. Having tried it before, i decided to age some a little and see how that would effect the taste.. I was very pleasantly surprised.. What makes this flake great for me is not any particular flavor but the range of different flavors that other 'pure' virginias don't seem to have.. It is a full flavor that has everything from deep bass tones to high citrus notes - and everything in between.. It would be good any time of day. I find other virginias like 'old gowrie' suitable for morning smoking but at night I want something a little more substantial.. full virginia on the other hand will satisfy at any time.. There is no such thing as perfection.. but there are some brilliant imperfections out there and full virginia flake is one of the best i have found.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-09-30		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

===update, old review below=== Let this age for several months and then found I needed to rehydrate it slightly, so I put in a little Humydisk, the kind you "dip in water--wipe dry." It immediately rubbed out the next time I touched it, but it did not seem overly humid, so I tried it out. Yeah, this is a good virginia, very subtle in flavor compared to some blends that use burleys and periques to round them out, so I imagine this could be a good component for a blend, should you go in for that, though I myself tend to be a little lazy about it and generally have had better luck leaving the blending to the pros. I'm leaving my rating as is, questioning my flavor profiles below, and saying this is a good dependable VA. Thank you.

old review Well, I like this most of the time, when I note a little chocolate sweetness (not that it's flavored). Sometimes, however, and I don't know if this is the difference between rubbing it out and not, I sort of get this caramel-coated celery, if you can imagine such a thing, that I don't particularly care for. I should say that I bought this bulk, not tinned. I think it smokes better and tastes better simply torn in half and stuffed into a pipe, rather than rubbed out.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DoctorThoss (146)	2007-09-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

This is, to my tastes, the single most over-rated tobacco on the market today.

That is not to say that Full Virginia Flake is in any way an inferior product. It is one of the most beautifully executed all-VA flakes I've ever seen, and the quality of the leaf is absolutely top-notch. Yet I am perplexed to read many of the glowing reviews and to watch how its value seems to be approaching that of gold on an ounce-to-ounce basis. Yes, it's good -- but I would never describe this as the best pure VA on the market, or even one of the Top Five.

Why is this? Because FVF is the fussiest tobacco I've ever loaded into a pipe. Sure, it is perfectly capable of producing the ever-elusive "perfect smoke" -- that is, if you manage to dry it to the perfect humidity, choose the most forgiving briar in your collection, pack it in precisely the correct geometric arrangement, light it JUST SO with a wooden match, and then nurse it like a critical care patient in an intensive care ward. On those occasions (about twice per tin, in my experience) FVF admittedly has no equal. When the stars are right, this stuff positively resonates with sweetness, complexity, and the sort of depth rarely achieved by straight VAs. Unfortunately, the remaining smokes are at best lackluster and at worst hot, bitey and flavorless.

I'm giving this one three stars because (a) it's undoubtedly a classic and (b)those infrequent "perfect" smokes are truly epic. But I cannot give a four-star rating to a blend that disappoints me far more often than not. I've tried several tins over the past five years and have smoked it fresh, aged, moist, dried, and packed in about every configuration I can think of. But the bottom line is that I can name numerous VAs that are far more consistent: Blackwoods Flake, Old Gowrie, and Briar Fox are the first three that come to mind, but there are others.

Should you try FVF? Of course. Individual tastes vary, and it might be that I just don't "get it." But don't feel too disappointed or embarrassed if your tastes aren't in line with those who consider it to be the Holy Grail of pipe tobaccos. I've got about four tins worth of this stuff cellared, and I don't plan on buying any more. YMMV, of course!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-10-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Definitely a milestone in the Virginia flake range, it's hard to find a better tobacco of that kind. The slices are very moist in the tin, almost sticky, and smell wonderfully of hay and dried fruits. It's better to leave the tin open for some time to have a decent burning, an maybe rubbing out a slice on the top of the bowl could help in light it better. During the smoke it delivers all the flavours you have smelled in the tin plus some more subtleties, so you may want to smoke more than one tin to understand this tobacco completely. The body is not so full as you might expect, infact the nicotine content is pretty low: you can use a large bowl without any problem.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (79)	2005-01-24		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

One of the classic Virginia flakes. A perfectly cut dark brown flake with a rich, slightly sweet aroma that burns and tastes wonderful. Obviously stronger and fuller that medium Va. Flake with a bit more complexity. Kind of spicy, kind of sweet. Goes great with a strong ale or Kentucky Bourbon. Again, thank you smokingpipes.com for the great prices on these tins from Samuel Gawith. At this price, FVF may rise to replace one of my top five Virginias.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (70)	2023-05-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A review destined to be lost in an avalanche of reviews, but I'll shout into the breeze, nonetheless. I've found that the preparation I most enjoy for Gawith flakes is a thick cube cut. It aids tremendously in the burn yet maintains a cool smoke. A bit of drying will be necessary. Once chopped, dried, and packed, the flavor profile is tangy, dark fruit, bread, lemon-like citrus, hay, and sugar. Passed mid bowl there'll be a very slight bit of spice and earth. The smoke can be a little steamy and might nip a bit if not sipped. My stash of FVF is well aged and there is an additional depth and sweetness that reflects that. An absolute pleasure. 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum cobs

Age When Smoked: 6 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Karel (8)	2022-12-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Tin note: raisins, black tea, molases

I really love this tobaccos flavor of spicy raisins and breads.

HOWEVER this tobacco is just ordeal to prepare - it comes in a form of wet chunky flakes, so you need to rub them out and dry them out multiple times (because they are so thick). Beware that if you dry them too much, you will lose some of the dark fruit flavor.

It is a pain to keep it lit and it is prone to tongue bite (even when dried).

I really like this flavor, but everything else is just a pain in the ass and not worth it in my opinion. I need to find some other virginia blend, that tastes like this, but smokes better. I could live with the drying and keeping lit ordeal, but tongue bite is a deal breaker for me.

Wife approves.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	T. Reno (2)	2022-08-01		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I can see why this stuff is so hard to find. I was finally able to get some recently, after two years of trying, and it has quickly become my favorite tobacco! The depth and subtlety of flavor are amazing. And this is the only tobacco I've tried, so far, that I smoke down to near the bottom of the bowl. Others start to lose flavor and get rank about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way down. FVF has also helped me appreciate other Virginias that I wasn't really getting. Now I have a better understanding of what to look for as I smoke any straight Virginia. I don't know when I'll get more of this, considering how hard it was to get my first taste of it, so I guess I'll enjoy this tin while it lasts. I will definitely take my time and savor it. As one reviewer said, don't do anything else while smoking Full Virginia Flake, just smoke it and focus on how good it is.

Pipe Used: several

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aeolian (5)	2022-04-14		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Tabaco legendario del tito Samuel que poco más hay que añadir sobre lo ya comentado por la comunidad. Lo único a tener en cuenta es que puede venir un poco humedo de la lata y hay que dejarlo airear para que fume bien. Dulce y profundo, con cuerpo, redondo, y un toque medio en vitamina N, en definitiva es un tabaco 10/10. Si lo pruebas volverás a el seguro...

Tito Samuel muy buen trabajo!!!

Pipe Used: Vauen Edgar, Savinelle Miele, Peterson Professor

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: 4

Similar Blends: Best Brown.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pfeifenlurch (1)	2022-01-13		Strong	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I realy wanted to like this tobacco but to me its just flavourless. I have smoked other virginias that were said to be mild but none have been as bland as FVF. I have tried it at various moisture levels and in different pipes but all my efforts were futile. Maybe there is something wrong with me as so many seem to love it. The nicotine content is quite potent tho wich surprised me considering how mild the taste is (to me)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Horia (5)	2021-05-04		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A minimalistic, reassuring, comforting smoke. No BS , no unnecessary blending or flavors. A strong personality with a backbone. Preps easily, burns constantly well out of the tin. Tastes great. Read other reviewers for subtlety. Light on nicotine, but it is there. Rewards you with a feeling of assuredness and calm.

Pipe Used: savinelli

Age When Smoked: new

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2021-03-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

3rdguy

Over 500 reviews for this one and while I will give it 4 stars I find it easiest to smoke dried almost completely. Even then it can take a few relights. Not many tobaccos I would be willing to put up with in regards to the prep this one takes but it is worth it.

A good smoke fresh, a great smoke with a few years on it.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: Various

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greybeard (66)	2021-03-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

550 reviews of this....but nobody can say it like I can, so make sure to read this review....twice.

All kidding aside, I did enjoy FVF. The natural sweet grassy flavor of the Virginia is there right from the first light. At times I get a citrus flavor, or a darker fruit essence which seems common for Virginia tobacco. Stayed pleasant for the entire bowl. The biggest knock was it required more relights than average, so might require more dry time than I gave it. There may be some trial & error in preparing the flake before lighting as well. Also can heat up the pipe (and your tongue) if you let your puffing get away from you.

Recommended for any pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Caramella

Age When Smoked: Tin was 8 months old when opened

Purchased From: Barclay Pipe, Tobacco, & Cigar

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Marco D. (17)	2020-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Full Virginia Flake one of the famous and best Virginia straight in the tobacco world. What to say on this Samuel Gawith's success? Nothing more than other people. So I limit myself to the consideration that FVF is a well balanced Virginia with a sweet and intense taste, the only flaw, if I want to find out one, is the discontinuity in the production (moisture level, the regularity of the cut, etc...), however FVF is one of my favorite Virginia straight. I want to speak with you, yeah the Virginia lover who never try FVF, if exist, and I give only an advice try this tobacco you will fall in love with it but, prepare yourself to the divorce, if married. Last note: let FVF aging for some years to get the best out of it.

Pipe Used: Dunhill, Savinelli

Age When Smoked: From months to years

Purchased From: Tabacconist in Italia

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith Best Brown, Gawith Hoggarth Bright CR Flake and many more Virginia straight flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tasos23 (3)	2020-04-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The best pipe tobacco I have ever had!! I bought it a few years ago from Belgium, since is not imported in Greece and I was exited from the first minute I taste it!! I hope to find another tin the sooner!

Pipe Used: Molina

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aurorasofautumn (38)	2020-04-23		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

With so many reviews published already, there is not much more to be said about this fantastic VA flake

The greatest virtue of FVF (as well as BBF) by Samuel Gawith in my opinion is that you do not tire of it over the years. What is also pretty cool about it, is that it's one of those tobaccos that come to you naturally - you don't have to spend hours on decoding its flavor profile before you start to enjoy it. So this makes FVF attractive to novice smokers as well.

The smoke is sweet, rich, full and creamy. It's sweeter, fuller and creamier than BBF but lacks the floral nuances (not as in Lakeland essence but as in white wine) I love about Best Brown Flake. All things considered the throne of the best Samuel Gawith straight VA belongs to BBF, mostly because it is more complex, manages to strike more notes than FVF and leaves one wanting more and more of it.

Still, I would not want to live without FVF either!

4 out of 4 stars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bruche (17)	2020-01-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Pleasant

Fantastic straight Virginia. No flavoring or Perique. I’ve smoked this one for years now. I’ve had the bulk and times, but for whatever reason, I always found the tins the best way to go. Maybe I don’t go thru the bulk bag as quickly. Sometimes out of stock, so I order it whenever I can. A real staple in my opinion. FWIW, I also enjoy the SG Best Brown Flake; the medium flake not so much.

Pipe Used: Italians

Purchased From: Mars, Cup O Joes

Similar Blends: Nothing comes close..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (79)	2019-12-03		Mild	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

When you open the pack, it is light sweet fresh smell. Flakes burn without any wasting moisture and till the end. To smoke this stuff means very full rounded taste with pleasure. For me it is the best Fridays evening tobacco.

Pipe Used: Stanislaw, cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KingDuncan83 (25)	2019-04-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I do not like straight VA blends, however this is one of two i love (the other being commonweal, may it RIP)! I think its the flake that makes FVF so wonderful. This the one and only VA that has made it to my cellar.

Pipe Used: Cobbs and briars

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

Similar Blends: C of G commonweal.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jonoz (14)	2019-02-28		Medium	Medium	Full	Unnoticeable

feb 2019 I've been smoking this for about five years and unfortunately have become more and more frustrated at the lack of taste. I decided to add a tiny bit of Latakia, which I don't particularly like but at least I can taste it. I rubbed out and mixed 50g FVF with 50g Balkan Flake and the result is beyond my wildest expectations. Now sweet,malty,musty and most importantly, tasty. Strangely I can't really taste the Latakia ! It's a bit of a shape shifter though, at times insanely sweet but always exceptional. Best smoke I have had in 60 years of trial and error,mostly error till now. I hope somebody tries this and posts their result on this page

Pipe Used: various

Purchased From: smoker.com.il

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LordGreen (5)	2019-02-16		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

..."A pipe smokers dream, a feeling of calm, serenity and anticipation of the next pipeful. A "must have" for all Virginia lovers."...

What more can be said?

Pipe Used: Savinelli Billiard

Age When Smoked: 8 years

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nkulk8r (90)	2019-01-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm still relatively new to this hobby (only 5+ years now) so when it comes to the Good Stuff, everything has pretty much already been said -- which pretty much leaves me to deal only in metaphors and similes (or intellectual infringement, appropriation, piracy, and/or downright travelogue) . . .

Even then, someone is likely to have already beaten me to the very best of metaphors (similes?), as with this one to describe SGFVF: "Like Mother's comfort food, Samuel Gawith's FVF satisfies us because it is simple, and simply, good."

BINGO!

It took me a bit to warm-up to straight Virginias (steep learning curve, but I was a quick study). I love SGFVF, as I love McClelland's 40th Anniversary (RIP), as I love Sir John's Flake (all three, straight Virginias, all three, uniquely distinctive). So I remain flummoxed as to why I (continue) to find Dunhill Flake so unexceptional (even after years trying and re-trying; reading and re-reading the reviews). It's as if I'm missing the neural receptors that would allow me to normally enjoy DF the way other normal people do -- the way I relish these other highly rated VAs -- DF just didn't/doesn't leave me trippin' the light fantastic . (I have several hundred grams of DF in the cellar, so I'll keep trying). But yet again, I digress . . .

Just can't complain about SGFVF anymore than I could Mama's fried chicken or her crumb cake -- it's such good stuff -- highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot79 (32)	2018-10-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

No question about the tobacco quality here, but even though a habitual VA flake smoker, I don't use this one as often as many of the others. The reason for that is simply that it does not behave consistently well, and if you don't fuss about getting to the right moisture level, it will not be particularly well behaved in the pipe. It is extremely good on occasion, but those times are not all that predictable. I smoke most tobaccos to the very end, and often find a sweet spot at the end of the bowl when flavours burst forth in a very satisfying manner. But this one rarely gives that simple (and for me, required) good end to the smoke. Though the flakes are bigger than, say, Capstan Gold, I rarely get an hour from one flake, whereas Capstan or Astley's 109 regularly give me 90 to 110 minutes, and sometimes more. It is slightly stronger than Capstan Gold, and about the same as 109. I would not recommend to the beginner trying out VA flakes - Capstan Gold is the tool for that job, IMO. A decent baccy and certainly tasty, but not often worth the fuss of smoking it, for me.

Pipe Used: Good English briars

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Smokingpipes USA

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2018-08-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

--- Edited 1-13-21 I pulled out a jar which I put away back in 2018 and have been smoking on that.

The age really makes this one shine. It's still a grassy/earthy virginia to me, but there is a little sweetness on top that I didn't detect before. It takes an effort to get lit, but smokes really well once going with consistent flavor through the bowl. I'm glad I have more of this aging in my cellar.

--- Original Review 8-26-18 Presentation: The 250g box had a ziplock bag inside of it full of long flakes. They are all uniform and of a dark color which is pretty consistent. I transferred the bag to a Quart jar by just sticking them straight down.

Packing: I did not do any drying. I took the top of the flakes in the jar and pinched off the ends of a few to pack into my favorite Virginia dedicated Bones Author shaped pipe. I packed in the larger pieces and topped it off with some smaller pieces to get some "kindling"

Taste: it's a straight virginia. I got the sweetness in the first puffs and the tastes of grass/hay I expected. The taste stayed the same through the bowls. Not overly exciting but very consistent.

Comments: Nice straight as is. Not cheap but a solid smoke. I'll be adding more to my cellar for sure.

Pipe Used: Various Virginia Briar and a few cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jjgerv (20)	2018-06-22		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

There is no more to adhere to the multitude of positive comments about this blend.

Really one of the best virginia flakes on the market. Outstanding quality, good availability, good price and presentation.

The smoke is very consistent, fresh, dry, tasty. Everything that is expected of this type of strong virginia, is present in FVF.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AlexR (4)	2018-06-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is one of my favourite tobacco. It's a Babel for the Virginia lovers. The number ONE price/quality tobacco. From all VIRGINIA lovers- Highly recommended. My preference for the hot summer days.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WolfmanSam (37)	2018-06-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This straight Virginia consists of dark and light brown, very long flakes. I estimate it’s length is similar to a standard hardcover book. The flakes come very wet and I recommend drying them.

I sense hay, grass and wet earth. They can be folded and stuffed, or rubbed out. Either works well, but a loose pack is recommended.

I’ve smoked it in various briars and cobs. It can be smoked fresh or aged, and never disappoints. It burns very slow, so make sure you have at least an hour or more. It smokes and tastes great. If your into full body Virginia’s, I highly recommend it.

Age When Smoked: Fresh and 7 years.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Penwith_Puffer (1)	2018-05-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

My first review, and on the most discussed tobacco on the site, but it's what I've been smoking so here goes...

I find it difficult to get overly excited about a straight Virginia, so my expectations were somewhat relaxed at the outset. I bought the FVF for the purpose of blending with a dash or dollop of perique, depending on whether I fancied a small whiff or a full on assault of the stuff. I love the St James flake, but sometimes want a bit more of a whack.

Opening the tin did not exactly bowl me over with excitement, but being a Gawith flake, it's still a lovely thing to unwrap. The smell is earthy but clean, a slightly woody hay tinged with a bit of proving bread dough. The flakes are moist but I wouldn't say overly so. It rubs out very easily into thin ribbons with no fuss or big clumps. I never dry Gawith flakes out, as I can't be bothered with it. I just rub them out thoroughly and pack very lightly. No big ordeal getting it lit, even with a bunch of perique involved, and it stays so with slow sipping puffs all the way down. Maybe a relight or two. If packed too tight, you'll strain and curse to keep it alight, and it will go into a hot smoulder of sour dankness. Packed with a light tough you'll get an easy, tasty smoke with a nice bit of spice and depth. Nothing earth or taste bud shattering, but a decent quality smoke.

The nicotine is quite light, and the room note isn't nice enough to want hanging around for long, which is fine because it doesn't.

I recently took some on a fishing trip, leaving the perique at home, and found that it's a really good "doing stuff" tobacco. It doesn't command your full attention and let's you get on with things, while still being complex and pleasant enough to keep your interest. However, I can't see sitting down of an evening and getting too entranced with it.

All in all, it's certainly quality stuff, and could easily be an all day smoke in the warmer months for lovers of Virginia. For me, it's slightly too banal on its own for regular use, if that's not too snobbish, but it's been a helluva good backdrop to throw perique at.

Three stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marcel0075 (2)	2018-01-11		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Im sort of new pipe smoker, this tobacco its my first straight virginia i had in my life, i only did try the Dunhill delux navy rolls which is vapor and i dont think anything can beat navy rolls ( so far my number one) but i must to say the full virginia flake is absolutely delicious i dont even think i going to try any other straight virginias because simply i dont have to.The journey starts as soon you open the tin, the tin aroma is absolutely beautiful, sort of hay, earthy smell, very strong but pleasant.The tobacco its bit wet, need some drying time, i usualy rub out the flake and leave it on the paper towel for about 45min to dry out and smoke after and it works well.Need few relights, burns cool and what you taste on the begin of the bowl you taste on the very end of the bowl, no tongue bite no harshness.Medium strong i would say and full flavour, can be easy all day smoke.5 of 5 stars.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob straight

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: www.thepipeshop.co.uk

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-08-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a newbie pipe smoker, FVF was a blend that I wanted to enjoy. It's iconic, all the FOGs love it and recommend it, I heard stories about limited availability years ago and hoarders, etc. I have always seemed to have a tin around, and come back to it off and on over the years, but I've only recently been able to consistently appreciate it.

In the tin, thick irregular dark flakes. The flakes are sopping wet in the tin, and drying time is mandatory. I now consider myself at least a somewhat seasoned pipe smoker, and I can now prep FVF in a couple of different ways and enjoy a good pipe. However, I find FVF to be the LEAST newbie friendly tobacco I've tried. Difficult to work with, difficult to light, difficult to keep lit. I recommend, for at least your first few bowls, fully rub this stuff out to very small chunks, and leave it out to dry until it is crispy crunchy dry, then fill the pipe loosely, and expect to LIGHTLY tamp a bit more often than usual, and expect a higher than average number of relights. Don't overfill the pipe or tamp too firmly, or you'll just end up with a big soggy wet mess.

So anyway. FVF has a complex dark syrupy sweet sorta roasted kind of flavor. It is unique in my experience. It also seems to have more nicotine than the typical Virginia flake, which is a definite plus for me.

Although I have had many frustrating experiences with FVF over the years, I've finally got a good handle on it, and it has become a staple in my cellar.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dbl-bbl (45)	2017-04-04		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This is a good light Virginia Flake. Others before me have described this blend quite well so my review will be short and sweet .... sweet just like the grassy, hay-like, citrusy aroma from this time honored blend. If you like to fold-n-stuff load your pipe you may need to let it air out for a bit to get an acceptable char light. Otherwise, rub it out, smoke it straight, and/or blend it with a little BCA (or whatever you please) ... and you won't be disappointed if you like this genre of pure Virginia tobacco. Smokes relatively cool but the bowl can get a tad hot if you push it hard.

Pipe Used: Briars, Meerschaums & Cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cat Jockey (21)	2017-03-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I don't get it. This is a monochromatic, boring Va flake. The moisture level is not bothersome to me, and it works fine either fully rubbed or fold and stuff, though smoking it in flake form requires more relights. I am convinced that pipe smokers are indeed human beings, subject to the same Laws non-pipe smoking humans are; namely Human Nature. Not every new version of tobacco is worse than the original (though distan ... err, discontinued blends makes the palate grow fonder), and plenty of tobaccos' fan fair exceed the actual product and people jump on the band wagon. Like this one. A bunch of hoopla over a rather boring Va is what FVF is.

Yea, it is a good, quality tobacco (in a world of many good tobaccos), but it is an incredibly boring smoke. I'll finish the tin, grudgingly and in bored fashion, but I'll not be replacing it with another. There are only so many bowls of tobacco you can smoke a day, and there are far, far too many other Va tobaccos with more complexity and personality, capable of delivering everything FVF has, and then some, to bother with this one taking up any of that precious and limited time ...

The Gawaith Lakeland Essence/Soapy Flowers is MOST DEFINITELY present in this flake. It is quite light, more noticeable early in the bowl while going slow, but is ever present throughout the smoke. I point that out not to be contentious with the reviewers that say otherwise and none is present, but because people can tend to be more sensitive to things they have an aversion to. So, if one does have an aversion to the Lakeland Flowery Soap, it is most definitely there in this flake. I don't have an aversion to it, and its presence is actually a redeeming quality trying to provide at least some dimension, and melds quite well with the Va in its lightness. But, redemption aside, this is a 2-2.5 star tobacco for me that gets a 1 star rating for being way overhyped ...

Pipe Used: Nuttin' but Cobs for me ...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarWoody (33)	2017-01-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Dark, earthy and easy to smoke ... but it needs Perique! The celebrated FVF is a bit one-dimensional to my tastes, but if you like your VAs deep and natural, then this is a top choice for you.

The Lakeland essence completely dissipates with aging, and you'll see some crystallized sugar over time.

Age When Smoked: Aged and Fresh Tins

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-18		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Full	Tolerable

This is the quintessential Virginia flake. The pressed flake is somewhat thick, but it burns well. The mixture burns slowly and many of the subtleties of the mixture are thereby revealed. The is some molasses overtones to the flavor. This has a definite place in any cellar.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	The Sunday Evening Pipe Smoker (54)	2016-12-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

07/2022 UPDATE:

Now my favourite full Virginia flake tobacco. I get the fuss that I originally did not. What I like about this blend is the grassy type of sweetness it has (I do not detect the "citrusy" qualiities here that some attribute to full Virginia's, and I like that. It's that fresh cut hay / grassy type of sweet that makes this blend for me.

-----

"FVF" as it known amongst pipe afficianado's was something I had to try because most people have held it up as the standard for straight Virginia's.

Grassy, citrusy tin notes as expected from a Va. -- though strangely I also detect pickling spices (who knows).

Flavour, also what I'd expect -- and want -- from a Virginia. Naturally sweet.

Quite happy with this Va. flake, though having tried Cut Virginia Plug and Capstan Blue, I cannot see why FVF is held aloft as the standard; really the only thing that makes it "better" than the other two I mentioned is that its easier to get than the former and a bit cheaper than the latter -- which is reason enough I suppose.

I actually think that probably Capstan Blue is the better of the two flavour wise, but I have a suspicion the reason it gets less attention than FVF is because its a fair bit more expensive at $14.50 USD for a 50g tin. (As compared to $10 USD for FVF.)

Nice Virginia. Definitely worth having in the cellar. Tastes great. You'll want (need) to give it about an hour of drying time however. Once I did that though, I had no issues keeping it lit and it smoked for well over an hour.

Let's put it this way though: if I ever ran out of the other two, I'd be completely content with FVF as a replacement.

Similar Blends: Capstan Blue, Cut Virginia Plug.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kunsan (76)	2016-09-27		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Strong

A deep, dark, pure virginia flake that has been aged and pressed. Comes very wet in the tin and is rather difficult to manage and light. Once it has caught the light it produces strong, pungent smoke with hints of plum, fig and sweet virginia. Personally I find the management and smoking experience too difficult. I can see why many people persevere with this one because the taste is rather deep, but personally I find the experience rather tiresome. A similar deep virginia is McCellands Blackwoods Flake which is much easier to manage, is expertly produced, and for me is a more enjoyable smoking experience.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	drdave (17)	2016-08-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This has become my favorite Virginia smoke. I recently purchased four 250 gram boxes from Smoking Pipes.com and sure am glad about it. The stuff does come wet; I rub out enough to fill a bowl, lightly pack it in, light it up and smoke away. I have no trouble rubbing it out, it becomes a nice, albeit damp, semi-shag. Originally I was drying it out but the flavor is so much more pronounced when smoked straight away. In the beginning the flavor is extremely mild but quickly develops its oaty, lemony/grapefruit citrus, slightly sweet brown sugar wonderful flavor. Like a "breakfast of champions". Towards the bottom of the bowl it becomes very "earthy". It's a DELICIOUS fine hour's worth of bliss. FVF has a zippy zing throughout the smoke and leaves a creamy aftertaste on the palate for a long time. It also has a pretty fair nic kick you may enjoy if, like me, you dig that kind of buzz.

Pipe Used: briars, meerschaums, clays

Age When Smoked: new in bulk

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: in a class of its own.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2016-06-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Classic Virginia flake. Wonderfull smell from tin, flakes needs bit drying. Burns well, few relights needed. Pleasant room aroma and satisfaction guarantee. Everyone must try it. One of the best smoke available on market today.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoke king

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2016-05-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I love the way these flakes look in the tin. Nice dark brown flakes with bright yellow grains weaving their way through. If you look close at the flakes, one can see sugar crystals that taunt you to smoke another bowl. The flakes smell like fermented leather, mixed with hay. It has a sour, sweet, and pungent odor.

Easy to fold or rub out the flakes before loading. I Prefer to rub out 1-2 flakes and then load them, by gently tamping, into a bowl. Lighting takes a bit of patience at first. After the charring light it may take 2-3 more lights to get it rolling. Very easy tamping will keep this tobacco lit. This tobacco is a long smoke....

This flake produces very flavorful smoke that is soft on the palate. It reminds me a lot of Blackwoods flake, though is unique enough in its own right, but it's not as deep and dark as that blend. FVF is lighter and has brighter flavors, but very rich at the same time. Hints of hay and a tiny, very tiny bit of citrus comes through. The natural sweetness provides creamy, wood and bread notes. This tobacco has a tinge of spice here and there, but nothing that will push one away. I think others have described the smoke better than I ever could. It's sweet and sour somehow, but in such a soft way. This is a tobacco that I can't get enough of. I need to get a couple of the 250gram tins for cellaring and smoking.

Pipe Used: Cob, Morta Poker, Billard, Bulldog

Age When Smoked: 1-3 Months

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: McClelland - Blackwoods Flake (Personal Reserve).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	redpanda (1)	2016-04-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Ok, I know there are hundreds of reviews for this blend already, and there really is no need for another one but... I really do not understand people giving this tobacco anything less than four stars. Now please don't get me wrong, I mean no offence to anybody, but I think the only reason anyone should find anything to complain about with FVF is either they don't know how to handle it, or they have no idea what they're talking about. Is it moist ? It sure is. But that only gives the smoker the choice of drying it to their personal preference. FVF can be smoked with minimum drying time for some very rich, deep and satisfying flavor, especially the second half of the bowl, or you can dry it and get it to perform much like any standard Virginia blend. I've read people say it is " one- dimensional ". That it may be, but what a dimension that is !! So, there is no Latakia and Orientals to make it complicated. Well, it is not an English mixture. If you want an English, there are plenty of choices. And what does it mean a tobacco is not complicated anyway ? A tobacco is either good or not , and FVF is not just good, it is one of the best you will find on this planet. It is so good, one has to forget everything he or she has ever read about it, and simply sit down and smoke to realize how good it really is.

My sincere advise to people starting their reviews with " I am new to pipe smoking, this is my first experience with flakes" and so on.... please, get a tin or two and learn how to smoke this. Find out where it works for you in terms of dryness, folded or rubbed. I myself had a rough start with it, but once you get it, there aren't many blends that can deliver what FVF can. Here in Europe, it costs 3-4 USD more than what you would pay for another VA, but this does not matter because nothing comes close to it in terms of quality. I recently tried HH Pure Virginia, and it was also very, very good, perhaps on a par with FVF, although maybe not as rich in flavor. So, there you have it, a rich, full, fruity, delicious straight Virginia with no topping added. Oh yes, and I have not had this aged, but I can only imagine what a few years would do to it ( mmmmm...). Four stars ? I give it five !

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: TDPS

Similar Blends: Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-02-24		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Over on the skiff in river between jungle!!!!!.Hight quallity virginia tobacco.nice and lovely smoking for me.i feel relaxation after smoke full virginia.natural sweet taste and delicious.i lovet it for ever and my favorate tobacco pipe.best type of virginia in world.smoke behind window in rainy weather

Pipe Used: stanwell trio

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	GabrielCRT (115)	2016-01-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I was amongst the crowd that was initially disappointed by the one. I did not know how to prepare this flake so I either dryed it to a crisp or smoked it entirely too wet. When overly dryed I got nothing but a bland cigarette taste. Too wet and the inconvenience of smoking outweighed any enjoyable flavor. After several rather unenjoyable bowls I had that ONE bowl that just absolutely shined. Get this flake to the optimal humidity, pack it loose with some dust on top and see what straight Virginia has to offer. This is a single tobacco varietal with an abundance of complexity. The taste is grassy, tangy, fruity, earthy, sweet, and spicy. This isn't a wimp in the strength category either. One star at its worst and four stars at its best.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2016-01-03		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Summary: a solid hay-flavored Virginia mellowed by stoving, but still sweet and with bite if puffed rapidly.

Stoved Virginia is both an ingredient in classic English mixes and a blend type on its own, favored for its sweet gentle flavor. Unlike the darker stoved/pressed varieties, "Full Virginia Flake" retains its bright sweetness, hay-like flavor and hints of citrus. It smokes cool and mellow, with medium Nicotine dosage, and will only bite if puffed rapidly. It is also one-dimensional without much internal variation, like a cigarette. "Full Virginia Flake" serves its genre well and will delight smokers who want something slow and sweet to puff on.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine forum member "aggravatedfarmer" for this sample.

Similar Blends: Capstan - Capstan Original Navy Cut, Newminster - No. 400 Superior Navy Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2015-12-17		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

My tastes run more to the sweeter, brighter, light brown flakes like Best Brown or HH Pure Virginia, blends where delicate flavors can come and go throughout the smoke.

Full Virginia Flake - hot pressed until it is quite dark - is what I want when I crave a bigger flavor. It's onion instead of leek, or brisket instead of filet. That hot press process brings out amazing flavor. It's not my daily smoke, but once or twice a week I will always keep coming back to it.

As with all Samuel Gawith flakes, I fold and stuff this straight from the tin, no drying necessary.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jevverrett (106)	2015-06-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Another one from my straight va exploration.

The flakes are good looking for an SG product. It smelled great to me opening it up. It did take some thorough drying time to get it right. That took a few tries before I figured it out. I rubbed this one out as the flakes are so thick I'm not sure it would burn well folded. At least not after smoking only one tin of it. It does burn nice and cool, and produces a good volume of smoke.

My only issue with this one is that I can't get past the citrusy bitterness of it yet. I think I may need to come back to it at some other time. For a straight va fan, I think this one would be great. The st James flake is great for me, I think the perique peppery taste balances out the citrus some. On a positive note, it didn't offend my gf too much.

Pipe Used: Savinelli billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

Similar Blends: Best brown flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2015-04-02		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Too moist. Wonderful straight Virginia, but really too moist. This tobacco doesn't need my review anymore. It has all been said. Anyway, Full Virginia Flake can give you a great smoking, with particular senses. I mean taste, flavor, smell, room note; but it is essential leave the tin open and dry the tobacco. In my personal rating (from 1 to 10) my mark is 8/9 and three stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JosephJames (12)	2015-03-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an all day smoke for me. I get the raisin tin note from this. Both you and bystanders will enjoy this one.

I enjoy this best of all of the straight Virginia type tobaccos I have smoked.

Pipe Used: Nording

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: B&B in Asheville, NC

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lochinvar (78)	2015-02-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

What can I say? This is the greatest Virginia flake produced, the flake against which all others are judged. Rich, flavorful slightly grassy, with an earthy sweet. It is slightly wet from the tin, in bulk it is just about perfect. It is great fresh, give it a year or so of aging and it is out of this world.

Pipe Used: French Algerian bulldog

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: St. James Flake....just without Perique :).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sagepipe (13)	2014-10-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Full Virginia Flake is in a class of its own. It seems to be a very pleasing smoke for a large number of people. It is quite possibly the highest ranking tobacco per capita on this entire website (Rank/Reviews). I believe this smoke to be a crossroads for a variety of smokers. Outliers aside, this smoke has enough depth and flavor for the connoisseurs and a smooth flavor and strength for the neophyte learning their way. This is the gateway tobacco!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Scholar (34)	2014-08-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

First tried it in 2002 as part of a free sample. At first, I didn't like this blend. It was the first I ever tried and smelled like burnt bread. For some reason, I didn't throw it out. Six months later, I tried it again. I discovered three secrets about VA's. 1. Straight pipes or quarter-bent only. No Oom Pauls. 2. Contrary to convential wisdom, Virginias mellow after drying out for a while. 3. For some reason, I enjoy VA's more in the winter than in warmer months. I finished the whole tin and began experimenting with other Virginias. I never met a Virginia I didn't like and I owe all to this blend.

Pipe Used: Brewster Billiard

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joeray (61)	2014-06-15		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is trully one of straight virginia blend that I really like it most. Just like the others reviewers wrote this blend is very good at tin aroma and flavor. Came with a nice smell of fruity scent and the flavor of matured virginia and also good at sight, nice flake with dark brown color that really looks very nice.

This tobacco is form as a hard, wide, large pressed cake. Need little bit preparation and afford to enjoy it well and to get what "a pipe smoker dream of" as what the most this blend lovers said. The tobacco is not easy to light, especially if I pack it on flake form, just fold it and pack. To really enjoy this tobacco I need to rub it and get air for 10 minutes before pack and light it in to my pipe. So I rub it all and let it in to open air for 10-15 minutes and then put it in to mason jar and the result is incredible, I get what the others said, a pipesmoker's dream.

Still need several times relight at first 5 minutes to get a great smoke and full taste and flavor of this tobacco but after 5 minutes, the journey is very wonderful. I can taste a fruity sweet but not very sweet smokes and it sticks very nice on my tongue and palate. Very nice and pleasant flavor of virginia tobacco, so smooth lingering at my mouth and if must compare, it almost similar with capstan blue tin flake.

At the middle of the bowl the taste is increasing and just keep your bowl not to overheat to get the best taste. The nicotine amount just at the right portion, not to mild nor to strong, just a right amount for me. Even need a little afford to completely enjoy this tobacco, I'm sure to highly recommended this blend to other pipesmoker fellow. Just preparing a right time to enjoy this tobacco and smoke it properly, because this tobacco if you enjoy it with rush, it might hurt your tongue just like the other virginia tobacco.

Pipe Used: Wagner's Old Bailey BB&S

Age When Smoked: New and one year

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2013-12-13		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

I tried this blend for the first time ever earlier this year. At the time, I thought it was one of the best tobaccos I've ever smoked, but, after a full year of trying many other blends, my estimate of this smoke has declined a tad (then why, you may ask, didn't I rate it three stars? Because it was five stars before!). It's still one of the smoothest smokes I've ever tried, yet, at the same time it packs a nic wallop that creeps up on you. I usually downgrade a blend if the nic-hit is too high, but, in this case FVF's great taste trumps that consideration. The taste is wonderful, the moist leathery flakes provide a hint of raisin and plum—there's also that typical Lakeland flowery bouquet, although in this case much muted than that found in other blends. It can be a bit frustrating to smoke. My first few times at this smoke my lighter was pretty active, it was difficult to keep lit, but once you get the knack of it, it's no problem (drying it out before smoking does seem to help in that regard). One of the things I absolutely love about this blend is how long it can last. I've had bowls that last longer than an hour! It's really a satisfying smoke. I think anyone who enjoys quality tobacco should try this masterpiece. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Eric Nording Freehand

Purchased From: local shop

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Elm0 (5)	2013-09-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

SG know they have a winner here it's a fantastic virginia everything you could want ,so they sell it to you soaking wet ,you open tin to find in the corner a small clump of baccy already rusting the inside of the tin ........!

This is done to bulk the weight up so they can sell less in a tin & make more money, i see no other benefit of selling it this wet, i rubbed out a tin & dried it till it was just able to be smoked, i then weighed it and it had lost 30% in weight

Some of SG's other flakes can sometimes be a little moist'ish, i smoke 1792, st james, firedance but none of these are even close to how wet fvf is

I love the flake but will not buy it any more because of this, all i ever feel while smoking it is that have just been ripped off

SG sort this flake out please please please

EDIT : 6/10/2013 Heard a rumour SG had sorted this out, so a tin later a massive improvement bought a second & sure enough quality control has come good again ,back to a 4* smoke ,about to buy 2 kilo's just incase it goes back to a soggy clump

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	22yrsonthepipe (22)	2013-07-22		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

After finally getting my hands on a tin of this what a disappointment. Dont get me wrong it's very high quality baccy but there are much nicer smokes out there and I don't believe FVF measures up to the hype at all.

This compares most to Orlik's golden sliced, just a little more bass and the flavour is unmistakeably burnt raisin toast as opposed Golden Sliced's orange. Can get bitter and foul tasting (rotten eggs?) in the last 3rd.

Like other SG flakes, comes extremely wet in the tin but to my surprise, I was able to smoke it right out of the tin just fine. The ribbons are so thin that by the time they are rubbed out (and picked apart), they are already dry.

Burns OK straight out of the tin when cube cut but has that charcoal taste like university flake so I wouldn't recommend it. Its much sweeter rubbed out.

If it had a bit more depth it would have got 3 and a half stars. Not an all day smoke as it's a bit bland and one-dimensional. I prefer Orlik Golden Slice which is cheaper, easier to prepare, more of an all-day smoke and orange is nicer than burnt raisin toast.

2 and a half stars really. Some of the flakes have a little bloom on them which is why it leans more towards 3 stars than 2.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Rub it out,let it dry in an open pie tin a few days then I place it in a resealable plastic container,pack lightly,char it,lightly tamp,light and enjoy absolutely fantastic.You can not smoke this out of the tin it just will not light so don't try.

Really,Really Good

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-11		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I had found that the SG line of flakes were very inconsistently sized. The cut would be thin for one flake and then thick for the next flake. Also the flakes were a little difficult to rub out. Lastly, I had trouble keeping this stuff lit and producing an acceptable amount of smoke. These flakes had really nice flavor though. Eventually dropped the whole line of flakes due to these drawbacks. Now, when I could coax out some smoke the flavor was rich and full, little consolation when you have to do so much maintenance.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2012-08-12		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It took me a while to get a hold of this tobacco and, yeah, it's good just like everybody else and their brother have said almost 400 times now, but as I have finished my first tin, I am not sure why this tobacco is held in such epic, epic, epic regard.

It is creamy and sweet with zero bite which was great when I could keep it lit. My flakes came very, very wet. I would let them dry out for a few hours before I would put fire to them and always had to re-light way more than I would have liked.

The burn characteristics really are just not great in this blend. And after all, that is what you do with pipe tobacco!.... so it is important.

On the whole, this is an average luxury tobacco. In my opinion, there are better VA Flakes out there that are easy to find, easy to smoke and have more complex flavor composition (read: Dunhill Flake).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AlexL (26)	2012-07-30		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

After all the agony and ecstasy I've found here, and considering the absence of FVF in the online shop in which I usually order, I phoned to one good local tobacconist (I live in Tel Aviv) and asked him with my most charming voice if he have some SG tins. To my surprise, he has all the line of SG tobaccos, and for the nice price (half the price of Dunhill tins of the same size). So I loaded a full bag of different tins, and certainly the first which I've opened at home was FVF.

As so many reviewers already mentioned, it's pretty damp. But I think that maybe it's not necessarily bad thing for cellaring. Tobacco should have some humidity for further fermentation. So I took out one meaty flake, put it for 10 seconds in micro and folded into my favorite Savinelli. After a number of relights it took the flame and I've prepared to get heaven's pleasure.

In the beginning I felt sweet Virginia taste. But towards the middle of the bowl it got lost. In the second half of the bowl the pipe gave giant viscous clouds. Seems I should dry it more. So, it's undoubtedly good Virginia, with no tongue bite, but… is that all? Dunhill Flake at least gave me rich taste during all the bowl, and left flavorous aftertaste. Here, I only feel that I smoked something (maybe cigar?) and got a solid satisfying nicotine dose. Is it worth?

I'll finish the tin and cellar two more. Meet me in a year.

P.S. After 3 days in unsealed tin these flakes are smokable without endless relights, especially when rubbed out. Still, too much hustle and bustle. It's like dating cinema star, after all the courtship and wooing you can get some pleasure. Maybe.

04/2013 Update: After nearly a year I returned to this stuff. Cellaring made it better. It's still moist, flakes were packed by the left foot, most of them fall apart… But the taste and just right dose of nicotine redeem this poor presentation.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-07-20		Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Strong

Note: I am new to straight Virginia's and Virginia Flakes. I am sure my tastes will grow with time and experience. This is my first time to smoke SG FVF.

I received a sample from a friend... 6 or so flakes. It smells nice and sweet in the bag. It is extremely wet/tacky/syrupy.

I rubbed out a couple of flakes and let them site for approx. 20 min before I packed the bowl. I should have let it sit out an hour or 2. Because of the stickiness of the tobacco, it packs tight. It was difficult to light, however, once lit it remained lit.

After approx 1/4 to 1/2 of the bowl, I was done. It was not sweet to smoke, but extremely spicy/peppery. It lost any and all appeal to me very quickly. It ripped my tongue a new one with tongue bite... Should be smoked extremely slow.

This tobacco in my opinion is for experienced pipe smokers. It is not a good option for me at this point.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	machinebcon (50)	2012-04-26		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

What a great Full Virginia! Took me half a year to get this baccy - it was indeed quite moist in the tin, so I had it dried out for an hour, then rubbed out a flake, packed it, and put the debris on top. Butz-Choquin billiard, straight medium-sized bowl. Easily lit, it unwrapped a huge package of natural sweetness, earthiness, volume and a decent dose of nicotine. Not as flat as Dunhill Flake, not as fresh as Orlik Golden Sliced, and not as harsh as Macbaren's VA No.1 It smokes like a dream, no signs of tongue-bite, and a comparably acceptable room note for a non-aromatic tobacco. Carries a bit of butter cookies sweetness, roasted sunflower seeds, but even when smoked like a locomotive it stays pleasantly cool. The second third is a dream, changing to a cigarish-nutty smoke towards the last third. I rate this a bit higher than other full VA flakes/mixtures, so: 5/5 stars, definitely.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blue Bayou (60)	2012-01-07		Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Strong

FVF just hums along in the background--I forget I'm even smoking a pipe with it. Straightforward & un-complex.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	under the arbor (13)	2011-11-09		Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

"No one ever had the rainbow honey; until they had the rain" Jim Croce was right. This stuff frustrated this novice to no end. Mr. G's FVF did not behave like my MacBaren flake(s). So I left the tin open and kept it under the reading lamp for a while. My gummy, unwieldy flake now aquired the consistancy of "turkey-jerky" if there is such a thing. Not to be defeated, I laid out a generous sheet of parchment and proceeded to "rub" & "rub" and well you get the picture. Back in the can she went, exiled to the back of the shelf. After a month, this stuff was as dry as Moses' bagel. Then an epiphany; (pay attention fellow novices) Place the SGFVF in a quart size freezer bag, take the smooth end of the meat tenderizer your MIL gave the wife and beat the stuff choosing anything or anyone to think of as you do it. Now, here's the crucial step; put one of those nickle size humidor disks in the bag, get all the air out as you roll up and seal the bag and come back tomorrow. This stuff is heaven. I think FVF may even bite less than Clunee. In the end, I'd give it four stars were it not for the work it took to get it to three. Cheers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

My first review on here, hello everybody. I am comparing this highly-rated Virginia to another highly-rated virginia, namely Dunhill Virginia Flake, which is actually the only other pure virginia tobacco I have smoked so far. I have put this review in the Dunhill section also.

I have only been smoking a pipe regularly for about three months having first purchased my old Duncan Delta filter pipe 37 years ago at the tender age of 16. At that time I dabbled with Clan (as you would expect, what a disappointment when that lovely sweet room-smell wasn't replicated in my nose when smoking the stuff), Holland House, Three Nuns, St. Bruno, Erinmore Flake, and Tetley's loose tea when skint, only once. It has been used on and off over the years for the smoking of various herbs legal and otherwise and has now returned to its intended use as an incinerator of fine tobaccos.

Here we go then for my first simple comparison of two virginia heavyweights. The big picture for me is that the Dunhill Flake is much sweeter and milder than the Gawith's. It is better presented in smaller more regular flakes and is overall much more delicate, or dainty. This presentation in a smaller tin, full of smaller flakes, gives an impression that in comparison to the Gawith product in its larger tin full of big rough meaty flakes, you are being short-sold. Not being a sad enough person to weigh the net contents, I cannot confirm this and I am sure the effect is purely one of perception.

The Gawith flake is much moister in the tin and I find that it does need to be dried for an hour or so before smoking to avoid your pipe gurgling, tongue bite and bitterness. The Dunhill requires less drying and you have to work it hard to get any tongue-bite.

The Dunhill in the tin smells much sweeter and milder although the Gawith smells more complex and fruity, like dried apricot and raisin. Not yet possessing the olfactory skills of other reviewers I am not able to offer any more elaborate distinctions once the tobacco is alight.

Both tobaccos are highly enjoyable smokes. Of the two I prefer the Dunhill.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2011-08-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My bulk FVF was a bit wet and more than a little green tasting. I was a bit disappointed. Fast forward a few months..A bit of aging and suitable dry and now i get the FVF thing. A very nice Virginia. Now it's a battle between GLP Union Square and FVF. The sort of dilemma i like.

Update 2014 - Taking a star off this as it's such a pain in the arse to keep lit if it's not at the pertect moisture level, rubbed out well and packed just right. Great when you get it right but a pain when you dont. A fussy tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2011-04-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

At first, I wouldn't accept the four star rating this flake consistently gets. Today, I would give it a solid four stars. Once I acquired this taste I couldn't imagine life without it. Nothing compares to that Worcestershire flavor and oooh, the raisins. I crave this tobacco like no other. It is the gold standard of Virginias. I can't imagine how good it would be with three years age on it....but if I can successfully keep my masons locked away, I'm going to find out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fireball (36)	2011-02-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

As mentioned by more than one reviewer, this is an excellent tobacco, beautifully presented. The great difficulties it presents to actually smoke it though make it a tough recommendation for beginners. Hard to prepare and pack, tricky to keep lit and demanding concentration throughout the bowl, if it wasn't so exceptionally good, so wonderfuly sweet and flavoursome, it would be savaged here. The undeniable fact is though that it rewards care before and during use. For me I have to shred it up carefully and store it like that for a couple of days before smoking, to allow the strands to dry out a bit, then carefully pack the bowl ensuring a consitent density. Then, and only then, does it make me smile inwardly and outwardly at the completeness of the pleasure. Pure, full and rich Virginia, every tobacco in all forms should be this good.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-01		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Smoking this is akin to getting to spend a weekend in Paris with Samantha Brown.Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. This is my desert island tobacco. If there is a better Virginia Flake made, I have not smoked it yet. This gets more amazing with age. Buy a about 75 pounds of the tobacco seal it in tuperware (example) boxes and toss it in the attic for a few years.Just forget about it. I'm smoking 6 year old FVF, and I find no sweeter words to describe it than, W O W!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Susanna Hoffs (74)	2009-12-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Lovely lovely smoke... I find it pretty smooth and creamy, with a hint of natural sweetness. No wonder this stuff is popular!

I have tried the fold and stuff method with limited success, so have settled for rubbing out the flake(s) to an consistancy somewhere between ribbon and broken flake.

This virginia blend if smoked with respect, can bring on an alomst perfect harmony with ones briar.

I find this a great outdoor smoke.

Try it...

UPDATE

Bumping this one up to 4 stars... It was a crime not to have done so initially!!! What was I thinking?!??

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dk-piper (25)	2009-10-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I open the tin...and i see dark-flakes covered with sugar-crystals. it Smells like sweet wet wood or leather. The flakes are moist and bend like rubber. Preparation for the pipe takes me twice as long as usual...but it's worth it.

Plenty of reviews showing that this blend is a true virginia- masterpiece!

Thank you tobacco-reviewers!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A lot has been written about this, but I'll add a few words. The other day I cracked the lid on a quart-sized Mason jar, inside of which is a batch of Full VA Flake that has been maturing for around 27 months. When I buy a one pound box of this marvelous flake, I slice the strips into thirds and seal them in jars. Each and every piece of this glistened with white crystals. Some of the pieces were nearly white with sugar crystals. The aroma was just utterly intoxicating. Now, I must say this - I hate flakes! All I can say is that they store nicely, but other than that, I just do not like flakes. I don't like stuffing them, rubbing them out, the packing of them, nothing. So, once I get 2-3 years on my Mason jars of this magnificent blend, into my little dedicated food processor it goes. In 10 minutes or so, I'll spread it out on paper towels for an hour or so for drying, repack the jar, and I'm ready for some bliss.

And bliss this is. To me, this is the standard against which all Virginias are compared. Some are excellent, like HOTW, but there's only one Full VA Flake. Rich, full, cool. There just isn't a lot more to add to everyone else's comments. It's simply my very favorite VA. Chop it up, and it goes from superb to untouchable. It features prominently in my Hall of Fame of best blends; with Escudo for VaPers, Penzeance and Westminster for Latakias, etc. This is just amazing stuff.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-12-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Update: I have suffered unusual headaches. After a long and complete search of everything I intake into my body, for the cause. I have narrowed it down to this and a few other tobaccos. I feel there is an additive, to which I react adversely. Most of you probably can enjoy this blend, but it is best I avoid this blend.

Creamy, smooth, and slightly sweet are the discriptions, that I get from FVF. I had trouble with this blend at the start. I could only get the flavors out of a meerschuam. I kept trying to smoke FVF out of a briar. Then after some advice, I slowed my puffing rate. The harsh strong flat smoke became sweet, smooth and creamy.

It appears stoved virginias have a very narrow range. Miss this small window, stoved virginias go flat. If my bowl gets hot, I slow it down. The taste comes back. This is a revelation!

Dark Star with its reluctance to burn forced me to smoke slow, but FVF does burn well. So, I forced; I got flat flavor. I still mess up and puff to often, but at least I know now what to do.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2008-11-18		Medium	Medium	Extra Full	Pleasant

This is a straight Virginia, full power, full flavor, extremely deep, extremely tasty with very strong personality, so strong that I am not in mood for it on daily basis; I keep some in the drawer for occasional smoke (around 1 bowl every few months...).

Strait to the point, If you dont mind paying few dollars more, and Really enjoy a good Virginia with your pipe, somthing truly rich, truly complex, then buy Rattray Hall o the Wynd

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	quantumboy (130)	2008-10-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I favor strong cigars, but I don?t prefer plain-Jane strong tobacco flavor. I want depth and nuance, with toasty things floating over my tastebuds. These kinds of flavors are what attract me to pipe smoking from a long history of enjoying cigars.

FVF is certainly a medium to full smoke but really delivers the goods if pampered. My best results have been rubbing out, drying it for an hour, then packing with the Frank method which let me burn consistently to the bottom with no tamping or relighting.

Good draw, but whenever it threatened to go out I?d pull the old back flow trick, blowing through the pipe for a seven-count until it was happy. Then on the next two or three draws I?d pull a couple big, deep mouthfuls and the strong creamy smoke was delicious! Then it was back to sipping for the next several minutes (or risk getting bit!). This gives the sense of two tobaccos in one, the subtle, flavorful creaminess that people rave about while sipping, and the strong mouthful of huge, creamy, earthy, smoky flavor that is equally delicious but never biting if you don?t overdo it. Those who find this tabac flavorless or un-inspiring might try the pampering method before giving up on this excellent tobacco.

After an hour and a quarter the pipe finally went out and I was curious to see if it actually smoked all the way to the end. The ash was fine with lumps of charcoal. There were only a few shreds of dottle in the bottom of the bowl. For fun I packed ?em and lit ?em, and had about four puffs of very strong but very tasty goodness before calling it quits.

I will definitely be buying this stuff by the pound for aging.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-10-12		Medium	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

After trying this blend I'm really disappointed. It has almost no taste. Compared to other famous virginia blends it's flat and boring. It's smell is also a bit too strong for my taste. Apart from these little complaints this blend could be enjoyable but it bites my tongue badly no matter how slowly I puff it and it dies out even if I rub it to tiny pieces and dry out completely. I don't really recommend this blend to anyone. Maybe fans of Virginia flakes should try it but don't expect too much or you might be disappointed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-03-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I think that everything has already been said about this wonderful tobacco.

I just want to give some advices to those who have not fully appreciated.

First, all tobacco from Samuel Gawith are as fully hydrated as can be, because they are most reserved for the maturation. A long maturation (over 30 years) requires a high humidity at start.

Of course, you can smoke these tobaccos from the moment of their purchase, but if so, let them dry for a very long time (it depends on the time during which the tin was stored at the factory, at the distributor and at the retailer, of course).

This said, if smoked too young, it loses all the benefits that could be derived from a good maturation.

Here are some key moments in the maturation: 6 months, 2 years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and more (but more than 30 years, that becomes risky).

Secondly, you must never smoke a tobacco too quickly, if you want to extract all the flavor, and avoid tongue bite.

Third, choose a pipe which matches the tobacco. For the FVF, I recommend a deep bowl, in order to allow developing all its nuances. If you smoke it in a too short bowl, you'll have no more than the equivalent of the first third of a deep bowl, the bland part.

Try again this tobacco and respect, at least, the last two principles. You'll be surprised. Conserning the maturation, that depends of your patience. ;)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

My, oh my!

Full Virginia Flake is an outstanding...VA flake! I must admit, the best one so far that I've smoked...

FVF is a medium / dark brown flake that smells like cereal/ tobacco upon opening. i cannot detect any casing but the pure smell of rich, matured tobacco: impressive! The flakes are marked with sugar crystals and are a beauty to the hand and eye.

Smoking is, my God! creamy! Yes, CREAMY but full and satisfying...and with all due respect to the legendary and respectable Pipestud, this bakkie does not bite!

It smokes stable all the way, becomes a bit richer once past mid-bowl, and does not wet the bowl.

Highly recommended!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2007-09-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Tried this again and decided I must have had a cold the first time I smoked it (see below). Good Virginia taste and sweetness, though I still prefer SG's Medium Virginia Flake. Still find it hard to light. Might be worth trying if you like Virginias, though I can think of many better tobaccos for the money.

After trying SG's Medium Virginia Flake and liking it, I was most disappointed with Full Virgina Flake. While the flakes were well constructed (dark and firm), I detected little of the aroma that others report. It was also more difficult to rub out and light than most flakes, though once lit it burned well. Taste-wise, it was quite bland, with very a slight grassy flavor (becoming slightly more pronounced towards the end of the bowl), no sweetness, and a mild Perique- like tang. At least there was no bite. Mine came loose from the tobacconist (it was sold as "bulk"), rather than tinned. Maybe that accounts for the disappointing experience.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If God smoked a pipe I'm sure it would be this tobacco that would be his number one favorite. Mellolw, delicious, sipped slowly it delivers a very rewarding high nicoteen flavourful delight.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2007-06-29		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

A high quality Virginia that I smoke regularly, though not as often as Marlin Flake or Old Gowrie due to higher nicotine content and lack of that enjoyable mild woody flavor on Rattray's Virginias.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-06-23		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you get a really fresh tin or bag of FVF and set it to the flame you will probably be very disappointed. It's hot, bites the tongue and lacks flavor. Give it some air and you will be in for a real treat. Works well in pipes of all sizes. Like most Virginia's, this one ages beautifully.

There are a lot of really fine Virginia's out there. FVF is among the best. Not to be missed.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2007-05-18		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I even like the label on this tin -- a fitting tribute to Sherlock Holmes! This is a very fine flake. No bite, smooth, long burning to a fine white/grey ash. I would add that it is nutty in flavor and consistent in taste top to bottom of bowl.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-05-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is the best Virginia I've ever smoked. Cool, great taste, burns well and leaves my pipes clean. I'm going to cellar a few tins.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2007-05-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think FVF must be the most ''single-malt'' high-quality virginia pipe tobacco you can find with great natural taste and slow / no-bite smoking experience! From the 1st smoke I became a fan of FVF and to all the pipe smokers I know, they love that stuff! A must! Go and buy a tin NOW!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-04-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I tried some virginia tobacco but this! Absolutely one step ahead, tin aroma when open is not as others and is not so easy to smoke because a little bit too humid BUT when you begin to smoke...Wow. It's a must!

2 people found this review helpful.