John Cotton John Cotton's Double Pressed Virginia

I smoked this blend first before attempting the Doubled Pressed Kentucky and I'm glad I did. Double Pressed Virginia, despite it's appearance, is a milder blend than the former and I agree with the sentiments of reviewer Criblo 2019-05-29. Like he, I thought DPV's darker color would yield a stouter smoke; it didn't. The blend smokes rather soft and easy and fits right in at the top of the bell shaped curve for Virginias. This is a crowded place and a blend needs something to set it apart in this neighborhood. Double Pressed Virginia lacks that edge but, don't get me wrong, smokes on and on in a pleasant way until you discover you're at the bottom of the bowl. I don't have anything bad to say about it and would have no problem recommending it to any pipe smoker. Conversely, I can't elevate it to four star status. This is an all day smoke of high quality with the grassiness that you Virginia lovers crave and is an easy three stars.

After trying John Cotton's Double Pressed Kentucky, I didn't expect any special miracles from this series. But I had a tin of John Cotton's Double Pressed Virginia in store, especially since this tobacco was also highly regarded by the pipe-smoking community as a winner at the 2019 Chicago show.

Vacuum sealed, can, circa September 2021. The color of the tobacco is medium roast coffee, monochromatic, with no flecks or streaks. Shape and cut - the tobacco has been pressed, flake cut, broken and pressed again into a " crumble cake". This makes it seem like there is less tobacco in the tin than there really is. The consistency is slightly different from Double Pressed Kentucky - the tobacco is a little wetter. It breaks off, crumbles and puffs extremely easily.

The aroma of the tobacco from the tin is the truest pure Virginia. Mild smell of hay, some wheat bread, a little salt and dried fish. No sauces, additives, extraneous smells. There are no harsh flavors, and the tobacco seems older than it really is.

Since Virginia has to be smoked slowly, and the strength, even considering the preparation method, is unlikely to exceed medium, I took a large but fairly narrow pipe and stuffed it completely. The flavor of this blend initially gave no reason to think - indeed, a hay herb, moderately sweet, flavored with a little bread. What was nice was that the tobacco was surprisingly soft and had no roughness at all, as if the Virginia had been in the tin for ten years. Gradually a fruity note came through, the tobacco got some fullness of flavor, it had a fruity note, added sweetness, but it was still a plain Virginia. I wrote down notes, did my work and did not notice how the pipe ran out, but when I glanced at my watch, I saw that almost an hour had passed. During that time I did not use my lighter even once - the tobacco smoked smoothly and burned almost completely, turning into a dusty, whitish ash. But when I took the pipe apart a lot of water poured out and I was glad I took the Peterson System pipe for the test - its chamber had accumulated condensate, which I poured out. In the bowl itself, however, there was no moisture. Based on the fact that I did not notice how I smoked the pipe, I guess that the strength of the tobacco is below average. The aftertaste is mild, sweetish-fruity, without any nuances.

The smoke from the tobacco is light, sweet, easy to disperse, no discomfort in the room.

What's the result? Perhaps I was expecting too much from a simple Virginia. It's a very good, quality tobacco, smooth and simple in flavor. I have three more tins I bought as a reserve, and if I wanted the simple taste of good Virginia, I wouldn't hesitate to take one of them. It doesn't need to be aged, it's ready to please you as soon as you open the tin. Maybe it will have some collector's value someday - we don't know how long it will be available.

This is a medium virginia presented in crumble cake form . Very earthy from the start , the tin note and the taste . Not the sweet and smooth virginia taste you might get from . say . Vauen #14 or F & T Cut Virginia . More like the deeper taste one might get from Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake . The crumble cake is a little complicated to work with . One may rub it to a cube cut or sort of nudge it into a broken flake . I prefer the latter , either way the burn is sort of uneven . The taste is just a tad over medium and it burns cleanly down to the bottom . The Virginias used here are not top quality but good enough by today's standards . Not a great idea for the early morning pipe but best enjoyed later in the day . The double pressed process should make it more mellow and smooth and I think that quality was present here .

I've only recently developed a greater love for straight Virginia's with their grassy notes, so I was interested to read about a "double pressed" Virginia and was curious how it would affect it.

Taste wise, no affect. Still the same grassy, hay notes you'd expect from a straight Virginia. What I would say is that the double pressed does indeed have a smoothness to it, and unlike many Virginias, there was no bite to it at all. So basically I think what you could say is that if you like the flavour of straight Virginias, but have avoided them because of their potential to bite, then you may want to get some of this. It would seem to give you the best of both worlds.

The tobacco comes as a very loose plug and you can literally pull apart with your fingers if you wanted to.

I'd say its flavour is most comparable to Gawith's FVF, so if you're having trouble getting that, you could also look for a tin of this.

This pressed cake is an enjoyable smoke. Flavors are pleasant, sweet, and basically what I would expect from a virginia leaf. Runs a little on the dry side, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. Nicotine level is mild to medium. I would purchase this again.