W.O. Larsen Old Belt Ready Rubbed

(2.94)
A blend of mature orange Virginia tobaccos from the Old Belt in Virginia and North Carolina. The blend is lighted pressed into tobacco cakes, which are stored for aging. After cutting, the tobacco is rubbed out to facilitate easy filling of the pipe and an even burn. The tobacco burns exceptionally well with a cool smoke and a well-balanced and supreme natural taste.

Details

Brand W.O. Larsen
Blended By  
Manufactured By  
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ready Rubbed
Packaging 100 grams tin
Country Denmark
Production

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Extremely Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.94 / 4
5

5

6

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 16 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 21, 2003 Mild Very Mild Very Mild Very Pleasant
I would go ape over this tobacco if it carred more power in its smoking presentation. I just could not be satisfied due to the light nicotine and flavor content.

I did detect a slight casing of some sort, but it was not at all obtrusive. I did enjoy the coolness of the smoke, and it had a very pleasant odor both in the tin and at the match.

If you enjoy Virginia tobacco in lighter doses, try Old Belt. I think you'll think you discovered manna from heaven.

If, on the other hand, you don't like being teased, look elsewhere for your pipe smoking satisfaction.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 09, 2012 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Tolerable
I don't know if I got a bad tin perhaps, but the tin note (which has unfortunately been preserved in my jar) has a chemical quality which reminds me, I have finally determined, of wet paint. When I dry out a portion to smoke, this unpleasant scent goes away, and is not present in the actual smoking of the bowl. I am thankful at least for that. I don't really sense the alleged topping others have noted. I really wanted to like this one, and have given it several chances in different pipes, using varied smoking rates and techniques, and though I can't call it bad tobacco, it has failed to impress me. It smokes fast and somewhat harsh no matter what I do. Just now, an amount of tobacco that would have lasted me well over an hour had it been a nice McClelland or even a nice MacBaren was burned away in less than 40 minutes, and I wasn't puffing heavily or heating up my pipe. This particular bowl was pretty dry (taken out of the jar, it dries very rapidly) and finely rubbed out, and smoked in my favorite billiard (a no-name!), but still there were problems with the burn. Now, relights are fine; I will often rest a pipe, flatten the ash with my tamper, and start again, but in this case, the going out was neither intentional nor desired.

The blend would seem to be fully lit, burning away profusely despite my attempts to smoke with care, and then would suddenly "hit the wall" like a marathoner at mile 17 or so, and abruptly fail right between puffs. The taste is not all that bad, I guess, but obviously I won't be reaching for this one all that often. Maybe some time in the jar will help. It's also not bad enough to throw away, it just doesn't have the pleasant natural sweetness of my favorite Virginias. I get no bite from it, but I do get a harsh mouthfeel such as one would associate with an originally good quality, yet stale cigarette, and I must say it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I've sort of got the feeling I might like to brush my teeth right now; I guess there are some healthy benefits to this weed.

Again, I might have been unfortunate enough to have simply picked up a bad tin or a bad batch. Remember how I said at the beginning that the tin note reminds me of wet paint? The tin is of the paint-tin genre of tobacco tins. Maybe they forgot to fully purge my tin of its original contents...

One can't love everything.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 07, 2006 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant
I found W.O Larsen?s Old Belt Ready Rubbed to be extremely smooth and mellow straight Virginia tobacco. The ready rubbed tobacco packed well, was easy to light, and burned well to the bottom of the bowl. I found the flavor naturally sweet with a slightly tangy undertone. This is a light straight Virginia tobacco that is easy on the palette.

As Darwin posted ?Old Belt Ready Rubbed is a little on the mild side in the nicotine department, but has plenty of flavor.?

This a tobacco that I will keep around
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 07, 2004 Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I was recommended to this by the Tinderbox folk Pyroboby mentioned. They seemed bewildered when I asked for a "non-flavored" mild and simple, cavendish-free tobacco. So much for their entire stock of jars. The manager thought a bit and produced a tin of this from a hiding place (sorry, buddy, he'll reorder). The name put me off, all I could think of was the razor strop used for discipline in my youth. I tried it anyway, muttering at the price, gambling on something unheard of (not yet knowing about this list). Glad I did.

This was my first and still favorite virginian tobacco. I LIKE mild. I like the sweet rolling flavor that changes with puffing intensity. No aging was necessary; just a bit of drying. I must have a sensitive tongue. Virtually every tobacco has bitten me despite very careful packing and puffing, this bites very little. The flavors intensify as the bowl progresses until about 1/5 is left and then turn somewhat acrid. Could be the pipe.

I've since stocked up on a half dozen various tinned tobaccos more highly rated than this, of different varieties. It is fun trying them, but this will be my keeper for straight virginias, my "comfort food". Cigarette smokers respect the smell and non-smokers wish cigarettes smelled like this. No vanilla, no soap, no bubblegum. There may be a casing, but I don't want to know. Subtle is good. Pipestud was right, this is my manna.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 10, 2007 Medium Mild to Medium Medium Tolerable to Strong
Another nice priced 100g tins from Larsen. Seems to be almost natural tobacco, in fact, when you try it in a pipe the first time, you will see the two components of this mixture: VAs and creamy sauce.

As you smoke more pipes of this, you begin to feel not the two tastes, but a mixture of them. If you puff too hardly, sauce will dominate, and that's disgusting. Also I'm very dissapointed of the flavor this tobacco leaves in a pipe (you have to smoke it out for a long unpleasant time).

The used sauce, in my opinion, is typical for Larsen and, maybe, other Orlik brands. I felt it in Larsen's Kentucky Gold and, probably, in Stanwell Full Aroma.

Sauce is creamy and sweet. I find it pleasant sometimes, it could be a good evening smoke of a tired man, if the sauce would be a bit less persuasive. On the other hand, I can't say much about the VAs in this mixure: they seem just nothing special to me.

These tobaccos tends to burn hot. I feel room note not to be pleasant: creamy smoke becomes heavy, sweet, aromatic smoke. Probably, for non-smokers it's a good deal, but I really think, aromatic smoke is heavy and evil.

I've bought a tin some months ago and soon I've given it away. Lately I decided to give this tobacco one more chance. Well, I somewhat like this mixture, but I can't smoke it every day. It needs a dedicated pipe anyway, I'm still not sure, would I afford it. The tobacco is rather pleasant, but I'm getting tired of it very quickly, so, probably, I'll have no Old Belt tins on my shelf anymore.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 13, 2007 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium Tolerable
06/09/2005: Based on the previous reviews, I decided to give this blend a try. My tobacconist said this tin had been on the shelf for several years. The paint can style tin has an inner foil seal, and it was ballooning out due to gases inside, so I'm pretty sure I got an aged tin.

I'm pretty impressed with the quality of the Virginias used in this blend. The cut is mostly rubbed, with a few broken flakes present. The Virginias are probably orange with some yellow Virginias. There is a pretty sweet tin aroma, that suggests there is a mild topping, but it could be natural; it's hard to say.

The burn is excellent, due to the perfect humidity of the leaf. The flavor is naturally sweet and slightly tangy. Old Belt Ready Rubbed is a little on the mild side in the nicotine department, but has plenty of flavor. This is a fine blend that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys bright Virginia blends. It is similar to Rattray's Old Gowrie.

Update: In the 2 years since I opened the tin of OBRR I have only smoked it a few times due to the tongue bite I get after smoking it. It's funny, I only seem to get bitten by Danish tobaccos. So even though its taste is good, it's not one I will return to. I somewhat recommend Old Belt Ready Rubbed if you are immune to Danish tongue bite.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 22, 2004 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
Im new to tinned blends and was suggested to try this blend out. It felt like a huge step for me, moving up from the tobacco jars at Tinder Box, which by the way I find the one in Mishawaka, IN to be great. When i got the tin home, I went over it went over it several times at home looking at this new beauty. As soon as the foil seal was broken I was met by a wonderfully tangy smell that was reminisent of Lipton instant lemon ice'd tea. On first touch of flame a sweet and very mild taste that i could only place as natural uncased tobacco assailed my mouth and it was wonderful. I love aromatics, but this was awesome. No tongue bite, which get fairly often if i dont let the jarred stuff air for a few days. I am now very interested in sampling other VA and not so aromatic blends. Great stuff. My eyes have been opened.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 07, 2002 Mild Extremely Mild Mild Pleasant
This is an extremely mellow, smooth and soothing Virginia blend. High grade leaf, very well processed and with the right amount of moisture (typical Larsen quality), it has a gentle, almost hidden almond like sweetness that, nonetheless, retains all the natural flavour of tobacco.

Ribbon cut, with some broken flake, it is a pleasant combination of mid to light browns, with some reddish hues. Opening the tin you get a very faint whiff of that tangy Virginia smell (close to, but not as evident as Rattray?s Old Gowrie or Brown Clunee, and definitely more subtle than any McClelland?s). It is very easy to pack (gravity method) and lights quickly and well. It smokes cool and dry and leaves the pipe walls and inner stem clean. The whole experience is very mild, fresh and palatable, with no tongue bite.

The only drawback I fin in Old Belt is that it lacks a bit more of body and punch. Other than that, I agree this could be an all day Virginia smoke: discreet, refined and amiable.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 25, 2024 Mild Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Appearance: the can I opened had been on the shelf for almost 11 years, with a release date of April 9, 2013. I know very well that this tobacco in fresh has almost orange color, but over the years, of course, it has darkened quite a bit, although it has retained the uniformity of the color. The manufacturer's description is quite accurate - the tobacco is a roughly chopped (ready-rubbed) ribbon, sometimes there are pieces of unbroken flake. The consistency of the tobacco is fluff, the humidity is perfect, the presence of glycerin is extremely low, there is no dust.

Flavor: a moderately dense bouquet of hay and woody tones, with a slight citrus flavor, some dried fruit and yeast dough. It seems that originally some honey was added to the tobacco as a casing, but as the tobacco continued to age, it was completely blended with the Virginia sugars.

Taste: among pipe smokers who have tried this blend there is an opinion that Old Belt should be aged for at least five years, because the initial taste of this blend is quite harsh, and the tobacco itself is extremely sensitive to the temp of smoking, and bites at the slightest overheating. The years of waiting have added sweetness to the tobacco, indeed, removing the excessive, in my opinion, acidity, and made the overall taste of the blend significantly softer, and the blend itself much more tolerant to overheating. Moderately sweet, with dominating woody notes, along with a light fruity note, the tobacco also acquired hazelnut notes and a barely noticeable drop of honey. However, when overheated, the honey and hazelnut notes are the first to disappear, and the blend itself, although now not biting, becomes harsh on the palate. In bents, the main, woody notes, being already in the foreground, sound even brighter. The strength of tobacco is noticeably lower than average. Being fluffy, the blend burns a bit faster than other Old Belt Virginias, and its burn temperature is slightly higher. The tobacco burns to a light gray ash with no lumps, leaving a little moisture in the pipe. The aftertaste is weak, unstable, woody-sweet.

The smoke from the tobacco, unlike its German “relative”, Pfeifen Huber Virginia Old Belt, is more abundant and noticeable in the room, and its woody flavor lasts longer.

The bottom line. As an everyday tobacco, it's very good. Fans of Old Belt Virginias have a choice between three similar, but still different tobaccos: the relatively dry-tasting Danish or slightly sweeter and milder German. Which one to choose? Let everyone decide for himself.
Pipe Used: Peterson 69, 106, 312
PurchasedFrom: Second market
Age When Smoked: 2013
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 18, 2005 Mild Extremely Mild Mild Pleasant
This is indeed a light, fresh, Virginia blend. It is very easy on the palette. I believe I detect a light apricot topping, and something else I can't quite define. It is very discreet, and in no way ruins the mild, sweet, tobacco taste. I can see this as an excellent hot weather smoke, but would be good at any time. If you crave full, rich, or very sweet Virginias, this is not for you. This stuff arrived at the perfect moisture content, and smoked cool, dry and biteless. It is not complex, but it does have subtle nuances. The room note is very mild and fresh as well. I will definitely pick up some more. This reminds me very much of what a McClelland blend would taste like, without the vinegar.
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