Fribourg & Treyer Vintage

mild and tasteful mixture, very distinctive for tastebuds and nosetrils.Out of the tin it comes a little dry for my liking, but this is navy cut. i smoke it in small and medium pipes, easy to light, not much effort to smoke it down to the bottom of the pipe. this makes it a pleasure. if mac baren navy is too sweet for you, but you like navy cut, this is the tobacco one should try. good for starters and newbies.

I havn't smoked this excellent flake in years. But I must have read Eulenburg's expressive review a dozen times. That man sure has a way with words and I agree with everything he says about this blend. The taste is very fresh and delicious. I could see myself smoking this regularly for the rest of my life. It is not boring or monotonous; just an excellent mellow flavor that's satisfying and enduring. I've read all the previous reviews, both positive and negative, and have come to the conclusion that this is the most elegant and refined red virginia flake I have ever tasted. I regret that my recent reunion with this esteemed tobacco took so long to occur. Vintage will remain one of only a handful of mixtures that I will enjoy till the end of my pipesmoking days. Definitely a 4 star blend and one of my top 5.

Update: My pipesmoking days have not ended, but my love affair with this blend has. I now rate it three stars.

Vintage is soft as velvet. It is the mildest VA flake that my palate has encountered, ever... Upon opening the tin, i smelled dried fruit and alcohol. It has a very pungent odor, but also a very pleasant one. Like Cognac and raisins.

It is a bit moist so i would recommend drying it before packing. Now.. here comes the weird bit; I'll bet my fur that this little flake here contains oriental leaf! I may be way out in the woods here, but i'll bet my fur that this blend contains a tiny dash of turkish...

Besides from that, it is quite similar to Astley's 109 i think, and has flavor notes similar to those in Osborne 63... Nothing new here, good quality VA; i'll be stashing several tins for later.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

This is not bad stuff! As opposed to the CVP that I tried, this stuff smokes quite cool, and has some very nice darker flavors. The Va experience is all red for me and this makes the overall experience very nice indeed. I'm not a big fan of the lighter Va's and in this blend they stay out of the way. This is the flake to share with your upscale friends at the local club when you want to show off. This isn't really a priority for me, but who knows? Someday it might be just the thing!

A very well made Virgina flake, typical of the F&T cut plugs. The flakes are medium brown and neatly packed side by side in the tin. This is a lightly sweetened flake and provides pleasant Virginia flavor. The uniqueness of this tobacco for me is in the nose. Clearly, there is a top dressing that provides a distinctive scent throughout the smoke, and faintly reminds me of a woman's perfume I smelled as a youth. This is not a typical full blown English scented flake. The scent is far more delicate, ephemeral, and it is there in almost every puff. It is not overpowering or distracting, but adds an interesting dimension, very subtle and satisfying. This should be an enjoyable smoke for both the lover of English scented flakes and for those who enjoy the taste of Virginia tobacco. Highly recommended. Paddy.

The tobacco is mostly red, with some light and dark flashes evident. The flakes are of average thickness and easy to rub out. They are also soft enough to fold and roll. The aroma is what I expect from a well matured, but not heat treated virginia. It's slightly sweet and pungent, but lacking the McClelland "vinegar" tang.

The flavor is absolutely delicious, a perfect medium body with a hint of natural sugar. It burns slow and cool, and allows you to enjoy the flavor without having to concentrate on the pipe. I think it makes an ideal companion for most daytime activities, like writing this review. I'm smoking it right now in a vintage Sasieni Four Dot.

Tin Aroma: A pleasant blend of sweet and sour notes. Mellow compared to some Virginias I have smelled, particularly those with Perique.



Physical Characteristics: A mostly light colored flake, approximately 2.5 to 3 inches long. The flake is well put together; does not crumble to dust, bends enough to be rolled up and inserted into the pipe that way. Rubs out nicely into approximately 1/2 inch long ribbons, with very little 'shake' created in the process. It usually takes one and a half flakes to fill my pipes, but I don't know if that means I smoke small pipes or big pipes. I have yet to find a flake that fits any of them in whole flakes, whether it be one per pipe or two per pipe.



First Light: Hints of vanilla and something sweet that I cannot put my finger on. The vanilla note dissapears almost immediately, replaced by the clean, almost stringent taste of the virginias.



Notes: Responds well to DGTing, but I had trouble letting it sit around long enough to discover that. I had never encountered the 'soapy' flavor that ome have spoken of in relation to Lake District tobaccos until I smoked Vintage. This is only odd in that Vintage is NOT a Lake District tobacco, but sure enough, the soapy flavor showed up a couple of times over the course of a bowl.

Fribourg & Treyer Vintage- Flakes range from a little bright but mostly red and brown and a little dark from pressing I assume . On the sweet side and I taste honey and a little vanilla but lightly cased it seems . It smokes more like a bright Virginia that’s grassy with citrus and a little floral that gets a caramel like sweetness about half way down the bowl . It has a little of the red Virginia tanginess but it is fleeting . Has some brown flake qualities near the bottom of the bowl . DGT works great on this type of Virginia blend . It burns great and has perfect moisture from the tin . The Vanilla is a little annoying as I still taste it near the bottom , reminds me of nilla wafers . It is a little boring for me at this stage . I would have probably loved this flake a couple of years ago . I do recommend it for those who like bright Virginia flakes . It has its moments . 3