Wessex Red Virginia Flake

This is a lovely blend in a few ways . What I really enjoy about it , is that it is very straightforward and is a great representation of what Red Virginia flavor is ! Often times a Virginia blend will be just that [ blends ] and this is the best " teacher " as to what red Virginias taste like in comparison to other styles of Virginias . their is a very mild Top Note and I dont know what it is but I find it pleasurable and it doesnt distract from the flavor of teh leaf . In the tin aroma , there is a super mild whisper of a " ketchup " type aroma ... but nothing like a McClelland product that would be 100X that aroma . I assume that aroma is naturally occurring in Red Virginias and that McClelland goes out of their way to amplify it , where as Wessex does not ... and I think thats a good thing . It burns cool and slow and the flavor is not very complex , nor boring ... it's red Virginia and it's damn good . This is a tin I always have on hand , along with a Ketchupy type McClelland blend [ Tawny Flake ] , which I also love

This is my first review. I actually made an account to review this tobacco. The tobacconist I go to had two tins sitting there for over seven years according to the lady. One of the tins had two small holes on the bottom from rust. I have been searching for a certain effect and flavor from tobacco that I would get just a little from other ones I smoked. I read some reviews and saw that red is what I was looking for. The tobacco was a solid piece. Dried out enough where I can peel some off and load it. Its ready to go. The taste to me is great. It has that tangy tartness and is so damn sweet at the same time. Smooth. Oh wow. I am smoking some right now and I couldn't be happier. I have been smoking a pipe for about a year now and have been through several tobacccos. I may not be an expert but I am a connoisseur to my tastes, and I say this is a perfect tobacco.

Wessex - Red Virginia Flake.

Having reviewed Wessex's Brown Virginia and Gold Virginia flakes, I wanted to add this one to my reviews once it had arrived. So, it came a few days ago, and given I have some time to hand this morning here it is:

The flakes are quite thin, medium brown, with a tin note that has more of an aromatic hit than the smoke. Moisture's great, making rubbing/filling easy.

Like their Gold Virginia Flake, I enjoy the smoke. Igniting's easy, and the burn from it's good. I can't particularly identify the Red Sun top note from the description, nor do I really know what I'm looking for: what is Red Sun? The flavour I get is one of a ripe, tangy, slightly sweet, Virginia, developing a bit of a doughy taste after a third. There's just enough depth to it to keep it rich, without becoming heavy. The temperature from it's medium, and I get absolutely no tongue bite.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: lovely.

Wessex Red Virginia Flake: absolutely no problem with highly recommending it:

Four stars.

Truly great Red Virginia . Sweet earthy tin note. I have read a few reviews on this particular blend and see the intruque with the topping. I am not sure if it is an allusion to the Red Sun cigarette brand or if it is a play on words hinting that the flavor is from the sun on Red VA. I don’t pick up a topping or casing at all, and frankly if I cannot put my finger on it I don’t care cuz it ain’t there. Like many others I am always on the look our for a McC 5100 replacement. This has no resemblance to that hallowed blend, but it is VERY good in its own right. This may be that replacement for me. Monochromatic and delicious from top to bottom. There is some sweetness, but not too much. There is also earthy flavors along with toasted bread, wheat and rye along with a dry wordiness (just a hint). This is a top rate Red VA and IMO beats out C&D Small Batch and all others. If this came in bulk I’d be buying a few pounds. Highly recommended for the Red VA lover.

Tin: Light to dark brown with ample streaks of blonde, giving a dark chestnut hue. Moderate fermented cereal, VA hay scent. The 1x3x1/16" sheets of tobacco are easy to separate, supple, not overly moist.

Packing & Lighting: The sheets of the tobacco are easily crumbled into pieces which can be readily packed. Burned to the bottom with maybe one relight. It smokes easily, even if a sheet is just rolled up and stuffed into the pipe.

Left out to dry, it was crispy dry in 30 minutes. This drying greatly reduces the pepper effect on the mouth, allowing one to more fully experience the tobacco flavors.

Taste & Aroma: Similar to its sister blend, Brigade Classic Virginia, but with less taste or aroma, less red VA tang and not as much peppery effect on the mouth.

The key to getting the most enjoyable smoke out of RVF is to get it half-dry. Fold a sheet uup, twist it to shreds, then let it dry until it is just crackly to the touch. This eliminates the pepper effect and allows a mild malted cereal flavor to evolve. It's like two different tobaccos.

Nicotine: This is the one aspect that RVF has more, of compared to BCV. RVF is medium strength.

Room Note: Pleasant ripe, smoky, walnut and grain. Rather than room note, it seems more to cling to one's person.

Overall: RVF is clean and natural tasting, but has less taste or aroma than BCV. I would go with BCV. Worth a try, at 3.4 stars.

After I learned to dry the tobacco just right, I give it a 3.8, 4 stars.

Very nice flavors in this flake. Some very tangy citrus notes, a touch of darker fruit, and a topping that is more sweet fruit candy-like than wine-like to my taste buds. Deeper into the bowl the topping fades a bit, but it's still tangy and sweet with some bread-like notes. A lovely smoke.

Mild to medium in body. Flavoring is very mild. Medium in taste. Burns very well.

Hints of earth along with toasted oats greet you when you open the tin. The flake is very easily rubbed out and is almost perfect in moisture content for easy lighting and smoking. It's defiantly fuller in taste than Gold Virginia Flake but also more complex at the same time. Smoking through the bowl, one word of caution is you don't get it too hot because it will become unpleasant on the palate and give you a little tung bite. For the Virginia lover a MUST for your rotation along with Gold Virginia Flake. I will try Brown Virginia Flake later on today at some point and write in a review as well.

Absolutely delicious. It's bright and tangy and smooth... I hope I can always get my hands on this stuff. Beautifully packaged, beautiful flakes. I reccomend using a smaller bowl for this one, I don't usually bother with discriminating to that extent with flakes - big bowls, small bowls, it's all good - but this one really sings in a smaller bowl.

No tongue bite, delicious, and smells wonderful. Highly reccomended.

I have only smoked this three times so far, but it is already remarkable for its subtle but pleasant taste, its fantastic aroma (when I say "room note" here I mean to me...I don't have opportunities to ask non-smokers how they like the smell of my tobacco), and its almost unbelievable lack of bite, for a Virginia. I have to put this in the top 2-4 Virginia blends I have tried, with Marlin Flake, Barbary Coast (ok, that one is mostly a Burley, but I count it) and Butera's Matured Ribbon. The aroma and flavor can best be described as orange, chocolate, and pepper. It also rubs out and packs easily. It is a tobacco that I give one of my highest compliments to: "user friendly." And of course, the unique tins of Wessex do add something, however marginal. If all-day smoking were a possibility these days, this would be that kind of blend.

Update: It seems if you rub this out too much (and that means rub it out at all as it is a "fragile" flake) the "top note" becomes the entire song. Pure lemon pepper. But if you basically wad it into a ball and stuff it in (with perhaps a bit of rubbed-out tobacco on the bottom and top of the bowl) it tastes much more like tobacco, with only a subtle flavoring. If I could change one thing about this, it would be to have a bit more sweetness. Otherwise, complex and intriguing and a treat.