Wessex Gold Brick

Nice solid brick of lighter color and a "package" nose of basic Virginia. I sliced it top to bottom (narrow side) rather than side to side. Then I folded and stuffed for best results.

The taste of this was of basic Virginia, heavy on the brighter versions, but not overly citrusy. The write up here on TR is that it is flavored with coffee. Well, I can't confirm that but neither can I deny it, as there is an underlying dark spicy flavor that would indicate some measure of red Virginia or possibly a top dressing. This blend wasn't all high notes. In fact, it mostly covered the midrange - very basic with nothing too assertive. As with all the Wessex Virginias I've smoked, this is a good blend but misses greatness by a wide margin, IMHO. Perfectly serviceable but nothing I feel the need to cellar. Good thing, too, based on the cost and the lack of availability. If you enjoy the ritual of working with plugs and want a very congenial Virginia that doesn't go too far in any direction, this one is for you. I'm going to cellar my other 2 bricks and revisit in a few years.

This is my first plug experience. I sliced it on the short end - about 1/8 in thick with a sharp pocket knife on a cutting board and rubbed it out.

This is a very good Virginia. It is mellow and sweet. I got very little tart and no citrus. It was a satisfying smoke but not complex - just a basic Virginia. If this were cheaper I would probably buy this. It is about $70 a lb, and that is a little rich for my budget. I am glad to have tried the plug, and am enjoying it.

I had wanted to try Wessex Gold Brick for a while now and finally found an online vendor with it in stock. A nice 100gm brick of mostly medium brown and some golden Virginia in a cellophane wrap. Don't be put off by the price. 100 grams of this lasts a while. Not much of an aroma upon opening the wrap, just the smell of basic tobacco - and mild at that. Preparing the plug was relatively easy. Not as dense as Peterson's Perfect Plug and not as loose as Pease's Jack Knife Plug. Easy to prepare with a Swiss Army pocket knife. The pieces rub out very readily and loading was easy. First light revealed a subtle sweetness, reminiscent of vanilla (although I don't think any is present), and that is why I labeled the flavoring as extremely mild. This may be due to the leaf itself and not from any detectable casing, although upon inspection of the cut plug, it was slightly shiny in spots (perhaps from a light casing as I read it is prepared with molasses). It only required the occasional relight along the way. It burned cool, evenly, and without bite. The taste reminds me of Limerick without the Perique and Lakeland-like essence.

As Virginias go this was very tasty, being medium in both taste and strength. I have also smoked the Wessex Brigade Campaign Dark Flake and the Wessex Brown Virginia Slice. The Brown Slice was more Danish in taste and a tad sweeter, and the Dark Flake more traditional meaning no casing although I detected a smidgen of molasses in Dark Flake. Gold Brick was entirely different. Simple, yet very enjoyable with a natural sweetness present throughout the smoke. I liked it very much and will be ordering more. Gold Brick is great for when I want something with a little sweetness to just smoke without much thought. Gold Brick does build in intensity as the bowl progresses, but is never over the top or bitter. When I want the taste of fig/prune and sweetness, Brown Flake serves me well. For something more stout in a Virginia, Dark Flake is my choice. Although Gold Brick is the mildest of the three, I am nonetheless very pleased with this addition to the Wessex line. Three great Virginias to rotate through.

A nice, straight forward, unadulterated tobacco. No Virginia tang in this one. Although present, you can just taste the molasses, adding a subtle sweetness that is quite enjoyable. In a league with both Dunhill Flake and Pease's Union Square, but better. For a plug, way better than Jack Knife Plug. Gold Brick seems to smoke best when dried out to the consistency of brittle flakes. I prepare a half dozen or so flakes and place them in an old Wessex tin and let them dry out to brittleness. The flavor really comes out and their is never a bite not does it smoke hot. You get the benefit of the Virginia and the molasses - very old-timey in taste and room note.

After 2 1/2 years, I decided to open this plug. For the most part, I stored it in one of my Coleman coolers or in a small Mason jar inside the cooler. After all that time, and despite the wrapping, the plug is not even dry; it still retains some moisture and needs some drying time before smoking. Gold Brick is a medium to dark brown Plug, more medium than dark. What made me happy is that the dominant aroma was of what seems to be stoved Virginias, which remain my favorite type of Virginias. Not a lot of typical hay aroma associated with Golden Virginias comes out. This aroma is a bit too sweet to not contain some sort of light casing, but I can't really identify what it is. The plug was fairly difficult to slice and rub out. I had to further slice a good part of the rubbed out tobacco with scissors to transform it into a more friendly cut for smoking. The operation left my fingers slightly stained after preparing about 50g of it. Gold Brick takes some time to get properly lighted up, and it does require regular relights. It was that or my tongue would end up scorched. Having a hard time to keep it lit is the only Con I found against it. For the rest, it is a good all Virginia tobacco that is pleasant to smoke. It's mild to medium in the nicotine, delivers creamy, slightly sweet and almost earthy flavours that I have enjoyed. It burns dry and leaves no moisture on the bottom of the bowl. It's better not to pack it too tight or you will experience trouble smoking it, I believe.

The first couple of bowls of this were very pleasant. Bite-free and mild, while delivering the true Virginia flake taste. It reminded me of Orlik's Golden Sliced without so many bright notes.

I'm about 5 bowls into it since then, and haven't been able to recapture that same flavor. It's unoffensive and well-behaved but it lacks any flavor that will make this a staple in my cellar.

Not a bad all-day smoke for the more sophisticated palates.

This is very close to C&D's Briar Fox, just a thicker cake.

Must be sliced cross-wise with a knife and cut up into little squares. Thick and does not rub well. Inconvenient. Burns well once started.

An interesting woodsy, sweet and sour taste. Ready to puff right out of the pack. Not hot or bitey but not for all.

I see some brights, reds, and a little stoved. Puffed 15 bowls in a new Brigham's lowlander from the RTDA in N.O. Hope I can find my pipe high and dry in my "old" home now. Should have evacuated with it. I still have a 10 bowl plug sealed in a jar at home.

Enjoy these blends. You never know when they will be your last treat or luxury. Those were the days. But I'll be back. Enjoy this as mana.

Wessex Gold Brick - Tastes and looks like a blend of Gold , Red and Brown Virginias. There is very little grassiness and citrus in this tobacco. A light fruity note is present most of the time . A little nutty and bready .A wee spice and tanginess . Has a lovely caramel sweetness that is very subtle. It has a creamy natural woody flavor . Smooth as silk . Very easy on the throat and tongue . No bite . It is very similar to marble kake for me . I like this better as Marble Kake bit the crap out of me . Very rarely does any blend bite me . Great Virginia blend . Not quite a four though . 3 1/2

First thig I noticed is the heftiness and the density of this plug. It is packed tighter than an NYC Metro.

Aroma of tangy, citrusy Virginias, with a note of pine and unknown spice. As DK recommends, slice against the grain for best results. Appears to be comprised of 3 different Virginia leaf: Bright, maybe some red, and a generous supply of dark.

Packing is easy, as the moisture level is perfect for me. works well in a variety of bowl shapes, I prefer a short wide bowl.

Lighting is a standard lit tamp light, and it stays lit. Surprisingly, not a lot of spring to this leaf. Initial flavors of the bright leaf with a nice tang, sweet, but a slight astringent note almost a soapy Lakeland quality (which isn't a negative to me). Stays pretty level throughout the entire bowl. Not many highs or lows, but if sipped slowly, the dark fruit aspect really shines through.

This is a great hot summer's morning blend paired with a black coffee. Also works well in the afternoon with a glass of sun tea or fresh brewed sassafras tea.

Solid blend!

Pretty tasty not very sweet but more smokey with grass like flavors. I couldn't smoke this all the time but i like to have it around for those time I want smoething light and dry.