Sutliff Tobacco Company 507C Virginia Slices

First review here, I feel like I just had to share this, I was a cigarette smoker for years and I enjoy the pipe so much more, I'm sure some can relate. So I am mostly into Virginia blends and flakes. Enough about me. I got a 1 oz sample of sutliff Virginia slices from pipes and cigars, it came at perfect moisture nice size flakes and rubbed out easily, medium brown in color, very light tobacco tin (bag) note. I smoked it in a brand new stanwell 9mm filter pipe. I say perfect moisture level because it packed perfectly and the draw was exactly how I like it. First lite tasted of hay and a little sweet but very lightly. It gives off plenty of smoke, is not very strong and never bit me. Because of the volume of smoke I found it easy to sip. I'm really surprised how much I liked this one since it seemed there isn't much flavor, but the way it burned was as perfect as I could ever want, I lost myself in what I was doing and found that I smoked down to the bottom of the bowl and never worried about it getting hot or slowing my cadence. Room note is close to a cigarette but not as bad. Most enjoyable smoke I've had in a while even though it wasn't the most flavorful. Anyone who used to smoke cigarettes will find comfort here. Lightly tamp now and then and sit back and enjoy with a good drink. I'll come back and update when I finish my sample. I'll be buying more for sure.

A carefree stroll through a hay field in early spring. Sweet and grassy with a touch of musky earth. Well-behaved. Excellent way to build a cellar at a good price.

I am definitely a Virginia and Va/Per lover. I have recently been having an affair with burley, particularly the lighter, OTC blends. I've come to like most burley-based blends very much. I guess my tastes in pipe tobacco are fairly eclectic: I also like light English blends and certain other latakia blends - long as they aren't "lat bombs". But I find myself always coming back to Virginia and Va/Per blends.

So, after the fling with burley, I wanted to get several good quality Virginia-Va/Per blends for a nice change. Sutliff's Virginia Slices was one of them. I must say that the presentation is very interesting and attractive. These slices are cut considerably longer than most other flakes I've seen. I read that this is a European style. These slices rub out pretty easily, but my preferred method of flake preparation is a variation of "fold & stuff" I think of as "wad & stuff". So, I pulled a slice into a shorter section, then took a bit and simply wadded the tobacco into a ball and stuffed it into the bowl of my pipe. I repeated until the bowl was full. Bag note: smells like fresh, good ole tobacco. I couldn't detect a topping. This tobacco lights and burns readily to a fine, gray-white ash, and very few re-lights required. As with other Virginia blends, smoke this slowly to get the most flavor. Sip it! The smoke was cool and lasted a long time. Now, I usually have difficulty tasting the citrus notes everyone describes with Va blends. Plenty of grass and hay and all that, but citrus always seems to elude me. But with this blend, I was able to detect it! That sorta citrusy taste was subtle and would shy away whenever I tried to reach for it, but I was definitely getting it with this blend. Some earthiness in there, too, but lots of good, solid tobacco taste. Most Virginias leave a good after-taste for me, and Virginia Slices is no exception. It is also not hard on the tongue provided you don't huff n puff it. My favorite straight Virginia is G.L. Pease "Union Square"; Virginia Slices isn't going to beat it, in my opinion. But, just the same, this blend is tasty. Yes, it is a basic tobacco that is one- maybe two-dimensional. But, sometimes that's what is needed. This blend is good, especially for the price. I recommend it!

The sweetness for which Va. flakes are renowned is present, but turned down a bit in this blend, and the citrus notes are similarly reduced to a hint of lemony tang. What it delivers, predominantly, is natural tobacco flavor, remarkable smoothness, and little of the sharpness for which Va. flakes are notorious.

507c is a mild flavored blend with medium nicotine strength and good whole mouth feel. There may be a bit of top flavor – something dark, maybe licorice – I dunno; but frankly, it’s below the threshold of identification and more in the realm of imagination.

This blend is open to a little criticism because it starts to get ashy-tasting near the bottom of the bowl, and with its reduced sweetness and vague citrus presence, it becomes a little more cigarette-like than I’d like. The only thing that keeps the flavor on track is the grassiness of the tobacco. I don’t find a lot of nuanced flavor in this blend, and that tosses it into the utility smoke category for me; but it is smooth and satisfying, and I think it has a place in my deep rotation – even if it is near the bottom relative to the pricier gourmet blends.

I’m confident that most Va. flake lovers won’t be terribly disappointed by this blend’s lack of complexity and depth; but I wouldn’t go into this expecting to get my socks knocked off either. I would give this a strong 2-star rating, but since it's sold at rock bottom prices, it deserves more consideration.

This reminds me of a Peter Stokkebye product, Luxury Navy Flake or maybe a milder Orlik Golden Red . This just doesn't have enough strength , flavor , spice or interest to purchase again. Might be good for the occasional smoker and it might improve with age?

It's a good everyday smoke, nothing overpowering it has a slighty sweet grassyness and an acceptable room note . I will definitely come back to this in the future.

Pliable flakes permit my fold and pack technique. A mild, cool smoke without bite or condensation. An alternative to Stokkebe Luxury Twist Flake with similar grassy tastes but @ ~ pricing in bulk, I'll stay with LTF.

I have more jars of Sutliff's Virginia Slices in my cellar than any other tobacco. Not only do I smoke it on it's own fairly regularly, but it's a big part of most of my home blends, plus I have quite a bit set aside for aging. It isn't a mindblowing smoke... it's just a really good, solid Virginia. And it's probably the best bang for your buck anywhere.

Tin/jar note upon opening is fresh and sweet, and a bit lemony. First few puffs... mild sweetness, a bit of tang, and some lemon/citrus. Burns clean and cool... it's a quality bright Virginia. And surprisingly for a straight bright Virginia, there is virtually no bite. About halfway through, flavors remain very consistent. A nice mild sweetness, tang, and light grassy and citrus notes. It stays consistent all the way through to the bottom of the bowl. Also, it's important to note... aging, even just six months or so, does *wonderful* things for this tobacco.

Bottom line: A really good, solid Virginia. Three stars when just smoked fresh on it's own... but considering how well it ages, it's potential in blends, and it's low price... this is a 4 star tobacco for sure.

Virginia Slices is a good bulk VA. Once jarred and left for 6 months opening it I could smell grass/hay notes, very earthy, slightly nutty, and a faint spicy note that reminds me a little of red pepper. The taste is simple but overall very nice. Notes of hay are out front for me, a little citrus note, slightly zesty, mildly earthy, with a woodsy note and a slight hint of that red pepper like spice note comes and goes on occasion. I also get a slight honey and orange flavor that I suspect is a very light topping that comes and goes throughout the bowl. Not overly sweet at this point but at times a note of sweetness comes through. This one is easy to recommend but not complex enough or big enough otherwise to earn the 4th star. Nic is very mild the finish is rather short and I enjoyed this a lot as my first bowl of the day in the mornings or as a mid afternoon smoke now that the weather is warming up. Because it is so mild I doubt that it will benefit from long term aging but it might sweeten a little over the short term. I will more than likely revisit this one at some point as it does fit well as a warm weather smoke.