Sutliff Tobacco Company 507C Virginia Slices

So this a very easy smoke, i found it mild or les than that, has a good scent and taste, but nothing develops from there, nothing evolves. I found it mild and a bit boring and a bit too young. But good quality virginia for mixtures. Two and a half stars if fresh, there stars if jarred a few months and even more for mixes.

This is my second Virginia from Sutliff. I'm still in search of a Virginia to replace my favor Virginias from McClellands and Dunhill Flake. I have read somewhere that there is a topping but I can't detecting any topping at all. The long flakes are at perfect moisture content and rub out very easy. The aroma is a nice bright Virginia that has matured. It's very similar to Best Brown Flake from Samuel Gawith IMO. From first puff to last puff the flavor is very consistent and surprisingly hardly reminds me of a bright Virginia at all. A nice and deep, sweet, and creamy smoke, with a slight nuttiness. Burns a little on the hot side at first but starts to cool off as it goes down. Extremely very little tongue bite if any at all. Very smooth.

While it doesn't compare to any McClelland Va or Dunhill Flake, it is very similar to Samuel Gawith Best Brown Flake but a hair bit lighter on flavor a nicotine which is a big plus due to how hard Best Brown Flake is becoming to find. An awesome flake at a awesome price point.

Update 3-30-2021 I got 2 oz of Virginia Slices today. I can now detect the topping as citrus. It's almost not noticeable. More of a orange citrus then a lemon and it does help compliment the natural citrus flavors of the Virginia's. I'm also picking up on a honey note which goes very well with the citrus.

Update 3-2-24

I found I much prefer to dry this out completely then rehydrate it to wear the topping off.

One of the most economical virginias you can find, especially in flake(ish) form, and also, IMO, one of the best. It won't take you on a journey each smoke, but it certainly has taken me on a journey as I've come to know and love it.

When I first tried it, a little fresh, someone warned that it needs age---and, like all virginias, it will benefit from age (more on that in a bit). With those disclaimers in mind, I still found it quite good after initial purchase. A bit grassy, a bit lemon-grass-citrusy, with a bit of spiciness that betrays its relative immaturity but which is not altogether unpleasant. And believe me, i have had some extremely unpleasant experiences with harsh, new virginias, including my first bowl of a brand new tin of Mac Baren HH Pure Va, which tore my throat up so much I couldn't even finish it (after a year in a jar, this harshness disappeared, and HH Pure Va is one of my top tier va smokes). And don’t get me started on C&D virginias. Point is, I've had too-fresh virginias, and Sutliff 507c, I would say, was not overly fresh straight from SmokingPipes, still quite enjoyable.

Also, while i enjoyed the flavors, they don't require much concentration, nor do they change all that much throughout the smoke. This, along with its price, make it a perfect candidate for one of my "writing" tobaccos. Needs little concentration, smokes without fuss if you load it properly. Cheap and easy to get so i'm not worried about messing it up if i get so focused on the writing that i ruin it somehow---which hasn't happened, by the way. My other go-to writing blends are PS Cube Cut and Amphora Original.

Now here's where the journey part kicks in, because while the flavors won't develop much through one individual bowl, they certainly have devloped with a little age, and more than i expected. I'm still on the first batch i jarred, but because of my infrequency of smoking (relative to many of you guys) and because I don't smoke it exclusively, even during writing sessions, due to the fact that i cycle through it and PS Cube cut mostly, it still gets a decent amount of rest and time in that jar despite the fact that I'm returning to it and opening it every so often. Especially during the winter, where I smoke almost never except for on rare days like today where I get unseanably warm weather and go out in my jacket and smoke and type on my alphasmart neo 2.

This occasionally-opened jar, which says October 2020 on it, has become something different, though there's still that same 507c citrus DNA in it. Less grassy, no spiciness. It has become rich and creamy. And the citrus has morphed from a bright lemongrass to almost a light, sweet orange. When I do stop and think about it as I'm smoking, it i get major orange creamsicle vibes. And, dare I say it, might give me a flash or two of what i remember RGF being when i smoked a sample of that (i hear gasps and somebody coming to put a straightjacket on me already). Of course it doesn't have that extra magic given by RGF's burley, but i'm telling you, this is something that can bat way out of its league, and i'd be willing to bet a year- or two-old sample of this would do extremely well in a blind taste test against some of the more sought-after blends. (the only problem is that its appearance is extremely recognizable and would be hard to smoke it truly blind)

I have a little over a pound of this cellared, which for me is probably enough to last me decades, even if it's less than a year for someone else. I'll probably still buy more here and there, just in case it ever is completely gone or its price gets blown up like LBF (another of which i have aged to exponentially great results), but i have to keep in mind that i also have other things to smoke, and other virginias i love, like Mac Baren Va no. 1 and Mac Baren HH Pure Va, to name a couple other favorites. Despite that I keep saying HH Pure Va takes my number 1 spot for virginias, Mcclelland being gone, I go back to the sutliff much mroe often, and i'm not even sure anymore if it's only because it's so inexpensive.

A well behaved flake tobacco. Mild one dimensional flavor of pure Virginia tobacco. The flavor reminds me a little of anise and leaves a pleasant aftertaste. Flake burns well with the method of your choice, folded or rubbed out. Produces lots of smoke and burns to the bottom of the bowl with little attention. Room note is barely noticeable (according to my wife.) Priced right and worth adding to your rotation.

though the mfg description did not indicate any there seemed to be the slightest hint of a topping in the bag note which also came through very lightly in the smoke, it was not a distraction to the overall enjoyment of the blend. i found this to be very pleasant straight Virginia tobacco, it is a long cut flake that rubs out and packs easily. the flavor is typical of medium sugar level Virginia, it does require several swipes with a pipe cleaner in the course of a bowl to keep moisture down but it burns to a nice ash without any relight required. no tongue bite and a fair aftertaste. room note is okay. could easily be an all day smoke. has some hay/grass/maltiness notes. it is offered in bulk and seems to be pretty readily available (unlike many other favorite Va. and Va/Per blends right now). if you are looking for a nice, straight forward, affordable, available Va. blend to try, i would suggest this.

I enjoyed this. A solid Virginia flake that is quite a value. With as much Bright Va as this flake is composed, I expected a more citrus sweet experience, but the sweetness in this blend is more subdued and the depth of flavor in this one is quite full to my tastes.

I would compare this more to SG FVF than I would to GH Bright CR; the latter of which is more akin to my expectations. However, I do not think it is as good as FVF, but at the price and availability, it will certainly do in a pinch. This also performs as well as FVF IMO.

Very gentle, delicate and fresh. Herbal notes and almost vanilla like sweetness. A 24 hours smoke and definetely a keeper in the realm of non pretentious Virginias.

Beautiful, mottled flakes sliced thinly. Easy to fold and twist into the pipe. The room aroma is pleasant. The smoke is sweet and fruity. It's got a lot of body for a VA. The flavor is mild to medium in strength. It doesn't bite if you sip gently. Very sweet, citrusy, and delicious when exhaled thru the nose. A very high-quality Virginia tobacco that's still under the radar. Highly recommended. Give it a try!

Just a really good straight Virginia flake. Grassy, tangy, sweet and delicious. As with any Virginia flake, novice smokers may experience some bite. This stuff is pure bliss and at a damn good price.