Tobaccos Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Plug

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TW (38)	2013-09-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

FVPlug is the plug version of Full Virgina Flake. It's basically the same tobacco, but there are significant differences.

First off, the plug is smoother and slightly sweeter than the flake, and if anything has more flavour. Just like PipesterJim says below.

Secondly, the flake is supplied very wet indeed requiring ages to dry out, and tends to be over-compressed and often cut too think. It has a tendency to be a bit leathery. The plug is supplied much drier, so you're paying for much less water and it needs much less drying, sometimes none at all. It's well compressed, but not remotely leathery. In the UK it's supplied bulk, not in tins and it's the only SG tobacco I've had had where I can open a fresh pack and immediately smoke without hours or days of drying it out first. I'd rather the slight extra hassle of having to take a knife to a plug than messing about with the over-wet soggy stuff any time.

Finally, even for people like me who love VA flakes but suffer very badly from tongue burn, FV plug burns smoothy, gently and without a trace of bite whether you cut it into flakes, rub it out, cube it or whatever (which makes me suspect excessive wetness in tobacco is a major cause of tonguebite).

A gentle, smooth, magnificent dark tobacco. Massively recommended.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2013-01-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Original review: 1-22-2013. Being a plug, it takes time to ready it for a smoke. I thought it slightly less fuller, a little sweeter, smoother and a tad more well rounded than FVF. It's just a little less earthy and floral, and the light spice note in FVF is not as noticeable here. The vegetative grassiness is mild and is about the same level as the flake. The tangy, sugary, bready, dark fruit, and tart and tangy citrus sweetness are a little more on the fermented side as often happens with plugs. There's more dark fruit than citrus, but the citrus seems to be upped a notch from the flake version. The woodiness is about the same. Hardly has any rough edges. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium (as is the flake). The taste is a touch less potent than the flake, barely missing the medium mark. The nic-hit is about the same; not quite hitting the center of mild to medium. It does require some relights, and the number of them depends on how you slice it. Regardless, it's a slow smoke. Buns cool and clean with a very consistent flavor from start to finish, and won't bite or get harsh at any time during the proceedings. Leaves little dampness in the bowl. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste. The room note is a tad stronger. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars.

Update: 1-13-2023. There is a change in this production. There are more varying layers of different colors ranging from black to gold. A fair amount of that is caused by the juices of the tobacco migrating toward the ends when pressing. Like the current FVF, the lighter Virginias take the top spot. Overall, the aspects resulting from this leads to a higher tart and tangy citrus, which now leads the tangy dark fruit, earth, and wood. This is a little more floral, less fermented, and a tad less sugary along with a mild spice note that is more obvious than before. The strength, nic-hit and taste levels are a notch higher. Otherwise, all my previous observations are the same. I give this version three and a half stars rounded up to four.

-JimInks

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2011-10-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Full Virginia Flake is the most reviewed tobacco on this site. It is hardly necessary to describe the taste of FVF de novo. FV Plug is the plug form of FVF, but the smoking experience is not identical to smoking FVF. For one, the plug seems to be marginally lighter in nicotine than the flake - but only marginally. Depending on how you prepare the plug it can take two or three lights before the pipe gets going, but once started no further relights are needed. The Plug burns slower, cooler and sweeter than the flake. To use a culinary metaphor, the plug is to the flake as a reduction is to the sauce (or balsamic vinegar!), a slightly more intense taste.

Some drying time helps. Even so, a full pipe lasts a long time. Going out for the morning it is enough to carry a full pipe, and not a tin. By the same token, the plug disappears a little faster than a commensurate weight of flake.

If you like FVF and are prepared to put up with the additional labour of preparing the plug (quite enjoyable, in fact) it is more than likely that you will find yourself coming back to the plug again and again.

Kudos to Samuel Gawith!

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2017-02-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I just finished up a pretty large chunk of this, I received a while ago. I don't think that I have the palate to differentiate the difference between a plug and a flake. My gut instinct is that there is no difference and it is wholly illusory and the difference one experiences is more akin to a placebo effect. The only difference between this and FVF is the latter is sliced into flakes that vary in size if you choose the tin or bulk versions of FVF.

Thus, FVP is the same as FVF, just more of a PITA for people like me who don't like to fuss with a plug. My problem is that no matter what knife I am using or how sharp said knife is, I end up with uneven sized flakes or shards.

There are only two people that I can see benefitting from FVP over FVF. The first would be anyone who does not like the way the bulk or tin offerings of FVF are sliced and think that they can do a better job. For this person, I highly recommend this blend as it gives them the opportunity to have one of the greatest Virginias exactly the way they like it.

The second group would be knife collectors. This plug will give them many opportunities to put their knives in pictures next to their pipes and the block of baccy. So for all you knife collectors out there, I also highly recommend this.

For everyone else, I highly recommend FVF, and contrary to traditional wisdom, I recommend the bulk flakes. I find Sam Gawith flakes to be much better in bulk than in the tins. The flakes are longer and thinner making them easier to rub out and light.

As for the tobacco, It is the benchmark Virginia. Just the right amount of all flavor traits a Virginia can have. Sweet, grass, hay, earth and sugar. It is all there and it is fantastic. As I had stated above it is the same tobacco whether in flake or plug, so I will give this 4 stars, but maintain that, because of difficulties in prep, this does rank below FVF to my tastes.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-05-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Medium brown plug with vivid yellow streaks of lighter tobacco. It is dense and oily and resists rubbing out. I cube cute this.

It has a pouch note that is caramel sweet. As with most unflavoured lakeland tobaccos there is some residual floral aroma.

Takes a light fairly well and burns well too. Despite its wet texture as a plug this burns consistently cool and dry for the entire bowl.

Not a lot of complexity here. It is a straightforward Va with a caramel/malty sweetness to the tongue. The room/bowl note is herbacious, even tea like.

I'm going to give this 3 stars, tho it probably sits between 2 and three. It has no obvious faults other than being boring.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bonneville (52)	2018-06-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

FVF is my all time favorite tobacco. So naturally, I’ve been dying to get my hands on some of this plug. They don’t import in to the US, so recently while vacationing in the UK, I picked some up. Lucky for me they had 2 250g boxes left, and I bought them both. And damn. It’s got all the flavor I love from FVF, but the different preparation does impact the smoke somewhat, and gives it a slight edge. It’s rounder, fuller, sweeter, and just better overall. And that is a hard thing to achieve. Simply sublime. Sam Gawith, please start sending some of this across the pond!!!

Pipe Used: Falcon Meerschaum lined

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop, UK

Similar Blends: Full Virginia Flake.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-12-10		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Sam Gawith - Full Virginia Plug.

Update: 08/01/20.

Firstly, as others state, this is an exorbitantly dense plug, so allow time for preparation! But, the prep' is worth it; MORE THAN worth it!

I cut the plug apart, then give it a blast in the coffee grinder. This makes for a rather 'fluffy' mixture. After this the moisture suits me; a touch damp, but not wet. It smells as expected, like a pure Virginia.

The ignition depends on the ruggedness of cutting/chopping/etc. Because mine goes through a grinder it takes to the flame easily, but has a predilection to 'swell' in the bowl. The flavour? Lovely! It isn't over-tart, too sweet, or even that grassy, but has a little of all the Va flavours; there's some arboraceous character, dark fruit, and a smattering of sweetness. It burns wonderfully, but again, this depends on how fine/coarse you make it! It burns at a medium temperature, giving quite a lightweight smoke.

Nicotine: medium at a push. Room-note: nice.

Full Virginia Plug? A steadfast four star smoke:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Altinok Meershaum

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipesterJim (47)	2013-07-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

If you're one of those fellas who struggles to smoke a straight VA without suffering tongue torture or palate scorching then you have my heartfelt sympathy. For myself, I can smoke straight VA blends without trouble when I concentrate on what I am doing, but if I allow my attention to wander too far from the task at hand then I am not beyond hurting myself. Fortunately, Samuel Gawith has the answer to our problems - FV Plug.

This is noticeably the same tobacco as the famous Full Virginia Flake. However, in plug form the smoking experience is smoother and less sharp, deeper and sweeter with reduced bright VA tang. Prepared as a chunky cube cut it also seems less prone to heating up.

Sure, it is more effort to prepare and get going, and it is also more prone to requiring relights. I couldn't care less - it's yet another great plug tobacco from the SG stable.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2016-12-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

An improved FVF, the plug has more flavor and is more mellow and well rounded. Earthy, with a lot of figs and brioche flavors, I love it. Smooth, cool and no bite even if puffed fast, FVP is another must for the Virginia smoker.

Virginia lover

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipeologist (27)	2015-08-23		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Full Virginia Flake,to me, is a little boring.Yes,it is a supremely pure and delicious tobacco,however,it lacks what I might call interest.Virginia,Virginia,the backbone of all smokers,I must admit,however like that same old Fulgers feeling that you Amercans must get every morning,there must be something beyond. I guess that's why perique and Latakia were discovered. To the tobacco. It comes in a block . It wants to be dissected,like that old biological frog. Wet it is and in great need of drying out,of which I gave it two days. As with the normal FVF,it delivers to perfection that smooth ,creamy Virginia taste.Yum Yum! ,but interesting it is not and so for me,I will give this a miss,in future,as I need to move on a bit.Steaks taste good,but they need nice sauce.All those who love this,I salute you .

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-03-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the plug version of Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake.

In contrast to the flake, which tends to be wet, moisture is perfect in this mottled brown, solid block of pressed tobacco. The strong tin note bursts with typical grassy, haylike, natural Virginia scents.

To fill your pipe you need a very sharp knife, so you can either cut off a thin slice like a flake that you rub out or use the fold and stuff method, or cut a thicker slice (2-3 mm) in order to make your own cross cut. I prefer the later alternative, because it gives you an even cooler, more complex smoke, and crumble some broken bits on top. After the charring light I level out the ashes, before setting the true light.

Like any Virginia blend, the Full Viginia Plug needs to be smoked deliberately gently and coolly in order to develop its full flavor. If it burns too hot, it'll loose its complex aroma and might even cause tongue bite. The full bodied, tangy taste has a distinct natural sweetness that reminds me of dark chocolate, which is still more pronounced than in the flake. The tobacco burns down evenly and slowly leaving some powdery, dark grey ash. Don't worry, if it goes out on the way, because it maintains it delicious taste after a re-light.

The room note is unobtrusive, but has a slight sweetness as well.

Pipe Used: Lorenzo Spitfire

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Synjeco

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake, Pfeifen Huber Epikur.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	curis (1)	2014-04-25		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After smoking a couple of packs FVF I wanted to try this plug. The taste is just as delicious as FVF, but you can control width of the cut and enjoy the ritual by cutting :) My piece of the plug was after cutting a little wetter, so I left it after dilution overnight to dry in the open box. Then was perfect! Very, very good tobacco! I think the best Virginia.

Pipe Used: Stanislaw

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: www.etrafika.cz

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peter Piper (41)	2013-07-26		Strong	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

A little more high maintenance than the norm to be sure, courtesy of the presentation. But once you have carefully cut off a few cubes across the plug it rubs out easily enough making packing straightforward.

And oh, what a delight. The "pressure-cooking" treatment has just taken that sharpness off the edge which some may find troublesome, leaving this as smooth, tasty and easy-smoking a Virginia as you could imagine. Take it slowly as there is a nic hit behind that mellow exterior and you will be rewarded with a truly classic smoke. Terrific stuff.

Highly recommended.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2018-03-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

After trying this, I may never again go back to flakes, (unless I'm going out and pulling a knife out may seem inappropriate) this has to be the King of plugs, no more drying time as with the flake, just shave off a little, fill the pipe and forget the world. Superb.

Pipe Used: Comoy

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: CQ

Similar Blends: There is nothing similar to this, it's in a league of it's own..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluegrassbrian (9)	2017-04-08		Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Thanks to a friend that resides in Surrey, I was able to score a large chunk of Gawith Full Virginia plug and Kendal plug. I was amazed at the gargantuan slab of tobacco I unwrapped. Seemingly whole leaves of dark brown virginia pressed together into a tough, leathery loaf. After jarring for several months I've removed the largest plug and sliced off a couple thick flakes. I let the moist flakes dry out over night. From that point I used a hand grinder to break it up into manageable pieces. It packs very well into my Penzo lovat. Charring light fills my mouth with satin smoke that tastes like earth..an almost terracotta flavor with tinges of citrus tang. After the first third of the bowl is exhausted the tang dissipates and transforms into a maltier taste. This flavor persists through the rest of the bowl. There is no bite to mention and it's smooth the entire smoke. As expected, this is a stronger tobacco experience. Lovers of nicotine will revel in its strength. It makes for a tremendous breakfast smoke. I think many pipers would be sated after one bowl. More ardent followers of the cult of N will ravenously partake in another bowl. Virginia smokers should find a way to score some Gawith Full Virginia plug. Those that prefer aromatic or English blends may not enjoy it.

Pipe Used: Giacomo Penzo lovat

Age When Smoked: 1 year

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hiltanzil (7)	2016-06-04		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I think this tobacco has a "yet" philosophy. A simple yet complex,

Many people would say that preparing plug tobacco is pain in the ass. But i'm very enjoy preparing the plug tobacco. The key to enjoying this tobacco is patient, more are better. I've found the best way to preparing the fvf plug is slice with about 1mm thickness, slice it slowly to make a prefect flake. Dry it for about 1 to 3 hours and rub it.

The smell from this plug (in mason jar) is tangy, sweet and a little bit grassy. The smoke from this tobacco has a very complex aroma, from the start to the end i think i've found a different stage of complex aroma. From hay-ish aroma at the false light, buttery and tangy aroma at the begining of the smoke, sweetness in the middle of the smoke and the caramel-chocolate taste at the end of the smoke and so many that i couldn't tell what it is. But i'm very sure that the casing of this tobacco isn't came from complex sauce, it's very simple sauce that i think is given.

To achieve the complexity of the smoke you need to smoke it very gentle, and the superb aroma would came out.

Pipe Used: comoy grandslam

Purchased From: puff puff pipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (80)	2022-02-05		Mild	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

Basically same as FVF. Taste, smell even moisture are at the same level and awesome. Preparation is longer, because you need cut it first. I usually leave it 1-2 hours in the air than I pack to my Fridays pipe BPK-67929o. Rounded taste, mellow and smooth. Sweeter from month to month.

Pipe Used: BPK, Stanislaw, cob

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mariusK (33)	2019-11-18		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

One of the best Virginias I have had. It burned like a champ with little relighting, and that despite some thicker crumbles (having been impatient to try this one, I have shortened the cutting procedure - I know, it is fun, but I just wanted to smoke it without much ado). No tongue burn, but it should be sipped slowly. The taste remains the same throughout the bowl, smooth and delicious to the end.

The taste is sweet and rich thanks to a good choice of the best Virginias. The subtleties of flavour notes in this blend have been - as always - described in great detail by JimInks, so there is no need to dwell on them. But I can say one thing - this blend is packed with flavours of good Virginias. This is an all day smoke for me, not too strong, burning well, with a moderate nic-hit. A great tobacco!

Pipe Used: Ser Jacopo Oom Paul, Kriswill Comfirt, Bari cutty

Age When Smoked: new

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tomspeed (23)	2013-07-06		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Same Like Full Virginia Flake Just Lovely Plug, Super Nice Neutral Tobacco Aroma. High Quality Virginia Tobacco With Great Smell.. Highly Recommended but not for Beginners

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krog (22)	2022-02-06		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

flowery, sugary, woody, sweet Virginia. In comparison with FVF its slightly sweeter, fuller, slightly more intense aroma. Also ages slightly faster than FVF.

Very hard to cut and rub out and very moist. I cut the plug into flakes and then into cubes.

If you manage to prepare it and pack it then you are rewarded with fabulous flavours. Not a citrusy virginia, More Likely flowers, sugar, dark fruits. My favorite Virginia, nothing can beat that. Dont overheat it cause it will ruin the experience, take it slow. I prefer to smoke it more moist.

Marvellous tobacco, one of my favorites, I cant find anything better than that. Necessarily put it into a jar for a few years , it will get darker and the flavor will be richer, you will spot a huge difference.

Highly reccomended

Pipe Used: kiko meerschaum, corn cobs

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (156)	2020-09-23		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is as hearty and flavoursome a Virginia as any I can think of. The plug is a dense rock of brown tobacco, smells like hay, horse food and dried fruit. Slice thin shavings across the grain with a sharp penknife, and rub just a little. Leave it to dry on paper, it tends to come quite wet which is ideal for slicing but will smoke better for a little drying time.

It lights up with ease if you've put the crumbs on top for kindling, and won't need many relights. The flavour right from the start is hearty and it produces copious amounts of smoke, lovely for smoke rings. The flavour is also progressive: fresh hay gives way to bread and later to fruitcake, lovely! Depending on how dry it was when you loaded it, and how greedily you stuffed the bowl, it can leave quite a clod of wet dottle which will resist any efforts to make it combust: drying the baccy and a loose pack is key to minimise this.

This plug is well loved for a reason, and I think any fan of pure Virginia tobacco, and any fan of Samuel Gawiths unscented blends owes themselves a try.

Pipe Used: Northern Briars Lumberman, Rattrays Canadian

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Mysmokingshop

Similar Blends: Full Virginia Flake, Best Brown Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2019-03-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I really like this presentation for a few reasons: First the plug is great for aging. The concentration of flavors (the reason plugs are made in the first place) are allowed to "do their thing" over time. In addition FVF has a tendency to bite me, not sure why the plug is different in that regard but it is, maybe the chunkier rubbed out version or the cube cut helps there, I am not sure but this never fries my tongue. The final reason is that SG blends have become feast of famine and hoarding seems to be the operative of the day, so getting a tin when I run low is a crap shoot. Getting a pound of the plug and keeping it in a jar an another pound bought here and there for aging is the way to go. I am lucky enough to go to the EU often enough to get this there or I have a friend in the UK that hooks me up. I am lucky. The flavor seems darker and richer then the flake and it is as smooth as a straight VA can be. St. James Plug is even better and for me is a full star above the flake. This is perhaps a half star better, it is tough to build off of an archetypal Virginia, which is FVF. For those the are not handy with sharp objects this may be one to avoid. the prep time is significant and the flake requires a sharp blade (I use my Case folder or an exacto knife if it isn't handy). For me the effort is well worth it. One other great feature the extends the reach of the flake is if you are travelling. This is my go to blend when camping or hunting. The plug is dense and damp and will withstand less than perfect storage conditions for a reasonable amount of time (a week to 10 days for me). A real artisan blend and highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum and cobs

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tschenyinkoh (51)	2018-02-09		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Samuel Gawith FVF (Full Virginia) Plug Pipe Tobacco is the plug uncut version of Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake.

While some found the tinned Samuel Gawith flakes a little moist and heavily compacted, this stunning plug is dryer and little less compacted, making it cooler and one of the easiest plugs to smoke. Full Virginia plug is hot pressed to take the hot edge off the Virginia leaves.

In a word, the plug uncut version burns slower and is fuller, more sugary, cooler and smoother than Full Virginia Flake. Leaving with a pleasant aftertaste and with no tongue bite, this blend of Virginias can be enjoyed at any time of day or night.

But it needs more breathing time. I cut it into thin flakes then put them into a mason jar for couple days. And it is not working if you put it on a paper airing for ten to twenty minutes or in a spare tin for eight to twelve hours, which just decrease the moisture condition and the moisture condition is perfect from the new tin.

The Summary:

Samuel Gawith FVF (Full Virginia) Plug

Contents - Virginia

Flavouring - None

Cut - Plug

Origin - Kendal, England

Tasting Notes:

Strength - Medium

Flavouring - None Detected

Taste - Medium

Room Note - Pleasant to Tolerable

Purchased From: smoke-king.co.uk; gqtobaccos

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	THROATHIT (38)	2016-02-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

FvF is great and this plug version is the same stuff uncut. It stores very well in this state which is a solid mass heavily pressed and oily looking. If you need a tobacco that will travel well then this is a beauty. For myself the attraction was novel value at first however as others have noted this one burns sweeter.

I like to slice a flake or two about 2 to 3 mm thick and dry it for an hour(juice depending) until it has curled up a bit on the chopping board. I then use a weed grinder( A plastic device with two halves which are round and one rotates inside the other with many pyramid shaped closed spaced teeth) The result is the now tacky flake will break by hand into smaller bits and you can load a small amount into the grinder at a time. Once ground the tobacco is in very small chunks and will load light and bun with ease a perfect consistency to achieve best burn and taste and with the minimum fuss. I do believe that plug is worth the effort and that FvP is an excellent tasty and smooth sweet easy smoke.

Pipe Used: Any

Age When Smoked: 12 months

Purchased From: g q

Similar Blends: Full vg Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (152)	2022-09-14		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Appearance. Of course, there was no production date on the sealed bag. However, the excise stamp indicated Q3 2016, and the DHS warnings were consistent with the 2014-2017 period, so I'm pretty sure the tobacco in the pack was over five years old. The packet contained one small bar the color of bitter chocolate with occasional flecks of straw hue. The bar was very well compressed, and it would take a very sharp knife to cut it. Regarding preparing it for smoking, there are several ways to go about it. Some people cut the bar into slabs, then take them apart by hand. Some use a tobacco grinder to shred the tobacco. Some chop it into small cubes of a couple of millimeters and then put them in the bowl without pressing it. I prefer the first method - thin slicing with a knife and then hand-cutting. This gives me a chance to appreciate the moisture content of the tobacco and enjoy the flavor.

The flavor of this blend leaves no doubt that you're looking at a harvest of excellent Virginia - and nothing more. No flavorings, no topping, no maple syrup to glue the leaf. A lovely bread aroma, with hints of baked fruit and a little bit of sweet meadow flowers. The woody note is almost imperceptible.

The tobacco also has a very high quality Virginia taste. However, as with any pure Virginia blend, you have to smoke the pipe extremely slowly to experience it. This, by the way, is another problem that a beginner encounters: if the pipe is poorly packed, the blend goes out quickly. You have to either light it again or light the pipe more intensively, and the magic of Virginia taste disappears and the tobacco becomes bitter or may bite your tongue, though Full Virginia Plug is a more "friendly" blend in this respect than most Virginia blends. If the pipe is well-filled, the tobacco smokes extremely slowly, coolly and evenly, giving off a wonderful taste that consists of notes of sweet but not sugary baked fruit, a drop of floral honey, and fresh bread. Towards the middle of the pipe a slight woody flavor also appears which pleasantly completes the overall picture. The strength of the tobacco is medium or even slightly lower, but due to the slow smoking tobacco gives nicotine very well. The tobacco burns into a light gray ash, leaving a bit of moisture in the pipe. I also noticed that in bentas the woody note in the flavor appears much later and is almost absent in the aftertaste, leaving only sweetness.

The smoke from the blend is almost weightless, but very distinctive by its odor, although it wears off very quickly and does not irritate those around you.

What is the result? Excellent tobacco, in all respects, except for one thing - it's not for the novice. I highly recommend to try Full Virginia Flake first before trying this one on your own. Fans of mixed blends may even find these two tobaccos boring. Well, the more we get...

Pipe Used: Peterson 69, 106, XL661

Age When Smoked: 2016

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2020-08-28		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Some say it's dull...to me it's pure. No nasty chemistry going on. Creamy smooth smoke. Nicotine is there but not heavy. Smells abit cigarette like in the room .it's just honest. You know your getting high quality leaf. There's not much to not like here. It won't send you on a taste Sensation journey...but for a non nonsense smoke this takes some beating

Pipe Used: Nording 1995 Newmarkt special

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My smoking shop

Similar Blends: Flake version.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (49)	2022-07-13		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is one hella spicy tobacco. Think white pepper and lots of it. To me it tasted like wet plaster and that continued right down to the final third of the bowl where it became bearable. Oddly enough I found it a very satisfying bowl. I prefer a hint of Lakeland essence and this has none. The plug cut easily and rubbed out to a sticky broken flake and the moisture was goldilocks. I don't think I would buy again because I found it way too one dimensional. If I want spice then I prefer a VaPer as I'm not really a fan of white pepper. I guess it will make the straight Virginia fans happy.

Pipe Used: Balandis tomahawk

Purchased From: GQ

Similar Blends: Bright CR Flake.

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