Fribourg & Treyer Blackjack

True Red Virginia flake rubbed out just perfectly. I believe that this tobacco was slightly flue cured with some hard woods. This in my opinion does not take away from the tobacco but adds an earthiness,woodsy-ness aroma/taste to this fine leaf. The virginia is naturally sweet but potent here. I removed the stupid sticker from my tin. I like the original name better. A very relaxing sipping smoke.

F & T's Blackjack (Negrohead)

1. DATE: 11032004 2. REVIEWER: Art_A 3. BRAND/COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Fribourg & Treyer, England 4. BLEND/TYPE: A ready-rubbed pure red Virginia plug. 5. PRICE/PACKAGING: $ 7.15 50 grams 6. CONTENTS: Virginia 7. CUT: Rubbed out ribbon 8. AVERAGE STRENGTH RATING: In a scale of 1 to 10 this would be a 5 9. TASTE RATING: about an 7 to 8 10.FLAVOR RATING: sweet but not overly so 11.ROOM NOTE/AROMA: 7 to 8 12.IMPRESSIONS:This is a good mild VA A. INITIAL An easy light a bit sharp but sweet tasting B. MID BOWL: The Virginia come out very good and very mild as are F&T Tobacco C. END OF BOWL: The VA stays with no sourness or ash taste at the finish, A mild nicotine hit 13.RECOMMENDATIONS/RATING: (Scale 1 - 5) I must give this 4 stars 14. GENERAL COMMENTS: I had broke out a new meer for this baccy and will use it for F&T's Blackjack (Negrohead in the rest of the world) I like this as a good dry mild VA so much that I have ordered another 12 tins for the celler

This tobacco may have the most offensive, politically incorrect moniker since the detesticularization of America (peel off the top label to see, if you must), but it's a very decent, competent blend. As with all F&Ts, it's quite mild, perhaps too much so. Still, it's a satisfying, enjoyable smoke that's hard to dislike, with typical F&T smoothness, tooling, and nuance.

A hearty and flavorful VA blend. I expected something dark and seedy but was nicely surprised to find something robust, yet not too heavy in nicotine or on the palate but with a distinct flavor. Nice long and colorful ribbons that look and feel good while packing. The fresh tin smells fabulous and was just a tiny bit moist. A little bit of drying made it quite smokeable and weeks later - Blackjack is good right out of the box.

It is grassy and lightly sugary upon initial light and relight, then eventually gives way to a slightly tangy, very full tobacco taste.

Earthy/woodsiness does come through but remains very airy. There doesn't seem to be a broad range of flavors but instead subtle shifts in the level of spice and sweetness within an overall full VA taste. Letting it settle and giving it a relight definitely increases the fullness of the taste. I believe I taste a tiny bit of cirtus oriental towards the end of the bowl but it is just a hint.

I couldn't detect additional topping/casing. The room note during the smoke is light and airy. It leaves little to no lingering permeation of the room.

I've found that Blackjack burns clean and remarkably cool. I've only had a bit of bite when using it in a pipe that is somewhat virgin, and overpuffing. Even at the end of the bowl there was no sourness, and just a slight increase in VA tang and strength. This may be a good tobacco for those looking to try out straight VA blends.

By far one of the most overall enjoyable VA based tobaccos I've tried (though my range of experience is still admittedly fairly limited). It seems nearly every smoke gives me plenty of satisfaction with very little fuss, bite, or falter. A clean white-gray ash in the end.

F&T Blackjack is such a simple, understated, easy going smoke. I usually get in two bowls a day, three if I’m lucky. So the concept of an “all day smoke” (tips cap to JimInks) is foreign to me. But Blackjack seems to fit that definition—given the chance, I do believe I could smoke it all day. Zero bite, nothing even approaching harsh, and wonderful Virginia (mainly red) flavor. Nearly perfect in its simplicity.
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If you are a lover of pure red Virginia this is a must try... just a nice straight forward smoke.. tangy, slight earth and maybe a hint of fruity/citrus..it does have some of the grass/ hay.. but not at all complex.. the main thrust of it is that sweet/sour profile that reds often have.. just another decent k&k blended tobacco..my tin only had about a year on it..this would definitely be a good one to cellar if you like red virginia.. pure and sweet but probably minimal flavoring.. not much strength to it.. but not weak.. has a great ready rubbed cut that is somewhere between ribbon and broken flake.. really nice to work with..

Blackjack is a slow burning red Virginia with absolutely no artificial flavoring or topping. It tastes amazing with heaps of tangy and earthy flavoring. Similar in taste to Sam Gawith Spring flake but without the sherry. A very spicy tobacco and this one most definitely has some perique added which is why it might be called blackjack. Can be a little too strong and harsh at the end of the bowl but overall I give it four stars because I really like it and it's so natural tasting. The Freybourg and Treyer red tin (cut blended plug) is better still in my opinion. It's a bit more refined and has a curious floral/vanilla topping that is really intriguing.

A fairly strong note of hay with a very mild note of citrus. Only a touch of sweetness and a fair amount of spice. A slight earthiness later in the bowl. Too much hay for my taste and a little boring.

Mild to medium in body and taste. No added flavoring detected. Burns very well.

I love red VA's. This one is no exception but it really did not compare to my bench marks. That said there are a number of good qualities about this one. It is really a semi-sweet tobacco. Not quite what I expected as reds usually have more sweetness about them. Tastes of grass/hay with some citrus (perhaps topped with orange?). It is only the slightest bit tangy with occasional notes of that VA spice I love. The citrus topping was a little much for me personally but that is just me. It left a film like feel on my tongue. The finish was slightly ashy as well. Still a good red VA. If you are really into the reds this one should make your wish list to try at least once.