Fribourg & Treyer Cut Blended Plug

Extremely good quality tobacco, well presented. Light flavor, very pleasant. Good burn characteristics, nice ash. An all-around good tobacco...

In other words, boring. Also over-priced. And boring.

It burns very well and does not sting at all. It burns evenly until the end with a fire. But it didn't have a special taste for me.

Nice, light, everyday smoke, very citrusy Virginia has some incredibly slight honey topping which is hard to notice for me. However i pretty like that baccy. I wouldn't say that it's extraordinary but admittedly a good product. Remember not to overheat it otherwise flavour will be harsh and unplesanat. Smokes cool and I can definitely reccomend it for everyone.

I haven’t been excited with a tobacco since having Ascanian No2, notwithstanding Synjeco’s brilliant Holker Twist. 5 flakes is usually too soon to consider writing up, but each smoke has been identical so i have no reason to expect surprises from this blend.

The elegant tin contains perfectly formed Kohlhase & Kopp flakes, mostly shades of brown with a few black and a few bright strands. They smell like sweet bread with the tiniest hint of spice. Closer to the nose brings some grass and wood. Wood is not something i often associated with Virginia but I am not an expert at all in the genre. It is like pleasant dry wood shavings, like a carpenter’s shop, not the raw oak of ODF, or the sourness of some DFK bombs I’ve had. Both spice and wood carry in the smoke.

The flakes do need some drying, had them within 1 hour from the tin or overnight drying to a crisp and rubbing them out. Had them folded and stuffed, cube cut, the name of the game is consistency, this tobacco behaves and tastes very consistently throughout the bowl, regardless of the prep.

Taste is great, really great. Quite sweet on lighting up, almost aromatic sweet for me, but it subsides fairly quickly without going away. I got a lot of hints of cinnamon, wood, body, sweetness of raisin bread. The main point is that the taste is consistent, reasonably strong, and very enjoyable. That’s it, no more no less. Very enjoyable, next one up will be Cut Virginia Plug

This one is a winner for me, my favourite. Red Virginia, some floral and vanilla topping, complex, smokes cool, fantastic flavour, well behaved and excellent quality. Slow burning and white smoke. The topping gives it that extra complexity and does not detract from the Virginias. This is the most satisfying smoke I've ever had. I cannot say enough good things about this underrated tobacco. The downside is availability which can be a bit difficult at times. This one has the same topping as Vintage Flake but for me the topping in this tobacco works better than with Vintage.

My tobacco journey has been a weird one. I took the bad advice of going from cigars (all tobacco) to aromatics, which almost shut the process down, to English, to VA blends, to Burley blends. I had considered myself an English smoker, which I love and the great ones transcend all tobacco's, but Virginia's are now my go to. They aren't as a rule as complex but they are the most uniformly delicious and consistently good tobacco's available, in my humble opinion of course. This is a great blend. I am new to F&T and I am kicking myself for not trying them sooner and hoarding them when they become available. The tin note is typical straight Virginia with an added sweetness, I know it is topped but I cannot tell you with what. The Red Virginia is the star. This is a blend for sure but that earthy, dark fruit flavor is front and center. This blend, for me was consistently nutty at around mid bowl. There is some mild grass and citrus, which comes and goes and it also has a toasted bread quality to it as it develops. Really good stuff.

My tin is 4 yes. old. The tin was opened by me when new, so had a nice moisture content today. It is a thin reddish/brown flake. Typical new mown hay tin aroma, with no discernable top dressing. Lightly rubbed out and smoked in a GBD Sablee King Billard #193; the briar is 45 yes. old.

The tobacco lit easily and after some relights settled down to a sweet smoke. This is a smooth smoke with a moderate complexity of nuts and Carmel. I found it relaxing and easy to smoke. A nice VA flake that for me was more interesting to smoke than many of the Burley based plugs.

new version >>< A light red Virginia flake, slightly sweet with natural flavoring. <<

old version >>> Dark brown, heavily fermented plug slice from the finest, fully ripe Virginia tobaccos. Smokers who love a spicy, highly aromatic tobacco come depends on their bill. <<<

in the tin new tobacco light - middlebrown (depends on age)

another current cheap crap of a former good stuff. How could it get 3 or 4 stars ?

First open, not impressed. After one and a half month, better. After two months and a week, heaven!

Conclusion, like a fine old wine Cut Blended Plug needs to breath to come into its own. Patience will be largely rewarded!