Fribourg & Treyer Cut Blended Plug

A hair darker in color than Cut Virginia Plug, with less fruit and no vanilla in the tin nose. I wasn't as taken with this one as I am CVP, but this is still a worthy blend. Some mild spice and the typical grassiness of red virginia but seemed a bit fruity to be a pure red. It leaned to the orange side of red, with very little of red's tanginess. This was earthier than CVP but still a sweet virginia. I preferred this just a bit dryer than CVP, as drying took it's fruitiness down a bit.

Not very high in nicotine and not terribly complex for the most part, it's complexity was subtle and easily missed in various bowls while it seemed more noticeable in others. The flavor had some citrus character but nothing like OGS or Dunhill Flake. But neither was it red red like F&T's Blackjack, a blend I prefer to this one. Orangey, as I mentioned. This is a very good blend that falls well short of greatness but it is definitely worth a try to any virginia lover. Just don't expect miracles right out of the tin. I have a few more tins of this that I plan to age and revisit.

Anyone suggesting this as a smoke for beginners is in need of sleep. Or that Dunhill flakes are more rich. Nonsense. (but then this reviewer tasted no casing...sigh) Like Golden Mixture, this is a hugely underrated tobacco. In fact, Fribourg and Treyer are in general underrated. CBP is a nice old school flake, cased nicely and lightly with rum perhaps and maybe plum and some other fruit, and all of it is balanced and comes in a wonderful smelling flake. It is a bit lighter in color and strength, but not in flavor. Its delicious. F&T use quality tobacco, and again, i feel are for some reason undervalued. This is far better than many better known flakes....and its also extremely cool smoking. Nic hit is just barely below medium, but flavor is pretty full. Smoked slowly it will yield more taste. A contemplative medium strength full tasting high end Virginia flake. Now it IS cased...so its not really in the same category as Dunhill Flake or SG FVF, but closer perhaps to University Flake (the new Peterson version as ive not smoked the Rattray incarnation). So its not a pure Virginia flake, but something approaching aromatic, but not quite. So if you like University flake, I suspect you will like this.

F&T-Cut blended plug .Lovely tin aroma .This is a fresh tin .Moisture is about perfect . Starts out grassy and bready then the citrus and dark fruit kick in . There is a mild spice when you push it a bit . It is flavored with something fruity and sugary . I get dark fruit and apricot but mostly I get a cherry taste . To my knowledge I have never tasted cherry in a tobacco blend . The flavoring is pleasant. This tobacco borders on aromatic for me . I usually wait about a year or so before I crack open a tin and this probably will get better with age . I hope so because I bought 2 more tins ! This is a good tobacco though . 3 stars ........ I dried some out to slightly crispy and it reminds me of Sutliff Crimgle Flake (first run ) . Tasty stuff

Loose mid brown flakes with prominent streaks of bright tobacco. Tin note is malt and caramel.

My tin, which I assume to be recent, makes no mention of anything other than Red Virginias. I cannot detect any condimentals in this tobacco.

A little difficult to get started, once underway this tobacco will burn with minimal attendance. It has a largely neutral flavour with some spiciness and a mild sweetness. Occasionally perfumed notes emerge suggestive of DFK, but are too transitory to be convincing. This tobacco burns a little on the hot and wet side, but is not harsh on the tongue.

I'm not sure if I find this tobacco interesting or just confusing. Certainly there is enough happening to warrant return visits, but it would never be a part of my regular rotation. Somewhere between two and three stars if I'm honest.

I used my official pipe for flakes national Finamore , affectionately nicknamed " Old War " , as it was my first pipe, and light it with matches ...

About this good tobacco , one flake , I can say that is the main recommendation to beginners in this format , because as " Dunhill Flake B " is said pretty much the same if not lower in all attributes than the old Light Flake , which does not disqualifies . It is tasty without exaggeration, is smooth and I recommend to beginners mainly because the more experienced prefer Dunhill, and potent Full Virginia Flake . A positive point to note is that it does not heat the bowl which in these days of heat is an advantage , however, during this a week that come to enjoying noticed it as well and humid which causes noise through a straw ( which annoys a lot ... ) , for this separated one or two flakes outdoors for about 15 minutes and really helps to regulate moisture. It is an option which in my opinion should not recur for a second time because for me it's more of the same , since I already have some experiences with Virginias from other houses , to quote the flake own Dunhill , Samuel Gawith Golden Glow and others of the House McClelland and surely this could not even match any of these , what do I repeatedly indicate beginners confreres in flakes or imported tobacco . the effect of nicotine ( for me ) was virtually nil .

No need to embellish what the credible reviewers below have already written...this is another very, very nice Virginia from Fribourg & Treyer. Sadly, a couple reviewers have mistaken Perique for the addition of a lightly-stoved VA component (used to give some depth and complexity to the blend, add some mellowness and slow the burn rate).

Lighter Virginias are typically a little 'tangier' to start with. Coupled with the slight raisin-type flavor of a stoved VA component. Thus the confusion.

IMO, there's no Perique in this formulation.

A little, rectangular 50g tin, with a simple red label showing a line drawing of the famous XVIII Century F & T storefront on 34 Haymarket Street, London, and the crowned snuff rasp, a trademark of this most celebrated of snuff millers.

Within, a perfectly tooled, copper-coloured red Virginia plug, neatly sliced and un-topped.

Remarkably, it fires more easily than any flake I have ever smoked, and stays lit longer. No bite at all: I smoke it greedily, and suffer no consequences.

The taste is of the mildest?too light, in fact, for me; but it has a refined finish and smooth smokability that I enjoy.

The lightest-tasting, least bite-prone, most refined Virginia flake I have ever encountered.

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.

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.