Fribourg & Treyer Cut Virginia Plug

This is probably the best Virginia flake that I've ever smoked and I've had a few. Grassy, light, sweet, and flavorful, this blend is a marvel. It does have a sweet topping, but it is very light and really just highlights the sweetness of the Virginias used. Is it Vanilla? I dunno, maybe. It's sweet, but most of this is natural sweetness and not the cloying sweetness of other tobaccos.

I have seen that others have said that citrus flavor is a topping, but I feel that citrus overtones are just a characteristic of the light Virginias present. From my experience, light Virginias have a grassy, hay-ish, and citrusy flavor to them and this one definitely fits the criteria in that way. I used the fold and stuff method almost exclusively when smoking this, as I find that fold and stuff burns cooler and produces a more flavorful smoke. Usually, something like this would be to mild for my tastes, but when I'm in the mood for a Virginia, this is the one.

With summer fast approaching, I think I'll buy a couple more tins in preparation, as I think this will be an excellent choice for warm-weather piping. This could just be the one summer flake that I'll want. Don't get me wrong, I'll still have the Blackwoods Flake around for the Mississippi summer heat, but this one will definitely be a staple.

I had last smoked this some six years ago while on a fellowship in Oxford, and had liked it immensely. It, along with Balkan Sobranie, was consolation during a bitterly cold and solitary winter. CVP used to come in a tin roughly the size of a MacBaren Navy Flake tin. The new tin is squarer and thinner, and the tobacco is not anymore made in the UK but in Germany. Since transplanting of manufacturing proccesses does not always succeed I opened the tin with some apprehension.

Well, I was very pleasantly surprised. Memories of taste and smell give more than the usual hostages to fortune, but I am convinced that the present incarnation is even better than the original! It ranks with Old Gowrie and Light Flake as among the finest. Now that the latter is reported to be discontinued, there is even more reason to search for stockists of Cut Virginia Plug.

02-01-2005 A great classic Flake!

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful presentation! The flakes are stacked neatly and have a beautiful mixture of browns, yellows, and birdseye. It smells like rich hay, similar to Marlin Flake. I stared at the flakes and smelled them for a long time before packing my pipe, such was the quality of this flake.

Packing and Lighting: I prefered to rub out the flakes due to them being a little moist and oily upon opening the tin. Stayed lit well after 2-3 lights.

Initial Flavor: Aaahhh! This is going to be an enjoyable experience. This is a fine Va flake. Very similar to the afore mentioned MF, but not as spicy.

Mid-Bowl: Delicious flavor! Round, mellow, some natural carmel notes. This blend works very well in my Castleford stacked billiard that I have dedicated to Va. blends.

Bottom of Bowl: Please don't end! Alas, it does and all that is left is a fine grey ash. There was a slight build up of strength and a little increase in the spicyness, but never became harsh. It did leave a lot of moisture in the shank though, but nothing a pipe cleaner couldn't handle.

Overall: This is a fine blend. In my rotation, it is right behind MF and ahead of Blackwoods Flake. I wish I had tried this blend a couple of years ago so I could have layed some tins for aging, but this blend is delicious fresh anyway. Due to the flavor richness, I never found myself overpuffing, and becuase of that, tongue-bite was never a problem. Even though I am still primarily a English/Balkan smoker, this blend still satifies. I heartily recommend it!

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 points. Enjoy!

Pouch Aroma: OK, this is nice. It's simple, understated and ever-so-slightly sweet. It's slightly herbal smelling, like walking through a meadow in early fall, and promises to be a subtle smoke.

Appearance: This is pretty! Seven flakes stacked on top of one another in a roughly 1-1/4" by 3" pile. The colors vary from bright yellow (20%), orange-red (60%), dark brown (10%) and black (10%), and the flakes are well-pressed and the colors evenly distributed.

Packing and Lighting: I've picked out an Upshall Lovat, a big ol' stacked pipe with lots of wood that always delivers a cool smoke. Rubbing a couple of flakes out fills the bowl almost to the rim. The first light is VERY smooth and lightly sweet and the smoke is creamy and rich with just a hint of spiciness on my tongue. A relight isn't really necessary as the whole top lit on the first try, but out of habit I tamped lightly to smooth the ash and made a quick pass with the flame.

Exposition: Once the burn is settled in, I'm realizing what I like most about this tobacco - both the flavor and aroma are pure tobacco. I get nothing fruity, nor overtly spicy or exotic; it's a very simple Virginia taste, woody, slightly sweet and very well balanced. It vaguely reminds me of many different smokes I've had, but seems to be lacking a bit in complexity. I like the flavor, I just hope it picks up some more interesting nuances as the bowl progresses...

The Story: I stopped to make lunch for myself and my little one and laid the pipe aside for a half hour or so, and the relight flavor is almost identical to what it was before. Odd indeed. Ok, the sweetness has dropped a notch, but that's it. It's still a pleasant smoke, but I'd be more likely to enjoy it at work where I'm busy helping customers than I am now when I'm searching for subtleties that just aren't there.

A little further along, and about the 2/3 mark, the flavor is picking up some spicy pepper flavors and the sweetness is peeking back out, reminding me of dried figs and dark honey. The aroma is still pure tobacco with a slightly sweet woodsy essence, and a nutty but leathery aroma coming off of the bowl. That's more like it! I still don't find it to be all that compelling, but it most certainly isn't BAD. One thing I can't fault is the burning properties: it lit easily and is burning evenly with very little moisture and very fluffy ashes that show complete combustion.

Denouement: Down at the very bottom of the bowl the flavor is still mostly unchanged. It's gotten a little bit spicy and the sweetness has become darker and richer but that's all. It still tastes good even in the bottom of a tall narrow bowl, which is quite a feat. It doesn't stay lit quite as easily as before, but that's understandable in a bowl this deep.

Pros: It's one of the easiest flakes I've ever smoked and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to a beginner as it has a lot of the typical VA flavors without being as difficult to smoke as many others are. It tastes and smells quite natural with no top dressings or added flavors that I can detect and would also be a good all-day smoke.

Cons: It's quite a bit too mild and straightforward for my taste; I like my tobacco to be heavy, complex or both and this, unfortunately, is neither.

Sweet. Really sweet. Golden citrus VA with a touch of some darker VA. The vanilla topping in a fresh tin is fairly pronounced, almost pushing this into aromatic territory for me, but not quite. I can't imagine how sweet this must be with 5+ years on it if this is how intense it is fresh. Fairly smooth for a fresh VA, it burns well and consistently.

This is a relatively HTF tobacco these days. Not Penzance or SH level, but more along the lines of Sobranie. Almost always tin capped if you can find it, but relatively inexpensive; I think I paid $10~ for my tin. Worth it imo.

Generally I prefer my VA flakes without much topping, if any at all, but this is working as an ultra sweet condimental smoke. Since it's not readily available, it falls into the buy it when I can find it category for me. I think I'll let future tins get real age on them before popping.

A Recommended blend that wouldn't be anywhere near more than a once or twice a month smoke for me. It's good, but the topping and the sweetness isn't something I will reach for more than that. If you're looking for a transitional blend from aromatics to VA flakes and can find this one, it would be a prime contender in my opinion. Likewise, if you crave a very sweet flake, this would be among your top spots.

A quality golden Virginia that deserves the praises by so many pipe smokers. Nice smell off the tin, an easy to smoke and flavorful Virginia flake.

The hay flavor nicely intertwines with the very light citrus/vanilla topping from the beginning and as the smoke progresses, becomes slightly earthy with light dark fruit accents.

The only downside is that it's hard to get on the North American continent.

Virginia lover

I am sorry I took so long to discover F&T, I am sure if I found it sooner I'd be waiting to find them, seem to be in short supply in the US. This may soon become a go to morning VA. I tend to smoke VA and VAPers with coffee in the morning, Burley's sneak in sometimes and an occasional English to start the day. I will say up front that if you are looking for a replacement for McClelland Staved Aged Virginia 33, this may be the closest you will get. Tin note is straight VA and some vanilla. The Vanilla top note is light but noticeable and really supports the tobacco as opposed to drowning it out or masking it. The flavor is toasted bread, caramel, citrus and some earthy tones. I get a dry woodiness every now and again and an Oriental sour note, but only on the relights. Finally I noticed some spice as the bowl burns down past the half way mark, like light white pepper. I really like this stuff and plan to hoard it as this tin barely made it a week.

UPDATE 07/2022:

Having had the chance to learn more about straight Virginia's this now falls to my #3 behind Gawith's FVF and Capstan Blue.

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I tried this particular tobacco after reading reviews of it which described it as "brown sugar" and "sweet potato pie." When I opened it, I was greeted by a very nice tin note. I'd compare it to the tin note of Rattray's Marlin Flake (though MF actually smells a bit sweeter in the tin, whereas F&T CVP is a bit more on the brown sugar and molasses side of things).

Like most flakes, the tobacco has a nice moist character out of tin - but not too moist of course. Rubbed out, you can smoke it immediately if you wish, or you could let it dry out if you prefer (so far, I don't.)

F&T CVP smokes very well. It was a cool and dry smoke and it didn't need re-ilghting.

Taste wise there is a definite natural sweetness to it that is very pleasing. Room note wise, while it's difficult to tell a room note while you are smoking a tobacco, you could certainly tell the tobacco had a certain aromatic-like quality to it (even though this is not an aromatic).

I've recently tried Marlin Flake but I'd put F&T CVP way ahead of it for certain, as popular as MF is.

Let me put it this way: To date I've had a single "keeper" tobacco, David's Blend Executive. F&T CVP is now the second "keeper" I have found.

UPDATE: I've put this down to 3 stars, but only because I had another blend I put at 4 and I think I need something to differentiate them since I'd give it an edge over the CVP. that said, I would say this is 3.5 on a scale of 4 if I could rate it that way.

For openers, the leaf here is first rate, as are preparation, presentation, smoking qualities, aroma and taste. In a freshly opened tin, the scent is sweetened, fermented, bright VAs, with a little just-starting-to-rot hay, along with very faint, sweet vanilla, and a breath of citrus. I like to fold, roll and gently stuff the beautiful flakes "vertically". Then it lights right away and smokes right down to nothing. There is sugar on my lips at first, and some citrus over the (darkened), bright leaf. It takes on a more concentrated, smoky and sour taste down the bowl, which serves this blend like high acidity serves a fine wine. Like a Grand Cru Burgundy in a large glass, the last few sips are the best, as it somehow "opens up", yet with no loss of concentration. The taste is not all over the place, but it is mighty good, with a wonderful aftertaste, and I find it very satisfying, perhaps even worthy of a dedicated pipe, given the "delicacy" of its nuances. I think this might be a hit with light Aro smokers transitioning to "straight" VAs. Strength is more mild than medium, tastes likewise. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste is good IF time is taken with the smoke. One important caveat tempers my enthusiasm: IMO, this blend declines once it's tin has been opened, even if it's stored in a "sealed" Mason jar. This is not just a matter of hydration; rather, the delicate, tasty additives delineate over time, becoming "separated" from the tobacco, to the point where they actually take away from it. Since I give it 4 stars fresh from the tin, I recommend smoking CVP as soon as possible after it's opened.

For me, in rating the whole experience, CVP gets as close to 4 stars as possible while still getting 3.