Fribourg & Treyer Cut Virginia Plug

A fairly strong orange-like citrus note, some of which is topping, and a mild note of hay. Some sweetness and spice. The vanilla in the topping adds more creaminess than vanilla flavor. Some bread notes in the second half of the bowl. A very nice smoke, but you need to mind your cadence or it can burn hot and the flavor will disappear.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Flavoring is very mild. Burns very well, perhaps a little too well.

This has been a very enjoyable smoke. In the interests of full disclosure, my tin was a gift and was dated 2008, so I am smoking some well-aged Virginia.

I mostly rubbed this out and a flake is just a little too much for the various pot variants I used to smoke it. I decided it worked well in a Savinelli 121, and so almost half the tin has been smoking in this particular pipe. Hydration from the tin was very good for me, and I just smoked it with no time to dry.

The gold Virginias are a delicate hay with some citrus. The topping may add to the citrus, but it tastes fairly natural to me - just bumped up a little. The red Virginias provide some depth and a stewed fruit. I get a tart when puffed. As one of those curious things, I know the description says there is vanilla in the topping, but I don't taste it - even when I "look" for it.

The rating here is a tough one for me. This was very good, but so are the Capstan Original and Gold. I gave them threes. Cut Virginia Plug comes at a better price point. If you are looking for a really good Virginia flake, this is one to get. It does not rise to the 4 - everyone should try.

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!

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.

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.

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.

I had given up on this as an underflavored biter when I happened to grab it to break in a new small bowled pipe. It found its voice. Dios Mio, it downright distracted me with sweetness and flavor never noticed before, right there on the front of my toungue. I put down my work and enjoyed the next half hour slowly puffing and marveling at my oversight. I've been smoking burleys and scottish blends; straight virginias just haven't worked for me... until now.

I listed a flavoring only because I can't believe it can be this tasty unaided. I'd prefer to think it is just pure virginias singing. Those of you with leathery tongues from are-we-not-men harrrr! more latakia and perique! smoking habits will likely miss it. A shame. This is like a lambic ale.

My lesson: before you give up on a tobacco, try a fresh pipe. I've ordered a half dozen cheap factory seconds for this purpose. Looks like cleaning time for the rest.

This is wonderful, sweet! and yes, delightful smoke for the first thing in the morning for me. The small pipe allows a half hour of indulgence, no more, and I'm on my way.

It will likely become a regular and I will update accordingly.

A lovely virginia flake with a mild flavoring.. what is the flavoring? hard to say.. it is a creamy smoke.. with almost a slight soapiness to it (not quite lakeland strength soap) and possibly something oriental in there as well.. Mellow is the key word for this smoke. I prefer a slightly more pronounced virginia flavor, but really there is nothing to dislike about this flake. It does have a nice progression down the bowl.. gets sweeter at times.. Often compared to capstan.. I wish capstan was available in the US to try them side by side.. A great change of pace from other virginias.

CVP is a basic, grassy Virginia flake with a dark side sweetness that I'd put in the date and prune family -- perhaps even approaching anise. It produces lots of caramel overtones and has an ever-so-slight sharpness that suggests spice. I can't recall ever smoking a Virginia flake that produced sweet tastes in a part of the spectrum that is this dark. It is well worth investigating for its uniqueness and distinctive character -- let alone its wonderful taste.

It has medium strength; full body (character); full flavor; and good balance among these traits. There is no bite, and it delivers a dry, invigorating smoke right down to the bottom of the bowl. This is a "must try" for those who appreciate a smooth, high quality Virginia flake.