Fribourg & Treyer Vanners Mixture

It may be the long years of smoking strong stuff, and chasing it with fiery armagnac or astringent calvados, but I just cannot tell the difference between one and all these mild Virginia offerings from Fribourg & Treyer.

Here is one more light-weight, clean-flavoured, easy-burning, non-biting composition, ideal for the hot weather. I tried it in a couple of Meerschaums and an ancient Austrian calabash while playing backgammon under the elms, trying to survive in New York's 100° Summer. Where other blends turn muddy and gravely amid the 80% humidity, VANNERs, like GOLDEN MIXTURE and CUT BLENDED PLUG, stayed as cool and fresh as Hailey Mills [my first love] in a Disney movie. That may sound a trifle bland to you horrible cynics, but I was grateful to be able to enjoy anything at all, in this banana-republic type of weather.

Recommended as an excellent Summer smoke.

Nice mellow taste and aroma. Very mild, but with no tongue bite. It is smooth and inviting, with a pleasant interplay between the Virginias and the discreetly applied?though not less effective in terms of countering the Virginian sharpness?Black Cavendish.

It smokes smoothly and slowly, and it is as palatable as a good Rosé wine. An unpretentious smoke of high quality leaf and a somewhat muted flavour, basically natural Virginia, it seems to me good enough to enjoy in the company of ladies or for tea in the Sahara with anybody (Sting dixit).

A very nice honey tobacco, from a company I have tried for the first time, with natural Virginia flavor. Virginia clearly overcomes Black Cavendish. It has the perfect moisture and is easily smoked, immediately after opening the box.

It smokes coolly and slowly, dry until the end, leaving very nice white ash in the bowl.

Sincere tobacco, without any aromatic wrapping. It is not cheap, otherwise it could be a favorite all day tobacco.

I will definitely try quite a few of the Fribourg & Treyer series.

This a mild and mellow smoke, but does lack depth of flavor. Because it lacks sufficient nicotine, it tends to encourage a faster puffing rate than is advisable. As a result, this tobacco has a tendency to burn quite hot, very quickly. It is a pleasant smoke though with straight tobacco flavor, lightly sweetened and no bite. If you are a slow puffer and watch it, the tobacco will behave. I do not rank it up with the F&T flakes, but I do recommend it. Paddy.

This is a blend of mostly yellow VAs with some red VAs and just a touch of black cavendish in a medium ribbon cut. As with their Golden Mixture, I found the initial moisture content too high and had much better success toward the end of the tin after some drying. Then an easily lit, evenly burning, mild smoke without a hint of bite resulted. As with the tin aroma, the taste is just from quality tobacco; not complex, but an enjoyable taste. Although this blend is too mild for my all day or regular smoke, it serves its purpose in my rotation.