Virginia Gold Black and Gold

I'd never tried this blend but I picked up a couple pounds of it because it was a great deal, on sale for $12/# in pouches, which is less than I normally pay for bulk leaves. I figured if it's good, then I got a great deal. If not, then I can rehabilitate it by blending or pressing flake tobacco with it.

Upon opening a pouch, I was met with a mix of basic tobacco smell and artificial sweetness. Neither was overpowering. But hope springs eternal, and when I lit up a bowl, I found that it actually tasted much better than it smelled. Still not great, which I why I give it a 2 overall, but not too bad, especially considering the price.

Room note - Mrs. Bruck says it smells okay, but she's not inviting me to smoke it indoors either! It burns well right out of the package, allowing it to be smoked slowly enough to avoid tongue bite.

So even though I now have a whole pile of it, I won't be making this my go-to smoke; on to plan B. Trying it right now mixed with straight Latakia, about 50/50, which is quite good - the mild sweetness and pungency go quite nicely together (full disclosure - I'm more of an English fan).