There’s a pure and simplistic allure to a straight Virginia tobacco blend. When made with quality ingredients, we experience the centuries of development that has gone into cultivating and processing fine leaf, getting the most out of the natural characteristics. To highlight some of the great mixtures embodying the excellence of Virginia tobacco, we’ve assembled a list of the 9 highest rated straight Virginias.

Note: It wouldn't make much sense to have feature a blend with a perfect rating from only two reviews here, so this list is created by filtering for blends with 50 or more reviews, are currently in production, and choosing the 9 highest rated among the results. The rankings, review counts, and ratings are accurate to July 12, 2024 and will be updated periodically.

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1. Peterson Flake

Reviews: 231        |       Avg. Rating: 3.55

Brown Virginia Pipe Tobacco. Pressed first and then delicately cut into fine slices.

Dunhill Flake was released in the late 1950’s. For some time it was called Light Flake in distinguishing it from Dark Flake—a stouter version produced in the 1970’s. Dunhill Flake was one of the blends that, to the delight of many, was maintained in STG’s acquisition of the trademark, rebranded under the Peterson name. But these blends taken into the Peterson lineup were not changed from the latest Dunhill production, as STG had the manufacturing contract prior to owning the trademarks.

Simply, Peterson Flake is one of the quintessential Virginia flakes, exemplifying the simple delight of quality, pressed Virginia tobacco.

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2. Cornell & Diehl - Opening Night

Reviews: 114        |       Avg. Rating: 3.55     

A delicious blend of the finest red and bright Virginias pressed to perfection and sliced into flakes.

Cornell & Diehl makes the list with another wonderful straight Virginia flake from the expert blending of Craig Tarler. Matured, tangy Reds and citrusy Brights make for a consistent, flavorful smoke. The sweet Virginia flake offers just a hint of spice, making it a humble complex mixture, aptly included in the brand’s Simply Elegant series.

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3. Wessex - Campaign Dark Flake

Reviews: 65        |       Avg. Rating:  3.54

Dark brown Virginia, full bodied and smooth.

Manufactured by Kohlhase & Kopp, Wessex Campaign Dark Flake is an enticing long, folded flake offering medium-dark Virginia flavor. It is sweet and has a depth, imparting notes of dark fruit and tang alongside fine bright accents. Once stocked, this popular Straight Virginia doesn't stay on the shelf long.

 

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4. Fribourg & Treyer - Cut Virginia Plug

Reviews: 76        |       Avg. Rating:  3.47

The basis of this delicious blend is a mixture of Golden and Orange Virginia offering a complex natural sweetness and slight hints of lemon. An exceptional flavour of meadow honey and fruit citrus. 

Fribourg & Treyer are another brand with a long history in tobacco stretching back to early 18th century London. The brick-and-mortar shop closed in the 1980s, but some favorite mixtures continue to be produced by German blending house Kohlhase & Kopp. Among them is Cut Virginia Plug, a highly regarded flake of golden brown flue-cured leaf with a light, congenial casing.

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5. Samuel Gawith - Full Virginia Flake

Reviews: 607        |       Avg. Rating:  3.47

Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake is for lovers of pure pressed Virginias. Created in the heart of Lakeland, the hot-pressed blended Virginias take on a delicious and distinctive dark colour that creates a pipe smoker's dream, a feeling of calm, serenity and anticipation of the next pipeful. A "must have" for all Virginia lovers. Medium strength.

Samuel Gawith is one of the most celebrated manufacturers of fine pipe tobacco and, for many smokers, Full Virginia Flake is the archetypal Virginia flake. The venerable blending house has its origins in Kendal, England, where Thomas Harrison and Thomas Brocklebank opened a tobacco and snuff business in 1792. Samuel Gawith is appreciated for their commitment to the old methods, even operating some of the same machines that have processed their fine tobacco for more than a century.

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6. Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Bright CR Flake

Reviews: 75         |       Avg. Rating:  3.45

100% pure virginia leaf with no additional flavours made from a blend of Brazilian, Zimbabwe and Malawi bright Virginia leaf. The pressed tobacco as with all flakes, is left to mature before cutting into flakes, to allow for the best combination of flavours.

Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. also have their roots in the same Kendal, England tobacco and snuff business as Samuel Gawith—it’s no wonder the two have produced some of the most sought after straight Virginias out there. A sweet, earthy delight, Bright CR Flake is a complex blend with a unique flavor that’s often compared to the floral essence of Lakeland mixtures, but far more subtle than the potent flavoring of such blends.

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7. Sutliff Tobacco Company - 507c Virginia Slices

Reviews: 56         |       Avg. Rating:  3.43

The ultimate in natural quality tobacco. 100% A-1 bright matured Virginias pressed and single cut in the classic British European tradition. 

Sutliff Tobacco is well known for their vast selection of blends, most often in ribbon or cake cuts. Looking to offer a flake in the traditional, firm and thin, European style, Sutliff collaborated with their friends in Denmark with the machinery to create such flakes. Virginia Slices became a quick success, offering a simplistically delightful embodiment of the flue-cured flake at a price point for which their are few options due to its bulk availability.

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8. Mac Baren - Capstan Original Navy Cut

Reviews: 219         |       Avg. Rating:  3.42
This blend is a composition of select, ripe Virginia tobaccos whose citrus and grassy notes go brilliantly with the natural sweetness. A must try for everyone who appreciates a good, straightforward Virginia blend.

One of the oldest produced tobaccos still on the market, Capstan has come a long way from W.D. and H.O. Wills to Mac Baren. Capstan was one of several brands bought by Mac Baren in Imperial Tobacco’s withdrawal from the pipe tobacco business. With this brand, they introduced a ready-rubbed version and a lighter version (Gold) also offered in the two styles. All maintain great popularity, but the Original Navy Cut has a timeless appeal.

 

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9. G. L. Pease - Union Square

Reviews: 152         |       Avg. Rating:  3.40

A blended, sliced cake of high grade flue cured leaf, from beautiful, sweet brights to deep, earthy reds, without the added sugars and flavorings common to many Virginia flakes. It's rich on the palate, evolving in layers with the clean, natural sweetness of pure tobaccos. It offers a pleasant room note, and a delightful finish. For those seeking the pure Virginia experience, try Union Square.

Union Square was the final addition to Pease’s Fog City Selection, a series characterized by high-quality Virginia bases flavored with fine spice tobaccos such as Perique or Kentucky. Union Square, however, is the exception—closing the series with the sole straight Virginia. With sweet Brights, rich Reds, and absence of topping or significant casing common to straight Virginias, Union Square is all about the flue-cured smoking experience at its most pure.

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