Fribourg & Treyer - Blackjack 50g - Ready Rubbed Tobacco

A broken flake of Virginias, listed as a red Virginia, but I see and taste some of the brighter ones, …actually, I would say that there is not even a dominance of reds. But, I was wrong once, ha ha. It has a raisin, freshly cut hay, and slight citrusy tin note similar to Astley’s 109, but earthier, a slight peat like smell. I did not detect a vinegary aroma that comes with an aged tobacco, so this was most likely a very new tin. I tried this fully rubbed out, and by just packing the broken flakes directly to give me bigger chunks in the bowl, and I preferred the chunks, because it burned slower with more of a dark tea-like aroma, similar to Irish Breakfast Tea. Fully rubbed, I get more bright flavors. One of my favorite things about this genre of Virginias, is that it’s such a clean smoke that you can detect the aroma of the warm briar under every taste. I really enjoy trying this in all of my pipes, just to make them briars sing. If you were once burned by red Virginias in the past, as reds are renowned to do, you should give this a try. I got no bite, and I even gave it a few huffs and puffs to bring the temperature up. It’s just a wonderful smoke, with no obvious added casings. I found it to be medium in strength and flavor.