Tobaccos Wessex - Gold Virginia Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-08-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Wessex - Gold Virginia Flake.

When I opened the tin I was greeter by a tobacco with an appearance second to none. Two rows of flake just over an inch wide, medium brown with a few yellow mottles, medium thickness, and perfection where moisture's concerned. I like to fully rub my flakes and this is a doddle.

I don't find the smoke as citrus-sharp as I'd expected. Sure, there's a slight citrus note, but this isn't anywhere near as potent as the oaty/grainy, hay, note from the Virginia; it tastes a little different to the usual Virginia's, for the first half, or so. It takes until about a half, to three quarters of the way through a bowl for the citrus flavours to race ahead. I find the burn impeccable, it needs hardly any attention, once lit.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: quite nice.

Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Mr Brog Bulldog #34

Age When Smoked: Three months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2017-02-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

While this has decent flavors, they are milder than I prefer. The citrus note is an obvious addition. The hay and grain notes are nice, but very mild. If not for the citrus addition this wouldn't have much to offer. I think most of the sweetness, which is minimal, is also an addition. Not a terrible smoke, but there are better values in this crowded market.

Mild to medium in body. Mild in taste. Added flavoring is mild. Burns a little warm, but I wouldn't classify it as hot.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-04-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Having smoked this new and now well aged (16yrs) I have to say that Br. Big’s prediction concerning aging this blend it quite true. In the tin, the golden flakes are neat and thin. They don’t offer much in the way of the grassy hay scent that one would expect. This is very straightforward in taste and offers some grain-like flavor when new. There is no bite, but it will burn hot and did for me. I found myself picking up my cadence as I was searching for more flavor beyond a light citrus topping. When aged, the flakes darken quite a bit, but the same pedestrian taste remains. To my surprise, it didn’t pick up nearly as much sweetness as the aged tin scent seemed to promise. Since there are a number of comparisons to Orlik Golden Sliced, here’s my two cents on that; It has less topping than OGS and lacks the depth of flavor the OGS has, especially when well aged. It is also more expensive than OGS. This is definitely one that I am happy I didn’t cellar more than a couple of tins. With the vast offerings of Virginia’s out there now, I won’t be buying it again. I still find Wessex’s Brigade Series, especially Campaign Dark Flake, far superior to this blend.

Age When Smoked: New and 16yrs

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2014-03-18		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A bright yellow Virginia flake with an extremely light citrus topping. Nice Navy cut presentation, the flakes are meaty with a golden-brown texture. The moisture level is perfect for using right away.

Upon lighting, there is a slight citrus topping that is not constant in the smoke, I get a very zesty and tangy flavor that is not very sweet with hay like and grassy notes. Citrus and oats are also present from time to time.The smoke tingles the tongue but it's manageable. Overall a classic gold Virginia flake that would benefit a lot from aging.

Virginia lover

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-09-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

The usual pressed flakes like the other two "color" Wessex VA flakes. Tin flakes that aren't the easiest to load as flakes, but it was do-able. Definitely a golden-brown color with hints of dark. This worked best in a sort of modified flake fold and at tin moisture. Wessex tins are suspect in their vacuum seal and this, as with the others, came drier than most VA flakes. Fine with me - saves me some drying time and trouble.

This was probably the coolest and easiest to smoke of the Wessex VA's, and it had a nicely subdued but still present citrus flavor among the tang and oats. Not a complex smoke, but good tasting. I can't decide if there is added flavoring or not - there probably is, but it's still very close to a "straight" VA. I preferred their Brown Flake but this is a nice, lighter tasting version. I got a slight "spice rack" flavor from time to time but the overall taste was orange peel mixed with an oat cereal sort of taste. Not overly grassy or hay-like.

Recommended as something to try but all the Wessex VA's seemed sort of ordinary... nothing new here. Kinda pricy to recommend for what it is, but it's worth a sampling.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-09-06		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I like this quite a lot. The flakes themselves are neat and uniform, and are easily rubbed out, or folded and stuffed. It tastes pleasant and naturally sweet, but will bite like a lion if you smoke too fast. nothing super complex here. I found it to be very similar to Orlik Golden Sliced, just less sweet and citrusy. my onlyy real gripe is that it tends to gurgle in the pipe. 3 stars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-07-24		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Here in middle Tennessee the mercury is pushing 100 with moderate humidity. The breeze doesn't whisper, it barks.

The dog days of summer are here. No better time to crack a six year old tin of Gold Virginia Flake. Perfect moisture right out of the tin. Full rub out with a few chunks. First charring light is bitey and bright. Second charring light settles down a wee bit. Final light and tamp brings out some great citrus notes on top of hay, grass and white grapes. A little brown sugar as the smoke progresses.

No dairy products present, nor any confectionary flavors. A nice agricultural smoke with plenty of fresh produce in the mix, along with some grains like toasted oatmeal. I would bet this stuff kicks butt in a cob!

DGT while checking my eyelids for light leaks in the hammock.

A tall, ice cold Arnold Palmer as an afternoon eye opener. Relight. Even better. Dry as dust, no gurgle or steam. Medium gray ash and four (count 'em) shreds of dottle. Pipe is sweet and dry and ready for another round of Gold Virginia Flake. Me Too! Me Too!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-05-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Before smoking, let this tobacco dry out some. You will be rewarded. The House of Wessex does a credible job with their tobaccos, and this is an elegant smoke that requires skill and patience to smoke properly.

Although I tend to completely rub out my flakes, the sight of all the lighter (thus hotter) leaf in this blend begged for a coarser, chunkier rub out. Once properly dried and smoked slowly, there will be rewards!

This tobacco is tasty, rich and packed with nicotine - ahhh!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2012-12-28		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Pleasant scent, but not as smooth or as satisfying as Orlik's Golden Sliced. This is more sour and spicy than sweet and I don't find it very interesting ( agree with those that say Oatmeal taste). This tin has about 6 months of age and I don't see great things happening with additional age, this tends to burn hot. Wessex Brown Virginia is better. I gave OGS 3 stars, so this is only two ( 2) and I won't buy again.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2012-05-31		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Nice simple virginia flake.. very much in the style of dunhill flake or orlik golden sliced.. it doesnt bring much to the table to set it apart from other virginia flakes, but it is nevertheless a good smoke and a nice presentation. its a bright tasting somewhat cereal like flavor. not too complex but not bad.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2011-01-16		Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Wessex GVF… Appears to be a somewhat unknown blend, judging by the the number of posted reviews. Can't imagine why. Tin aroma is almost like a teriyaki / tobacco combination, thankfully not reflected in the smoke taste.

A thin and easy to rub out flake, (I us the rolled into a ball method) in need of some minor drying.

I found this stuff a bit fire retardant, and needed several relights, which is ok with me, because that's better than burning too hot, as others in this genre do. The smoke might be considered a bit thin when smoking for maximum flavor, (slowly) but for me, it's a fair trade off, for such fine flavors. A recliner tobacco for sure.

In the past I've used the phrase “ fresh cut alphalfa hay” as a description for other gold Virginias, but this one, almost made me think they may have really added some to this blend, wow, kind of dry tasting, a bit thin, interestingly unique, I like it… I can see myself visiting this one often.

Overall a mild and bite free smoke, with a just the right amount of complexity and vitamin N to make it a very worthwhile smoke. For its genre 4 stars. My personal rating 4/5

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-04-08		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

All I can say is WOW. Smells of toasted Almonds and oats in the tin. Easy to light, COOL TO SMOKE. I don't think I've had a cooler smoke, and even if you get it a little hot just from enjoying the taste, it's still very smooth. Only smoked a small bowl of it so far, but was VERY impressed. Will have to smoke a regular bowl later on when it's turn in rotation. Can't wait to try Red Virginia and Brown Virginia Flake as well. Much better than I had expected.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-02-20		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Tin: Strip of tobacco 1 1/2x3x1/16" with a sweet fragrant grain or cereal scent, of a dark golden hue striated with blonde to dark tan.

Preparation: While the tin I have is borderline dry, it seems to be at just the right moisture level. The tobacco has a slight sting to it, due to moisture. This masks a portion of the tobacco flavor. Drying it out for a hour diminishes this moisture effect and results in a tobacco in which more flavor can be tasted.

Be careful taking the sheets out; there is a tendency for it to come apart. As contrasted with SG FVF which is rather difficult to twist apart, GVF is easy to rub into really nice ribbons.

Taste & Aroma: Nice, soft and sweet, with a flavor and aroma of grain, with a minor citrus aspect.

Nicotine: Medium to strong

Room Note: Medium lemon cereal

Overall: A good, possibly all day, smoke. Reminds me of some GLP Fog City selections such as Montgomery. 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2008-06-10		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This does not seem to have been reviewed for a while, I managed to buy a couple of tins and did so thanks to this site, otherwise, I would never have heard of this Flake. For sometime I have been looking for a replacement for Dunhill Flake, and this is about as close as I can get, it doesn't have the buttery taste of Dunhill, but this is a nice light early morning smoke. The tin I opened was not on the moist side, on the contrary, it was very dry, it more crumbled than rubbed out, but still gave a good cool smoke with just enough nicotine. I Know, there are those that claim Orlik Golden Slice has to be the closest, as Orlik now own the receipe for Dunhill. But IMHO, this is much closer, and you don't need the asbestos gloves with this as you do with Orlik. I can see myself buying more of this and stocking up on it. Most definately Four **

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2007-08-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is a solid Virginia flake. It has that wonderful sweet VA taste and it lasts throughout the bowl. Smooth and cool smoking, it has a slight spicy note to it that is most intriguing. A good, straight flake. Give it a try.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2007-05-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Very handsomely presented medium colored flake. The tobacco completely fills the tin with no air space. The tin has been in my humidor for at least two years and is fairly moist. After rubbing out enough for one small bowl, the pipe was set aside for about two hours drying time. First light was a bit sharp perhaps due to excess moisture. The second light began a very nice smoking experience. This flake reminded me a good deal of Dunhill Light Flake (the older version) but with less tang to it. It burned well to the bottom with no surprises and a good deal of pleasure. I should note that the unlit smell was somewhat unusual and reminded me of slightly fermented apples. This flake lags behind Marlin Flake and Best Brown in my opinion. After the remainder of the tin air dries a bit longer I may update this review.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2005-01-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Whereas Red Virginia flake has the tang and fermentation taste, Golden Flake is somewhat milder but with a citrusy flavor and hints of lemon. An excellent tobacco with no tongue bite. Again, a great tobacco for beginner Virgina smokers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-07-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This flake comes in a 50g tin, navy cut, medium brown with flecks of gold. The aroma in the tin is light honeydew. It rubs and packs easily and burns well all the way to the bottom of the bowl. This is a good example of a German made, highly refined or processed Virginia flake. A light, neutral sweetener has been added. All in all this is a mild sweet smoking experience. The sweetener does not interfere with the taste of the tobacco, but the Virginia flavor is quite mild. It is very easy on the tongue with no bite that I can detect. This might be the perfect tobacco for the smoker switching from aromatics or burlys to Virginias. It is a bit too sweet for me and does not carry enough depth of Virginia flavor, but that may just be the nature of gold Virginia which I find usually works best in a blend. This is an expensive tobacco for me to buy, relative to other, more satisfying smokes. I might keep it on hand when I want something smooth, sweet and kind to the tongue. Paddy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2003-04-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

With this blend, Wessex gives us nicely prepared, chewing gum like layers of pressed tobacco that is pliable enough to be packed without any rubout if chosen. The colors range from light yellow to darker brown with medium brown in predominance. For a higher quality tobacco I was surprised by the amount of almost white, ground stalks that were intermixed. The tin aroma is of natural tobacco. The initial few puffs are in fact zesty as advertised but if smoked at a reasonable pace, a rich, cool VA taste develops. Proceed slowly or this beast will attack your mouth. In my Peterson System pipes and other full bents, I felt excessive moisture developed and ruined the taste and overall experience of the last 1/3 of the smoke. In my view, there are more enjoyable choices for the straight VA flake smoker than this one.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (224)	2022-03-31		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Wessex Gold Virginia flake- This is a solid Gold Virginia flake . A little grassy and some citrus . A little brown sugar and oatmeal. Good but not great . Better than the Wessex red Virginia but not as good as the brown Virginia or the campaign flakes . No bite . 3

Age When Smoked: 1 year tin

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (53)	2021-10-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Stevie B took the words right out of my mouth! I agree with his assessment 100%. Gold flake is a bit different than any Virginia I've previously smoked. To my taste it says freshly baked bread. Sure enough about three quarters through the bowl I get a orange/citrus note creeping into the flavor and aroma. The moisture is perfect out of the tin and this tobacco is ready to be smoked. I bought two tins on a whim without knowing anything about it. Cool smoking and bite free. I hit the jackpot! Very highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 1 yr.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Justindaze (11)	2020-09-19		Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Smoking some Wessex Golden Virginia flake this early morning with a cup of Walmart coffee. The flake has been aging in a mason jar 3 years.

The tin note was hay and citrus. The flakes were the perfect humidity, thanks to the aging. I crumbled the flake and stuffed it in the Savinelli Spring 311 KS in a very messy way because I was still waking up.

The flake took to lighting easily. I was surprised at the initial taste. Fresh oats. The tin note betrayed me! I was expecting straight citrus! The citrus is there, but takes a back seat to the creamy, muesli-like, cereal oatiness. It's very tasty. There is a dark fruit sweetness as well. Wow! So good!

I haven't been smoking many straight VA blends, but this really hits the spot right now! I need to bring more into my rotation. There is a light spice in the background, under the oats and sugar and citrus. A slight VA tingle.

The room note is pleasing. The citrus and oats come through nicely on this nosewarmer pipe.

It's on the mellower side. None of the flavors attack me. Very laid back and fun!

This flake surprised me. It's not one you hear mentioned often. I don't remember it being this good three years ago. Perhaps the age really affected it for the better?

Burns cool for a VA flake. Minimal moisture left behind. Leaves a great taste in the mouth.

This is a solid, tasty smoke. 4/5.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Spring 311 KS

Age When Smoked: 3 Years Jarred

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Benjamin Meyer (25)	2020-09-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Disclaimer:

This review is from a 0.5g sample. I'm smoking the before last bowl of the bag. I use the following review mostly for myself, as a reminder. So use it with a grain of salt.

The Review:

My sample is cube cut, witch I don't mind at all. I am aware this is not how this was sold, but it's how it was gifted to me. As I dislike having to fight with a blend for it to stay lit, I still rub this one out almost completely. The cubes are rather dense and need a little bit of work to come out the way I like.

The tobacco was slightly moist but not overly so. I smoked one bowl at that moisture and it went fine. Nevertheless, I have dried the couple other bowls from 5 to 30 minutes with good success.

The "tin note" (I have no tin) is typical of a bright VA. Quite grassy, light and sunny. There is a little bit of bread there.

Lighting is easy. A first one for charring and a second to get it going. I usually relight a couple of times afterwards because I'm often losing attention and a bit more at the end when I'm starting to get close to the dottle. Off we go!

The taste starts out pretty medium bread-y. There are some glimpses of pleasant high notes. People seem to think of citrus, but personally, I've never tasted citrus in tobacco... After that first blast, as I get comfortable in this smoke's first third, the high notes seem well in place as they dominate the smoke at this point.

In the second third now and the bread quality takes over. There is a little but of spice here. A light piquant touch to the tongue if I'm not careful though.

As the bowl finishes, the bread notes are strong the high ones are completely gone. The blend gains a toasted feel, reminiscent of black VAs, but never really gets there. The spice gets a bit stronger but nothing like Perique would bring to a blend.

Personally, I prefer darker VAs like a hot pressed blends or red VAs can achieve.I'll probably buy a tin sometime but will definitely not chase it either.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum billiard spigot, 9mm filter

Age When Smoked: 1 year old sample

Purchased From: Sample from a buddy

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2019-06-16		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Slightly fuller than gold slice by same producer. Its an awfully good straight virginia. No casing I can detect (beyond the usual very mild sugar added to nearly all flakes these days). Burns very slow...its finest quality perhaps. Its medium strength, for a Virginia. No bite, and nothing out of the ordinary, really. The blend leans toward Red, but there are several virginias in there. With the closing of McClelland, its nice to have a few good Va flakes around.

Purchased From: cup o joes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jvnshr (23)	2017-04-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Smoking Wessex Gold Virginia Flake is like drinking homemade iced tea with a subtle sweetness and citrusy flavor. Recommended to Virginia smokers as it can be an all day smoke for a Va smoker.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Train (118)	2016-07-01		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I wonder exactly what is going on at K & k . I have enjoyed Wessex Gold for years and the first part of this review reflects that . This WAS a really nice folded flake , light in color and with a very slight citrus like topping . It was one of the many fine K & K folded flakes that one can enjoy . Most of them are sort of similar with the exception of Special Brown flake and Vauen #14 .So when I recently ran low on this staple tobacco I ordered more and what I got folks ...............was Astley # 109 in their new folded flake form . No mistake here , that is what it was . What exactly is going on in the K & K factory . I still have some old cans of Gold which I will save for history . RIGHT NOW , IF YOU ORDER ANY YOU CAN JUST THROW IT IN WITH THE Astley 109 AND THE WESSEX BRIGADE CAMPAIGN DARK FLAKE .

1 person found this review helpful.