Tobaccos Fribourg & Treyer - Blackjack

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-05-28		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Update 5/30/20

Picked up a fresh tin a year or so ago - tall tin but still 50 grams. Not sure what that's about. Anyway, this exhibits a nice tangy tartness, as a good red virginia should. This would be a good substitute for those who mourn the loss of McClellands Red Cake, although they do not taste alike. Absolutely no chance of bite unless you're puffing like a steam engine. A 4 star blend for experienced smokers and newbies alike. Just be sure to snork this to get the full range of flavors, as this is a moderately complex tobacco.

5/28/11

Review is based on a 2 year old tin with its European name of Negrohead, a bit of an unfortunate moniker here in the states. I'm not sure where the name comes from as it is not a black tobacco, nor does it fit in with the only reference I'm aware of for Negrohead, which is in Dickens' Great Expectations novel. Magwitch smoked it and it was said to be a black rope. This is a light colored shag. What's in a name, I suppose....

Excellent flavored tobacco with the faintest hint of citrus amidst the hay qualities. A subtle light toast picks up around mid-bowl and there is a bit of Grandma's spice rack in here as well. Occasionally exhibited a trace of cigarette quality, but of a non-mass produced, high end variety. One thing I really enjoyed was the fact that this smoked like a red virginia but had the best of lemon VA virtues - that slight orange peel taste, but not enough to make it overbearing. It's a different kind of sweetness than I'm used to with red virginia blends. And the top note is so faint that I can't place it but it is there.

This was good enough that I picked up 5 more tins! Recommended to any straight virginia smoker. One of the better examples out there.

20 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2015-12-31		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Fribourg & Treyer - Blackjack. This is a surprisingly good blend.

After doing some reading up on this I was prepared for your 'straight forward' ready rubbed Virginia blend so it was a good moment when I opened the tin to find broken flakes! In fact, some of the blend is that chunky it could still use a bit of a rub; this is a bit of a shock as I note how a few other smokers found theirs to be over rubbed. The aroma from the can is a straight forward Virginia one, some citrus, some grass, and slightly sweet. The amount of water makes it smokeable right away but after a few weeks of being unsealed it becomes absolutely perfect.

The taste I get is very fresh. It has all of the lively attributes of a good Virginia. The smoke is very 'clean'; I mean this in the way that it doesn't leave any heavy aftertaste nor claggy feeling on the palate, it would make for a decent smoke prior to an expensive tipple where you don't want your mouth to be impeded by any lingering flavour.

The temperature of the smoke is about medium and no matter how hard I puff my pipe I get no bite!

For me, the nicotine amount is about mild to medium being closer to mild unless it's stressed heavily.

The room note? A pleasant Virginia one that doesn't generate a huge quantity of actual smoke.

This is a top mark straight Virginia. It has to be highly recommended!

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson Founders Edition 2015

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-09-27		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have smoked a very well aged tin of Blackjack -- back when the blend was called Negro Head. It was a nice, mellow Virginia but just too light for my palate. If you gravitate toward lighter yet flavorful Virginia offerings then I will highly recommend F&T's Blackjack.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3048)	2012-10-18		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The bready, lightly spicy, barely sugary, red Virginia has little tart and tangy dark fruit sweetness, much less so than other blends where it's the dominant component. Also has a mild earthiness and a few splinters of wood. I would not label this as a sweet Virginia. It possesses a fair amount of hay and grass, tart and tangy citrus, bread, light sugar, with a bare touch of tart lemon, and a very slight spice that comes and goes as you smoke it down. Has a few small rough edges. It's not very complex; mild enough to be an all day smoke with a very consistent flavor from start to finish. The strength and nic-hit are a couple of steps past the mild mark. The taste is in the center of mild to medium. It loads easy, burns clean and rather cool at a moderate pace, but can bite a constant puffer. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires few relights. You may want to sip it to get the full effect, and avoid potential tongue bite. It gets two stars for that. Three stars for the flavor.

Update June 2022: The blend has been changed. There's a sweet sugary citrus topping now that mildly tones down the tobaccos. The citrus and sugar from the bright Virginia is a little more prominent now, and the grass/hay content is a couple of steps lighter. The red Virginia seems to be a tad sweeter, and was cut with some orange Virginia. The bread notes are mildly more obvious. The spice content is less than before; there's not much more than a hint of it now. The bite potential has disappeared as this is a smoother version with almost no rough notes. The rest of my previous observations still hold, except I give this version three stars in all aspects.

-JimInks

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2012-12-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

F&T Blackjack After just finishing a tin of McClelland red VA. I thought I would give blackjack, also said to be a red VA. a try, so without any delay I did just that. My first impression was Blackjack seemed stronger, fuller and had a quite different flavor profile, similar to the difference found in Danish Virginias, the German VA's seems to have their own unique taste identity. Many may disagree but I taste licorice/citrus in this and other German VA's. Not a bad thing, because I find both are quite enjoyable at times, but neither can be much more than a change of pace smoke in my rotation, because their assertive flavors will soon wear me down.

I would have preferred this tobacco was not rubbed out as much as it is, and came as a more familiar broken flake so as to allow me to fit the moment, because IMO as is, this stuff wants to burn faster than I like, especially at the $11 for 50 Gram cost level.

I had no bite issues with this blend and found it produced a surprising amount of thick white smoke for a straight VA, with a slightly elevated nicotine level, a satisfying combination in my book. Overall; I found Blackjack is a smooth and a very easy to smoke tobacco, which probably for some could be a fine all day choice. But at this cost, IMHO there is some serious competition out there, meaning when I finish these 2 tins; Blackjack will probably become only a memory. But for those with deeper pockets and prefer old world tin art, try this one, many on this site seem to just love it. 2.5 stars.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2006-03-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Firstly, allow me to wonder about the name of this blend. If you peel off the Blackjack label, you will see the original name, Negrohead. Obviously not Politically Correct. Neither name describes the tobacco accurately.

Appearance: An orangey-red broken flake of medium thickness, just right for packing as-is into medium and large pipes

Aroma: Mildly sweet Va. Aroma, with a subtle top-note of something citrusy (to my nose).

Packing: Packs well into any size pipe, for smaller pipes you probably will require a bit of rubbing out.

Lighting: Takes flame perfectly, charring light very easy to establish. Tamp, relight, enjoy. Almost foolproof.

Initial flavor: Mild to medium Virginia sweetness, slight citrus taste, mostly medium notes with occasional highs and lows

Mid-bowl: Not very complex, but not monochromatic or dull. The flavor can best be described as lively, but without tingle. Very gentle on the tongue and palate, when smoked slowly. If puffed aggressively, it flattens out, and can get hot, but what tobacco doesn?t?

Finish: Finishes dry, cool and gently. No trace of gunk from the flavoring agent. It generally left me wanting another hit in about an hour (not high in nicotine).

Summary: A great choice for an all-day smoke, mild enough for breakfast, lively enough for all day. Might even be a good choice in the evening, if you don?t crave something heavy.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2017-11-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Beautiful straight red Va broken flake. September hay and faint fruit sweetness and a little twang. Simple and delicious. The consistency of the broken flake and the moisture level are very similar to DTM, not quite C&D dry, but close.

For me this is a top 5 straight Virginia. I put it up there with BBF, Butera Golden Cake, McClelland Rich Va Ribbon, and Germain Brown Flake. There isn’t anything magical or complex here, it’s more a Va for a guy who loves Va and VaPers, but who probably also enjoys a frequent bowl of Prince Albert or Carter Hall. A tobacco lover’s Va.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2014-03-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This review is based on a tin that is more than ten years old. With that in mind I had hoped for more sweetness than was offered by Blackjack. As has been mentioned, it has been rubbed out quite a bit and kind of wish it wasn’t. I like Blackjack, it’s a good blend, just not a great one. After returning to the lovely sweetness of a well-aged Red Cake last week, Blackjack offers more strength and body, which is something that I prefer. Blackjack is mildly sweet, offers no bite, and is fairly straightforward with not a lot of complexity. The tobacco is, like all of the F&T blends I have smoked thus far, of good quality. As others have pointed out Blackjack seems to be topped with a very light citrus topping. But it is very light. I have a love/hate relationship with red Virginias. I really like them, but they don’t always like me. This gets along with me well. Overall, Blackjack is a tasty, but slightly expensive offering for those that like red Virginias.

Age When Smoked: 10+ years

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2017-07-23		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My F&T Blackack came in a tin that seems rather large for 50 grams of tobacco. Inside, I found a fairly loose pile of well broken flakes, dark to light reddish-brown, at what looked and felt like a moisture level fit for smoking. Tin note is very subdued, aged, VA tobacco, slightly earthy, like aged hay; nothing more. Though I can smoke it OK straight from the tin, IMO Blackjack is best after maybe a month’s rest in a jar and some drying prior to smoking it. Lit, rested and dryer Blackjack promptly unfolds and “blooms” with subtle, floral and wood resin side notes wafting through its rather bluff, woody/earthy primary notes. I taste well-aged, cold pressed, air cured VAs that are sweet, earthy, herbal and floral, with some treacle, citrus and a smidgen of anise atop it. There might also be some lightly stoved leaf here, but there is no “dark fruit”, or “stewed fruit”, whatsoever. Like most VAs, Blackjack “intensifies” down the bowl, going from mild to past medium in taste. There is some sharp-ish, VA-type tannin here that reminds me a bit of the original Rattray’s Red Rapparee. Strength is mild. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste is a little tannic at first, but it soon settles down to sweet, delicious best-of-the-end-of-the-smoke.

I have to admit, I get no wow factor from Blackjack. But, in view of what I do get, that's alright with me. 4 stars from me, with noted reservations.

Pipe Used: briars used for VAs

Age When Smoked: fresh from tin to 1 month jarred

Purchased From: 4Noggins

Similar Blends: Compare/contrast to GLP Laurel Heights and F&T's Vintage..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2007-09-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have tried a tin of this recently: in Europe this tobacco is sold under the name of Negrohead, which is not politically correct and quite confusing too as the contents of the tin are bright-red Virginias.

It is a pleasant smoke, delicate, honeyed, with notes of hay: an unoffensive, slow smoking tobacco with little bite.

In spite of the tobacco being a bit moist and very pliable, it does not burn wet. Overall a nice experience, it burns well and doesn't require much care. Alas, it is also a bit monodimensional and doesn't evolve much through the bowl. But the flavour is always fine, it's not heavy and has no unpleasant traits. Think of it as a gentler variation on Hamboorger Veermaster.

Not mind blowing, but hard to dislike.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2020-05-11		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Before I get into my short review of this blend, I want to post a few boring observations that are neither pro nor con. Several weeks ago, I searched black cavendish on one of the online stores I shop at, too much I might add and this showed up due to the name Blackjack. A red Virginia blend it says, not sure why it is called Blackjack as this reminds me of the licorice gum I use to buy as a kid. Fast forward, I ordered a tin recently along with the HH Rustica and will have to agree with Moniker on this aspect of it as when looking at the tin my first thought was ‘I don’t remember ordering the 100g size. Unlike the square tin photo on this listing it appears they are just using 100g size tins fits all. Last observation, the site says a “pure red Virginia…”. Well on the bottom of my tin it is labeled “Bright and Red Virginia tobaccos pressed rubbed out". Maybe one time it was pure but apparently not anymore and I will never profess to being a tobacco leaf expert as to what constitutes “pure”. Neither here nor there as it has no bearing on my review. If one really wants to know Bright Leaf is from the third stalk of the plant and red comes from the top according to https://wholeleaftobacco.com/ which is a great site if you want to learn about different types of tobacco leaves. Review: This has a very pleasant semi-sweet, grassy tin note, slightly moist to the touch with a thicker ribbon cut (ready-rubbed). I have been smoking this is my Meerschaum Poker and smokes smooth and mild. Not much nic here and has a consistent mild to medium taste. For what it is purported to be I really enjoy this one. Though admittedly it is a contrast going from HH Rustica yesterday evening to this one. Night and day. A solid 3 stars for me. Post script, I decided to take Moniker’s advice and jar this one. Time will tell.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum Poker

Age When Smoked: New

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2015-10-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Surprise surprise.... no idea why this blend would be called blackjack, it's a straight red virginia. Quality of leaf seems high, very little debris. Nothing fancy, just a good quality enjoyable virginia. No bite, no difficulty. When your favorite is unavailable, try this out!

Funny how some of these terrific blends stay under the radar.

Age When Smoked: unaged

Similar Blends: Rattray's Virginias (Old Gowrie etc).

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2014-04-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Revised 5/22/2014- I've had this breathing for about a month and it has improved greatly. Any hint of "Lakeland floral" is gone and the interesting spice and sweetness that I associate with a "Red" is present ( I still think there maybe some Perique). I should know better and give any vacuum packed tin more time to breath before I evaluate it. 4 stars

Agree with "DK" , "a different kind of sweetness"

Original Review- A smooth Virginia. Initial light gives a whiff of sweetness and maybe even a hint of Lakeland Floral scent, Perique is not listed, but I think there is a touch in here, well done. Unfortunately, I don't find much sweetness or flavor , the blend becomes very bland very quickly( to stoved). Except for the light color, I find a lot of similarities with SG's FVF in strength and it even has a background bitter note that I also find in FVF, both darker base noted tobaccos. I prefer more sweet high "Reds" , like McC 5100 and even FVF has some sweetness. This smokes with no bite, has a solid base , respectable "N", but is missing that " twang". I can't disagree with those that like this, but I won't buy again just because it's not my style of Virginia ( this doesn't remind me of a "Red").

Agree with reviewers "TK Pipe" & "JimInks"

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: Revised Review- 6 weeks

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2009-01-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The first true Red virginia I have tried, bought a tin of this earlier in the year and thoroughly enjoyed it, thus the order of five more tins prior to Christmas, and no regrets.

Not as full bodied or as sweet as McCllelands Bulk 5100 but still a nice tasting red virginia. Interesting, polite and well behaved with good burning qualities, this is a virginia that for me could easily become habit forming. At the moment I buy it as a treat, but I cannot help but wonder, what would this be like with a few years on it ? Will have to seriously consider cellaring some of this.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2006-08-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This is a nice and simple Virginia blend. This tobacco has a wonderful taste with notes of sweet wood, creme, honey, and the occasional citrus note. It is incredibly simple and does not change much as the bowl progresses but is wonderfully satisfying. I find this to have medium bite for a Virginia. I really enjoy this blend a lot and will definitely buy more. I don't think this is a four star blend, but it is one of my favorite tobaccos, this blend is simply enjoyable.I definitely trying Blackjack.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-06-19		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This Virginia blend is known as "Negrohead" in the parts of the world that have not yet surrendered to the process of intellectual suffocation known as "political correctness". I love F&T's Cut Virginia Plug, but also I have to admit that I ordered this partly because of its outrageous name.

OK, down to business. After an unusually long time of cursing and muttering, I finally managed to pry the lid loose. My first thought upon looking at the actual tobacco was, "this is going to smoke hot!". The second one was that a more appropriate title for this tobacco would be "Blonde", or perhaps "Light Brunette" -- the contents of the tin are mainly long, light brown ribbons that are cut much thinner than I generally prefer.

I loaded this into a Stanwell HC Andersen with the regular length stem on. The very second the flame of the match came into contact with the tobscco, Negrohead rushed through the pipe with its fangs bared and started chewing on my tongue. The bowl also got so hot I feared it was about to start glowing.

After slowing down as much as possible and puffing as easily as I could, my roasted taste buds finally managed to sense some Virginia goodness through the infernal heat levels. Still, it was tough to final the bowl.

After my tongue had grown back, I decided to try this again, in the same HC Andersen but this time with the churchwarden stem. It still burned pretty hot but this time the heat levels were manageable, and I even managed to sense some of the grassiness some others here have alluded to.

I'll cdertainly finish the tin, but doubt that this will become a regular smoke for me.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-11-17		Medium	Medium	Full	Tolerable

English lovers beware: We have competition.

F&T BJ is a hell of a unique VA. According to the company list's description, this is a pure red VA. When you open the tin, there appears to be more variety. The fire curing gives this tobacco an incredibly rich and deep flavor. I love English and Balkans, but the smokiness of this VA is reminiscent of latakia.

It's ready rubbed and well-packaged. This is an exceptional tobacco, especially for the price. For an added kick, get some bulk perique from your tobacconist and mix 1 part to 9 parts blackjack.

A fantastic VA for anyone. This is a classic.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2002-04-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This one surprised me based on its name since the blend is actually red/brown with a smaller % of light VAs. Since it is rubbed out in the tin, nothing further is suggested. Quick to light and burns easily and evenly. The taste of this blend appears to be highly influenced by pipe choice although I've only had one 50G tin to date. I'm therefore not sure if it's the bowl size or pipe manufacturer or both and will have to experiment further. Large bowled Charatans seem to work the best and result in slightly sweet smoke with hints of spicyness towards the end. In other bowls, my mouth ended up being extremely dry both during the smoke and in the aftertaste. Perhaps the speed of smoking is making the difference. However, in any case, it's just pure tobacco taste from quality tobacco.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2001-03-11		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Pouch Aroma: This is a very sweet and grassy smelling tobacco in the bag - it actually reminds me of the hayloft when I was a kid and summer was drawing to a close. I love the smell of Timothy hay, and this aroma is really taking me back. Very nice! It's sweet, but has a musty, dusty undertone to it, likely from a combination of aging and the addition of a touch of perique. The balance of aromas is interesting, and I hope the flavors play off of one another this nicely.

Appearance: This appears to be a broken flake comprised of roughly 30% each of red and brown virginias, 25% golden and the remainder dark leaf - perique and perhaps a smidgen of stoved Virginia.

Packing and Lighting: I didn't bother rubbing this out any more as it's already at a perfect coarseness and moisture level to load easily into a little Gefapip "Tignes" Rhodesian. The initial light is easy as the smaller pieces on top catch fire readily and the smoke is sweet but sharp-tasting. I puffed up a good crown, tamped lightly and puffed some more then went outside to clear my sinuses. Coming back in, I get a VERY woody smell - not deeply smoky like Latakia, but more of a clean-burning wood like Alder. The second light ignites the whole top, has a slightly mellower flavor and is smoldering well, providing a very cool smoke.

Exposition: The flavor of this is very light and ephemeral even when blown out through my nose. All sharpness is gone now, the sweetness is like a light caramel syrup and the smoke is a deepish blue-grey and medium in density. The smoke wafting off the top of the bowl is the most interesting thing thus far - very sharp and oaky with very subtle sweet undertones like baking ginger cookies. So far it's nice, but a tad dull for my taste this morning.

The Story: After a 30 minute rest and a relight, the body has (as I expected) been kicked up a notch. It's still a nice mild blend, subtly spicy and sweet and now has an added dimension to it - the grassy qualities have faded into something darker and more like holiday baking smells with touches of wood smoke and perhaps someone smoking a mild cigar in the next room. It's a fast smoke even for this smallish pipe, but the flavors are changing quite a bit from one minute to the next. The smoke off of the bowl is now more nutty than sweet but maintains the woodsy sharpness that makes me enjoy this so much in a bent pipe.

Denouement: The tail end of the bowl is still of very consistent flavor, the smoke is still cool and has not a hint of sour- or ashiness, the nicotine level is mild and there has been only a slight tendency to bite which was easily averted by puffing more slowly. When I finished, the bowl of my pipe was coated nicely with a fine mottled black-and-grey ash and there was not a shred left unburned.

Pros: It burns well, cool and is pleasantly fragrant while having some nice pure tobacco flavors. I would be likely to smoke this in a large pipe at night, saving the last half-bowl for breakfast. I must admit that the bright flavors make for a nice wake-up for the palate!

Cons: The only slight negative I could find with this is that it burns quickly even when not dry, but this may make it good for shorter smoke breaks so I can hardly call that a negative.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ATW (110)	2020-06-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Finally was able to get a tin of this. I believe I've stated before almost anything produced by Kolhase and Koppe has become harder to get due to Mcclelland no longer being around.

This is a really nice blend. More rubbed out to a ribbon cut than a typical ready rubbed. The tin note reminds me of burnt sugar at first but letting it breathe brings out more of a nutty red virginia with a slight spice. From first light to last puff it's very consistent. It's a rich red virginia nuttiness with a dark sweetness, a good amount of spice and zest, especially on the retro hale along with a good amount of creaminess. The bright Virginia adds a little bit of clarity to the overall flavor profile. Burns cool and clean with no tongue bite. Does have a little bit of roughness but nothing a little age cant improve. And I image the creaminess will increase with age also.

I'm actually very excited about Blackjack because this Is the closes I've gotten to the Mcclelland 5100 flavor profile than anything else I've tried. I've already ordered another tin and planning to order more as long as its available really soon. This will age so well.

Update 10/19/21

Just cracked a tin that I purchased in June 2020. Just over a year of age makes a large change in this blend. Originally the tin aroma was a burnt sugar but age turned it into a fruit bowl. Very figgy, raisin tin note. The flavor hasn't necessarily changed but became much more smooth. The darker Virginia takes more of a role with more darker sweet bready and nutty tones. Very nice and still highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2020-02-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The cut is a mostly rubbed out narrow ribbon. There is a little variety on shades of brown in the tobacco, and the pouch note is a slightly sweet earthy. Mine was a gift from a friend and came just on the dry side of what I would consider ideal. I smoked it as delivered.

This is a very pleasant and not very exciting smoke. It is good but not especially compelling. It had the expected Virginia grassy and citrus. It had a sharp edge when puffed. I found it fairly easy to smoke and keep at a simmer.

If this were all I had to smoke, I would smoke a lot of it and be grateful. Given the price point and other options, I am not likely to buy a tin. This is a solid 3.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-07-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

True Red Virginia flake rubbed out just perfectly. I believe that this tobacco was slightly flue cured with some hard woods. This in my opinion does not take away from the tobacco but adds an earthiness,woodsy-ness aroma/taste to this fine leaf. The virginia is naturally sweet but potent here. I removed the stupid sticker from my tin. I like the original name better. A very relaxing sipping smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Art_A (10)	2004-03-26		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

F & T's Blackjack (Negrohead)

1. DATE: 11032004 2. REVIEWER: Art_A 3. BRAND/COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Fribourg & Treyer, England 4. BLEND/TYPE: A ready-rubbed pure red Virginia plug. 5. PRICE/PACKAGING: $ 7.15 50 grams 6. CONTENTS: Virginia 7. CUT: Rubbed out ribbon 8. AVERAGE STRENGTH RATING: In a scale of 1 to 10 this would be a 5 9. TASTE RATING: about an 7 to 8 10.FLAVOR RATING: sweet but not overly so 11.ROOM NOTE/AROMA: 7 to 8 12.IMPRESSIONS:This is a good mild VA A. INITIAL An easy light a bit sharp but sweet tasting B. MID BOWL: The Virginia come out very good and very mild as are F&T Tobacco C. END OF BOWL: The VA stays with no sourness or ash taste at the finish, A mild nicotine hit 13.RECOMMENDATIONS/RATING: (Scale 1 - 5) I must give this 4 stars 14. GENERAL COMMENTS: I had broke out a new meer for this baccy and will use it for F&T's Blackjack (Negrohead in the rest of the world) I like this as a good dry mild VA so much that I have ordered another 12 tins for the celler

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-11-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco may have the most offensive, politically incorrect moniker since the detesticularization of America (peel off the top label to see, if you must), but it's a very decent, competent blend. As with all F&Ts, it's quite mild, perhaps too much so. Still, it's a satisfying, enjoyable smoke that's hard to dislike, with typical F&T smoothness, tooling, and nuance.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-08-12		Medium	None Detected	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A hearty and flavorful VA blend. I expected something dark and seedy but was nicely surprised to find something robust, yet not too heavy in nicotine or on the palate but with a distinct flavor. Nice long and colorful ribbons that look and feel good while packing. The fresh tin smells fabulous and was just a tiny bit moist. A little bit of drying made it quite smokeable and weeks later - Blackjack is good right out of the box.

It is grassy and lightly sugary upon initial light and relight, then eventually gives way to a slightly tangy, very full tobacco taste.

Earthy/woodsiness does come through but remains very airy. There doesn't seem to be a broad range of flavors but instead subtle shifts in the level of spice and sweetness within an overall full VA taste. Letting it settle and giving it a relight definitely increases the fullness of the taste. I believe I taste a tiny bit of cirtus oriental towards the end of the bowl but it is just a hint.

I couldn't detect additional topping/casing. The room note during the smoke is light and airy. It leaves little to no lingering permeation of the room.

I've found that Blackjack burns clean and remarkably cool. I've only had a bit of bite when using it in a pipe that is somewhat virgin, and overpuffing. Even at the end of the bowl there was no sourness, and just a slight increase in VA tang and strength. This may be a good tobacco for those looking to try out straight VA blends.

By far one of the most overall enjoyable VA based tobaccos I've tried (though my range of experience is still admittedly fairly limited). It seems nearly every smoke gives me plenty of satisfaction with very little fuss, bite, or falter. A clean white-gray ash in the end.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2020-06-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

If you are a lover of pure red Virginia this is a must try... just a nice straight forward smoke.. tangy, slight earth and maybe a hint of fruity/citrus..it does have some of the grass/ hay.. but not at all complex.. the main thrust of it is that sweet/sour profile that reds often have.. just another decent k&k blended tobacco..my tin only had about a year on it..this would definitely be a good one to cellar if you like red virginia.. pure and sweet but probably minimal flavoring.. not much strength to it.. but not weak.. has a great ready rubbed cut that is somewhere between ribbon and broken flake.. really nice to work with..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Berzerker (28)	2019-05-03		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Blackjack is a slow burning red Virginia with absolutely no artificial flavoring or topping. It tastes amazing with heaps of tangy and earthy flavoring. Similar in taste to Sam Gawith Spring flake but without the sherry. A very spicy tobacco and this one most definitely has some perique added which is why it might be called blackjack. Can be a little too strong and harsh at the end of the bowl but overall I give it four stars because I really like it and it's so natural tasting. The Freybourg and Treyer red tin (cut blended plug) is better still in my opinion. It's a bit more refined and has a curious floral/vanilla topping that is really intriguing.

Similar Blends: Sam Gawith Spring Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-09-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A fairly strong note of hay with a very mild note of citrus. Only a touch of sweetness and a fair amount of spice. A slight earthiness later in the bowl. Too much hay for my taste and a little boring.

Mild to medium in body and taste. No added flavoring detected. Burns very well.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn, Marcus

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2016-07-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I love red VA's. This one is no exception but it really did not compare to my bench marks. That said there are a number of good qualities about this one. It is really a semi-sweet tobacco. Not quite what I expected as reds usually have more sweetness about them. Tastes of grass/hay with some citrus (perhaps topped with orange?). It is only the slightest bit tangy with occasional notes of that VA spice I love. The citrus topping was a little much for me personally but that is just me. It left a film like feel on my tongue. The finish was slightly ashy as well. Still a good red VA. If you are really into the reds this one should make your wish list to try at least once.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CTS (138)	2014-01-04		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Good, basic tobacco flavor, but very mild. Builds in strength a bit as you work through the bowl, but never reaches the medium strength advertised in the F&T tin description. A slight spiciness can be noticed on the retrohale. Lacks complexity and depth, but decent for what it does deliver. Lights easily, burns clean. 2 stars.

Pipe Used: Neerup, Armellini

Age When Smoked: undated; bought 2 months ago

Purchased From: The Briary, Homewood, AL

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-28		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Fribourg & Treyer's Blackjack is a good Virginia tobacco and it definitely improves with age. I'm currently about three fourths through a two ounce tin that had at least four years' age on it before I broke the seal on it. The first time I tried this tobacco was several years ago and it was a fairly new tin; on that occasion I did not find it to be a real memorable smoke. Aging this makes a substantial difference and while I still would not consider it to be a "desert island" tobacco, it certainly has turned into a very enjoyable full-flavored, well-behaved Virginia. At first light, the flavor is a bit sweet and grassy; I generally rub the already "ready-rubbed" out even more so that I can more easily fill my pipe. It lights well and burns readily; once I've gotten past the first light and have relit, the flavor becomes a bit sweeter and richer, with occasional bursts of spice and faint hints of lemon. As I get deeper into the bowl, typically into the bottom half, the flavor looses the spice and lemon and becomes sweeter. I particularly enjoy smoking about a third of a bowl in the evening and then finish the remaining two thirds the next morning with a cup of Earl Gray tea; I also very much enjoy the sweet Virginia aftertaste left on my palate once I've finished the bowl. Typically I am able to smoke this down to nothing but dry white ash however I've learned that in a dublin type pipe bowl I'll sometimes end up with a wet dottle. I believe that if one were to age this in a sealed tin for about eight to ten a superlative smoke would be the result.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2009-10-04		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My Ebay-won tin had the old name on it, and makes a curious addition to the tin collection in my garage, though I will most certainly hide it if I ever show my collection to any African-American friends! The new name isn't quite right either, since there is nothing black about this blend-it's a tasty, mild red Virginia. I got no bite from it, even though it was one of those Virginias that make me want to puff like an overheated furnace. The tin aroma is one of those sweet yet natural scents one likes to experience in a mild Virginia, and this carries over to the smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-09-09		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

FRIBOURG & TREYER has turned me into a demanding smoker.

BLACK JACK has not fulfilled my requirements and of course it does not compare to VANNERS MIXTURE which is incredible.

In Europe it can be found as Negrohead, a name not accepted in America, so it appears with the name BLACK JACK. Orange and red flakes of medium thickness that can fill any bowl (big or small) easily. Sweet VIRGINIA and aroma of citron. It can be smoked dry until the end and it generally shows that it is a good and honest tobacco, like all FRIBOURG & TREYER.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-08-17		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I opened a tin after almost three years of aging. This Virginia tobacco had a good tin smell and a good flavor when smoked. I thought I was really going to like this tobacco, then the tongue bite began. I smoke enough Virginia tobaccos to know about their propensity to bite if smoked too fast or puffed too hard, but no matter what I tried to reduce the bite it was still there. It may be my body chemistry just doesn't work with this particular tobacco. If I could stop the bite, I would rate this blend as four stars, but because of the bite and seemingly hot smoke I have to give Blackjack only two stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-05-20		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my third blend from Fribourg & Treyer. I beleve they can't make a bad blend. Appearence..Not BLACK... red, and blonde Va...pure, and simple. Aroma....natually sweet, grassy, pure Virginia leaf. Pack, light,and burn could not be any easier. Light, fragrant smoke abounds. Fribourg & Treyer is one of, if not the best at Viginia blends. If Va. is what you like you can't go wrong with any of thier blends. Rate

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-01-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My experience with this fine tobac reflects exactly that of Colonel Panic.

Those who enjoy Hamborger Veemaster will feel right at home here.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-09-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I purchased a tin of this kind of on a whim - actually because of the name. I love dark VA and with a name like Blackjack I figured that this had to be good. Having never smoked any F & T before I was not sure what to expect. After a half dozen bowls of this I am excited to se what F & T's other offerings are like.

Blackjack has a grassy tin aroma and a fairly bright appearance. I expected a stoved VA but this is not what I would consider a black VA at all. Perhaps other tins (that I will certainly be securing for the old tobacco cellar) will appear differently. At any rate, this smokes lightly sweet and dry all the way down the bowl -start to finish. I really like this stuff. It has the spicy and sweet aroma you often find in VA types. I like to smoke this in the car while commuting since I seem to get some good side-stream smoke that way.

Highly recommended. I'll give this about 4.5 out of 5.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-10-26		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The blend formerly known as "Negrohead" (and still called that, if you care to peel the "Blackjack" sticker off the tin) strikes me as a somewhat gutsier version of F&T's Golden Mixture.

Not dark in any way but flavor, it's a red and golden hued rubbed-out flake that packs and burns easily with minimal tongue-bite. It also burns somewhat rapidly, but not as fast as Golden Mixture. It's sweet, but not as sweet as GM. It strikes deeper notes than GM, but I'd still classify it as a light Virginia overall. A pleasant, refreshing smoke. If it didn't burn so durned fast I'd call it an all-dayer.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-01-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco is mostly uneventful for me . A more experienced VA smoker might find it more entertaining . It's good , I like it , but it doesn't satisfy any of my major smoking urges . I may have to revisit this review later though , as I will smoke it more in the future .

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Slow Triathlete (62)	2021-12-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Appearance – Blackjack comes as a ready-rubbed blend. Mostly long cut pieces with some smaller chunks in there as well.

Prep – No rubbing out needed for this one. I just let it dry out for about 10 minutes and then loaded it into the pipe.

Smoke – This one has a pretty straight forward VA aroma and taste. For some reason I get a flat note in the background that makes this a blend that I would probably not get too excited about.

Summary – This one had a bit of age on it but I still didn’t “get it”. I don’t think that it is the blend's fault as I have never had much luck with mostly Red Virginia blends in the past. I want to love them but I just don’t get the flavor from them that everyone else does.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2016-03-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is a mild, soft red Virginia with a very light sweetness. It starts off on the bland side but does develop and get more interesting as you smoke down the bowl. It reminds me a lot of Rattray's Old Gowrie (produced by the same people who make Blackjack, I believe) but it might be slightly milder. My preference being VAs with a bit more body, I probably won't buy this again but I did enjoy it and would recommend trying it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ranger (79)	2015-04-08		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's been a while since my last review, so, here goes. A uniformly medium to dark brown shaggy cut. Very easy to pack and light. Classic Virginia taste, no bite if smoked slowly. The age of this has probably mellowed the tobacco and it is smooth and tasty. No issues at all with moisture or keeping lit.

Pipe Used: Rinaldi Pot, Tony Fillenwarth Poker/Billiard

Age When Smoked: Purchased March 2003

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com (I think)

Similar Blends: Close to a few of the McClelland tobacco black label series..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2013-03-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have the classic red Virginia taste without interference from the preservative if allowed to dry a bit. Behaves evenly with a balanced flavor that could be enjoyed all day. A good bet for the smoker that likes his Virginia on the purer side.

Virginia lover

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-11-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

11/20/04 - Blackjack (new tin)

Tin: In the tin, Blackjack appears to be a blend of various brown VA's - mostly medium, with some light and dark strands here and there. I don't understand how the official description can call this a pure red VA - it clearly is not. Tin aroma is very light and grassy/haylike, somewhat like SG's Best Brown though with a bit more sweetness. The tobacco is fully rubbed out with very few chunks or stems and appears to be at an optimal moisture level.

Pack: Indeed, the cut and moisture is perfect - the tobacco packs easily into any pipe I choose, with no unusual techniques.

Lighting/Burning: The tobacco lights easily and burns well. I don't notice the "fast-burning" that others do. I tend to smoke a bit on the fast side anyway, so perhaps that complaint just doesn't show itself to me.

Flavor: Blackjack tastes exactly as I would guess from looking at and sniffing the tin - a pleasant blend of pure VA's without any dominant flavors. There's a bit of depth from the darker VA's, some spiciness/zestiness from the lighter VA's, and some overall sweetness in the middle that pulls it all together. The overall strength is on the mild side, but not so much so that the smoke feels weak (this coming from a lover of the strong stuff). The flavor intensifies a bit as you smoke down the bowl, but doesn't really change much in character. The smoke is as cool, bite-free, and smooth as any other VA I've tasted. The tobacco handles relights well if I need to put the pipe down - no bitterness or other unpleasant changes.

Pipe/Technique: Blackjack is one of the most accomodating VA's I've smoked - it works well in any size or style of pipe and demands no special treatment, not even the bit of drying time I've become accustomed to.

Overall: In a technical sense (burning, packaging, packing) Blackjack is perfect, but its flavor doesn't quite match up in my opinion. While there's nothing wrong with it, Blackjack's "little bit of everything" approach comes off as a bit too conservative to me. I'll be buying some more of this to smoke during the summer heat and as a change of pace, but I don't see it making my regular rotation. That being said, its outstanding packaging and burning qualities make this an easy recommendation for a first-time or occasional VA smoker. Overall a very refined, well-made tobacco, but just not quite the right flavor to make my first tier of tobaccos.

1 person found this review helpful.