FVF - Light After Light After Light

[mngslvs]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title ( See Rule 9 )

So recently I acquired some well aged FVF, my first experience with this much revered tobacco. Dried it some. Would not stay lit. Dried some more. Same experience. A bitch to rub out, so cut it into short lengths ease the effort. Dried a bit more. Can't get much dryer at all. I know how to smoke a virginia, I'm not new to this. Slowly. Sips. Still can't keep it lit, unless I draw like a demon. Can't smoke slowly. What a disappointment.
Yet again I wonder, why me lord.
What's your experience with this universally popular weed ?

 

[logs]

Yes it's a pain. Dry it until you can finally smoke it.

 

[python]

Cube cut and gravity fill will help fix most of your issues.

 

[alaskanpiper]

It does take some significant drying time (several hours at least) in my experience. I just break it up as much as possible before drying. It does take a few charring lights, but seems to behave fairly well after that. Maybe a few more relights than normal, but nothing too horrendous. Beyond what you have already described I can't imagine what else may be going wrong.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I'm smoking through a tin off BBF and FVF. I've been laying the flakes on a napkin, under a fan for an hour or three prior to smoking. I fold the flakes for loading, they are dry to the point of being very brittle but not crunchy. Takes a few relights but not an excessive amount. Been smoking beautifully. And burning to a fine ash to the bottom of the bowl.

 

[hawky454]

I think it’s one of the best VA’s on the market. I’ve never had an issue with keeping it lit, though I do hear this complaint a lot, so fear not, it’s not just you.

 

[irishearl]

EDIT: Fixed Capitalization in Title ( See Rule 9 )

So recently I acquired some well aged FVF, my first experience with this much revered tobacco. Dried it some. Would not stay lit. Dried some more. Same experience. A bitch to rub out, so cut it into short lengths ease the effort. Dried a bit more. Can't get much dryer at all. I know how to smoke a virginia, I'm not new to this. Slowly. Sips. Still can't keep it lit, unless I draw like a demon. Can't smoke slowly. What a disappointment.
Yet again I wonder, why me lord.
What's your experience with this universally popular weed ?

What you said.

 

[peregrinus]

Break it up really well.
@pipestud uses a single speed coffee grinder and others here use weed grinders from Amazon to get a finer broken flake.
Let it dry really, really well...
and then dry it for an additional 24 hrs.
Also, this particular flake really behaves better with a very good charring light.
As long as you can load a pipe it is not too dry and it will begin to rehydrated itself after a good charring light.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Heavenly every time.
Once it hits the 10 year old mark it should crumble up easily. In my experience - with the correct level of moisture & the right pipe - it practically smokes itself.

 

[karam]

I cube cut it and let it dry to the point it resembles gravel, then it still needs a lot of relights but is smokeable.

 

[paulfg]

I have 1 tin from 2015,I bought 2 tins to try it and after struggling with the first tin the other has sat in the draw ev
er since.
mind you i also struggle to light GH Dark flake/plug which i love but no matter what I do seems to need half a bowl before it gets going

 

[Simmerdown☕️]

I absolutely love FVF. Like many Gawith blends, it comes rather moist. I take a flake and rub it out very fine. Spread it out to dry for an hour. A relight or two and you’re on your way to enjoying what a good Virginia is all about. One of my favorites. ️

 

[marconi]

I dry it for an hour in the evening I then load into a tall narrow pipe and put it to one side and smoke a bowl of capstan blue.The following day I will smoke half of the bowl after many relights.Then I smoke the rest of the bowl the following morning fantastic smoke.
Someone I know left an open pouch of FVF in their Campervan and forgot about it for six months.When they fired up the first bowl from the pouch they said the moisture content was just right!

 

[lawdawg]

Agreed with the others here. FVF is my favorite Virginia flake, in my admittedly somewhat limited experience with VA flakes. You just have to dry it A LOT. I rub my flakes out, which to some here is heresy, but I get a more consistent burn that way.

 

[tkcolo]

I cube cut, load it up (medium to light density) and fire it up (in a meerschaum) because I'm impatient. After 2-3 relights during the first 10 min, I rarely see a relight. However, I live in a Colorado high mountain desert (average humidity is 0%). I like the flavor better with moisture, but I am in a minority. Certainly more prone to tongue bite with more moisture. And I'm sure the meerschaum helps with moisture.

 

[Chasing Embers]

What's your experience with this universally popular weed ?

I wouldn't go that far, 250g was all I've ever bought and didn't care enough for it to buy more. I rub it out to nearly dust and let it dry out overnight followed by gravity filling and no tamping.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"What's your experience with this universally popular weed ?"

The trick with all tobacco from Kendal is to air dry it for an hour or two (locality dependent) and not to pack it too hard. As Bluegrassbrian above states, it practically smokes itself!

I will add that when smoked 'green', it can be a little bland, however after a mere two or three years the stuff is sublime and only gets better with more time.

Regards,

Jay.?

 

[kschatey]

My recent experience with FVF is that it requires 2.5-3+ days of dry time at about 45% humidity.

 

[mngslvs]

I first put it in a toaster oven at 160 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Not enough. Repeat at 170 degrees. Etc. I sneak up on it, because I still think bone dry tobacco is not as flavorful. After about 3 runs, I think, well how much the hell dryer can it get ? Still : light after light after light. It is true that the humidity here has been high lately. As to texture, I hate the idea of getting the tobacco to even smaller bits than it is now, but.......I will continue to experiment. I had cut it into 1/4 inch lengths......and it was still difficult to rub out......kinda stiff and recalcitrant.
The thing about any given bowl of tobacco is : you never exactly know when the stars will align to give you a sublime smoke. And versa-vica. It is not an entirely rational sport. At least in my experience.

 

[seanv]

Sorry to hear about your FVF problems. It really is a great smoke. Hopefully it works out for you.