Wessex & Rattray’s Gold Bundle

Wessex & Rattray’s Gold Bundle

This Wessex and Rattray’s Gold Bundle brings together three distinctive blends that showcase premium Virginia tobacco in different expressions, from a fruit forward aromatic to dense pressed Virginias that reward patient smoking. Built around Rattray’s Limited Release Number 2, Wessex Curly Block, and Wessex Gold Brick, this bundle covers aromatic, Virginia forward, and sliced plug territory in one purchase, creating a focused rotation for smokers who appreciate quality leaf and varied preparation methods.

• Rattray’s Limited Release Number 2 delivers an elderberry, strawberry, vanilla, and sweet fruit candy accented aromatic built on Brown and Golden Virginias, cube cut Virginia, Black Cavendish, and Burley.
• Wessex Curly Block presents a spun cut Virginia and Burley blend pressed into blocks, offering toasted bread, hay, gentle spice, and natural tobacco sweetness.
• Wessex Gold Brick provides a sliced plug of bright and red Virginias that delivers citrus, honey, grass, and deeper fermented sweetness with excellent aging potential.
• Three different cuts and preparation methods allow exploration of aromatic ribbon, pressed curly cut, and traditional plug slicing in one bundle.
• Ideal for Virginia enthusiasts who want variety in format and flavor while maintaining quality tobacco as the foundation across all three blends.
• Works well for smokers building a small rotation that covers dessert sessions, everyday Virginia smoking, and contemplative plug experiences.

Rattray’s Limited Release Number 2 takes the aromatic slot in this bundle with a sophisticated approach to flavored tobacco. The base uses Brown and Golden Virginias, cube cut Virginia, Black Cavendish, and Burley, creating substantial tobacco character before any topping is applied. The flavor work centers on elderberry, strawberry, vanilla, and sweet fruit candy accents, delivering a red fruit and cream profile that feels refined rather than artificially sweet. On the palate, cherry sweetness, light berry tartness, and creamy vanilla ride over toasted bread and peanut shells from the Burley and cube cut Virginia. The blend burns cool when packed loosely and sipped slowly, with the Virginia base preventing the cloying quality that plagues lesser aromatics. Room note is pleasant and approachable, making this an excellent choice when smoking around others who appreciate fruity, dessert like scents.

Wessex Curly Block represents traditional British tobacco craftsmanship in pressed form. The blend combines Virginia and Burley tobaccos, spun into ropes, then pressed into blocks before slicing. This curly cut format creates distinctive coin shaped pieces that can be rubbed out for easier packing or left intact for slower, cooler burns. The flavor profile emphasizes natural tobacco character with toasted bread, hay, gentle white pepper from the Burley, and underlying Virginia sweetness that builds as the bowl progresses. The pressing process encourages fermentation and marrying between the Virginia and Burley components, creating a more integrated, smoother smoke than loose ribbon blends of similar tobaccos. Strength sits in the mild to medium range, with body around medium, making it accessible for all day smoking while remaining interesting enough for experienced palates.

Wessex Gold Brick anchors the bundle with a serious Virginia plug that rewards preparation and patience. Bright and red Virginias are pressed into bricks, then sliced into plug form that requires the smoker to cut or rub portions for the pipe. This traditional format concentrates flavor and allows the Virginias to ferment under pressure, developing deeper sweetness and complexity than ribbon cut alternatives. On the palate, Gold Brick delivers citrus zest, honey, grass, and hay in the early portions, transitioning to richer caramelized sugar, dried fruit, and gentle earth as the bowl progresses. The plug format means you control the preparation, from thick slices that burn slowly and deliver concentrated flavor to fully rubbed portions that pack like ribbon and burn more quickly. Cellaring potential is exceptional because the pressed format ages beautifully, with Virginias developing darker fruit and smoother character over months and years.

Summary

• Box Count:
• Region: United Kingdom
• Strength: Mild to Medium depending on blend
• Binder:
• Wrapper:
• Filler: Virginia, Burley, Black Cavendish

Who is this bundle best suited for?

This bundle fits Virginia enthusiasts who appreciate quality tobacco in varied formats and want a compact rotation covering aromatic, everyday Virginia Burley, and traditional plug territory. It suits smokers who enjoy exploring different preparation methods and prefer British style blends with natural tobacco character as the foundation even in flavored offerings.

How do I prepare Wessex Curly Block?

Curly Block arrives as coin shaped slices from the pressed rope. You can rub the coins fully for ribbon like packing, leave them partially intact for slower burns, or fold whole coins into the bowl for the coolest, most concentrated experience. Many smokers experiment with different approaches to find their preferred balance of preparation effort and burn characteristics.

How do I prepare Wessex Gold Brick plug?

Gold Brick requires slicing portions from the pressed plug using a sharp knife. Thin slices can be rubbed out for quicker burns, thick slices can be folded and stuffed for slow smoking, or you can cube the plug for gravity fed packing. The preparation method significantly affects burn rate and flavor concentration, so experimentation is encouraged.

Is Rattray’s Limited Release Number 2 a heavy aromatic?

Limited Release Number 2 uses elderberry, strawberry, and vanilla over a substantial base of Virginias, cube cut Virginia, Burley, and Black Cavendish. The fruit and cream character is present but not overwhelming, behaving more like a refined aromatic than a syrupy pouch tobacco. The cube cut Virginia and Burley provide enough tobacco backbone to keep it grounded.

Can these three blends share the same pipe?

They can share a pipe, but Limited Release Number 2 will ghost the briar with elderberry and vanilla that may affect the pure Virginia character of Gold Brick and Curly Block. Many experienced smokers dedicate one pipe to the Wessex Virginias and use a separate aromatic pipe for Limited Release Number 2 to keep flavors from crossing.

What smoking order works best for one session?

A balanced progression starts with Rattray’s Limited Release Number 2 for fruit and cream opening, moves to Wessex Curly Block for Virginia Burley transition, then finishes with Wessex Gold Brick for pure Virginia depth. This builds from mild aromatic through medium all day smoking to the most concentrated Virginia experience.

How do these blends age?

Wessex Gold Brick ages exceptionally well, with the pressed Virginias developing darker fruit, deeper sweetness, and smoother character over months and years. Curly Block also benefits from age as the Virginia and Burley components integrate further. Limited Release Number 2 can mellow pleasantly with the toppings softening, though pure Virginias typically show more dramatic aging improvement.

What drinks pair well across the bundle?

Rattray’s Limited Release Number 2 pairs with cappuccino, sweet rum, or lighter digestifs that complement the fruit and cream notes. Wessex Curly Block works well with black tea, medium roast coffee, or lighter whiskeys. Wessex Gold Brick rewards black coffee, bourbon, or aged rum that can stand with concentrated Virginia sweetness and citrus.