PRICE: Currently £8.04 for 25g and £15.80 for 50g at my local Sainsbury's

NB: This is not a piece which promotes or encourages smoking. It is merely a review of a product.

Golden Virginia is a hand-rolling tobacco which has been manufactured and sold since 1877, which is quite a feat for any product.

When financial hardship bit me viciously some years ago, I, as a seasoned smoker who continues to find it impossible to quit, was forced to switch over from tailor-made cigarettes to roll-ups. Since making this transition, I find that I am spending only about a quarter of what I used to on my addiction, plus I am generally healthier in that I cough far less since I've been smoking roll-ups.

The visual aspect of the packaging of Golden Virginia tobacco hasn't changed at all during my lifetime, although the design has from the point of view of materials used and features such as the introduction of a press-seal closure, which helps to keep the tobacco fresh. The product is sold in 25g or 50g packs, and I personally find the larger packs to be more economical. The pack is made of quite thick laminated plastic, coloured with the familiar green background and gold lettering. On the front of the pack is the standard health warning, together with a freephone number to use should you want help with quitting smoking, and a note to say that the manufacturers of Golden Virginia encourage this. This note of encouragement is a recent addition to Golden Virginia's packaging.

On opening the packet, the tobacco inside is in a dense, moist block, giving off a slightly sweet, almost nutty aroma. The colour is a mid-brown, tan sort of hue, and the pieces of tobacco are very finely shredded....more so than most other brands.

Although Golden Virginia is one of the more expensive brands, I personally find it to largely be more economical. Due to the fine cut of the tobacco, and so long as I shred it with my fingers before rolling my cigarettes, it ultimately goes further as less is needed. The task of shredding the tobacco with my fingers before rolling is arduous, but it is well worth the effort.

Golden Virginia is a mild tobacco, being very easy to inhale (I don't inhale deeply, but enough to judge how rough or smooth the product is). The taste is a little on the nutty side, quite pleasing, and totally non-pungent. As a cigarette which has been made with Golden Virginia is burning, it doesn't give off an unpleasant, earthy odour that some tobaccos can. When I have been in the company of non-smokers (who don't mind me indulging in my addiction in their presence), they tell me they find the second-hand smoke totally unoffensive, and that the smell is something they can happily tolerate. I have tried other tobaccos whereby my non-smoking friends and family members have virtually run from the room choking and almost vomiting from the smell of the fumes, but this isn't the case with Golden Virginia. I also find that the overall smoking smell doesn't cling quite so viciously to my hair, clothes and furniture.

I roll my day's supply of cigarettes all in one go, and after that task is completed, the tips of my thumbs and index fingers will be nicotine-stained - which arises from the manual shredding of the tobacco - but this is easily washed off. The manual shredding of the tobacco in preparation for rolling the cigarettes is quite time-consuming and rather boring, but I find it necessary to do it thoroughly, in order to make the product last as long as possible. The more finely the tobacco is shredded before use, the more cigarettes it will make. This applies to all brands of rolling tobacco, but being as Golden Virginia is manufactured and sold with its pieces already fine in texture, the task is easier to perform.

A 50g pack of Golden Virginia will last me about a week, satisfying my craving and being far cheaper than tailor-made cigarettes, which I used to spend about £35-£40 per week on, so there is a definite and very welcome saving.

If you aren't a smoker, then my advice would without question be a heartfelt "Don't, don't, don't start!!!", but if you are already and irreversibly hooked on the weed, then I'd strongly recommend giving Golden Virginia a try. It is smooth, the fumes appear to cause anti-smokers less problems than other brands, and although it may from the price not initially seem so, works out to be very economical in comparison to its cheaper rivals.