Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Drexel VIII

The base of the blend is the flue cured Virginia, which offers some tart and tangy citrus, a lot of grass, light bread, floralness, and a couple drops of honey and sugar. In between playing a support role and being just more than a condiment is the raisiny, lightly figgy and plummy, very mildly spicy, earthy, woody perique. The nic-hit is mild. The taste is a step past mild, while the strength level sits squarely on that threshold. Won’t bite or get harsh even when pushed, though it does have a slight acidic note. Burns cool, clean, and slightly slow with a very consistent flavor to the finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a few relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste, and room note. It does lack depth, and serves as an all day work and play smoke. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Drexel VIII.

Having been smoking Sutliff African Queen #500 this morning, which thoroughly disgusted me, I wanted something simple and no-messing to 'cleanse' myself with; this did the job perfectly!

I was expecting the pouch to contain long strips of flake but when I lifted the flap I found two neat stacks. They're about 5x3 centimetres and fairly thin. The colour's a medium brown with a high quantity of yellow mottles and the nose from the pouch is a straight forward uncased one.

I really like the flavour: there's lots of plummy, spicy Perique, with only a smidgen of Virginia freshness. The Perique easily domineers the smoke. In fact, the flavour of it becomes a lot stronger as the bowl's smoked. The burn can't be faulted, and the temperature's below medium. I get no tongue bite from this, whether I strain or sip.

The nicotine's medium, and the room-note's nice.

Highly recommended.

July 4, 2018. Independence day. For me it was a day I will never forget because I had received a pouch of Drexel - FREE in my latest order from Pipes and Cigars and this was the day I opened it. This is my story.

I was skeptical at first because it was free, but when I opened up the pouch and took a big whiff it smelled like freedom. Like an excited kid on Christmas day, I took out my most prized pipe, a big old Boswell bent brandy and packed it up with delicious flakes of Drexel and prepared to watch the fireworks celebration. The sun was going down as I did a charring light, and then as I gave the full light, the fireworks started, both literally and metaphorically. I am not as eloquent as other reviewers here on TR, but I have to say that the taste of this wonderful flake reminded me of the promises of the founding fathers - I had pursued happiness, and finally took a hold of it and it was now mine. The perfect symbolism of discovering nirvana on independence day was exquisite. Ironically, I think that the classless society that Karl Marx dreamed of could have been achieved by Drexel. But, here we are...

If you want a blend that completely humiliates all other VaPers; Eso, SG, Rattray and yes even McClelland (pease be upon them) - look no further. This is your moment.

TYVM

I got this as a free pouch with the P&C ISPD promo. The flakes came very dry because the pouch is not sealed. The first bowl was smoked as delivered, but then I hydrated it a little. It is a better smoke when not so dry.

This is in the same class as LNF or OGS. The perique is a light touch, and there is less citrus than OGS. The taste is a little less "bright" than LNF. There is a little plum from the perique and some hay with a slightly heavier sweet from the Virginia that either of the others.

This is easy to recommend. For a flake, it comes at a very attractive price point (even when it is not a freebie), and it is an easy smoke.

On the technical side, this is a tasty blend with some natural sweetness, and an enjoyable flake.

But hear me out...

It's 9pm, and I've been awake for 17 hours. I'm driving home after yet another 14 hour shift, and I get lost in thought and miss the on ramp to the highway. I press onward, and find a way small trailhead to pull over, and turn around. But maybe this was a sign. How many times had I taken the highway just to miss this tiny seaside trail, an adventure yet unexplored. One other lonely car is parked, and I grab my bag and head off into the night.

The trail is mostly flat, but a small hill leads to a Boulder that gives me a clear view of the sea. I sit, chilled by the start of fall, and take out my pipe. I dig through my bag for my flavor of the month, but stop. An untouched bag of drexel sits atop my tin. In the spirit of the night, I pick a flake and begin to prepare it.

I open the book that holds old ticket stubs and postcards, and find a page. Korpiklanni, 2016. A fitting choice. I use the book as a platter and rub out a flake. It's easy to do, with a nice cut. I half close the book and empty the leaf into my pipe, and the wind blows out my lighter. I shield it with my hand, and begin to puff away.

The pipe let's out a ghost of latakia which yields to a mild spice of perique with a hint of sweetness. I begin to puff away, and for a moment, my world makes sense. The fall air let's me know summer is truly gone, and my time disappears faster than I can realize.

I tamp twice to keep the pipe lit, and on the third tamp, the moment is gone. I dump out my ash and some blows off to the sea. Off to the sprit of sailors who smoked their pipes on the same salty sea breeze. They did not smoke the fine blends we know today, but they smoked what they had. They smoked not when they wanted, but when they could. I prepare to close my book, and notice a small ribbon of Drexel stuck behind the stub. Perfect.

I walk back to my car and a jogger with a dog passes me. I sit and think that this moment will stay with me, and am grateful for all I have.

So here I ask, nay implore, that you go out and buy yourself a bag of Drexel VIII. Smoke it not because you can, but because you want to. Appreciate every moment of it, because those moments can last the rest of your life.

No pretense. As simple & straight forward as SWR, which despite no burley, it reminds me of . . .i.e. a tad rough (in a good way) and nic on low side of medium. Why no sticky seal is a bit of a mystery. That made 1st pouch immediately smokeable, but when I got around to the 2nd, a button disc used overnight was required. Attractively priced & worth trying. You risk no more than being underwhelmed, but will certainly find it smokeable. Makes an interesting flake parfait with 1/3 Heinrich Special Curly atop 2/3 VIII.

This is a pretty good VaPer. A little grass and citrus, some earth and a fair sweetness from the Virginias. Tart figs and plums with ample spice from the Perique. The fruitiness fades a little in the second half replaced by a little more earth. A satisfying smoke.

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

Heard horror stories about how powerful Perique is, but also a bit intrigued about what this thing called a VA/Per is and wanting to move away from aros or codger blends? This might be the intro VA/Per to try. The VAs are mild and fairly balanced with perhaps a bit of a sweeter cure or a touch of sweet casing (but not overtly changing the flavor profile), the Perique is lightly applied, giving just a bit of spice. Those who prefer just enough VA in their Perique to hold it together would probably not care for it, but certainly worth a try for most others, although, like JimInks, I did notice a bit of acidity, especially in the last 1/3 of a bowl.

This is bad stuff. Picture a normal, light VA flake. Orlik, Capstan etc. Now remove half the flavor and replace it with a sort of acrid house paint smell.

That’s your best case scenario. Since it comes in an unsealed pouch, from P&C (which isn’t very good at handling or rotating stock) there’s a good chance you get dry crumbles.

I'd rather smoke poison Ivy.

Acrid burning dumpster tobacco, I wouldn't even use it as incense. Burns like the sun, smells and tastes awful. Smoking this blend is comparable to trying to eat wet boot leather that is covered in manure.