Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Mick McQuaid

The bold Virginias are dark fruit sweet with a touch of mild citrus and fermented sugar, and is earthy with a couple blades of grass. I also perceive a few hints of stewed fruit. There’s a very slight nutty note, and I wonder if a few dabs of burley is present. It might also help explain the minor molasses I taste. The fruit toppings are hard to define, but I get a small sense of berry and almond. The toppings tone down the tobaccos to a mild extent. The nic-hit is almost medium. No bite or harshness is present. Burns cool and clean and just a little slow with a very consistent, fairly smooth flavor from start to finish. Needs some relights, and leaves a little moisture in the bowl. Has a pleasant after taste. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Mick McQuaid Square Cut Flake is no longer being sold in the USA. Too bad. It is an outstanding flake tobacco with just the slightest hint of casing. It rubs out easily, and the short strands are easy to pack in any sized pipe. (Because of its strength, you might opt for a smaller bowl). Unlike Mick McQuaid Ready-Rubbed (which I prefer), the Square Cut boasts a bit more muscle and burns more slowly. The Virginias are top shelf, and I particularly enjoyed the "no bite" smoke from beginning to end. I think there is a bit of Burley in this blend which aids the cooling properties.

If you prefer a straight tobacco taste from your blends, this might work for you, even with the top coating. Absolutely delightful!

I must have got a duff batch. I bought it after reading recommendations of fellow pipe smokers. I actually asked for Plug @ tobacconists, but they put tin in a paperbag so found out it was square cut when got home.

Tin smell: like St Bruno flake - peaty, plummy/fruity smell but not as strong - had to really sniff to get the fragrance/aroma.

Room note: Smoked it in entry. Then went back to smell smoke afterwards - couldn't smell anything really.

Flavour & taste: smoked this with 2 pipes - a) my centennial no 2 with permanent metal filter - very delicate to minimal taste or discernible flavour; b) pipe with 9mm filter - no flavour or taste at all apart from ash and possibly the flavours of nitrosmine & benz(a)pyrene which causes cancer. Very, very, very disappointing - not what tin smell seemed to promise.

I'll stick to St Bruno flake.

Mr Colin Lunn, formerly of King?s Parade, Cambs., introduced me to this excellent and hearty tobacco (while selling me a straight billiard Parker pipe?by the way, one of the best pipes I?ve ever had). I don?t know about a Burley component. For me it was a straight Virginia, properly matured and aged, with a natural sweetness and, I agree with Pipestud, a bit more muscle than the Ready Rubbed version.

A nice square cut flake (similar to Larsen?s Selected Blend Nº 32, though Larsen?s is infinitely milder and timid), MM is a very Scottish tobacco, representing the highest craftsmanship of the old British blenders, no longer to be found, I?m afraid (the blenders; I don?t know about the tobacco). Medium to full strength, this wonderful Virginia had long lasting properties, and the peculiarity of bringing about a joyous smile to all who smoked it.

BTW: I don?t know if the ?Flake? entry under the same brand refers to this tobacco or if there was another version different from the square cut. In any case, if you find it, smoke it!

The tin aroma is classic old style Virginia tobacco with a musty, pungeant smell that makes you want to dive in. The tobacco does need to be dried out just a bit but easily rubs out for packing.

Once lit wonderful rich, smokey clouds of thick, creamy and delightful smoke acsend to create a very pleasant room note.

This is a strong tobacco however there is no tongue bite at all.

Burns slowly and the rounded sweet Virginia flavor stays consistent down to the bottom of the bowl with nothing left but a pale grey ash.

Unfortunately this wonderful tobacco is another that has been lost to the ages. I am savoring every last bowlful of the only tin I have. If you are fortunate enough to find a tin you owe it to yourself to indulge!

This is the kind of Va. flake I absolutely love. The little square flakes are very easy to cube-cut about "BB" sized, and gravity fed into a tall, narrow Stack Billiard. This is a full tobacco with that sweet/spicy thing going on. I'll take this over FVF anyday. Delightful. Just wish we could get it here in the States.

If you think of The Plug as an antipasti, this is definitely a main course tobacco. Molasses/toffee rather than the raisin-sweetness of the Plug. No harshness, but full of tobacco goodness. Upon smoking this I realised how characterful the FVF is, but I prefer the, to me, more natural McQ's. Really good, honest and natural tobacco. Once again, no mention has been made of this discontinuing by my tobacconist. If it is withdrawn, it'll be a crime against tobacco. Its been a while since I've had DNR but I think I rate this more highly.

I bought a tin of this purely because the man on the tin looks so happy. After smoking a few pipes of this tobacco I now know why he looks so happy. This is a wonderful tobacco, everyone should try it at least once. It is such a smooth wonderful smoke that mere words do not do it justice. It rubs out, packs and lights very easily. I did find that my pipe becomes very hot when I smoke this, although that is probably because I tend to puff harder when smoking this. It burns quite slowly and is a tobacco to be savoured. A joy, buy some.