Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Mick McQuaid Plug

It takes more time to prepare as it’s firmer and more solid than than your average plug. I cut it in small flakes and cube cut the top and bottom pack. After doing that, I find I get a slow, even burn that never gets harsh or bitey, and has a very consistent flavor from start to finish. The Virginia is tangy dark fruit sweet with a touch of mild tart and tangy citrus, and is more earthy and woody than it is grassy. The brandy and almond topping is mild. I tend to notice the essence of almond not in a direct way, and when it shows up, it doesn't add much. The brandy is more obvious, and tones down the tobaccos to a moderate extent. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a shade past the center of mild to medium. Not a complex blend nor is it as strong as some have noted, but it is a very creamy smooth smoke. Requires some relights, and leaves little moisture in the bowl. Has a lightly lingering pleasant after taste, and room note. Virtually is an all day smoke. Be willing to spend some time with it because it'll last a long time in your bowl.

-JimInks

Many popular Irish blends are actually English; Condor, Mellow Virginia, St. Bruno, etc. McQuaid and Erinmore are the real Irish blends even though they're made in Denmark these days. They lack those floral lakeland flavors and the smokey Latakia's, so what's left you might ask? Sweet fruits, nuttiness and good solid tobacco flavors with a fair dose of nicotine.

But what about Peterson's? - you might add. Well not many Irishmen actually smoke Peterson's, for a start they don't sell them in a packet or in B&M local shops. They sell more overseas, Irish Flake is only on the market a few years and really it follows an English tradition more so than an Irish one.

So treat yourself to a real Irish blend, a fruity, nutty, spicey block of MQ.

Recently I was fortunate enough to be gifted 50g of this fine plug. It is one very firm piece of tobacco and if you don’t enjoy taking the time it takes to prepare, it might not be for you. If you don’t mind, you will be rewarded with a very UK style Virginia that is both smooth and somewhat strong. I smoked each bowl fully rubbed out. I didn’t taste much of the topping, but I am not sure how old this plug was, so given the fact that it was in a sealed pouch, some of the topping may have dissipated. I did get just a hint of floral, but it is just a hint. It is slightly sweet, but I wouldn’t call this an aromatic. MMP isn’t very complex, but it doesn’t need to be as there is plenty of flavor. There is a visit from Lady N, especially if smoked quickly. I tend to be a bit of a puffer and I couldn’t get this plug to bite even when pushed. It’s a shame that MMP isn’t available on this side of the Atlantic.

Smells like a Christmas kitchen in the pouch, all plum pudding and brandy and almond with traces of chocolate and vanilla, and the smoke, for once, fulfills the aroma's promise. The topping is perfectly done: the nut and brandy harmonise but can be separately distinguished, the sweetness is restrained enough to make room for the earthy tones of the base tobaccos, and the flavour holds its integrity as the bowl burns, smoothly and coolly, to the heel. It's not complex, but it's very well executed all the same. A wonderful dessert blend.

First, a note of thanks to fellow reviewer DrDna for gifting me a sample of this and other no longer produced blends that he thought I might enjoy.... He sure thought right with this Mick McQuaid Cut Plug, which was a precursor to McQuaid Square Cut.

This tobacco, quite simply, is a little slice of Heaven. My sample arrived from a not long ago opened tin, so the moisture level was perfect. The broken flake was deeply dark and had a smell similar to that of some of the currently produced Gawith & Hogarth Lakeland Flakes.

The tobacco loaded easily in a Ruthenberg medium sized bowl pipe that I enjoy smoking more powerful Virginia tobacco in. And folks, this is a powerful Virginia blend. It was easy to light and keep going and the smoke was rich, full and creamy with a "to die for" room note. The nicotine level was at 8 on a scale of 10, and there was no bite at all in the ever so slightly sweet leaf. Comperable, perhaps, to the very old and fragrant St. Bruno Flake that is no longer made either.

It has been a long time since I've received so much enjoyment from a bowl of tobacco.... I have enough of my sample remaining for another 2-3 bowls and I will not ration slowly. Bowl number two comes later this evening and I'll finish off the sample in the morning.

Man, this is good stuff!

Normally, I try to refrain from commenting on a blend until I have tried at least several tins. The Mick McQuaid Plug is such a rare bird, at least stateside, that I am compelled to forego my usual self-imposed limitation.

I've always felt that unusual presentations lend an additional degree of mystique to a tobacco. Flakes interest me more than ribbon cuts, and coins, twists, and ropes are cooler still. The plug may be the ultimate in this regard. It comes, however, at a price. Preparation is tedious and time consuming, but an absolute kick, and adds to the experience, as far as I'm concerned. Compared to the MMP, preparing a bowl of Dark Star or Stonehaven, two of the rubberier flakes, is a breeze.

Is it worth the effort? I think so. The plug is an intriguing blend that demands absolute concentration to best enjoy. It's fairly heady, and rewards a slow pace. The mouth feel is reminiscent of a lighter version of Full Virginia Flake, displaying that unctuous quality that is almost soaplike- in feel that is, not in flavor. The flavor itself is mildly nutlike, although I wouldn't pin it down to almond. Perhaps filbert. Perhaps I just like to say "filbert."

The dense (we're talking neutron star) plug comes in an adorable, whimsical foil package about the size of a mini Milky Way bar. The fat, smiling bloke on the cover may lead one to believe that it is a less than serious blend that should be relegated to the closet, next to the tin of Daddy's Favorite Baccy, but it's the real thing. When sipped as slowly as an ancient port, the plug reveals considerable nuance, and all manner of subtleties abound.

I strongly disagree with the wording of the category "recommendation." If I were to say "Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 1945, is one of my favorites, I drink it regularly," I would be lying. What I would really mean is "'45 Mouton is one of my favorites, and I WISH I could drink it regularly." The Mick McQuaid Plug is one I'll have a hard time replacing, I'm sure, but it's one that I wish I could smoke regularly.

Thanks to DB for the insight, and for the generous sample.

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Addendum: Upon her return from the Emerald Isle, a co-worker surprised me with a box of these little gems. What a kind-hearted woman. By my calculations, I now have approximately two full lifetime supplies of this plug.

Now if I can only convince some lovely Japanese lass to do the same with Momoyama!!!

This plug looks like a brownie, and I shaved pieces off (like carving wood) with a pocket knife then rubbed them out. Appearance at this point was about like Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed. The tobacco was dark and almost had an oily appearance. It may have been the power of suggestion since almond was in the description, but I thought it smelled a little like marzipan when rubbed out. I did not give it any air.

This is a wonderfully heavy, smooth, and slightly sweet smoke. The Virginias are full and earthy with no tart or citrus. There was good tobacco taste and a whiff of a little something more. In the flavor there may have been some floral, but this is really a tobacco flavored smoke with a side of tobacco.

This is a challenge to get, and it is a great smoke. I would smoke it more often if it were sold in the US. It is easy to recommend, and while it is really a 3.5 for smoking experience, it does not rise to a 4.

Dark beef jerky appearance with light flecks. Pouch note is of almond essence, (commercial marzipan), with a slight floral note.

I cube cut this and then rubbed it out. It took a light well. The tobacco will stay lit if puffed, but more than a moment or so of inattention and it will go out. Ideal for a working man.

The room note is solid tobacco with a hint of floral.

This is a gentle smoke. It burns slow and cool with no tongue bite. It has a sweet maltiness to which there is an intriguing hint of saltiness. Almost toffee like. There is some, very slight, bitterness towards the end of the bowl.

An enjoyable everyday smoke which is comfortable without being challenging or demanding or especially interesting either.

Pressed "brick" of tobacco that requires cutting. Unlike Pease's JKP, I didn't get a lot of nuances based on different cuts, so I simply cut it thin - probably because I was also smoking Condor Long Cut around this same time, and it's cut thin. I went with the flow, I suppose.

The pouch aroma is stronger than the flavor of the casing, which is typical of English flakes. This is dark tobacco, but with a lighter heart. I did not find this to be overly strong. In fact, I seem to have found it milder than most of the reviewers. It took a bit of coaxing to pull the flavor out of this one, but not nearly as much as the McQuaid Square Cut required. This one was a better marriage of strength and flavor, although they tasted close to the same. This one gets higher marks from me because I found the comparison of strength and flavor to be better balanced. Nicely sweet but not sugary. Subtle. Could not get it to burn or even turn harsh or bitter. The bottom of the bowl was only slightly more robust than the top. This is one I found hugely simple, without the complexities I find in many English flakes or plugs. A nice "set it and forget it" smoke that rewards in subtle ways. Recommended for the smoker who likes a milder flavor from a dark virginia tobacco... someone just peering over the edge of the Dark Side.

I bought a pack of this amazing tobacco with the intention of taking something on a long hike that wasn't going to dry out in a pouch, and it was my first foray into the world of plug tobacco.

First point; if you're of a lazy disposition, don't bother, it's wasted on you. If like me, however, you treat the preparation of the tobacco as a part of the overall smoking experience, it is truly wonderful.

The plug itself is hard as a brick and you need a very sharp knife to cut it, but if you're an outdoorsman, or indeed a gentleman worth any salt, you'll have one of those anyway, so it is no chore. The beauty is that you can shave thin slices off, as if you were finely carving wood, and rub it out in the usual manner, or you can cut a thick slice and cube-cut it. It lends itself to any occasion, and you can play with it as it suits.

Many people talk of the smell of christmas pudding with this, and although there is something quite sweet and spicy about the nose, it is very subtle. To me, this tobacco has the sweet, nutty smell of a bygone age, and everything about it, from the preparation to the last stirring of the dottle, transports me to the middle of the last century. Probably sitting on a five-bar gate and chewing a piece of hay as I survey a landscape several decades away from yet being turned into a Tesco car park...

In all seriousness, I have had my best experiences smoking this while outside in country. I never get quite the same satisfaction smoking it indoors, but outdoors, on a sunny afternoon with a pint of mild ale, nothing has yet come close to the kind of satisfaction I have had from it.

The first charring light gives you a sweet nuttiness, and as long as you sip it this flavour remains delicately throughout. It gives for fine plumes of thick, rich and nutty smoke and, provided that you have prepared it correctly, generally takes little or no relighting.

I generally never smoke a pipe if I have anything to do other than smoke a pipe, so it goes without saying that it is a tobacco to be savoured and honoured. After all, with the prep involved it would be a travesty to not give the smoke the attention that it deserves, so if you're in a hurry, don't bother. That said, if you leave it to go out and come back to it a few hours later, you are still greeted with a distinct nutty sweetness. It also burns down to a fine ash, and I have found myself at the bottom of my bowl having lost 45 minutes in a halcyon haze of sheer pensive pleasure.

In summary, if you re-read this review, you will see the words "sweet" and "nutty" repeated often. This is not because I have the vocabulary of a diabetic squirrel, but because they are the two adjectives that best describe the sensation of this wonderful tobacco.

I will be including this in my summer rotation, and reserving it only for moments of solitude when I am out and about in wood or hollow, and I can relax with a bowl without fear of interruption by some idiot remarking about how cool it is to smoke a corn-cob pipe..

If you want to feel like your granddad when he was a virile young farm labourer, cutting hay by hand in the summer meadow where granny first let him get his hand under her petticoats, buy this stuff.

It is awesome.