Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic

The moderately molasses sweet, nutty, woody, fairly chocolately, earthy, spicy, slightly bitter burleys take the lead over the grassy, tart and tangy citrusy, rather hay-like, slightly floral Virginias. The Dutch and French liqueur toppings are difficult to define (I notice anise, hazelnut and chocolate), and while they tone down the tobaccos, they also work well in concert with them to provide a very consistent flavor from start to finish. The strength and nic-hit levels are in the center of mild to medium. The taste level is a little closer to medium than it is to mild. It might burn a little warm if you are a very fast puffer so I suggest a moderate cadence. I have never experienced tongue bite from it. It does burn at slightly more than an average pace, but even and clean with few relights, and just a little dampness left in the bowl. Has a very pleasant, lightly lingering after taste, and room note. Performs well in repeat performances, and is an all day smoke. It won't ghost your pipe. And, btw, when you open a tub of it for the first time, the smell is wonderful!

Edit 6-28-2020: I have smoked this blend off and on since the mid-80s. About ten years or so ago, I noticed the chocolate flavor was a little stronger than it had been in all the previous years I had smoked it, and the tobacco is a hair less obvious than it used to be as a result. I also observe that it's a tad more spicy, and I am being to suspect there's a pinch of dark fired in the mix. It's still a four star blend, but I thought I'd note the change for the historical record.

-JimInks

I have a confession to make. Recently, at my monthly Pipe Club meeting, I took a 14oz sealed tin of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic that had been sitting in my "cellar" for a couple of years to share with the group. I cannot speak to what others think of the blend, (it never turned sour or bitter on me, the after taste was sweet and tobaccoey and my wife loved the smell that lingered on my moustashe) and I really liked it -- a lot!

Unlike the dry, cube cut non-aromatic version, this was more of a shag cut and was at just the right moisture level. Upon popping the lid, the smell was semi-sweet and very unique. I packed a full bowl in a well used Krempp 1/8 bent stacked billiard that I normally reserve for Latakia blends. The initial lighting caused a thick and wonderfully fragrant smoke/aroma. The taste was of quality Burley with an unidentifiable, yet pleasant casing that added to the enjoyment. I smoked my usual 3/4 of a bowl and when I dumped the dottle, it was mostly dry - no goop at all. I smoked the bowl fairly rapidly with absolutely not even a hint of tongue bite. I cannot wait to work my way through the rest of the tin. I do not know what this stuff will taste like from a pouch (I have found the pouch versions of most "drugstore" type tobaccos to be less impressive than the tinned versions for some reason) but I think many of you - particularly the aromatic crowd - will find this to be pleasing. I like a lot of nicotine in my smoke and this stuff has it, yet it is not particularly heavy in the nicotine department. Just a totally satisfying smoke.

Okay, flog me if you must, but this "drugstore" blend really is a winner -- IMO, of course.

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic is a real bargain for those who smoke aromatics either occasionally or often. As an over the counter pouch tobacco it outshines virtually all of the much pricier tinned aromatics. (SWR Aromatic is also available in a canister, currently downsized to 12 ounces.) It is, in my opinion, far superior to the other over the counter aromatics such as may be found in the Captain Black and Borkum Riff lines. Specific aromatics engender fans in an uneven manner because of the differences in individual palates, but for me SWR Aromatic is an outstanding product that is far more desirable than the price note might indicate.

This is not the SWR Regular with added flavorings. Regular bills itself as "mildly aromatic" (it has noticeable anise/licorice and some more evident sweetening that I would imagine to be sugar water) although I personally rank it as semi aromatic. SWR Aromatic is most definitely an aromatic, although I rate it as only mild to medium in that regard. The Regular has a broad ribbon chopped into an almost cubed form. SWR Aromatic is a very fine ribbon, chopped into what is nearly a shag or crimp cut.

The cut allows easy lighting and presents no problem in keeping a light, even with restrained puffing cadence. I find no problems with tongue bite when the gentle puffing cadence is used.

No aromatic is completely goop free, but the tendency to produce gurgle in this offering is as low as you are likely to encounter among aromatics. Likewise, this has a restrained ghosting tendency among the roster of aromatic smokes.

SWR Regular is all burley. SWR Aromatic, I strongly suspect, has some Virginia in it, although that is not stated anywhere. The pouch advertises that the aromatic flavor comes from three imported French and Dutch liqueurs. What are they and just what flavor do they impart? The room note doesn't answer those questions. The aroma is pleasant, but it does not have the toasting marshmallow nature of blends heavily dosed with vanilla. I would characterize the taste as mildly fruity. It is a pleasant taste, and because it is not overwhelming in strength it does not tire the palate. Personally I almost never smoke the same tobacco in successive pipes, but I can with this without difficulty. The tobacco flavor creeps through the flavoring.

The nicotine level is moderate, somewhat light for a burley heavy blend.

In smoking my last pouch of this I made heavy use of my one brylon pipe, which rendered the taste nicely, although I despise the overheated bowl which makes hand holding a brylon pipe difficult. (In many decades of pipe smoking I have had two brylons, and I consider that to be my lifetime allotment.) Because SWR Aromatic ghosts less than most aromatics, I sneaked some bowls into one of my Petersons which I normally do not subject to the aromatic blends while consuming this pouch.

Although aromatics are by far the biggest selling class of pipe tobacco, there are some who eschew them completely. This board probably has a greater percentage of these individuals than the population at large. Aside from aromatic haters, I give a thumbs up for SWR Aromatic.

This is a pleasant mild OTC aromatic that is an easy smoke. The exact flavor is hard to identify, and I claim it may be tonka bean in one of those liquors. The taste is a nutty, sightly sweet burley with the mystery topping. This is not a strongly aromatic blend, and I find it works very well. I get a little of the burley bitter at the end of the bowl, but otherwise there is a consistent taste. Room note is good.

FWIW, other than the name, it bears no resemblance to SWR. It is not as if they have a topped and untopped version of the same tobacco.

***Please note this is my first ever tobacco review***

This is a fine cut tobacco by pipe tobacco standards. Reasonably moist with a sweet fruity smell emanating from the bag.The tobacco packs well, with a good spring to it allowing for a free draw on the pipe.

This blend takes a light very well, with the initial taste being smooth and mellow. One has to be careful not to puff to hard or fast as I found it to bite quite easily.

The room not on this is pleasant enough, more a case of being un- offensive: certainly smoke this among those less inclined to our ways.

As the bowl progresses I find the flavour of the tobacco doesn't change, it has a generic pipe tobacco flavour though it is nicely mild, and keeps this the whole way through. The only risk of being smoking this too hard or fast.

I don't smoke for Vitamin N so as a result I can't comment on the levels.

Most certainly recommended.

Best OTC blend I've had to date... Don't let the aromatic lable fool you, this is a quality ribbon-cut burley. Easy to pack, light and enjoy. Taste and satisfaction is there. Like most burley blends I enjoy this in a cob. There can be a slight harshness to it, but, I think this is due to the use of some young virginia in the blend. I believe that if a can of this aged for a few years it would probably smooth out a bit. I give this three stars because of the quality and value for being a drug store blend. Happy Smoking...

This tobacco is like an old friend. From the first time I smoked it over 30 years ago I always keep it on hand in the tin.

Someone said that it reminds him of Christmas and I have to agree with that. If you think this is just a sweeter version of Original Sir Walter Raleigh you are mistaken. This blend and the original are two different animals. Nice tasting nuty Burleys and mild sweet Virginias laced with a wonderful aromatic liquor. Not sure what liquor it is but it's delicious in the blend. The aroma is like fresh baked cookies and old fashioned boiled plum pudding. You'll be sure to get compliments.

This blend is really a nice smoke that tastes like it should cost a lot more than it does.

Unlike SWR regular this one has flavor, and a nice flavor at that. Not much in the way of natural tobacco flavor, but the topping is delicious. This one I can enjoy.

Mild in body. Mild to medium in flavor. Burns well straight from the pouch and burns cooler than the regular. Probably because I'm not huffing it trying to get some flavor.

This is one of my favorite aromatics. It really is nothing like the regular Sir Walter Raleigh (which is my all time favorite Burley blend). The cut is ribbon, and the pouch aroma is of some undefined liqueur...pleasantly sweet with fruits and perhaps coffee present. No hint of the usual vanilla scent that permeates many OTC aromatics.

The ribbon cut was easy to pack (but in my opinion ALL tobacco is easy to pack if you really want to smoke the darn thing, rather than fiddle around and over-think the process). Lights up easily and burns very well for me. Very few relights.

The initial taste is of an aromatic for sure, but tobacco flavor makes its presence known as well. I would describe the taste as one of very light fruit, but predominantly of caramel and tobacco. Delicious. The pouches I buy at the local shop tend to be on the dry side, but that is beneficial for me as SWRA burns extremely well. The room note with the smoke is noticeable to me while smoking and smells of brown sugar. Nothing but compliments from my nonsmoker friends, which is always nice.

I do find that it can taste a bit harsh and might nip a bit if pushed, especially towards the end of the bowl.

Oh and one more thing. The nicotine is present in this blend. Rare for me to feel it with most tobaccos (high tolerance), but I certainly do with this one. Nothing powerful certainly (it's no Five Brothers) but definitely there.

A great non-Black Cavendish, old school American Aromatic.

Wow. I was honestly very surprised by just how much I like this blend. The smell out of the pouch is so unassuming that I thought it would be really bland and boring. Just mildly sweet tobacco and not much else, but quite pleasant. But the flavors are much more complicated than I expected. It has a wonderful walnut from the burley and an apricot-like sweet taste that I really enjoy. This is one of two aromatics that I have really enjoyed, the other being Savinelli's Black Cavendish which is very similar.