Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) C'est La Vie

WOW,, This is seriously under-rated here guys,, I mean Darn,, this is one of the best tobacco's I have ever smoked and there's a lot of "pouch-envy" here. In that,, I mean pouch tobaccos are often under-rated because they are cheap and widely available. A form of subconscious economic discrimination,, LOL,,, 🙁

Anyhoo,, the review,, great room note great light VA/Burley character. Smells heavenly in the pouch as well. Burns evenly and with little moisture, NO BITE,,!! and is just plain enjoyable to smoke. Vanilla? I think it would have been better not to declare a "flavoring" here just leave that out of the name and see what the imagination would bring out in folks. Lots of negativity is instantly inspired in some pipesters when any aromatic (vanilla etc.) is mentioned,,

For me, this is one of my all time favorites, and I have smoked through the pouch faster than any tobacco I have ever tried (save one) in my 30+ years of pipe smoking.

English smokers? Why bother trying something you've already decided you'll hate before smoking it? Have your NightCap and be happy no need to buy this one.

Aromatic lovers? Mild VA and burley fans? Apply here.. I'll certainly be ordering more of this,, It's a winner and a pal for me and my pipe... 🙂

Good Draw to You,, Cheers,,,

Glorfindel

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I regret being so harsh on this tobacco in my ratings, but I was frankly surprised with how flat it fell for me. I consider myself sensitive to taste and able to notice even the slightest hint of anything, and while I do enjoy full-bodied tobaccos, I like to think that I can appreciate mild aromatics. Not so with this particular blend and this particular batch.

I tasted nothing. It was like smoking air for forty-five minutes. It burned fast but not hot, and stayed very smokey in the bowl, the rising curls burning my eyes and nose unprovoked and consistently. I was astonished with how airy and flavorless this tobacco really was to me, as the pouch promised much and the smell of the raw tobacco seemed like it might deliver something distinct. I particularly enjoy the draw of the first-light, the first impression. On this one I tasted more from the matches, and I mean that.

After some point it became a job to smoke, but I had to see if the end of the bowl proved more flavorful and powerful. It really didn't. As a consequence I drew often and smoked like a chimney to extract some flavor without success.

On the bright side it doesn't bite, it's forgiving in that it stays lit, buns evenly and doesn't burn hot. You can smoke it fast and it wont cook your pipe or you. The relaxing and soothing slow onset of nicotine sort of arrived near the end, but it was transient and not very memorable. If I had been smoking to unwind, I'd of left only the slightest bit unwound. Its emptiness was distracting.

I'll say this: If I was starting on pipe tobacco, I'd of liked it. It's non-threatening, can't be overwhelming, it was easy to work with, packed easy and lighted evenly and quickly, throwing up plumes while idle, easy to stir up without ruining the smoke if tamped too hard--which I did, trying to get as much out of it as I could. It's a very polite tobacco in that respect, non-invasive or surprising, but barely there; which has its place I suppose. It's user friendly if you don't want to keep the pipe in your teeth. I'll be using it as a mixer to relax some other bolder or more finicky flake tobaccos, and I have confidence in it for that role if applied correctly.

As a stand alone pipe tobacco to even an occasional smoker, I wouldn't recommend it.

I found this tobacco blend to be a mild aromatic that produces a pleasant room note. I often take this blend on long walks. This particular blend, like the other Scandinavian Tobacco Group offerings, will not blow you away but does provide an enjoyable experience. I was not overwhelmed by the vanilla flavoring; for me, the topping added enough taste to make the intended point without being overly sweet, like for instance some examples of Cherry Cavendish often are.

This tobacco was a pleasant surprise for me though it took about a half of a pouch to get to know it well. At first this mixture seemed bland but after several bowls the aromatic qualities began to work on me. CLV is moist in the pouch but I didn't dry it. The cherry stays lit with a charring light then another spark. Consistent throughout the bowl with a toasted marshmallow rather than a French vanilla taste and aroma. Flavors are subtle but noticeable, CLV won't knock anybody's socks off but will deliver a good pipe while mowing lawn or feeding the chickens or some such.

Flavor so subtle you might not even notice it at all. Packed well, lit well, and even smoked well; just don't expect an over the top vanilla experience as one might think by reading the pouch description.

Straight from the pouch my fingers were left a little sticky so you might want to dry a bit although I didn't. The pouch note to me is rather light as well; at least after being open for a few minutes. Mine was not rubbed out all the way. There were long pieces still pressed together; no bother though. Hence the stickiness.

I received this as part of a large sampler and probably wouldn't have ordered it as a standalone selection. Overall not too terribly impressed or put off for that matter. 3/4 of the way through and after puffing rather stoutly I can feel no bite to my tongue.

In conclusion, I can't really say too much to fault this for the simplicity it offers. This first bowl has been mildly pleasurable but not to the point of having an epiphany moment.

Although I wouldn't rush to order another pouch, if it came as part of another set I wouldn't necessarily throw it out. No real vanilla flavor, French or otherwise, detected by this first burning. Smooth for the most part, A bit one sided if not a tad boring; but have had much worse.

I gave this tobacco a really honest try. Multiple bowls in multiple pipes at multiple paces and under multiple conditions. I read the reviews here and expected more than I found.

C'est la Vie just has nothing to offer in a world of very good tobacco at a reasonable price. I put this one in the category of "you get what you pay for."

It lights well, stays lit, smells nice in the room but just has no flavor at all to me. I just couldn't find a way to smoke it that wasn't plain old boring.

Wow. I got this as a freebie in a p&c promo over a year ago. I opened the pouch for a sniff and threw it in a drawer. Pouch note and room note are Vanilla goodness. The flavor is what really surprises me. The tobacco flavor is solid and there casing is delicious! Vanilla cream on a bed of Cavendish. I get toasty, nutty Burley and some slightly grassy VA. I am not an OTC or an aromatic smoker (rarely) but this was a great surprise! Give it a try

This blend is definitely “creamy” and quite nice in general. It’s the stickiest/gooiest blend I’ve ever experienced. There is absolutely no bite, which is a good thing because I felt the whole time like I was having to puff on it pretty hard to keep it lit. Room note is one of the best, and the taste is not far behind. Highly recommended pouch blend!

Not a bad smoke, especially for a pouch. The Vanilla note is certainly more prevalent when taking a whiff from the pouch; once smoked it does take a discerning palate to pick up the vanilla. Furthermore, if, like me, you smoke aromatics more to abide the wife than because you personally derive satisfaction from the room note, there are stronger, better vanilla tobaccos (eg. Mac Baren Vanilla Cream). However, the folks saying that they flatly could not discern the Vanilla probably have less than 6 months smoking experience or are just plain uneducated in the art of connoseurial pipe smoking. Compare this to the rest of the Euro pack it came with (John Bull - an English - and Erin Go Brough - an Irish Whiskey aromatic) and there is no doubt about the mild Vanilla flavoring. That said, the vanilla is clearly more a casing than a proper Cavendish; compare to David's Midnight and this will be readily apparent to even a mildly experienced piper. All in all, it's a relaxing blend and certainly not a bad introduction to aromatics. Stays lit; burns cool; and even though it is very moist in the pouch, it really does not require drying...just don't puff away on it incessantly or you'll basically burn off all the casing and be left with an unfortunate blend of blandness and some tongue bite. Is this a 5-star, classy blend for smoking when you get to meet President Trump? No. But it's a nice, semi-sophisticated blend and all francophiles will enjoy it with a cup of French Roast in the morning. If you're looking to please the wife/family/etc or come off as a sophisticant in front of the bossman at the company BBQ, go for something a touch pricier (again, MacBaren jumps to mind, but regular Sutliff Vanilla will strike a similar chord on less $$) and search for an emphasis on cream or custard. You can definitely tell the difference. All-in-all, this is a solid 3 star smoke with a very mild Nicotine level; great for novice-intermediate aromatic pipers. Head and shoulders better than Super Value Vanilla, for example.

I picked this up for $2 a pouch because I liked the cigars. I was suprised how closley they resemble the cigars. It has a pleasant tobacco with just a touch of vanilla, barely detectable. Not your run of the mill cavendish blend. Like the cigar, it won't win any awards, but it is a great value smoke