What's not to like?

Slices and rubs easily. Plenty of airtime diminishes the flavoring to a tolerable level. Lights easily.

Flavor is fruity, but I don't feel compelled to put a pink paper umbrella in my pipe bowl. If there's any pineapple in here, it's MIA. Juicy Fruit? Maybe. Hawaiian Punch with Viagra side effects, if you get my drift.

Hard to believe that the Erinmore Mixture is related.

Good stuff.

An earlier reviewer said he couldn't keep the plug lit. I shaved some slices from the plug and dried them in front of the space heater on this cold Christmas afternoon. Next I rubbed the flake out and loaded my Cavicchi flake pipe. The burn is perfect: slow and even. The flavoring is in the background of a moderately strong Virginia tobacco. The smoke is so smooth and rich with absolutely no tongue bite. I think the flavoring of the plug is less than the flake, but I have heard others disagree claiming the opposite.

If this were available in the US I would smoke this regularly. I prefer it to the flake. Keep in mind I love British scented flakes with Ennerdale Flake probably being my favorite. I'm even awaiting a friend to bring some Condor back from his Christmas holiday in England, so YMMV.

I bought the new foreign stuff, on the premise that there is no point in developing a liking for something which is no longer available. It looked similar, but proved both impossible to light and to keep alight. I cut it into ever decreasing pieces, but all to no avail. This is, unhappily, one to avoid, however romantic it may have been in the past. I ran out of tobacco this evening and reached for the remains of this stuff. It smelt and tasted like an electrical fire.

In general, Erinmore is too strong, tobacco-wise, for the usual aromatic fancier; and the topping is too much?especially in ready-rubbed versions?for the echt-Tabak puritans. Unquestionably, the notorious fruity bouquet is a specialised taste: I find it floral, herbaceous and refreshing, when juxtaposed to the strong?and delicious?flavour of the plug tobacco. But I smoke it outdoors, in a small-bowled clay, and not often.

If you can keep it from cloying, this tobacco is CHANGE OF PACE writ large! At any rate, like near-death experiences and certain forms of asphyxiation, you can't conceive of it until you've experienced it.

Erinmore Plug could be considered to be the ?grandfather? of the Erinmore range. Plugs are a very traditional form of tobacco manufacture in which the leaf is pressed and cut to produce a hard block, which is then cut and rubbed to suit the preference of the smoker. Erinmore, like other Murray?s plugs, come in a sinister looking bar of approx 3x2x1 inches. It is wrapped in a sealed foil pack. Examination of the plug reveals a dark brown, shiny bar with small flecks of lighter leaf and stem. One assumes that a predominance of dark fired African leaf is used as the base.

Preparation involves slicing the plug across the grain, and rubbing to the desired thickness. For indoor smoking I usually rub fairly well, but for outdoor use the cut flakes can be packed directly into the bowl, if sliced reasonably finely.

Lighting is very easy, particularly if rubbed out, and then comes the famous taste, which is the subject of so much controversy! The flavouring is strong and very fruity. It is well known that pineapple is one of the main ingredients used, although I do not find it as pronounced as some others have commented. ?Juicy Fruit? flavour has been suggested by some, but again I feel this is a little bit over the top. It is possible to taste some pretty good quality tobacco under the favouring.

The aroma seems to be one of ?baking cookies?, and should be agreeable to many bystanders. The flavour and aroma last to the end of the bowl (even long after it!) and the nicotine content is relatively high. Erinmore Plug does not bite the tongue, although I suspect it might heat up if rubbed too finely. It burns dryly throughout. If you prefer natural Va flakes, you will no doubt hate this tobacco. I would however recommend it for those who prefer aromatic tobaccos and want to move away from more ?gloopy? drug store varieties. Whist providing lots of taste, it is not wet and the flavourings are not chemically derived. It will continue to have a place on my shelf as a happy break from the Lake District twists and flakes which are my staples, unlike Erinmore Mixture which is a very different beast altogether! Paul Campbell.