The only downside to it is that it gave me major tongue burn, and I kept wondering how nice it would have been without the flavoring! This may have to do with a developing taste for English tobaccos. In general, a nice blend, but I'm not sure I would buy it again.

I smoked roll-your-own cigarettes until I was 25 then switched to a pipe as I am a cricketer and I was getting out of breath on my bowling run-up. Erinmore has a sufficient nicotine hit to be the ideal tobacco for the person who wants to change from cigarettes to pipes.

Erinmore Mixture is a good, all-day smoke; it is not aggressive, does not dull the taste buds if smoked before breakfast. The taste is not spoiled if used with a filter pipe such as a Savanelli (I have 3 Savanellis and good pipes they are).

It is not the aristocrat of pipe tobaccos; I reserve that honour for Troost Black Cavendish; it is, however, a fine, often under-rated tobacco. It has lost a degree of its richness since the Danes started blending it; what I do is to keep a small quantity of loose Black Cavendish in a snuff tin in my pouch, and I add this to my pipe towards the evening when a more aromatic and stronger-tasting smoke is required.

Finally; it is essential, at least in my view; to change pipes daily when smoking Erinmore Mixture. This kills the wetness.

I feel this tobacco, unusually, fills the centre ground that sits between a full aromatic on one hand and a non-aromatic blend on the other. Frankly, I am astonished that since my first tin, I've ordered an additional ten tins - this is most unusual for me because casings will usually send me over the edge - I am to all intents and purposes a VAPER man, but this has awoken another dimension.

If this smarts the tongue, then you've packed it improperly - it's light enough to burn easy and shouldn't be pushed - any tobacco will bite under such conditions.

It works for me because it's nothing like the original!

The mixture looks nothing like the beautiful dark brown of the flake. Here, we get a fine, ribbon cut mix of golden and red Virginias with a smidge of black Cavendish. The topping — the unique fruit/licorice that defines the brand — is the same here, but it seems more heavily applied in the Mixture. Unlike most, I’ve always found the aromatics of the Flake to be kind of elegant and restrained, but the same topping on the Mixture seems cloying and overwhelming to the base tobaccos. On top of that, the tobacco of the Mixture burns faster and a little hotter than the Flake.

I suppose that if you can’t get enough of the Erinmore topping, the Mixture will be preferable. But beyond that, I don’t see any reason to recommend the Mixture.

Not liking the way it smoked right after opening, I stowed it away, and aging is what it wants. Badly. After the badly needed ageing it needs to be dried out, and dried considerably. The results of the drying are two fold. Drying it will cause it to burn more evenly, less "wetly" and thus more cooly, and secondly, the drying reduces the excessively strong casing.

Aromatics are not my favorite tobacco. I prefer the English varieties. However, if EM is aged and dried, its a pretty good smoke, and if you like aromatics, probably one you should try.

It's not offensive though.

I like the underlying sweetness which comes from the somewhat pineapply peachy casing which comes through into the taste but you cant really recognise what it is apart from the fact that you know that it is sweet.

To sum up, for me this is the best of the readily available supermarket blends especially if you prefer slightly aromatic blends blends over English or Oriental, far superior to Clan IMHO.

Buy some if you havent tried it. You may like it.

update 13 may 2011 - have discovered that there seem to be 2 manufacturers of this tobacco. the review above relates to the tobacco manufactured under licence by Orlik.

The other manufacturer is Scandinavian Tobacco and this to me is a completely different and lesser experience, it is harsher, has a bite that burns the roof of your mouth and is altogether an inferior product. I could only give this blender a maximum of 2 stars when I am feeling in a particularly benevolent mood.

When it's going, it provides a pleasant, fruity, sweet smoke, and a similar room note.

Not a bad tobacco, but Erinmore Flake is a better choice in all regards.

My first try of this was a 25g pouch which i had jarred for about 3 years when i gave up pipes(can't remember why i gave up,,it might of been the smoking ban or i just tidied up my tobacciana one day and forgot to continue?)

Anyway: virginia, burley and black cavendish with a casing..

Round 50g tin with the usual paper and card inside;some light but mainly tan and a little amount of black ribbons.

Tin aroma like plain cake of some sort(fruit bun?)

Already a regular purchase with me,and up there with the best of anything that is harder to aquire...:Its availability is a virtue because its quality to me is above other OTC cardboard blends..

It benefits from a pre pipe airing and half a day of being fluffed up in the tin to air as well(to return to normal atmospheric pressure),but it is instantly smokable if you are less patient..

Pipe used:6" clay georgian and falcon pipe..

Flavour: It has a fruictose sweetness that defies any specific fruit when smoked in a briar bowl,but does in my clay have an initial pineapple(i know about the fact of the pineapple on the tin is not necessarily pineapple in the tin)

So it has a light casing but i would not call it an aromatic like others that taste like the christmas selection chocolates.

Very mellow yellow flavour like the cream of the milk,,reminds me of sweet all butter shortbread or custard ,,or semolina.(apple crumble room note?),,,sometimes i taste banana milkshake,,;all in the natural sence of the tobacco rather than the casing i might add.

Burns cool and steady and doesn't fight my natural cadence of puffing,,,;it takes flame easy without relight or much expansion on the light up,,,;i could probably use matches on this if i could be bothered,but i only smoke a clay and falcons so i just use a pipe zippo.

Stays consistant all the way down the bowl,and right near the end in my clay pipe it takes on a rich clotted cream flavour..(because clay can take a thermo punishing it brings out more flavour i find)

No soap with this or bite,,;maybe a little "coal tar" brand soap on the first light up which disapears with an immediate tamper..

I have have described most of the tobacco's i like as alldayers - it means its possible and sometimes done,,,;but i usually try to smoke a bit of variety in a day. :This though more than any other of my "alldayers" is what i call a true alldayer - its an allrounder that i don't get tired of.Its a smoke that smokes itself and doesn't demand attention(an autopilot smoke),,,like sucking a butterscotch sweet,you can forget you are actually smoking it almost.

Simular to "erinmore flake"(i think they use the same or simular ingredients)but this one is slightly lighter and sweeter,but i can smoke either with the same oppinion,,,:the flake has a bit more body and is not as naturally sweet....The flake has a slight nutty factor (burley)that i don't detect in the mixture as much,,;Mixture stays lit slightly better(only slightly)

The room note is like the taste;pleasant and innoffensive so I would say its a safe sociable smoke that will probably attract enthusiastic pedestrians rather than repulse..(esp the "ayup can i have a go of yer pipe mate" types)

Same citrus sweet aroma than the flakes though, this is an interesting tobacco to smoke. I have smoked it in both the pouch and the tin and, as usual, I find the tin version so much better than in the pouch.

Packs and lights easily, smokes and burns easily, releasing the same tin aroma in the taste combined with tobacco taste.

Also, there seems to be a decent dose of vitamin N in here.

If you are seeking a good quality cased tobacco that is not overwhelming in its casing, I suggest you try this one.

I smoke this out of an old Dr. Grabo with the filter long-ago discarded. It was my old Cap. Black pipe, and this tobacco suits it well. Its a sweet, puff-puff kind of smoke, not unlike the afore-mentioned Cap. Black. Actually quite reasonably better, but not the aromatic luxury of Villiger 1888 Mid-Day. Not something to sip and savor.

This tin and the Dr. G have been relegated to the footlocker with the camping supplies for smoking around a campfire this coming summer. If your grandpa and your great grandpa used to smoke this, I recommend you purchase a tin for your camping box as well.

****** UPDATE ****** I was sitting around this evening contemplating a smoke, and I was compelled to dig this stuff out and try it again. Sweet, fruity, and lightly aromatic. I'm actually looking forward to camping this summer.

As a side note, my flake tins do not have any mention of Murray Sons & Co. Ltd., whereas the mixture (50gm) tins do. Both their labels say, "Made in Denmark for Peter Stokkebye Tobaksfabrik A/S." I suspect Orlik is the blender.

UPDATE 1-4-11: Tonight on my way to teach an evening class at college, I loaded up an Ascorti New Deer with EM. It was below freezing outside, but inside my car for the 20 minute drive, it was toasty warm. I had one of the best smokes ever from that pipe filled with EM. The taste and resulting "car note" were both beyond description.