Preparing this and all plug tobaccos is a part of the wonderful art and science of pipe smoking and gives the smoker the control necessary to enhance the experience of this tobacco.

I do not dry this before smoking other than a few minutes after loading the bowl. Cut and crumble as you like, depending on what characteristics you desire.

I smoke this in a group 4/5 straight billiard.

...a pipe is to be savored...

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.

Mick McQuaid Plug is easily the densest block of pressed tobacco I?ve ever seen. It comes in a typical pouch but the actual brick is a square of perhaps 2" x 1.5" x .75". It's so small that it makes the pouch seem somewhat empty even though it weighs 50 grams. The aroma is a rich mash of stewed fruits ? figs, plums, and prunes - with a hint of some sort of liqueur; amaretto or brandy perhaps. It is delightful and potent without being overwhelming.

With my pocket knife I shaved a 1/8? to 1/4? sliver off the shorter side, pulled it apart along the grain into strips, and then ground it by hand in my small tobacco grinder. This stuff is so dense I had a hard time twisting the grinder and the result was fairly chunky ? sort of a cubed/broken flake texture. It also seemed a bit moist so I let it sit for 30 minutes or so. That wasn?t much time drying time and the tobacco was so solid that I wondered if it would burn well at all so I decided to use the gravity fill method with my Peterson Shamrock which has a tall, narrow bowl. After sprinkling the McQuaid?s in, tapping the bowl to settle it, and topping it with just a bit of pressure, I was ready to go. I should mention that the small slice I rubbed out yielded about 3 bowls worth. Don't let the small size of the brick fool you - this stuff is DENSE!

The charring light went pretty well and I think I was right in my choice of pipe. It took me a few tries to get the bowl really going but once I did it burned well. Due to its density I made a concerted effort to smoke very slowly (which I often don?t do) and that seemed to be the right way to go.

The taste at the true light is primarily Virginia, rich and sweet, with no bite and virtually no trace of the casing. I?m guessing this is a stoved blend as there is a certain mellowness and depth to the smoke that reminds me quite a bit of Anniversary Kake from pipesandcigars.com but without the Perique.

As the bowl got going through the first and second thirds, the flavor held steady with rich, stoved Virginia and gentle echoes of the original stewed fruit from the pouch aroma. Although it seemed to smolder quite slowly, a few puffs would bring up a cloud of wonderful thick smoke ? good for smoke rings wink.gif I would say the nicotine content is above average but not staggeringly so. I had to relight a few times after the halfway point but that probably had as much to do with my absentmindedness as the tobacco?s burning qualities. The tease of casing flavors faded towards the end and became more of a straightforward Virginia. I guess I didn?t smoke as slowly as I thought as I did have a bit of gurgle (pretty common for me) and some dottle in the bottom of the bowl.

After 3 bowls, here's my overall impression: - Preparation is difficult but I think that is part of the fun. - Lighting is much easier after some drying time. The tobacco for my 2nd bowl sat out for 90 minutes before I packed it and it was much easier to keep lit. - The flavor didn?t develop much but I wouldn?t call it one-dimensional. There was complexity but little subtlety if that makes any sense. For example I often find Oriental blends (particularly those without Latakia) to be both complex and subtle. This was more of a straightforward flavor that had several elements but was quite up front about them from start to finish. - Mick McQuaid Plug is a great tobacco and a terrific change of pace from the VAPERs I?ve been smoking a lot of lately. I would certainly buy it again.

- Tim

07/27/09 UPDATE: I am revising some of my reviews. I have given out more 4 star ratings than anything else. That practice is probably not helping. So, I am reducing MMP to 3 stars, not because I like it less than I did before, but because I am limiting 4 stars to fewer than 25% of all my reviews. One day I may use the 4 star rating to designate my top five.

This diminutive plug is less than 2 inches square, but the density of the plug makes up the 50g weight. It's dark as night with a very small percentage of light leaf layered in the strata.

I was too impatient to dry it before lighting, but I highly recommend a couple hours in the air before packing. Tried to rub it out and didn't have much success, probably due to the moisture, so I cut it into basically a cube cut and sprinkled it into a smallish meer.

It lit readily but required a few relights. Wonderful rich flavors right at the start. About half way down the richness was joined by a deep toastiness that I surmise could have been present through the whole bowl if I had first dried it properly.

It's a strong smoke, and I'm very much looking forward to my first properly dried, properly packed, full-sized pipeful on the back porch.

Excellent stuff!

The plug took fire readily and produced copious volumes of smoke. The flavouring was not particularly obtrusive: it was mostly not noticeable, but every now and then peeped out, I suppose when leaf from the top of the plug caught fire. The room note drew appreciative comments. The smoke was cool without the least sugggestion of bite. The coarsely cut flakes burnt the best, with no dottle and a fine ash.

I have finished one plug for this review. I do not think this could be a staple for me (unlike the Square Cut, which could be) but I will fondly return to it when the whimsey takes me.

Some drying time after processing lessens the scent and helps with the lighting and smoking.

I prefer tobacco flavored tobacco in all its glories, but make a rare exception for this little gem. Burns slowly and consistently even when pulverized. By mid-bowl the flavor and scent are mere background players and a rich, sweet and relaxing experience is just around the corner. The finish is wonderful but DGT may have to come into play to keep the fire burning. Perfect for after dinner.

This tobbacco can be decribed in terms of it's room note, burning qualities, taste, appearance & everything else as . . . 'beautiful'.

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!

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.

********************

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!!!

Great fun to prepare, but make sure your knife is SHARP! Slice off flakes of any thickness you like and then rub them, roll them or just cram them in, or you could shave off little curls and just drop them into the pipe.

It lights with ease, particularly if you put some really fine cut stuff on top, and the flavour leaps out straight away, rich, full, a hint of sweetness, thoroughly satisfying. It smokes slow, really slow if youve cut it thick, doesnt bite, doesnt dribble, doesnt get too hot... Lovely stuff. The aroma is as full as the flavour, but does not seem to offend people as much as the smell of St Bruno can, its just rather strong. Yields satisfying clouds of blue smoke, excellent for smoke rings!

Fortunately for me, this plug is available in the two tobacconists nearest where I live, is seems to be a popular smoke around here. And for good reason!

When you open the foil wrapper the first thing you notice is the slight aroma of almonds/marzipan, which is very yummy. Like all plugs this tobacco takes some effort to prepare, I slice off a 1-2mm thick slice of the end of the plug, going across the plug. I then rub it out until it all the lumpy bits are gone. I have noticed that it does not take well to not being prepared properly, if it is too coarse (lumpy bits) or too fine (like thread) then tongue bite will result.

If prepared properly it ligths easily. The first 1/3 of the bowl has the flavour of a good smooth virginia, nothing too exciting, but very pleasant non the less. The 2/3 of the bowl, brings in a slight sweetness too the proceedings, nothing too strong just a pleasant background sweetness, not unlike the sweetness that comes through in Dunhill 965. The last 3rd of the bowl is amazing, the almond starts to come through, but it is complementary to the virginia and it does not come to the fore. Its hard to describe, but the level of sweetness and flavour is just perfect, its like marzipan flavoured smoke, hmmmmmm! It is also one of the smoothest tobaccos I have ever tried.

The strength is somewhere in the middle regions, in a small to medium sized bowl, this tobaccos is perfect. In a large bowl I find it can be a bit too much. Tongue bit is non existant if puffed slowly. The resulting ash is quite coarse and it takes more than a few relights, but thats par for the course as far as plugs go.

This is a very big favourite of mine and I would reccomend to everyone as a "try it at least once" type of tobacco.

This plug is more cased than the square cut mick mcquiad , a sort of almond honey flavour which can dominate so i tend to smoke this one 50/50 with the square cut . Worth a try if only for the novel plug experence. This is my favorite of murreys plugs.

I tend not to bother with this since my latakia conversion.