My wife doesn't care for the room note on this one but the taste is worth it to me. I shall be purchasing more in the future. Dry and stays lit in my pipe without a problem. May be too strong for some peoples taste. This goes well on cold winter days.

Unlike some other cheap brands Sir Walter comes in a sealed can with a real metal top instead of just cheap plastic wrap. For a drug store brand I surely can't complain.

Edit: I have to up my recommendation of this. The more of it I smoke the more I like it. My biggest complaint was the burley bitters at the bottom of the bowl. I've solved that by filling my bowls only half way. While being rather one dimensional it is still a pleasant smoke. It will remain in my rotation and I will store away several cans of this.

Original review: This is the current stop on my trip down OTC lane. I must say that I am not very impressed at all with SWR. Thankfully, I only have a 2 ounce purchase to deal with. The only plus of this blend is that it is a cheap blend and I really can see why it is priced as low as it is. This may indeed end up in the trash bin very shortly. I don't really detect any real taste with this blend at all. I really can't see what all the postive reviewers see in this at all. I find Carter Hall, Prince Albert and a couple of the Captain Black blends far superior in taste and overall quality. I won't be buying this again.

I've been smoking the Prince and the Sir for the last few days and find the Prince's flavors brighter, the burn cleaner, the tobacco less apt to bite and get bitter. SWR has a top-dressing from the roasted or charred spectrum--coffee, chocolate, rum, something like that. Whatever it is, it makes a gentle companion to the essentially nutty Burley that forms the backbone of the blend.

Don't get me wrong...I think SWR is a decent blend, especially for the price. Then again, I'm more than willing to pay the premiums needed to acquire better Burleys from the likes of Wessex, Solani, or C&D. So smoke it if ya' gotta.

True to the genre, if you're looking for fireworks or a lot of oooooh and aaaah you'd be better off looking elsewhere. SWR is what it is, a old school codger burley and has all the underpinnings thereof. The cut makes it a slow burner and the casing is very reminiscent of Edgeworth RR'd. This is a good old reliable, understated, low maintenance burley. Not many bells and whistles, like most codger burlies this blend is designed to be smoked by the working man while he works. Not a lot of time to fiddle with your pipe when you're working so SWR doesn't require it. The standard one light a tamp and then you're off. SWR will satisfy whether your paying attention or not. Like most codger burlies this is a fantastic "doing something else" tobacco perfect to smoke while working, fishing, mowing the lawn etc. The taste is great, this stuff wouldn't bite if you paid it to and it seems to leave a very subtle but pleasant taste stuck to the inside of your mouth. For the most part it doesn't leave that damp, soupy dottle and can easily and comfortably be smoked to the bottom of the bowl. The room note is somewhere between tolerable and pretty good. I can find no fault with this blend and will probably opt to purchase a tub the next time I buy it. There will obviously never be a replacement for our dearly departed Edgeworth RR'd but this is as close as it gets. If you're a burleyphile this is well worth your time and it's readily available for a very reasonable price. A good value says I. Prince Albert is still king of the codger burley roost but with the demise of ERR'd I would put SWR a close second. Three and a half stars.

The odd thing about SWR is the casing or topping. Open the can and you smell a kind of fermented cough syrup smell, or the sort of smell that you get from the bottom of a glass the morning after the party. Do not be put off by this. It is not present in the smoke -- at least not in my briar -- and I don't know, but aging may reduce it.

Like his estimable cousin, Prince Albert, Sir Walter is an excellent "service" smoke -- a low-maintenance tobacco. It stays lit, is fine if you have to relight it, and does not bite.

And at the price, a bargain. If you are looking for value, flavour and convenience, look no further.

Certainly it is not a complex smoke or taste, and as prior reviewers have noted, it has changed since its introduction in 1884 by the J.G. Flynt Co. to Brown & Williamson who bought the brand in 1925.

However, the "essence" of this tobacco is still there... What I smoked in 1960 is still detectable even with the various manufacturing processes and companies who have been involved with this brand. Perhaps I adjust my expectations for this tobacco or perhaps nostalgia takes over, but I think its worth a try.

After smoking a few bowls of this I updated my review. Yes it is very light but smooth. The flavor is quite earthy and has a grassy note to it. The aroma is smokey with a hickory wood smell. There is no accelerants or preservatives added. It's somewhat dry out of the pouch. Im guessing out of the can, it would be a little moister. This is a very nice clean smoke, with no bull$#!+ added. I still favor PA, H & H, and { Jimmy Carter } Hall to this, but if this was all I could find I'd run with it! This is comparable with Mild Kentucky Club. If you like the lighter burleys, this will scratch the itch.

The scent from the open pouch is pleasant, burley tobacco, with a very light raisin-y booze note. Smelled great to me! Bigger, thicker cut than Middleton tobaccos, but packed easily. Doesn't stay lit quite like the Prince, but burns more slowly and behaves quite well. It smoked nicely almost to the bottom of the bowl, where it tended to get a little acrid and nasty. I can't find much to complain about with this stuff, and it does have much to recommend it. This does have its share of poor reviews, and I just don't see why. 75 years of pipesmokers can't be that far off!