"Cancel the chopper. Paws or no paws, get that pipe filled and spark up!"

At least that's how the UK St. Bruno ads of the 80s would have us believe it, when I was a youngster... More or less. Nowadays, you have to walk to the newsagents and pay for the privilege. Meh.

Those were my overriding memories of St. Bruno, until the day I mistakenly bought flake to make rolling ciggies as a student. Now, as a pipe smoker, I procured a small pouch of RR to readdress the balance. Evidently, I wanted to hate it, not simply because of the my aforementioned naivety, but rather more because it's a commercial smoke in the UK, available in any two-bit local shop (sadly, we don't do drugstore blends in drugstores in England). And commercialized things, as I have attested to in the past (see my 'Clan' review), are objects of derision; to be avoided, in my experience.

However, unlike 'Clan', it's commercial shelf neighbour, aside of Condor, this is actually a rather pleasant smoke, if not the most exciting. It's pouch note seems to be a lot stronger than the smoke, with a 'meaty' (almost seasoned steak), robust body, moderate sourness, and the faintest hint of dried fruit sweetness. I certainly don't sense any of the soapiness that some have mentioned. It's thinly rubbed, compared to many, yet yields a decent moisture content. I didn't get the large helping of tobacco stem that some did in my 25g pouch.

First impressions are indicative of a strong tobacco, but St. Bruno is far from it; smooth and bite-less, with a mere hint of added flavouring, that I can't quite place. In smoking quality and coolness, it's akin to McQuaid Plug, albeit without the generous depth of flavour.

For me, it went some way to prove that I can walk down the road and buy generally good tobacco, without having to mail order from the internet, or travel to a bigger city. It's a middle-of-the-road, inoffensive smoke, with reasonable characteristics. It tastes ok, burns well after the first charring, and will see you through the whole day.

The "Patron Saint of Pipe Smokers" slogan from the 80s, seems to have been replaced with "A Pipe's Best Friend". I can't help wondering if that's largely to do with the evident inoffensiveness of this blend. Would I smoke it again? As a back- up option, when I'm clean out of everything better, yes. Would I recommend it to you? Yes. Is it the best commercially available pipe tobacco? I would think so.

For the record, the St. Bernard on the pack still looks under the weather. Perhaps that's due to the death of the high street tobacconist that we should all lament.

St Bruno absolutely cracks me up! My pouch had more stems in it than I've ever seen in any tobacco blend. One stem was as long as the shank on one of my pipes! That concerns me with respect to quality control, but honestly, the real test of a tobacco is how it pleases the smoker. And St Bruno delivered time and time again. I finished the packet in record time (STUPID, since I don't know where the next one is coming from!) and enjoyed each puff. I would call this a medium bodied tobacco with a very robust but not overpowering flavor. I love full flavored tobaccos that burst on the tongue, yet do not bite. This tobacco reminds me of a porterhouse steak!

I used to smoke this in flake form back when it was available in the U.S and I probably would have preferred the flake, but this ready rubbed version smokes nothing short of wonderfully. I wouldn't call it overly complex as it doesn't seem to develop down the bowl. But if you're a fan of instant gratification and an entire bowlful of wonderful flavor that doesn't change, this is something to try. I found the flavor of this absolutely compelling and I am now conniving to figure out how to get more in this country. Great stuff!

I tried it first in an broken old corncob (I foiled the base and lit up) it lights well in any pipe, regardless of shape, size or style.

It is of medium to high strength nicotine wise, best after dinner or lunch, or a even a biggish breakfast, you could smoke this anytime of the day (I often do) a regular in my tobacco drawers.

It's mild, deep and vaguely enchanting, I often throw a pinch of Gold Block onto the top or bottom of the pipe. Why you ask? The transition from one to the other is incredible, simply divine. I found this out by accident, I wanted a full bowl, but hadn't enough GB or St. Bruno. So I shoved them both in there, layer after layer, rather than a straight mix.

If you have GB on top you will taste the (very) mild flavours before your tongue is used to the overall more powerful St. Bruno.

Highly recommended, available almost everywhere -- as is the flake which I haven't tried.. yet.

Religious and dog breed issues aside, this is a seriously good all day smoke and definately the best supermarket brand. It tastes all natural, good nicotine level with absolutely no bite. It may sit next to the Gold Block in the rack in my local Tesco's and cannot match it's gold, Elvis style jump suit but the St Bruno wins hands down.

In an age where it would professional suicide for any company executive to commit the dual crime of firstly naming one of mankind's biggest causes of cancer after an eleventh century Catholic saint while also getting a photo of the wrong dog is refreshing and satisfying, just like the tobacco.

Cool smoke, burns slowly, well recommended.

If you intend to smoke it often I recommend you dedicate a briar to it, as it may leave some ghost in your VA pipes. St. Bruno is not as neutral in taste as most virginias are. However, it is very hard to describe the taste... you must try it and acknowledge it by yourself. It looks a bit strange in the pouch, cutted almost like bird seed, easy to fill and light. Burns cool and to the bottom. The first puffs taste zesty and lemonesh, then it developes to an easy on the palate smoke, medium/strong in nic. Flavour is quite unique when comparing it to other virginias... Kentucky gives it a perfect round body.

St. Bruno is consistent, satisfaying, and widely available in Europe. In fact, it is (IMO) the best available blend in european common drugstores, competing with MacBaren's Scottish Mixture and Virginia nº1.

The oldest in my rotation and, even if others are smoked more often, a keeper. A serious smoker will find it honest and satisfying, no doubt. It is also great as a tasty palate cleaner, if smoked between english blends.

That's what I get for thinking. This is some good weed. I don't normally care for flavored/cased tobaccos. They usually strike me as a feeble attempt to disguise inferior tobacco. Not so with St. Bruno RR. Top shelf ingredients perfectly enhanced with a nuanced flavoring, probably of extraterrestrial origin...but of the organic, free-range variety, of course. What ever it is, it is damn tasty! Great nicotine delivery, no bite, no (expletive deleted).

Only reason I gave three stars instead of four is that I can't readily replace this without updating my passport.

A****

NOTE: I have now been smoking a pipe for some six months and have tried numerous brands by mail order and from the supermarket. I must say from the easily available brands this is always my first choice. A brilliant tasty tobacco.

I am now in my second year of pipe smoking and I still enjoy this tobacco - it's rich taste certainly pleases me and I find its aroma delicious. Highly thought of by me.

And a year later this is still a fave for me.

I was pleasantly surprised. This tobacco packs easily and well and gives a nice satisfying smoke. Quite smooth unless you puff really hard. Room note is nothing to write home about being a plain Virginia. This is a good choice for an ex-cigarette smoker as it has a familiar British tobacco taste and has a good nicotine kick to boot.

Recommended.

UPDATE (Jan 08)- I recently ran out of tobacco one weekend and needed to buy something readily available. I decided on this one and was glad I did as it rekindled my interest in straight virginias. A good smoke with plenty of flavour and no bite. Some reviews comment on the nicotine strength. I find it OK even as an all day smoke - whereas I found Old Gowrie to be a fair bit stronger.

As I wait for a tin of J.J. Fox's Dorisco mixture to arrive (hopefully tomorrow), I am smoking St Bruno. The old rich, mellow, distinct flavour of this mix, perhaps the most up-front and distinctive flavour of any tobacco, is very evident, and very pleasing. If there is just one tobacco to be labelled 'pipe tobacco', then surely this is it, for the aroma is so strong, so pleasant, so deep, so well-known. Yet the note 'sounded', so to speak, becomes monotonous after a while, like that of any proprietary brand, though this to my mind is undoubtedly the best of that breed.

St Bruno lights extremely easily, burns evenly and slowly. I have never found any harshness taint the deep flavour which I experience. The tobacco mixes well with some others, and somewhere on this forum (maybe this thread), someone noted that, many years ago, a travelling tobacco salesman said that a 50/50 mix of St Bruno and Golden Virginia produced, in his opinion, just about the best pipe-smoking experience. I've tried that mix, and it ain't half bad (note to U.S. readers: that means it is very good). However, I still prefer St Bruno on its own.

It's nice to be smoking a pipeful of my old staple. It's always very satisfying. However, I have moved on, and other smoking experiences are the ones that now rock my boat. However, as top dog in the proprietaries, old faithful St Bruno deserves 4 stars.

pouch aroma: "soap", and some smokyness from the fire cured. not much raisin or other typical fermented virginia smell. perhaps a hint of vanilla.

it packs and lights easily, as is to be expected from a rr tobacco. the taste is rather flat compared to the flake version. i really miss the berry-like sweetness of aged/stoved virginias which is quite evident in the flake version, and all i seem to be left with is the kentucky - plus, it seems, vanilla and some burley harshness. i cannot for the life of me find much trace of the red virginia reported by others, though i guess it must be there, somehow. this one actually comes a lot closer to an old sweedish classic, "greve hamiltons blandning".

not a bad tobacco, but nowhere near the complex beauty of the flake, really

can the two versions really be made from the same raw tobaccos? is the difference simply a result of the different cuts? personally, i'd doubt it.

It has a strong nicotine content, and smoking a bowl in a small (Group 3) pipe made me feel woozy.

But it leaves you with a pleasant feeling and you're looking forward to the next bowl.

I can't smoke more than a bowl of this a day, though, because of its strength.

An end-of-the-day, after dinner smoke for me.

Totally satisfying!

It's similar in flavor to Royal Yacht, but much better. I also think it's stronger in the nicotine dept. Burns cool, loads and smokes great....guess I'm off to England to get some more!!

This is much milder than the flake version, though it packs much more easily than its chunky sister. Thus making it better suited to an elevenses smoke: Being rather light but with a strong enough nicotine hit to keep you going until lunch. The maple and sugar casing does dull it a little, though removes any possibility of being bitten.

In the pouch it has a clear fruity scent with lemon curd notes, though this is not transferred to your mouth when smoked (unlike St. Bruno Flake). But then, this deceptive nature runs through most of the pressed Virginians.

This is not a blend that you can get lost in but that's not something that you really want in the middle of the day.

A pleasant step up from EMP at breakfast.

St Bruno RR is a rather finely rubbed dark brown tobacco. I believe it is essentialy matured VA and I detect no casing. No citrussy bergamot, no soapyness, none of that stuff, just straight tobacco. In my experience it comes a bit too moist for ideal results. It is better when dried out a little. The moistness may result in a steamy smoke and a tendency for the tobacco to become compact and clog. In ideal (moisture) conditions, this is a nice cool smoking, non-gurgling, non-biting smoke. I don't remember to ever have been bitten, even when smoking steamier pipes. The taste is very mild and sublte, and it is best to allocate a pipe only to st Bruno because the mild taste can quickly be overpowered by ghoshts of previous smokes. The taste stays in the natural tobacco woody/nutty register and has a bitter quality. Not the obnoxious bitternes that makes for the bad name of burley - more the "good bitterness" sought after in beer- the association with guinnes comes spontaneously to mind. The sidestream smoke is agreable and the room note is sweeter than the smoke and not too offensive. St Bruno is strong in the nicotine dept. but remains civilized.

I realy like this tobacco and it is in my regular rotation; I hope that the flake will available (again) in the near future. Highly Recommended.