Room note is pleasant. Strength is mild. Slightest hint on tongue bite.

I smoked this blend in a curved rusticated beehive. The bowl of the pipe remained very cool to lightly warm, throughout the smoke. The smoke quality is rich and mellow, with the slightest hint of tongue bite.

This tobacco mixture would be an excellent summertime blend, from mid-morning until dinnertime commensing. Taller bowl style pipes bring out the best of it. The beehive is tall, broader at the base of the bowl, with the bowl base being flat. When smoked in a 1968 Weber Oom Paul, all that was missing, was my being in East Cape, South Africa, hunting Kudu.

I rate Escudo Navy DeLuxe (Petersen, Denmark), at 2-stars, as I enjoy heavier tobacco blends, but trust me, if you enjoy Virginia light tones, you will not be regreting your purchase of this pipe tobacco mixture. In my opinion, this tobacco should be aged, to knockout the hint of bite. It must be noted that this tobacco was fresh when I smoked it, and I prefer dry tobaccos. It did remain lit with only the initial lighting, all the way to the very heel of the pipe bowls. All that remained was white, airy ash; This I liked, because residue and wet, soggy smokes, I cannot stand. I felt my money was well spent, and there was no waste. The tobacco mixture did, burn to conclusion, a bit rapidly.

For me it is a bit strong for a regular smoke, but in those moments when something stronger is in order, this is perfect.

While the flavor is highly enjoyable it is a bit one dimensional. Like all Danish blends it is a bit harsh and sharp, but does not bite. The room note is very enjoyable, even the wife likes it and she does not smoke.

If you ever wondered what this would taste like if it was made with top quality tobacco try Wessex Sovereign, which is much smoother, less harsh, sweeter and has a cleaner tobacco taste.

i went from balkan supreme to this and ugh, bummed out. thats not to say its not good tobacco, because it is. its just not a fun flavor, and definitely not relaxing. it took a lot of work to appretiate what stokkebye was trying with this blend and i dont like to think about that too much when im smoking a pipe. im trying to relax, not get inside the mind of the tobacco blender. but the taste is more of wood than tobacco like it was cured over smoldering southern yellow pine. fancy cut and packing tho, like little h'orderves

Great mix of sweet and spicy. I get that sort of sweet apple juice tang hit me in the back of my mouth while realizing a nice creamy spicy finish on the puff. Works really well for me. Great quality. No troubles burning or biting, moist or dried. A little tough to fold and pack fragile coins but whatever.

The seasons are changing here now so I've had the benefit of smoking this in the summer and winter all in the same week. Ya I know. This is a summer smoke for me. Perfectly matched with a tall cold glass of Hefeweizen, or three. I mean perfect! In the colder crisper air I find it doesn't cut it.

Three stars for being an enjoyable smoke. I can't say I'd keep it within arms reach for the 4th star. I'll always have something similar around but I don't think this is the one. An occasional smoke for me. One that I will enjoy more with time in between.

Oh, my! This works for me so well on so many levels. I originally ordered two tins, one to smoke now and one to cellar. I'm already worrying I won't be able to keep any on hand to cellar unless I just order a couple of tins every week without fail. I've been smoking this daily for a few days now. Escudo on the way to work. Instanbul on the way home.

Like Finck's Istanbul I've found Escudo to work well across all my pipes I've tried it in so far. Each may be just a little different, but both these blends have been pretty consistent in their performances. I'd almost decided to become a Cob Snob. While part of the hobby is finding the right pipe/tobacco combinations, my pipe smoking time is limited. I just don't have the time to experiment for hours and days with different combos. I certainly don't enjoy all the bleh experiences before that yeah moment of discovery when the right pipe, tobacco, packing, smoking method, combination hits. I'm out to relax and enjoy my pipe, not stress myself with endless lab experiments and failures just to get one good smoke out of many. It is here that Escudo shines for me. Even in my cantankerous, normally wet smoking Calebrisi bent, Escudo Navy Flake smokes well. I love the look and feel of that pipe, but it can be finicky.

For me at least, I find that Escudo provides enough smoke, even when easing along. It can also be smoked a little faster without searing your tongue. You start to notice the flavor is slacking a little when you are getting things heated up because you weren't paying minute attention to your technique. That's a better warning that suddenly flaming your tongue. Escudo still tastes good when smoking a little faster/hotter, just not as good as it can. Since it gives you a nice, full, flavorful smoke stream it is hard not to just keep puffing away and being greedy. You don't have to be that way, but ya just want to keep drawing in that tasty, billowy smoke.

Like most on here I just grab a coin, coin and 1/2, or two, depending on the pipe, fold them over and stuff 'em! Getting it started packed like that can take a little fidgeting, but once things are underway it takes few relights. Escudo seems pretty forgiving. If you pack it a little poorly it will require more relights, but it will still take hold and give you some good smoking between those lights. Handy when you are stuffing your pipe in a hurry on the way out the door for work.

I don't have many large bowled pipes, so can't speak from there, but I've found Escudo smokes well and tasty in pretty much everything I've stuffed it in so far. There are subtle differences if you take the time to notice them. In fact, one of the things I like about Escudo, and Istanbul for that matter, is that you can kick back and just smoke while your mind wanders and have a good, relaxing, tasty enough smoke that doesn't bite you. Or, you can focus more on your pipe, sip away, and really enjoy the flavors of the tobacco, and it does have real tobacco flavor without tasting like a cigarette. There is a nice, round, full taste that I like. The aftertaste is nice too. Escudo is a versatile and consistent tobacco in terms of pipe selection and smoking pleasure. That makes it a winner for me.

In terms of room note, I've been smoking on my way to and from work in my car and unlike previous VA tryouts, Escudo does not leave a cigarette, or even much of any kind of smell in the car as long as I crack a window while smoking and keep the A/C vent on fresh air instead of recycle.

On opening the tin the first time there was a wonderful, wine- like fragrance that greeted me. I had to exert more willpower than I usually possess to keep from grabbing a coin and popping it in my mouth. It smelled that tasty. I moved the contents to a small, plastic seal-ringed jar where it seems to be doing well. It smells good still, but not as richly so.

Escudo has it's moments where the taste might be off for a moment. It takes a few moments at startup to settle in too. But, most of the smoke is just a very pleasant experience. Consistent, versatile on a couple of levels, forgiving, and an all around enjoyable smoking experience that I can count on enjoying every time I smoke it. That makes it a 4 Star for me. I'm sure there are more complex, more this, more that VA/PER blends out there. I'm sure they also require you pay close attention to technique keeping a keen focus so you don't miss the subtleties, require careful prep and packing to get that experience. I'll take darn good, versatile, and enjoyable over a wide range of circumstances for the majority of my pipe smoking pleasure and save those "special" blends, for special times.

At any rate, this is a quality blend that has been balanced so perfectly in a way that is different from anything else you will try so that this blend finds its way into the category of blends that every serious pipe smoker should try at least once. In fact dedicate a pipe and smoke an entire 50 grams so that you can call yourself a true pipe smoker without any quilt of exaggeration. :-)

The room note is excellent--hints of maple and cedar.

That said, the taste is fairly monochromatic for me. I get nearly the same experience with a standard bulk maple blend I have. The tin aroma and description tells me there is more to it, however, and this just may need to age for a while. I prefer a more nuanced and spicy--or at least flavorful--smoke. I'll update in a few months. A solid two stars for me at this point.

10.8.10 Update: This is really good. It is not monochromatic, but dichromatic-- which is a good thing. It's consistently solid... mature and full. This will be among a handful I will always keep on hand.

10.14.10 Update: This has become my all-time favorite; now I understand all the fuss. Besides the great combination of sweet virginia tempered by just the right amount of perique, the coins break into such a perfect consistency; it burns full and thick the whole way down. I think this is due to the tiny ribbon cut that results.

5.26.12 Update: I've smoked about 5 tins of this over the last few years; I have always liked it, but I made a slight change in procedure that's made this the best stuff out there. One of the best things about this blend is that its rolled into thin coins; somehow that makes this stuff a pleasure to smoke. But, whereas I used to rub them out, lately I've just packed them in without rubbing. The taste is more full and defined; the combination of the NC Virginia and Perique is absolutely superb. There is simply no aromatic smoke that can compare to the natural taste of this English blend.

The tin aroma and room note are outstanding as well--my picky wife confirms the latter. I have smoked quite a few VA/Perique blends, and I still haven't found something this well-balanced and enjoyable.

I use a narrow but deep bowl Stanwell pipe; this blend might be enhanced by this particular bowl and briar.

4 Stars.

The tinned version was pretty good, nice and spicy. I enjoyed it.