Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Portorico

Another hardened battle veteran of times long since gone. A true representative of the old school Dutch blends with loads of Java leaf and no (or should i say: almost none) flavourings, toppings or any other fanciness.

When you open the pouch you will be greeted by a bright and rather dry blend. That is because Java blends simply are drier than other leaf is, plus the pouch type is known for being unable to hold moisture. So, be careful now. You don't necessarily have to re-moisten this blend, in fact i would try a couple of bowls first and then see if its needed. Pouch aroma is that of tobacco, plain and simple. I wouldn't label it a good smell as it has some rough edges which are common for Java blends.

Packing is easy. Lighting is mad easy and the burning properties are excellent as well as on the very fast side. Again, this is owed to the Java.

The taste is marvelous *if* you can enjoy no attitude down to earth tobaccos. These old blends have a lot of jumps and bumps, both in taste as well as smell that are not common anymore in today's blends. Not that they are rough or unrefined, they are not. It's just that they don't pretend. Its a spicy taste with a very nice sweetness to it and some great nut / nougat notes. The nougat notes apparently stem from a light flavouring but i cannot make out any flavouring at all. To me both, the nuttiness as well as the nougat, are just tastes associated with Burley. Overall its a very savory blend.

Aftertaste is nice but very short. The room note is that of tobacco and rather persistent.

Also this specific blend is used a lot as a basis to blend your own. And it really lends itself to it.

So, do i recommend this blend? Definitely yes. I am a fan of those survivors and i think its a shame to all manufacturers that they dismiss this blending style so persistently. There is a certain style to this blend and a smooth and complex taste experience. To me this is a four star blend but lets deduct one point for being a fan boy.