Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Drexel VIII

I have been getting a lot of this free from p&c every time I order from them lately. I say, keep it coming. It comes to me on the dryer side due to its being in a pouch and not a tin, but not so dry that it turns to dust when you break it up. I truly enjoy this one.

This is an easy and cool smile that required a few re-lights. I’m relatively new to VaPers but I thoroughly enjoyed the notes of spice and tangy citrus that seemed to strengthen the more I smoked. Maybe it’s me, but I got the s smallest hint of cocoa. The pouch note is grassy and quite honest, not that appealing to me. However, it tastes better than it smells out of the pouch. I rubbed it out before packing. Nice morning smoke with coffee. Could be an all-day smoker. I’d actually buy this — it was a freebie from the IPSD goodie box from pipes&cigars.

To my taste this is Orlik Golden Sliced. Has the same bergamot/lavender flavor and citrusy dry finish. Did not notice any perique flavor.

Quality of my pouch was good.

Bread, wood, and hay. Reminds me a lot of Newminster 400 in how much it is on the bready side, rather than the fresh grass or citrus. It's not really sweet, but reminds me of entering a wood shop or bakery in the taste and smell.

I would've believed that there's no perique at all if that is what I was told. I'm not getting any pepper nor fig/raisin/mushroom flavor, so I'm not sure what the perique really adds here.

Came in super dry, so I introduced a bit of moisture. Still, I enjoyed it on the drier side. The flakes held together very well. Was very easy to rub out, pack, and smoke. There was a tiny sense of tongue bite at the beginning of each smoke, but it didn't deteriorate into a burn and was overall ok. Flavor maintains itself throughout the smoke. Minimal relights, if any at all, smokes at a moderate pace, an all-day smoke.

Mild-medium in body, mild in strength.

Some people are scared of a Virginia-Perique that is not on most people's top 10 list. The pouch doesn't help this brand's reputation. However, while this is not in my favorites list, this blend belongs to be alongside Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake, Newminster 400, and other bulk blends that are affordable and do an excellent job providing top quality. The almost-bite at the beginning of each smoke is a little annoying, but overall I can't give this blend less than three stars. Worth a try.

This is a high quality blend. Yes, the stuff comes drier than dry...however, I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. All of my pouches are from 2017 - a nice chunk of age for a Va/Per flake in a pouch.

I love PS LNF, OGS, etc. ...Drexel VIII definitely has a seat at the table. It's hard to say what it's like fresh, but, what I have received in every pouch so far has been a great, solid VaPer flake. I am not giving this a 4-star full rating because it comes so darn dry and therefore I feel like I can't know the blend as well as I'd like.

Nicotine is not really a worry here for the regular smoker, this is a fine choice for a morning smoke on an empty stomach...with a nice coffee, of course 😉 ...the room note is what you'd expect from a Va/Per flake. Flavor-wise, I get good things from the outset, but those deeper flavors tend to develop earlier than expected - a welcome surprise!

The price of a pouch of "8" leaves room for plenty of dottle, but you probably won't have much. If you go too hard, just let it cool down - it'll come back to life with plenty to offer 'til it's good and done.

Overall, if you like a straightforward navy flake, this is a fairly solid bet.

Well, I was travelling, and it was cheap. I found a ‘tobacco’ shop with a nightmarish selection of just three choices: Borkum Riff Honey Orange, Velvet, and this. What would you do: an Edvard Munch scream and quick exit?

Since I already knew the others and didn’t care for them, I went with this. It wasn’t that old, packaged in February 2017, and I bought in March 2018. But already the flakes were brittle dry, turning to hard splinter-like shards when rubbed out. I tried it anyway and found it to be decent, all things considered. Being so dry it did get the bowl of my briar quite warm, yet never once did I get a hint of tongue bite.

After careful rehydration and some time in a jar I tried it again without much excitement and put it to the back of the storage cupboard. Fast forward to this weekend, five years later. Has it become any better with age? Perhaps, a smidge. It’s still not going to vanquish memories of Hal O’Wynd. Jar note and ambient aroma are more promising than the actual smoke, sort of like blonde Graham cracker with a dash stewed fruit juice. In terms of taste I now get stale pepper, grassy chlorophyll, faint amount of the Perique’s stewed fruit (more prune juice than raisin), and an odd woody bark taste (but, despite Euell Gibbons’ exhortations, I never sampled any, so I’m just guessing!).

But here’s a surprise ending to the story that almost made me give this three stars: Normally I would never reach for a Va-Per after dinner, but this being stoved, and since I was writing this review, and since it was a mild evening out on the deck, why not? I also had a clean, traditional IPA on the side to help cleanse the palate (provided by my son, as I’m more of a dark ale guy). Anyway, the drink and pipe played off of each other, and with long, slow retrohale, so light that you can barely see any smoke, I enjoyed this much more. Hints of rye and pumpernickel, and definite malty sweetness to savor and enjoy. So, if the stars are all aligned, I guess three stars!