Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Clan Aromatic (Original)

I’m emotionally bounded to this tobacco, so I fear I can’t be as objective as I’d like to in reviewing it but, isn’t pipe smoking all a matter of personal enjoyment in the end? If a blend has a personal story/meaning to you, can you leave aside all the aspects and the factors not directly attributable to the blend itself and enjoy the smoking at the same time? I surely cannot.

The same summer I broke into pipe smoking I had a chat with my neighbor, an 83yo Alpino (Alpini are an Italian mountain warfare corps, literally “the alpines”), pipe smoker from a long time, a man from another époque, really.

“Where do you buy your pipe tobacco?” I asked him. This question paved the way for a long, unexpected and very pleasant conversation. He took me into his house, grabbed some old coffee metal tins from a shelf where he uses to store the tobacco, opened them up and let me sniff. He was a smoker of natural Italian blends – mainly Forte and Comune, being also an ex Toscano avid smoker – but, so he told me, after having tried different blends, he finally settled on aromatics. Well, his own aromatic blend, that is to say : half Borkum Riff Whiskey and half Clan. Actually, this not so orthodox (who cares? He damn loves to smoke it!) mixture was given to him by his personal Doctor in exchange of some homemade grappa (typical Italian strong distillate). “Now it’s been years since I’m smoking this, alternating with some straight Clan” he concluded. Eventually he gave me something like 15/20 grams of both the tobaccos in order to try.

After this long but necessary digression, let’s get into a quick overview of this Clan : not being a fan of aromatics, I smoke this blend quite seldom. I always found that the aroma of a freshly opened pouch of this blend is really unique, the flavors (both from the tobacco varieties involved and the from the topping) are nice, and in the nose I mainly get sweet, alcoholic and tangy notes, and I like it.

Overall, it’s a tobacco you can smoke all day long without paying too much attention. The flavor is constantly there, without any sign of evolution or complexity though, and the combustion is uniform. In order to lit the pipe with two matches and forget about any further relighting, I let it dry for an entire day prior smoking. Besides, I recommend not to puff to avidly : it will turn bitter and bite your tongue as a pit bull.

Talking about taste : mainly different shades of sweetness and subtle spiciness that often overcrowds. Yet, it all stays tight together, it’s the same taste at every smoke. A nice, tasty blend I’d suggest for novice pipe smokers who prefers aromatics over others.

I hope the little story foretold may suggest that pipe smoking isn’t just pipe smoking lock-stock-and barrel : it can be an ensemble of things, a “social glue”, or simply a pretext for two or more people who share this passion to get to know each other, sharing anecdotes and experiences, as it was for me.

“I used to go to Switzerland to buy both pipes and tobaccos”, was his answer to my very first question. And the same goes for me nowadays.

Cheers Everyone, Brandr ODS

Well good old Clan...bought a this famous monster of tobacco on my way to work cause left my blend in the hurry on the living room table and the only thing they had at the corner store was Clan.Packed my pipe and primed it.Actually it was it wasn't so bad as I expected it.(last time smoked Clan back in 1992).The aroma is sweet,butterscotch like and some vanilla flavors too.The cut is too think so it burns like hell...so pack your pipe extra carefully and smoke it slowly another wise you'll get nasty bite into tongue and pallet.When I got home I stopped tobacco to a jar with seal and sponge on the lid to make tobacco less fry.Let it stand there for 3 days and burning quality got little better. You can try Clan...perhaps you might like it but I still love my Macbaren Plumcake as a aromatic or to some semi-aromatic.

This is a fair tobacco blend but... only that. Not particularly good in any direction. Price is low so... fair enough for that. But with a little more money you can certainly find a better one; and there are many...

This is my first review, so my opinion may be biased by my inexperience. I find this tobacco not particularly aromatic, despite the name. The smell in the pouch is smokey, relatively mild. The cut is in strips, it's very dry and lights up and keeps burning easily and not excessively hot, producing an extremely rich and satisfying smoke. It is a strong tobacco with little tongue bite.

I recall trying this a couple of years ago. I decided to write this review today as I noticed a chap smoking his pipe with this outside a pipe shop in Victoria Street, London. The aroma is distinctive! I'm aware this blend has received mixed reviews. My recollection is a got tired of this tobacco. The taste is toffee/caramel. Its a mild to medium strength and suggest to have a dedicated bowl as the ghost of it remains in the pipe for a few days.It's a easy smoke and I recall that frequently I found the taste can get a bit, well...monotonous. Remembering its aromatic, folk say it's a pleasant aroma. However, at the time I was new to pipe smoking and now enjoy non-aromatics more. However, I'm thinking of giving it another try now my smoking tastes have matured. I recall that sometimes it tasted artificial. It's not a fine tobacco but for over the counter its not bad either. Let's put it this way...the UK over the counter / supermarket stores main pipe tobaccos are St.Bruno, Condor and Navy cut John Players and Clan. St Bruno for me is the best of this choice. However, I have ended up somewhat ambivalent regarding Clan. After smoking Petersons Luxury Blend (which is delightful), Clan is quite flat in comparison. I've been spoilt recently on fine tobaccos and as a result it's like comparing fish and chips meal to a Salmon steak meal! So, my rating remains average. It has memories though of my Dad's old boss smoking it like no tomorrow. So; I'll revisit in homage to this memory. I suggest you try for just the experience. You may be pleasantly surprised in the short term.

After watching a series of reviews of classic American blends on YouTube (by nickandhispipe) I decided to work my way through some of our classic (and readily available) British blends.

I approached Clan with excitement and trepidation, having heard so much about how bad it was. I think I wanted something amazing and awful.

I was both disappointed and pleasantly surprised.

It is a slightly woody, slightly caramel sweet tasting tobacco. Akin to some light aromatics from companies like Petersons. It burns well and doesn't bite as much as some more expensive and highly regarded tobaccos. I was stunned to find that the flavour was deep and more layered than I had expected. It is actually quite complex. There is a definite whiff of play-doh to it which I don't really care for but also don't find to be an insurmountable obstacle.

I probably wouldn't choose to smoke this again but I also wouldn't hurl at it the vitriol other have. It's actually OK.

Open the pouch and you'll get a sweet, slightly woody smell. Contents are thickly entwined thin ribbons varying in colour from light through medium to dark brown. It emerges in dense but light clumps when you pick the stuff out.

Now, I used to positively loathe Clan, partly because it smokes far too quickly, and partly because I didnt like the taste. However, 10 years after last trying it, I've bought several pouches over the last month, and find it to be much better than I remembered.

Best thing about it is the pretty full, woody aroma. I now find I can also smoke pipeful after pipeful with absolutely no bite. And it doesn't irritate my throat, nor make me feel as if my lungs are going to give out (what a plus, eh!) Worst thing about Clan is that it does burn too fast, so that you finish a bowl in no time.

Now view it as a very acceptable in-between smoke, when I don't have the opportunity to get hold of something with more quality.

I managed to get two 50g pouches through an acquaintance in Europe.

I have smoked it in the past, during my first years. I keep the memory of a long cut shag that did not taste anything.

After all these years, I can say that Clan is not that bad, after all. Not, by far, a memorable tobacco, but I have certainly smoked a lot worse.

This mixture displays a combination of very long cut multi-coloured leaf. This is not a shag cut anymore.

The pouch aroma is sweet and slightly smoky.

Ironically, you need to be an experienced smoker, pace yourself and dedicate your total attention to Clan to be able to get any flavour out of it without ending up with major tongue bite.

The taste is of a mild, tyoical Danish CA with just a touch of smokiness. I can't say that I taste the perique, oriental or kentucky.They must be in very light condimental proportions.

Nothing grand, but I did somehow enjoy the experience. I will certainly smoke it occasionnaly and finish my two pouches.

Not bad for a budget tobacco, this blend offers an honest-to-goodness smoke, as long as you don't expect anything fancy.

It has to be just right out of the bag: too dry, and it burns like grass. Too wet, and you will struggle to keep it lit, and it will shred your tongue. Okay, I know this is the case with all tobaccos, but it seems more critical in the case of Clan. Get it right, then Clan offers a lot as an everyday smoke: easy to pack and light, easy to smoke, even burn, straitforward, with a bit of a nicotine kick.

Solid, run-of-the-mill stuff, not too sweet, and certainly nothing to get excited about. A tobacco for the masses.