Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Clan Aromatic (Original)

This new Orlik version of CLAN is much different and much better than the original one, it is a ribbon cut blend, (no more shag), has a good, fresh quality tobacco flavor and it is less aromatic than the old version, mild and uncomplicated all day smoke. one of the best OTC tobacco pouch.

I don't get why there are so many negative reviews, maybe because people write before thinking? (Or in this case before smoking the full pouch) I'm not an aromatic smoker so this review is a surprise also to me, but any pipe smoker can't live without trying almost once this tobacco in his life. First of all after the production passed to Orlik something is changed: the cut is no more shag, as I expected, but the usual ribbon cut for pipe tobacco. The colour goes from bright yellow to orange with some black (cavendish or the imperceptible latakia?). The pouch aroma is cavendeish-ish with some liquorous notes. The moisture is just right, not too dry, not too moist, maybe I was just lucky to get a fresh pouch. It burns well, tongue bite is not a problem if you know how to manage it. The flavor is difficult to define, I can compare it to mild virginia cigars with some hint of vanilla sometimes. The taste is somewhat sweet but not overwhelming, which is a point for me, it leaves my mouth clean and not too dry. I can't say anything about room note but other people say it is nice. I prefer it in small or medium sized bowls. Do I recommend it? Absolutely, because it is rare in Italy to find a cheap blend (8€) which is a decent all-day smoke. Unfortunately it is no more the classic Clan, I wish I could try the old Niemeyer version, maybe I would have changed idea about it, but now it's just a good aromatic that can be found anywhere.

I think Clan has evolved a lot since its first pouch, nevertheless is still a good product to be for what it cost. You’ve to keep an eye how you charge it and how you smoke it. Clan isn’t a beginer tobacco, in order to taste all his tobacco you have to smoke it very slow. The aroma and the taste are really good a little bit like Toffee, but it vanish over the time leaving space to the real tobacco.

When I first smoked this tobacco,13 years ago I rejected it being burnt. I guess due to poor technique. Recently i decided to retry, i am currently finishing my second pack. The to bacco is very dry, so it needs some treatment I put a stone that I first keep it in the water for 5 minutes and then throw it at the glassy jar i keep my tobacco. It has very thin cut and is easily packed, but burns quite fast. In terms of taste, this must be what a pirate would love to smoke:exotic buttery vanilla, with addictive rum and a hint of cinamon. It definitely contains Virginia,orientals and cigarish Maryland as it mentions, but i also track sometimes latakia (which i do not like, but here if exists it does not bother me) but i am not sure. In overall i love the taste but I would prefer better quality. But I never stop smoking it, dreaming about old ships, exotic islands deep blue oceans under the stars, unique taste...

What can I say about this? This is probably the most classic pipe tobacco in the world, when someone think about the particular smell of the pipe smoking is thinking Clan. The aromatic taste follows the dutch classic orientations as almond, hazelnut, anise and dried fruits, but added in very very very light portions, the true final result is obtained due to the particular mixture of the several types of tobacco (over 14 as you can read in the pouch), in fact I can't think of what isn't inside. The taste is very light, particularly at the mouth, a little more perisistent at the nose, like others dutch blends is a "indoor blend", that means that doesn't stuck in your curtains, but instead haunt your pipe a little, haha. Don't take me wrong, this is a very good one, and an allday tobacco that works in any occasion, even with certain homemade mix (like an Italian classic: 50% Clan / 50% Forte). Burns very fast and sometimes burn also your tongue if you're in a hurry! Some people hate the Clan for all those reason (and maybe for a lot of others) but there's another branch of pipe smokers (like me) who can't stop return to it sometimes, as well as the Clan doesn't lack of regular smokers. What attracts me is probably that far fragrancy of fresh bread, that bit of sweetness that never exceed, long story short its "equilibrium".

Type: Natural aromatic mixture ; Contents: Everything, burley and orientals in particular ; Flavoring: Dutch classic (almond and dried fruits) but very light ; Cut: Veeeery long and curly ribbons ; Humidity: It's extremly difficult to find a fresh pouch because tends to dry very fast, but still is fine except when totaly dehydratated ; Lighting: Super easy, very fast burning (pay attention at your tongue) ; Pipe recommended: Tall, medium size, straight or half bent, and like all the dutch type and burleys, awesome with the meerschaum!

A Type so-called "Holland" Mixtures, composed by mixing many kinds of tobaccos, as "Amsterdamer".

The regular,normal Clan is this, called "Clan Aromatic" Is splendid.

One of my favorites, i smoke Clan since I was a Teen, a begginner. For me, the flavour and taste are remarkable, remembered for years, singular, specific and fully different.

The mixture of Tobaccos (14 different types) gives to this a unique caracther, taste anf flavour.Also is very complex, since is a mixture of many tobacco types,

Is fully different of any other tobacco, no comparison with other mixtures.

Fully aromatic, strong, burns easily and still fast and hot, but never bad!

I recommend you to smoke it gently and very slowly, since their cut is a fine ribbon and it easy overheat ansd may burn the tongue.

Clan Aromatic is Historic, ia s Classic. Very good, fully recommended. 4 Stars.

Upgrading the review:

I bought 2 new pouchs of it, recently.

Now, this tobacco is good, but normal, only decent. Is only a Ghost, a Phanton, when compared with the old recipe from Theodorus Niemeyer.

Unfortunately, no more so fantastic! Only 3 Stars.

Ah, the dreaded Clan!!! Well now, I've gotta be honest, I really like this stuff. I don't know why it gets such bad reviews, I was put off getting any of this for a long time but curiosity got the better of me and I got me 25g's. Opened her up and liked what I saw and smelled. Quite strange to pack, you gotta do it kind of loose. Yep, she burns quick alright, but, hey, so what? Perfect for a speedy 15 minute 'moment'. And, wow, is this one complex smoke! I was extremely pleased to be able to pick out the V's, Perique, the Cav's, the Turkish and the Burley all coming over me in luscious waves. I wouldn't reccomend this tobacco to a total newbie, 'cos of the very complexity, but if like me you thinking about it, try it, try it, try it!!! It is an Orlik after all...

One of the better over the counter blends;i have bought this a few times at the bus station when i have been out and ran out of my on person internet purchases..

Comes in a green tartan pouch design in 50g and 25g i think..

Pouch aroma: Earthy and slight caramel casing..

Appearance in pouch: Crimpled ribbons,feels dry but smokes moister.

Pipe used: Peterson rustic bent apple 303.

It smokes ok out of the packet but would benefit from a little drying out,,i used a pipe zippo to light it..

This didn't seem to bite and i don't remember any real soap factor in this,and if there was it hasen't left a memorable impression.

It being mild left no ghosting in my pipe either..

To describe the baccy it had a mono but consistant taste;considering the amount of alleged ingredients within,none of them stand out - you get a rounded average taste,,,mild i suppose,,,slightly woody,,,a light wood..

Its a dry taste perhaps like a stronger rollup tobacco,,the closest comparison would be to "samson" rollup ,but stronger.. A few people i know make roll ups with this as well..

So it is slightly cigarette-ish and has a dry taste;to describe it alegorically its like smoking card,,like the cardboard of a box that had contained toffee's,,,;imagine a box that has had some toffee's in it which is empty & you sniff the box & then lick it(like when you was a kid and wanted some more),,it tastes like that basically;toffee aromatic sweetened cardboard box..

Its alright but nothing special;it tasted ok in a briar as well(i only use clays these days),,it may taste better in a clay but i don't know..

Not bad for a drug store brand but for an extra possible £1 i can buy more interesting and enjoy it better..

A semi aromatic OK for someone trancending cigarettes - it won't put them off..It has due to its mildness the ability to be an all dayer smoke as well..

The room note is ok,its OK for a pipe smell..

If i had to purchase a british newsagent pipe tobacco and erinmore was not on the shelf i would purchase Clan..(erinmore although a semi OTC, is in a class as good as anything which is harder to aquire,,i even order it on line)

Its not a complicated smoke and doesn't say much;its a brand that one of my dads work colleagues used to smoke in a falcon pipe,,it reminds me of a workmans smoke rather than a conneseur(can never spell it)choice..

For a toffee-ish aromatic i would smoke this over petersons "sweet killarney" which was an untameable biter,although i am sure there are better toffee aromatics about(i don't really smoke aromatics anymore)..

UPDATE 17/06/2012

My first review obove was written from vague memories,but i have recently revisited this OTC as part of my small OTC odyssey.

The words "over the counter" ant the term OTC became for some reason a dirty word which was due to my pipe snobbery at the time of being spoiled by harder to aquire brands with elaborate preparation techniques.

Butterscotch pouch aroma,medium aromatic.

Having tried a fair amount of tobacco archetypes now,my palette has developed and i can detect more nuances,and also my quantity of pipes in my collection and experience of matching the best combinations of draught hole and smoke tube diameters,bowl profiles, and system pipes to different types and blends for dedicated usage pipes:I am now bumping this one up to three stars because it is such an easy to live with semi aromatic baccy(an aromatic with serious base tobaccos).

It sure has a kitchen sink of ingredients,but i now find it interesting for this factor because down the bowl i get so many hints and its a real transformer.

A semi aromatic/english/burley/virginia/oriental/latakia,a unique enigma of a medium/mild easy OTC ,everyday ,allday, smoke.

Smoked in a curved multipurpose stem falcon pipe with large 'instanbul rustic bowl(falcons being my best performing pipe since retiring my old clays because i initially wasn't getting on well with my first briar endevours(i was over using them and not rotating))i am getting a better cleaner open taste and have realised that i judged this blend too early and didn't know what i was really tasting,my comparations to cardboard was because i was used to full aromatics and not real tobacco yet.

To the uninitiated it might seem a bit cardboardish(but i could say worse of my better tobaccos when veiwing through the impression of a neophites ignorance)but to a veteran pipe smoker it may seem underwhealming compared to more robust heavyweights and sits in an awkward middle ground of judgement.

Taken for what it is, it is certainly unique enough to deserve a permanent place in my rotation and the fact that i can almost get it anywhere means its worth more in the longrun and will likely be around when other names of prestige seem to disapear.

A spicey sweetish smokey smoke,cinnamon,nutmeg,peppery,caramel,granny fruit cake nuances in an aromatic sence,probably a combination taste of all baccies combined with a light topping.

The topping or light casing remains with the tobacco and isn't a fader.

Tastes overall like a sun cured/toasted impression.

First light is a little spikey but it settles into a neutral PH balancs quickly.

Medium light nicotine but satisfying and ok for bigger bowls,i can tolerate large bowls without tiring and its as easy as sucking a butterscotch sweet and becomes an auto pilot smoke that doesn't demand attention.

Its a crinkly ribbon cut which when removed from the pouch expands like hellfire and i need two regualar kilner jars to jar it.

It contains all ingediants but none stand out too boldly to over power,its like a balanced house party of many familier guests tasted in alternating combinations that you wouldnt necessarily think of.Sweet and savoury yet composed but complex and interesting if you can penetrate the combined overal surface.

I will purchase again.

This was the first tobacco I tried in my teenage years and the pouch smell takes me back 20 years . I love this blend and although it is not without fault the deep earthy smell from the tobacco is wonderful . It can burn a little hot but with careful and slow puffing it gives a delicious and flavoursome spicy smoke . The room note is unique and many people comment on the woody and atmospheric aroma it leaves . It may even have an aphrodisiac effect !! . It does dry out very quickly in the pouch and I think many of the negative reviews here may be as a result of people smoking dry pouches . It is worth paying close attention to moisture levels and rehydrating if need be . It can burn quickly but forms a clean white ash . I find this a great tobacco to break new pipes in with as it coats the lining of the bowl evenly and allows quick carbon build up . Definitely worth trying and a personal nostalgic favourite of mine . Dont listen to the haters ! Long live the Clan !!