Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Flake

Overview: Erinmore Flake is an Irish tobacco that has been around a long time (my Dad smoked it as an RAF bomber pilot in World War II). It comes in a yellow and red 50 gram tin of rectangular shape.

Feel: This flake is much drier and less sticky than the Cavendishes many new pipers are used to. Thats OK. Just take a few strips off the cake and put it in the center of your left palm. Next, put your right palm on these strips and move it in a slightly circular motion until the strips change to a consistency you're used to. Now pack it in your pipe in 3 or 4 lifts. Flake tobacco allows me to achieve several consistencies for different 1) pipes and 2) rates of burn I require for different occasions.

Smoking Characteristics: Erinmore has the exact moisture level I like for setting-up a '1 match' burn. Cool and slow burning, it is quite unlikely to burn the mouth of a skilled piper. Occasional re-lighting may be required for beginners. Better out-of-doors than indoors,I enjoy it immensely while camping, walking or canoeing in the spring and fall as it seems to do better in cooler air.

Nose: Popping the lid reveals Erinmore to have a strong & complex aroma both fruity and peppery -- a wonderful experience if your appreciation of scent extends beyond the corner store brands. The room note is semi-sweet & pleasant for smokers but it?s power is a bit much for the average non-smoker. Unfortunately, this nice room note tends to sour a bit quickly.

Mouth: This is a strong, remarkably flavourful tobacco, well-behaved for pipesmokers with good technique buthard on Pipers with soft mouths. The initial taste experience is very full (somewhat extreme) and complex with the sweetness of fruit that is slightly-past-ripe. Flavors shift subtly within that context as it burns down. Not a tobacco for overnight re-lighting or inhaling.

Economics: Here in Canada, Erinmore Flake is a high-priced tobacco. But I rate it as a moderately economical smoke because of it?s slow burn and it?s ability to please the nose & palate with small puffs.

Last Word: Probably not for new pipesmokers with soft mouths as their taste buds would probably go into shock. However, if you enjoy the strong aromas and tastes of blue cheese, anchovies, peppers, jerky, scotch, etc. you may be ready to give Erinmore a try. I enjoy Erinmore immensely while camping, hiking or canoeing in the spring and fall. It's not my favorite blend for summer time as it tastes better when smoked in cool, moist air. I rate Erinmore at 4 stars out of 5 and would put it in my luggage if I faced banishment to a desert island.

Although the standard VA/Bur flavors (wood, grass, nuts) come first and foremost, the topping aids the blend with a nice amalgamation of fruit flavors, forming a nice " fruit punch" that is soft, slightly tangy & floral, and helps to smooth everything out and imparts a creamy finish. My bowls of this tend to start in the mild/medium range, and move much closer to full body towards the bottom, thanks to (what I think is) the Dark Air Cured, which lends the blend some earthy strength and body, and nice savory notes that ramp up as the bowl is smoked. Nicotine is a tough one to pin down, as it seems to fill that elusive gap between medium and med/strong. It's hard to call it strong exactly, but in a big enough bowl, it will be felt.

This is one of those few blends that finds itself a perfect companion to the hot summer heat just as well as it does the frigid winter chill. It really does a great job of hitting a wide range of well-balanced flavors and nuances, from bright and tangy, to rich and earthy, all the while with a creamy, aromatic finish. This is an easy one to recommend.

This blend is the main reason I got into pipe smoking. Growing up, I was very close to my late grandfather, who lived in with us and was an avid pipe smoker. Erinmore Flake was always smoked several times a day, and I have always loved the smell that filled the house, as well as an indication of his presence in the household. I, too, wished to continue the tradition so my kids and grandkids will also have the same fond memories of me.

When I got into pipe smoking, this was the first blend I bought, mainly because it was still easily available from the corner shop that my late grandfather used to procure them. Not a wise choice, I know, being new to the piping world, and it was soon left in the cupboard for almost a year before I touched it again. Within that year, however, I've experimented other blends, and getting to know the differences between the blends, and knowing which was for me and what wasn't.

I returned a year later, armed with knowledge and a years' experience. This time, I don't know whether was because of a years wroth of aging, or either because of my palate has matured, but it definitely taste better. What was considered overpowering then is still strong, but tolerable in the sense that it can be enjoyed if sipped slowly. Sweet, mellow, medium to medium strong in the nic department. A sweet and recognisable room note (my wife's late grandfather smoked the same blend, and she also remembers the smell well). Be sure to let it dry out a bit first, if not it can get wet mid smoke with a bit of tongue bite.

Sadly, the corner shop doesn't bring it in anymore and I have to find other means to procure them (which are slightly more expensive).

An occasional purchase for a change. I don't smoke a pipe that often, so I tend to pick and choose sample size packets for a nice change. Oddly I find this one somewhat like a more fruity St Bruno ready rubbed. Although lighter, the nicotine finally creeps up there. Admittedly my benchmarks are my two 'staple' (if you could call it that for occasional smoking) tobaccos, St Bruno (preferably flake) and Full Virginia Flake (Samuel Gawith's). All reviews are highly subjective, but on the whole I quite like this one for a slight change of pace.

Have you ever thought of trying to guess which tobacco you have in your hands if you happened to be blindfolded? It is definitely not as easy as it might seem for most pipe tobacco blends but Erinmore Flake is one of the few that I am sure I would get it right just by sniffing it! It has an unmistakable aroma that I have never experienced in any other tobacco. Floral and tropical notes are the predominant aroma for which we are presented when opening the tin. One would therefore think that this would be a tobacco that falls into the category of sweet, over the top aromatics but you would be mistaken if you happen to believe that this is going to taste like a fruity dessert. It is really not to sweet, well balanced and a good all around smoke. An all time classic flake tobacco that every pipe smoker should try at least once in their life.

Beautiful, precise dappled brown flakes, which smell of nutty burley, grassy-sweet Virginia, and mixed fruit topping. I get more plum and apricot than anything else, but it is definitely a melange of fruits. Came a bit wet, so I dried the flakes for an hour before folding and stuffing, which I find I prefer to rubbing out. The flakes packed well and lit easily, leading to a very pleasant slow smolder. Grassy, bright sweetness from the Virginia leads the way, followed by a nutty richness from the burley, all wrapped in a fruit and light floral top note. The fruit seems to run the spectrum from citrus and sour to dark and sweet. The toppings are less strong than the tin note would lead you to believe. Leaves a pleasant, sweet aftertaste with mild fruity flavors present. If I had to commit to a dominant fruit flavor, I’d have to say apricot jam, with its caramel sweetness and bright top notes. Burns a tad warm, but clean and leaves little dottle. Flavors fade in and out through the bowl, but stay consistent in their ebb and flow throughout the bowl. Builds in strength to a solid medium, never approaching strong. Very good overall, particularly if you like British style flakes and flavors (like Gawith-Hoggarth).

Nicely sliced brown cakes which fold easily, or - when left to dry too long - can be broken up or partially rubbed. Virginia and Burley present throughout the bowl, with initial (quite light) citrusy topping present more in the nose/ aroma, than in actual smoking. Fruity overtones disappear halfway through the bowl and burley flavours come to the fore. It burns well, produces good ash and does not bite when smoked slowly. I smoke it mainly as a change of pace. I find it superb for working outdoors, as the flavours are not particularly subtle and the tobacco is mild. For my outdoor smoking I use my old Polish-made "Mr Brog" small half-bent briar with a #9 filter, as it is easy to handle while moving about pruning bushes in the garden.

Despite the picture on the tin, there are no pineapple flavours - the topping is more of an orange / lime / apricot one. The pineapple is just an brand emblem. Not my #1 favourite weed simply because I prefer some black cavendish to burley in my tobacco. This is just a personal choice and not a reflection on the tobacco, which deserves four stars due to its consistent quality over the years.

Erinmore Flake is a delightful pipe of pure pleasure that as not changed since it was first produced by Murray’s of Belfast. On opening the tin one is met by a lovely smell that is akin to an helping of fresh fruit salad, tutti fruiti, cross wrigleys juicy fruit chewing gum. The smoke is very mild, but also wonderfully satisfying, though to remain sweet and cool this tobacco needs to be sipped and savoured rather slowly. Erinmore will ghost your pipes and will also ghost your smoking room an example of which I will give. Erinmore was a tobacco that I smoked rather exclusively and when I moved house I visited my old house to recover my Mail, on opening the door of my then totally empty house, I was greeted by the distinctive smell of Erinmore, which to my nose smelled delightful, but be warned this is a ghost that even the exorcist would be unable to exorcise! Erinmore is still the Erinmore that it always was despite now being blended elsewhere and is a very satisfying smoke even though it is somewhat mild to my now aged palette. If you haven’t tried Erinmore before I think that you should give it a go, because ghosting aside it remains a very nice smoke, with a lovely room note, which usually garners compliments on its bouquet from none smokers. So to sum up, glad that Erinmore is stil that very satisfying smoke of old, which I’m sure will delight. Footnote: mixes well with Ennerdale flake which slows the burn rate down. Mike from Blakemar Briars gave me that tip and that’s all he smokes, so with that recommendation who are we to disagree?

There is a lot of back and forth about this blend online concerning the topping. The tin does have a pineapple on it, but according to the manufacturer there is no pineapple in the topping. Many people compare the topping of this blend to tutti-fruity, but as you will see I think it has a lot more nuance.

It comes a tin that has a sort of timeless look to it. Very simple and very direct. The tin description is nicely descriptive. When I opened my tin, I found 12 flakes about the same size as Capstan's Blue Flake. Depending on the bowl size I've been able to fold and stuff 1 to 1½ flakes for each smoke. They are a rich dark brown in colour. The tin note smells of flowers, chocolate, summer fruits, Virginia citrus, and a slight nuttiness. They take a little while to dry so I fill my pipe the day before and let it sit. It lights about average and stays lit fairly well.

Once I've got my tobacco lit what I taste is very interesting. The topping is there but it doesn't take over the blend. It's lightly floral, sweet and gives off a light berry note. The underlying tobaccos shine through though. The Virginias are slightly sweet and slightly bready. The Burley in this blend is nice and robust, nutty, and slightly chocolatey. They make for perfect carriers for the toppings. It smokes pretty cool, and very consistent. A very smooth taste.

I give the taste a medium. It fills your mouth but remains pretty smooth. The aftertaste is very pleasant. The strength is a medium it isn't weak, but even after only having tea yet today I don't feel it in the back of my throat. Now the room note is quite nice, and if your friends and family don't have an aversion to any form of tobacco smoke, I think they might find this quite enjoyable. This is a very repeatable smoke for me and I could be quite happy in having a few bowls of this in a day. A good blend like St. Bruno that let's the tobaccos shine through the topping.