Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Flake

Iconic yellow-labeled tin with the standard STG flake presentation: a stack of flakes wrapped in slightly damp white paper, with a gold sticker holding the paper closed. Also like most STG flakes, these are a little damp, but not “unsmokably” so.

Tin note is a fairly strong yet pleasant mixture of dried apricots, orange marmalade and fruit mincemeat.

Upon lighting, the Virginia comes to the forefront and stays there throughout the bowl. Mostly sweet hay notes with the fruity topping right behind. The topping is a multitude of fruit flavors, some bright like citrus and apricot, some dark and spiced like mincemeat, but the topping is not cloying and never really takes precedence over the Virginias. The intensity of the topping is far less than the tin note would lead you to expect, and stays in the background the entire time. The burleys also play second fiddle here in my opinion, but do add a little backbone and bread/nuttiness to the mix. All together, these flavors make an overall taste that is not terribly different from homemade Christmas fruitcake. I did not get the nic-hit that some describe. It was mild to medium on the vitamin N for me.

It’s hard to put this one into a familiar category, as it’s not what most folks would consider an aromatic, and it’s not a straight Virginia or straight “VaBur” either, but whatever you consider it to be, it’s one worth trying.

Around seven years ago I bought quite a bit of estate tobacco at a tobacco shop. As stated in a previous review I met the wife of the gentleman who passed away and she was really nice and said he loved his hobby. I will be in the same boat one day as I have more pipe tobacco that I have accumulated over these past twenty years to last a life time. I keep telling myself to quit buying it, but that is half the fun to try something different. I have six square tins of this by Murray Sons & Company Limited with the oldest dated 2003. The one I opened is from May 2005. I smoked some of this awhile ago but never got around to the review. It has the nicest row of 2inch square flakes, dark with a slight juicy fruit smell neatly arranged in the tin that I have ever seen. This really smokes nice and sweet in a corn cob. A nice smooth Virginia with a light topping. It is thirteen years old so maybe it has mellowed out a bit. I have not tried the new version but find it odd that STG is putting square flakes in a round tin, after all, presentation is half the key. I might buy a tin of the new stuff at my next pipe meeting and try it out.

Yet another legend that's reviewed by many. Pineapple? No pineapple?! The question if the receipt has been changed and so on. I've tried Erinmore Flake some time ago and can't remember well so I'm reviewing the current version as i do with every tobacco; no need to reminisce.

So I bought this one at a local German retailer whose main business isn't pipe stuff but cigarettes, Lotto and newspaper and the saleswomen actually told me about the pineapple aroma in this one.

Look in tin is beautiful with nice stacked flake slices inside a paper wrapping. Flakes are cut rather slim as in Vauens Virginia Flake (actually the same format and packaging) but more dark with nice golden sprinkles and pressed very compactly with perfect moisture. Cold smell is full of rich Virginia with slight acidity and a topping of honey. Very warm comfortable smell that I stuck my nose in more than one time.

Packs well (rubbed and folded) and needs a bit more time to take flame but then burns pretty even and constantly if given a bit space to unfold (if not it will take a relight or two).

Taste is of good quality leaf and mostly VA dominated. Very very sweet with nice citric notes and a honey casing in background. Not as fruity as expected and (fortunately for me) NO PINEAPPLE detectable. The taste doesn't differ much during the smoke and all the well balanced flavors stay until the end. It's a bit stronger than comparable VA Flakes but that only adds character to this tobacco IMO.

Solid quality Virginia taste topped by a nice mix of fruity and sweet casing but not too much aroma at all.

I know nothing of the original, so I can't comment on that here. The "new" Erinmore made by STG is in my opinion worth the coin needed to buy it. Well formed flakes of dark and doppled tobaccos. Tin note is thick and fruity. Dark fruits at that. Like apples, plums, and apricots. Moist in the tin, they do require some drying time. Once in the pipe, they burn well enough with a few relights. The Virginias outshine the Burley. Sweet and bright, with nutty undertones. Room note is toasted and warm almonds....perhaps caramel. Leaves very little dottle in the bowl. Will re-purchase for sure.

This flake is much better than the mixture!when you open it you get fruits aromas!not only pineapples but citrus and others.a bit moisty it needs re lights.very enjoyable smoking experience full of fruits .virginias are dominant but you also get the nutty taste quite well.it burns hot go easy on that! A must try aromatic flake not all day blend though.

Mr George Walker, my brother's old violin teacher used to smoke EF. I'm talking nearly forty years past, so it was when this was still the genuine article. He used to come out of his lessons reeking of the stuff. And that was not such a bad thing. Mr Walker would not give you tuppence for anything else, including the Mixture. It's probably ten years since I last tried the Mixture and I gave up quickly on that as something ghastly and overly floral. I guess I was flailing around at the time for as fast as I found something I liked they'd take it off the market. But this is not too bad if you fancy a change from the taste of pure tobacco. The sweetness reminds me curiously of RY. There is no bite and once lit EF will smoke steady and consistent with almost no moisture. I fired up a pipe in the car yesterday morning - one flake rubbed out straight from the tin - and 1 hour and 45 later I finished the drive with the end of the bowl and only that initial light needed. Listening to all those kids scraping violins, Mr Walker must have needed something to preserve his equilibrium. I doubt this latest EF is quite the same animal as was - the room note is not as distinctive as I recall - but it soothes and satisfies sufficient for recommendation.

This is the same tin note I remember from years ago. The tin logo kind of gives it away, but I'd say it is rather licorice than pineapple. In any case, it is very fruity and sweet, and very easy to identify (once you have a sniff at it, you will never forget). These flakes do need some drying time, so leave your tin open so that your tobacco can have a little bit of a breather. Also, they are very easy to rub and they will pack easily in your bowl. The question rises as to whether or not this is an aromatic. There is no doubt in my mind this tobacco has been cased, but I cannot detect any cavendishes in it. I guess it shows some aromatic characteristics, but I don't quite see it that way. For one thing, I cannot detect any tongue bite and I find the Virginia quite dominant right through the whole bowl. The dried fired burleys are well blended with it and they sort of add an earthy/nutty note to your smoke. As you light up, the flavour is quite piquant, but then it settles in the background. The sweetness is obviously coming from the Virginia whereas the burleys act as a buffer balancing the blend out. As this tobacco comes in flake form, if smoked correctly, will keep you busy for quite some time.

An interesting tobacco that will inevitably be compared to University Flake.

Tin note is sweet fruits and a hint of aniseed. I prefer to rub out the flake and let it sit for twenty minutes or so. This takes the edge off the casing and makes the charring light just right for this crossover aromatic by pushing the tobaccos forward and the 'juicy fruit' into the realm of subtlety. My tasting notes remind me that this flake rubs out very easily - easier than most, if that matters to anyone. As the bowl progresses, the fruit gradually diminishes and the light VA/Bur flavor predominates. Interestingly, there is no bite whatsoever to this tobacco - a fact I tested through copious puffing of this light, delightful blend.

My favorite part of this flake is the final third of the bowl: after the fruity casing has been largely burned off, the cocoa notes of the burley assert and combine deliciously with the lingering fruit flavors to create a glorious crescendo of flavor. Truly spectacular and among my favorite "final thirds".

Highly recommended as a crossover for aromatic smokers looking to expand their enjoyment of tobacco.* Recommended as an occasional change of pace for Virginia, VaBur, and Burley smokers. May not appeal to hard core VaPer and Balkan smokers due to the overt citrus fruit casing. This VaPer lover, however, found it a wonderful change of pace.

* This blend is among my top few crossover recommendations for ambitious aromatic smokers along with GL Pease's Barbary Coast, Orlik Golden Sliced, and Peterson University Flake.

Not an aromatic. Yes, it smells nice. Yes there is flavoring added. But this tobacco was not designed to showcase chemical flavorings. This tobacco is made to provide some seriously good Virginia flavor. Maybe it is a stout blend. But it's just another sweet Virginia to me and I like it. Is there some Lakeland essence in there? Maybe sometimes I think I notice it. The fruitiness of this blend I believe comes mainly from the Virginia tobacco. And it's pretty nice. But there is also a nice licorice flavor, that can remind you of Peterson's Irish flake. I've heard complaints of high nicotine here, I don't really notice much but then again I am a regular nicotine user. This is a solid blend. It seems to stand alone. It's unmistakable can is found in most mature pipe smokers collections. For me this is right up there with royal yacht. Sweet, Strong, full of Virginia. Royal yacht is a better tobacco, because it has an incredible sweet spot, that can be maintained for quite a long time. Whereas Erinmore flake is less predictable.

I smoke this once in a while. But if I had to, I could smoke it everyday and enjoy it. I've never heard a man say this was his favorite tobacco. But if I did, I would assume that man knew a thing or two about good tobacco.