Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Flake

I received this as a sample - about an ounce. I didn't ask for it, I was leery of it as I had recently smoked as much of the Mixture as I could stand (not much) and reacted very negatively, but this one surprised me. I guess my assumption is always that a flake version of a blend should taste like a fully rubbed out version... and they did... sort of.

Somehow some way, Flake toned down the sour-sweetness I found in Mixture and it tasted sweeter with less sour bitterness. I did not find much of the spiciness others have written about, but I did get a fairly sweet (and thankfully non-tastebud riddling!) flavor all the way down the bowl. I can certainly see how this one could have its followers. The flakes were beautiful! But then again, I'm always enamored of a flake presentation in the tin. I tasted no "spoiled pineapple", which I know is just the mind playing tricks - there's no pineapple in here! - just a nice, smooth easy to smoke sweet virginia. Nothing earth shattering but nice and steady. Not enough flavor for me, however. But do try this if you like a sweet but natural tobacco or you just want to sample some history.

This is one of the iconic tobaccos of the times past. It comes neatly packaged in a nice size tin. The flakes themselves are uniformly shaped and somewhat narrower than most flakes of different brands. The aroma is sort of flowery, fruity but not in the Lakeland kind of way. I really cannot figure out what exactly am I smelling in the aroma. The flakes are a bit on the moist side, so I let them sit for a while before packing into the pipe.

I do the packing my usual way - take two flakes and fold them in the Z-shape, and then roll them up and stuff them into the pipe bowl.

There are no problems lighting the tobacco, but it requires quite a few relights.

The taste is very interesting - you get sweetness from Vriginias and a bit of nuttiness from burleys, plus some flowery notes. This is considered to be an aromatic. But while being and aromatic blend, it is quite strong. In the second half of the bowl you get rather high dose of vitamin N.

I consider the room note to be on the pleasant side and noone has complained about it yet.

It is and interesting blend. It cannot be considered and all day smoke because of the strength. In my opinion, novice pipe smokers should avoid smoking this.

I bought this one from my b&m after hearing good things about it. I was a little reticent about it as I was not impressed by the Mixture, but decided to take the risk anyway.

The tin aroma was one of pineapples, very nice. Lighting and packing were easy enough. The smoke, well, that was strange. The flavouring comes across very well, it's obviously the same one as the mixture. Only occasionally does the flavour from the tobacco, a toffee-taste, come through. It's obviously a good tobacco with a good topping, but the former rarely raises it's head above the parapet.

This is a nice smoke as a result of a good casing on top of a good tobacco. The problem is the casing obscures the tobacco underneath so there's so little chance to enjoy it. It is almost the opposite of the mixture. On top of that, I found myself getting bored of it towards the end of the tin and ended up smoking it to get it out of the way. I fully understand why so many enjoy this, but I won't be disappointed if I ever buy another tin but I won't be in any hurry to do so.

Nice looking large flakes that break apart easily. As noted elsewhere, there is a fruity topping that is obvious in the tin note. Some have called it similar to Juicy Fruit chewing gum....I wouldn't say that was spot on, but it's not entirely inaccurate either.

I've tried Erinmore Flake in a couple of different pipes - not surprisingly to me, I enjoy it a bit more in a large-ish briar, and a bit less in a cob - very typical of me and Virginias. There is a burley component...if that is in fact what I'm picking up on, it seems out of place to me...maybe more aging would improve this. The topping is mild in the smoke...not unpleasant, but not exactly mouth-watering either. I haven't experimented a lot with different drying times, but I do find that the topping becomes less apparent in the smoke with drying. Burn is decent enough, requiring an average number of relights.

Not bad, but my cup of tea, I'm afraid.

ADDENDUM - I left some Erinmore out on a paper plate for several hours today to dry until the flakes started to get "crunchy." It actually tastes a bit better. It's still not the type of thing I usually smoke, though.

Wanting to try as many new brands as I can, I am making sure to buy a tin of every popular blend I can find. With over 300 reviews, Erinmore Flake has clearly visited a lot of pipes over the years.

I've read there is no actual pineapple flavoring added, but my nose certainly detected some kind of fruit inside, along with a dull chocolate carob smell. As with other flakes I "Z" fold, this one took a bit to get going (may be a tad moist out of the tin to). It was a bit of a chore to smoke.

Any froo froo flavor detected earlier certainly went away and was replaced by the meaty burley. Nothing too overbearing, just a warm smoke you have to work towards (I could not keep it lit for long). The nose exhale was pretty stingy, so I was not able to explore more flavor that way. I would say it did maintain its character to the very end and never got to ashy.

Likely not something I would revisit, but certainly glad I tried it.

Stout looking dark flakes with a musty aroma and a fruity topping.

The smoke was surprisingly grassy and Virginia forward. The Burley adds plenty of body and some strength. The topping makes its presence known in the room note. Requires some patience and drying time to get the best smoke.

A classic blend, and I enjoyed the tin. It’s not going to be a regular in my rotation.

50g tin pre 2005. Fermented fruity smell off the tin, fragrant and intoxicating. The oily, dark brown flakes are nicely presented. Lightly rubbed, it burns well without drying needed. I would consider this tobacco, the Irish cousin of Royal Yacht from Dunhill. The floral essence is there but better applied. I get licorice, dry fruits(figs, raisins) for sure, Tonquin maybe? The essence is present with every puff. This is a light aromatic with a fuller Virginia tobacco taste and strength. You basically get the best of both worlds with this flake.

UPDATE After a few tries, I come to the conclusion that there is Tonquin in this mixture, the way my stomach and head react tells me so. A shame, those flakes are quality but I smoke the pipe for my leisure and relaxation and this flake produces neither. It is certainly recommended for those who enjoy this kind of mixture.

Virginia lover

29/08/2007 My apologies fellow reviewers, I just dont understand why on earth I would disgrace my pipe with this when there are hundreds of blends on this planet to enjoy. This is as horrible and harsh as they get, Strength I welcome, but harshness I can live without. It burns the throat and nips the tongue and it has a horrible taste that I cant even begin to describe. Speaking of taste, THERE IS NO PINEAPPLE, JUST BECAUSE ITS ON THE TIN DOES NOT MEAN IT IS INSIDE IT, IS DUNHILL EMP CHICKEN FLAVOURED??? This blend does not invoke nostalgia in me and my review is my opinion, just hope I did not offend. Regards, Mo, South Africa

##Update## This has been forgotten in the back of my closet for a bit over a year now and i discovered it by chance tonight. Curiousity got the better of me and i loaded a medium sized bowl and set fire.

I must say, i have to upgrade this from one, to 2 stars. I will actually order more with my next order. I am very pleasantly surprised and look forward to finishing the tin.

The tobacco is just short of crispy which means that most of the topping has evaporated. What is left is a very tasty, medium to strong Virginia with a very slight topping. The taste of the topping is very faint and does remind of Juicy Fruit gum. I know this does not sound very attractive but i promise its not that bad.

Mo, South Africa

juicy fruit is gonna move ya... gotta taste that sticks right to ya ( including your pipe, room, hand, hair, and anything else around)

so this being one of the few tins the local store carries and myself recently running out of baccy i decided to give this contoversial blend a shot. im fairly new to pipe and have been winding my way through various blends over the last year to get my tastebuds acclimated to the variety which is the world of pipe so mabye take this with a grain of salt.

tin aroma: NASTY!!! it really does smell like juicy fruit gum. open the tin and BAM... sheer gum. strong, fruity and tart. damn smell lingers on everything.

moisture content: found it a bit heavy on the wet side. was prone to gurgling a bit till i aired the tin out for a few hours at which time i found it lit and burnt well.

the smoke: first couple of puffs are cloyed with the fruity tart flavor which makes up its wretched tin smell. thank god this flavor vanishes relativly quickly and leaves a rich, hearty VA taste. this remains till near the bottom of the bowl where it does become a bit thick. after the first couple of puffs the topping does wed well to the over all tobac taste with the VA on the back of the palate and the fruit essance lingering on the tip of the toungue. pretty nice combination really.

one thing i will say about this tobacco is that it does kick my ass. smoke a bowl and im pretty dizzy. i just figure ill puff down the tin and if the nicotine doesnt kill me ill be a tougher man from the experiance. all in all it has some ups and downs as a blend but not to bad on the hole.