Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Flake

I've been on a pipe smoking hiatus for a good six months now, for one reason or another. It's not like I ever intended this to happen, but sometimes things just get in the way. I'd still smoke my pipe occassionaly, though once every few weeks or so, but it wasn't until recently that I began reading the familiar newsgroups again on a regular basis. There's something about these outfits that just draws you in. I'm not sure what it is.

Working my way back into the routine, I decided to drop by for a visit at my favored tobacconist, in pursuit of a can of Odyssey. I was nearly heartbroken to find out that the place had been sold. All the pipes for sale had been taken down, and the regulars it seemed had moved away for some other location. The place was entirely empty. It was very depressing.

Well, they didn't have any Odyssey, and I found myself needing compromise. I considered a tin of London Mixture, Old Hollywood, and any other in a wide range. I was feeling adventurous, to tell you the truth. As I browsed slowly and methodically, the new owners whispered to each other, and finally one announced, "Are you going to buy those?" Looking at the tins in my hand, I could have shot back a sarcastic remark, or simply walked out. But I kept my mouth shut and told them to give me a bit more time.

And that's when I spotted Erinmore, still wrapped in plastic behind a display of the Peterson line. Now that I hear production has ceased, I figured it might be time to see what it's all about, before the supply dries up. In the past, I've read the reviews for this blend with amusement, and it reminded me very much of the common passions surrounding such peers as 1792 and Royal Yacht. I had always meant to try the blend, and had put it off considering what great competition remains out there.

So I picked up a tin, thanked the new owners, and headed for the door. Without a pipe handy, I decided to crack open the lid anyway, to see what I'd gotten myself into. Immediately I found myself reminded of apricots, and really, what a wonderful scent came from the tobacco, set in small, squarish flakes. I had visited some other tobacconist a year or so ago. He made it a habit to chew up a bit of tobacco upon opening a new tin. This sounded like an interesting experiment, and I came to do the same. To my mind, it even tasted like apricots--a sweet, fruity flavor that made me wonder why this stuff didn't come in a can of snuff or the chewing variety.

When I returned home a good few hours later, I loaded up an old billiard estate. I had cracked it a year earlier, right through the bowl, and having not been smoked for a number of months, the crack widened nearing the thickness of a quarter. But I fired her up anyway. I don't mind smoking crummy pipes.

That apricot note I remembered transfered well to the taste. I didn't find an overbearing strength or strongly cased blend, but a smooth, full flavored tobacco that burned cool and reminded me why I had taken up the pipe. A great reintroduction, in my estimation, and a pleasant surprise. The pineapple on that tin cover probably sends the wrong message.

Sorry for the long winded review. I suppose I've had a lot on my mind.

Four of Four

I smoked this tobacco for the first time about 30+ years ago. At that stage it contained a fresh, fruity taste in every tin. It has changed quite a bit with time but I still adore it. It's sweet but not in an aromatic way. The biggest change is consistency. Whereas previously every tin's contents tasted the same, this does not hold true anymore. I received a batch of 6 tins and only 2 of them held the tobacco I was used to. But, never the less, it remains one of my favourites. I love the smell it sets free while burning, no tongue bite (NO TONGUE BITE!) remains lit very easily and the nic hit is, for me, just right. This is one great tobacco in the real sense of the word and I would not like to be without it, ever.

Here's the TL;DR version - this flake is fantastic.

The extended remix goes like this:

I love this tobacco. It's bright and sweet and complicated... a lot like my wife, actually. I don't love this flake as much as I love her, but it's close. And much like my beloved wife, it is not without a certain, subtle, unbending strength.

This certainly isn't for the beginner pipe smoker - for one the mechanics of working with flake tobacco probably shouldn't be attempted until the mechanics of actually packing and smoking a pipe are mastered. On top of the purely mechanical issues presented by a flake, you have to have developed something of a palate to be able to appreciate the richness and complexity that this tobacco presents.

I've smoked this using both the fold-and-stuff method and the good, old-fashioned rub out. While I enjoyed both, rubbing it out (but stopping short of a ribbon or shag texture) produced a far superior flavor in my experience.

This is my go-to recommendation for any smoker who's read to take that next step up from ribbon cut, light aromatics and I like to keep it in my cellar at all times.

Erinmore - Flake.

I have wanted to try this for a while now so had a fair amount of anticipation for it! The unlit tobacco is of a good consistency combining good moisture level (without being too damp), with a nice thickness to the flakes. Rubbing and filling is very non-demanding, as is the lighting because it takes to the flame with ease and stays lit well.

The smoke has a dominance of Virginia with an easily detectable background flavour of Burley which adds depth to its character, all with a delicate fruity top-note; mainly citrus-like. I don't get any bite and the smoke is not too hot. A fairly "as expected" room note but pleasing nonetheless!

Four stars.

Love love love erinmore, I just can't praise this blend enough. It's a top quality virginia/burley with a touch of casing and fruit flavoring.

HOWEVER, I'm a little reluctant to call this an aromatic because it has such a nice, natural, Virginia taste to it, as I'm sure most others would agree. There are seasoned smokers who never touch aromatics who love this blend.

Burns cool, tastes good, very temper-mental... What more can I say. Just go get some, especially if you like Virginias.

A real classic...Irish style. Some people say the real Irish tobaccos tend to be a little bit soapy. Indeed i experience some mild soapy undertone with this also- mostly after exhaling the smoke throu nostrils. I just love the mild, fresh topping of this blend. Ir reminds me on some funky mixture between NIVEA creme, apricot and banana essence.

Of course we speek about the Isoamyl acetate topping (isopentyl ethanoate......3-methylbutyl acetate...all synonyms...as You wish, no big mystery!) PURE. However.....

Some of You might think the famous old pineapple symbol, Murray & Sons invented as their trademark for this blend stands for the essence, they use in ERI FLAKE. In reality in was then (Victorian era) just a symbol of prestige, something of a higher quality (what Erinmore flake indeed still is).

The aroma is creamy, little fruity....burleys are exact there, where they belong..just a solid Irish blend.

I enjoy Erinmore flake only outdoors. In the closed room the N content is to high for me.

Sometimes i mix 50% ERI with 50% ORLIK GOLDEN SLICED (rubbed...), the aroma stays there....and the new blend gets more mild.

Recommended in smaller pipes (like my favourite Peterson 999 shape).

I had smoked Erinmore Mixture in the past and had enjoyed it, I had just recently smoked the last of my Macbaren Mixture Flake and decided to order some Erinmore Flake as a replacement as my medium nicotine flake in my cellar. I like to keep one type of tobacco genre open at a given time. Erinmore Flake is a really tasty medium flake, by medium I mean medium nicotine and flavor versus something high like Dark Flake or Old Dark Fired which is just fine for what I have been using it for which is either putzing around the house or a ride to work. This flake doesn't require my attention or cause me to be light headed. This is the flake closest to my favorite English flakes that I cannot get here In the US and just the label, the quality of tobacco and the look / feel of the flakes is something rare these days, like a turn of the century ocean liner versus a modern cruise ship, just a romantic tobacco... After smoking pipes for over ten years and trying hundreds of tobacco's I know that I do not like fruity toppings which confirms my fellow reviewers claiming that Erinmore is not overly topped or cased, I hardly notice the apricot topping to be honest but it does add a nice aroma I am told. So there you have it, a flake with perfect nicotine, no bite, under $8 a tin and readily available, what else does one need? A winner for sure and not to be missed.

Finishing up a tin of this, it occurred to me to check my review from a couple years back. There wasn't one, and I was sure I would have written one. I clearly recall questioning the value of writing one, since there was so many already. Was it accidentally deleted? Or did I just forget?

Also, it surprises me that Erinmore scores this low. It is so much better than the highly-vaunted Escudo, and I'd put it on the same level as Peterson's Irish Flake and HH Old Dark Fired.

It's not pineapple flavored, but the Juicy Fruit comparison is apt. Even pretty dried-out this is good, and I was still able to catch a good whiff of Juicy Fruit, and it still smokes slow. As a matter of fact, it's still a little hard to keep lit.

I can't tell you how much the formula of Erinmore has changed as years have rolled by, but it is good stuff now. My last tin was good as well. Try it just for the history quotient. Yes, this has got a nicotine content, but maybe not as much as the other tobaccos I mentioned earlier. Virginia is the basic flavor you get while there's Burley in there too. No perique to my knowledge.

I crumble this well; I'm always sorry when I don't this to flakes.

I don't really consider this to be an aromatic either. If you try one tin, you'll likely want another eventually.

With the exception of Paladin and Spinnaker, I've never met a blend that I haven't somehow liked. However, my favorite blends (flake or otherwise) are good old Va or VaBur blends. SG Best Brown takes Gold, while Erinmore Flake brings home the Silver. (Bronze goes to OGS). The focus of this review is Erinmore Flake, which I've been blissfully smoking for years.

There's nothing fancy here. Just fine Burley leaf that is supported by some VA and dark-fired leaf, and just enough of a fruity topping to make it all interesting. At least that's what I detect. I rub it out fully, pack it a wee bit on the tight-side, give it a charring light, tamp, give it a second lighting, and then lose myself in a wonderful medium/full-flavored blend as I float away on gloriously thick clouds of smoke, The room note is quite nice, but I can only describe it as "pipe tobacco-like". In short, this is pipe tobacco at it's finest but not most exotic. It's a solid and honest smoke, and one that is gonna appeal more to pipe smokers who just want an honest bowl of pipe tobacco - not an "experience.

Some people claim that it nips if puffed too hard, but I don't find this to be true. However, I do agree that it needs to be sipped to appreciate the depth of flavor that this sublime blend offers. It's deep, it's rich, and it's just wonderful. I'm not sure how to describe the fruity topping, but comparing it to Juicy Fruit chewing gum is not unreasonable. It's also not unreasonable to think of this as an extremely light Lakeland blend, but it's not all GH soapy-like. If you smoke a lot of it, it will ghost a pipe. It also has some stones and a decent dose of Vitamin N, but not enough to relegate this to an evening smoke. I enjoy it all day long, and it pairs quite nicely with some black coffee or iced tea.

Price-wise, it's probably tied with OGS as the best value in pipe tobacco. You can find it for about $8USD a tin if you go over to Pipes and Cigars.com. Think about that - that's not much more than what you'd pay for an OTC if you bought said OTC at a grocery store... at least here in Texas, anyway. The only better value is gonna be a bulk blend like Stokkebye's LNF or LTF. But Erinmore Flake is much better, IMHO. And at about $8USD a tin, I've cellared quite a bit of it.

This is an old school smoke that's been around since Mobby Dick was a guppy. It's been around for so long that it is reputed to have been one of JRR Tolkien's favorite blends, and I would not be surprised to learn that he was thinking about Erinmore Flake when he decided to make pipe weed a central aspect of the daily lives of Hobbits and wizards. And people who have the solid sensibilities of a Hobbit or the wisdom of a wizard are gonna be those who really get the most out of this esteemed blend because it's a solid and dependable smoke, offered at a fair price, that embodies all the qualities of a really great pipe tobacco blend.

Highly recommended to those who just want a bowl of great tobacco, and not a pipe smoking experience akin to nekked bungy jumping. But to clear up some long lasting controversy, there is not a pineapple on the label - it's a thistle. There is an old Celt connection to the thistle and the name Erinmore, but don't ask me for the exact details. That secret went to the grave along with the marketing gurus that first thought it up.