Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Erinmore Mixture

This is an old friend.

Admittedly, the friend in question may well be having a mid-life crisis and changed somewhat over the last thirty years but still, recognisably, that old friend.

Things change, rarely for the better; that which we knew last year, fades and passes. The modern incarnation of Erinmore has lost some of the pouch note , it’s lost some of the fruitiness of the smoke. It’s still there but it’s not as pronounced.

Old Grandad used to let me smell his tobacco pouch, if I’d been a good lad, and Erinmore was the one I loved to smell the most. It was rich in fruitiness - some say pineapple but who really knows.

I would sit and listen to his stories from the war, while blue and grey plumes of Erinmore would drift up to the ceiling; disturbed by Grandad’s hand chopping through the curling smoke, this way and that way, demonstrating the skill of the Spitfire pilot, chasing down the Luftwaffe through the clouds.

All memories now but what memories they are.

If Grandad couldn’t get Erinmore flake, then he’d buy the mixture - quite regularly he’d mix some up with some Condor, on a bit of newspaper, but I’ve tried it and it doesn’t taste the same; maybe the news print has changed or something?

I would sit with him as he did this, showing me how to tease the tobacco apart and stroke it with my fingers to get it all mixed up.

He used to roll this into what he called a “wad” - a really tight ball, about the size of a 20 pence piece. This “wad” was introduced to his old Zulu pipe, a spill was lit and then that smell.

I digress - apologies.

Still a cool burning smoke but, in my humble opinion, somewhat altered. More subtle than it used to be but definitely one of the more palatable OTC blends in England.

Good for a beginner because of it’s availability and because of the way it won’t bite, no matter how roughly treated - like the faithful, old family dog.

Everyone should try it but I miss the old stuff.

This is another I purchased due to reading so much about it on here. The reviews seemed to be mixed so I thought I'd assuage my curiosity and give it a go.

The smell on opening the packet really increased my anticipation, a good waft of currant bun greeted my nostrils as I dived in. The packing and lighting were sensibly easy, so far so good. Once again, the currant bun flavour appeared along with a good hint of citrus, quite nice I thought, especially when hints of pineapple popped up occasionally. Sadly though, there is something rough about this, something I can't quite put my finger on this, something that hits the back of the throat and the roof of the mouth. It's almost like they've made the perfect hot cross bun and garnished it with sandpaper.

So there we go nice flavour with more than a hint of rough. I'm not sure if it's a case of it being made with floor sweepings from some good tobaccos or added a very good casing to some bad ones. I think I can understand why a lot of people like this one, there is a good flavour in here. However, for me I can only quote the venerable James May "It's like they came up with the recipe for a perfect shepherds pie and then made it with dog meat!".

I love it, typical of a lot of the good classics, when you first pop the the you think, "what are they all taking about?". By the end you know why it is a classic. There really is nothing else like it. I get rich fruit tea cake from it. I go for it when my regular flakes, aro's or english's don't beckon. And then it always hits the spot. Just picked up the flake version, and I know I am going to love it too.

This is one of those blends that you either love or hate. It's that simple. I've smoked both the mixture and the flake for the past 22 yrs. In all those years I have found nothing like it. I've found this smokes best in a small bowl.

I've should listen to the reviews instead of get fascinated by the tin. The flavoring is somewhat lost in the tobacco and it is a fight to keep its bite away. Not a relaxing smoke.

This is one of my favorite tobaccos. I needed a few tries to learn how to smoke it slowly and steadily to enjoy it's taste without burning my tongue, but I'm glad I didn't stop trying. I smoke this blend from a medium sized Capitol with balsa wood filter alone or in a group of friends and no one complained about it's aroma yet. If you are a lover of not too aromatised blends then you have to give it a try.

I left the pipe aside for about 10 yeers or so, for various reasons. Since autumn 2009 I picked up pipe smoking again and awarded myself with a new pipe and some new tobaccoes. I bought a 50g tin of this as my first tobacco at my local tobacconist in Belgium for a very resonnable price of 5,90 Euros.

The tin looked fairly new (no production date mentioned)and is produced in Denmark by the Scandinavian Tobacco Group. Upon opening the tin i noticed beautiful yellow golden thin ribbon cut Virginia tobacco, with here and there some dark brown and black speckles. The aroma was a very strong but inviting mixture of raisins and especially apricots. The tobacco was densely packed in the tin and fairly moist, so i let it dry out for a few hours every time i smoked it.

The tobacco packs easily. I never got any tongue bite or dottle, and I smoked it fairly fast. It burns cool to a light grey ash.

The taste is citrus and grassy, like a young Virginia. I would recommend is as a summer or morning smoke. A very high quality and affordable tobacco for people who like young and fruity Virginia blends. The taste and tin aroma gets better as it is exposed to some air and has time to dry out a bit.

I will defenitely buy more of this.

I like Erinmore Mixture almost as much as I like Erimore Flake and when buying new tobacco at my favorite store I usually grab a tin of whatever is on the shelf without giving a second thought.

Compared to the flake version, it is a bit less strong in terms of nicotine, the topping is a bit more intense and it burns a tad faster due to the cut.

So, if you like aromatic tobaccos which are not super-mild and still have a good 'tobacco-base' topped by an non-VanillaMangoCherry flavoring , try Erinmore Mixture.

I’ve been a long time lurker and wouldn’t normally add a review since most reviews are spot on and I feel I have nothing else to contribute, but Erinmore Mixture is so polarizing and misunderstood that I think this time I could add to the conversation. First, I think this is a hot weather blend. I don’t find it as enjoyable during what most people would consider “pipe weather”. I only smoke outdoors, so as the temperature in South Texas starts hitting the 90s along with high humidity, it’s only early mornings and evenings for me.

The tin note is definitively stone fruit and plums. I’ve smoked this blend in all briar sizes, straight and curve pipes, and corn cobs. I’ve found that relatively large corn cobs and wide bowl briars work better. Anything smaller just doesn’t work. That could explain some of the “hot” and “burning”comments I’ve seen. It can burn relatively hot, but it’s hot outside! Slow and long draws are highly recommended to get the proper flavors. I would also recommend drying for 10-15 min for better burning conditions, especially when it’s humid. I agree with the “tart”comments, but it’s a good tart flavor which evolves as the bowl is consumed.

I think this is a solid 3 start blend, great for summer and should be smoked slowly in larger pipes. If you didn’t like it the first time and have some left, get a larger pipe or a cob and give it a try on an early summer morning. I think you’ll change your opinion.