Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Five Brothers

Five brothers is a great pouch tobacco. It is a low cost pouch and for a dollar can you really complain. There us nothing here but burley tobacco. I pull out 2 pouches every month and toss them in a jar. After a short wait I smoke it in a Cobb and relax. Burns well and builds up a great cake.

Had to try it, so here goes... Pouch note: well done waffle. Nice thick plastic pouch; very easy to use. Yes, it is shag and it's quite dry. Best to pack pretty tight; definitely tight enough to substantially restrict the draw. I get better flavor and a less hurried smoke this way. Flavor is sweet burley with a bit of an artifical quality due to the very obvious sugary topping. The flavor reminds me of HH Dark Burley Flake. Is this stuff sprayed with nicotine? Strength is respectable, but not as enjoyable as a high quality strong tobacco with fewer additives (such as Cornell & Diehl Big & Burley). Quality is not that good; plenty of finely chopped woody bits are mixed into the shag. I don't consider the price much of a bargain as this stuff burns like gunpowder. I think $3 is an honest price. Hot burning tobacco, but you can enjoy it as long as you really slow down after the halfway point. Although this stuff is dry, it still leaves the pipe a bit messy, due to all the burning sugar. If you dislike burley or sweets, stay away from this stuff.

Pure Burley isn't my usual cup of tea, but I just had to give this "legend" a try. The shag cut scared me at the beginning, together with the low moisture found (as expected) into the nice pouch. But here came the first surprise: it burns remarkably cool and slow, the taste is nutty and the overall impression is that of a very satisfying evening smoke. You can't expect complexity or subtleties here, just raw power; you should try it at least once in your life!

The midnight train is whining low and do take heed of it’s coming because it’s about to run you over my friend, yikes! Boarding call: If you’re looking for a simple Burley based blend that will bring an uncomplicated but poignant smoking experience, then climb abroad. The travel advisory of note: Do not be misled by the humdrum conservative packaging nor the homey kith and kin branding, Five Brothers will stand you up right now, making sure you take notice of its shaggy machismo.

Coming at you with full head of steam is a one-dimensional recipe of 100% raw, scraggly, potent Kentucky Burley. Five Brothers’ blend is a forceful experience that will be most definitely remembered by the stout-hearted rail-riders or painfully forgotten by the walking wounded. Going back to the late 1800’s the five Finzer brothers of Louisville introduced this all-powerful iron horse to the world of pipe smoking, perhaps originating the well-known fact that down in Kentucky they don’t mess around when the subject is Burley. So, jumping yet another OTC ride, the observations of my initial raggedy hobo passage have finally rolled safely into the station.

Although originating in Louisville, like most blends under the sun this pouched product is now owned and manufactured by STG in Denmark using the original Finzer recipe. Whether the strain of burley present is the actual crop that Finzer formally used is debatable. If nothing else the tobacco tendered must be of Kentucky seed at least. Five Brothers’ unassailable character is remarkably consistent with the ornery temperament one encounters with the Bluegrass native crusty Old Joe Krantz.

Rolling away from the station, as I released the seal of the pouch, a dark wooly ZZ Top beard of tobacco lunged forth like an enraged Kentucky wildcat. A gust fragranced by deep spicy, earthy hardwood sharply rolled past my nostrils leaving a shadowing trail of chocolaty floral aroma. I think the correct reference in today’s cultural slang is this stuff is “diesel”; pungent and strong.

Grabbing an initial pinch from this defiant heap, I found that the cuts of tobacco are so densely packed and sliced into ultra-fine shag that the awakened clumps of brown moss engulfed my fingers in protest to the disturbance. One must skillfully pull these gnarly bales of Burley apart in preparation for the bowl, which is somewhat of a challenge given the springiness of these tenacious matted patches. Straight from the pouch the moisture is so dry the packing encompasses a methodical process of disentanglement, stuffing, re-stuffing, and finally topping loosely for the impending burn.

Moving down the line with the boiler stoked and wheels a-hummin, I withdrew my Bic to ignite this bad boy. Instantly a decisive hit of flavorful smoke came rolling forth, moving fast, and punching a full, strong, toasty, and rash wallop. A ruddy twist of ancient earthy wood bounced densely, being charged with an impactful thrust of robust spice to be precise. Whoa! There must be Dark Fired in the strain’s DNA as a primal smoky zest reeked havoc on the back of my throat and sinus cavity. The latter was soon followed by a monstrous and rocking smack of vitamin N madness.

On the initial legs of this journey my pipe was tightly clenched as I constantly wrestled with a rough and harsh texture of the sooty smoke. Eventually, with a few more miles and bowls into the trek, things seemed to ease up as this rocking train and myself re-centered successfully on the scorching rails. Namely, the rush of this experience gradually mellowed. A softer sweetened offering of delightful Burley flavor came forward, accented by native traces of dark sugar, cocoa, and tart-sour pungency. Moreover, a charming undertone of roasted nuttiness shined through splendidly.

With a much slower smoking tempo, I discovered that Five Brothers finds tranquility as the blend continued to become progressively docile. Prolonged and exaggerated sips pacified the stark raciness that was jostling my preliminary ride. In its replacement, the finishing tone morphed into a gentle floral note that was almost minty/evergreen, making the experience pleasant and interesting to say the least.

Respectfully acknowledging how to properly experience Five Brothers, I kicked back in my seat to thoroughly enjoy the remainder of this ride. A first-class ticket reminding me of the need to properly adjust the smoking approach based upon what the tobacco is delivering, which can be dynamic at times. This strong full-flavored mixture, however, is very monochromatic, down-to-earth, and consistent in nature.

Some final technical notes, Five Brothers burns unusually fast yet is cool and dry, promoting no bite. Nonetheless as I stated, too strong of a cadence will poke the bear of roughness given the heightened meaty spice and virility of the blend. Additionally, the room note is not to be missed. The immediate and soon thereafter, the entirety of the smoking area fills with a very strong essence of heavy smoky soured wood; it’s a true Burley. A heavenly perfume by my accounting but the wife did not share in my zeal for this brawny “stench”.

Summarizing this affair, the Five Brother locomotive can be a coarse and jolting smoke of a ride. As you see it took a Burley enthusiast like me a series of bowls to adapt to the optimum smoking method. I do not rate this mixture as a standard all-day option unless you possess special pipe smoking superpowers.

Furthermore, I would not recommend this mixture to the inexperienced piper based upon the aforenoted adventure. However, it does mix well with Smoker’s Pride Black Cavendish as an alternative pass. The matrix of flavor really softens the overt candied sweetness of the Cavendish while enhancing a smoother presentation of the Burley. There is also a nice licorice like accent that seems to emerge in their fusion, so there you go neophytes.

Recommendation: Give this one a try with the knowledge of my OTC trial observations, especially if you have a passion for tasty simple Burley. It really turned out to be a pleasing passage despite the initial thrashing I withstood when the train rolled over me as it chugged forward towards its ultimate destination, the land of notable OTC Burleys.

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This stuff is dry, but I like my tobacco on the dry side. Smells like burley. Looks and reminds me of Le Petit Robin on the pouch note, but doesn't taste like it. Definitely has strength on the flavor and nicotine department.

If you want something mellow and simple but with a nice nic kick.. this is it! Very light but pleasant pure burley flavor.. it is strong.. it is cheap.. it performs well.. and what a great mixing tobacco.. I like to mix it with lighter Virginia based blends with a similar cut.. it turns Germain's royal Jersey with perique, for example, into a satisfying 4 star blend.. also great for breaking in pipes.. take it slow and sip it.. an old blend that deserves more respect..

This is actually.some good quality stuff. When I first opened the pouch it, WB Cut dip came to mind with the very stringy shag cut. It does had a casing like molasses or something with a dark sweetness but it's not obvious. The flavor is slightly sweet, very spicy and at times, bitter. The nicotine is strong enough to keep me satisfied but not over powering. Burns cool and clean.

I think this is only has one type of burley and that is dark burley. Dark burley is cured and fermented like cigar leaf which helps give it its bold spicy profile. This is a bit more smooth then C & D's blending dark burley but the same flavor profile.

3rdguy

Straight up burly. Up front and unapologetic. Your fancy Virginia blends sit down to pee when this is added to your rotation. I get a kick out of people reviewing this blend like it surprised them and proceed to rate it low. How unrefined it is. If I smoke it fast I spill my caramel latte. You can't smoke it all day. An unrefined burley caught me off guard with it's strength. Nicotine was so strong I passed out on my cat while watching The View. Rubbish! Beautiful shag cut. Pack it tight and you are set.

I will now go review 3 Cherry flavored aromatics and complain about the cherry taste.

Five brothers pipe tobacco This is the first time I've ever smoked this tobacco. Upon opening the pouch I was expecting some really harsh smells but to my surprise for me it smells pretty good absolutely no topping smell just fresh straight up tobacco. This is as easy to light as firing up a cigarette. The strands of this tobacco or very long very easy to pack in a pipe. My first Bowl I packed a little loose and it did smoke a little harsh. The second bowl I packed a little tight got a lot more pleasant smoking enjoyment because it's smoked a little slower and less hot. This particular brand is definitely not for the beginner. The nicotine hit for me was not that bad as I was expecting a kick me in the ass nicotine hit but it never happened. If you like straight up Burley flavor tobacco unadulterated this would probably be right up your alley. I can definitely see where this can easily be blended with other tobacco's to enhance other flavors. This is a very full flavored tobacco don't expect any toppings if there is any I can't taste it or smell it. This really pairs well with a strong cup of black coffee. the nuttiness of the burley did not come through for me until about halfway through the bowl after that all you can taste was the nuttiness of the Burley. This tobacco Burns a little on the warm side too hot outside. This is definitely a sipping tobacco that is not to be smoked like a freight train at all. It is more mellow than I thought it would be for a full flavor tobacco that is as strong as it is. even when you're sipping this tobacco it will smoke like a coal-fired freight train of the cowboy days. I cannot compare this to any other tobacco because I don't know of anything this even remotely comes close to tasting like this one. I'm definitely going to put some back and let it age just out of curiosity to see what happens. It will come in the pouch bone dry not crispy dry. In my humble opinion this type of tobacco is for the experienced tobacco smoker. I will be purchasing more of this in the future.