Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Five Brothers

I rarely smoke this by itself, but it's not that bad alone. Has some burley nuttiness to it. I prefer to use this as a mixing blend for aromatics. it has very little flavor on its won, so it is perfect for giving aromatics a nic hit. I put the package in a food processor and then sprinkle and mix as needed.

Okay this review will be two-fold because anyone who can smoke Five Brothers straight out of the pouch is the most bad a$$ person you have ever met. This stuff is just straight BAD by itself. Smoking this stuff by itself is like getting punched in the throat. So as a stand alone tobacco I would be the first to say this is just horrible.

But.......

After having picked up a pouch at the tobacco shop I tried two or three bowls and was about to throw it away when I came up with the idea to mix it with something I enjoyed. The big selling point for Five Brothers is the nicotine. As a cigarette smoker I find that many times after a pipe I still want a cigarette. So the best way to solve this problem is to use FB to kick up the nic in another blend. I generally smoke Half and Half all the time so I got to thinking that maybe mixing in a little bit of this would help crank up the nicotine in Half and Half. Boy was I right!

I put almost a full bag of Five Brothers in a mason jar and then filled the rest of it with half and half, about a 40/60 mix... Dumped it into a bowl, tossed it around a bit and then put it back in the jar to "season" for a few days... About a week later the moisture content of the two had blended together pretty well and I tried a bowl.

This "mix" has become my typical Morning Mix with a cup of strong coffee on the ride to work. So as a stand alone tobacco Five Brothers is horrific but mixed with something that gives it a little flavor and mellows it out a bit seems to be the secret to making this stuff work.

This isn't your regular "drug store" blend. It isn't fancy. It isn't heavily cased, and it isn't going to have you tasting things that may or may not be there. It isn't complex in the slightest. It doesn't come in a fancy tin or claim to be the world's greatest tobacco.

What it IS: straight up dark burley with a massive nicotine hit. Seriously, my nicotine tolerance is HIGH (smoked 2 packs a day for years) and this stuff had my head spinning. Upon opening the pouch, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, this stuff is a fine shag cut blend that reminded me of Drum rolling tobacco in texture. It was dry as a bone as others have noted, but that was quickly remedied with a pouch button. I have smoked this stuff in meers, briar, and cobs, and I must say that I enjoy it the most in a meer. It really tastes good to me! I was afraid it would taste like a cigarette, but instead I was greeted with a hearty burley flavor with a hint of nuttiness. It was strong and flavorful: just like straight burley should be. I'll be stocking up on it since it is cheap.

Word of warning: make sure to add some moisture to keep it from biting like a junkyard dog. Also note that it burns super fast, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your time management skills. If you are sensitive to nicotine, I would recommend trying something a little more subtle.

This is not a tobacco that you buy for the flavor, because frankly it doesn't taste that great. This however is a tobacco that has been around a long time and the reason is it is cheap and it gives you a major dose of Vitamin N. I keep it handy when I need a good nic fix.

Just came back to pipe smoking after 45 years. Looking for some stronger stuff to help me get to sleep. Really enjoy Five Brothers, along with Night Cap, Dark Bird's Eye, etc. Wanted something that was strong yet flavor enjoyable. I found Five Brothers easy to pack. Just roll up a plug or tube and pack it tight. Burns to the bottom with hardly a relite. The aroma is ok and I can smoke two or three bowls to relax and hit the sack. Have added it to a few others, but enjoy straight the most.

The first thing that threw me off about Five Brothers was the shag cut. In the pouch it looks like high quality cigarette rolling tobacco. And... it pretty much is. As a pipe tobacco its a little odd. It has a good burly flavor to it but the room note reminds me of cigarette smoke. However it dose have a nice flavor to it.

I decided to roll up a cigarette with it and its an pretty good OTC pipe tobacco but a great cigarette tobacco. However this is a pipe forum so I'll leave it at that.

Got some of this in a free sample promotion. As pipe tobacco, it is a very plain, basic, no-frills burley, and I did not think it was as strong as its reputation suggests-try Cotton Boll. I also RYO sometimes, and this makes a very plain, basic, no-frills cigarette! I can't think of any particular strong or weak points, but for versatility will give it three stars. I think my main use for it will be as a blender in my own RYO blends, which I sometimes soak in a sweet liqueur such as Drambuie or Frangelico (not too much). This would be good with some Thai shag and a nice Turkish, drizzled in Frangelico and allowed to meld. As mentioned, fine in a pipe or rolled by itself, and free of the goop that often plagues OTC pouch tobaccos.

...I do not find this shag tobacco as strong as many others and while not complex..it does deliver a fine smoke. Actually, its cut, appearance, and texture is dead-on to Bali Shag...it fact, the taste is exactly what I get with Bali.

It does have high level "N"...and while I prefer a strong Virginia shag...I like the occasional trip down "Burley Lane". Pinkerton Tobacco use to manufacture this and they may still...however, my most recent purchase says it is imported by STG who owns Lane, Pinkerton,...etc.

As with all my shag cut tobaccos, I keep shag moist and smoke it in group 5 and larger size pipe. All-in-all, a very nice smoke!

...a pipe is to be savored...

I was scared to try this at first hearing reports of dizzyness,weakness in the kness, etc. But I finally ordered a pouch. It didn't effect me the way many others have said. I tried it in a Legend Cob, which I recommend for first timers. This is pure unflavored burley at it's best.Real unadulterated tobacco taste. I can exhale through the nose after the charring light,would not suggest this after you get the pipe going though. I find it to be palate,mind and body clearing. It is strong so sip it accordingly. I've mixed this w/PA and I could feel the nicotene content raised considerably. This is a mild tasting tobacco to me if one takes their time. Pack it tightly or it will burn like toilet paper. It comes in a shag cut reminding me of Holmes' Persian slipper. First part of the bowl is mild but it gains intensity as the bowl progresses. It burns & tastes at times like a Va. without the bite. Will keep this as a palate cleanser and a change from my usual Burley, Va. English and Aromatic tobaccos. Reminds me of an old country store and Mark Twain. Recommended for experienced pipe smokers and experimenting novices. Don't toss it! Wait for your tastes to mature.Smoke it in a pipe with a small bowl!!