Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Five Brothers
(2.78)
A unique pipe tobacco. 100% burley in a bird's-eye shag cut. Minimal casing and no top-flavors. Remarkably mellow, considering. One of the more unusual tobaccos available, extremely full-bodied, ultra-high nicotine content. A must for those who like living on the dangerous side.
Notes: Originally blended by Finzer Bros & Pinkerton.
Details
| Brand | Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) |
| Blended By | STG Lane Ltd. |
| Manufactured By | |
| Blend Type | Burley Based |
| Contents | Burley |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Shag |
| Packaging | 1.25 ounce pouch |
| Country | Denmark |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Strong
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.78 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 17 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 2013 | Overwhelming | Extra Strong | Overwhelming | Overwhelming |
My Father-in-Law smoked this stuff, so I think he was trying to get rid of me when he gave me a pouch to try. I usually smoke Prince Albert, and E.A. Carey's blends.
When I opened the pouch, the aroma took over the environment. My cat hissed and arched her back (they really can detect evil....). All the house plants died...even the plastic ones. The room note was classic peat bog.
As I took a deep breath and filled my pipe, it was squirming in my hand, trying to get away. I should've stopped right there. It lit easily, unfortunately. After my first puff, my whole life flashed in front of my eyes...it was very depressing.... Have you ever smelled the peat that nightcrawlers are in when you buy a carton of them at a bait store? That was what this tasted and smelled like, with a little burly thrown in for camouflage. I experienced major vertigo, so it was a good thing I was sitting down. After the second puff...just before I passed out, I had visions of guys in Environmental suits placing my pipe, and this tobacco in ziplock bags, and decontaminating the house.
Seriously, this is the absolute worst...whatever it is, I have ever tried to smoke. It really does taste like worm-dirt, with some cow-chips mixed in, and smells even worse. It is strong enough to floor a Water Buffalo. I really did have to throw the pipe away, carefully....I could never get the smell or taste out of my DIplomat, even after repeated cleanings with pipe sweetener.
I could only manage a few puffs of this before putting it out. I couldn't smoke it long enough to tell if it burned hot, or not.
You should have to have a license from the EPA to even sell this stuff. I would definitely advise anyone to avoid this 'blend' at all costs, unless you are on some kind of macho-trip, or really into self-mutilation. I smoke for pleasure, and I have nothing to prove.
When I opened the pouch, the aroma took over the environment. My cat hissed and arched her back (they really can detect evil....). All the house plants died...even the plastic ones. The room note was classic peat bog.
As I took a deep breath and filled my pipe, it was squirming in my hand, trying to get away. I should've stopped right there. It lit easily, unfortunately. After my first puff, my whole life flashed in front of my eyes...it was very depressing.... Have you ever smelled the peat that nightcrawlers are in when you buy a carton of them at a bait store? That was what this tasted and smelled like, with a little burly thrown in for camouflage. I experienced major vertigo, so it was a good thing I was sitting down. After the second puff...just before I passed out, I had visions of guys in Environmental suits placing my pipe, and this tobacco in ziplock bags, and decontaminating the house.
Seriously, this is the absolute worst...whatever it is, I have ever tried to smoke. It really does taste like worm-dirt, with some cow-chips mixed in, and smells even worse. It is strong enough to floor a Water Buffalo. I really did have to throw the pipe away, carefully....I could never get the smell or taste out of my DIplomat, even after repeated cleanings with pipe sweetener.
I could only manage a few puffs of this before putting it out. I couldn't smoke it long enough to tell if it burned hot, or not.
You should have to have a license from the EPA to even sell this stuff. I would definitely advise anyone to avoid this 'blend' at all costs, unless you are on some kind of macho-trip, or really into self-mutilation. I smoke for pleasure, and I have nothing to prove.
Pipe Used:
Missouri Meerschaum
PurchasedFrom:
My Father-In-Law
Age When Smoked:
1 day
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 14, 2013 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable to Strong |
Harsh. Irritated the back of my throat and I don't inhale (I do retrohale every puff). Had very little flavor, mostly just harsh smoke. I'm certainly not in favor of banning any tobacco, but if I were a member of Congress and legislation were introduced to make Five Brothers illegal I would have to seriously consider voting in favor. This is just bad. Very bad. How can they possibly market this @#$* as pipe tobacco???
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 07, 2013 | Extremely Strong | None Detected | Extra Full | Extra Strong |
The least expensive pipe tobacco i've come across, and now I can see why. Very fine cut left the tobacco almost cunchy in the pouch making it difficult to light ...but once the fuse is lit its a nicotine bomb. If you consider ''taste'' a frill...this might be for you.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 12, 2014 | Strong | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Five Brothers is not for the weak of heart and most definitely not for those sensitive to nicotine. It has a nicotine kick as strong as any pipe tobacco I have tried, and that is something over five hundred.
A fine shag cut burley, Five Brothers burns fast and very hot. Slow down your puffing cadence and it still burns fast and very hot.
The room note is not that bad, similar to a non filtered cigarette (which is quite different from the bitter smell of the tobacco in filtered brands).
Burley is virtually tasteless without some sort of flavoring, so I have given it a flavoring rating. My taste rating of mild to medium does not indicate a particular flavor, but takes cognizance of the fact that when you smoke this you know you are smoking.
Although a tobacco in the cheaper price range, this is not quite so thrifty as it first appears, for the pouch is only one and a quarter ounces.
Five Brothers is a tough go for me when smoked straight. It does have a use. This tobacco is a versatile mixer. If you find a latakia blend overly stout in that weed, or an aromatic that is overly flavored for your taste, mix it with this and it will be notably toned down while maintaining much the same flavor profile. If you find a particular tobacco that is hard to light and/or keep lit, a hearty dose of Five Brothers will solve the problem and the flavor will remain in the same ballpark as before. But this does not move Five Brothers to a "somewhat recommended" rating from me. Why? There are other burleys on the cheaper price scale that do this job even better, Prince Albert in particular.
As I smoked most of this pouch as a mixer, I used a multitude of different pipes, going from Dr. Grabows to Dunhills.
A fine shag cut burley, Five Brothers burns fast and very hot. Slow down your puffing cadence and it still burns fast and very hot.
The room note is not that bad, similar to a non filtered cigarette (which is quite different from the bitter smell of the tobacco in filtered brands).
Burley is virtually tasteless without some sort of flavoring, so I have given it a flavoring rating. My taste rating of mild to medium does not indicate a particular flavor, but takes cognizance of the fact that when you smoke this you know you are smoking.
Although a tobacco in the cheaper price range, this is not quite so thrifty as it first appears, for the pouch is only one and a quarter ounces.
Five Brothers is a tough go for me when smoked straight. It does have a use. This tobacco is a versatile mixer. If you find a latakia blend overly stout in that weed, or an aromatic that is overly flavored for your taste, mix it with this and it will be notably toned down while maintaining much the same flavor profile. If you find a particular tobacco that is hard to light and/or keep lit, a hearty dose of Five Brothers will solve the problem and the flavor will remain in the same ballpark as before. But this does not move Five Brothers to a "somewhat recommended" rating from me. Why? There are other burleys on the cheaper price scale that do this job even better, Prince Albert in particular.
As I smoked most of this pouch as a mixer, I used a multitude of different pipes, going from Dr. Grabows to Dunhills.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2009 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Five Brothers looks, smokes, smells, and tastes like a throwback to an earlier time. Men smoked?sometimes they smoked pipes, sometimes they rolled cigarettes. However they chose to smoke, the plain Burley which is Five Brothers was there for them. I rolled a whole lot of cigarettes during my post-secondary poverty years and these Brothers would have been right at home hanging out with my bandmates from back then--Drum, Bugler--and chatting up my Euro-trash girlfriend, Amsterdam Shag.
Trouble is, the fine shag cut of Five Brothers, the neutral flavor, the insanely fast burn?I doubt many recent converts to the pipe will find these things appealing. Frankly, I suspect many won?t even recognize this stuff as pipe tobacco now that the division of labor between pipe tobacco and RYO stuff is pretty much complete.
The praise this stuff gets is way out of whack with its quality, but I suppose we?ll be mired in a Burleyphilic, cheap-is-good-because-the-future-is-uncertain phase at least until housing prices rise. Heck, maybe it?ll drive down the prices for genuinely good Burleys like Solani?s Aged Burley Flake. Now that would be something to celebrate.
I?ll probably trot this stuff out once in a while to use as kindling for Barbary Coast and other unhappy burners. And if ever I come home to find all my pipes have disappeared?well, if there?s one thing I can easily borrow in my neighborhood, it?s a pack of rolling papers.
Trouble is, the fine shag cut of Five Brothers, the neutral flavor, the insanely fast burn?I doubt many recent converts to the pipe will find these things appealing. Frankly, I suspect many won?t even recognize this stuff as pipe tobacco now that the division of labor between pipe tobacco and RYO stuff is pretty much complete.
The praise this stuff gets is way out of whack with its quality, but I suppose we?ll be mired in a Burleyphilic, cheap-is-good-because-the-future-is-uncertain phase at least until housing prices rise. Heck, maybe it?ll drive down the prices for genuinely good Burleys like Solani?s Aged Burley Flake. Now that would be something to celebrate.
I?ll probably trot this stuff out once in a while to use as kindling for Barbary Coast and other unhappy burners. And if ever I come home to find all my pipes have disappeared?well, if there?s one thing I can easily borrow in my neighborhood, it?s a pack of rolling papers.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 06, 2012 | Extremely Strong | None Detected | Full | Very Strong |
I don't know how to describe my dislike of this tobacco firmly enough, but I will try. It smells like a horse stall in the pouch, it has the appearance of shredded wheat and the taste of a crushed cigarette mixed with a certain barnyard product. Oh, lets not forget the best part, the nicotine hits you like a brick to the head.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 14, 2009 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Five Brothers looks, smokes, smells, and tastes like a throwback to an earlier time. Men smoked?sometimes they smoked pipes, sometimes they rolled cigarettes. However they chose to smoke, the plain Burley which is Five Brothers was there for them. I rolled a whole lot of cigarettes during my post-secondary poverty years and these Brothers would have been right at home hanging out with my bandmates from back then--Drum and Bugler--and my Euro-trash girlfriend, Amsterdam Shag.
Trouble is, the fine shag cut of Five Brothers, the neutral flavor, the insanely fast burn?I doubt many current pipe smokers would find these things appealing. Frankly, I suspect many won?t even recognize this stuff as pipe tobacco now that the division of labor between pipe baccy and RYO stuff is pretty much complete.
The praise this stuff gets is way out of whack with its quality, but I suppose we?ll be mired in a Burleyphilic, cheap-is-good-because-the-future-is-uncertain phase at least until housing prices rise. Heck, maybe it?ll drive down the prices for genuinely good Burleys like Solani?s Aged Burley Flake. Now that would be something to celebrate.
Trouble is, the fine shag cut of Five Brothers, the neutral flavor, the insanely fast burn?I doubt many current pipe smokers would find these things appealing. Frankly, I suspect many won?t even recognize this stuff as pipe tobacco now that the division of labor between pipe baccy and RYO stuff is pretty much complete.
The praise this stuff gets is way out of whack with its quality, but I suppose we?ll be mired in a Burleyphilic, cheap-is-good-because-the-future-is-uncertain phase at least until housing prices rise. Heck, maybe it?ll drive down the prices for genuinely good Burleys like Solani?s Aged Burley Flake. Now that would be something to celebrate.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 27, 2002 | Extremely Strong | None Detected | Very Full | Strong |
Appearance: Really odd cut, very fine with random "birds eyes". Seems to be cut straight across the leaf, including the rib. I have never seen a finer cut. Color is mostly dark brown.
Aroma: Thae aroma is straight burley, almost a hay smell with some richer, but unidentifiable component.
Packing: The tobacco packs easily in small pipes. I have not tried it in larger pipes, and probably will not.
Lighting: Lights almost too easily because of the fine cut.
Initial flavor: Strong and sharp flavor, almost like a cheap stogie.
Mid-bowl: Not much changes in the middle third. Still strong and tends to leave my mouth quite dry.
Finish: Even stronger, but the pipe stays dry. This is probably because it's drying up my saliva as I smoke it.
Tried in the following pipes: Several cobs, several bowls on a Falcon.
Summary: Possibly OK when a short smoke is needed, but generally not recommended for daily consumption. If this is what pipe smoking was like before WWII, it's surprising that the habit survived.
Aroma: Thae aroma is straight burley, almost a hay smell with some richer, but unidentifiable component.
Packing: The tobacco packs easily in small pipes. I have not tried it in larger pipes, and probably will not.
Lighting: Lights almost too easily because of the fine cut.
Initial flavor: Strong and sharp flavor, almost like a cheap stogie.
Mid-bowl: Not much changes in the middle third. Still strong and tends to leave my mouth quite dry.
Finish: Even stronger, but the pipe stays dry. This is probably because it's drying up my saliva as I smoke it.
Tried in the following pipes: Several cobs, several bowls on a Falcon.
Summary: Possibly OK when a short smoke is needed, but generally not recommended for daily consumption. If this is what pipe smoking was like before WWII, it's surprising that the habit survived.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 16, 2014 | Strong | None Detected | Mild | Strong |
Alright, I"m the first to admit that this is not a fair review, as I've only ever smoked (or should I say choked down) a few bowls of this, so take it for what it's worth. I'll also say it's possible that I got a bad pouch, because everyone else describes this as a shag cut, which it was, but mine had a large proportion of what appeared to be sliced stems, small medallions of something that didn't look like anything I'd smoked before. If this is what it's supposed to look like, I can understand why the package says, "Pipe Tobacco!": it's probably the somewhat irritated response to the frequently asked question, "what the heck is this crap?!"
Anyway, it was dry as a bone, as universally noted, burns fast and a little hot, and offers little more than a quick but solid hit of nicotine for the bother.
Again, I may have got a bad pouch, but to me this is the dregs of the pipe tobacco (!) world. If you like it, that's fine, but if you aren't sure, I don't recommend spending a lot of time trying to figure out why others do, just move on.
Anyway, it was dry as a bone, as universally noted, burns fast and a little hot, and offers little more than a quick but solid hit of nicotine for the bother.
Again, I may have got a bad pouch, but to me this is the dregs of the pipe tobacco (!) world. If you like it, that's fine, but if you aren't sure, I don't recommend spending a lot of time trying to figure out why others do, just move on.
Pipe Used:
MM Washington cob
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 03, 2013 | Very Strong | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
Harsh, papery-tasting, bitter, strong. You could smoke this if you tried mixing it with something. But why ruin a good pipe tobacco? Did I mention it left an extremely bitter aftertaste?
Pipe Used:
MM Washington
Age When Smoked:
1 week from purchase
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