Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Five Brothers

I got a pouch of this with a recent order. It was cheap, and it seemed like something I might like. This is a great burley smoke, and it has the reputation for deghosting a pipe. I found it a great smoke for the car on the commute. Don't buy this if you are looking for nuance or subtle. It is simple, straightforward burley with no apologies.

Edit 12/13/14 I will load a pipe with this and then breathe through the bowl to provide a little moisture. This slows down the burn rate and seems to bring out the flavor. I have been through maybe six pouches of this now.

This is Burley and young Burley. I remember granddad smoking some of the first dried crop of Burley and you could hear his heart beating from the next room after a pipeful. Strong tobacco here. This is the "White lighting" of pipe tobaccos. Unaged, unrefined, just straight burley. It has the nutty Burley tatse, a bit of pepper and the nicotene whollop. Pipe beginers pass this up and try it later down the road. This tobacco should have a warning like some of those rides at the amusement park. I can't imagine this being someones all day smoke, but if you have a caffine/nicotene habit here's your blend.

I might add that Carter Hall and Prince Albert are not made from poor quality leaf. John Middleton Co. has been around a long time in this country and has their hands on some great tobacco sources, passed down from generation to generation.

This is a pretty strong tasting fine shag cut that comes very dry in the pouch. There's no real need to rehash what has already been written below but I found this rather bland to smoke on its own. However, it's a wonderful blender.

I got good results when blending this with aromatics such as Lane's 1-Q. The best results were 40% Five Brothers to 60% 1-Q and I ended up with a High Octane version. The Five Brothers soaked up some of the sauce (actually DRIED it up) and the result to me seemed more than the sum of two parts. It provided a still soft but stronger version.

I also used this to great effect as "tinder" for other blends by sprinkling the top 1/4 bowl of a large pipe. The best mix was 3/4 McClellands Navy Cavendish at the bottom to 1/4 FB. That experiment was so successful that I've gotta get more Dark Star! The FB will certainly help that stuff burn better. I intend to continue to experiment with this tobacco - it really does add character to blends.

This is one of those love it or hate it blends. I love it, and I will tell you why.

First off, some people say this is just a RYO masquerading as a pipe baccy. This is not true. I roll my own and I've tried several RYO brands and rolled this as a cigarette. It is a league of its own. If you're trying to get off the coughin' nails this is the blend to put in your pipe.

Packing this blend takes some practice. Pack it harder than you normally would and once she's lit tamp her frequently. Other reviewers have used the analogy of lighting a fuse. I think this is right on, once she's lit, you'll have a hard time getting it to go out unless you don't tamp her good. Once the fuse is lit... Get ready! This is not for those who can't take much vitamin N because she slaps you hard and makes you like it!

Some people may not like the taste, but I love the rich nuttiness. It's full, real baccy taste. Like a saucy redheaded high school sweetheart, take this slow or she will bite hard! But if you sip it and give it the respect it deserves, you will be rewarded with a nice nic hit and a pleasant, nutty hay baccy for those of us who don't like aros.

This blend is not for everyone, and not liking it doesn't make you any less of a man. However, I think it's a good idea to keep a pouch of this around. It's a great mixer to give dull blends an extra punch, and it's nice for getting a nic hit when you want it but don't want to buy a pack. If you're curious about burley, I reccomend this. You will know right away if burley is for you.

Don't get me wrong, this stuff is a one trick pony. But it does it's trick so well. If you are looking for a strong flavored and heavy hitting baccy and don't feel like messing with ropes or twists, keep this in your rotation. It's so affordable, there's little reason not to.

For a guy who needs to hammer a bowl of Granger with a half can of Cope in each cheek to properly elevate my serum nicotine level, I can tell you that this is a rip-your-head-off nickel buzz machine of the first order. Everything about this weed is STRONG. I'm wondering when these blinking lights are going to stop. Its what I imagine being trapped on a tilt-a-whirl for an hour would be like. Strap on your big boy pants before you fire this one up! Its burley on steroids - or maybe methamphetamine.

This is a very useful blend. It is not some flavor bomb to sit back and relax with while contemplating world peace, but it has an appeal of its own. It is plain, unadulterated burley with a nice complement of nicotine. It burns fast, but I use the method proposed by fr_tom (breathing out through the loaded pipe) to add some moisture, which does slow down the burn a bit. These attributes are useful when time is a factor.

Five Brothers excels as an addition to weak or overly-sauced blends. The shag cut that some reviewers have likened to a bird's nest makes it difficult to mix with other blends. I have found it better to cut the shag into shorter pieces, making it easier to mix.

Also valuable is the "parfait" technique suggested by another reviewer. Sutliff's Frosty Mint is a refreshing smoke in this neck of the woods in the summertime, but there is no nicotine in it. I'll pack a pipe with about 1/3 of the bottom of the bowl with Five Brothers and then fill it with Frosty Mint. Quite tasty and satisfying since the flavor of the Frosty Mint permeates the Five Brothers, so by the time you reach it, the taste is augmented by strength.

As I said, very useful stuff.

Recommended.

This review is a work in progress... much like myself as a pipe smoker.

As I thumb type this, smoking my first full bowl of Five Brothers in the early morning hours, I find this a very agreeable, easy smoking tobacco.

I must be impervious to nicotine, judging from other reviews of this product. In my opinion, it’s almost strong enough.

Flavor-wise, it’s pleasant. Certainly more inviting than either of the other “drugstore blends” that I’ve sampled. It’s not overwhelming or complex. But it’s an approachable, appealing and most importantly (to me), satisfying.

I’ll be sure to update this as I get to know it a little better. But my first impression is that this is an ideal “bookend” smoke: a tobacco with which to both start and finish a day.

I don’t see it being my primary go-to blend, but it’s likely to be ONE of my go-to blends. While I’m more of a VaPer guy, this definitely has a substantial place in my present and future as a pipe smoker.

Edit: after an additional two weeks of having a couple bowls of five brothers every day, I simply find it a good staple of my smoking day. Think of every smoke-filled day as a meal. Five brothers is the side of potatoes. It’s not the star of the show, but it helps round out — and fill — the meal.

And, for me at least, that makes it just as important in its way.

I smoke a bowl of it near the beginning and at the end of each day. And along the way, I’m somewhat likely to mix it with something like superior navy flake to help beef that particular blend (and subsequently sweeten the five brothers a bit).

To my taste at least, Five Brothers is more aligned with the savory side of the pipe tobacco flavor spectrum. Now, it’s not as savory as, say, a Dark Kentucky or what have you. But it’s closer to that than it is the sugary sweet (to me) goodness of a SG Best Brown.

So, in that context, I consider Five Brothers one of my two main “savory” smokes (along with Kendal Dark), to help break the monotony of my sweet Virginia laden smoking days.

Scandinavian Tobacco - Five Brothers. Interesting to look at, a fine shag that contains many birds-eye pieces. This pouch has great hydration to smoke straight away. This is a great blend for a quick nicotine fix! Easy packing, easy lighting, lots of nicotine! It can burn a little fast due to the shag-cut, so I don't force my puffs. The flavours very bold and rustic; Burley. I don\\'t get any tongue-bite. A basic review for a basic blend! Recommended: Three stars.

dI'm going against the usual two ounce sampling before you review mantra oft spoken of here, because this tobacco is an easy read. If you like burley, try it. If you need a nicotine rush on the cheap, try it. If you need a blending agent to toughen up a wimpy blend, try it. Just try it!

To be fair, I didn't like the first bowl. Now somewhere north of ten bowls, I can say I've changed my mind. Yeah, it's a bit harsh, but it's a shag-cut burley, unsauced...I wasn't expecting a leisurely contemplative smoke. Monochromatic...you betcha! Five Bros. is what it is...an American 'old school' 'baccy. Smoke it in a smaller bowl and enjoy. Smoke it in a large bowl, and...well, it depends on your tolerance. This 'baccy is an excellent '10 minute smoke break' blend. It burns fast and hits hard. Perfect for the workplace.

I should add-I'm also currently smoking SG's Black Rope, and I can say, for me, the 'Rope' is much more nic laden than Five Bros., FWIW.

Update 11 May, 2011...I still can't give this a forth star, but after finding a source locally have been smoking it daily. This has become a rotational blend for me. I often get subtle VA/Lake District notes from it...odd for a burley, I would normally think. I'm finding I enjoy this when nothing else will hit the mark, to. I've bought fifteen pouches in the last month... I think I've eight left. Even Irish Flake had taken a back seat lately. All said, I think my snobbish attitude just got put in check by a handful of pencil shavings. Interesting.