Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Granger

This stuff tastes like straight burley with no casing or topping at all. It is monochromatic from first light down to the last dregs. I don't get any nuttiness as others have tasted but I do get a natural, slightly sour flavor. There is no bite or goop or aftertaste. It makes a nice change of pace from aros and English blends but I'm not likely to ever get more of it. 2 stars.

Granger is a very pleasant burley (and so far as I can tell it is only burley) that is fun to smoke for those who enjoy burley, but there is nothing to get excited about.

The cut is small cubes, and it smokes cool. Originally it was a much larger cube, which in the heyday of OTC smoking mixtures differentiated it from brands such as Prince Albert which could be (and often were) smoked as RYO. If memory serves me correctly, when the cube size was diminished the pouch announced "new improved cut" for several decades.

Some reviewers grouse concerning a play doh taste. Whatever the "old time Wellman's process" supposedly used on Granger happens to be, this tobacco is slightly fermented, and has a faint sourish whang as an undertone to the flavor. This is the way that it is supposed to taste, but that doesn't mean that you are supposed to like it. The taste is not overly strong; I have rated it mild to medium.

The burley provides a goodly amount of nicotine, a boon for those who like the jolt and a bane for those who do not.

The room note is of a pleasant "old time pipey" variety.

At the time I write this review, the headnote says it is available in a 3 oz. pouch. Not exactly. It is not now, nor was it ever, in a 3 oz. pouch. So far as I can tell can tell, Granger is now available only in a 12 oz. canister. That is more of this tobacco than I want to buy at one time.

While the small pouch was available, I purchased Granger at some frequency as a utility smoke.

Burley, burley and burley, it can be your friend or foe. I had two main issue with this. The first being you can only buy it by the tub. The second is the amount of PG in it. I had this in my pouch for almost two weeks and it was as wet as the day I put it in. Most tobaccos only make it about 2-3 days before they start to dry out in my pouch.Granger isn't bad as it is a set of and forget it cut. My tub have rough cut to fine powder. Don't expect a power or flavor blast as this is simply a burley and burley alone. I have no idea what the topping is but it's not overdone. I would have given it 3 stars but I'm taking one away for the overuse of PG. Smoke in Peace-Lager

I don't know how this could get above 2 stars. I mean it's ok, but it's so.......o-k. Just a breath of cocoa mix in the can, along with a drip of honey I'm guessing. Reminded me of my Granny's Tube rose snuff can. Virtually the same smell, which I admit shocked some memories out of me. I'm about 1/4 through a can now, and just can't see it waking up in the choir loft and singing to me. To me this is a definate blender. Maybe it was better at one time. Maybe I got a dud tin. I keep getting a dark toast taste in my mouth when I smoke this. Not really pleasant, but I'm not gonna spit it out. Just grimace a little bit. Meh, it's ok. I'm not gonna romanticize about how old timers smoked this. I knew those old timers. What they smoked is not reeeeeaallly an indication of quality. SWR totally spanks this btw, and was at the same gas stations. As does H/H, C.Hall, P.A, and Velvet.... just sayin

Update: I'm still workin on this, and my opinion hasn't changed. I can tell you 12oz, is a LOT of this stuff. I mix it now in with Super Value Chocolate (mainly to help this burn) at a 50/50 mix, and honestly, I don't know which one comes through more. I think I made C.Hall. If you really smoke Granger slow, and really retrohale and look for it, you get this "somebody's grilling hamburgers" flavor. At least part of the burley in this blend has had some exposure to smoke curing.

I have been on an OTC binge as of late. This blend was next on the "hit list." Overall, not a bad blend in the genre. It fills and lights rather easily and stays lit throughout the bowl. It does seem to burn down to a nice ash with some dottle in it. It produces a decent amount of smoke with a nice amount of Vitamin N to keep you going and the price is right. I would definitely recommend this blend if you are just getting started.

Appearance: Random smallish pieces, uniform medium brown

Aroma: Smells like just a plain burley, possibly a trace of top dressing. I can?t identify it, nor am I positive it?s even here.

Packing: Can be packed into any size bowl just by putting the pipe into the pouch and feeding with one finger. It is possible to pack a pipe in your car, with one hand on the wheel and your eyes on the road. However, see warning below

Lighting: Classic one-match light is the rule.

Initial flavor: Just Burley, nothing else. Nutty, and just a little bitter. Maybe even plainer than Prince Albert.

Mid-bowl: Nice cool dry smoke. You have to like Burley to enjoy this. There is a fairly good jolt of nicotine in it, so it MAY NOT be the best thing to smoke while driving.

Finish: A bit more harsh at the bottom, but not a problem.

Summary: An excellent choice in a cob. A good change of pace if you get tired of blends, or matured Virginias

When I first opened the pouch, smell was a bit like prunes! I let it sit for about a week. When I checked back it smelled like plain tobacco. It has a nice,nutty, toasty, flavor, and is a cool dry smoke. The room note is sweet and nostalgic. It does have bit of a nicotine kick, but nothing dramatic. A classic old fashioned American tobacco.

This is better in the can than in the pouch. Sometimes this stuff has a plastic taste to it that really puts me off. Other times it is very pleasant. I wish it were more consistent. Oh well. It's a moot point as Granger is no longer available where I live.

Granger has intrigued me for a while. When I first saw the package at an online tobacco vendor's website, I was overwhelmed with nostalgia, and a feeling that I've seen it before, and that the memory is somehow meaningful....but I can't for the life of me bring it up. Something from childhood, I'm sure; and probably nothing really significant. No one in my family smoked pipes....so maybe I just noticed the bright blue container standing out amidst all of the red containers of PA and SWR and H&H on the shelf at the grocery store; or maybe someone close used an old can to hold something significant (this was certainly commonplace - I vividly remember being a preschooler and digging crayons out of an old King Edward cigar box at church). Regardless - the blue can with the dog intrigues me, and I felt compelled to try it for that reason alone. This review is from a pouch marked Pinkerton Tobacco. Pinkerton is no more, and has been taken over by Lane. So it's possible that this pouch is several months old. I don't know if Lane changed the packaging or not, but I assume they would, as I know for a fact that they changed the packaging of 5 Brothers, another old Pinkerton blend.

Ribbon cut, medium brown. Very moist - sticky, in fact.

Granger is...interesting. Nutty burley, of course. There's a top flavoring that I quite enjoy. Others have referred to it as unpleasant and "plastic" tasting. I don't really get plastic, but I can't exactly say what the topping tastes like to me. Nutty burley, kinda sweet, and some "other" something. I quite like it! I believe it has more nicotine than either PA or SWR, but it's nowhere near strong. Mild-medium-ish.

Unfortunately, Granger bites my tongue. Admittedly, I've stuffed the soggy wet stuff straight into a cob (and found it to burn surprisingly well)...and been moderately uncomfortable smoking it. Today, I left a pile of it sitting out for about two hours to dry. When I came back to it, it was still a little moist but no longer sticky, and I'm smoking it now - the bite is much improved, but it's still there. Overly moist and bitey are huge red X's to me for a tobacco in this class, where tobaccos like PA and SWR are perfect right out of the can or pouch and never ever bite.

originally reviewed 10/24/2012

An OTC burley with a mild anise like casing. A more calm and even headed version of half and half. I really wanted to like it, pouch note was great, burned well, room note the usual for a burley. Unfortunately I have some sort of sensitivity to PG casings and left that ashtray nasty aftertaste taste I always get from that type of product.