Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Mick McQuaid Square Cut

This has been in my smoke rotation for years. I have about 50 tins in my cellar that I purchase yearly. It is a cheaper tin but smokes very well out when opened. Cut is perfect to pinch and rub in with the palm. Smokes cool and dry and leaves no aftertaste. This is a very mellow tobacco. You are not paying for a smoke with angels here. This is a all day tobacco.

The generic taste of St-Group's VAs...

Mick McQuaid has been in my mind for fifteen years now, but I never got to buy it when it was produced in England. I was not surprised when I discovered that my tin was produced in Denmark. Basically I'm not a fan of big conglomerates, but I will hand it to Orlik, that they do keep the classics on the market.

But I also suspect that this one has absolutely nothing to do with the British made version - even though I'll never know - could this be blue Capstan in a different tin??

Anyway, it tastes quite good being a Danish made flake. It's classic brown semi non-sweet tobacco. Burns well, packs an ok wallop, but is also very monochromatic.

Bored you ask? Well... a bit: As in "ok-standard-reliable-unobtrusive-daneificated-smokeable-baccy-bored".

The cool tin art barely triggers three stars.

***** Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark *****

Mick McQuaid brings back special memories for me as it was the first quality tinned tobacco I purchased upon commencing my pipe smoking adventure. Admittedly, I really only bought it because I liked the tin. It was the "cut plug" version in fact, and as I recall, not only was it difficult to pack and light, it was overwhelmingly strong with enough nicotine to give the thoroughly inexperienced smoker I was a nasty head spin.

Several years hence, and a little more seasoned, I bought the "square cut" version with the hope it was only my youthful folly that made this tobacco so insurmountable. On popping the lid, a row of neat dark tobacco squares circled the tin in domino fashion. The aroma was as I remember it: a rich sweet plum-like boquet that was good enough to eat. I would describe this tobacco as "full" with a rich flavorful smoke with little tongue bite - something ideally enjoyed after a hearty meal with a glass of Islay malt or a cognac.

My late mother-in-law used to say that this smells like frying mice. She was a woman with a remarkable turn of phrase, now entertaining the angels with her stand-up routine. The room note is certainly a surprise, but as a smoking experience it's pleasant enough: cool, full, heavy, slow and consistent. It's a winter smoke, if you know what I mean. It has a distinctive flavour that I can't quite place, something in the vicinity of St Bruno, Walnut Flake and Gawith & Hoggarth's Bosun Cut Plug, but also different (that, I'm afraid, was not a very helpful description). It's perhaps too distinctive for an all-day regular smoke, but quite pleasing in smallish doses. Beware, though: Mick is strong lad and swift to anger, and you need to approach him with care.

If you're partial to strong flakes, give this one a try. It's no better and no worse than many other strong flakes, and I wouldn't smoke it regularly; but it makes a change. Beware of the room note, though, if you value company. The chief downside, to me, is that I just can't keep it lit. I don't think it's my bad technique, either; I've heard quite a few people say the same thing. It's best rubbed out; fold and stuff doesn't work at all well.

Recommended, but I wouldn't sell my children for it. As the popularity of pipe smoking has declined, and as we move slowly towards prohibition, so many old favourites have ceased to be available. It's a bit surprising that Mick McQ has survived in a world from which so many good 'uns have perished.

Update, 2017: I see that, alas, Mick McQuaid has indeed now been discontinued. Ichabod.

Slight hint of casing or something from the tin, definitely. Nice smell. This is an awkward tobacco. When it smokes well it's good. It will not be rushed at all and demands a lot of attention. I find that it really likes being packed loose. It can bite easily, but as long as it's treated gently it has a nice pungent, tangy taste. However the tobacco in the flake has a sort of waxey surface and I find myself having to relight this too many times during a smoke. I don't mind that too much but I notice it doesn't happen so much with other tobaccos.

At first I liked this but after two tins now I'm finding myself lowering this to 2 stars. I think that once this is mastered it might be a good smoke but I'm having trouble with it.

Edit 25th Jan 2010

Well, I have to say I'm finding this one perplexing. I was getting thoroughly cheeeesed off with this one as I couldn't seem to keep it lit. Then I tried rubbing it out and that makes the difference. And I started noticing what Invigilator described as little bursts of flavour going off like flares in the black night, right down at the bottom of the bowl too.

Not being a son of Erin, except in the holidays, I had not tried this tobacco before. I love the Plug...it's one of the greatest tobacco's you will ever ever smoke...but this is, well nothing really. You can't believe that the two share a familial relationship. To paraphrase Briar Chef...the Plug is awesome stuff....this is just stuff. I'd avoid it.

For clarification, the blender was originally P.J.Carroll & Co Ltd, Dundalk, Ireland; subsequently, Murray & Sons Ltd, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and now Orlik.

Not strictly a flake: originally this was sliced plug under P.J. Carrols banner, and I believe both Murray's and Orlik have remained true to its cut - hence the name 'square cut'. I believe the ready rubbed version is manufactured by Peter Stockaby - also a subsidiary of Orlik. The blend is still a market-leader in the Irish tobacco market, and although P.J. Carolls no longer exists since the 80s their cigarette brands are still the market leader in Ireland.

I have just finished two tins and was disappointed, but I can still remember the original. The square cut is now substantially smaller in size, but overall the flavour and taste is not too far from the Murray's blend. All virginian, there was the virginian tang, but it disappeared all too quickly. If anything, it's stronger than the orignal version but is still palatible.

Not one I that will go out of my way to re-visit too often.

I am updating this to 4 stars - why? well I just returmed from Ireland where I smoked this for two full weeks and it was substantially better than my last experience. I used a larger bowl pipe and rubbed-out a little mmore this time - the smoke was more intense and vibrant with a more pronounced virginia flavour - good stuff!

This is a wonderful tobacco for the experienced smoker, a traditional square cut flake with depth of flavour and a pleasing amount of nicotine. Smooth and mouth filling, it delivers a truly rewarding smoke with an occasional note of sweetness showing up like a distant flare of light in a coal black night. Most highly recommended.

I bought a tin of this with no idea of what to expect, having read no reviews of it or spoken to anyone who knows their tobacco. I was pleased with it indeed. Upon opening the tin, one can detect a slight hint of cherry mingled with the stong, alluring tobacco aroma of fine virginias (with a slight burley addition, I think). The casing is very light, but nonetheless noticeable - moreso in the aroma than the smoke. Upon rubbing this out, I found it to be slightly over-moist, in contradiction to the other reviewer's opinions shown here. The moisness did not hamper the light too much, with the bowl requiring 6 relights throughout a 1 & 1/2 hour smoke, but I did experience some gurgling after the fist 1/2 of the bowl. As I was smoking in a short straight pipe, this slightly marred the experience for me. On the whole, though, a straightforward, forthright, startlingly honest & powerful tobacco. At the end of the day, it is nice to put you feet up & have a cool beer & a pipeful of this. The casing is light enough to allow the tobacco to come through with force, but adds something which would be missed if absent. I think I will allow my tin to dry out some, & possibly alter my review if it alters the experience noticeably. Even before this is done though, heartily recommended.