Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Mick McQuaid Square Cut

Having heard from the proprietor of my local b&m that all Mick McQuaid products were being withdrawn from the UK, I decided to purchase a tin of his remaining supply while I could. Having tried the excellent plug, I had some quite high expectations for this and it's quite a pleasure not to be disappointed.

The tin aroma is one of tropical fruits, quite a change from the almond of the plug,, it's actually a very fond reminder of HU Docworker, but it's there the similarity ends. The small square flakes ("does exactly what as it says on the tin" springs to mind, no surprise really) look quite cute there, sitting nicely arranged in the tin. The colour is one of medium brown flecked with gold and lighter brown and hints of gold. Given the smallness of the flakes (yes, these are flakes, a previous reviewer described them as slices and not flakes - isn't that what flakes are?), I decided to use one and fold it into a very small bowled pipe, a description which fitted my mini Rhodesian Dr Max Dental perfectly. Given the ease of the packing, the lighting is no less amenable either. The smoke itself is stunning, it is earthy, woody and hay-like, it only occasionally has hints of that fruity tin aroma, which is no biggy as the tobacco itself is such a great smoke which lasts a good while, even with the small portion size.

This is an absolutely stunning tobacco, it has the feel of a good old fashioned smoke, the kind of thing I would expect my great uncle to stick in his pipe before he ventured off to that great tobacconist in the sky. It is at this point I would like to apologise profusely to both the producers of this and to all you good people in Internetland who enjoy this. If people like me had tried this earlier, we would have bought a hell of a lot more of it and maybe it would still be on sale here in the UK. Given the amount of stock my local b&m had left though, I hope for the chance to buy at least a tin or two more of this and the plug before it disappears from the shores of our Sceptred Isle for good.

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.

My tins came from the UK, which may explain the absence of any casing. The square flakes are a delight to handle, and the smell out of the tin is nothing but tobacco. Strong and pure in taste, there is a satisfying level of nicotine. Masculine and muscular, Mick McQuaid makes the perfect companion to a stout or a lager.

another update: "a lovely, typical british, classic", i wrote. well, so it was 10 years ago, perhaps, but today it's made in denmark - or that's what mcgahey tells me :-/. probably orlik, then, and i'll have to revise my ideas of that manufacturer's capabilities.

06.06.2007: update. two things: having smoked it some more, i find it now to be medium-strong. and believe me, THIS IS WONDERFUL TOBACCO and you should get hold of some BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, as those classics are disappearing one by one!

05.31.2007 a lovely, typical british, classic. rich, fruity/berry'ish/chocolaty aroma, mellow in taste (but not exceedingly sweet), slightly topped in a way that complements the mature, stoved virginia beautifully. it's first class virginia and, i think, (as has been suggested by others) a bit of burley.

absolutely no tongue bite; leaves a nice dry pipe.