Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Sail Authentic (Sail Natural)

What a difference the tweaking of a blend makes! Much,much smoother than its counterpart Sail Regular and no watery aftertaste. Very well balanced with a hint of cherry(?), hay-like note, subtle nuttiness and just a pinch of smokeiness (the Latakia disguises itself well here). Best of all, these elements stay consistent in the smoke. Here's a helfpul hint when working with SN. Pack light due to the thick tobacco texture and tamper the bowl after a few seconds of being lit. This will garauntee a very rewarding experience, as well as eliminate that dreadful hot air effect. Versatile- behaves well in a briar or a cob. Not very sweet, but very flavorful without the bite. There's seems to be a certain air of mystery to this blend, which makes it that much more fun to smoke. Not to mention a delightful room note, mocha/cherry cordial-like. A nice change of pace and a definite addition my rotation from now on.

Smoked a lot of this back in college in the early 70's. Thought I'd try a newer incarnation to see how it was holding up. My opinion is: not bad at all.

I love the broken flake, packs easily and once lit stays that way. In the pack its well....musty...no hint of anything resembling "flavoring". Kept at a slow pace it's a nice smoke. I agree with my pipe smoking colleagues, this seems like mostly a good burley. There is a little "something" that adds a spicy edge, possibly the nearly nondetectable other stuff though I couldn't find anything resembling latakia. Orientals maybe? I forgot how nice the typical dutch cavendish smokes. This is, for want of a better description, the Sir Walter version of dutch tobacco, plain jane, simple and minimal flavor other than real tobacco. Smooth and no bite. Lots of smoke. Nice inoffensive room note. This is one I think I'd like to have around for when I want a milder essentially nonaromatic smoke. And, for whats it worth, it does seem to resemble the 70's blend I smoked back when Nixon was president and I had friends going off to war in the RVN. If you like burley but want to try something a little different, give it a whirl.

The burley is toasty nutty and a little molasses sweet with a drop or two of chocolate. The Virginia is Dutch cavendish-style: grass and citrus, though not quite as sweet as I usually expect, and is a supporting player. The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woody and barely sweet, and always noticeable in a condimental role. The Turkish is a minor player offering some smokiness, wood, spice, earth, and a sour note. I notice a very slight topping of some sort, but can’t identify it. Has a mild nic-hit. Burns well, but needs to smoked at a slow to moderate pace. Puffing fast could cause a light tongue nip. The flavor is mostly consistent as this is well balanced with a little complexity. Leaves no moisture in the bowl and requires few relights. Has a pleasant room note and after taste.

-JimInks

I am about halfway through my first pouch. This is a very mild very smooth tobacco, but doesn't offer much as far as taste goes. I really enjoy mild tobaccos, but this tobacco may be too mild. Burly is upfront with virginia tailing close behind. It is a fairly bittersweet sort of smoke. Orientals way way in the background, becoming apparent only periodically throughout the bowl. The taste is actually quite nice, it is just very subtle. If the burly were a bit more full flavored it would be the perfect all day smoke. As is, it is still very enjoyable and I wouldn't mind buying an 8 dollar pouch every now and then. Similar to carter hall, but more mild and less nutty, with a more apparent VA flavor. Also it tends to burn a bit hot.

I love it when a blend surprises me. I had noted how many reviewers weren't able to taste the Latakia in this and to my surprise I can taste it clearly. In fact, the two things I notice most is the Burley and the Latakia. They seem pretty well balanced and take the lead in this blend. Less notable is the Virginia and the Oriental component is pretty much MIA. It's a pleasant smoke that I find rather satisfying.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Needed a little rubbing and drying. Burns well. No bite or harshness.

"Wouldn't it be ridiculous if I, like, all of a sudden started smoking a pipe?"

--That was the decision process in its entirety that brought me to this point. I needed three things to make my completely random, spur-of-the-moment decision happen: a pipe, some form of fire, and tobacco.

I went to a tobacco shop and got all three. This was more than fifteen years ago and tobacco shops were still actually tobacco shops, not, as they mainly are today, cigarette/cigar shops that sell Captain Black. I ended up with a Dr. Grabow Savoy, a complimentary book of matches, and a pouch of Sail Natural. It's been downhill ever since.

I got the Sail Natural because it had the word 'natural' in its title. I like natural things. I eat organic food exclusively, much to the laughter of my friends, who will all die one day from cancer caused by the pesticides in their non-organic food.

Who will have the last laugh then, my friends?

Sail Natural is a largely unadorned Dutch style cavendish "to which tobaccos from Latakia, India, and Indonesia are added." I don't know what that means. If there's Latakia in this, I'll be a sumbitch because I sure can't detect it. The taste is one of tobacco. Gently sweet, gently spicey, gently nutty, easy going, simple, unassuming, delicious.

If you're looking for wow factors or complexity in a pouch of Sail Natural, you better bust out your microscope (maybe you can find the Latakia, too!).

As the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked (I still have the original pouch--now empty, of course), Sail Natural has a special place in my heart. When I first smoked it, I hated it. Now, I wouldn't be without it.

I don't taste the Oriental or Latakia that Sail's label claim to be in the blend so if you are looking for an English/Balkan blend you will be disappointed. This stuff tastes very much like the Amphora Brown Label that was available in the states 40 years ago. It has a crumble cake and/or broken flake texture. It doesn't bite and it smokes down to a dry white ash.If you like pressed Virginia or Virginia/burley flakes with no chemicals or additives you will likely love this blend. I would prefer something a bit more complex and rich for after dinner or as a nightcap but this blend is great when I'm fishing, hunting, sailing, etc.

When I first started pipe smoking this was a fairly common pouch blend. It is a straight-forward, no nonsense experience for the pipester who wants something that smokes clean and dry. (Unlike Captain Black!)

It is plain tobacco, with the emphasis on plain, and while it isn't exciting, I would be glad to see this behind the counter again.

But those days are long gone...

This is a mild Dutch cavendish with a slightly sweet pouch note and comes in a rubbed out narrow ribbon. There is a mellow tobacco taste with a slight spice and a chocolate note. I get a little smoky something, and I can believe it is a trace of latakia contributing to the profile. I think there is a slight topping adding to the sweet although I can't put my finger on a flavor for it.

It is a pleasant smoke and easy to recommend. It is one of those "all day" smokes with enough to interest and not so much that it distracts.

Better than Sail yellow and much cooler than the green. I find the cut is a bit broader than the other two as well, good balance of flavour and a nice hit of nicotine. An unassuming simple blend that I could smoke all day without any issues.