Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Sir Walter Raleigh

Many a word has been written about this blend. Been around for years and there is a reason---it's pretty good stuff. I may be a little biased being raised here in the burly belt, but hey Burley is still great. Combine a little anise and a dollop of sugar and cube it up, you got SWR. Smokes and he same as it Did for me for over 27 years. It's just damn fine tobacco no fuss or muss. SWR is another one of my daily farm chore blends. Like my dogs and my tools it is always close by when I M working.

Nice mild pleasant tasting burley blend with light toppings. Different cut from other OTC ribbon cut blends, it has a small chunky cut. Lightly moist close to the dry side in pouch. Burns good without a lot of re-lighting. I smoke about a bowl a day in rotation with other OTC blends (Prince Albert, Carter Hall, Captain Black White, and Half and Half). I prefer the burley blends cause most are cheap but very good. More bang for the buck. You can't go wrong for $3 pouch or $28 for 14 oz tin. If you can't stand it dump it in the trash you won't lose much. I have to agree with another user here, when a paper filter is used there is less goo build up on the filter vs. other tobaccos. I would also recommend packing on the loose side. So if you like no nonsense burley blends with light toppings and a good price give it a try!

My favorite tobacco period. Love the prune/fermented apple tin note. Burning character of what some call "granola cut" is fantastic When packed and tamped gently but not overly so. No bite, but gentle easy indoor puffing keeps this stuff tame. The burley flavor is the star with just enough condiment to make this old fav shine. The aroma is magnificent. I smoke a wide variety of stuff frome Pease, SPC, and every boutique blend that hits the shelves. This is a damn fine example of the way tobacco should be produced. Consistent, lighter but rich at the same time. Good stuff if you are a burley fan.

Some describe this as a simple burley blend that is very consistent, I believe it needs more credit than that. I'd put this right on the border of basic burley and an aromatic burley as I detect notes that are becoming of a top dressing and not the leaf itself. Hues of cinnamon, chocolate and nutmeg/allspice are apparant to me, as well as the nutty and smooth characteristics of the tobacco itself and they marry perfectly. I love the Prince and Carter Hall, I have a real soft spot for Half and Half (the brand my father up to my great grandfather solely smoked) and I find myself dabbling in a can of Granger from time to time but Sir Walter seems to be more satisfying, burn better and have more flavour and Lady N than the brands mentioned earlier and quite frankly ill take SWR over all of them these days. Sir Walter doesn't have a bitter bone in his body and like jiminks noted in a past review, it's stayed very consistent in flavour and composition for the better part of the century. How many blends can say that after changing hands so many times? It's fine on its own, and a great blender if you like to use burley as a base or filler for home mixtures and the price is still decent for a canned/non-bulk blend. Everyone on this forum should have an open can at their disposal. A true Burley institution if there ever was one.

This is another American classic. What more can really be said that hasn't already been stated by other reviewers? It is a down-to-earth, hearty burley blend. It doesn't try to be anything more than that, nor was it made to be anything more. It has a rather awkward cut that some pipe smokers might be turned off by, but I love it because it allows me to pack a bowl with one hand while driving.

I appreciate how simple, yet enjoyable, this tobacco is. There are really no huge flavor profiles here other than chocolate and a bit of toffee (typical American burley traits). However, one thing that I have noticed in the past 10 years or so is that this blend remains consistent from pouch to pouch. It hasn't changed, and I hope it never does.

If you don't want the hassle of picking out the flavors you get from your well-aged bag of Penzance, then pick up some of this stuff and just enjoy your pipe for once! It is a no-nonsense blend with a decent amount of nicotine to keep you satisfied. I'd recommend it to anyone.

This famous drugstore aromatic is probably my favorite of its type. There is a nice mild nuttiness and chocolate flavor/aroma. This is enhanced with a very light topping, which I find quite pleasing when in the mood for this type of tobacco. This burns well with packing being a snap, good amount of smoke created as well. I find this superior to the more topped, aromatic version. I also just received two coupons from the manufacturer good for two pouches of this for 2 bucks total...write them and you'll get the same coupons or better! HMLBS

This has got to be one of my favorite tobaccos, not just of the OTC tobaccos. The smell out of the pouch is of chocolate and (strangely) marinara sauce. Kind of like the "McClelland ketchup" only a little more savory. The flavor is very pleasant, ranging from a almond nuttiness to a tomato soup with potatoes. That is one of the things that makes it stand out from other OTC blends, the fact that the flavor is not as simple and demands a little more interest. I can definitely see why this is always out of stock in my local stores and maybe I'll become a part of that issue!

On a recent trip to the US I decided to try some of the typical "drugstore" tobaccos. I bought a 14 oz. tin of SWR. Upon popping the top I found the tobacco to be too moist to smoke, much in contrast to what others have stated about it being too dry. So I left the tin open for a few days, till the tobacco felt about right. The tobacco is cube cut, dark mocca brown to black in color. The tin note is one of subtle nuttiness.

This tobacco packs well due to the cut, lights well, and stays lit throughout the bowl. The taste is less pronounced than that of PA, which surprised me a bit. I detect a slight hint of licorice under the typical burley nutty flavor. This tobacco smokes cool right down to the bottom of the bowl, leaving no dottle.

I don't like this as much as PA, but it's definitely better than Carter Hall. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a mild, straightforward smoke.

Revised review: I have smoked about half of the 14 oz. tin, and I must say that my original review was a bit too positive. Other than a RARE hint of typical burley nuttiness, SWR is rather bland. I am currently using it as a filler to stretch more expensive and flavorful tobaccos. SWR is well suited to this purpose, as it seems to take on the aroma of the better tobacco.

I first tried SWR in a Peterson 69 and my experience was like some others where it started out very good but went downhill midway through. I also noticed that about midway through SWR started to burn very hot as well. I later tried SWR in a prince style pipe and the smoke was very good from start to finish running much cooler, so it seems to me that a pipe with a lower chamber hight to width ratio does much better with SWR. SWR is a very pleasant smoke with a mild sweetness and nuttiness that is consistent from start to finish in the right pipe. There was also a hint of sourness as well that complimented the sweetness. If smoked too hot the sourness became more dominant. SWR is not a complex bacci, but there are times I don't want something complex and SWR hits the mark there for me. Very mild, consistent, and does not want bite even when it burns hot. I like it.