Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Velvet

Velvet... more like corduroy, here's why: Its smooth, but there are ridges of flavor that appear during the smoke if you vary your technique. Slow short sips get me sweetened fig/prunes. Retrohale gets me the burley, also sweetened. Longer easy sips show the liquor, though I cant decipher which one. Hard and fast starts to show the otherwise completely absent cigarette taste that others describe. Nasal inhale presents a prune juice punch-like flavor to me. Also, you can just mindlessly smoke it nice and easy for a simple good taste while you are otherwise occupied. This is a good codger to cut your teeth on, but also one to enjoy anytime. It's not my favorite one, but I'm finding its merits very quickly. A must-try for sure if you like this type of tobacco.

As one would expect a nice mild Burley. Nothing that really stands out, in either a good or bad way. Smokes easy, packs easy. The moisture out of the tub is perfect by my tastes. I find myself agreeing with the average score I see here as I type..2.3 stars is about right.

It's a pretty run of the mill smoke. For such an average smoke I've sure burnt through quite a few tubs though! Due to that I guess I'll round up to 3..

Additionally, I have smoked both the Pinkerton and the current STG incarnation..no discernable difference between the two by my taster..

What a pleasant surprise. I had always thought velvet was another cheap cherry blend that tastes bad and smokes hot. I read some reviews and decided to give a go and was very pleasantly surprised. Just a nice burley with some sweetness added. A very nice all day blend. handles well and stays lit. I found velvet to bite if provoked but a normal cadence won't burn your tongue. Aromatic lovers will be let down as may some burleyphiles due to the minor addition of casing/topping but for the guy who likes burley with a little something sweet, velvet will not disappoint.

Good smoke, easy on the wallet and quite consistent as far as taste and cut are concerned over the years. good all day smoke for those that love burley.

After reading Jon's earlier review, I was not sure I wanted to try this blend, although I'd heard from others that it was a decent tobacco (for an classic 'drug store' style blend). Fate intervened in the form of a 14 oz can of Velvet I acquired at a 'garage sale' one weekend. The unopened can taunted me for a couple of days till I was bold enough to give it a try. I cracked the vacuum seal to find an aroma that smelled not so sour as 'boozy', as if the blend had been topped with some kind of alcohol. Whether this is true, or whether this is a fermented tobacco aroma, I'm not sure, but it has a rich and appealing aroma. The tobacco itself is mottled brown and coarse cut, and is very soft to the touch, not at all tacky or clumpy as some cavendished blends are. The tobacco loaded and packed easily, and upon lighting, delivered a smooth, nutty, but very mild smoke. Expecting a much stronger flavor from this burley, I proceeded slowly, and the bowl soon went cold. On relight, the smooth and mild flavor resumed, both surprising and encouraging me to puff away and enjoy the ride. There is undoubtedly some kind of topping in the blend, but it was neither obtrusive nor distracting, and the mild, no-nonsense burley flavor continued throughout the bowl and down to a grey-white ash-topped dottle. Occassionally blowing back into the bowl kept any moisture from accumulating in the stem, resulting in a fairly dry smoke, with only one pipecleaner run through about mid-way in the 45 minute session. Several subsequent bowls, in a variety of pipe types and sizes, resulted in the same experience, with the exception of a hotter smoke in the smallest pipes, and the coolest (and dryest) in a meerschaum calabash. This very mild blend should offend few smokers, but likewise, the mildness won't impress those who expect a more rich and bold-flavored bowl. If you expect all burleys to be rough and hot smoking, this blend may surprise you. It is, as advertised, a smooth smoke.

Velvet: A smooth and earthy burley

The burley tobaccos are incredibly earthy with a rich tobacco taste, much like the other OTC blends made by STG. The casing/topping seems to be made up mostly of sugar, which adds some body to the smoke without being cloying, and a hint of cherry liqueur. There is not much else to note. This tobacco remains focused in its flavor.

I really enjoy the classic burley blends, and find Velvet very pleasant. It taste like burley and provides smooth, mild, nutty flavors throughout the bowl. Although velvet is mild it is not very sweet. I get almost a whole wheat toast flavor that stays consistent throughout the bowl. I don't taste a topping, but I am sure the tobacco is sweetened a bit.

If your familiar with the other classics, I would put this midway between Sir Walther Raleigh and Carter Hall. Carter Hall is much sweeter. Unlike either of those blends, I haven't found Velvet to develop a sourness midway through the bowl.

It burns clean and cool, and tastes great.

Velvet was the first pipe tobacco I ever smoked. As a matter of fact I smoked it almost exclusively for over 10 years. I have boxes of the metal tins in storage. My taste in tobacco runs through every type of blend out there and I have found very few I did not like, I guess I am a pipe addict! I always have Velvet on hand and smoke it on a weekly basis. It is one of the least costly blends out there but that is not why I keep coming back. Pure simple sun ripened Burley with a sugar and anise topping. Simple pleasure for me and it always takes me back to a simpler place and time when I light up. It is one of my go to blends when I feel like reminiscing. In a cob or and old beater Dr Grabow it is the same simple taste of a true American icon. Velvet also gets better with age, I have some jarred that is over 10 years old.

I like this stuff. It's got a really nice licorice and cherry pouch aroma. This mildly touches the flavor, but it just tastes like soft burley. I found it a tiny bit damp, but it packs and burns well. The cube cut offers no problems, but demands a gentle lodging to get the chamber packed just right. It's a little sweet and nutty from char to finish.

It is a very mild and bite free smoke. I find it a nice rest from stronger English blends.

After a pouch, I was happy enough to buy a tin.