Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Skandinavik Regular

Different than the Full Aroma, I noticed a sweet and nutty aroma upon opening the tin.

It tickled the tip of my tongue as I was smoking.

Nice offering, a change of pace from more complex mixtures.

Sk. Regular... Having this 50g pouch in my stash for a while, I decided to give it a go. Opening the pouch exposed some really colorful tobacco, yellow to dark brown strands, with everything in between, with a pleasing all tobacco, topping free aroma, The pouch indicated it was made by Orlik, so with very little risk, I grabbed my cob and this freshly opened pouch, and went about my business, with this as my day smoke. Worked out just great as a all day choice. Easy to manage, stays lit and best of all no soap mouth feel or bite. Even with my erratic outdoor puffing cadence. Well done Orlik. For its intended purpose in a cob, 3 stars. With my personal rating also in a cob, 4 out of 5

I was anxious to try both Skandinavik Regular and Full Aroma, so much so that I basically smoked them right off the UPS truck when my order arrived.

I chose Regular for my first smoke. I love the new tin packaging; 4 1/2 ounces of very fresh tobacco. There was no aromatic tin aroma, just the mild scent of tobacco. Packing and lighting were both a breeze. The Regular was predominantly Burley forward. I thought after the first few puffs that it would be a milder version of Troost Special, but it never developed in the flavor department like Special as the Virginias maintained itself far in the background. There was no moisture to speak of, nor did it really bite - just the occasional tongue nip. A moderate nicotine presence as well. Slow puffing brings out a nice Burley presence - subtle and appealing, and with a faint taste of raisin and honey. There was also a mild, spicy character while smoking that was quite enjoyable. In taste, it reminds me of Mac Baren's Burley London Blend (one of my favorites), but without the tongue sharpness. The room note is naturally pleasant - very pipey .

Skandinavik Regular is the type of pipe tobacco that originally attracted me to pipe smoking some 35 years ago. It is a nice, simple, and comfortable smoke. Great for when all you want is "a pipe."

A very nice, slightly sweet, but natural tasting mixture of Virginia, Burley and unsweetened Cavendish. This is somewhat mild yet rich and flavor and, if smoked slowly, it won't bite. It has a Danish-pastry undertone, but not in an obtrusive way. It's a simple, straight flavor, slow burning, with a very nice room note. Nothing out of the ordinary, but a good companion when traveling: uncomplicated, easy to light, and agreeable to most civilized people.

I smoked Amphora Brown for years and thought since I can't get it in the US I would try this to see if it was a suitable replacement. It's not the same but it is a good replacement for it. I like it. If one is looking for the typical Danish VA based natural tobacco, this is not it, this one has burley front and center as it's main component and it is a great burley. It is nutty sweet with a very rich, creamy flavor and a very nice room note that is not heavy at all. It would play well around non smokers that find pipe smoke too heavy. It is a semi rubbed out pressed flake, and it arrived in a ready to smoke moisture content. It is deep brown in color and I don't like to rub it out more, I smoke in a large bowled pipe as I would a partial rubbed out flake. It takes a few tries to light, but once lit, it stays lit well. It burns nice and slow, and is a pleasure to sit and read with. It is a bit stout and would be a tongue biter if smoked to fast, but smoked in a relaxed sipping motion, it is just right. Not for a beginner but for an old burley lover like me, it is quite nice. It burns to the bottom of the pipe without moisture in the pipe and burns to a fine ash of dark grey. I find no or little dottle and a dry pipe after smoking this. I like it a lot and in reality would give it five stars if it was a match for Amphora which is the perfect blend for this type.

Package note of tart dark fruit and peaty vegetation. Tobacco is a thin ready rub of dark brown and tan. Moisture content is great. Burns moderate with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is very mild sweet casing that drops to the background and never goes away. Taste is mild to medium and mostly consistent, with notes of peaty vegetation, floral, woody, toasted bread, sugar, molasses, orange peel, nutty, hay, rich earth, zesty tart and tangy citrus, grassy, a spiced sour dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with Virginia supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Upon opening the pouch the aroma of Bridgemix came to mind . This Cavendish looks dry but after the squeeze test appears to be perfect to pack an light , the taste of the tobacco through the unlit bowel is a pleasant preview of whats to come. I'm delaying the light-up to savor the moment. The char revealed a subtle sweetness mixed in with the natural tobacco taste. Some of the other reviews warned of tongue bite so I'm proceeding with the true light very cautiously holding the fire above the bowl an gently drawing to produce a cool light. The first thing I notice is the sweet mild Virginian in the forefront which is the only front but is being supported by the flavor of natural tobacco . Working my way down the bowl nothing has changed , still a flavorable no-bite experience taking place . Mid bowl now the smoke seems thicker you can almost feel it. It's quite evident when exhaling through the nose. I'm trying to keep my smoking technique slow and easy for now . The pipe I'm using is a no-name meerschaum with yellow stem and med to large Dublin bowl . Puffing more aggressively wanting to test for tongue bite. Time to return to slow an easy draws , it will bite you if that's what you want . After letting the bowl cool a little were into the lower half nearing the bottom . The Virginian sweetness is still noticeable as the natural tobacco taste becomes prominent. I'll be keeping a ample supply of this in my stash. I do like variety so I can't say this will be a rotation. I'll have it available when my whim calls for a mellow morning smoke. This blend satisfies my requirements , I encourage others to give it a try. I'll probably smoke this exclusively for the next few days until my taste buds are saturated. I'm packing another bowl

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right now !

A while back, I had an opportunity (a missed one, regrettably) to acquire a tin of a long-lost friend, Amphora Regular. While some companies market a "match" for the aromatic variety, I grew nostalgic for my old standard, having long since moved on to contemporary offerings. On a whim, I ordered up a tin (not pouches) of this blend to rediscover good old cavendish.

As others have noted, it isn't Amphora "brown", but there are many similarities: the cut (RYO or "shag"- btw, do Brits chuckle at this?), the color (again, cigarette-like assortment of browns), strength (not) and smoke aroma. I miss the unique tin smell of Amphora because it surely had some type of casing, but this is likely as close as I'm likely to come to the old classic. The tin came surprisingly pressurized with the smell of dry hard cider. Once opened for a while, it settles to a familiar non-McClelland Virginia tobacco scent.

Many pine for the venerable and also extinct Balkan Sobranie, and I might too, had I ever tried it. If your tastes tend that way, move on, this is likely not for you unless you like a variety. I do, and that's where I find a niche for Skandanavik Regular. I find very few other non-aromatic cavendish options available. The smoke does have a bit of Virginia character, also burley. It's cavendish- this is what cavendish tobacco tastes like by itself, it tastes like mild tobacco. In a world of endless permutations of latakia, perique, burley, orientals, Virginias and more latakia, it's- different.

Because of its low nicotine and subtle flavor, I smoke it in my large bowl pipes where it shines: a mild tobacco flavor without artificial flavorings . It leaves little to no ghost residues to deal with, so I feel free to grab any pipe available. It suits a cob just fine, and feel free to thumb your nose and use that Medico filter that came with it. You rebel, you.

I can see where it could be a point of departure for those who like to use it as a blending base. I intend to do just that with some oriental leaf to create a cheap classed-up "drugstore blend" without fruity additives, but for now I just like it for what it is.

As others have mentioned, it does smoke hot, another reason for a large bowl and preferably one with thick wood. I have a love/hate relationship with the shag cut because of its hot burning characteristics, yet it takes few, if any relights. Shag cut requires a bit of experience to prevent overpacking (draw problems) and to regulate burning rate to prevent scorching your tongue and fingers. I agree with the reviewer who said this would make a good "training" tobacco, with the caveat that the beginning piper not be a former cigarette smoker who would puff hard for a nicotine rush.

The price is right: about $3 an ounce, without having to invest in a 14 ounce tub. I prefer the tins to the pouches for keeping qualities. Despite its alleged availability, my only source is online. I like this blend for my own fond memories of Amphora, smoked in my old $6.95 Grabow Omega, but it's worth a shot if you just need a change of pace.

I just tried this tobacco for the first time the other day. All in all, a pretty good smoke. Not too strong, a good burley-virginia flavor. An all day smoke, not complicated.

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