Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic

I'm a big fan of aromatics and I a fan of SWR regular. I am NOT a fan at all of SWR aromatic. It smells interesting in the pouch. Loads well, lights well no relighting necessary. First light the flavor was ok but after the initial puff it was one of the weirdest flavors I've ever encountered. To me it has a musty, mediciney flavor. Kind of like somebody dumped Nyquil on some burley and kept it in a warm damp space for a few years. Further I smoked the flavor turned to SafeGuard soap. I'm glad I smoked this with a corn cob and not one of my briars. I'll stick to regular SWR. This one just isn't for me.

This is a virtuous pouch tobacco blend. It smells nice, it packs easily in the bowl, lights very easily, stays lit well, smells good, and tastes pleasant. Like many aromatics it can bite if you push it...but it actually will nip lightly as a warning before biting hard. Smoked at a reasonably pace it is very friendly tobacco and it is my favorite "drugstore" blend of all I have tried.

Weak , tasteless , boring. Gave the rest away.

NEXT!!!

Now here's a twist, for my inexperienced taste buds at least--straight burley with a topping! The casing isn't too strong--no goop or chemical-induced sickness from this aromatic--and the liquor flavors really come out when puffed gently. Leaves a nice ash, and can be smoked to the bottom of the bowl. My only complaints are that it doesn't produce as much smoke as Prince Albert or Carter Hall (but not many do!), and that it tastes harsh when over-puffed (but then most burleys do).

Overall a pleasant burley, and a kind of "crossover" aromatic. It won't replace Carter Hall or Prince Albert in my tobacco drawer, but it will complement them. Oh, and even my wife, who hates the smell of all the other tobaccos I've smokes so far, admits that it has a pleasant room note. If you're skittish about aromatics but love burley, you ought to give this one a try!

Really like Sir Walter Raleigh and thought I would try the Aro. Opening the humidor I was greeted by the pleasant aroma of a mild Chocolate with a background of light nuttiness, mild woodiness and a rich earthiness that seemed to blend together into a very enticing aroma. The tobacco seemed perfect but I put it on a paper towel for a half hour. The very thin, long ribbon cut was easy to pack and the char light was enough to get this to stay lit and smoke. Even though it burned at a medium rate it was almost like this almost smoked itself. The room note was very pleasant and smelled like cookies in the oven! There were very few re-lights and even sipping the smoke was thick, rich and creamy and hung in the air. The aftertaste was sweet, chocolately and pleasant with a touch of hazelnut during the smoke and for around 20 minutes after the smoke. Very little moisture and this is not goopy like some aromatics. The flavor stayed the same from beginning to end. There was no bitter ending and no lessening of the flavor as the bowl progressed.

The lighting brought forth a wonderful sweet chocolate taste that starred in the show and was supported wonderfully by the background cast of pleasant hazelnut, light woodiness, rich earthy, light grass, slightly tart and a lightly tangy citrus that played together excellently and stayed the same from beginning to end. This was a wonderfully pleasing smoke that had my attention not because of any complexity but because it was mouth watering delicious.

This aromatic is unlike most aromatics. It is delicious but the chocolate does not drown out the tobacco but enhances the flavors. The flavors play nice together. This has a wonderful array of flavors that stay consistent, as I stated earlier play very well together and stay the course until the end. This blend is not super simple but it is not complex. It is just a old fashioned great tasting smoke to be smoked because it tastes good and brings pleasure. It doesnt go into changing lead flavors, having complex movements of flavors. It is all about starting out with a taste to love and stays the course throughout the whole smoke. I love this and wonder where has this been been all my life! This is in my top favorites, will be a part of my regular rotation and my Peterson Red Killarney 03 now has a regular job, to smoke a tobacco I love just for its great flavor from beginning to end. 4 out of 4 stars.

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic.- As a regular Balkan and English smoker I find myself very much drawn towards this blend and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Is it the top note? The cut? Not really sure but I smoked this exclusively for two weeks and nothing else.The reason being that other OTC type blends that I had fallen for had gotten overbearing to me after a few weeks. To name a few, Lanes Ready rubbed and Granger. They are fine blends but they just wore on me and became harsh and monotonous. This blend is different in my opinion and is sure to please most aero smokers. The cut is a very fine ribbon which packs easy. However, pack it loose as one reviewer said or multiple relights will be needed which will lead to a change in flavor. The topping is delightful and as Jiminks said it smells wonderful out of the tub. Beware of the pouch as it may not be as fresh as the tub. This comes quite wet but I don't feel it's from PG but rather the toppings. Dry this a bit before you smoke it and you will be rewarded with a mild and pleasant smoke. It's no wonder it's been around for so long. This can be an easy all day smoke and I like it alot. Highly recommended Lager

Update 9/2017

Unfortunately, Lane has changed the formulation a bit and doesn't have the depth of flavor it once did. They have dropped the description of being flavored with imported liquors. Aroma similar but slight difference. Not nearly as enjoyable.

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The blend that Jeffrey Wigand had a cow over. But, as any tobaccophile can find out coumarin was ubiquitous in the industry and still can be found in paticular with Kendal manufacturers via Tonka beans. Anyways, I smoked this stuff back in the day when B&W still manufactured it and can compare it to today's iteration from Lane Ltd. The original version of course was better. In particular the cut was a drier ready-rubbed dutch cavendish than today's more moist ribbon. The contemporary version captures the aromatic quality faithfully and rather unique for a domestic tobacco. The flavor style is more akin to premium danish aromatics. It's aroma and taste has a seemingly hazelnut, maple and perhaps orange liqueur character with a fainter note of SWR original casing of cocoa and spice note. From what I have also found out is there is an underlying note of vanillian. My guess as to the three liqueurs that flavor it are Fangelico, Grand Marnier or Curacao and perhaps brandy. I think the original had a bit more flavor but the newer version isn't bad at all. Fairly good for a domestic.

On the positive side, it lit well and stayed lit. However, I really did not enjoy this smoke. I was a little harsh almost tasting more like a cigarette. I gave up drug store brands several years ago opting for more custom blends, maybe I am turning into a tobacco snob, but I won't even finish the pouch.

It smelled interesting in the pouch, sort of fruity, and brown-sugary sweet. Like raisins in molasses. If only it would've tasted like that.....

After lighting it, my tongue felt like it had been sprayed with hydrochloric acid. This is the 2nd worse tongue-bite I have ever experienced (the worse was Middleton's Apple). After allowing t to settle down, all I got was a cough-syupy taste, and a little cigarette tobacco flavor. The room note was of burned molasses. The tongue bite continued, and was so bad I couldn't finish the bowl.

I would definitely recommend that you buy something else.