Imperial Tobacco Group, PLC Saint Claude

This is the tobacco that a relative of my wife smokes all day, everyday. Along with 3 hour meals, fine wines, alcool de prune (and a chateau in the south of France) I took it that St Claude was part of that French art of living. So the next time I was in France (honeymoon in Paris) of course I picked up a pouch of this! So it is a rather blonde ribon cut. Pouch has indeed a sweetish/honeyish smell, but when smoked, IMHO this is straight tobacco. I feel the urge to compare it to caporal, or st. bruno ready rubbed or even semois, but it is way less robust and strong than those. In fact it is well behaved, no bite, pure tobacco room note ? but not arcid in any way. Ok, it burns fast. But sometimes it is nice to be able to finish a bowl in 30 minutes. So why don?t I smoke this more often? Does the retsina taste as good at home as on holliday in Greece?

This cigar leaf-based tobacco is rather strong-tasting and pretty pungent, requiring a little humidifying and curing outside of the bag, but is otherwise an easy and predictable smoke. Other than its name (referring to the famous pipe-making French village), that's probably the reason it is (or was?) the "official" tobacco of the Pipe-Club de France.

Although its nicotine levels are not the highest out there, it certainly has a bit of a kick and its taste is rather full and round, with comparatively little bite. The cigar tobacco is well at the forefront of its aromatic profile, with a very slight sweetness provided by the small proportion of Virginia added to the mix. Will definitely be appreciated by amateurs of lower-end cigars and cigarillos.

As a standalone tobacco, it's pretty mediocre in my opinion. However, I have found it to be one of, if not the best neutral tobacco with which strongly aromatic tobaccos can be mixed (hence the 3-star rating). My personal favorite is a 50-50 mix with the MacBaren Vanilla Loose Cut (called MacBaren Classic in France) or a 40-60 mix with the Chacom n°3 (a heavily black cavendish-based vanilla flavored tobacco). Thoroughly blend the two in a mason jar, humidify lightly and let sit for a couple days – the result is a wonderfully full and extremely easy to light/maintain smoke that I personally use as my everyday morning bowl.

I bought a pack of this three four years ago. At first when I smoked it I thought it wasn't bad, with a bit of roundness, but not much interest. It was a bit sour, and also, this tobacco still has the strongest nicotine hit I've ever had. Even stronger than bell's three nuns, for example. So, on the upside, it will still your nerves rapidly, if that's what you're looking for. My conclusion was that it was better than most pipe tobaccos you can buy at an average french news and tobacco place, but that it wasn't really interesting either. It wasn't bitter, it wasn't bad, it just didn't have much taste to it (and didn't resemble cigars at all).

Note, this tobacco smells pretty dank.

Then I cellared it for two years. Took it out. It was pretty much the same. Maybe the sour taste was a bit more present. In any case, I recellared it for two years.

I took it out after four years of cellaring. The smell is still pretty dank but... it actually got very nice! And I mean very nice! Nice enough, that I am thinking about buying 2-3 packs and stocking them for four years. It is rich, flavorful, gives off a thick mesmerizing smoke, and, depending on what you want, still packs a strong nicotine punch. I really like it... after four years.

Of course this result gives me mixed feelings. On the one hand, it's a "not bad, but nothing special" tobacco when you buy it. At first, I had put 2 stars for that. On the other hand, it is a really, really nice tobacco after 4 years. But, it takes 4 years to get good! And that just makes me want to cellar it again and see what happens! Ahhh... 3 stars.

A lighter scaferlati that could be smoked all day. Brown tobacco still dominates with that roasted, earthy, cigar like taste. A no fuss, inexpensive pouch tobacco that could be bought in Tabac stores in France at around 7 euros. It's good to know that Europe still has some affordable pipe tobacco. The same cannot be said about those tinned ones whose price has doubled because of new taxes.

Virginia lover

I agree with Mr Zorg, this is worth trying.

Also it is easy to pack, light and smoke. It delivers earthy, woodsy flavors like "Gris" does but has a somewhat broader cut to it.

I obtained some St-Claude, Gris, Caporal Export as well as Belgian Semois and am a big fan of these tobaccos.

I smoked Saint-Claude for years. It will give you a nice nicotine kick, if you like that.

It is a typical French blend, a little more elaborated than Scaferlattis and Caporals though.

In that range of tobaccos, I would also advise the different Semois from Belgium.

Every once in a while, I get back to it. It is not a sophisticated blend at all, but it will not make your pipe stinks either.

One of the tobaccos that are easy to find in France, and that is worth trying, in my opinion.

My first French blend I've tried so far, I've picked it up in Paris just recently during my honeymoon. The tobacco looks like something between roll-yer-own cigarette tobacco and a classic ribbon cut. The tobacco in the pouch was just right after opening (for somebody might be a little dry-ish). Burns evenly however it needs a bit of an attention as it has a tendency to burn fast (and hot and bitter) but if you watch it it's a treat. All-in-all it's an easy natural, rather rustic tobacco of a cigaretty/cigary/earthy flavour.

Picked some of this up while traveling in France. This is a good basic tobacco. Nothing too interesting, but the Kentucky does add a nice smoky flair to this basic, light smoking blend. It's mostly just a light smoke, with the flavor from the Kentucky, and a mild sweetness from the Virginia. I don't really get much of the typical nutty Burley flavor, but maybe a little bit of chocolate.

Kind of bland, good to smoke when you want one that doesn't get in the way.

Apparently this tobacco is now very hard to get...

If you can try it, then do. It is another typical scaferlati tobacco, cased with honey and of a broader cut than Scaferlati Caporal and Caporal export.

Nice smoky, spicy and sweet taste. Burns well without a bite if there is a minimal moisture in it.

I enjoyed it!