Edward's Scottish Moor

I'm a new pipe smoker, but I'm not new to tobacco or to taste-testing or gourmet flavor reviewing, so read as you see fit. I smoke Edward's Scottish Moor as one of my favorite "plain" tobaccos.

I think this tobacco might be called a "mild English" blend, except that there's the slightest Vanilla casing snuck in there under the radar. Edwards sells its pipe tobaccos rather dry relative to most tobacconists I've patronized, so sometimes I squirt a little plain water from a mister into the plastic bag that the Scottish Moor is in, and roll it around a bit after I've bought it. I like the name of it, and want to trot it out on St. Patrick's day and wear orange and announce to all and sundry that the Laird of Lindsey is distantly related to me and that I'm not Catholic and that's why I'm not wearing green. Get 'em thinking. :^)

Scottish Moor has some strings of what looks like light tan Virginia in it, but mostly this blend comes in smaller rectangles and squares of mixed tans, browns, and dark browns. Unfortunately, there are (as with all Edward's tobaccos that I've tried) a few stems and chunks of detritus mixed in throughout, some of which get in the way of packing and none which I'd really like to smoke in any larger quantities. Arabian camel hair? In the bag or the tobacco bin it smells nicely of island spices, maybe nutmeg or cinnamon.

Scottish Moor is fairly easy to pack, although there can be a bit of lumpiness to it (easily rubbed out -- and perhaps strictly due to my own intervention with the water mister). The lower portions of the pipe bowl tend to remain at the same degree of compactness that you have left them in, which is nice for us beginners who tend to over-pack the bottom of the bowl and then have to play dig-and-turn when we've smoked down that far with other tobaccos.

I find that Scottish Moor lights easily and burns to a beautiful fluffy white powder, with very little charred or unburnt parts, and because of the (aforementioned) ease of packing, I can get right through a whole bowl of it quickly and easily. If I need to impress someone with my skill I use Scottish Moor and only two matches! I prefer a straight pipe for this straight tobacco. I dunno, that's just my cute mnemonic, maybe I'm ruining the Scottish Moor or the Billiard by putting the one together with the other, but I certainly don't think so.

It does burn a bit hot -- as I said, I get through it quickly and easily -- but not to a great detriment. I hardly get any tongue-bite from it ever, especially not relative to the bubble-gum-flavored aromatics that us beginners sometimes mistakenly take up before "real" tobaccos. I can get a little nicotine high from Scottish Moor, just a slight light-headedness or a numbness in my lips and cheeks. Nothing to write home about.

The room smell is tolerable, not unpleasant, but definitely of the "someone's been smoking in here" variety. Fine for a men's club or your own living room, but maybe not ideal for a party with the politically correct types. Or people wearing green. :^)

The flavor of smoking Scottish Moor is generally spicy, of that island and baking type. There's not much to the jalapeno side of spiciness in this tobacco. There's a lovely pure tobacco over-note ("it tastes like tobacco!"), and the under-notes rotate among several kitchen spices (at least one reviewer detects some Vanilla casing) as well as oak and, maybe if you can imagine it, burnt toast. It's definitely a "homey" or "domestic" flavor. I didn't get this flavor my first few times out with this tobacco, and instead found it revulsively smoky and chemical, as though all I were puffing were carpet cleaner or plasticene shards, but I stuck with it thanks to the positive recommendations here on Tobacco Reviews and I ended up appreciating it a great deal. The smoke itself is a bit thicker than usual, very weighty.

I think Edward's lucked into a very pure smoking tobacco that can please people who don't want odd flavorings, that is nevertheless mild enough (and hot-burning enough) to sustain the interest of beginners (it's hard to get it to lose either the light or the flavor) and afficionados alike. It's like tobacco that's been flavored with something that tastes like ... good-tasting tobacco! I keep Scottish Moor on hand and smoke it regularly in rotation with things more along the Cavendish line.

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Additional notes: as my tobacco palate has matured, I have moved away from Scottish Moor. I initially was mightily impressed with the level-headed-ness of this blend, I think. But I've found Latakia and English blends that have much more character with just as much refinement, and now when I try Scottish Moor I notice nothing but the stumps and grains in the bag, the dust particles, and the odd vanilla (or is it just chemical?) odor that bespeaks a sneaky casing of some sort. I will probably give the last of my Scottish Moor away, I'm so down on it nowadays. Funny how opinions grow and change ... I've lowered my recommendation from "on occasion" to "not my cuppa tea."