Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation 1855

Eirk Stokkebye - 4th Generation 1855 is a (very) mild tobacco yet "tasty" tobacco. I'm not good with the metaphores, but things like hay and earth come to mind. The virginia is soft and uncomplicated, and I found it to pair quite well with a dark (quadruppel) ale. The room note is pleasant and - again - mild.

I was most displeased with 4th Generation's 1957, so I was not terribly excited to go back in time with 1855, but everyone gets a second chance, so here we are. Thankfully, this year brought us an experience 180 degrees in the opposite direction, with a nicely dry, classic Virginia that wasn't drowning under the weight of topping.

The tin opens to a no frills, sweet, natural barnyard Virginia. Perfect for a simple, uncomplicated smoke. The ribbons were cut with several chunky, unrubbed strips, that made for some great packing. As I alluded to earlier, you don't have to dry it out, just pack-n-go. The golden smoke is all natural and very easy on the tongue. Nothing complex here, which is good for all day smoking with no problems... Just sit back with an easy sweet Virginia.

This was the sort of blend I can see briar fans flocking to in the summer. It also makes a great base to mix with other blends if you want to augment the flavor a bit. A great into smoke for those wanting to try a Virginia for the first time.

Finally, the thirteenth pint canning jar of thirteen that I got in a collection I bought at our last show. I am not a devotee of straight Virginia blends and didn't know what I would get with this one. No problem, as it smoked well above my expectations. The blend looks like MacBaren Virginia #1 and Orlik Golden Sliced. However, it was like smoking both of them with the periperal harshness removed. 1855 is a mello Virginia that has a deeper bottom note than other blond Virginias I have smoked and I liked that. The other attribute that I liked was that this beautiful Virginia smoke lasted all the way down the bowl; somewhat unusual for a blond Virginia blend in my experience. As an English smoker, it is surprising to hear myself say these things about 1855 and I give it the four stars it deserves.

Bottom line first: I like the 1855 blend. It's not a four-star effort, but I'll give it a solid three for uncomplicated niceness.

1855 is a virginia-based semi-aromatic with some added sweetness, and a touch of vanilla. Pure and simple. I think, that's what I like about this blend. It does not try too hard, or pretend to be more than it is. 1855 is not the tobacco to take your taste-buds on a wild ride into uncharted territory. Rather, it's a pleasant stroll around familiar pastures.

ES may claim this is "all pure virginia" with no added casing, but, let's face it: no "pure" virginia leaves behind a room-note this agreeable. And despite the fact that virgina has many lovable nuances to be teased out, vanilla was never one of them.

The smoking mechanics are excellent. The careless smoker can push this tobacco without scorching the tongue, though the taste WILL degenerate into a vanilla flavored one-note samba. But if sipped carefully, 1855 can produce lovely (yet fleeting) notes of citrus and florals. The topping is definitely present, but it never grows intrusive or overshadows the familiar virginia qualities.

The nicotine level is low, bordering on un-noticable, making 1855 a recommended choice for the new pipe smoker.

My first experience with 4th Generation, and a very pleasant - and surprising one at that.

Opening the tin (which is round and shallow unlike those SG deep tins I've been getting from UK tobacconists) you will find a stunning aroma. It's typically Danish though, but don't let that put you off. Sure it is somewhat flowery, but in a dessert way rather than a ghastly Lakeland sort of way.

The cut is standard for ready rubbed, but the mixture itself looks nothing like the picture above. It's rather dark, with some lighter strands here and there. IT feels a little like the shag that Erik Stokkebye does for the flavoured loose tobacco in UK online tobacconists. It's also a little wet and (unless you lay it out for an hour) that means many relights.

I dove straight in as the tin bouquet was so enticing and four cans of butane later it was smouldering nicely. The taste is refreshing and most of the alarming sweet sensation of the opening aroma dies away, leaving a fine quality virginia smoke with little twists and turns of varying complexity that bring to mind elements of alcohol, almonds and chocolate.

Yes, this really is a quality blend and it is still to be determined whether it gets sickening or not, as it's right on the edge, the cusp of an aromatic, despite the 'straight virginia' monicker above.

Virginias purists will no doubt have it in for this blend because of this and I have to say it is remarkable how the blender has given this tobacco the aromatic attributes, despite not owning up to anything other than virginia leaf in here. There is something else in here to be sure, and I am certainly not in a position to say what it is.

Make your own mind up I think. Buy if you're curious ; just don't expect a pure virginia taste that's all.

I bought 4 sample packs but this one was the best for me. Mild but full tasting.Malty kind of taste. Smooth. Burns moderately. A nice smoke for beginners. A seasoned smoker may want to alternate between more robust tobacco. Tried it again 12/2021. Smells great. Great smoke, tasty. Smells like a rich Christmas cake.

I rather enjoyed this blend. Reading through the reviews I see some comparisons to Virginia No. 1. I would be more apt to agree with those that state that this is more like an untopped version of Va1, than those that contend it actually is Va1.

Va1, to my tastes, hits me with the topping before it does the Va. And for this reason, I find it too sweet. Virginias have enough sweetness without the help of a pervasive topping. I find 1855 to have a more raw bright va taste and thus, IMO, this far exceeds Va1. This, I find, would fit into the grassy hay like Va taste, but does have some earthy notes to it as well.

I find this to be a good yet unremarkable medium strength Virginia. I will likely throw a few more tins of this in the cellar to see how it ages.

STG didn't put a production date before, so I was rather surprised to see 8 digits on a 50-gram tin that said the tobacco was released in April 2020.

The open tin immediately gave me food for doubt. The composition lists pure virginia without any flavoring. Nevertheless, in addition to the floral and herbal notes, bread tone and, for some reason, mahogany, the overall aroma clearly hinted at the presence of honey - and if I sniffed around, I also smelled notes of cocoa and roasted chestnut. Chestnut I was ready to put down to the presence of dark Virginia. But honey and certainly cocoa? I don't buy it.

Well, whatever. As they say, as long as it was a good blend. From the looks of it, everything said it: bright brown aged dark Virginia tobacco, clearly several varieties, a fine chop that's easy to stuff, and doesn't smoke too hot. Moisture is in the normal range. A little confused by the fact that the blend looked lighter in the photos. And another question: what kind of pipe to take with this tobacco - for Virginia or aromatics? I chose Virginia.

The tobacco was easy to light, giving the first lush sweet honey note and confirming that there was a topping involved. The taste was a little like Sun Bear, honeyed bread, but without the burley and elderberry flavor, but with a more pronounced herbal astringency, and a bit of citrus... It feels like a weak black tea with honey and lemon. The tobacco is smoked rather hot and dry, a shallow pipe will not do, heavy long or frequent puffs are also contraindicated. The tobacco smokes smoothly, doesn't bite, but has a slight roughness. Over time, the taste changes - the sweetness is gone, there is a slightly bitter and astringent depth of flavor chestnuts. Tobacco is not a threat of strength, nicotine hit missed me as well.

The ash is almost white in color, there is little of it, little moisture, too. When I tried to smoke with a filter for a change, it was half-dry.

The smoke is light, with a pleasant sweet flavor and notes of cocoa. People around you like it. Easy to disperse.

What's the bottom line? "I don't like being lied to, but I'm tired of the truth, too..." I still don't believe this tobacco is free of sauces and flavorings. But it's light enough, sweet enough and tastes good. Perhaps I'll mix the leftovers with another Virginia blend to add sweetness to it. Probably smoke it clean. Very good blend, for a hot summer quite good.

Contents This is a ready-rubbed broken Virginia flake with a mild topping (I detect honey but could be wrong here). Fairly grassy bright Virginia, becomes bready later on in the bowl. Sweet, but close to cloying at parts, as I'm not one for aromatics and sugar. Decently flavorful but not a serially smokable for technical issues raised by the sugar.

Technique As a rule, this tobacco seems to burn about 30% hotter than Virginia flakes that I like (Capstan, Dunhill, and Stokkebye Navy), and you can taste the high sugar content in the blend. It rewards a slower smoke with a Canadian or reverse calabash-type pipe, and I initially burned my palate smoking it as I would a burley flake in a shorter billiard. There is also a minor moisture challenge, in that my seasoned estates that I've smoked this in tend to gurgle, despite appearing dry in the tin.