Erik Stokkebye 4th Generation 1855

Very mild and just plain old Virginia taste. There are some slight nuances to it, but overall I found it bland and rather tasteless. There was light sweetness to it.

Had I not purchased it at a good discount, I would have disappointed.

If you are the type of pipe smoker that enjoys a tame tobacco, then this may be for you. But at the retail price it’s not something I would buy again.

11/21/2021 I bumped this up a bit after opening another tin after a few more years. With a total of 5.5 years of age on this it has become a bit more palatable. There no rough edges, the grass and hay notes are bit more noticeable, as is the sweetness. Visually it appears to have darkened slightly since the last time I smoked it.

I would say it's similar to Sutliff 507C Virginia Slices. As far as a comparision to Mac Baren Virginia #1 goes, well I haven't smoked any of that in a while...

At today's prices, I can buy just over double the qty of 507C compared to Stokkebye 1855.

One of the best Virginias I have ever smoked. It smells good, burns well, and there is no bite. Mild in nicotine, this tobacco is very close to natural Virginia and can be a good all day companion. Enjoy it, in particular, in the summertime.

Very nice and smooth tobacco. Hints of honey&vanilla but it doesn't shadow the nice grassy Virginia at all. One of my favorites. This review is based on three tins and I will buy more of it.

A beautiful smoke. An exemplary mild, Danish Virginia that is everything one could ask for from this style of tobacco. The first light is slightly astringent, but quickly settles into a stewed fruit, plummy, slightly spicy sweet damp hay flavor. It remains so throughout the smoke. Burns a bit quickly, and can burn hot and nip if pushed. Slow cadence is required to get the most of this delightful smoke. I prefer to jar it for a few months to get the most sweet goodness out. Easy and true.

A straight forward demonstration of Virginias with light notes of clementine and honey. Sweet, slightly nutty background. Natural tasting. Burns at a moderate pace, leaves very little moisture behind. Mild nicotine strength, burns cool. A smooth all day smoke, 1855 makes up for depth and complexity with consistency and balance.

Unflavored golden ready-rubbed Virginia tobacco packed tightly into a simply-decorated round twist-off tin, made by a Danish blender, and sold as a light, sweet all-day straight VA? It's not Mac Baren's Virginia No. 1, but it would be if you somehow added napalm to 4th Generation 1855.

So first things first: it smokes cool. For real. I've had tins of this stuff off and on since it was released, and it doesn't bite. Where No. 1 has a tiny range of acceptable temperatures, 1855 is happy even if I puff away while I'm distracted. I'm sure it could be made to go hot enough to give tongue bite, but you'd have to try.

The flavor starts mild and never stoves above mild-medium in a deep, narrow VA pipe. It burns clean straight out of the tin, ships at pretty good moisture, but doesn't suffer if you let it dry. Those twist-on lids keep moisture pretty well too, although out here in the desert I have to jar it up after a couple days. Relights are rare, and there's no penalty for them.

The only thing keeping it from four stars in my book is the lack of flavor development, but I can't imagine that Erik Stokkebye was looking for flavor development ... he made a very good all-day golden VA ready-rub that smokes clean and doesn't require constant attention. He did a fine job.

I have smoked a pipe for more than 30 years, off and on. I recently finally understood what Virginia tobaccos were trying to accomplish, and this one is a winner. I've kept this tin unsealed for better than a year but recently pulled it back out. Dried for about an hour and smoked without difficulty lighting, for 1.5 hours or so. I've read reviewers who said "tea" notes, and I agree; I didn't smell the ketchup or tomato notes. Slightly sweet. Smoked to the bottom of the bowl without difficulty.

Is this the same as MB Virginia #1? I can't tell a difference and at nearly $5-$6 more it sure as heck isn't worth choosing this over VA #1. Still, my B&M stocks this and all of it there is from 2012 and they don't stock Mac Barens (?) and I do enjoy this so I can give it a good rating but can't recommend it.

This is a very tasty Virginia. I like to smoke it in a cob with a cup of strong black coffee in the morning. The bitterness of the coffee contrasts nicely and brings to the front the rich sweet taste of this fine tobacco. It is the tobacco I reach for first every morning. I like this tobacco and highly recommend it.