Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Escudo Navy De Luxe

Too strong for my tastes. The Perique adds a very piquant black pepper taste to this tobacco. The Virginias aren't very sweet at all.

If you love strong tobacco and Perique flavour, well, here you go. I much prefer McConnell's Scottish Cake.

Update: This has entered my Hall of Fame such that, there is not a blend that surpasses Escudo in my pantheon. Even with little age, I adore it (strictly in the sense of "hypo-dulia" [sic] for those concerned).

July 2007: The high marks on TR for Escudo prompted me to buy a new tin after my initial debacle. Something was rotten in Denmark in my first tin. Its contents were uniformly dark, stiff, and nearly odorless, if not a bit fetid. All I received for my efforts was a bowl full of water tasting of pure black pepper. Flash forward to new tin.

What a difference! Variegated striations from tan to dark brown comprise the beautiful rolls, along with a lovely aroma of ripe and matured Virginias, with a tinge of pleasant, non-descript casing (without flavoring) in the Danish tradition.

This is marvelous, rich, somewhat sweet, heady and strong. Rolling two flakes inside a favorite VAPER's pipe made for a long, delicious smoke with subtle variations of flavor down the bowl.

My previous blasts against Escudo are from my first tin that was obviously subjected to spoilage even prior to my purchase. Very glad I gave this another shot. It will join other favorite VAPER flakes such as Fillmore, 633, LGF, Three Nuns and St. James Woods.

Good stuff. Glad I finally tried it. Hay, red wine, figs and peppery smoke. Burns great - rich and solid. I never had even a hint of bite from this user friendly blend. The virginia and perique seem evenly matched, as neither really dominate and every bowl was consistent. If sweet and pleasant aroma and room notes are a priority, then you might want to avoid this one along with bullseye.

*Update: I'm almost finished with my second tin and have a third ready. I have changed the recommendation from 3 to 4 stars. Escudo has become one of my favorites.

I rubbed out this attractive coin flake and dried it about 30min. Packed fair, lit well, and burned clean with only two relights, which is rare for me. A consistent flavor throughout the bowl. The only thing i didn't like about it was that it ended. I will stock up on this one so i never run out.

This stuff is great. Sweet like a mild figgy fruit cake with the spice kick from the perique. A fair nicotine kick that satisfies. If you haven't tried this one, treat yourself.

IMO this has to rank among the best of the VaPers. END has a good nicotine hit with a rich tobacco taste. I detect a very slight flavoring which seems to increase smoothness. The excellent mature Virginias (and maybe the topping) bring a slight sweetness to the blend, and the amount of Perique is perfect for me. This is my first experience with coins and I find them very interesting. END is a joy to smoke. I cut the coins in half and crumble loosely in the bowl. (I haven?t figured out the folding deal yet).After trying it in several pipes, it seems to work best in a large pot. The crumbled tobacco packs easily and stays lit, smoking beautifully to the bottom of the bowl. There maybe something to criticize in the classic blend, but I haven?t found it! Highly recommended!

I bought a variety of tobaccos from my favorite mail order company and this is one of the ones I recieved and I'm glad I selected it. This is a very pleasant smoke. I love the smell of it and it burns cool and slow. It has a great flavor from start to finish and goes great with a glass of bourbon. I'll be sure to order some more tins of this to stash away.

Ok, so I am a fan of VA's and this is my first experience with Perique. I would like to first note that this review at this point is based on one bowl of this, as I am sampling some from a tin my tobacco guy has. I have permission to sample more, but I didnt want to be greedy off the bat.

Pipe: Medium straight apple

Tobacco: Older tin which definetly shows age. Tobacco is good though, no sign of mold, but quite moist. Love the ease of breaking up the coins.

Light/Burn: Challenging at best. Took 3 good lights to get her going, but once lit, burn suprisingly cool for the moisture content.

Smoking: First 1/3 of the bowl was torture. The time required to light set my mouth aflame. Was not enjoyable in the begining at all. After a touch of cool off on the palate, could taste the VA's peek, and I stress PEEK through... the perique, or what I am guessing is the perique (spicey and bitey but not in a bad way) comes through. But my opinion, overpowering, big time. Did not make it past the first 1/3.

Overall: Not enjoyable. If I could get past the wildfire of the first part of this smoke, might enjoy it. Is Aloe Vera edible? From what I have learned of Perique, I want it as a compliment, not a dominant, and in this blend, it dominates.

Will try again with a bit of drying time. Otherwise... not a good first date with Perique, but I am used to hard to get, so I will keep searching.

4 out of 10... and 2 stars on this one.

**UPDATE** Aloe Vera is edible... well not really. Hate to do a cheap plug here, but anyone who has ever had tounge bite from sampling... try Biotene Mouth Wash... all natural, no alcohol... very soothing for those bad experiences.

I was convinced to purchase Alfred & Christian Petersen's Escudo Navy De Luxe from a fellow who had to be a Ken Dodd impersonator. Now that I have smoked this stuff, I am not laughing. The sliced rope is a unique and alluring presentation that I have not seen before. The Virginia base is sweet and inviting, but the perique--with its peppery attack--destroys what could be an enjoyable smoke. In terms on the music of Mr. Dodd, this weed is less 'Happiness' and more 'Tears'. Let us forgive and forget, though, as a better tobacco is just a tin or so away.

Quality tobacco, but I don't see what the big deal is. I find the smoke rather boring and one-sided but not in the pleasant sort of way. It's produces a good volume of smoke and I suppose, if this was the last tobacco on earth, I would smoke it. I don't plan purchasing more. I prefer Bayou Morning Flake or 2015 as Va/perique blends.