Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Escudo Navy De Luxe

The first time I reviewed Escudo, I gave it a 3 because I thought that Peterson Deluxe Navy Rolls was a better tobacco , but as I sit here smoking this and re writing my review., I gotta say that it’s close to call. Escudo is very similar to Peterson version of this . The Virginia is grassy and tart and the Perique is smoky and plummy and rich and in my mind, the twisted and pressed format is what sets this and Deluxe Navy Rolls apart. These cut rolls are moist to the touch, yet smokes clean and dry and lasts for a good while. They crumble easily and I just stuff them in the bowl . I use a big Cobb that I can fit about 4 of the coins and let it go out about half way to cool down some, but besides that Escudo smokes very cool. It’s got a decent nic hit , but since the tobacco burns slowly, it won’t overwhelm. My only beef is price, but all of the VaPers that I have ever bought were on the pricey side.

My review is based on current version of Escudo, produces by STG. From the tin the coins are tightly spun, and were not broken up. The tin aroma was strong hay and grassy, figgy with plum and raisin notes, as well as lightly peppery with a very light hint of molasses. The aroma is very fermented.

The Virginias have a lot of hay, and are sweet. They are also quite tangy and leads me to believe there is a touch of Red Virginia present. It sports notes of grass and a light touch of citrus but is not overly bright. I believe STG is using high quality VAs to achieve the sweetness. That being said, it isn’t as sweet as say Peter Stokkebye Luxury Bullseye Flake. The perique is peppery and figgy. It’s spicy with a strong plum note and also sports notes of dark fruit. The fig and dark fruit are noticeably different. The fig note is noticeable in every puff and very similar to a Fig Newton bar, so I would not be surprised if there was a light casing or topping to amplify this flavor. Overall this blend is sweet and tangy and in what I would call appropriate portions.

Escudo is a very consistent from tin to tin, though it does change a bit with age. The pepper is toned down and the perique becomes fruitier. It smokes well with some moisture and also on the dry side, and it also smoked well folded or rubbed out. It stays lit well and doesn’t bite but can get hot if you puff aggressively. It smokes smooth but can get a little bit of an edge if puffed too fast. The nicotine is a little more than medium. I couldn’t smoke it all day but I could certainly smoke multiple times a day. 3.5 out of 4 stars.

•••• It think Escudo would be a very good starter VaPer for someone looking to explore the genre. The Perique is peppery and plummy, and is constantly present however this is not a Perique bomb. The smoker can decide if they want their VaPers more peppery or more plummy, and if they want more or less Perique and continue to explore from there.

Oscar Wilde's paradox that smoking is exquisite because it is delicious and leαves you slightly unsatisfied applies to most excellent tobaccos. I can name Full Viginia Flake when not dried properly, Dunhill Flake or Capstan because they are a little more cased than I would like etc. etc.

On the other hand Escudo Navy Deluxe is exactly how it is supposed to be according to what it is. It is strong but not too much, though it lacks an wow factor, it is the perfect tobacco to smoke anywhere, anyhow. It's sweet but not too much. Perique is there as a mild pepperiness and plumminess but does not overwhelm. It is easy to smoke, it does not bite, it does not need drying. It's just perfect. And what a fine aroma to my nostrils when the tobacco is smoldering in my pipe!

Definitely one of the best tobaccos money can buy....

I’m an equal opportunity smoker, but vapers are my go-to blend type. Escudo is the measuring stick I use to judge the rest of the market.

The presentation is beautiful, reddish coins with flecks of gold, flayed out in a circular pattern. The tin aroma is sweet and earthy with a hint of citrus and baking spices (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon).

The smoke is fairly straight forward, earthy and sweet Virginia flavors with a Perique spice in the back of the throat. A great bowl top-to bottom.

New to pipe smoking I really struggled to get anything out of Escudo at first.

I tried rubbing it out, cube cutting it, drying it a lot, not at all, several different pipes and then finally I tried a technique I saw on a youtube video.

I simply very slightly break a coin up but keeping it's shape, let it dry a little maybe an hour and fold in half then sort of roll into a ball, stuff it down leaving a air pocket in the bottom and spinkle some tinder on top.

To me escudo is not a sweet Virginia like McClelled virginias, it's best smoked very slowly and you have to retrohale to bring out the flavour, you get a mildly sweet smoke with grass notes for the 1st half of the bowl, getting maybe a little citrus and hay notes further down the bowl you get, peppery retrohale but no burning on the retrohale or your smoking to fast in my experience.

Get all day smoke.

So after letting the tin sit a little better then a year, I'm REAL glad I've opened it. It's been about a week and I've smoked a large portion of the tin already.

This is my first tobacco I've had that is pressed and cut into little disk. I use two disk per pipe, folding the first and stuffing it in the chamber and rubbing out the second.

I'm surprise how many people state this is a medium strength blend. I find it very mild and a super cool smoke. Also very easy to light and smokes to the bottom. If the tin had not stated Perique, would not have guessed. The virginia is wonderful.

Great tobacco that has earned a spot in my line up.

I have never gone through a tin as fast I have gone through this one. GREAT Stuff

Since I have no one in the house to inform me about the smell, I really can't comment on that.

I have not smoked ESCUDO NAVY DE LUXE for many years. The only fact I remember, is that Escudo changed producer several times in the past, and that the taste of this mixture changed considerably each time. I shall not go into this, though. My review is based on the presently available edition.

Neatly arranged Curly Cut discs and flavourful smell of Virginia-hay and fruity Perique out of the tin. Moisture is on the damp side, some may want to give it a short drying time. For me it’s ok to smoke straight out of the tin. I do not rub it out, I break and stuff the coins into my pipe for best results. Cool and excellent burning conditions. First class selection of robust Virginias, without being too strong. Typical Virginia flavours with a distinct note of earth. I miss a fuller development of the Virginia flavours though. In the second half of the bowl the Perique becomes more obviously present, eventually taking the lead towards the end.

ESCUDO NAVY DE LUXE is obviously a sibling of DE LUXE NAVY ROLLS. Both are manufactured by STG Scandinavian Tobacco Group, by the way. It is very interesting to compare these two! You will find many subtle differences. But I am not going into this here.

No doubt, ESCUDO NAVY DE LUXE is a high end Va/Per generally deserving 4 stars. I personally prefer mixtures with a fuller aroma from the Virginias and I’d also prefer to have the aromas of Perique released more regularly from the beginning on. Therefore Escudo is a 3 star for me.

The absolute best VaPer IMHO; this is a great tobacco and an always enjoyable smoke. Gets better with age, though the longest I've been able to hold onto a tin is four years. Seems to have the perfect ratio of Virginia and perique - a fabulously smooth smoke with just enough spice.....this may be the best pipe tobacco around and certainly worth a try by everyone who enjoys the pleasures of the pipe!

I started smoking a pipe at age 16, I'm now 64. I've purdy much tried everything over the years from latakia's to Burley's to OTC's to special house blends and finally settled on VaPers as being my favorite smoke. Once I eliminated all the others I spent years trying all the VaPers available. When I found Escudo I was totally satisfied and haven't smoked anything but it since! Why smoke something else when you know there is that special one that will give you the smoking pleasure you seek everyday ?