Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) Escudo Navy De Luxe

In 1973, I lived in Tacoma, Washington. There was a small, single proprietor tobacco shop in downtown Tacoma. I don't remember the name of the shop or the proprietor. During one of my visits, he asked me if I had tried Rattray's Red Rapparee or Cope's Escudo. I hadn't. I tried the Red Rapparee first. It was sublime. It is hard to describe the quality of the Rattray's products in those days. My next purchase was Cope's Escudo. The Cope's was oily and rich. The smoke was thick and spicy. The Virginia was dark and figgy. It was the tobacco equivalent of Irish Stout beer. From that day until Cope's Escudo left the market, I kept a tin for special pipe smoking moments. When the AC Petersen version became available, I was first in line--what a disappointment. It was harsh and flavorless. Then came the release of the STG version in 2006. This review is for the STG version.

Here are the conditions of the trial. Product: The Escudo has aged for four years in an aerobic environment. Pipe: An old GBD Size 4, reserved for VaPers. Precipitation: Like the original, a little moist by today's standards. Packing: Packed to mimic the draw of a good Honduran cigar. Percussion: Three wooden matches. Puffing: Puffed to create just enough air flow to keep the pipe lit.

Upon lighting, the smoke was harsh. I hoped the harshness would abate, but it didn't. Even though I puffed slowly, I had to baby the tobacco to keep it from getting physically hot. I could not taste the Virginia. There was no hay, grass, sweetness, or tang. On the other end of the spectrum, there was no richness, depth, or stewed fruit. I did taste the spiciness of the Perique, but it had a metallic flavor. I don't understand the high ratings this tobacco receives. It tasted like a Picayune cigarette from the 1960s.

BTW, over the years, I tried many VaPers as replacements for Cope's Escudo. They are too numerous to list. Here are the winners: Saint James Flake, Country Squire 50th Anniversary Cake, Rattray's Hal o the Wynd, Davidoff Flake Medallions, Dunhill Luxury Rounds.

I know we all have different taste. I know my opinion will certainly be in the minority. Here goes anyway. This is one of the worst tobaccos I've ever attempted to smoke. Tasteless hot air. Nothing more. Someone had to say it.

The vast majority of blends that I smoke are straight Virginias or Va/Pers, so I was really looking forward to this one after all the hype. This is one of the driest, most unflavorful smokes I have ever had in my thirty-some years of pipesmoking. This is THE most overhyped tobacco ever IMO. Now I certainly appreciate what STG has been doing as of late, but just because it's called Escudo doesn't make it so. It may have been good years ago, but now it's just a very dry and lacking on perique goodness to justify the rave reviews and high price (as of this writing $12.95 per 50 gr.).

This is another one that I wanted to like based on all of the positive reviews. I just cant seem to like it. It reminds me to much of cigarette (im sure it might smell better to a bystander) but to me........don t particularly care for it. It seems to have a big following, and thats all that matters. I think im just not a big perique fan. By the way, the tin note is outstanding.

This was highly recommended by many friends but no matter how, what pipe, time of day, before or after a meal, it just does not work for me. Unnfortunately, I must recommend excommunication. It smells very good in the tin,but in the pipe it just makes me literally sick. I tried rubbing it out, rolling it, stuffing it, but to no avail. I found the nicotine kick so high that you almost can not drive after smoking this. I really wanted to like this stuff but there is not much more to say.....

Despite this being touted as the quintessential VaPer, I can’t stand this blend, even with a few years on it. I normally love VaPers, but this one is a hard pass for me.

Summary: sweet Virginias and fruity Perique combine as a gentle flavor.

This is the tobacco equivalent of General Joe's Chicken at your local Chinese restaurant: a slightly spicy sweet/sour that emphasizes the sweetness and, with its slight vinegar flavor, brings out a citrus note in the Virginias. The Perique is muted, showing up as gently peppery fruit flavors, more like dried mango than fig in this incarnation. The Virginias are of the light variety for the most part and impart a strong sweetness with high acidity. Together they make a blend that hits enough places on the taste buds to keep interest piqued.

I have to agree with many other reviewers this was kind of a let down. Not really a great tasting tobacco. I tried it because it was said this is a right of passage tobacco, but so was puberty and I'll never want to go through that again. In my humble opinion Haddos delight is the one to go with when your wanting a virginia/perique blend. Also the virginias in this are not sweet at all, felt like I smoked cigarettes after I was done with a bowl.

I read online that through the years this blend has been produced by different companies. I got my tin in 2010, but I'm sure that won't necessarily tell me who blended it. Anyway, I quickly put it in a hermetically sealed jar and threw away the tin. Here's my experience. Upon opening it, you get the smell of dried fruits. Not bad. The rolls themselves are somewhat dark and only a bit moist. The moisture is not a problem as I usually dry out my tobacco for at least a day. I rub out a coin until it crumbles, then pack it into the pipe. Here is where I run into problems. Lighting with a match takes time and usually doesn't get enough of the tobacco for a good charring light. It means I have to use more than one match, or maybe even a lighter. The stiff tobacco makes tamping tricky. It stays lit reasonably well. Then there's the taste. I guess what some people call "peppery" or "spicy" is just not what I'm looking for in my pipe tobacco. I prefer to call it "unpleasant stinging sensation". All I taste is foul smoke, no flavor. It dries out my mouth and leaves an unpleasant aftertaste. The roomnote is at least mild. It gurgles in 3 pipes of various sizes. I did feel lightheaded when I stood up after smoking it, but this was not really an issue as it did not happen until I was finished smoking. The nicotine doesn't bother me, I smoked cigs for years. I'm not sure if I got a bad tin, or maybe I ruined it somehow, or if this is just a taste that's really hard to acquire. Either way, it's going out and will never come back. If I can't enjoy a tobacco within 4 to 5 smokes, after giving it time to dry, and trying it in different sized pipes, then there's no sense in keeping it.