Tobaccos Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Warrior Plug

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2014-06-24		Medium to Strong	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

The dark Virginia offers a lot of fermented tangy ripe dark fruit, some tart and tangy citrus, bread, mild grass, floralness and sugar, with an earthy, woody boldness. It is the led component. The woody burley has some nutty earthiness and characteristics of molasses, though I’m not totally sure the latter actually comes from the burley. It is a secondary player. The toppings are hard to identify, but I suspect one of them is treacle. Besides the molasses, I get some raisin, date, and dark fruit notes, though it’s very likely some of that comes from the fermentation of the tobaccos being pressed into plug form. There’s also a light feeling of spice that comes and goes. Being a plug, it takes some time to prepare, but it’s worth the trouble. With a little dry time, you’ll still get a long, smooth smoke with plenty of strength and nicotine to while away your time. Has a very consistent flavor with few small rough edges, and burns cool, and clean. Won't bite or get harsh, and has a pleasant, but short lived after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

25 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2015-09-28		Strong	Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Summary: this dense plug expands to a full flavored smoke with gratifying doses of Nicotine.

The blend in this plug maximizes the Burley in harmony with the darker varieties of Virginia, possibly stoved together because of their intense collaboration. As the plum topping evaporates, a strong vegetable flavor gives way to a nutty, sweet and tangy smoke. "Warrior Plug" does not wear its complexity on its sleeve, but allows the different textures of these two ingredients to meld and separate, oozing forth in a heavy smoke that is both flavorful and gentle on the mouth. A solid working smoke.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine forum member "misterlowercase" for this sample.

Similar Blends: Peterson - Peterson's Perfect Plug, G. L. Pease - JackKnife Plug (New World Collection).

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2014-04-27		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this one about four months ago with a load of other tobaccos and stuck it at the back of the cupboard expecting to get round to it pretty soon Needless to say I forgot about it and only came back to it recently after a lean month.

The plug takes a little work to disect, I don't know if that's due to the age or just me making hard work of it. nonetheless I managed to get into a more smokeable form, actually getting as far as turning into some sort of ready rubbed status. The aroma of the tobacco itself isn't strong, perhaps something akin to a well roasted pork joint, fond memories of my mother's Sunday dinners ensued. Packing wasn't an issue but then given the effort to reduce it from plug to ready rubbed this is hardly a surprise. It was a little damp, even after four months, so a bit of drying out is required. The flavour is quite mild, maybe the aging hasn't done it any favours and I've had a job discerning it, possibly more of that roast pork as per the tin smell, but no fruitiness that I have picked up with other plugs. The ash, while not fine, does seem to come out easily enough making clearing the bowl a doddle.

On the whole, not a bad smoke, though it doesn't thrill. I will have to try some of this fresh from the packet to do it proper justice though. Not the best plug I've tried, that honour goes to 3P's, but worthy of three stars.

Pipe Used: MM Legend and straight Adsorba

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-05-05		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

In the pouch Warrier Plug dark brown to almost black with a small number of lighter pieces mixed in. It offers a bit of a fruity and somewhat medicinal scent. I have tried this by cutting it into the width of a thick flake then chopping it into small pieces with some rubbed out on top. I have also gone with thin shavings and find that my preferred way to smoke it. The flavor is somewhat of a deep caramel, dark brown sugar, molasses etc. It is straightforward in flavor without much complexity. The Virginia's are more of straw than sweet grassy although there is some sweetness to its overall presentation. I am not sure if the sweetness is more of a result of the added flavoring, or the tobaccos themselves although likely both. There is a decent amount of Lady N although there are stronger plugs out there. It burns cool and is for me personally is best sipped. WP isn’t at the top of my list of plugs, but I wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2016-05-31		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Cool looking mostly dark plug with a nose of burnt sugar and perhaps brandy with some fruit. This plug requires a knife to separate. I had the best results by cutting it fairly thin and then rubbing out, although I also tried it as a small flake with some rubbed out kindling on top, which worked pretty well.

In the pipe this tasted less sweet than the nose promised. A nutlike burley flavor with some sweetness that tasted more Virginia than topping but I wouldn't bet on that. The sweetness was a dark molasses with a lightly fruity alcohol flavor, which hit me as brandy. The nutty and sweet flavors melded nicely and kept this interesting, although there was very little complexity. As for nicotine, I'd put this on the high end but far from the biggest nicotine gutpunch. I could smoke a fairly large bowl of this without the woozies, but I preferred it in a small Group 5 due to the slow burn and the fact that it wore me out after two hours. Just not enough happening for a large bowl. When this one takes off, it's a huge mouthfeel but not much smoke when sipped normally. I enjoyed it but it didn't beg for cellar time. Then again, I'm not the biggest plug fan out there. Give this a spin if you're a tobacco lover rather than big on flavorings. It's not completely natural and I think it's better for not being so. I'm sure this tobacco has a huge following in the UK, and rightly so.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2017-11-10		Very Strong	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Murray Sons & Co. Ltd - Warrior Plug.

Note: an early review I thought could be improved.

Plugs often arrive at a varying consistency, some are practically a kake, some need only a firm hand to snap and rub, the tougher ones need a sharp blade, and there's a few that need an industrial grinder to prepare a bowls worth. The latter applies to this. The tobacco's presented as one block of tobacco, very dark, and wrapped in plastic. There's not much aroma from the solid plug but once I've ground the block and refilled the pouch I'm able to note a sort of sweet fruitiness.

The tough job of preparation is remunerated with one seriously good smoke. The smoke has a 'deep' flavour: lots of dark fruit, molasses-sweet, and rich nuttiness. The Virginia has a 'heavier' sort of taste, so it isn't a smoke that's fervent with sharp/fresh Virginia notes. It tastes this way until a quarter into a bowl, then I begin to get a very slight alcoholic note. It burns slowly, requiring hardly any relights, producing a cool, bite-free smoke.

Nicotine: very strong. Room-note: A bit harsh.

Warrior Plug? An exceedingly high quality plug. Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Altinok Lee Van Cleef: Friday pipe

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking Shop

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (112)	2014-11-10		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Take whatever Jiminks said and add brandy as the ever slight topnote and give it 4 stars ! I think the Red Coats don't send the good stuff to us cause we won the war :) . I cut this real thin with a sharp pocket knife and break it up a bit . It takes a few lights and then youre good to go . The flavor is .. Heaven . fermented Virginia , mainly I guess , and that ever slight brandy top note . Rich , flavorful , full mouth feel ........ Man , I love this stuff ! If it were an OTC here , along with Ogdens Walnut [ which is Gods gift to man ] .. I'd be a happy Yankee from Georgia :)

Pipe Used: Medium and smaller briars

Age When Smoked: fresh pouch package

Purchased From: Overseas gift

Similar Blends: Other overseas plugs like McQuaid.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2012-03-23		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

After just having reviewed Mick McQuaid Plug (see my review for details) I would have to say Warrior Plug is very similar in all aspects - appearance, preparation, taste, smoking qualities. WP is a bit less fruity but a bit more spicy than MMcQ - and not by much in those two qualities. Perhaps a tad less sweet and closer to Peterson's 3 P's - perhaps from the Burley. Otherwise, they were both enjoyable to smoke and I would have no problem smoking one over the other if availability was an issue, both being superb smokes. Along with Peterson's 3P's, these three plugs would be a nice rotation smoke as far as plugs go. Unfortunately, MMcQ and WP are not available stateside. What a shame. 3P's will have to do. Both MMcQ and WP are manufactured by Scandanavian Tobacco Group (Orlik/Stokkebye) and I would have to say they have done a nice job with these plugs. I wasn't bothered by excessive nicotine in either of these two plugs and would be able to smoke them daily, and at any time of the day. If you happen to like plugs and come by a bar of WP, you will not be disappointed at all. A solid recommendation.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrDyson (148)	2011-07-21		Very Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Whoo! This is the sort of tobacco that grandpa used to smoke back in the days when men were men and women were glad of it. If you like all the fuss of preparing plug or twist tobacco for the pipe, it'll be fun. It isn't difficult, though, with a sharp knife and some patience.

If Warrior Plug ain't what it used to be (as Invigilator says, below), I don't want even to think about what it used to be. It's slow, full- bodied and tasty; but it has one hell of a nicotine kick, and I don't mean maybe. If you like strong, dark plugs and twists, this'll do you nicely, but it certainly isn't for the meek. It had me praying for death after half a bowl.

Don't inhale, unless you want to end up with lungs like black lace curtains; and smoke it in a small bowl. For what it is, it's a very classy product: recommended. Be warned, though: this is masculine stuff.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2014-04-20		Extremely Strong	Strong	Extra Full	Strong

As noted below by other pipers, this is very similar to Mick Mcquaid plug(and to be honest i can't discern any difference between the two when smoked side by side) Lovely stuff this is indeed, certainly high test and not for the meek or mild and if you dont have hair on you're chest prior to smoking this plug, you absolutely will afterwards. This is one of these blend i think everyone should try

Purchased From: mysmokingshop.co.uk

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blackhorse (96)	2011-07-20		Strong	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It truely doesn't get much better than this. Sliced, rubbed and packed with a medium firmness in a smallish bowl (a prince is ideal) this is close to Nirvana. After several plugs I'm going to declair the flavor to be somewhat akin to what Germain uses for Stonehaven, though a bit less so and a tad less sweet. It suits the tobaccos perfectly. I can sip a small bowl of this for close to two hours without thinking about it much as I putter around my carving studio...one of its notable strong points. I don't find it harsh or overly strong at all, but very full and with a nearly perfect marriage of natural tobacco and enhanced flavor with the raisin/prune/molasass notes of what I've been told is termed "treacle" by the Brit bad boys that conjur these magic little plugs. Absolutely fine and to be savored. Burns half again more slowly than McQuaid and with a finer, sweeter flavor. Arguably the world's most lovely evil. A large bowl of this would be akin to a mug of scotch. Besr to savor it slowly in a smaller vessel that suits its strength and nature.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2011-06-09		Strong	Medium	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Yikes! - I can see why balding men like this tobacco. It puts hair everywhere. Strong and very harsh Virginia leaf plastered my palate and the added casing (no clue what it is), wouldn't even come off my tooth brush. I do thank the fellow tobaccoreviews.com reviewer who gifted me a couple of bowls of Warrior Plug but I do ask gently that he doesn't send me any more.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-05-09		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

As with its Danish made stablemates in this plug family, a mostly Red Va with some Burley, pressed to a solid block, likely with molasses or treacle. I cannot identify the additional flavourings; someone has said 'plum' and I can't argue with that.

To my tastes this definitely has some African fired leaf, adding a spiciness and another layer of complexity, and probably strength as well.

Great stuff and already well described. A classic and I hope they never stop making it.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

Purchased From: James Fox, Dublin

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FHA (1)	2015-05-03		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Comparisons with Mick McQuaid are spot on, two slight variants of the same tobacco. The key difference is that the almond flavouring is absent here, and I think it's probably better for it. I'm not a fan of plugs as I find them difficult to burn, but I'll put the effort in where it's worth it. Warrior plug is a case in point. Got mine as a sample from GQ Tobaccos, if bought packaged it might benefit from a bit of aging for a month or so.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (129)	2010-02-10		Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Sit down to this with a very small pipe or warrior will knock you down. If you want a good strong tobacco without the added floral notes and casings, this is it.

Edited 5 years later, I still keep 4 or 5 plugs on hand, I don't find it as strong as I used too, probably because I'm getting used to stronger and more robust tobacco's. But still love it today as much as I did the first time I tried it, if not more so. You would never catch me without a few plugs, that's for sure.

Pipe Used: Various small ones

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: My Smoking shop

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2009-08-19		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Still a fine example of a matured virginia plug tobacco. While the manufacturer has changed, it is a solid performer. A deep "woodsy" taste and aroma, with a complexity associated with matured virginias.

Stronger than Yachtsman Plug, this has been a good smoke for me for many years. Now a bit more difficult to buy here in the US. I have always found the practice of preparing plug cuts to be a distinctive part of the art and science of pipe smoking, and I will take a plug tobacco over any other cut when its available.

This type tobacco ages well and done properly, will give a smoker a wonderful smoke. I have just finished a plug of this that I have aged 11 years. Truly, a real pleasure!

6/10/2012 I have upgraded this plug to 4 starts as I find it meets all my criteria for a first rate tobacco.

I smoke this in a group 5 size, straight billiard.

...a pipe is to be savored...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-12-08		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Here's another tobacco that has suffered in the translation.

I used to smoke this years ago, and a fine, full-bodied, tasty smoke it was, just the thing for a small to medium-sized bowl after a decent dinner. Not a tobacco for the novice or the unwary either, as it could produce a few head-spinning moments if its copious smoke was gulped with too much enthusiasm.

With these fond recollections in mind, I bought some of the recent Orlik-produced version and opened it with keen anticipation. It looked good, felt good and was obviously carefully manufactured. So far so good.

Having produced the necessary shavings and rubbed them out a tad, I filled a trusty Peterson 86, lit up and puffed away. Much smoke billowed out, but where was the taste? The entire bowl was bland in the extreme, a total disappointment. This is Warrior Plug's ghost, an insubtantial doppelganger of the real thing. It's a harmless enough tobacco, but it will disappoint those who expect the glories of its illustrious predecessor.

All this maked me painfully aware that when I bought this plug, I also bought some Mick McQuaid Plug from the same manufacture. I hesitate to open it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-11-18		Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I find this to be perhaps one of the easiest virginia's to smoke - never had tongue bite ever - I usually smoke it in a Peterson system pipe. Certainly on par with SG's Full Virginia Flake and McClellands 5115.

I strongly recommend this for the delicate berry flavours on the palate, as well as a perhaps wheaty grainy taste. Altogether a very pleasant smoke. It is worth all the preparation! I usually chew on a small piece for a bit, spit it out, dry it, crumble it and smoke it. It's like a fine cigar, smokes very slowly, and has a wonderful room note.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-11-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Some plugs and ropes are so goopy you need half a bowl of kitty litter just to soak it up. Not so with Warrior Plug.

I whittled thin slivers, let them dry thoroughly and just crammed 'em in a tall Peterson Billiard. Took to the match with no resistance and smoked slowly all the way to the heel.

I picked up some toasted almond and berry flavors, but I don't think they are added...just tasty natural tobacco nuances. No bite factor, and subsequent bowls DGT very well. No ghost in the wood or the cake that forms quickly with this tobacco. A good hard cake with no brittle flakes. Nicely done.

Update November 13, 2008: Almost an entire plug has gone up in smoke. Warrior Plug has many positive similarities to Erinmore Plug...the light fruit flavors being the most obvious. Still a chunky monkey, it burns slower than Erinmore, and the flavors last longer before the base tobaccos push through. Delightful.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sasha (228)	2005-12-30		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've a soft spot on plugs because of all the ritual of cutting it and preparing it to be smoked. Out of the pouch this one looks pretty scary: dark, oily, with a distinctive smell. I cut three slices and let them dry out a little, then I rubbed them and crossed myself while loading a meerschaum. Well, I thought it would have been a truly challenging smoke, but it proved to be a rather smooth one! The tobacco is smoky at the beginning, then it becomes sweeter and stays sweet to the end, with subtle touches of dried fruits, but not soapy at all. Never biting, it stays lit without difficulties and smokes enough dry. A very good Virginia plug.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2017-11-15		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A plug that smells of sweet oats, that reminds me of a brownie. I have to remind myself that tobacco is smoked and not eaten. As always with plugs and ropes, preparing it is half the fun. For best results, I leave the tobacco in my pipe overnight.

I like the treacle/plum topping that is not applied with a heavy hand. The Virginia is woody, earthy and the Burley brings some nuttiness. This tobacco also has an omnipresent dark fruit note probably coming from the topping and tobacco symbiosis. I consider this plug a full medium in the nicotine department but something that would be quite strong for beginners.

A cool and slow burning tobacco with no bite that delivers dependable flavors and one smooth smoke.

Virginia lover

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noodle (6)	2014-12-22		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

Wow Just tried this for my first plug and dear god it hits back hard Flavour is a rich pudding sort of thing not quite christmas pudding. Easy to use no idea first plug remember so new from the packet cut a thin strip rub it out. Then rub it a bit more. Then repeat and I finally got somewhere I have a fair bit of hair and don't think this will cause me any issues on that score Then the nicotine hits and you need a sit down or super sized Pepsi/pint or two of sweet tea Jarred it and will try again in a few months I'm quite looking forward to it tbh

Pipe Used: Group 2 dunhill

Age When Smoked: Straight out of the packet

Purchased From: Turmeaus Chester branch (great staff who didn't mind me mythering about snuff)

Similar Blends: Nothing I've ever smoked so far , Please ignore the room note I'm an outside only smoker or when I can smoke inside it's in my shed and is usually overwhelmed by the wood stove.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2012-06-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Unnoticeable

An all day bowl,akin to mick mcQuaid,but more vit n, at night i like to tear a few leaves of black xx rope and add to the mix,produces heaven on earth,.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	butman (50)	2009-11-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this for the first time in Sneem, Ireland. I was in a drug store and picked up a few plugs to sample the Irish pipe tobaccos. What a great suprise. It's a great virginia blend. The tobaccos are married in this hard little brick and this one is delightful. You pare away pieces of the tobacco and rub it a bit and in the bowl it goes (typically a billiard bowl). This stuff is not cheap but you get a nice long smoke out of the bowl and it is savory. It burns clean to the bottom of the bowl. You can still get it by ordering from some of the fine tobacconists in England. You can't use a credit card anymore (what genius made that rule????) but you can buy it from Mr. Barber in the UK. Buy it!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-05-29		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

The few places that sell this usually offer it with the proviso that it is a strong tobacco, for the experienced only.

Out of the foil wrapper, the plug gives the appearance of a brick of oily tar; perhaps almost as scary as one of the black twists. Cutting thin slices (if nothing else, ordering plug tobacco will keep your knife-sharpening skills up!) does nothing to belay this impression. I did find that my sample did need quite a bit of drying-time.

When it's finally ready for smoking, match to bowl, preparing for the worst...Hey! It's smooth, and with a medium taste, quite accomodating. I'm not sure if it is or is not slightly sweetened, but it certainly is slightly sweet. Although the room note doesn't draw raves, neither does it inspire brickbats. Overall strength I would put on par with S.Gawith's Full Virginia Flake.

I would, and will, order it again, but I won't be in that great a rush to do so. There's a lot of work that goes into the smoker getting it ready to load; I would expect something quite unique to make it worthwhile. A medium-full, heavily steamed and pressed Virginia isn't all that uncommon.

Lucky us!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fusty the pipe (33)	2022-04-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A very generous gift from one of a pipe forum’s members has allowed me the opportunity to sample this beast. I was thinking, wrongly, that it would be the plug equivalent of Erinmore flake, only to be informed by my contact that Erinmore actually came as a plug in its own right at one point. This is a dense, dense plug but by crikey is it good. Any plum topping is, I suggest, more to do with the tobaccos and how they are getting along in the press - Erinmore has that fruity, top note (some, wrongly, say pineapple imho) so does Warrior but in more of a chocolate bar kind of way. I get “Fruit and Nut” when I smell it in the jar; there is a chocolate quality going on that reminds me of Bob’s Chocolate Flake but then there is an earthy, maltiness that reminds me of a Revor Plug. This got me to try a pinch of Chocolate Flake, a whisp of Revor and a smidge of Elizabethan Mixture but I was still far from the Warrior. On my initial smoke, I carved off a flake and stuffed it in the bowl. This was, in my opinion and with the help of hindsight, wholly the wrong approach so, for the next attempt I cut a flake and let it sit for an hour or so, before ramming it home and, nope, not the right thing to do either. After further attempts the correct method was found - slice a flake, let it sit out for a while, then cut into cubes and add, gently, to the bowl and, by golly, by gosh, this stuff is good! It smokes fairly promptly for a Va/Bur that is similar to St Bruno or Walnut Flake (though not identical by any means) a bowl was done and ash in 20 mins or so. My new dilemma - this is out of production (why pray tell?) so where will I get any more from? This is a good all rounder, satisfying, smooth, with a good flavour that could easily be added to the other blends that I have fallen in favour with. If you get the chance, get some and enjoy it - hopefully it will come back like Lazarus n the near future.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 7+ years I think

Purchased From: Gift

Similar Blends: Bob’s Chocolate flake and Revor but not really at the same time..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (156)	2019-01-23		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

A nice little nugget of comfort in the Irish tradition, sadly discontinued.

Its a hard pressed dark brown rock, slightly oily on the surface. Carve thin shavings off with a sharp penknife and rub a bit, before filling your pipe. This way if you shave off just the right amount, the last pinch is crumbs and works as kindling, and it will light with a single match.

The flavour is full, unadorned tobacco right from the start. Well stoved Virginia and Burley, giving a hearty smoke. Bread toasty flavours, some hay and grassier notes as well. The "spicy dark plum" topping promised by the tin is very subtle indeed, but there is some dried fruit taste going on here, akin to a well aged Christmas pudding - yum! I get less of the nutty taste than Yachtsman, and no bitterness.

The aroma is rich and may upset non smokers, or wives, but I find it quite pleasant. You can smoke it to the last crumb, the flavour doesn't develop much but it provides ample satisfaction. Any dottle it leaves is dry.

In summary, a satisfying plug, which I'm sad I'll probably never see again.

Pipe Used: Peterson Zulu, Peterson system, Civic sandblast,

Age When Smoked: 1 year ish

Similar Blends: Yachtsman, Mick McQuaid.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2017-09-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not sure how I've missed reviewing this, but better a few years late than never! This is a good, solid VaBur, each contributing a wide range of soft notes, making it mildly complex. There seems to be a slightly sweeter note (molasses? treacle?) in addition to the tobacco and fermentation. This isn't a 'wow' blend, it's a blend for when you are seeking a nice, solid, thoughtful bowl.

Pipe Used: briars, cobs, and meers

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leeboy (20)	2017-01-31		Medium	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

This didn't do it for me. Slightly sweet, spicy and plum does come through at times. I struggled to get any flavour most of the time though. I smoke Irish flake and Revor plug which are both full bodied so this was way to subtle for my taste. Similar to Peterson 3P which did nothing for me also. Not offensive and might hit the spot for some. I won't be buying again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Snappo's Pipe (23)	2016-12-17		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

Ha! Just get it while you can, and read all the 4 star reviews and prepare to add your own. Looking for flavor befitting a warrior? Get it!

Pipe Used: No name baby briar...

Age When Smoked: 2 years...

Purchased From: UK

Similar Blends: McQuaid, somewhat....

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pecheur (19)	2015-12-23		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I've been waiting to open my plug for a while now and when I heard it was being discontinued in the UK I moved it up in my rotation in order to see if it's cellar worthy.

I'm prone to finding burleys rough and harsh in the mouth and I do find this starts off a little rough but smooths out fairly quickly. The plum flavour isn't in your face indeed I only really pick it up as a little extra sweetness which is pleasant, I do wonder if something other than plum is added. The start of the bowl tastes a little tarry and bland to me, almost muddled. As the bowl moves on the sweetness increases and the virginias in the blend come more forward. It's just a little meh

The plug isn't too dense and cuts nicely. It does need some dry time and for me I liked it a little more when cube cut as the flavours seemed a little stronger. Has a lovely fermented fruity smell when you open the pouch, in fact this is the best thing about the plug.

I shall not be cellaring warrior plug

Pipe Used: Blakemar Hippo

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: mysmokingshop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	who broke my clay pipe? (70)	2012-05-28		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

50g Pouch

Tearing of the cellophane wrapping and just taking a sniff i get a very potent complex perfume which is hard to solve and reminds me of the "forbidden cupboards" as a kid.

1ST fathomable impressions through the sea of aromas i pick out are medicinal ala menthol or eucalyptus cough mixture, perhaps even wilsons menthol snuff. Woody furnature. Aftershaves,medicines,polishes and anything household,mysterious and on the top shelf or back of the cupbourd. Distinctly domestic cleaning cupboard; full aroma of all the perfumed and weird cleaning products,polishes,soaps and waxes for a kind of heady high. It smells complex..

The contents reveals a precision cut rectangular 2x4x4.5 cm blackish/brown moist compressed plug with tan brown stem speckle looking like a block of bakelite.

Consistancy in the hand is of a well dense/hard but moist block. Holding in the hand and sniffing at point blank range,the aroma is of dark honey,peppery cinnamon/spicy with maybe jaffa peel,an airosol beeswax pot pouri fragrent/floral(but not lakeland)furnature polish.

I tear about a 5mm thick layer from the block and cut some 2mm wide flake strips with some tin snips. Having had it exposed on the table a few minutes the initial pouch aroma has faded.

The manufacturers description of the contents :-"Dark Virginia and Burley,aroma of spicy dark plum"...I will take their word for it about the plum.(i didnt pick it up but it has a certain rich dark fruitness like a jar of Mincemeat) But; the spice factor definately reminds me of a long discontinued dark brown spicy cough syrup i remember from the 70s which i havent seen for years (Ipecahuana)? .

Takes light ok and i must say its quite a mellow smoke actually;simular feel to Benson and Hedges Mellow Mixture just with a different topping. Although this burns it may benefit from a bit of pre ignition drying time because it was a bit steamy,but sometimes the steam aspect carries the aromatic taste further in some baccies more than in the dry smoke.

The smoke is mild but has a mystery spice "old spice" aftershave-esque factor,and a sourness like plum which is felt as a sensation more than the plum aspect is actually tasted(more prune).

I don't know if this is love at 1st smoke, but it may grow on me like others have done a few days or weeks later. Its certainly unique and peculier enough to deserve a place in my rotation because i haven't smoked anything like this yet. Its charecteristics are somewhere between Peterson 3PS, Revor Plug, and Walnut Flake.

The room note is nice i might add, i can definately smell this as i smoke - it gives a sweet spicy perfumed woodball incense aroma .If i walk out of the room for a few minutes and come back in to see if i can make a pedestrian impression of the room note though i cant smell a thing - It doesn't linger so i don't think anybody would complain.

Taste gets stronger down the bottom bowl and is worth waiting for. The nicotine feels medium . Gives nice sour aroma up my nose and clears my sinuses. It doesn't taste menthol or anything but has a certain "vicks vaporub" effect. It seems like an applied topping essence rather than a casing BTW. The aromatic taste factor really picks up near the bottom actually ;makes me glad its mild at the top.

The aftertaste finish in my mouth is of "cough candy".

So many tastes and aromas;fruit mincemeat,dandylion and burdoch pop,wrights coal tar vaporizer,blackcurrent and licorice sweets,cough candy,victory v sweets(licorice-aniseed spicey)incense sticks,perfume wood balls,airosol furnature polish,kiwi shoe polish.Memory lane.

Revisiting a few days later the aroma has toned down a bit and i can say that the base tobacco is close to Petersons 3PS,like a pressed date and fig natural health food bar(kind of)but there is still a prominant spicy cough candy aromatic property. Its worth 3 stars at this stage and I might buy again if it ages well.

Pipe Used: Dr Plumb Peacemaker 'pickaxe stem'

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eamonclever (48)	2011-01-03		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

i bought my pouch back in ireland some months ago, because i saw many people smoking this tobacco. Well I gave it a try - not for me at all. It comes as a nice rectangular piece of dark pressed, intensively smelling chunk of va. Good to work with, strip down some nice thin stripes with a good pocket knive, process of loading the pipe - no problems at all, comes with first char. Good amount of smoke, very harsh from the start - much stronger compared to yachtsman, but maybe only due to the greater amount of dark va. Nicotine is okay for me. To me this is a typical old fashion tobacco - compared with the new generation - say peterson´s 3 p´s or my alltime favorite Mick McQuaid´s Plug - bringing it up into my rotation would be a step back. only two stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-03-10		Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A strong, woodsy and sweet plug without noticeable artificial casings. The room note is very pleasant to me but I'm not sure how non-smokers feel about it. The smell of the plug (tin aroma) is to die for and that alone is worth the purchase.

My only complaint with this plug is that it tends to burn very hot and bite smoked at my regular pace. And for that it looses one rating star. Note that this is the only plug I've ever tried so it may have something to do with the way I pack and prepare it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-01-29		Strong	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

update: going through my reviews here, i find that i'll have to downgrade a good deal of the praise i've given so many blends. 4 stars should, i feel, be reserved for the blends i find truly exceptional. so, this is downgraded a bit. end update.

slightly edited review, based on smoking this back-to-back with yachtman plug:

first to the surprise: the small pouch/foil tells that this plug is manufactured in the eu. this can only mean orlik, imo. so, once again, as with mick mcquaid and a few others, i'll have to admit that they CAN produce high class tobacco.

on to the warrior. what can i say, other than that this is filled with deep, fermented, rather stoved virginia goodness, slightly sweet, slightly smoky (perhaps from some kentucky), rather earthy (some burley), with berryish notes and probably a top flavour. the flavouring seems present in the pouch note, but almost disappears when it's smoked. it smokes slowly, slowly, with a more-than-decent nic kick, and it tastes fine from top to bottom. it takes well to relights and dgt. this tells me that there can't be that many additives in it, as they tend to make relights unpleasant.

an extraordinary tobacco, which i'll have to stock up on for the bleak future of smoking.

1 person found this review helpful.