Tobaccos Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) - Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3019)	2012-09-14		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The moderately molasses sweet, nutty, woody, fairly chocolately, earthy, spicy, slightly bitter burleys take the lead over the grassy, tart and tangy citrusy, rather hay-like, slightly floral Virginias. The Dutch and French liqueur toppings are difficult to define (I notice anise, hazelnut and chocolate), and while they tone down the tobaccos, they also work well in concert with them to provide a very consistent flavor from start to finish. The strength and nic-hit levels are in the center of mild to medium. The taste level is a little closer to medium than it is to mild. It might burn a little warm if you are a very fast puffer so I suggest a moderate cadence. I have never experienced tongue bite from it. It does burn at slightly more than an average pace, but even and clean with few relights, and just a little dampness left in the bowl. Has a very pleasant, lightly lingering after taste, and room note. Performs well in repeat performances, and is an all day smoke. It won't ghost your pipe. And, btw, when you open a tub of it for the first time, the smell is wonderful!

Edit 6-28-2020: I have smoked this blend off and on since the mid-80s. About ten years or so ago, I noticed the chocolate flavor was a little stronger than it had been in all the previous years I had smoked it, and the tobacco is a hair less obvious than it used to be as a result. I also observe that it's a tad more spicy, and I am being to suspect there's a pinch of dark fired in the mix. It's still a four star blend, but I thought I'd note the change for the historical record.

-JimInks

88 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2006-09-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I have a confession to make. Recently, at my monthly Pipe Club meeting, I took a 14oz sealed tin of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic that had been sitting in my "cellar" for a couple of years to share with the group. I cannot speak to what others think of the blend, (it never turned sour or bitter on me, the after taste was sweet and tobaccoey and my wife loved the smell that lingered on my moustashe) and I really liked it -- a lot!

Unlike the dry, cube cut non-aromatic version, this was more of a shag cut and was at just the right moisture level. Upon popping the lid, the smell was semi-sweet and very unique. I packed a full bowl in a well used Krempp 1/8 bent stacked billiard that I normally reserve for Latakia blends. The initial lighting caused a thick and wonderfully fragrant smoke/aroma. The taste was of quality Burley with an unidentifiable, yet pleasant casing that added to the enjoyment. I smoked my usual 3/4 of a bowl and when I dumped the dottle, it was mostly dry - no goop at all. I smoked the bowl fairly rapidly with absolutely not even a hint of tongue bite. I cannot wait to work my way through the rest of the tin. I do not know what this stuff will taste like from a pouch (I have found the pouch versions of most "drugstore" type tobaccos to be less impressive than the tinned versions for some reason) but I think many of you - particularly the aromatic crowd - will find this to be pleasing. I like a lot of nicotine in my smoke and this stuff has it, yet it is not particularly heavy in the nicotine department. Just a totally satisfying smoke.

Okay, flog me if you must, but this "drugstore" blend really is a winner -- IMO, of course.

63 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldcodger (74)	2014-10-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic is a real bargain for those who smoke aromatics either occasionally or often. As an over the counter pouch tobacco it outshines virtually all of the much pricier tinned aromatics. (SWR Aromatic is also available in a canister, currently downsized to 12 ounces.) It is, in my opinion, far superior to the other over the counter aromatics such as may be found in the Captain Black and Borkum Riff lines. Specific aromatics engender fans in an uneven manner because of the differences in individual palates, but for me SWR Aromatic is an outstanding product that is far more desirable than the price note might indicate.

This is not the SWR Regular with added flavorings. Regular bills itself as "mildly aromatic" (it has noticeable anise/licorice and some more evident sweetening that I would imagine to be sugar water) although I personally rank it as semi aromatic. SWR Aromatic is most definitely an aromatic, although I rate it as only mild to medium in that regard. The Regular has a broad ribbon chopped into an almost cubed form. SWR Aromatic is a very fine ribbon, chopped into what is nearly a shag or crimp cut.

The cut allows easy lighting and presents no problem in keeping a light, even with restrained puffing cadence. I find no problems with tongue bite when the gentle puffing cadence is used.

No aromatic is completely goop free, but the tendency to produce gurgle in this offering is as low as you are likely to encounter among aromatics. Likewise, this has a restrained ghosting tendency among the roster of aromatic smokes.

SWR Regular is all burley. SWR Aromatic, I strongly suspect, has some Virginia in it, although that is not stated anywhere. The pouch advertises that the aromatic flavor comes from three imported French and Dutch liqueurs. What are they and just what flavor do they impart? The room note doesn't answer those questions. The aroma is pleasant, but it does not have the toasting marshmallow nature of blends heavily dosed with vanilla. I would characterize the taste as mildly fruity. It is a pleasant taste, and because it is not overwhelming in strength it does not tire the palate. Personally I almost never smoke the same tobacco in successive pipes, but I can with this without difficulty. The tobacco flavor creeps through the flavoring.

The nicotine level is moderate, somewhat light for a burley heavy blend.

In smoking my last pouch of this I made heavy use of my one brylon pipe, which rendered the taste nicely, although I despise the overheated bowl which makes hand holding a brylon pipe difficult. (In many decades of pipe smoking I have had two brylons, and I consider that to be my lifetime allotment.) Because SWR Aromatic ghosts less than most aromatics, I sneaked some bowls into one of my Petersons which I normally do not subject to the aromatic blends while consuming this pouch.

Although aromatics are by far the biggest selling class of pipe tobacco, there are some who eschew them completely. This board probably has a greater percentage of these individuals than the population at large. Aside from aromatic haters, I give a thumbs up for SWR Aromatic.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2014-05-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a pleasant mild OTC aromatic that is an easy smoke. The exact flavor is hard to identify, and I claim it may be tonka bean in one of those liquors. The taste is a nutty, sightly sweet burley with the mystery topping. This is not a strongly aromatic blend, and I find it works very well. I get a little of the burley bitter at the end of the bowl, but otherwise there is a consistent taste. Room note is good.

FWIW, other than the name, it bears no resemblance to SWR. It is not as if they have a topped and untopped version of the same tobacco.

24 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-02-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

=Please note this is my first ever tobacco review=

This is a fine cut tobacco by pipe tobacco standards. Reasonably moist with a sweet fruity smell emanating from the bag.The tobacco packs well, with a good spring to it allowing for a free draw on the pipe.

This blend takes a light very well, with the initial taste being smooth and mellow. One has to be careful not to puff to hard or fast as I found it to bite quite easily.

The room not on this is pleasant enough, more a case of being un- offensive: certainly smoke this among those less inclined to our ways.

As the bowl progresses I find the flavour of the tobacco doesn't change, it has a generic pipe tobacco flavour though it is nicely mild, and keeps this the whole way through. The only risk of being smoking this too hard or fast.

I don't smoke for Vitamin N so as a result I can't comment on the levels.

Most certainly recommended.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-07-19		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This tobacco is like an old friend. From the first time I smoked it over 30 years ago I always keep it on hand in the tin.

Someone said that it reminds him of Christmas and I have to agree with that. If you think this is just a sweeter version of Original Sir Walter Raleigh you are mistaken. This blend and the original are two different animals. Nice tasting nuty Burleys and mild sweet Virginias laced with a wonderful aromatic liquor. Not sure what liquor it is but it's delicious in the blend. The aroma is like fresh baked cookies and old fashioned boiled plum pudding. You'll be sure to get compliments.

This blend is really a nice smoke that tastes like it should cost a lot more than it does.

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2012-07-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Best OTC blend I've had to date... Don't let the aromatic lable fool you, this is a quality ribbon-cut burley. Easy to pack, light and enjoy. Taste and satisfaction is there. Like most burley blends I enjoy this in a cob. There can be a slight harshness to it, but, I think this is due to the use of some young virginia in the blend. I believe that if a can of this aged for a few years it would probably smooth out a bit. I give this three stars because of the quality and value for being a drug store blend. Happy Smoking...

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-03-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Unlike SWR regular this one has flavor, and a nice flavor at that. Not much in the way of natural tobacco flavor, but the topping is delicious. This one I can enjoy.

Mild in body. Mild to medium in flavor. Burns well straight from the pouch and burns cooler than the regular. Probably because I'm not huffing it trying to get some flavor.

Pipe Used: MM Diplomat 5th Ave, MM Morgan

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: http://wvsmokeshop.com/

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ephraim (2)	2013-12-10		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is one of my favorite aromatics. It really is nothing like the regular Sir Walter Raleigh (which is my all time favorite Burley blend). The cut is ribbon, and the pouch aroma is of some undefined liqueur...pleasantly sweet with fruits and perhaps coffee present. No hint of the usual vanilla scent that permeates many OTC aromatics.

The ribbon cut was easy to pack (but in my opinion ALL tobacco is easy to pack if you really want to smoke the darn thing, rather than fiddle around and over-think the process). Lights up easily and burns very well for me. Very few relights.

The initial taste is of an aromatic for sure, but tobacco flavor makes its presence known as well. I would describe the taste as one of very light fruit, but predominantly of caramel and tobacco. Delicious. The pouches I buy at the local shop tend to be on the dry side, but that is beneficial for me as SWRA burns extremely well. The room note with the smoke is noticeable to me while smoking and smells of brown sugar. Nothing but compliments from my nonsmoker friends, which is always nice.

I do find that it can taste a bit harsh and might nip a bit if pushed, especially towards the end of the bowl.

Oh and one more thing. The nicotine is present in this blend. Rare for me to feel it with most tobaccos (high tolerance), but I certainly do with this one. Nothing powerful certainly (it's no Five Brothers) but definitely there.

A great non-Black Cavendish, old school American Aromatic.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PhillyB (70)	2014-06-25		Very Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Wow. I was honestly very surprised by just how much I like this blend. The smell out of the pouch is so unassuming that I thought it would be really bland and boring. Just mildly sweet tobacco and not much else, but quite pleasant. But the flavors are much more complicated than I expected. It has a wonderful walnut from the burley and an apricot-like sweet taste that I really enjoy. This is one of two aromatics that I have really enjoyed, the other being Savinelli's Black Cavendish which is very similar.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum General

Similar Blends: Savinelli Black Cavendish.

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-12-07		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I am smoking my 5th bowl of SWRA in a Butz Choquin large billiard. The pouch aroma is reminescent of butterscoth and stays lit quite well. The blender says there are 3 liquers in it. I like the result. I have not tried regular SWR but I will pick up a pouch for comparison. I think this is an underrated aromatic that deserves its time in the sun!

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sunday (27)	2013-09-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Now be it stated I am not a connoisseur of pipe tobacco and wouldn't know a fine English blend if you threw the tin at my head, but I have smoked a ton of dime store burleys. This is one of the better aromatics I have bought- burns well, not too hot or goopy I recommend this to anyone wanting to try an aromatic out.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman

Purchased From: wvsmokeshop.com

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2015-10-12		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is just a classic. While this blend is aromatic it is not a goopy type of aromatic of black Cavendish soaked in god knows what. This is a good burley blend that is topped IMO. The topping that is here is a liquer type topping. Which ones, I do not know nor do they disclose. While it does accentuate the burley there is plenty natural burley nutty "chocolatey" notes that consistently make their presence felt.

Although it is not heavily topped it is more so than Sir Walter Raliegh thus the need to add the moniker aromatic one would suppose. Still both of these blends would qualify as codger burleys. Both of these are as old timey Americana as a blend can get IMO. While I would say that I still would prefer Carter Hall to this one, this is right there. and I really can't decide whether I like this better than regular SWR. I think they are similar and both are good.

If you like a cool easy burning, easy smoking no nonsense blend that also smells fantastic, this is the one for you.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-02-26		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I am quickly beginning to discover that unlike a fine wine,or wines, you do not need to spend lots of money to get a great tobacco. Sir Walter Raleigh cost me a whole $2.50 and I love it. It has the smell that used to make me think of vanilla when I was a child.

Upon opening I am greeted by a raisin-liquor smell and when I first packed it I noticed it was very finely cut burley,or ribbon cut as some call it. The girlfriend rating was a "5 star". She loves the smell of all my aromatics.

The taste was heavy burley and a light liquor casing. It is better than some desserts for me. I love this blend with a nice Guinness beer. Highly recommended. 4/4/ stars.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-12-06		Medium	Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

This is topped with creme de cacao, dekupyer hazlenut, and a french anise liquer according to my tobacconist. All three are present, but the key component is the hazlenut, which is quite strong, deliciously so.

No blend, except perhaps some of the amaretto or cherry blends produce a roomnote this pleasant. This not only smells good it tastes good. Really good! The burley is top notch. It is on par with any top end tobacco, and not low nor medium quality.

This blend has been around for a very long time, and at one time, Sir Walter Raleigh was the choice smoke for USMC soldiers decades ago, much as how unfiltered lucky strikes were the choice cigarette.

This is arguably the best aromatic blend in production, and the one you must "try before you die."

One of my most expensive pipes is dedicated to this blend, a one of a kind freehand kaywoodie churchwarden giant, that cost more than an equivalent dunhill would have. A tobacco this good needed a pipe that good.

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie freehand.

Purchased From: Multiple retailers.

Similar Blends: Labrador..

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipelicidad (26)	2018-08-27		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant

This is a great aromatic blend. The casing is very conspicuous, smells like caramel, although not excessively sweet. I can´t associate that aroma with any of the liqueurs mentioned in the description, but, once it starts to burn, it makes a good team with the burley-virginia flavors throughout the bowl. In my book, the best of all the US drugstore blends.

Pipe Used: Cobs and briar pipes

Age When Smoked: Fresh

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-02-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is another blend I had not smoked in many years. Picked up a pouch a couple of days ago to see what I thought of it now. It's still pretty good for the price. ($3.59 in my area) It seems a bit milder then I remember but it's likely been twenty years since I last smoked it. A little sweet but not over the top. I never had any problems with it biting before and I still don't. It's kind of hard for me to put my finger on the flavoring but I guess vanilla spice comes to mind as a fitting description. This tobacco has been around for a long time and will remain for years to come. It's a bargin folks. Give it a shot! You won't be disappointed.

Update: After smoking more pouches of SWRA I'm compelled to add another star bringing it up to four. This is good stuff and is quickly becoming my favorite aromatic blend at any price.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kyrider54 (5)	2007-12-20		Very Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I bought my first tin of Sir Walter Realigh aeromatic that I haven't smoked since 1975.I forgotten how good it was.My father used to work for Brown&Williamson and would bring it to me.When he retired I did not pursue it any further,and began smoking sutff that I was getting from The Tinder Box when I worked for them at one time.I drifted to different blends and could not settle on anything in particular.I read different reviews when I discovered the review web site.I went out and got the tin and was soooo glad I did.It has a great smooth taste.Burns nicely and leaves a very mild aroma in the room.Never burned hot,and had no bite at all.I would highly recomend this blend to anyone that wants a smooth cool smoke.Buy you a corn cobb pack it with SWRA and you're hooked.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2012-05-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

As a man on a mission to hit as many OTC blends as I can find, this was the next in my sights. I've recently gotten away from aromatics, and like to rub a good bit of Latakia in with EVERYTHING! I'm becoming something of a "Balkan Junkie" (actually, a wannabe snob!) The temp hit mid nineties today, and I wanted something to take my mind off the yard work I had to do. Saw this and said "what the heck". In the pouch you get a lot of sweetness like berries...likely the liqueurs added. This doesn't necessarily translate to the smoke. That first two or three puffs are mighty chocolaty, but that quickly gives way to some good ol' burley happiness! This is one you'll probably want to take slow...sip, sip, sip! I got a tad excited and burned myself. All my fault, but it'll take care of it with a bit of drying time. The wife? She doesn't care much for the aroma. I'll take being relegated to the back porch. Likely one of the better aromatics I've had. Get your $3.50 together and grab a pouch of this! Just enough sweetness to make you think, just enough "baccy" flavor to let you go on autopilot.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-05-22		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I probably can't write a review on par with many of those I read here on the site. I will give my opinion as best I can.

This is a drugstore aromatic. It works. It smokes well, doesn't goop up the pipe and is positive to bystanders.

I use this as a daily smoke in the aromatic category. I would also recommend it to someone just starting with pipe smoking. It's also inexpensive which helps if you smoke throughout the day like I do.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pgmrdan (5)	2009-04-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Since some call it a drugstore blend I didn't expect much when I tried this. Boy, was I ever surprised! This is good stuff.

I like the flavor, the room note, the smell it leaves in my pickup truck. I had to double check the pouch to make sure this is really an aromatic. Other aromatics come on too strong for me. Not this one. It's just right.

After 2 or 3 bowls out of a pouch I called up the company where I placed a recent order and asked them to add on a big tin of this tobacco.

This has become one of my top two favorites.

Excellent!

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Budman (25)	2008-08-16		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

After smoking the Regular Sir Walter Raleigh I was expecting the same weak and bland tobacco. Much to my surprise I was greeted with a gentle lightly flavored smoke. The ribbon cut Burley packs and lights well. I required only two relights for the whole bowl. The liqueurs that are said to be applied to this blend are done so very delicately. I normally avoid aromatics due to there over casing and goopy gurgling they produce, but this was a pleasant surprise as it did neither. At $2.90 a pouch it's a bargain! I would highly recommend this to anyone new to pipe smoking. You really have to push this hard to get it to bite. The only thing that kept me from giving it four stars was the lack of strength. I'm not a big Burley fan but this wasn't bad. If your looking for something mild and an all day smoke this is it.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2004-03-11		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm updating this review, raising my rating from 1 to 4 stars. I was not approaching this aromatic burly correctly and now I'm using the STG produced version.

I pack it very lightly and smoke it in a cob (only recently have tried cobs after 25 years of briars and English blends) Also I use a filter. No bite. What I like best about SWRA is the very low level of humectant (PG) for an "aromatic".

The taste is mostly burly with a big dose of "liqueur" flavoring, but it is not a full on aromatic. More in the league with BLWB but better in most repects. --------

Just tried some of this and it started biting me like a rabid ferret, totally out of the blue.

Taste/smell was pleasant enough until the attack, like butterscotch, and the room note was decidedly unferretlike. However, next time I'm in a pinch, I think I'll reach for something safer, like PA.

Similar Blends: BLWB.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2019-06-17		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have several 1/2 pint jars of this blend packed away in my deep hallway "cellar" closet from a 14-ounce tin I purchased back in the Winter of 2016. And there they have stayed. I used part of one jar to help break in a new Tinsky I got recently and today I reached for the jar to have a smoke in a large Tilshead Billiard and am liking this a lot. I don't smoke much aro anymore but this is telling me I may gravitate back to them again. What with my McClelland cellar slowly disappearing, I must adapt.

Pipe Used: Tinsky, Upshall

Age When Smoked: 3.5 years

Purchased From: P&Cs

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleSquinty (27)	2018-04-09		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic

This currently runs neck and neck with my other favorite OTC, Carter Hall...although the two tobaccos are very, very different.

The pouch note is burley chocolatey and nutty, with a hint (barely there) of Virginia hay. The liquor is a suggestion, a ghost and a nearly invisible player which serves to round out and mellow the burleys a bit and make the experience sweeter.

After smoking quickly through a 1.5 ounce pouch, I've reached the following conclusions:

1. Pack this one lightly, regardless of chamber size. This allows the tobacco to burn without numerous relights and allows the flavors to really emerge as you work slowly down the bowl. 2. This weed will absolutely not bite. The four or five reviewers who say it does bite either have unique body chemistry or don't know how to sip a pipe rather than guzzling it. However, if pushed the ashiness of the burleys and some bitterness quickly appear, making the rest of the bowlful unsmokable. 3. A corncob is the best choice for smoking this tobacco. While it behaves well in all chamber sizes, I have smoked halfway through this pouch using a M.M. Diplomat - 5th Avenue that has burned everything from lat bombs to shisha-type aeros. It will ghost most pipes but has never been a problem in my cobbs, especially if I do a little high-proof alcohol scrub after every fifth bowlful or so. 4. The cut is more RYO style than a ribbon. As a result, SWR/A burns incredibly quickly. The large 5th Ave bowl should smoke for over an hour with most tobaccos, but this one will burn up in about 20 minutes. The reasons for this are either the short ribbon cut or perhaps the loose pack I prefer. Good news is that packing lightly reduces the amount of tobacco needed to fill the bowl. If loosely packed and frequently, gently tamped this is a one-light smoke. Packed more firmly into the pipe, this requires numerous relights each of which tastes worse and worse. Try to keep this one smoldering rather than counting on relights.. 5. PG? What PG? There is so little humectant here compared to other OTC pouches that it bears mention. A couple bowlfuls laid out on my tobacco tray dried to crunchy after less than an hour. Keep in mind, my smoking room features a gas log fireplace...and the relative humidity in the smoking room is a bit lower than elsewhere in my house. But yes, it dries fast and therefore will smoke fast, especially if loosely packed as I described. 6 Yes it can be inexpensive, but prices for the 1.5 oz. pouch range from around $$2.50 to as much as $6.00. Local taxes, tobacco vendors who specialize in anything but cigars and pipes, and local demand all affect the price. At the $4.00/package point, I start looking for nice bulk offerings, like C&D Pegasus and other lightly-topped blends. 7. Speakng of toppings/casing: Nothing goopy, cloying or sticky here. This will not leave sticky, messy, wet crap in the bottom of your bowl. Leaves a medium grey, dry ash with only a few bits of hard carbon dottle. Nice mechanical characteristics. Won't smoke wet unless pushed with overly anxious puffing.

When I bought this, I had real doubts. My first pipe tobacco, recommended by a minimum-wage "expert" at a chain tobacco shop was a horrible Danish aero cased with what was supposed to be cherry liqueur. I figured another OTC aero would yield similar results. To my great relief, this "aromatic" smokes cleaner, drier and cooler than any other OTC I've tried, even my beloved Carter Hall. SWR/A is lightly sweet, aromatic, easy on oral tissues, inexpensive and for the money, a 4-star blend. Highly recommended at the price. 4 stars.

Pipe Used: M.M. Diplomat/5th Avenue, meers, small briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh from 4 month old pouch

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Nothing really quite like this, and it's very different from regular Sir Walter Raleigh..

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (182)	2016-11-03		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Not what you expect from SWR, the cut of the aro is more of a semi cored ribbion and the addition of Va. is quite noticeable. The addition of liquor aling with The famous SWR anise is alluring to say the least. Packs a pipe well and burns like a champ. Very consistent flavor too to bottom. No problem with bite or funky taste when smokes at a reasonable pace. Good smoke indeed. Looking for a blend that can be had almost any where that is a good smoke, this is your blend. It is one of the standards I enjoy while in the tractor, cutting wood and other such farm chores, and the dogs and the cattle say it smells good to boot. Because it is a old codger blend doesn't mean it not good smoke!

Pipe Used: Cobs and old Grabows

Age When Smoked: New and well aged

Purchased From: Various brick and mortars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2014-10-08		Medium to Strong	Medium	Full	Pleasant

This is my daily go-to smoke. It is the best OTC blend out there, in my opinion. The pouch note smells just like an oatmeal raisin cookie. It smells so good I could almost get a spoon and eat it. It packs very easily, and I have found I can even pack it with one hand while driving. It has a pleasant aroma that gets compliments every time I smoke it in the company of strangers. The flavor remains consistent throughout the bowl, and it has the nuttiness of burley mixed with a sweetness that is coming from the liquors used in it and possibly from some Virginias. I find myself craving this stuff. I need to buy it by the tub instead of getting pouches. I think people who don't like aromatics could enjoy this as well simply because it has so much flavor and the room note lacks the typical "vanilla" scent that so many aro's tend to have. Give it a shot. You may find that it deserves to be much more than just another drug store blend.

Pipe Used: Savinelli, MM Cobs, John Hines

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Blue Ridge Smoke and Vapor, Wytheville, VA

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2014-05-10		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Presentation is thin ribbon, almost a RYO/shag cut- very different than SWR regular, which is more of a traditional OTC crimp cut.  Pouch note is of dried, candied cherries, with some chocolate undertones and the slightest hint of aniseed. I get no liqueur in the pouch note. The tobacco was very dry, which may have just been a function of the age of my particular pouch, ie. how long it sat on the shelf. As such, it took a match well and a single light was all it took to get it going. There was no ritual of charring light followed by true light given how well this blend ignited.

The initial light brought a flavor very similar to the pouch note: a touch of sweet cocoa, a touch of candied cherry, a hint of aniseed, and something I can't quite identify but would characterize as a stereotypical, old-timey, "grandpa's pipe" flavor.  As the bowl progresses, the flavor takes on a slightly sour and vaguely unpleasant note akin to cherries and chocolate past their expiration date.  What I'm picking up here, similar to Half and Half, is some potentially interesting flavoring agents applied to some poor quality tobaccos.  There's a funky chemical taste to this blend that does nothing to improve upon the original. I am somewhat skeptical as to the "imported French and Dutch liqueurs". And I detect no liqueur, European or otherwise, on the palette.

Mrs Perique approved of the room note, though I was less than pleased with the flavor. Overall, I was unimpressed with this blend, even when ranked among its OTC peers.  The thinner ribbon causes this blend to burn fast, and the chemical agents cause it to burn hot. The smoke and the flavors are very thin, with no mouth-feel to speak of.  Sir Walter Raleigh regular is, in my opinion, a better blend.  But with the vast sea of American-style aromatics out there, it's hard to rate either very highly. SWR Aro, unfortunately, ranks below SWR regular, itself a two star blend (though a decent OTC). I cannot, however, recommend the "Aromatic" version. The only positive thing I can say is that it didn't bite.

Update: this blend is improved by mixing roughly 50/50 with Sir Walter Raleigh (regular).

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2012-08-29		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Dont do aromatics, so was really not sure what to expect from this, i smoke SWR all day every day, & i love it so thought i would give this a chance, & i like it,its not like the aromatics that i remember and hated with a passion,this taste the same all the way down from start to finish,& its not a sticky sour tasting blend at all, i still like SWR better but i will keep a tin or 2 of this SWR Aromatic in stock for them times when i just fancy a little sweeter smoker, i would recommend this blend = from me

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	newsandtraffic (17)	2011-06-08		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

For some reason I have wanted to try this tobacco for years. But have had a hard time locating it in my area. Well, I got lucky a couple of weeks ago while visiting a tobacco shop which sells cigs & other tobacco items. They had a couple pouches of this blend on their shelf. So, I bought & gave it a try. Not bad for the price. Not sure what I expected it to be. But guess it just didn't live up to exactly what I thought it'd be. Worst I've ever had? Not by far. My all day smoke? By no means. Will I keep it around as a fallback for every now & again? Surely will.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-03-16		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I bought a couple of pouches of this, just thinking I needed to try all the drugstore blends. Tobacco in the pouch smells awesome, sweet & fruity. Easily loads into a pipe (I've smoked one pouch exclusively in an Ozark Mountain Hardwood pipe) and burns beautifully. Smells great, and I really like the flavor quite a lot...very simple, sweet-ish tobacco flavor with a little kick of something slightly peppery. I'll order a tub of it and try to keep it on-hand. I cannot imagine smoking this exclusively, the flavor really is really just too much for an all-day smoke for me, but every week or so I find myself craving a care-free aromatic and SWR Aromatic is the only thing that will do!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-09-24		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Overwhelming

I'm a big fan of aromatics and I a fan of SWR regular. I am NOT a fan at all of SWR aromatic. It smells interesting in the pouch. Loads well, lights well no relighting necessary. First light the flavor was ok but after the initial puff it was one of the weirdest flavors I've ever encountered. To me it has a musty, mediciney flavor. Kind of like somebody dumped Nyquil on some burley and kept it in a warm damp space for a few years. Further I smoked the flavor turned to SafeGuard soap. I'm glad I smoked this with a corn cob and not one of my briars. I'll stick to regular SWR. This one just isn't for me.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-02-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is a virtuous pouch tobacco blend. It smells nice, it packs easily in the bowl, lights very easily, stays lit well, smells good, and tastes pleasant. Like many aromatics it can bite if you push it...but it actually will nip lightly as a warning before biting hard. Smoked at a reasonably pace it is very friendly tobacco and it is my favorite "drugstore" blend of all I have tried.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2008-11-15		Very Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Weak , tasteless , boring. Gave the rest away.

NEXT!!!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-04-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Now here's a twist, for my inexperienced taste buds at least--straight burley with a topping! The casing isn't too strong--no goop or chemical-induced sickness from this aromatic--and the liquor flavors really come out when puffed gently. Leaves a nice ash, and can be smoked to the bottom of the bowl. My only complaints are that it doesn't produce as much smoke as Prince Albert or Carter Hall (but not many do!), and that it tastes harsh when over-puffed (but then most burleys do).

Overall a pleasant burley, and a kind of "crossover" aromatic. It won't replace Carter Hall or Prince Albert in my tobacco drawer, but it will complement them. Oh, and even my wife, who hates the smell of all the other tobaccos I've smokes so far, admits that it has a pleasant room note. If you're skittish about aromatics but love burley, you ought to give this one a try!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wally Frank Collector (46)	2020-06-28		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Really like Sir Walter Raleigh and thought I would try the Aro. Opening the humidor I was greeted by the pleasant aroma of a mild Chocolate with a background of light nuttiness, mild woodiness and a rich earthiness that seemed to blend together into a very enticing aroma. The tobacco seemed perfect but I put it on a paper towel for a half hour. The very thin, long ribbon cut was easy to pack and the char light was enough to get this to stay lit and smoke. Even though it burned at a medium rate it was almost like this almost smoked itself. The room note was very pleasant and smelled like cookies in the oven! There were very few re-lights and even sipping the smoke was thick, rich and creamy and hung in the air. The aftertaste was sweet, chocolately and pleasant with a touch of hazelnut during the smoke and for around 20 minutes after the smoke. Very little moisture and this is not goopy like some aromatics. The flavor stayed the same from beginning to end. There was no bitter ending and no lessening of the flavor as the bowl progressed.

The lighting brought forth a wonderful sweet chocolate taste that starred in the show and was supported wonderfully by the background cast of pleasant hazelnut, light woodiness, rich earthy, light grass, slightly tart and a lightly tangy citrus that played together excellently and stayed the same from beginning to end. This was a wonderfully pleasing smoke that had my attention not because of any complexity but because it was mouth watering delicious.

This aromatic is unlike most aromatics. It is delicious but the chocolate does not drown out the tobacco but enhances the flavors. The flavors play nice together. This has a wonderful array of flavors that stay consistent, as I stated earlier play very well together and stay the course until the end. This blend is not super simple but it is not complex. It is just a old fashioned great tasting smoke to be smoked because it tastes good and brings pleasure. It doesnt go into changing lead flavors, having complex movements of flavors. It is all about starting out with a taste to love and stays the course throughout the whole smoke. I love this and wonder where has this been been all my life! This is in my top favorites, will be a part of my regular rotation and my Peterson Red Killarney 03 now has a regular job, to smoke a tobacco I love just for its great flavor from beginning to end. 4 out of 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson Red Killarney 03

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: P&C

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lager (51)	2020-06-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic.- As a regular Balkan and English smoker I find myself very much drawn towards this blend and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Is it the top note? The cut? Not really sure but I smoked this exclusively for two weeks and nothing else.The reason being that other OTC type blends that I had fallen for had gotten overbearing to me after a few weeks. To name a few, Lanes Ready rubbed and Granger. They are fine blends but they just wore on me and became harsh and monotonous. This blend is different in my opinion and is sure to please most aero smokers. The cut is a very fine ribbon which packs easy. However, pack it loose as one reviewer said or multiple relights will be needed which will lead to a change in flavor. The topping is delightful and as Jiminks said it smells wonderful out of the tub. Beware of the pouch as it may not be as fresh as the tub. This comes quite wet but I don't feel it's from PG but rather the toppings. Dry this a bit before you smoke it and you will be rewarded with a mild and pleasant smoke. It's no wonder it's been around for so long. This can be an easy all day smoke and I like it alot. Highly recommended Lager

Pipe Used: Pete's, Savs, Stanwells

Age When Smoked: New to 2 months

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Redcoat‘s Return (2)	2019-08-20		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

After 2 years of pipe smoking and maybe 50 blends I have tried, I still love this one. I was looking for my own type of “Artful Codger“ drug store, pouch tobacco. Tried Velvet, Prince Albert, Capt. Black, Sir Walter R. regular etc....all too mild and too little taste. Then I tried SWR Aromatic. Just the tin note was a delicious Swiss chocolate, a little nut and a kiss of fruit. Its a tad moist so a 30 min dry helps, packs, lights and burns easy, can‘t bite your tongue even if you even try! A lovely, gentle sweetness. Keeping my mouth moist with ice tea helps mop up the chocolate and burley nut. No real alcohol taste but a nuance of raison from those liqueurs. Very even taste the whole way through, just a joy! Nicotine only noticeable if you smoke a very large bowl. So I bought a 12 oz tub, I liked it soooo much. I have 60% aromatic collection, about 50 tins, but still benchmark against this. Yes, I have some I rate higher...but..strangely...I still come back to SWR Aromatic....must be love I guess! Thank you STG (Lane Ltd), you are a matchmaker 🥰

Pipe Used: 9 or 6mm, George Jenson, Savinelli 611ks, cob

Age When Smoked: 1

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Lane 1Q, Sir Walter Raleigh Regular, Half & Half.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mel64us (46)	2019-05-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My father smoked this for years. I tried it years ago and didn't like it but tastes do change. The shag cut loads easily and takes the light quickly. The burley shines through, though the topping does tone it down. SWRA does burn at a faster pace than other blends, but a relaxed puffing pace gives a nice, smooth smoke with no tongue bite. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no dottle. It has a nice aftertaste. I will keep this around in my rotation. This could be an all day blend or a nice intro blend.

Pipe Used: MM cob, Dr. Grabow bulldog.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Tobacco Junction

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth 69 (117)	2015-02-09		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Update 9/2017

Unfortunately, Lane has changed the formulation a bit and doesn't have the depth of flavor it once did. They have dropped the description of being flavored with imported liquors. Aroma similar but slight difference. Not nearly as enjoyable. --------------------------------

The blend that Jeffrey Wigand had a cow over. But, as any tobaccophile can find out coumarin was ubiquitous in the industry and still can be found in paticular with Kendal manufacturers via Tonka beans. Anyways, I smoked this stuff back in the day when B&W still manufactured it and can compare it to today's iteration from Lane Ltd. The original version of course was better. In particular the cut was a drier ready-rubbed dutch cavendish than today's more moist ribbon. The contemporary version captures the aromatic quality faithfully and rather unique for a domestic tobacco. The flavor style is more akin to premium danish aromatics. It's aroma and taste has a seemingly hazelnut, maple and perhaps orange liqueur character with a fainter note of SWR original casing of cocoa and spice note. From what I have also found out is there is an underlying note of vanillian. My guess as to the three liqueurs that flavor it are Fangelico, Grand Marnier or Curacao and perhaps brandy. I think the original had a bit more flavor but the newer version isn't bad at all. Fairly good for a domestic.

Age When Smoked: New

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bbrown626 (150)	2015-01-21		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

On the positive side, it lit well and stayed lit. However, I really did not enjoy this smoke. I was a little harsh almost tasting more like a cigarette. I gave up drug store brands several years ago opting for more custom blends, maybe I am turning into a tobacco snob, but I won't even finish the pouch.

Pipe Used: New Cob

Purchased From: Local

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cobman (15)	2014-10-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

It smelled interesting in the pouch, sort of fruity, and brown-sugary sweet. Like raisins in molasses. If only it would've tasted like that.....

After lighting it, my tongue felt like it had been sprayed with hydrochloric acid. This is the 2nd worse tongue-bite I have ever experienced (the worse was Middleton's Apple). After allowing t to settle down, all I got was a cough-syupy taste, and a little cigarette tobacco flavor. The room note was of burned molasses. The tongue bite continued, and was so bad I couldn't finish the bowl.

I would definitely recommend that you buy something else.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Rob Roy Legend bent

Age When Smoked: 55

Purchased From: Bi-Lo

Similar Blends: A Lucky Strike dipped in NyQuil..

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-02-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A bit of an unusual aromatic. This I received as a sample in a trade - somewhere just short of 2 oz. Upon sniffing the contents, I got an overpowering aroma of sweet fruitiness. I wasn't encouraged. However, the taste is of straight burley with a moderate amount of sweet casing. Don't trust the nose, I guess.

This narrow ribbon burned brilliantly and did not leave a wet heel. I got nothing even close to tongue bite. The flavor did not dissipate down the bowl. And therein lies the only real problem I found with this blend - the flavor. I just did not like it. It tasted like a sweetened Amaretto or something (isn't amaretto supposed to be bitter?) and it just didn't sit well with me there. It wasn't horrible - it just wasn't a flavor I enjoyed. A lot of aromatic blenders can learn a lot from this blend, such as how not to overdo the sauce and how to make a pleasant blend that smokes the same down the bowl. If the flavoring were something more to my taste, this would be an incredible aromatic.

And so, my rec of 2 stars is for my personal taste only, as is my custom with reviews. As a blend, however, this is something every aromatic lover should try to see if they like it. It's extremely well made, and represents the aromatic genre splendidly.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-07-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

apon opening the tub i was greated with what i discribe as a egg nog smell. tried to smoke it but there was a heavy chemical taste. put it in mason jars revisited it 3 years later loved it. packs,lights,smokes well. recomend to and one on a budget.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CenTex (18)	2010-03-01		Medium	Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought in the pouch, haven't tried a tin yet. I find it a little too damp when first opened. Hard to keep lit and a little harsh towards the bottom of the bowl. However, given some time to dry out, very much improved. Easey to keep lit, good flavor. As someone else said, tastes like it smells. I would recommend this to any aromatic smoker. In my opinion, better than many of the much more expensive blends.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-06-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I bought this brand because it looked like a good smoke. It smelt very sweet like brown sugar. It smoked smooth and smelt great but wasn't all to thrilled with it. It is, on the other hand, a much better brand then Birkum riff and mixture no. 79. It is a good tobacco I enjoy. I recommed this brand to anyone who wants a good tobacco for thier money. so long

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2004-12-29		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The pouch I bought was dry and the tobacco smelled of maple and coffee to me. Very pleasant. It was very easy to light. It produced a prodigious amount of light grey smoke, and the flavor was mild and pleasant to start. However, much like its drabber sibling, it turns very sour halfway through the bowl. I can't imagine going through a 12-14 ounce tin of this stuff. But I know there are many who do. If you enjoy sour flavors this stuff might work for you. The room note is nice, and the aftertaste is very much like boiled peanuts.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-08-02		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

At its best, this blend tastes like a dry-cured Henri Wintermann cigar. Often, it's just an unremarkable Burley. Sometimes, it's tingly and bitter and un-fun. It's not bad, though, if something of a weak sister in the flavor department, and for me it doesn't bite. I don't taste a lot of difference between this and the non-aromatic version, and I don't feel any compelling need to smoke it again. If you're stranded without tobacco somewhere, though, and all you can find is drugstore tobacco, this is one of the best of the lot. For me, smokes noticeably better in a meerschaum.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-03-27		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Sir Walter is a classic that I felt I had to try at least once. Once was enough.

The pouch aroma was just so-so. A bit on the weak side. Smelled more like burley than liquor, which surprised me. The ribbon cut packed and lit well.

Lighting was easy, and it stayed lit well. The taste was very weak, but it sure did let me know it was there - it bit like a cornered wolverine. I didn't expect that from a burley blend. I smoke burley a lot, and have never gotten bitten like this.

Left the bowl fairly dry, Subsequent smokes of this blend were about the same as the first try - though I did manage to get the bite somewhat under control.

In the end, it is too much work to keep it from biting badly, and the flavor returned for your efforts just isn't worth it. Many suggest this for the first time smoker. I disagree - it's too quick to bite the unwary.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-02-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Hmm. I bought a pack of this stuff mainly because of the price. I was suprised on how good it actually is. The smell is somewhat odd. I can't put my finger on it but it has a pleasant bag aroma. After packing - it lit right up and burned like a champ. It was a very even and good burning tobacco. Not bad stuff. I've had better "drug store" tobacco but I have had alot worse. I'll keep this stuff around for a while but won't smoke it as a daily - only as a change of pace.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2003-06-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I bought this on a whim in a pipe and tobacco shop that just recently re-opened under new management after a bust by the feds (it?s a long story). The shop had only three pipe tobacco blends on hand but was in the process of ordering a larger inventory. I tried this because I hate to leave a tobacconist empty-handed, because I had never tried the aromatic version of Sir Walter before and lastly because it was dirt cheap (some would probably say that is because it is dirt). I, however, was pleasantly surprised. It came from a large tin and had a very nice aroma. It was dry and packed well. There was no hint of sourness like some brands that use alcohol as part of their formula. I thought the combination of the Burley and the liqueurs gave the blend a maple flavoring along with a mild sweetness. It has a room note that is conducive to smoking in the company on non-smokers. This is a good choice for those who like mild aromatics and are on a tight budget (like me). I will keep this in my rotation as an everyday aromatic smoke.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacob74 (1)	2022-01-15		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I'll preface this by stating that SWRA is my favorite aromatic to date, and is always in my rotation...though I buy it in the tubs and not the pouches, so I may be missing some of the SWRA experience. I find it to be sweet, easy to smoke, and satisfying. The tobacco stays good in the tub essentially indefinitely. While this probably means that it's loaded with humectant, I've never had an issue with chemical taste, or anything like that. I get all the aromatic sweetness and aroma in the first half or 3/4ths of the bowl. I don't get a big alcohol hit like on some of the other rum/whiskey/liqueur based aromatics, but it's there in the first half. Equally pleasing is the last portion is a mild, nutty, toasted burley which is enjoyable on its own.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Grand Duke, MM Cobs

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: B&M smoke shop

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (395)	2021-01-04		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is one that on occasion I have thought about buying a pouch when I order online but never got around to it. A new member of the club brought some in that he had jarred. This has a very sweet tin-note that according to the website is flavored with various French and Dutch liqueurs. I smoked some of this in a cob and it really was not too bad. Even though it is not vanilla that is about the only word I can think of to describe the flavor other than sweet. A good aromatic smoke that I am glad I got to try. With 160 reviews one can see that it is a well known established blend.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob

Age When Smoked: New

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2020-10-31		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

First, let me just say that when reviewing aromatic blends we need to be comparing apples to apples. I often read reviews of people degrading a blend like this, and then saying " I don't like aromatics". If you are a pure Vaper smoker, and are trying to compare a blend like this to escudo, you are probably approaching this wrong. We need to be comparing these bends to others like it. If a person who doesn't like wine wrote a bunch of wine reviews, they would probably all be negative, so that said.....

I think compared to other aromatics, this blend does a fine job. It does not come super goopy, in fact, I found it at the perfect moisture level upon opening the pouch. It lights and smokes very well.

This is a blend that really splits the difference of aromatic dogma. Some people want an aromatic that showcases the tobacco with only a hint of added flavor. Others want their tobacco to taste like a banana cream pie, or whatever it indicates on the tin. This blend does a great job of sitting in the middle.

What that favor is, I can't really say. The manufacturer talks of a number of fancy liquors as the topping, but for me, it is hard to pick out individual flavors. They are on the sweet side, and I quite like them.

The pouch note is great, and the nose picks up a fair amount of topping. The smoking experience is different. There is a nice solid round Virginia and Burley base here. The top note does a nice job to compliment the base tobaccos. I think this may be a good blend for people who believe they do not like aromatics, as it doesn't behave as most in its category.

As others have stated, this blend is nothing like the non aromatic version, but a good blend on its own. I don't mind smoking this at all.

Age When Smoked: New pouch

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2019-12-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Beware the pouch!! These can lie on the store shelf for years and become dried out and flavorless, I've bought a few like this and they are NOT representative of SWRA.

I highly recommend getting the 12 oz tin, a completely different experience, aroma, tin note, and fresh tobacco flavor than the pouch. I would buy the pouch again if forced, but I will forever buy the 12 oz tin if at all possible.

It is a lightly aromatic Burly that is most flavorful when sipped, not puffed hard. The 12 oz tin notes remind me of nutmeg/Eggnog creaminess,, absolutely wonderful and not at all like the aroma from a 2 oz pouch.

A readily available smoke that is a go-to for me. I like the aroma, very different and pleasing. Room note can be a bit odd at times, though I usually don't smoke it indoors.

Medium to light nicotine and it can bite, though not often in my experience when I take care to be conscious of my packing and puffing technique. I recently ordered a 12oz can of this after purchasing only pouches for many years. I'm excited to finally have a 12oz can of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic as a companion on my pipe-smoking adventure.

[update, 10-1-19] Pick some up while you can...!!!!!!!!!!!

The tragedy of McClelland should show us all that even the best of the best can unexpectedly disappear at anytime.

This blend is on the dry side - a good thing.

You can spend a LOT more and get a LOT worse.

Good Draw to You!! Cheers,,,

Glorfindel

Pipe Used: Any

Age When Smoked: New 12 oz can

Purchased From: PipesandCigars.com

Similar Blends: Straight Ribbon cut burley.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mdobbs (1)	2018-12-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I liked this blend a lot. No tongue bite, great room note, minimal nic hit. Has notes of wood and whiskey, and a slight sweetness to it. It’s an easy smoke that I would recommend for after dinner or before bed.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	3pipeproblem (28)	2018-06-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Perhaps I'm a little picky about what I consider an aromatic, but since these categories are pretty subjective, I guess that's allowed. When I think "aromatic", I think "highly flavored, American-style Cavendish", and this most certainly is not. I'd call it a moderately cased Burley, and a very satisfying smoke, a high class "drugstore blend". (By the way, we should retire "drug store" as a category, since no drugstores sell pipe tobacco anymore. My local supermarket has Prince Albert, if you're lucky)

This has a nice subtle flavor and a lovely tin note; it didn't bite and lights and burns easily. It is, along with Carter Hall, a classic old-fashioned Burley, and a must-try for those who enjoy air-cured tobacco.

Better than a mere 3, not quite a 3.5

Historical note : today the Supreme Court handed down a ruling making it much easier to tax internet sales. That's going to affect all of us, and not in a good way.

Pipe Used: Briars, corncob

Age When Smoked: A few months.

Purchased From: W. VA Smokeshop online

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ASmithee (20)	2018-01-30		Very Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Ok, I'm not an Aromatic pipe guy. Too many mishaps with these blends early in my piping career that steered me away. I found a pouch of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic (2 years old) and decided to give it a try. Note that the tobacco was thoroughly dried out as the pouches aren't sealed like others except in a plastic wrap.

Open it up, packed it in my corncob, and was immediately greeted with a pleasant smoke. Then I found myself packing a second corncob for round two. Dare I say I like this? Yes, I do. It's a very mild, easy smoke that won't bite and damn smells good too.

Pipe Used: corncob

Age When Smoked: 2 years old

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tleek (51)	2017-11-07		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a totally different beast than standard Sir Walter. Burley is the backbone, but the liqueur topping is always there. Sweet and nutty with raisin and maybe cognac notes. This is and enjoyable smoke, burns cool, dry, and clean. Not as heavily cased as typical aromatics. The flavor is a bit artificial at times and Burleys are not as high quality as some of the tinned blends. Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic is a tasty and enjoyable blend nonetheless.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wildcrow (4)	2017-11-06		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Tin Note evokes memories of my childhood. It smells sweet and light, full of apricot and chocolate - though I have the jug, not the pouch. The tobacco comes in beautiful ribbons of deep dark browns intermingling with lighter yellow browns and loads effortlessly into the bowl. Following a packing method similar to the baby, mommy, daddy method (as with any of my ribbons) I proceed to the charring light. Tamp. True light. As it burns, I definitely find chocolate and cashews in the smoke. It's light and airy from beginning to end. Unlike other Aros I've smoked, Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic brings enough flavor to make it an all day smoke. The scent/room note really depends on where I'm smoking it. If smoked outside, people continually comment on how delicious it smells. Try as I might, I cannot smell what they smell, so I assume it smells like a smoked version of the tin note. When smoke indoors, it smells good for a spell. After half a bowl or so, it just smells like cigarette smoke (to my wife). It requires a few re-lights throughout, but I have only found one or two blends that burn all the way at a reasonable pace without bite. Usually leaves a quarter inch of dottle with a coarse dark black/gray ash (as if that means anything). Wonderful smoke and wonderful price. Classic American blend.

This is my go to and has been for years. When I need to break a pipe in, this is the blend I do it with. I know this tobacco and how it performs.

Pipe Used: All of mine eat this tobacco

Age When Smoked: Any

Purchased From: Discount Tobacco; New Bern, NC

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pilot Lon (19)	2017-11-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

I wish that I could pair the pouch note of SWRA with the taste of it's older sibling, SWR Regular. After many years elbowing my way past OTCs, I picked up pouches of each at a local B&M, and worked my way through both, comparing them more to each other as I went, than to other tobaccos. However, this review is more about SWRA.

First, the pouch aroma is very inviting, smelling more of molasses with perhaps a light cocoa undertone. Regular aro smokers may not be completely bowled over, but they surely won't be disappointed. I don't get a lot of fruit or liquor here, as the sweet molasses aroma dominates.

The ribbon cut was just the right moisture, packs easily enough, and lights well. Having already tried the older regular blend first, I was anticipating to be pleasantly overwhelmed by the molasses/chocolate taste of the aromatic version. That didn't happen for me. And, I suppose it's understandable, as most aromatic processing seems to sublimate the natural sweetness of the tobacco. This seems to be no exception with SWRA. While it was a good taste, with a pleasant room note, what I detected in the pouch note just didn't quite appear when smoking, and I'm taking off 1/2 star for that issue.

Cool, won't bite, and although the taste of the burley is reduced, SWRA is a very good choice, an all-day smoke, and certainly one that will make an evening and a glass of your favorite beverage all the more pleasant.

3.5 stars. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase SWRA again, and I place it right up there with Carter Hall, and Lane Ready Rubbed for overall smoothness. But, given the choice only between Sir Walter Aro and Sir Walter Regular, I'd go with the regular every time.....and did. A full tub of the regular was just ordered from P&C.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Right from the pouch

Purchased From: Local B&M

Similar Blends: Lane Limited - Lane Limited Ready Rubbed.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crapgame1967 (61)	2017-09-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

What can I say...simple straight forward...an every man's tobacco from back in the day! The pipe smokers from the days of yore knew a good thing and thats why this blend has stayed around for so many years! I tried this for the first time a few nights ago..yes call me a FORMER tobacco snob that would never smoke a "CODGER" blend..This blend has it all..smoothness..flavor..nary a bite..another example of missing out on something good!

Pipe Used: Brebbia 986 Gala First

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: grocery store

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BROBS (67)	2017-09-19		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

edited review: I now think this is a pretty decent tobacco. Needs to be packed loose on bottom and tight on top, and tastes best from a cob. In a briar tasted too sour to me. Out of a cob it has a sweet, creamy smoke with a pretty good room note. Will only bite if pushed too hard but smokes pretty dry. A very good OTC probably one of the best, For me competing with Half and Half but totally different.

edit: I have now smoked this out of a Grabow briar and thought it tasted good in that too.. maybe it's just the 9mm filter or European pipe it doesn't agree with?! Will have to try it again.

Pipe Used: COB, Vauens, Grabow

Age When Smoked: cellared 6 months

Purchased From: 4noggins.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipingParson (1)	2017-02-13		Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

While I have heard that the 12oz tin is fresher, I can only speak to the condition of the tobacco I had in the pouch. This tobacco upon opening has a very distinctive aroma. If you're familiar with fresh play-doh then you about have this scent. I didn't find it off-putting at all, but I think the nuttiness of the burley doesn't work well in the pouch note. The taste is very similar to Captain Black Gold, but with much less vanilla. The young burley in this can contribute a harshness if smoked too quickly, so a moderate pace is recommended. The nicotine level is present, but on the medium side. I would absolutely recommend this pipe tobacco to others, as I think it's one of the best over the counter aromatics around. I did not have any tongue-bite whatsoever and the wife really enjoyed the aroma.

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Captain Black Gold..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-18		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The burly Virginia blend that was my introduction to tobacco. The aroma is a delight in the tin. The blend lights up well and burns quickly. This needs to smoke slowly, as the blend will naturally burn fast.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puss n' pipes (27)	2016-11-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If something survives ages and each generation grant it a new avail, it does mean this thing has a trascendence. After all trascendence is the victory against time, the recognition of an unperishable quality or at least of the illusion of durability.... Think of a tobacco like Sir Walter Raleigh, so universal, so widespread and you'll get a glimpse of what inmortality is. The virtue of excellence.

I remember its particular fragrance as a child visiting the doctor who smoked this in copious ammounts (in a country which was ages away from strict modernity) an indelible remembrance. Later, as an adult i found it again, now as a pipesmoker. Sir walter raleigh, such a classic. And yet this is simply words, you have to taste it in order to find the true meaning. Burley indeed, so mellow and a tad sweet with mild nic hit, very amicable and easy going, good for the morning, the day, the evening, or finishing the day. With enough aroma to keep you enamoured and sufficient nuttyness as a pack of almonds. The blend circunvents some subtle cocoa traces with liquor (especially felt in the tongue) and changes its chracteristic flavours from mild to medium during the smoke, well mannered, kind, fragrant. Its fragrance will enchant the place you are and the people around, as it did with me, as it did with the generations that has granted its fame.

Pipe Used: Vector 944

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-03-10		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Sir Walter Raleigh Pipe Aromatic was a real surprise to me. The Original Sir Walter is an O.K. tobacco but nothing really great just a plain and simple burley that seems to have a faint citrus casing. Knowing that I did not have high hope for the aromatic blend assuming it would just include a bit more citrus. After reading some favorable reviews on here about it, I bit the bullet and bought a pouch. Wow what a shock! This actually tastes good. Real good. The pouch smell is to die for smelling very sweet and full sort of like a fine liqueur which is exactly what the casing consists of good figure. The aroma when burning is very pleasant and is pleasing to smokers and non-smokers alike. The taste is full flavored with the natural tobacco taste coming through the whole time. The casing seems to enhance the flavor of the natural tobacco without over powering it, or masking an inferior blend of tobacco. The room note left over when finished is very pleasant, like a good potpourri. What really stumps me is how can a company produce this tobacco and regular Sir Walter at almost the same price point. For a 25 cents more in my area for a 1.5 oz pouch, you get a tobacco that is of 10 times better quality leaf plus a flavor that is at least as good if not better than most expensive aromatics. When you factor in quality and the price this tobacco cannot be beat. I enjoyed this one immensely and it is definitely one of my favorites it not my all time favorite. Save yourself the trouble, and skip right over the other cheapies at the store and go right for Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic a true sleeper tobacco blend.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Poodlejuice (49)	2021-07-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Wow. I bought this tobacco at a grocery store. OTC aromatic blends have no business being this good. Comes as a shag cut, and at a perfect humidity level for smoking, which is surprising given its OTC nature.

Nutty, buttery, chocolaty, hay & sweet burley, vanilla, rum, floral, and mild citrus notes. The added flavors remind me quite a bit of "Licor 43", and are balanced impeccably, serving to enhance the burley rather than just coat it in sickly sweet flavor. Burns well with little moisture and refuses to bite.

This is one of the best aromatic blends I've ever smoked. For me it's right up there with 1Q and Autumn evening, maybe even better, mostly because of the subtle nature of the casing/toppings and the lack of cavandish. More hearty and smokeable than your typical aro. I suspect even the most critical "Aro-phobics" would find some redeemable quality here.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MisterHoggins (8)	2021-04-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I purchased a tub of SWRA on a whim. Popping open the can greeted me with one of the most pleasant tin aromas I have ever smelled. When loading the pipe with this almost shag cut tobacco I noticed the moisture level was perfect. Very easy to load.

On the charring light this was love at first pull. This is a very easy smoking tobacco. Fairly mild in flavor this is blend that allows you to taste both the burley and virginia. The topping allows the tobacco flavor to come through. The topping flavor? 3 liquors apparently, I taste chocolate and anise, and something else I can't lay a finger on.

On multiple bowls this smoked to the bottom with only 2 kisses from the flame. Burns without excess moisture and leaves a fine grey ash.

Why did I wait 28 years after picking up a pipe to try this? It is a great smoke that I find myself reaching for again and again even though I have more exspensive tobacco sitting within reach in jars. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Stanwell 2020 POY

Age When Smoked: new

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimPM (142)	2021-02-08		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Although in his endeavor to colonize and establish a viable commercial enterprise in Americas was somewhat of failure, Sir Walter Raleigh did manage to bring back to the established powers of England one significant contribution. In 1586, as history tells us, Raleigh enlightened the establishment with the wonderful tobaccos from the ripe and undeveloped Virginia lands of New World colony. Originally flaunted as a promoter of personal health, the succulent and bold Virginia tobacco would become a pinnacle ingredient for the classic, enjoyable and proper English style pipe tobacco blends, then and now. Three cheers for Sir Walt I say! As time unfolded and skillful tobacco blenders become more learned in their craft, the standard of using American tobaccos continued to flourish to its present day position.

Given the lore and mystic that has been handed down through the annals of tobacco history, I thought it would be-fitting to give old Walt a fair look-see. Sir Walter Raleigh is a very old staple OTC blend. Since the 1920’s, SWR has demonstrated that it is an enduring blend that has steadfastly stood the test of time. A favorite to many generations of pipe smokers. Hm? There must be something to this I surmised. Packaged and marketed as a classic, Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic is the subject of this review. Never tried it, so let’s go.

First comment, I love the artwork for the packaging of the product. It speaks as a testament to the antiquity of the art of tobacco blending. Inside one will find an interesting array of tobacco as I would soon discover. Posted as a combination of Burley and Virginia kissed with toppings, to me I was a typical aromatic; no biggie. So at first glance, I kind of did the rudimentary drive by not really trying to discern the blend’s constitution too discreetly. Upon smoking it, I had to go back for a closer inspection of the actual product based upon what I tasted.

Pulling out a couple of healthy sized pinches and then spreading them out for a more discreet visual examination, what I saw are the dark brown ribbon cut Burley leave @ 70% of the mass, very thinly sliced shag strands of golden Bright Virginia @ 25% and sparsely present little deeply black flecks or shared of another tobacco. I suspect that the latter is dark fired Kentucky given the spicy notes and deep accent notes that came through on the tasting. DFK is a Burley after all.

The pouch note on the blend is really rich earthly Burley scent with a sweet, but not gooey, topping. The topping I could not put my finger on, but man does it smell inviting. The specific topping used, I would discover later after a reading some further insightful notes on the blend’s recipe. Subsequent with the burn of this blend, the room note that it created was very pleasant, colorful, sweet, yet not overbearing like many aromatics tend to be. For an aromatic SWR is in a class of its own that many non-aromatics smoker would probably receive well.

As to the tasting, given its “classic” monocle I was eager to experience the dance. The first impression was a struggle trying to identify the topping used. It was very prevalent over the natural woody Burley flavor/aroma. The nice warm Burley tones are there but really hide behind the top notes on this one. The topping comes in really bold and strong, like a concentrated bouillon, and then tapers off with distinct but consistent taste nuisances. The notes that I was getting were a really a smack of deep rich molasses-licorice (again bouillon-like) that gently tapered into a warm cinnanomy-nutmegish taste. As the flavor progress it moved then into a nice buttery and somewhat spicy sweet nut flavor. Pull after pull the pattern of taste was consistent. It is just a nice full flavored smooth mellow sweetness but not too yippy-skippy and overbearing like many other aromatics.

Being stumped, I had to go read the reviews on this blend to make sense of what I was experiencing. Oh yes, that’s it … liqueurs. Needless to say, if I were to mix a splash of Goldschalger (predominately cinnamon) with a little hit of Jagermeister (licorice) that’s it. That’s what I was feeling. The other tones had to be a combination of the topping saturated base Burley with the melding and smoothing transitional compliments of taste supported by the presence of the Virginia essentially.

The Virginia itself as a standalone is totally indiscernible at least to me. The gentle spice note that finished the taste again I feel is the DFK; used very sparingly and skillfully. The role and the described ratio of the Virginia’s natural sweet, tangy attributes combined with the spicy DFK, in my opinion, is to pull, soften and balance the palate of tastes coming together. Again, the Burly being largely saturated with the liqueurs. Imagine the level of experimentation that went into defining the final recipe on the part of the original blender. Using the various strains and toppings to arrive at this classic lively taste; blending brilliance. The more I progressed down the bowl the more the balance and classic character of SWR made itself apparent.

I smoked this fresh out of the pouch. The level of moisture was well controlled and in line. It burns cool and produces a healthy cloud of lovely white smoke. It’s one of those springy cuts, mostly the shaggy Virginia that reaches for the sky when lit, so some level of tamping is required. A few re-lights were in order, but overall the tobacco was above average for continuous burning. Absolutely no bite on this one, given it is an aromatic and the Virginia, no matter how hard I pulled on the pipe. The flavor was true to the bottom. No dottle left to speak of just a healthy white ash. SWR is enjoyable in cob or briar.

My conclusions support the merit of the classic old time blend. For an aromatic, it is pleasantly unique to the class. Rich, mellow, sweet, but not with all the negatives that can typically come smoking aromatics. Again, hat’s off to the creator of this recipe. It is a testament underscoring a thorough knowledge of the ingredients’ characteristics, how to manipulate the ratios and presence of the same within the blend, in order to arrive at a well crafted balanced and enjoyable smoke.

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic, give it a try!

Pipe Used: Cob and a briar

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: CR Butts

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipesmoker33 (18)	2016-07-29		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

This is one I've been wanting to try. My grandfather smoked regular SWR, witch I tried and didn't like. But this one has me interested. It didn't feel like sawdust in the pouch like the regular but a moist ribbon cut. Smelled wonderful. Packed good and stayed lit. It can be a bit of a toung scorcher of smokes too fast, but not a bad baccy.

Pipe Used: Boswell freehand,MM diplomat

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Smokin Joes tobacco shop. Wellsboro, PA

Similar Blends: John Middleton, Inc - Carter Hall.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunter (54)	2016-06-07		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Was trying out as many of the "old fashioned" blends as I could get my hands on.

Nothing particularly fancy or complex here. A good, solid burley for an all-day pleasant smoke you don't have to fuss with. Smokes great, burns clean and has real, honest tobacco flavor.

Pairs well with a very cold beer.

Pipe Used: cob, briar

Age When Smoked: New pouch

Purchased From: local tobacco store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ThePipeMonk (11)	2016-02-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Despite being labelled as an OTC. Sir Walter Raleigh neither feels nor smokes like a cheap tobacco. It's very smooth, mellow and after the mid bowl it gives you a nice burley kick. I would recommend it for new and old smokers alike. If you like an affordable tobacco with a few centuries worth of reputation under its belt.

Pipe Used: Dunhill 4108

Age When Smoked: 1 Year

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-10-31		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Wow this is way different than the regular SWR in that the tobacco is IMO much higher quality and is just a higher class than the more pedestrian SWR. Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoy the regular for what it is, a plain Jane Burley that's great for Putzing and gardening, driving etc. But the Aromatic is smooth, tasty, for me cool burning and worth the extra bucks over the regular. I know I should have tried the pouch before the tub as my first experience but my local smoke shop was out of the pouches so I dove right in and I am delighted that I have a whole tub of it. Chocolaty Christmas spices is what I get, a pudding of sorts but not on a Lane 1Q or BCA level, the topping is much more restrained and would entertain the non aromatic guy as well. The topping has already elicited compliments in the last couple of days and she doesn't bite so those two pluses for me make this a winner. I can see how SWRA would make a sublime all day blend. Try some, you wont be disappointed!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pkloop (53)	2015-10-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I found this to be a decent OTC and a good choice for an occasional aromatic smoke.

Smokes smooth and easy and while I couldn't say what the liquor toppings are I do agree with other reviewers below in that it has some type of light fruity essence. I can at times taste both orange and apricot flavors. Not overwhelming mind you, just an essence of..

Ribbon cut and delivered at appropriate moisture makes packing and smoking this a breeze. Very nice room note also!

Upon finishing the pouch here I'll spring for the tub on my next order to keep around for those times when I want an aromatic. I appreciate this one especially as its not a heavy super sweet ghosting aro...just a nice light top note.

Could easily be smoked in any briar you have without much ghosting concern, that said I wouldn't run it through a bowl that's dedicated to very light/delicate VA's as you may pick up a bit of crossover but even then I couldn't see it hanging around long..

All & all an easy 3 star blend and I totally get why this has been around so long. Good stuff!

Pipe Used: Various Briars & Cobs

Age When Smoked: year..maybe 2

Purchased From: online

Similar Blends: Unsure..such a mild aromatic.. Unique taste.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2015-08-08		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I liked this one since Lane took it over. The pouch smelled good.The smoke reminded me of Capt Black Round, and the leaf looked like Capt Black round.

Pipe Used: briar

Age When Smoked: new very fresh

Purchased From: Tobaccoworld smoke shop

Similar Blends: Capt Black Round.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Chef (52)	2015-01-17		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Surprisingly good! I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. This was a spontaneous purchase from my local grocery. Nicely cut burley with a very pleasant pouch note. It smokes well and stays lit. The flavor was nutty at times and not overly cased. Will I keep it in my rotation? Probably not. But I would purchase it again, definitely. No wonder it has been around so long...it's a good blend!

Pipe Used: Falcon Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Grocery Store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gtclark (12)	2014-08-10		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the best OTC aromatic on the market. It has a very nice liquor topping that comes through in the flavor and the room note - almost reminds me of a good quality Christmas fruit-cake (if you believe such a thing exists). The burley can get a little harsh toward the end of the bowl, but in exchange the smoker is rewarded with a little more body and strength than one usually gets in an aromatic. Yes, there are better blends out there, but you're not likely to find one on the shelf of your local grocer.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-07-23		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Short ribbon cut, mostly mid browns. Pouch note is medium sweet, some licorice and coca aromas. I am distantly reminded of the old Bank RYO tobacco. Not a clue what the actual flavourings are.

Packs and burns easily but takes a few lights to get started.

This is a mild, neutrally sweet aromatic with a pleasant low key aroma. It does not burn hot. Throws up some Burley bitterness as it goes down the bowl.

Not a baccy I would repurchase, but apart from the bitterness it has no obvious faults for a light aromatic. Very good value.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe Newb (49)	2014-05-08		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

My first OTC. I decided to smoke it in my father-in-law's old pipes, because he was proud to say when he was a smoker, he was a "Sir Walter Raleigh Man".

Pouch Note - Plum and burned caramel. Much lighter on the nose than I expected.

Char and initial light - It takes to the flame well. I'm not tasting too much here. I can pick up burley, but it's muted. I get a little astringency, but it's fairly calm as well. The aromatic aspect I'm just barely picking up.

Mid-bowl, the burley brightens up a bit, but it's still very subdued compared to some other (specifically C&D) burleys I've had. Almost muted. I am picking up more of the topping, which is a faint burned marshmallow and almond.

Room note correlates to the topping, it's nutty on the side of roasted almonds, and a burned marshmallow/caramel.

Nicotine hit was as expected with a burley heavy tobacco. I got the burley burp, that little lump at the back of the throat.

No bite. Even when I was herfing my pipe like it had the antidote...

Verdict? I'll likely smoke this again, when I am not in the mood for anything life altering... It wasn't unpleasant, however I found it very, very mild in flavor almost to a point of boredom. It was not temperamental at all despite puffing very slow or very fast... it stayed lit and never bit.

Even if this is my first OTC, and I'm a self-proclaimed "Pipe Newb", I still am of the opinion you aren't a serious lover of combustable tobacco in a briar bowl if you haven't at least had one OTC.

Edit 5/19: I am changing my review. This tobacco is totally different in a cob. I'm guessing that my own briars are just so ghosted with English blends that it affects burley in quite a negative way (as Old Joe Krantz was a similar experience). I have smoked 4 cobs full of SWRA in two days and I am absolutely blown away by how good it is and how much better I can taste it in a cob. I have dedicated all my cobs to burleys from this point onward and will consider SWRA a fantastic smoke. I have already placed an order to get larger cobs (freehand and general) because my Legends just aren't lasting long enough.

Pipe Used: Londonaire Bent Apple, MM Legend (unfiltered)

Age When Smoked: Unknown (Bulk)

Purchased From: 4Noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tamper Dan (9)	2014-03-14		Mild	Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

Ah yes, Sir Walter. This is an over the counter, heavily cased, sweet aromatic tobacco. I smoked a pouch of this mainly in my cob while grilling or messing around in the garage. To me, drug store aromatics all taste the same, like vanilla or something. Of all the over the counter pouches this one is probably my favorite. I may never smoke it again, but it's my preference over the other cheapies. An open pouch stayed pretty moist for about 6 months sitting on the back porch.

Pipe Used: cob, kaywoodie

Purchased From: got for free in mail

Similar Blends: Captain Black Aromatic.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2013-04-13		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This stuff is awesome!!! I've been smoking it for years. It's my go to tobacco and I always find myself frustrated when I run out! Great flavor, great smoking characteristics, and I'm always getting nice comments on the aroma. For those of you who may smoke a little wet I've had great results smoking this in a Brigham pipe which has the filter to prevent gurgling. Also, if you'd like to try something similar but want a little more spice I'd recommend Hearth & Home Louisiana Red. This tobacco is bound to become one of your favorites and I hope it stays around forever!!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roy Odhner (9)	2012-06-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a wonderful burley-based tobacco with a mild chocolate liquor flavor, and that flavor translates well into the room note. However, unlike other OTC aromatics, it is not all sticky and goopy. SWRA is not just a jazzed-up version or SWR, but something quite different even if it is a basic burley blend tobacco - but I swear I catch a hint of Virginia leaf in here. I'm not even sure why Brown & Williamson even released under the SWR banner since it is so dissimilar, but I guess their marketing honchos had their reasons. No matter, it's still a wonderful blend that manages to strike a good balance between the tobacco base and liquor flavoring. I'd recommend it to any new pipe smoker, or to any experienced pipe smoker looking for an occasional "heavy" aromatic. Some would call this a light aromatic, but as a fan of "light" aromatics like MacB Scottish Mixture I think this is "heavy" by comparison. As such, this (and Finck's Money Bags, which I think is very similar) is the only "heavy" aromatic that I like... and I like SWRA a lot. Nothing refined or nuanced here, just a very pleasant smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2012-03-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I found this tobacco to be very "middle of the road". Nothing really jumped out at me, but bowl after bowl I detected some chocolate to the aroma and taste, which I didn't really expect. I didn't find the tobacco to bite or burn my tongue, and was a smooth enough smoke. It wasn't overwhelmingly aromatic or tasting of liquor, and has a nice tobacconess to it. Burned well, didn't need to be re-lit, and was worth the $5 I spent on the pouch. I would consider buying it again, but if I am in the mood for a pouch tobacco I would probably buy PA or borkum riff whiskey. Sir Walter Aromatic is worth trying though.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tabaco (112)	2012-03-01		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Interesting stuff this. It's barely aromatic, akin to a Scandinavian in some ways. The pouch aroma is pronounced; however, in the pipe this behaves very well, not too wet, never a soggy heel, and nary a pipe cleaner needed. In the air it does not smell like a drowning Rum cake, nor those heavily scented candle things that some of the women-folk tend to enjoy.

I prefer this one to the non-aromatic. The liqueurs add a few nice touches and make it a bit brighter, but not too much.

It doesn't need drying time, packs and burns great right to the bottom. And does not change all that much in the bowl as you combust your way down, which is good in my books. Far too often the aromatics start off great and deliver for the first third with the remaining thirds being a chore and one perseveres; virtually a Cardinal Sin to waste tobacco like food.

There is an ever so slight freshly rolled cigar flavour to this, in a good way. And a hint of Lakeland as well, without the soap. I have a strong aversion to soap harkening back to when I was a foul-mouthed youngling. None of this Kumbayah overindulged parenting BS. proper form and manners were liberally dished-out by aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbours, et caetera.

Certainly not a tobacco epiphany, but a decent stalwart blend. Well suited for the morning paper and a strong black coffee. Perhaps gardening, fly fishing or duck hunting, hiking or camping. A competent tobacco for the outdoorsy types and seemingly tastes better in that setting, at least to me.

Since this burns very clean and reasonably cool one can pack a number of bowls in the same pipe. It's not overbearing and can be enjoyed consecutively. Of course if you put your best effort forward it'll burn hot and bite. Mind you any tobacco will if pushed too hard or numerous lights. One zealous chap I knew even got asbestos to bite.

Many will accuse me of being a mutineer on The Good Ship Pease; however, this stuff delivers bowl after bowl with the overall smoking experience superior in my view and more memorable than many Pease blends; regardless of being aromatic or not and excellent value to boot . . . enjoy.

UPDATE 2013, from 3* stars to 1*

I prefer not to update; however, the last two tins of this stuff are not smoking well at all. The pH is way out of whack; bites a lot. And the aromatic component has been reduced, not for the better I might add. I fully realise batches and harvests change, a shame really I quite enjoyed it. I may buy more in a year or two just to see.

UPDATE 2015, back up to 3* stars

I snagged another tin and it was back up to par. The pH is not laser-like on my tongue. And the aromatic component/ingredient has increased to previous levels, glad I took a skeptical punt and it worked out.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	whippersnapper (6)	2012-02-15		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A pretty good blend all in sll. Decent tobacco taste. Just a bit too perfumy in my opinion.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-09-24		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

SWRA is a good simple blend that burns clean and for some reason leaves much less of a ghost than most aromatics I have tried. I still keep a cheapo basket pipe just to smoke this blend in when I get the urge throughout the year and I always have a big tin of this open somewhere for dipping. It is a "good mowing the grass" / working in the yard type blend. I find in a large diameter bowl the smoke can really taste bitter so I have kept it in a normal diameter bowled pipe (3/4").

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thbg (29)	2011-09-08		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

UPDATE 10/11: I have found this to be the perfect "walking the dog" or "on the go" tobacco. It packs and lights so easily and you can puff it pretty good and it keeps burning cool and mellow. I have really gotten used to the aroma and flavor of this mild blend and come to really crave it. I have found I have gotten many compliments on the smell from strangers and I got the "ok" to smoke this in the house by the wife which is saying alot. Plus it burns dry which means my pipes don't get gooped up. Up-ing my review to 3 stars.

I had low expectations for this blend and was pleasantly surprised.

There is more bright VA in here than most folks realize (not just SWR regular with a topping on it) and the shag cut is super for packing, lighting and puffing. The tobacco is fairly dry, not goopy like a cavendish blend.

I find the topping to be familiar to orange liquor and it lasts the duration of the smoke. The taste and smell of this stuff is very similar which I have not experienced too often. This feature does become kind of annoying as you smoke more and more of it. It does ghost up a pipe so be aware if that is going to be an issue.

It is a crowd pleaser, or, maybe better stated, not a crowd offender.

It is very mild and could be an all day smoke if you are really into aros. I am not, but will keep some on hand for when the mood strikes.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr. G (15)	2011-08-23		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I crossed paths with this old-school blend during my ongoing tour of the much-maligned "drug store" tobaccos. This is an excellent aromatic and maybe the overall best first tobacco for a neophyte piper. At around five dollars for an ounce-and-a-half pouch, it is a steal. It provides an easily-packed, one-light bowl that you can puff on like a steam engine climbing a five percent grade with no detectible tongue bite whatsoever. The room note garners the frequent complements usually reserved for more exotic boutique aromatics. I have it in a dead heat with Carter Hall as the most forgiving of all the "drug store" (read: venerable) blends for smokeability and overall enjoyment. I ran it past my most experienced brother of the briar in the form of a blind tasting telling him that it was a "drug store" blend. He nailed it soon after the charring light, thanked me for the bowl, allowed as how he used to smoke it by the pound, and still keeps a can on hand for times when a good, sturdy, straight-forward burley with a premium room note is the call. Recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chetking (54)	2011-05-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If there is a tinned or elitist type mixture among the old line OTC, supermarket or so-called drug store blends then Sir Walter Aromatic comes the closest to that standard. I returned to SWR after trying the original orange packaged blend many decades ago as a teenager. At the time Brown & Williamson was offering a free booklet on how to use a pipe and particularly how to make a pipe packed with SWR taste better. The booklet was sent to me with a kindly note from a company staffer who recognized my youthful scribble and wrote "throw away that pipe my Lad - you're much too young to smoke!" I never forgot that advice but a few years ago, willy nilly, returned to the pipe smoker's life.

For my money Sir Walter Aromatic is a solid, substantial and consistent smoke: cool, rarely bites, pleasing mouth feel with taste and aromas from the special liqueur casing that make it sweetly memorable. Such a feature is rare among plebian or commoner genre blends - and its considered to have enough quality to be found often at many tobacconist dens. If I had to choose 3 reliable mixtures to take with me knowing I'd be isolated for a year or more from a good tobac source this would probably be one of them. Happy Hunting!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-05-22		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A fairly pleasant and tasty drugstore blend, especially economical by the can, with a mapley liquor flavor, good for frequent pipers. Makes smoke very nicely, but a bit too sour for my taste.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-02-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Looks more like a shag cut than a coarse cut as described. This is a good all-day tobacco for cutting grass, and doing yard chores. Never hints at biting, and can relit several times without any negative consequences. I really like this stuff. Topping is very faint, but it is there. Loads easy, lights easy, and it's easy to maintain. Burns clean and cool.

#2 choice for drug store tobacco, next to Carter Hall. If you can find this, buy it!

3.5 of 5 stars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2011-01-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I picked up a pouch of Aromatic simply because it's not that much more expensive than Sir Walter Original around here. I was a bit surprised to see the cut of the leaf when I opened it but the smell wafting up comforted me that this was going to be just as good as most reviewers seem to think. I was not disappointed. In my briar pipe, it had a satisfyingly tasty aroma and taste. Although it wasn't a strong taste, it caught on every taste bud and held on to my attention. Everybody in the room found the smoke to smell excellent and it was only moments before everyone had a cigarette lit. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good tobacco with a good taste with little danger of biting.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2011-01-07		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

SWR aro is much better than the old standard SWR. It is a pleasant smoke but it does have a very slight bite if smoked too fast. The casing gives it a subtle hint of chocolate liqueur. The room note is extremely pleasing even to people who normally don't like pipe smoke at all.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hockey01 (29)	2010-10-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

There was this older clerk in my Army unit who smoked this blend in one of his goofy looking metal pipes that looked more like a slide harmonica than a pipe. Maybe that's why I never liked the blend until many years later: it was probably his pipe that smelled so bad, not the tobacco itself.

Anyway, I'm with one of the other reviewers who was curious to know which liquors were used to flavor this blend. When I inhale the aroma deeply from the cannister (I have a 12 oz. one), I get a sort of a chocolatey liqueur whiff from this blend. The room note is identical to the aroma in the can AS LONG AS you smoke slowly; otherwise you will get a gaseous, chemical-like odor to the smoke which is not at all pleasant. Not sure why that happens, but it does.

The fine ribbon cut burley packs easily and burns right down to the bottom of the bowl and, as with all burleys, no real bite as long as you smoke it slowly.

For a "drugstore" tobacco, you could do a lot worse, amigo.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-07-16		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

An interesting blend. I really, really like burley, but this doesn't quite do it for me.

It packs and burns very well. No moisture or dottle. A good clean smoke.

The flavor is ok. Whereas I enjoy the natural flavor of burleys, what comes through in SWR aromatic is the casing. The liquor doesn't taste much like liquor, just a general bitterness. It's still sweet, but not the buttery/nutty sweetness that you get in other over the counter burleys like Carter Hall.

If you like burleys, and you like aromatics, this is just the tobacco for you. Tobacco doesn't get much cheaper than this stuff.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeteSavinelli (8)	2010-04-23		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If you are a Burley fan (and I have to tell you, I'm really not) you really should try this blend. I bought two pouches on a recent trip to North Carolina and put the contents of both into a glass jar. My first two or three bowls were not all that enjoyable. They were fine, not terrible, but nothing that really inspired me. But since then, probably 3 or 4 more, it has developed into quite a nice smoke. I am still pretty new in terms of pipe smoking so I am still finding my way and discovering what I like and don't like. For comparisons sake, I really did not like C$D's Haunted Bookshop. It was just "too" Burley. SWRA, tho, has developed into a mellow, tasty, Burley smoke. It burns clean and dry, with maybe one relight halfway thru. As for the flavor/casing, at first I thought it seemed thin and even almost non-existent, but again, that too has developed since the initial few smokes. In conclusion, with all of that being said, I would give SWRA a solid 2 1/2 stars. I can't go for a full three stars on my own personal scale because I find that I am more of a Cavendish/VA smoker (e.g. Lane BCA/1- Q). I probably won't buy SWRA again because there is just a little more of that Burley "ashey-ness" than I personally care for. BUT, if you are a Burley fan, I think you might find this in the 3 - 3 1/2 star range.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-04-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Being a fan of SWR regular I really wanted to like this. It has fallen a bit short for me though. Have only tried it in the pouch so far so maybe things will change if I get a can of it. I tend to think the "three imported liqueurs" is what makes it so un-enjoyable to me. Don't get me wrong, I like my booze but it belongs in a glass. I have yet to find a tobacco flavored with any kind of alcohol that I really like. Doesn't matter if it's a drug store blend or a top of the line mix.

It may be great for you but only gets two stars from me.

Update: 7/1/10 After finishing this pouch and being away from it for a week or so I decided I had to have it again. It just sort of grew on me. A much longer smoke than most other drug store blends. A single bowl lasts about twice as long. Just don't let it go out and try to relight it the next day. It can get rather nasty that way.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ruffinogold (109)	2009-11-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Where I live in Gods country this stuff costs $ 3.33 and is probably the best " drug store " blend out there .It's got a ribbon cut, burns clean ,smells nice and gets a little heavier near the end. I don't know if you can get this stuff hot ... burns real cool for me and the liqueurs flavor is there to almost halfway through the bowl then go bye bye. Easy to light and keep lit.The end of the bowl ends w/a little more burley flavor than virgina w/ just a little mositure. Good smoke .Update : Thought about it some more and for 3 .33 $ It should have 4 stars though it's a 3. Ya know what ? I'm gonna stock up on this blend and others ... i think the government bastards are gonna hike up the tax on pipe tobacco ... thanks obama supporters ....

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-07-20		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

i tried this stuff purely because it was cheap. i paid $3.50 for a 1.5 oz pouch because i wanted to try a new aromatic, and with prices this low i didn't mind rolling the dice. I was very surprised at how mild and tasty this blend was. i found it very smooth and mild, yet without entirely masking the tobacco tase.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Nick (74)	2008-12-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is the second time I've done this but here it is. Read the tin note, its right on ! To date, the best drugstore brand I've had.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-11-10		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This blend is an ideal one to start out on. Smells great, tastes good, and has a complex enough flavor that you can imagine that it tastes like most anything. (As compared to Cpt. Black or some other uniflavor blend)

Highly recommended as a daily smoke, and not too hard on the wallet!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SirShaggy (28)	2008-07-23		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I must quote Satc001 below me, "This is not your typical drug store blend!" I actually enjoyed the tin of this I bought last fall. I wasn't expecting anything but I got a lot. It is mild and has a wonderful flavor. It didn't burn hot, didn't burn my tongue and never offended anyone. I could smoke this in public and feel just fine about it. It tasted as good as it smelled. I only had one issue. I always got heartburn from it. It didn't matter what pipe I smoked, what time of the day was or what the weather was like. After a full bowl, I had heartburn. WHY!?!? I like this. The price is good too. I hope more people try this, I also hope to get over the heartburn thing!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2008-05-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I purchased a tub of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic based on my love for the regular Sir Walter and the superior reviews for the aromatic version. I wasn't disappointed.

First of all, this is not your typical drug-store blend. Upon opening the tin, I notice that the leaf is of superior quality and comparable to any burley leaf you would find in the high-end blends. The aroma is wonderful and of sweet liquors. It lights and burns easily.

The flavor is sweet with the liqueur flavoring of the tobacco. Sometimes this tobacco tastes more like candy than tobacco. However, when the flavoring evaporates, there is a high-quality burley flavor left behind. This tobacco is best enjoyed in a small bowl, for some reason, a smaller bowl size creates a more full-flavored smoke. The burley also develops a somewhat vegetal nature in the smoke if puffed too fast. The aroma is delicious. It doesn't bite, unless it is DGT'd.

Overall this is a very good drug-store blend. For the price, it is one of the better aromatics on the market. I will certainly finish my 12 oz. tub and will probably keep some of this on hand.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-03-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Mind you, I've only been smoking a pipe for a couple of years, but for the price, you can do much worse than the Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. I've smoked the standard Raleigh burley blend, and find this one to be superior in every single way. The reason I keep going back to this one (aside from nostalgic reasons...my father smoked the same blend) is because it almost always provides a smooth, comfortable smoke, and burns well even when it's on the dry side. It tastes good, and it's one of the few tobaccos I'd feel comfortable smoking inside (in fact, I'm generally complimented on how "good" it smells). This one comes more highly recommended than you would expect out of a $2.39 pouch.

One final recommendation is to smoke this while you drink a Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout. It's a great paring if ever there was one.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2008-03-11		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I recently bought a pouch of this from my local grocery store. Although it smelled nice in the pouch, it was a little dry. Even when too dry it smoked well. The main word here is comfort. The added flavorings tend to make the burley more comfortable on the tongue rather than take over the blend. If you see the word "Aromatic" and think Black Cavendish you'd be mistaken. This is a burley for sure. I recently gave this little pouch a Presbyterian baptism (that is, I sprinkled some water on it) and the flavor got a little stronger in the bowl. By the way, the best way to smoke this kind of stuff is in a cob. The cut is very coarse and it takes too much to fill a big briar with it. And, you don't need to. This is a great smoke without taking all day. I can't comment on the room note because I have had to smoke a lot outdoors lately. However, I think the aroma is nice. It's a little sweeter than Prince Albert, but I am an even bigger fan of the Prince for many other reasons. For those sampling Burley for the first time, I'd start here. This tobacco is very forgiving if you puff like a dragon and the aroma will get you used to a more "tobacco" smell.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-03-10		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

On the basis of the reviews here and the fact that Half and Half was nasty, I bought a pouch of Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. And to think I thought this was a cheap stinky drugstore tobak. I was very wrong. It is a tasty, readily available locally quality smoke. Being a new piper I can not describe subtle tastes, only that it tastes good and the roomnote doesn't get me put outside. Another blend I need to get tins of in my cellar. Thanks to the intellegent reviewers on TobaccoReviews for the guiding light onto the pipers path of bliss.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillardFan (90)	2008-01-09		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

OK, so I had recently finished up a pouch of the Sir Walter non-aromatic, and decided to try the aromatic blend.

Wow, now this was completely different from what I was expecting. First of all, the pouch scent was really nice, is it a plum or a prune scent I am detecting, though not overpowering by any means. The pouch I bought seemed to be quite fresh. The tobacco had just the right moisture level to it. It burns quite well, leaving a fine white ash. I'm not an expert on tobacco blends, but I believe this one is predominantly burley, and very very mild on the tongue. I've smoked a lot of burley tobaccos, though I'm not normally a big fan of burley. But after smoking this brand, I have a new respect for all of you burley lovers out there. I would recommend this one to beginners, as well as seasoned veterans. I would even go so far as to recommend this one as an all day smoke. For a drugstore brand, I would put this one in my top three picks...

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-12-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the best over the counter (or, behind locked glass door to be accurate)tobacco thing there is at the supermarket in America. There are a lot of memories for me with this blend. There's an old can of this filled with arrow making supplies at my father's house. He smoked it when I was a kid. (Still does sometimes). Anyway, I like it. The smell in the can, or pouch, is jaw dropping. A little booze, a little tobacco, a little sweet. It tastes like it smells, pretty much, though it can get bitter halfway through if pushed. I usually dump the last third of the bowl. (a little bitter is o.k., but to the bottom is bunk). It comes at a great moisture level but it will dry out, which is a plus in my book. It's not something I can smoke all the time (though I can see how some could), but sometimes I wake up craving this stuff. And that's not for the nicotine cause there's barely any in it! I recommended this to a friend of mine who's starting the pipe. He wanted something really mild, yet tasty. This is a good choice.

(Ed. note: this was written in paragraphs)

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dutch (9)	2007-12-30		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

got my first tin of swr aromatic today, and i was in my glory.the smell upon openning the container was fantastic, i could not wait to put some in my university pipe and lite it, wow what a taste, it has to be the best aromatic i have tasted . no sludge or gurgle and the room note was fantastic. most of the time i smoke virginias for the sweetness, but this burley and the flavorings are fantastic, no bite for a burley, and the room note smells great. i will still smoke my virginias on and off but when it comes to an aromatic, i finally found the one i like. i give sir walter raliegh aromatic a recomendation of 4 stars

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-12-02		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

By opening the cover, the smell is semi-sweet and very unique. It has the quality Burley and Virginia with a non recognizable, but pleasant perfume which adds a lot in the pleasure. It is not particularly heavy and surely it doesn?t cause any burning in the tongue. It remains dry till the end of the bowl.

The flavor of tobacco is quite strong, compared to other aromatic tobaccos. As they write, it has been perfumed lightly with some French and Dutch Liqueurs.

I will like it, also because of its price, together with Town Topic McClelland , to become my all day tobacco. It exceeds Larsen No 50 because of its cost in a low budget.

EVERY DAY I LIKE IT MORE.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-11-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

well,do to the lack of pipe shops around,I have been trying the forbidden drug store blends. looking at the reviews came across swra I'am not a aromatic smoker,I have a tub of reg.swr so I thought I would give it a try. for a non-aromatic smoker,this blend rocks!!the sweetness of the blend, is like well age virginia.I find myself smoking this stuff like its going out of style.it burns clean.the room note is great. everyone has there own taste but like they say that the frog is a good cross over blend for aromatic smokers, well I think this bled is good cross over for english smokers.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-08-05		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I have been smoking a pipe, (not the same one, mind you) for over 25 years now. I do not claim to be a master of the art, but after 25 years I know what I like, and I know crap leaf from really good leaf, and this is really good leaf. Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic is one of the finest aromatic tobaccos I have ever tried. I smoked this for the first time in 1983, and I still love this mixture. This is not a tobacco to turn your nose up at because it doesn't have a royal blood line as other more famous blends and brands. This great blend is not sticky sweet, but balanced perfectly. Containing dark and lighter Virginias with a little white burley, the topping is excellent. It doesn't burn too hot, and I have never recieved a bite on the tounge from it. SWRA is my favorite Christmas Season blend, and those around you will love the aroma. A wonderful classic, worthy of 5 stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaPeacePipe (33)	2007-07-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

OK so its only a lowly ?drug store? aromatic, nevertheless I am not in the least bit ashamed to admit that this is my all time favorite ?go to? blend. Yes, I have strayed and enjoyed some wonderful ?high end? aromatics from the likes of Pipeworks & Wilke, Habana Premium, Boswell etc. but I always come back to lowly SWRA and am amazed at how much I like this mild and sweet smoke. Any aromatic, for this smoker, can become monochromatic if smoked to complete exclusion, but SWRA has long been the most consistent element in my rotation. Burley predominates in this blend, this can be an all day smoke. As other reviewers have mentioned it can exhibit some bite and I too have noted that any bite seems to diminish after the tub has been open and allowed to ?age?.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-05-12		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am still new to writing reviews and have hastily made remarks on tobaks and later changing my mind after puffing a few more bowls. I will attemp not to do this any longer in order to be fair. My one big exption is if I smoke something again like Captian Black Cherry. Barf! DO NOT EVER try it!

After reading some of the more recognized reviewers, I purchased a pouch of SWRA and smoked the entire pouch before making a decision. If I had reviewed it after my first bowl, I would not have rated it the same.

My decision is that for a drug store tobak, it aint bad. I have had very bad experiences with other drug store blends, but I will have to say that this is an exception.

My taste varies more than some smokers who either like aromacis or Engilsh blends, but not both. I like the taste of latakia, but because the wife doesn't care for the room note, so I smoke it on the golf course or working in the yard. I also like aromaatics, but finding one's that doesn't smoke too hot or ewt is a chore. I have though found a few that actually smoke rather dry or at least leave little dottle. SWRA smokes dry all the way down and doesn't get bitter toward the bottom of the bowl. Please note that I did open the puch and let it sit for about a month before smoking it to let it dry out a bit.

Sir Walter Raliegh Aromatic is a blend that while is a little bland on the taste side, still provides me with smoking satisfaction. The room note is also pleasant which pleases bystanders.

I will give this drug store blend a three star rating and will smoke it again in the future, but will not keep it in my regular rotation. However, it is good for a change of pace.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-03-16		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I had a uncle (long dead) who was a lifelong pipe smoker who smoked SWRA. I have figured out recently after purchasing a pouch that the room note from my uncle's pipe was SWRA: it could be nothing else. Oh memory lane. His aromatic filled house was one of the main reasons I started piping in the first place....That said. This is a good OTC burley that smells great and tastes much better than most other OTC (Drugstore) blends, such as Captain Black. This light aromatic actually tastes like tobacco. Give'er a try. For $2.39 a pouch why not?

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-02-17		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This one seems to have found a place in my regular rotation via the long route. For quite some time I have taken a tour of the old school "over the counter" burlies, SWR Aromatic came up and at the time, maybe having smoked nothing but burlies over several months, I found this blend just OK, not unpleasant but not real remarkable either. In retrospect, I think I was just suffering from Burley burnout. Having smoked nothing but for several months, they all began to taste pretty similar. I put my pouch away for a month or so and decided to diversify my tobaccos. Getting away from "all burley, all the time" I put a virgina blend and an English/Latakia blend into the mix. There was also a burley blend in the mix but this way, I never seemed to smoke so much of any one type of tobacco that they all seemed the same. And so it was for a month or two until this morning, when I dug out my old pouch of SWR Aromatic. While I wouldn't necessarily call this an aromatic, it does have a very nice room note. Smoking wise, burley runs the show though and typical of its type, it's a straight forward, no nonsense burley. I would clearly sit this blend in the "Lawn Work tobacco" section. One of those blends that simply and quietly does its job while you concentrate on other things. Nothing super fancy but a smooth nice tasting tobacco with great smoking manners and a very good room note. I don't have pipes dedicated to aromatic mixtures as I can't live with the nicotine content of most aromatics but no worries here. Plenty of nicotine in this and not a goopy aromatic that will leave a huge footprint and ruin a pipe dedicated to burlies. Highly recommended for newbies and aromatic lovers looking for something with a bit more umph that still smells pretty good. Also a nice break for folks like me who occassionally just want something a little lighter and different.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-01-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Ok, I know that there are a lot of pipe smokers out there who turn their nose up at any "Drug Store Blends", but I am not one of them. I enjoy many VaPer blends, English blends, and quite a few "high end" Aromatics. BUT I do love quite a few "Drugstore Blends" and this is now one of them. I CANNOT say enough good things about SWR Aromatic! I purchased a 12 ounce tub from JR Cigar for $16, seeing several good reviews here. And boy! Am I glad I did. This, IMHO, is one of the FINEST inexpensive aromatics I have ever smoked. The liqueur topping is wonderful, you just want to scoop a big handful out of the tub and eat it! ( NO, I did not go that far! ) It packs easily, this is a ribbon cut, which is different than the regular SWR, which I also enjoy. It burns exremely well, has a wonderful flavor, and an excellent room note. ( My partner says it smells like carmelizing sugar, and friends have said it smells like sugar cookies baking) This blends requires few relights, has NO tonguebite, little nicotine, and burns down to an ash, leaving little to no dottle. I have been puffing away on this for about a week in many different pipes I have dedicated to aromatics, and it is wonderful in any sized bowl. It especially burns well in large bowled pipes and Meerschaums. I will ALWAYS have a tub of SWR Aromatic around, as I ALWAYS have a tub of the regular SWR around! HIGHLY recommended!!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	donk93953 (29)	2007-01-05		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

It was a mistake! I told her to bring me a pound of Sir Walter Raleigh regular. She brought me the aromatic. It sat on the shelf for one year. I was desperate..I needed pipe tobacco and that was all I had. In the jungle you live by care packages. I opened the tin, packed, and lit...puffed and enjoyed it. Mild, mild, mild....no one complains about the aroma..as a matter of fact, most compliment, "My Dad, Grand Father ( insert as you desire) used to smoke a pipe. That smells nice." This is my fallback. I know its readily available and friends can bring me this by the pound. Easy light and keeps burning til the bottom. I like it..yeah, I smoke nothing but Dunhills and I should like something more esoteric, but you know , I smoke this all the time. Try it....you'll understand....

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2006-10-23		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I picked up a pouch of this at a smokeshop today. About 20 years ago this was my smoke when i was a roofer, I burned this in cobs while i nailed away in Atlanta. Today brought back fond memories of a more simpler time, a fresh cool breeze, sun shining and a cob of good drugstore burley blend with a hint of aromatic, but still pretty good tobacco flavor. I will pick this up again from time to time.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-07-03		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have to agree with the favorable reviews for this tobacco. I bought a pouch in Washington State while on a trip near Richland, Wa. No good pipe stores in the area, only the cigarette type stores with a smattering of very expensive drug store tobaccos. After buying a pouch of this tobacco for about $5.50 plus sales tax, I opened the pouch and took a sniff. Wow, this smells great. I'm usually let down by drug-store tobaccos, barely tolerating the Captain Blacks and Borkum Riffs when I have to, but Sir Walter Aromatic is quite good for this type of tobac. I don't think I will invest in a large can, but for something fairly tasty, great smelling, and readily available in my area it is very good. Just avoid buying any tobacco in Washington State! They had a 100 gram tin of MacBaren Club Blend for $25 dollars plus sales tax in their display case!

Update: 7/3/2005...A great summertime blend. Puff away while doing yardwork. Tastes like real tobacco (good Burley) and smells terrific!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (88)	2005-06-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I know it's already been said, but I'll say it again anyway, this is definitelly NOT anything like the original SWR. I picked up some of this, after reading the reviews here. Yes, the pouch aroma is very pleasant, and the ribbon cut packs easily enough. But, wow, this smokes smooth, clean and with the right balance of aromatic topping and tobacco flavor. I don't much like aromatics, and am tired of the choco- vanilla-whatever flavors that I've found. This, however, is a different breed of cat and I think aromatic lovers will find something here they like. I'm going to keep some of this around for when I want to reach for an aromatic. A very good smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-05-31		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

After having a bad run-in with the soury crap ridden drabble of the regular blend of SWR, I was very reluctant to try the aromatic version. But, I took a gamble and purchased a bag of it from some tobacco outlet store. I opened it and it smelled decent, like a sort of licorice casing of some kind and perhaps a faint hint of the liqeuor tracing. It felt good rubbing in between thumb and forefinger, so i packed it about halfway in my tester pipe. I was amazed. This stuff is pretty good. It burns and stays mild, even in windy conditions where only minimal shielding was needed. It smells great. This is possibly the best drugstore aromatic you could buy.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-04-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

As far as inexpensive tobacco goes this is a real winner. Very pleasant and mild and it appeals to my penny pinching cheapness. This leaves a pleasant odor behind that even my wife, who doesn't like the smell of pipe tobacco, doesn't complain about. In my mind I tend to group the tobaccos into richer tobaccos to smoke while relaxing and those that are milder to smoke while working. This is definitely a tobacco that doesn't overpower you but is extremely pleasant to smoke at anytime and anywhere. I don't understand how the same people who produce the plain and sometimes bitter regular Sir Walter Raleigh can come through with such a gem for just a few dimes more.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-04-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Smells of maple syrup and fresh coffee to me. Packs easy and burns clean. The flavor is mild and pleasant. A very mild cased aeromatic. The room note is nice, as is the aftertaste. While this is nothing "special", it's a simple no frills smoke that is very consistant, just like an old friend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-01-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This is my favorite pipe tobacco of all time. It's the first thing I smoke everyday on the way to work. It makes the inevitable drive to work much more tolerable and sometimes just relaxing and pleasant.

As for the taste I find it to be kind of sweet but definitely not obnoxiously so and it gets better the longer it burns developing a more rich and rewarding taste. I've also never experienced any bite which I find be it's best quality.

This is the kind of smell I remember from my youth when my old man smoked a pipe. The aroma brings back memories of days gone by and the happiness awarded to me with the knowledge my father had come home from a long days work.

This is my favoite, hands down, nothing has even really come close.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	caddad (53)	2004-08-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

It's summertime and often this time of year I will experiment with various burley blends that I can purchase on my way home from work at the grocery or quick stop. I took to smoking S.W.R regular on my drives home and at the lake and found it enjoyable. I decided to give this tobacco a try after reading reviews on it on this site and found a friendly manager at Food For Less that didn't mind ordering in a 14 oz can for me. On opening the can I was very impressed with the smell and feel of the tobacco and could not wait to get it in my pipe. It lit very well and burned and tasted great! Actually it is the only aromatic blend that I have ever been able to enjoy in the heat of summer. My wife and family is pleased as they really like the smell. I have smoked half of the can in the last couple of weeks and have to say that I have not had a bad moment. I imagine I will obtain another can and keep it in my regular rotation. I would like to find more info on the blending and making of this blend it is very unique.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-08-03		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I remember this blend as one of my first true aromatic smoking tobaccos. I have since smoked it between other blends,and it is still as I remember it from the first smoke. This tobacco consists of Burley and Virginia tobacco with some really great flavourings. It is more on the shag cut,with dark and light leaf. I have always thought that while smoking this fine blend it had a "christmas-y" aroma.Not like holly or or a yule log, but like christmas cookies baking. I enjoy this blend usually around Christmas,and all love the aroma. A real good smoke!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-06-29		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I saw a pouch at the local grocery and had to give it a try. I didn't expect much from a drug store tobacco and was pleasantly surprised.

Somewhat dry in the pouch, it has a sweet aroma that reminded me of Beach Nut or Red Man chewing tobacco. That's where the similarity ended.

Easy to pack, easy to light and stays lit. Smells good and tastes excellent.

Well worth a try.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2004-04-21		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

After seeing a surprising number of positive reviews for this 'drugstore' blend, I figured I'd give it a shot. I can't say I'm dissapointed, though I think I got ripped off ($4.50 for a pouch? Yeah right!).

The tobacco in the pouch was drier than most pipe tobaccos I see, which might indicate it was sitting on that shelf near the window for a while.

Aroma is pretty good, I think 'liqueur' smell is the best way to describe it. Someone above mentioned maple, if he was referring to sweet maple syrup he was close. The taste of the casing isn't too strong, but it's definetely adding something. I wish it was a little stronger, but most people probably wouldn't. It can bite, but I've never been one to complain about a little spice.

Another thing I noticed is that this is about the best burning pipe tobacco I've ever had (I'm sure due in part to added burning chemicals, though I can't say I don't appreciate them). I can pack a thick bowl, get the top going and go all the way to the bottom without going out. Infact, you have to be careful with your smoking, overheating this blend gives a particularly nasty variation of that grease flavor.

Overall a very impressive blend, probably the best drugstore brand I've found so far. I've stopped sniping at my other blends and have focused on this since I got it, which is probably a sign that I enjoy it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pacific Captain (17)	2022-11-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

There’s just nothing like Sir Walter, I love flakes and kakes. I love plugs and tins. I love aromatics and gnarly burleys. But this tobacco is just one of a kind. I thought i liked Carter Hall or Prince Albert more as my OTC, but just kept coming back to this blend. It’s the sweet spot of flavor, lightness and aroma. The tin note is sweet Raisin Bran cereal and I love it. I can start my day with this or end it with this. Just a classic for a reason. The only blend I order by the pound. If you can’t enjoy a bowl of sir Walter in a cob you need stop pipe smoking altogether.

Pipe Used: Natural Cobs

Age When Smoked: Whatever

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TotoPipeDreams (44)	2021-08-28		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This stuff deserves more credit and certainly flies under the radar. I was very hesitant about this blend knowing that it’s an OTC and also aromatic, I was expecting, over the top, goopy, aromatic with little to no tobacco flavor. But I saw a trusted friend with similar tobacco tastes (Balkan/English blends) smoking it one day and decided to pick up a pouch for $6.50 at the local grocery store. Boy was I wrong in my assumption!

For fans of Peterson University Flake, I call this Peterson Community College. It is well worth your time and what little money you’ll spend. Readily available where I live in grocery stores. It’s a genuine tobacco with light plum/fruit topping. Not a heavy fake aromatic taste but a gentle vanilla note also comes through after the initial plum and then the burley.

The cut is wonderful. Fine ribbon almost a shag. It is great break-in material. Needed to be rehydrated when I got my pouch but other than that absolutely no complaints.

If you like UniFlake this is a MUST try! Seriously! You have very little to lose as far as your wallet is concerned!

Similar Blends: Peterson University Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Thepipehunter (43)	2021-03-02		Very Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic comes from the pouch a little moist, but dry for an aromatic. The tobacco is a little sticky but very far from being a “gooper”. The pouch note is very strong and sweet. It is topped with French and Dutch liqueurs which is the dominant aroma. I can also smell the grassy Virginias.

Upon lighting the toppings immediately shine through. It is very sweet and smooth, with quite a lot going on. Jiminks stated that he picked up on anise, hazelnut, and chocolate. After reading that I would have to agree. The topping also has a white sugar note to it, and perhaps even a touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and bakers spice. At times I feel like the later three are there and at others they are hard to notice. It may just be my mind trying to find something to identify the many flavors as. The VAs shine through despite the heavy topping. They are grassy, bright, and citrusy, and can have a little edge if aggressively puffed. I find the burley a little less noticeable. I get some nuttiness and a little molasses from them, but the topping tones them down a bit. This is a rare blend that is by all means an aromatic but doesn’t smoke like one.

SWRA is by all means an aromatic as the name would apply, but it doesn’t smoke like one. It doesn’t feel like an aromatic to the touch, it burns very cool and clean, leaves very little moisture behind, and did not leave a noticeable ghost. It behaves well, stays lit, and burns cool as long as you doing puff like a freight train, which can make it smoke a little warm. Very little nicotine to be found, so it could easily be smoked all day. 4 out of 4 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Effluvinator (60)	2019-11-01		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a surprisingly good aromatic. Don't be put off by the "SWR" in front of it. This may be my favorite aro, although I generally smoke non-aros. Unfortunately it is not that inexpensive these days, as a 12 oz container is $43.00 which is high for a "drugstore" tobacco. This is, however better than other drugstore blends and as good as even some premium tobacco. It tastes as good as it smells and allows some tobacco taste to come through along with an adequate amount of nicotine: more so than most aromatics. A great breakfast smoke!

Pipe Used: The Pipe, various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh and aged

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gahdzila (61)	2017-03-20		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Not at all similar to Sir Walter Raleigh - different cut, different color, completely different. I have no idea why they even chose to give SWRA the SWR name at all, unless it was just as a marketing tool to get SWR fans to try it.

Ribbon cut (as opposed to SWR's unique chunky clumpy rough cut), light brown (vs SWR's medium-dark). Nicotine is mild, as expected.

Moisture level is decent - a little on the moist side when compared to other OTCs, but drier than I would expect from an aromatic. Certainly not goopy. It benefits from a bit of drying time, but smokes ok straight out of the pouch. The flavor is interesting. Tobaccoreviews.com says that it is flavored with French and Dutch liqueurs, and that sounds right to me. A sweet cordial. Slightly fruity, but the fruit is hard to identify...peaches? Apricots? Mild burley is detectable, but this is an aromatic first and foremost. That said - the topping isn't cloying, overly sweet, or overpowering. Very well balanced.

I went in expecting a drug store burley with a little extra top flavor, but what I found was far different - an interesting light aromatic. Definitely recommended for aromatic fans, but also worth a shot for fans of other OTCs. I could definitely see myself revisiting it when I'm in the mood for a mild light aro

originally reviewed 11/1/2012

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2075)	2016-06-26		Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Brown & Williamson - Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic.

I reviewed this, or what I thought was this, a few years back. As it transpired it was a pouch of something else - a nice blend but it wasn't what I was told it was supposed to be. So I deleted my incorrect review, and the moment I saw this and it's sibling Sir Walter Raleigh Standard on Smoking Pipes.com I put through an immediate order. I found the standard Sir Walter Raleigh a very enjoyable blend, but I'm not so fond of the 'Aromatic' version.

As Pipestud points out, this one's a shag cut blend, as opposed to the cube cut of the standard Sir Walter Raleigh. When I opened the pouch, the aroma that greeted me was both pleasant and misleading. It smells almost caramel-like and has quite a pungent alcoholic trait. This isn't reflected as pleasingly in the smoke: the only recognisable flavour I get is some of the harshness, bitterness, and yuckiness that can sometimes come from alcoholic flavouring. To be fair, aside from the nasty flavouring, the tobacco flavour's good and it gives the blend a bit of a redemption: it's a very full and true representation of a top-class Burley-heavy blend.

I'd think the nicotine's at a strong enough amount for most smokers to get along with as it's medium, but I can't guarantee everyone will get along with the room-note: I don't.

It gets two stars solely based upon the quality of the Burley, and in all fairness although I don't find the flavouring very nice, there's not a great quantity of it.

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Dr Plumb Quintex

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manxman (82)	2016-05-07		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Might taste the unnamed liqueur. Mostly burley. Not very aromatic. Some nicotine. No tongue bite. Smoked dry in a cob. If you can only get an OTC blend, I recommend CB Gold before this. I wouldn't bother buying this again. I like to exhale through the snork, and this was a little too strong to enjoy doing that. I recently bought a Zippo pipe lighter. When using it, I find that tobaccos which can require relights are better at staying lit. YMMV.

Pipe Used: MM cob w filter,

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Carter Hall, Captain Black Dark.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jmitchell189 (1)	2015-07-02		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well now, here's a blend I love to hate. One of the better OTC burley blends. Here's the deal, I can taste the chemicals in this from time to time. It never gunks up the pipe, but I can taste the sour chemical taste. The problem is, I keep reaching for it. I keep a pouch on hand and I love the smell. I just wish it tasted the way it smells.

Pipe Used: Briars, MM Cobs

Age When Smoked: Straight from the pouch

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2015-03-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The pouch aroma, despite not revealing an obvious casing, is quite interesting and pleasant. Smoking started off very well but it progressively went downhill from there. The taste is quite nice, being nutty and sweet from the intriguing liquors mentioned but the frequent intervention of some harshness, hotness and a bitterness that can only unveil a low quality Burley, are what made me, in the end, disapointed with it. All this without mentioning this tobacco is a major biter! Reflecting on the price for a tub of this, I realize that OTCs are not that inexpensive anymore. Especially if compared to a 16 oz bag of Mac Baren Symphony, which is my standard for an everyday Burley choice and, by far, very much more superior in terms of leaf quality and pleasantness of the smoking experience. However, SWR Aromatic probably is the best OTC I have tried so far and not because for a change, it contains some Vitamine N to it. But it will be the last.

Pipe Used: Mark Tinsky

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CornCob (94)	2014-03-07		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought a pouch and couldnt finish it, horrid stuff that wouldnt stay lit and burned hot. Id be interested to try it in the large can to see if its any better, i find that tobacco brands can be spoiled in the pouch and are often better in tin or can. This blend certainly has a large loyal following with positive reviews so ill have to revisit it at some point. All i can say is the pouch i got was rubbish.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-11-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

This smelled very nice in the pouch, more fruity than chocolately as is so with its cousin SWR regular. This lit well and produced a moderate amount of smoke. I found this blend to have more of a chemical taste while smoking and the aroma was not much better. I'll stick to SWR regular, a much better blend and locally I can find it for under 4 dollars for a 1.5 oz pouch.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-11-20		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

Ok so i bought this cause i had heard alot about it. It has a very nice tin note sadly thats the only good thing about it. This has a very broing and harsh taste,resembles cigarettes. There are alot more drugstore blends out there worth trying any of the Captain blacks, cater hall, prince albert, maybe even Borkum riff. Try it if your into burley. This just inst for me but burley fans you might like this

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2010-07-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Having tried SWR awhile back, i decided to give this blend a whirl. I find the taste is rather appealing and it leaves a very nice room note. The ribbon cut on this is about the same as SWR and it packs and lights easily enough. I find that this does burn down to an ash with alot of dottle in it, as is the case with many of the OTC genre. It does produce a nice amount of smoke though. I must say that it does have a nice amount of Vitamin N to it, which is a good thing. The price isn't too bad either. All in all, I would recommend this blend to newbies, as well as those wanting a change of pace from their regular smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-05-04		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Bit of an odd taste here. It's not bad but not good either. One of those "I can take it or leave it" blends. At least it's not overpowering. If you like aros you might like this. There is at least a hint of the original SWR in the smoke and that's about all that kept me smoking it until the pouch was empty.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-04-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The three liqueurs topping smells like brown sugar, and is very nice. The smoke is a bit harsh with rough edges, smells similar to the topping, not your typical nutty burly flavor. In fact, it has the tasty harshness similar to the virginia Danish offerings of Peter Stokkebye or Borkum Riff. I would bet there is some virginia in it. Smoke it reasonably and it will not bite, the aftertaste is pleasant.

For me it is a rough burly, or a middling blend of burly and virginia. Either way I feel more enjoyable blends are available, especially considering the current price ($30 for a 12 oz tin). On its own *, value for dollar spent . Try it, if you like it, try the Peter Stokkebye bulk blends, you may like them more and save some money.

Add 20% to 50% black cavendish and it becomes a very nice smoke, mixed flavors of vanilla and brown sugar, smoothes out the harshness and becomes a lot like Stokkebys Nougat. I won't buy more, but this was an easy salvage.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-12-06		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The tin aroma is of sweet caramel and coffee with a touch of grassy burley. The cut is a very fine, short ribbon; almost a shag.

The topping is dominantly syrupy and thick. Liberally sweetened, golden cavendish burley comprises the base, and magnifying the candy effect is a modicum of rich red VA and a few odd flecks dark cavendish.

A thoughtfully constructed blend, Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic delivers the goods in that it smokes like it smells. Though an amiable smoke, I found it sweet at the outset and tedious over time. This will definitely ghost a briar and went well in a chamber of any gauge.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-10-02		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I was shopping and spotted this on the shelf and as I have never tried it, and as rare as it is getting to find new blends on the shelf, I bought it to try. I am a big fan of SWR regular and I was hoping that this would be an aromatic version of that. it is not! It in no way is like SWR regular. The cut is more of a cigarette RYO cut, it does have a fabulous pouch aroma but in a Danish tobacco way. But, I figured if it tastes half as good as the sweet smell in the pouch, I might enjoy it. It is an all brown leaf and packs veery easy in the pipe. Upon lighting, it fires up with one light and maintains the light in a smoldering, constant way. Upon lighting up, it is very mild to the palette but the room note is great. It does gain flavor pretty fast but is not overwhelming in any way all the way down. It has a sweet and a tiny bit of soapiness to it but as I like Highland tobaccos I never found this bad. It just never blossomed into a tasty blend in any way, just too mild for my palette. I really thought with the SWR name, it would be a more beefy smoke and it never developed into that. It's worth a try, but I can't give it more than two stars as it does not excite in any way. I wish that blends within a name would keep the good points of the main blend or just change their name completely.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-08-19		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The first tobacco I picked up for my first $5 ebay estate pipe. It was good enough to encourage me to sink a few more dollars into the hobby. I picked it up under the assumption that being flavored with liqueurs and not cased in syrup it would not be overpoweringly sweet and was rewarded. After all, if I wanted to smoke sugar I would shove a Snickers into my pipe.

I find the ribbon cut makes this a very forgiving pack. I thought I was a natural at packing and maintaining my pipe! Turns out I was wrong...

I did find that a day open (accidentally) did help the moisture content.

For a mild aromatic that you can still tell is tobacco at a rock bottom price I would recommend it. However, I have not touched it since I started frequenting my tobacconist here in Cincinnati and found better bulk blends at a very reasonable price.

I have a bit remaining and will break it out soon.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-07-30		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Picked up a 2 oz pouch of this as it's gotten pretty good reviews. It was really cheap too. Upon opening, the tobacco was pretty dry but when I loaded it into a cob it was still springy like your pack should be. The most noteworthy part of this tobacco is that is smokes very cool and isn't overpowering at all. Every now and then if I took a big puff I tasted a kind of nutty or tree branch like taste that I didn't care for much. So... final opinion is that it's not great but a lot better than other drug store brands out there.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2009-01-24		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I find the aromatic blend by Sir Walter Raleigh to be a strange tobacco.As far as the tobacco goes it's a thin cut so at times it can burn a little fast.Normally I get this by the pouch and in past experience it's been a fine after-dinner smoke.It has an amaretto and maple liquer casing.It's bite-free and is clean burning.My hesitation on this blend actually occured on the last few pouches I purchased,the taste was bland and the casing tasted 'thinned out',I felt like I was smoking hay that was lightly dabbed in amaretto.I'll give the can a shot before I shun SWR Aromatic from my cabinet.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-01-22		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is an American aromatic burley, this drugstore tobacco is slightly top flavored and gently cased giving an elegant aroma of nuts + cherry and a lovely room note, while it is not as nutty as Prince Albert, it is however more fruity and friendly smell.

Overall, an easy going, delicious and maintenance-free smoke while driving or watching movie or playing video game etc.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-01-08		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Honestly, I can't taste any liqueurs here. To me, it's a plain Burley blend, and not bad at all in that department. In drugstore burleys, this is only second to Prince Albert, and like the rest, it endures only due to availability and price.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Puffer (42)	2008-09-29		Medium	Medium to Strong	Overwhelming	Tolerable

My first try with this baccy. Upon upening the tin, I was hit with a strong aroma of black walnuts and chocolate. Wow, this was going to be one sweet smoke, Right? Wrong! First off, had a few sticks to pull out of the first filling. I am developing a strong aversion to sticks in tobaccos and this one is a duzzy. Started out picking sticks out of the whole 12 ounces and wound up with almost 1/2 ounce of just sticks - some that I would like to call logs.

OK. Start over with filling the pipe. Packs easily and evenly. Lights easily and didn't even need a second match. After initial tamp, settled down to really enjoy this smoke and it went downhill from there. No sweetness or nice aroma to be found. Never got hot or bit but started strong and continued to get stronger as the bowl went toward the bottom. No real particular tobacco taste or flavorings to enjoy, just strong! OK, must be the pipe. Maybe I hadn't cleaned it as well as I should. Grab another pipe and start over. Everything was as the first bowl full. Started strong and got stronger. This time, I had to quit after the first 3/4 of the bowl because I couldn't stand it any longer.

I'm really disappointed because of all the really good reviews that went before me which made me try this to start with. This seems to confirm a couple of beliefs that I have had for a long time about tobaccos; 1. That you can always get a bad batch, which I probably did; 2. Everybody's taste for tobacco is different exclusive of the particular taste qualities. I have noticed that some tobaccos that I find strong, some of my favorite reviewers find perfect or mild and vice versa, etc.

I will not downgrade this popular blend based upon my experience alone. I will keep it for possible blending tests and probably give it a couple more tries in the future. It certainly is no killer and you just might like it, so I'll give it a 2 for good measure.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-01-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

UPDATE 01/02/2008: I've had to lower this to two stars. I've had some pouches around for a little while. On opening, the moisture is good still. However, I've had the ferret pop its head out a few times now. I used to enjoy this blend a lot, but lately it seems a bit hit and miss. ============================================================

I originally tried this based on the reviews here and as part of my drug store tour. The first bowl or two it was not bad, then suddenly, as one reviewer put it, it "...bit like a rabid ferret." I thought, "You guys on TobaccoReview.Com must be nuts to rate this so high!" Not wanting to toss it away I figured to save it to blend with something later. I did use about half of that pouch in some blends. I tossed the pouch with the remaining leaf into a plastic zip bag followed by another toss into a very large cigar box I use to keep some tobaccos in. Hmmm, you may be wondering, why the three stars then?

A month and a half later I decided to give this one another try, carefully mind you. Wow, what a difference. What I had been cursing only a short time ago was suddenly a great smoke. I'd been smoking a lot of English blends and was looking for something a little different without being all goop and sludge like so many aromatics. This one had just the right touch of sweetness without being cloying. What once was despised was now finding its way into my pipes frequently. Which of course meant the remainder of that pouch was going away really fast.

I decided that I needed to check this out some more. I will guess that some tobaccos are hitting the shelves a little before they should these days. I've heard some complain of this with high dollar blends as well. It makes even more sense that lesser priced, pouch tobacco producers would cut a corner or two on the aging, sending a blend out the door before its time. Even the tin description notes, "Our unique combination of tobaccos is aged just long enough to ripen to maturity." With this one it may have also been the liqueurs that needed a chance to air a bit that caused the sudden attack.

I was liking this a lot and didn't want it to end. So, I picked up two more pouches with the understanding I may have to let it set a while. So far, the first of the new pouches has rewarded me with a nice smoke. The ferrets have had their rabies shots. This is one tobacco I think needs a proper time to mellow and marry the flavors. It may not always get that before it is shipped.

The smoke is enjoyable, with a nice, rounded sweetness that works with the tobacco taste and doesn't cover it up. While I know this is an aromatic in the technical sense, it doesn't register that way with me. I think aromatics and I think wet, syrupy flavored tobacco with strong aromas and either minimal tastes or cloying, heavy tastes. I also think of hot, wet air and tongue bite. Not so with SWR Aromatic. The tobacco is moist, but not wet. It doesn't leave a sopping, sticky dottle in your pipe, though you will probably have a slightly moist, clean dottle that pops out nicely. The smoke is flavorful with just enough moisture to not dry out your throat as some English blends can. I'm starting to wonder what blending this half and half with some bulk English would be like.

SWR Aromatic doesn't leave a heavy, lingering odor in the room or car like most aromatics. It seems to be short lived like English blends or VA's.

I always approach a newly purchased pouch with an understanding that I may get a too fresh pouch. I hope to try the canister a bit later. I would suggest getting a few pouches and setting some aside to age a few months and as you are finishing one pouch, put a new pouch to the back of the line in your stock.

I would give this 3.5 stars if I could. I'm holding off on the final star because this can get a little acrid/ashy/sour (you know, that burley thing) towards the end of the bowl as many burley based blends can. Also because there is always that lingering concern that a rabid ferret might have slipped into a pouch. Despite my terrible experience with this at first, I've come to like this blend a lot. Sir Walter Raliegh Aromatic is now a steady in my rotation. At this price I can lay some in to mellow a little. Maybe leave a pouch in the car with a cob or older briar, stuff some in my jacket with a nosewarmer... You get the idea. Smoke it at a reasonable pace and enjoy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-02-18		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I remember when this tobacco came out in the mid 1970's. The Sunday Roto section of the newspaper had a coupon to send in for a free pouch. The ad invited smokers to test drive a pouch, along with a photo showing a pair of tan driving gloves along with the black pocket pouch.

I bought a pouch while visiting a few weeks ago, haven't seen it in my area for some time. (However, the regular SWR is still sold in my area.) I remember this tobacco as having much, much more flavor and strength years ago. My current pouch smoked with very little flavor, although it is supposed to be an aromatic. Very much a non descript tobacco, with a whiff of aromatic flavoring.

Will buy an occasional pouch when I see it, for nostalgia purposes. However, very much preferred to overflavored stuff like Borkum Riff or Captain Black.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2007-01-03		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This was actually my second choice of the OTC burley search. Which was actually kinda fun, and I would suggest everyone try this. It was inexpensive and quite educational. Maybe I got an old pouch of this, but It really didn't hit me as an aromatic. Nice burley taste.....As with most of the OTC burlies I could have smoked it all day. Nicotine never really hit a satifaction level. Kinda like chinese food, Hungry again after 30 mins. But the taste was great. Give it a try

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2002-12-31		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've now tried this blend a couple of times in the past couple of years. Once, to try something new and the other time because I was in the middle of Nowheresville and was without!

The fresher of the two pouches that I tried reminded me of a tamed down Bourkum Riff Whiskey. Better Burley taste and less goopy. This was the "try something new pouch".

The Nowheresville pouch cost $1.79 and was drier. It had been countered for apparently some time. The liqueurs in this pouch was less profound and the Burley taste was surprisingly very good tasting.

If your in the middle of nowhere and empty, try this blend. But pick the oldest dustiest pack you can find.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leon (82)	2023-01-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Well, this blend taught me another lesson in stereotypes and misconceptions. I have nothing against drugstore blends and am a big fan of some of them, including Sir Walter Raleigh Regular. But I've always assumed that the aromatic version is simply a syrupy flavored version of the original. Nope, as others have clearly stated, this is a whole different blend - from the cut through the flavor profile, moisture, and everything else.

Right from the first puffs I get sweet fruity notes of berries, vanilla, and just a bit of zest. These notes remain pretty much consistent throughout the smoke.

The cut is somewhere between a shag and a ribbon. Sort of a very fine ribbon, which I find to be an absolutely excellent cut. It makes it very easy to pack and smoke, but doesn't run out too fast like some shag cuts.

The moisture is pretty much spot on right out of the can. Can easily be an all-day smoke and in fact, I consider it to be mine. No chance of tongue bite, even if pushed a little hard.

No rough spots, very smooth and cool smoke. Mild in body and strength, great aroma.

This is sort of a perfect blend which should easily compete with the "premium" pipe blends. It is very easy to smoke but also doesn't get boring. While it is an aromatic, it is not a flavoring bomb. Sweet Virginia and just a drop of body and depth from the Burley give it sufficient "tobacco flavor". It is not goopy or wet or anything that I would associate with many other aromatic blends. I'm primarily a straight Virginia smoker, but I find this blend to be more interesting than many of the premium Virginia blends that I've smoked.

So, yes, I wished I knew beforehand about how good Sir Walter Aromatic is. I would've stocked up on big cans for a good period of time. Well, that's exactly what I'm going to do from here on. Don't give in to stereotypes. Try this one, at least once.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CDSmith (1)	2022-12-02		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I don't ever rate the tobaccos I smoke because taste is so subjective, in my opinion. But after 25 years of enjoyment from pipe smoking I've have never smoked one of the old school " drug store" blends. Well I'm sorry I haven't because I've been missing out. I could see this becoming my everyday morning smoke. It's mild in the nicotine strength. To me the burley really is delicious with a nice walnut taste and the slight amount of topping used adds a hint of dark chocolate on the finish. Room note is wonderful, according to the wife. I will be buying a tub shortly and am just sorry I was to much of a tobacco snob to not give this a try sooner.

Pipe Used: Molina bent apple

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PennsylvaniaPiper (17)	2021-03-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

One of my favorite pipe tobaccos for years. I have a Boswell freehand dedicated to it. It smokes cool and mild with an aroma that is out of this world. I really enjoy mildly flavored aromatics where there is a topping present but you can still taste and smell tobacco. In this regard, in my humble opinion, SWRA is the king.

Pipe Used: Boswell Freehand

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2021-02-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The tobacco is high quality, you can tell that when you open the tin. Unfortunately, it has a licorice flavor in the form of anise which I detest. I am sure, however, that a lot of people like it.

Pipe Used: Cob

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tropicalretriever (23)	2020-05-10		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Sir Walter is known for its fine tobaccos, and their aromatic is no exception. Unfortunately, it has the taste and scent of licorice which I despise. It wasn't the tobacco's fault though, it was mine. I should have done more research, but I can't recommend it.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2014-09-10		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

After smoking and enjoying Sir Walter Regular, and hearing generally good things about SW Aromatic, I am a little disappointed.

This stuff isn't bad, but the regular version has more flavor. Sir Walter Aromatic is a ribon cut blend with Anise liquor on top. Straightforward burley tobacco, though on the light side, with a hint of anise.

Not bad, but not worth the hassle I went thru to find it and try it. Smoked the pouch I got without trouble and moved on. Would not buy again, but not bad, just not for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2010-10-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I purchased this because I saw a pouch in a local shop. I am new to pipe smoking but I do like a strong smoke. Burley is favorite so far, and this has that for sure. The liquor casing sounded interesting to me so I figured what the hey.

I open the pouch and on the first bowl I wasn't impressed at all. Tasted chemically and just not pleasant or enjoyable. I let is sit for a couple of weeks and tried a bowl again last night as I walked the dog. It tasted a lot better but still not what I am looking for.

I guess I am just no the aromatic type when it comes to this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2008-08-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Taking a whiff from the pouch will entice one to give it a try. Once you light it however, you will probably be disapointed and left hanging for more. It is BLAH! No taste. The aroma is good but the tongue will be asking for more. This is one of the strangest blends that I ever smoked. The topping taste like chocolate and amaretto. Smoking this is like having sex and stopping right before you reach climax. A disapointment indeed! At least with the regular, you can taste the tobacco somewhat!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Redd (117)	2007-10-29		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This Blend is not what it use to be. SWRA use to have an almond aroma. Which ahs now been changed to a soft vanilla. Not as rich as it use to be. Still not a bad tobacco but not very aromatic. I think the regular SWR is a better bet

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2006-08-24		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is a weird one! I gave it a try after reading some reviews, and remembering that my friends and I in high school used to buy the regular SWR blend and roll cigs with it.

Opening the pouch was a little "pewey" to me. I am not a fan of aromatics, but can enjoy them if the aren't overwhelming and I can still taste the tobacco. I really thought this stuff would smoke disgusting, so I tried it in a cob first.

It lit right up, and seemed to just take off and smoke on its own. I have to agree with a lot of the reviewers here in saying that it was rather bland in taste, though very pleasant in aroma. The flavor itself was more or less like a watered down burley. I like burleys for the "on the go" type of feel they give me, and for the nicotine. If this is a burley, it must be heavily diluted with something else.

I will say that it was very mild; no bite and no faint BO smell like some of the cheaper burleys. Its aroma reminded me a little of pecan pie for some reason, and once in awhile a little of that came through on the palate, but not enough to really satisfy my taste buds. I had the same results in a good briar as in the cob. I can't say I was disappointed, because I had no great expectations. Often I find myself picking up on little nuances of flavor that others miss, so I thought I would try it. Nope, it's just not there.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-03-02		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

This blend reminds me of a light beer. Just as light beer gives you a slight taste of beer, this blend gives you a slight taste of maple/vanilla sweetness. This would be the perfect blend to smoke around those you may offend or to introduce someone new to the pipe.

One of the lightest aromatics I have ever tried. For what it was, it was a pleasant smoke, but on those occasions that I am in the mood for an aromatic, I want more flavor.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2005-01-30		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic is nothing like the original SWR. It is a ribbon-cut burley blend, laced with spirits. I'll give it this--it has one of the most enticing pouch aromas I've ever had the pleasure of smelling.

When lit, however, most of the aroma disappears, leaving one with a slightly piquant burley smoke. Nothing remarkable, but not bad.

Note that this blend contains coumarin, an ingredient used in rat poison. Not being a chemist, I have no idea whether it's good or bad for you, but the investigating I did made it sound like something I wouldn't want in my pipe tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (51)	2022-07-09		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Great tobacco! I like Burley and nicotine, this power suits me very well, unfortunately, I don't like the taste of anise and almond, it's just my personal smell hobby, but it's still good smoke

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: new

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2022-06-11		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Wow, this totally gelled w me. I definitely dig SWR but this is a notch above in flavor, tin note, and room note. I must admit I enjoy SWR's cut better but this is manageable. And I wouldn't call it coarse cut but more of a go e ribbon. Tin note is nice burley w a wee tiny hint of hay, some chocolate (not so much cocoa) and other liquor not identified by myself but that dissipates after a day or so. Consistent taste for 3/4's of a bowl (unless puffed tuff, then it gets bitter or tasteless) not to moist. And at 8$ at a B&M it's priced right. Solid 3.5 stars!!

Pipe Used: Falcon. Sav 310, Wilmer AAA bent Dublin, cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 1 y/o

Purchased From: B&M

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Exiled Michigander (26)	2022-03-02		Very Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I have to say at the start that I find it funny that this is called "Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic." The "original" Sir Walter Raleigh is pretty aromatic in my opinion!

Sir Walter Raleigh ("original") is a favorite of mine (see my glowing review), but unfortunately I am a dissenter when it comes to Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic. Most reviewers tend to place "Aromatic" above the original, at least judging by the average rating metric on this site. I would disagree. I would still recommend it, but personally I don't think it holds a candle to the "original" Sir Walter Raleigh.

Every time I have tried this blend, I find it instantly, noticeably harsher than "original" on my tongue, back of my throat, and nostrils. It doesn't bite, but it has an aggressiveness to it--something akin to drinking a 90-proof whiskey when you normally drink an 80-proof. I could look past this if the flavor was there, but unfortunately it isn't.

Underneath this blend I find the chocolatey, molassesey, burley goodness of Sir Walter Raleigh that I love. But on top I get a rather artificial tasting vanilla and a light touch of an indistinguishable liquor (rum?). At times, thankfully rarely, I get an acridness that is rather off-putting. I don't get "chemical" per se, but all together it just seems a bit "off" to me. It's like when you take your favorite Manhattan recipe and say to yourself, "I bet if I added a bit of Cointreau to this it would be even better!" . . . . and then you try it and realize you f'ed the whole cocktail up. You still drink it, it isn't horrible . . . but the original Manhattan was a lot better. That's what I get from this. It isn't bad. I definitely will smoke it. But if I had my druthers I'd stick with Sir Walter Raleigh ("original").

That being said, it has a pleasant room note and leaves a nice aftertaste. Definitely not a bad smoke. It's just hard when you have to compare it to its stellar "non-aromatic" version.

But, as the Dude says: "Yeah, well, that's just, like, my opinion, man." Give it your own try and see what you think. As inexpensive as this is, even if you hate it you can throw it away and not feel too guilty!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stevetheidahopiper (6)	2021-05-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

If nothing else, the tin note of SWR Aromatic is one of the best. It has a unique tin note of warm bread or oatmeal, molasses, raisin... or is it oatmeal/raisin cookie? Whatever the case, it is incredibly pleasant... a note that I have yet to experience... and I am glad I did! This smoke is not at all overpowering, and no bite. Without some help, I don't think I would have been able to place the flavors. Overall, a very enjoyable "codger" blend that deserves more recognition.

Pipe Used: Rattrays

Age When Smoked: Fresh pouch

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MangoLegs (72)	2021-03-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Preparation & Burn: 6/10 Perfect cut and moisture. No prep required. Burns cool, no bite. Stays lit for the most part. While the smoke is mostly smooth, it can be a bit harsh in taste sometimes if packed and puffed carelessly.

Taste: 15/20 Very smooth, balanced blend.

Mildness: 9/10 My idea of a good smoke is a relaxing, low nicotine session. Therefore, the milder the better. I barely detect the nicotine here.

Total: 30/40

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30124)	2021-02-20		Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A nice, standard pipe tobacco. It’s got a mild anise taste, and occasionally I get a hint of cocoa, but the pouch note is slightly stronger anise than the taste is. Easy to pack, and one of the few blends that seems to stay lit with little effort. The strength surprised me, I expected a very mild blend, but it packs a little bit of a punch. The room note is decent when smoking it, but if you’re not and someone else is, I notice a hint of cigarette scent.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	D.K. (58)	2020-12-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Probably my favorite aromatic of all time. A desert island blend for sure, and that's saying something with all the aromatics out there. It's truly in a room by itself. SWR has just that sublte hint of Grandma's cinammony fruit-cake she'd make at Christmas, and took the recipe to the hereafter with her. She started that conglomeration sometime around Thanksgiving, and let it "do it's thing". It was the only Fruitcake I ever had that I (and others) truly LOVED. I know, enough about Grandma. SWR-A is like that to me. Jogs memories, and tastes fantastic, without being spray painted with flavor like so many other aromatics I've had. It's what your granddad probably called "aromatic" compared to tobacco's of his day. If you need an explosion of Cherry or vanilla in your face, you're opening the wrong can. If you need to breathe burning cedar bark and pine cones to feel like a man, you're opening the wrong can. If you need a tasty mildly rummy fruitcakey flavor, you'll really like this. I will say this smokes better to me, in a small tapered bowl briar. Full breathing large bowl cobs seem to largely wash out the already mild flavor.

Pipe Used: All, with a dedicated unmarked briar

Age When Smoked: new-2years

Purchased From: many places

Similar Blends: nothing except grandmas fruit cake.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipey duck (49)	2020-08-09		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

As with a lot of aromatic tobaccos the taste and flavor is sublime but the underlining tobaccos are to mild to satisfy. In the taste the burley is expertly rounded by the mild virginias. There are no musty scent like in burleys as solani ABF for example which I really dislike. It is more of a honey chocolate taste with a little licorice witch I never tasted before. It can burn a little hot and i prefer narrow bowls to concentrate the mild tobacco a little. A recommended Surprise

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Mac Baren Navy Flake.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ramo (14)	2020-02-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I feel like I must have got a bad bag or something. This was one of the flattest smokes I've ever had. Absolutely only hot air was had. It smells great, feels great, loads great, behaves great, but just doesn't deliver in the pipe.

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