Favorite Shag Cut Tobacco Blends

deathmetal · May 19, 2017

So this came up in another thread:
Not all shag cuts are RYO, or designed as "hybrids" that you can hand-roll as well as put in a pipe.
Some are preferred by pipe smokers because if you are loading and smoking while in motion or in an otherwise chaotic circumstance, shag cuts make it easy. They also seem to leave less moisture in the pipe.
Two of my favorites, Kendal Dark and Dark Birdseye, are shag cuts.
So is Five Brothers, a hybrid that is perfect for Burley fanatics.
I did not like Three Sails, D&R's inferior knockoff of Three Castles, but I am told by reputable sources that other D&R products are worth exploring.
One of the Vincent Manil Semois blends comes in a shag cut.
I am sure there are others.

jvnshr · May 19, 2017

Esoterica Tobacciana's And So To Bed and Lane 1Q (something between ribbon and shag cut I guess).

jpmcwjr · May 19, 2017

Esoterica Tobacciana's Margate.

deathmetal · May 19, 2017

I forgot the easy-burn cut on 1Q. There's a reason it is at the top of the market: tastes like a marshmallow, smokes like a dream, and enough nicotine to put you on the floor if you measure under one foot tall.

mso489 · May 19, 2017

Le Petite Robin is the Tabac-Manil Semois shag cut. I think it has another tobacco besides the burley variant in the other medium and thick cut single leaf versions. It's a good blend, though I like the single leaf thick and medium cut best.

aquadoc · May 19, 2017

Dark Birdseye is easily my favorite. Never had 1Q but I am increasingly becoming disenchanted with Aros. Ash and air is all I taste.

jravenwood · May 19, 2017

Second vote for - And so to bed. Ill smoke some 1-Q as long as its a 50/50 mix with Lane BCA!

oldgeezersmoker · May 19, 2017

Third vote, And So To Bed

kanse · May 19, 2017

Kendal Kentucky is Birdseye without Virginia.
There is also Wilke 010 and some Esoterica Blends.
As far as DR goes, they don't do true Shags, at least not for pipes. Their cut is more of a ribbon.

Picayune was quite a nice blend, still.

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast · May 19, 2017

Balkan Sobranie : puffy

:

youdancer · May 19, 2017

Kendall Kentucky and Five Brothers
There are times when I love how little prep shag requires

aquadoc · May 19, 2017

One I forgot, Grousemoor. It is a very thin ribbon bordering on shaggy, if not a thickish shag. Also, is KK worth a try compared to dark Birdseye or not?

mso489 · May 19, 2017

youdancer's right, and how could we forget Five Brothers, that lovely burley jolt.

oldgeezersmoker · May 19, 2017

@mso489, jolt is not quite the word. Thermonuclear devastation is more descriptive.

allthebass · May 20, 2017

Rattray's Red Raparee. Honestly I haven't smoked a tin of this for quite a while and tobaccoreviews.com has it listed as a "Mixture" cut but I recall it being as least as fine ribbon cut as the Germain ribbon blends and bordering on shag cut. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, have a new tin in the cellar but it's been a while.

deathmetal · May 20, 2017

Thermonuclear devastation

So that's what they call tobacco stronger than "Very Strong."
I do not find Five Brothers to be that strong, but nicotine sensitivity varies, as does Burley sensitivity.
Five Brothers is great if you mix in a strong Virginia like... er... Royal Yacht.

spartan99 · May 20, 2017

Germain's Cavendish and Virginia

hawky454 · May 20, 2017

All of the GH&Co shag cuts are stellar! Dark Bird's Eye and Kendal Dark Vanilla being my favorite. Northstar is pretty good too.
The new Vincent Manil is just too shag, man. It's more shag than shag... it's shaggy!
It seems that some pipe smokers are put off by shag cuts, they seem to think that automatically means that they are RYO blends. Not true.

Briar Baron · May 21, 2017

From memory Butera Pelican was shag cut.

Chasing Embers · May 21, 2017

Kendal Gold Banana just recently found its way into my collection. Shag cut and very pleasant.

Favorite Shag Cut Tobacco Blends

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