Robert McConnell Mature

This is a great smoke. The Virginias are mildly sour and tangy fruit. The anise topping adds a contrasting sweetness. There are bready notes in the second half of the bowl. Flavor is well rounded and very nearly rich. You need to be gentle on the relights, which aren't very many, to avoid a little harshness. A wonderful and satisfying tobacco.

Medium to strong in body. Flavoring is mild to medium. Taste is medium to full. Burns pretty well. This is good stuff.

This review is of a round green tin I bought from Germany. On it there were two descriptions, the first stating that it contains Virginia tobaccos in combination with Orientals, while the second, a little more elaborate, mentions the Virginia leaves’ provenance from Africa and Brazil and the Orientals’ from Greece and Turkey. It also describes the blend as sweetish and rich in aroma and flavor. On the site of the shop from where I bought the tobacco (Esterval’s Pipe House), there is yet another description, supposedly from the manufacturer, which states: “ Four different provenances Virginia and a portion of a sour-sweet Oriental tobacco are fermented together with the addition of a traditional subtly fruity fig casing in the press and then stored for ripening. A classically inspired flake, slow smoldering with cool smoke and gentle-sweet taste.” And from the Kohlhase & Kopp site Robert McConnell’s Mature tobacco is shown on a rectangular tin, it is described as consisting of dark, spicy, hand-grated Virginia flakes. And lastly, here on tobbacoreviews.com, it’s also shown in a rectangular tin, not round, and is described as consisting only of Virginia and an anisette flavouring is also mentioned.

So, what actually is the case? Is this a pure Virginia or an Virginia/Oriental blend, is it cased at all, and if yes with what, figs, chocolate or anisette? The safer guess, I think, is the tin description as the tobacco might have changed recipe through the years. But it does not mention a casing. The tin note on the other hand is quite fruity (haven’t had Erinmore for many years, but it kind of reminded me of that tobacco) and suggests to me that there is a (mild) casing. Anisette for sure it is not and I do not think its chocolate either, but it is possible that there could be some chocolate in it. The fig suggestion seems plausible but the aroma is sweeter, so to go along with the fig option, I’d say it smells like some kind of fig liqueur.

The cut of the tobacco is a broken flake, very similar in appearance to Scottish Cake. It consist of several hues of brown tobaccos and it is on the moist side. It is ready to smoke but it also gives one the option to dry for a few minutes if desired. Packs easily and after the initial char it smokes great without need for many relights. Great burning to the end, whether you dry it or not. It also has a nice medium strength with enough nicotine for a satiating smoke.

Taste is medium but nuanced. It’s mostly of a juicy, mildly tangy and yeasty natural tobacco with a delicate sweetness and the fruity topping is felt only mildly. The taste is mainly of tobaccos, not of the topping. At times, especially after relights or when the tobacco is smoldering I get some beautiful nutty notes. I cannot taste the Orientals per se but I have no reason to doubt their presence and they very likely are responsible for the nuttiness and might also add the sour note mentioned in the description.

Overall this is an excellent blend, and I recommend it highly to smokers of natural tasting tobaccos, not to those who smoke aromatics.

Just as with about any other blend by Robert McConnel there are way too many different and contradicting descriptions... one says it's pure Virginia, one says VA with Chocolate, another one Va/Oriental with Anise, otehr one Va/Oriental with Chocolate... and so on... either way here are my two cents on this rather pleasing tobacco:

There's no chocolate in there whatsoever... I'm most sure of that! Anise/licorice could be included in the topping, which is rather fruity and sweet in tenor with a slight (but pleasant) sour nuance to it. I prefer airing the tin out for about a day, so the topping will evaporate a bit and the tobaccos to shine more. Once aired out for a bit, I also get a most pleasant bread-y and pastry-ish notes out of this, as well as a hint of Oriental spice and zing.

The ready rubbed mixture comes quite moist and stays moist for quite a while.. so 1 day of airing it out won't do it no harm... no surprise, when you take a look at the additives..~4g of Propylenglycol (PG) on 100g of tobacco... https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=104493&site_key=153&stichw_suche=mature&zeilenzahl_zaehler=1

I don't like the use of PG at all.. but the rather pleasing and "comfty", "Old-timey" taste makes up for that disgrace.. because the combination of the mild topping paired with the Virginia/Oriental tobacco foundation works like a charme for me and gives me a very "old-timey-feeling", like this is a smoke that would've been savoured decades ago. And in fact the recipe of this dates back quite a while, sadly I can't find the exact date at this moment, I'll hand it in later as I find it.

The Virginias are wonderful... rich notes of bread, earth and some grassy/vegetative qualities prevail, whilst also offering a smooth honey-dew undertone. The Turkish pairs just perfect with the Virginian leafs! It offers a smooth, yet full-bodied and exotic spice and zing to this blend, that makes this blend really interesting for me. Slightly flowery and even hints of ethereal oiliness. They really "grasp" into each other and are excellently accompanied by the mild topping, which reminds me somewhat of anise, but moreso of honey and I also perceive it as "somewhat fruity". Really pleasing, not too overbearingly applied it adds that "classic pipe smoking feel" to the blend, just as much as the pleasant, "pipe-smoke-ish" room note!

My first review on this gave 3 stars, but I'll up-rate it to 3,5 stars - only the high PG amount in this blend makes me hestitate to grant it all 4 stars... Despite the rather excessive use of PG in this blend, it has a lot of charme to offer and will not only please lovers of Virginia, but can also be a wonderful first step towards more natural blends when you're coming from aromatics. I'd consider this a "Semi-Aromatic". But also me, as a Burley-Boy, who enjoys some lovely Turkish/Oriental leaf in his blends finds great pleasure in this! For me this THE classical "pipe tobacco" as one thinks of, when haven't smoked the pipe before! Not solely aromatic, but also some nice tobacco foundation, great room note, pleasing and calming smoke.... grab a tin! 😉

|| Personal rating: 3,5-stars | Attempt of an 'obective rating' : 3,5-stars ||

Here is another of my top 20 pipe tobaccos. Solid as a rock. This is a strong smoke. It lights well burns slow and brings forth a wonderful aromatic fog. I admit fully that I cellar a large stock of this tobacco. I like to smoke this over the weekend and I get more comments on the room note.

This blend is such a combination...broken frlakes from matured virginias and orientals topped with anisette..once the tin opens a wonderfull aroma comes out.citruses and spicy woods are combined with the unique anisette topping giving a very appealing smell.the broken flakes are very moist and some drying time is needed.packs and lights easy if dried and several relights are needed.while smoking the flavours are clear,natural and pleasing from the beginning till the end.virginias are in the front being citrusy,grassy and with some bread notes.orientals add some interesting florall notes,spices,woods and some earthy notes.the anisette topping supports the flavours without subtlimating them making it a unique smoke.burns slow and medium hot to ash with some moisture at the filter.nicotine level is almost medium and the aftertaste is sweet.nicotine level is almost medium with no chance of tongue bite.an all day plaesant blend.4 stars for the flavours and for the general idea for creating and processing this blend!totally recommended

Robert McConnell - Mature.

A fairly dark, well broken, not too wet, blend from a fresh tin. There's no need for further rubbing.

It lights well, giving a reliable burn. Now, I like the tobacco flavours: well balanced, not too citrus-sharp, a little sweet and sour, and lightly creamy. It's a quality natural flavour, but for me, the topping spoils it. Although it doesn't come over as being a blend with LOADS of added taste, there's just enough liquorice/aniseed to give a bitterness I don't find appealing. Also, I don't find the temperature too agreeable, that, and the tongue bite reduce the rating further.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not exactly a fan.

Mature: I'll be fair and give it a fairly noncommittal two stars, because the tobaccos taste quite nice. It's just ruined by the top-note:

Somewhat recommended.

This is a nice and tasty smoke. The licorice topping is subtle but assertive. The tobacco is dark and comes Ready Rubbed. It's a bit on the moist side so I choose to dry it out for a good 30 minutes before I lock and load. There's nothing too exciting about this one but it never really gets boring. It's not a "sit and contemplate" smoke but more of a chore blend in my opinion and it sure beats the hell out of most characterless American aros. The nicotine is about medium so it will satisfy your nic cravings and the room note is very pleasant. This would be one of my choice smokes if I was worried about non smokers around me (which I never am) but I think most people will find the aroma to be quite pleasing. I will happily smoke both the tins that I picked up but once it's gone I don't think I'll be getting more. It's pretty much a "middle of the road" blend and average on every account but sometimes that's exactly what I'm wanting.

I was looking forward to this tobacco for a while and let it age several months when I got it. I'm a Virginia fan and also a fan of a lot of topped tobaccos ( University Flake, Kendal Flake, and Epiphany, especially). I also like many anise topped tobaccos (SWR, CH). However, I found the topping on this to be a bit too much. I feel that the topping impedes the flavor of the tobacco and seems, to me at least, to drown the tobacco. I've given it many bowls in different pipes and with different packing techniques. It's just not for me. If topped Virginias are your Nirvana, please try it. The tobaccos, from what I can tell, are top notch. It just isn't what I expected and I found little to enjoy.

Oh. And it will most def ghost your pipe..

This has easily became one of my favorite blends for sure. Almost full flavored dark Virginia with a deep cocoa sweetness and spice from the anise. I do get some allspice and clove notes too. The orientals add a fuller body with a lot of creaminess, honey oats, and seems to kill the acidic notes that are associated with virginas. Burns cool, clean, and has good nicotine content. This is definitely a sleeper blend that I could enjoy all day long.

Questo è un tabacco che nel tempo è stato (secondo me cambiato) da aromatizzato è diventato un aromatico. L’Anice descritto in confezione è solo un vago odore.

Questo è uno dei tabacchi poco conosciuti e, sempre a mio parere, ingiustamente snobbati dai più.

Il taglio è bello grossolano come ci si aspetta dal Broken. Gli aromi a crudo sono sensibili e variabili, da un fruttato, floreale dei Virginia, all’aspro, speziato degli Orientali.

Carico la pipa in piccoli tocchi sino a riempire tutto il fornello e creo una brace uniforme, lentamente. Questo tabacco per esprimere il meglio di sé deve essere fatto asciugare molto, quesi seccare. Gli aromi che arriveranno al palato stanno vari e mai monotoni. Innanzitutto lo speziato dell’Orientale subito seguito e superato dal virginia, molto fruttato ed erbaceo; proseguendo a fil di fumo il composto di uniforma, un lieve pepato al retronasale che appaga e quella frutta che varia dalla frutta secca alla mela; si la il dolce acido della mela. Ottimi i Virginia utilizzati. Gli Orientali sono la colonna della miscela danno il nerbo al fumare impedendo che la dolcezza del Virginia possa diventare, alla lunga stucchevole.

Credo che il Mature sia un tornare al fumo all’antico, quel fumare la pipa che si ha nell’immaginario collettivo. Il fumo è pieno avvolgente e a tratti anche cremoso, si lascia fumare, anzi ti seduce. Dopo una carica ne cerchi subito un’altra rimanendo sempre appagato, sazio di gusti ed emozioni.

Va fumato in meditazione. Richiede una quota di attenzione. Come quella bella donna con la quale sei in dolce compagnia che non puoi non dedicare tutte le attenzioni e cure.

Fumato frettolosamente si deteriora, diventa acido ed aspro, invece fumato a fil di respiro si esalta e ti da gioia, ringrazi di essere nel mondo della pipa.

Se lo si abbina con un buon tea costruito con te neri d’Assam, dello Sri Lanka e dai tè neri forti kenyani; insomma la miscela british, il gusto si esalta restando li inebriati.

Lo consiglio a chi ha esperienza del fumo della pipa in quanto va studiato e scomputò nelle varie tonalità di aroma che giungono al palato e al naso. La nota ambientale è piacevole.

Una miscela pomeridiana, da pausa.

Voto? 4,9/5