Robert McConnell - Oriental pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 57 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Peter Piper	05/22/2013	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This is a lovely mixture, to look at, smell and smoke. Contrasting colours, a pleasant aroma and then a mellow combination of flavours come your way: fruit, honey and spice without any hard edges to it. If this is "an old man's smoke" then I must be an old man! Recommended.
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renwardhoop	05/18/2013	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
Ach. Ach. Ach. I've made a big mistake here. I thought this blend would be like a pipe version of Tor Oriental cigarettes. By that I mean sweet, flavourful with an aromatic aroma. It is none of those things. It's what I call an old man's smoke, or maybe old skool as they call it these days. As I said I bought this blend in error. I could detect a musty, leathery odour before I even cracked open the can. Maybe that raises a question over the canning process I don't know. So, it was without any great surprise that opening the tin revealed a damp dark mass of tobacco, that immediately brought to mind my horrific encounter with a certain squadron leader. The smell that I detected before I openned up, was there in abundance and carries through into the smoke. To some this style of tobacco is the very epitomy, to others, like me it's just ghastly. Ir smokes down to a hard flaky ash and I have a nasty suspicion that I may have to break out the alcohol and salt. Not for me then and up for an urgent trade, with nary a teaspoonful missing. Don't make the mistake I did, and do your research before buying.
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Tudorcfr90	01/17/2013	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
The blend that I currently smoke and also my first ever Robert McConnell. Very complex aroma and nice oriental taste. The Latakia is not powerful, added only for complexity. The taste is offered mainly by the sweetness of Virginia and the spiciness of the Orientals with the Cavendish added to temper the strength. A real symphony of aromas. I love it! It will always be in my collection.
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Deimitori	11/15/2012	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I've smoked two bowls of this good tobacco, the quantity supplied to me of our forum meeting (Hellenic Pipe Smokers Forum) in October 2012. My view is that this is a very good and valuable tobacco. Oriental tobaccos have the dominant role with flavors between sweet and spicy, it has creamy texture and I taste nice taste of raisins, a taste of "earth", slightly spicy spices and a nostalgic scent of old wood shop. Virginia simply serves as a basis in which Orientals are "dancing" their own delicately scented complex dance. The Black Cavendish looks like the link that connects the base (Virginia) to the top (Oriental) giving a very nice and interesting final smoking result. A successful mixture that is not an one-dimensional one. As smoking goes to the middle of the bowl, the sensation of pungent spices becomes stronger without monopolizing the taste palette. I had the subtle taste of Japanese green tea "Ocha", something that up to now I have only tasted in the legendary Balkan Sobranie. And of course there is the smoked taste of Latakia tobacco which enriches it. If there is no Latakia in this blend as some pipe smokers ar mentioning, then it is a highly successful smoked Oriental tobacco in the mixture that gives a sense of tasty Latakia. The tobacco reminds me the great English blends of Dunhill. It has the European "feel" of the Balkan / English blends. But it is also somewhat less "aggressive" in both the "intensity" and the final aftertaste compared to those of Dunhill's . A smooth smoking with moderate strength of nicotine it can be smoked pleasant all day. It lights easily and burns slowly and well and without a lot of extra lighting. No tongue biting if smoking it in a calm way, not leaving any liquid in the bowl and the filter comes very clean after smoking. The room note is rather pleasant to tolerable and can be well accepted even by people who do not like the smell of the "Latakia". An old, historic blend has its roots close in the beginning of the 19th century! A great pipe tobacco with a very nice, soft and rich flavor. I was very pleased to "meet" this tobacco, but now that I smoked all the quantity I had, I will miss it very much ...
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Vovinam	10/29/2012	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
It's a fine, mild and atypical "scottish blend like" mixture, maybe a little straight for the first part of the tin. No traces of latakia, (also in the catalogue you can read "Oriental Macedonia, Bright Carolina, Red Old Belt Virginia & Black Cavendish"), but, if you like, you can make a very classical EM by adding a 10-25% of Syrian Latakia (McConnell I suggest) to the mixture. Unfortunately the name of the mixture make sense only after about half a tin, before that, the virginias and the black cavendish tends to cover the oriental taste, also, this is more distinct in the final part of the smoking. Personally I really appreciated the last pipe of the tin (so to much late). First you can percieve the virginias tonality followed by the black coffee aftertaste of the black cavendish (always to strong), after you start to discover the honey, grassy, cinnamon, spicy and natural undertones of the Macedonia, but (I repeat) only when It's too late to full enjoy the tobacco in its name. It's a pity, this could be a real good mixture, so I can't give more than 2 or 2 and a half stars. Type: Scottish/English mixture ; Contents: Bright Carolina, Red Old Belt Virginia, Black Cavendish, Oriental Macedonia (I put this at last for the reasons that I wrote before) ; Cut: Ribbon / Shag (maybe a thin Ribbon type) ; Humidity: Regular, a little wet ; Lighting: No problems, easy ad constant ; Pipe recommended: Thin bowl, tall I suggest, like a Poker or a Dublin, but works fine also with medium and large size.
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DrT999	10/18/2012	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
A fairly monochromatic smoke for me, and I've gone through nearly the whole tin trying to figure out my reaction to that one somewhat spicy, slightly smoky note (presumably mostly from the Macedonian). On the whole, smoking in taller pipes have left the last of the bowl a bit on the harsh side. I've enjoyed this more in wider bowls. I would suggest that if you want to understand a Macedonian blend, this is a good one to try. It does have an interesting room note! A good, rich flavor on the whole, without the overwhelming N some such blends can have. A natural tasting underlying sweetness to balance that spice and smoke.
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DK	05/11/2012	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
It is clearly not "cool" in the pipe smoking community to enjoy a blend that gets fairly consistent low ratings on this site. While I find that kind of blind faith alternately bemusing and disconcerting, I have the cure for at least one blend. If you find it uncool to like Rattrays Highland Targe because of its low ratings, try this one instead. Same flavor profile, although this one is a hair more robust. Or I should say, the flavor comes to me a bit quicker. I have to commend the blender on his use of the latakia condiment, which this blend does indeed contain... the apparent debate has been settled, at least to my satisfaction :). This is primarily an oriental blend with virginia in the sidecar and latakia balancing carefully to the rear. Therefore, latakia hounds should be warned that their favorite condiment is indeed just a condiment here. The tin nose is dark and musty but the flavor is clear and clean. All the tobaccos play well together but the oriental is clearly in the lead, hence the name of this one is well-conceived. The flavors are a bit more assertive than in the Rattrays but other than that, the two taste and smoke very much alike. HT may be somewhat more complex, but this is no one-trick pony. The variations are just a bit more subtle while the overall flavor is just a hair more bold. I find this to be an excellent example of an oriental-forward tobacco and I'm surprised that I never smoked this one in the "good old days". I plan to correct that immediately, as more tins are headed to my cellar. Highly recommended to those who enjoy blends that unlock their secrets gently and on their own timetable.
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Mr. Big	10/07/2011	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This is good but not great. The initial light has a strange flavor that I can't put my finger on, it's Oriental ,but not one that I'm used to. It fades very fast and smoothes out to a nice Oriental out front blend. Then about a 1/3 into the bowl the flavours become muted with what I guess is the Cavendish. Actually I thought there was Burley in this blend . This doesn't bite and is not overly spicy, it also isn't complex. I'm going to cellar this and report back later Reporting Back a year later- 10/10/12- Nothing special, mottled flavour,I don't think you can make this bite, but you do need to pack this tight to slow down the burn or it will get hot and ashy. This might be a good "out in the garden blend". 2 1/2 stars
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Vathek	05/10/2011	Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Very nice, very enjoyable, mild smoke, with an excellent but not overpowering oriental flavour. Burns quite quickly but never hot. I prefer slightly stronger tobaccos, otherwise I would rate this a 4 star.
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who broke my clay pipe?	05/07/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I have found a new friend in this. Wanting to try a quintessential "oriental" of sorts so i could determine its taste charecteristic;i sought this site for inspiration and found this. I ordered a tin online as a sample as well as some regulars and other newbies.. I have had a real go at this since i have purchased it and it has a certain enigma value that i like a lot, but struggle to describe easy..The saying "less is more " applies i think, and its simplicity is its strength and i think it goes to show that sometimes its not what you put into a blend but what you leave out that makes a good baccy.. The surprise in the taste was pleasant as well because i had in my minds eye(or tongue)a preonception that it was going to be one of those sort of "once in a while" smokes;the word oriental conjoured up a vision of a rich ,sweet and sour sauce bomb,perhaps a bit like a hyper version of"erinmore balkan mixture" . Anyway ; i pop open the tin and take a sniff and i can immediately smell some familiar ingredients that i have encountered in other balkan/english mixtures. Tin aroma;of naturally sweet aromatic mixed herbs,not as industrial or creosote-ish as other favourites of mine ,and there was no familiar but likable diesal engine sump oil factor to this one either(i try to find adjectives).. I scrape the contents off the paper card lid and it feels basically smokable.. The appearance of contents;a few yellows,some orange,tan and dark browns for the main part ,and a smidgeon of khaki green,,its a medium ribbony sawdust cut. I load into a new 6" georgian clay(which is my favourite standard type of pipe BTW).. Using a gas lighter(because clays dont care)the baccy takes flame easy and fluffs up slightly where i give it a quick tamp with my finger WHICH I LICK AFTERWARDS then carry on.. Its an easy tobacco to work with. My first impressions after getting into it was that it wasn't spice shock assault that i was expecting,and it was quite a sober and sensible smoke(i was bracing myself unnecessarily for exteme spice which didn't actually appear),the other thing that got me was how smokey this was considering it supposedly has no latakia in it,,;smokey but not in the familiar latakia smooth,sooty type way(i think i know what i'm talking about,, i hope).. The other pleasant surprise was how natural and unspoilt this mixture is..It had in its unique way;that archetypal "natural tobacco" factor combined with an interesting complexity.. The no nonsence and strait talking conversation of this smoking experience was on the same par as "irish oak" and "old dublin",,;no casing/topping detected whatsoever and it has a unique factor.. I'm so glad i had a bowl of peterson "irish oak" before hand actually ,because it gave me the perfect datum from which to judge.. Comparison to other blends;i can say roughly between "irish oak" and "old dublin" there must be some common middle ground ingredients,but it has an identity of its own and is not like a hybrid.(its a different brand anyway) It fills a vacuum on the taste spectrum which i did not know was missing until i tried it.. The consequences have been strange in that; it has helped me to appreciate "irish oak" and "old dublin" even more as well. Its a complimentary member. Anyway; its taste fluctuates down the bowl to be interesting while sticking within the main conversation. Good interplay of ingredients taking turns or coming in combination. What it doesn't have in its ingredients,augments the ingredients that are present in proportion, while still maintaining a perfect balance of firing order and a medium strength english property.(this is a 1000cc triple as opposed to a 1000cc four).Its got a lumpy factor and not as smooth but no worse off for it(charecter factor).. Its not harsh though.. Taste; i have already said that i was pleasantly surprised by its natural unspoiled factor;i will try to explain its own flavour rather than by comparison goal posts. I get a very herby taste with lightly salted creamy butter,as well as a slightly sweet and cheese(parmesan-ish) and onion buscuit savoury type taste..(Onion bread?). I get a hint of pepper on the tongue but not in a black pepper perique sence like in "irish oak";it is more of a sensation than a flavour,its a prickle but not tongue bite,,,;perhaps it is the herbs(or whatever) asserting their own sensation. Its hard to put my finger on, and i am still trying to solve it;green aromatic herbs like summer herb salad;there is a herbal bitterness but its pleasant.Its on the herby more than the spicy side,which is perhaps what impressed me about it and enforces its unique factor. Sometimes it has a sage and onion stuffing taste in a way as well This blend does not mention having any latakia in it,and i don't know if it has any or not,,,and even if it hasn't its not exactly missed either.. This tobacco has its own natural smokey factor,and i can see why some may feel they are tasting latakia,but it maybe an illusion of familiar taste association from the other ingredients;although smokey,it has its own smoke and not because of ,or the same as the fortified type of smoke due to the curing method of any latakia.. So comparing it to "old dublin"(sorry i could not resist) i can say that the oriental in this is augmented while the sooty leathery ,smooth ,smokiness of the absent latakia is diminished.. I look at tobacco as an acoustic property, that cannot be amplified electrically;you have the size of your bowl to smoke it in,but what ever you want to put in for maximum taste,you have got to be prepared for the fact that you will have to take something else out and thats generally it.(as long as you are willing to stay within a single bracket of mild,medium,or strong) You see;i like my englishes/balkans medium and my ropes and plugs strong(they have to be strong to justify the fuffing about with!).. So sticking to my parameters its obvious that i cannot have it both ways of having all strengths of the ingredients while maintaining a medium dynamic combined strength;what ever i want to bring in i have got to be prepared to chuck something else out;the way i get round this is by smoking variations in a day to keep my pallet interested..(i could perhaps stack my bowl with a pinch of this, and a pinch of that, to creat a medly actually,,havent thought of that before!) This oriental tastes basically what i wish "old dublin" would taste like sometimes,,,;by fluke it has been achieved sometimes,and other times i have wished "old dublin" to give me more of something else..(old dublin has been my so far favourite regular purchase)wanting all this while staying within the medium english strength factor. Trying "oriental" has made me realise that i had been asking too much of a single blend "old dublin"to give me that amount of deviant compass(plus i don't like it if a tobacco doesn't taste consistant as well either)... And so i have found a tobacco "oriental"that gives me that bit more, and a bit less, that i can instantly go to while not hoping my "old dublin" would taste a bit more "this or that way" sometimes. It means i don't get bored basically and means my rotation between 2 alternating blends has been smoothed out with this new harmonious member.. If you like or are familiar with "irish oak" or "old dublin" you may find this a worthy contemporary with an identity of its own whileit has the ability to be a variation on a simular ingredient theme,,(another actually is a blend called punchbowle that has just virgina and latakia,and with these 4 blends there is for me a definative north,east,south and west within the medium strength bracket of simular ingredient, natural tasting, medium strength english tobacco's.) Its burn rate is the slower side of medium i have noticed and so it is kind to the small bowl handicap of my clay pipe(which i smoke for their pure tobacco taste,,;again you can't have it both ways) Clays smoke hotter but it was cool at the mouth end. After taste is herby and i can taste a herby like vinegarette-ish taste on my lips. It does not cloy my clothes like say a saucy and spicy"erinmore balkan mixture"(which i liked but wanted a toned down version for allday puffing,,;i found that solution in "squadron leader") Nice for me room note,and enough strength that when smoked outside not much is lost in the wind as far as taste. It stays lit quite well and burns to light battleship grey ash,in the same manner as either "old dublin " or "irish oak" Nicoteen hit is medium and satisfying and doesn't leave me wanting. I will will definately purchase more of this and regret not purchasing more when i was purchasing. The pleasure this gives me whilst smoking in the sun and staring through the blurry smoky haze and the heatwave shaddows is epic;i was mentaly on a sail boat whilst sitting in that garden chair in my crappy yard ,,,no shit this stuff makes me feel like a satisfied millionaire doing exactly what i would do if i was a millionaire.. Peace and 4 stars!
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TEO	02/14/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Wow what a spicy and really "century old" formula. Here it is, a big oriental mixture without any Latakia in it ( anyone who doesn't agree must check out how real macedonian leaves smell and understand you don't need extra smoke curing to get it), sweet & spicy as it has to be ( be carufel, this won't bite, unless you beg for it) and able to develop a sweet bouquet that lets you savour all of the intense natural flavours tipycal for VAs and Macedonian can offer. A little cavendish, no irish method here, is added for even more sweetness. A understand many people may sense Latakia in this blend even cuz it is as sweet as a good Syrian latakia should be, but it doesn't ( personally I sometimes add some myself but I care not to exceed or this beatiful blend gets overwhelming). I love that sweet & "cheese like" aroma & taste that Macedonian tobacco gives and I think I'll buy a box of these tins to keep it in the cellar. If you're looking for a intense oriental nirvana, savouring sweetnes with no damn fruit flavours or somethin' else added, to get you back smoking some 1800 mid- orient's traveller's taste, you found the right one. Far from others blends I like but don't love, from Mcconnel, this is real good, for a decent price, if you compare it to some usual "high ranked English or balkan mixtures" that ends up having you smoking second category Ciprus Latakia or something like that. The only thing I suffer smoking this one is a little lack of power, and that's why I don't give it 4 stars. Update - October 2011 - I finally started my pipe season ( cause I cant really keep on smoking during summer, I never could and I don't know why) and I can say that It started with a flavour-boom. I give now the fourth star to this quality blend, simply delicious.Not a bite, not an harsh sensation, never, magical macedonian, a real balkan Lord. Only a relight for the entire bowl in my mid Peterson. A must-have.
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Fountainhead	01/17/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
McConnell calls this blend "Oriental" without much more detail because the experience of this smoke is as simply put as the name describes. It is a very pure, un-messed-around-with, oriental blend that any tobacco purist who does not like heavy additional flavorings will enjoy. This blend is done in a very traditional English fashion. It has a great spicy-satin taste that doesn't bite and a mild room note that seems to somewhat match the taste.
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Unsal	01/09/2011	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Somewhat recommended.
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SMOKETSES	01/01/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
One of the best (if not the best) Oriental mixtures for me. It causes disagreement between those who try it, whether if it contains or not Latakia (just like Provost). In my opinion, it doesn’t. Virginia has a supplementary role and leaves the Oriental as protagonists, with their spicy yet simultaneously sweet flavor. Tasteful, with a natural tobacco aroma, which feels me with joy. Sweet flavor up until the end of the bowl. Easily smoked at any time of a day. Perfect humidity. Finely cut, which allows the easy filling of the bowl. It lights effortlessly and so it is maintained. Naturally no tongue-bite. Its nicotine level is medium to strong, perfect for my standards. Additionally, it perfectly complements a drink and a meal, to the point that sometimes you may think it releases certain fragrances like plum, walnuts or freshly baked bread. Amazing mixture.
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Arkie	12/16/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Oriental is my second favorite blend. This blend has a robust quality and an excellent balance of flavors. It is the most complex blend I've ever tasted. From the first puff to the last there is swirl of flavors varying in sweetness and pungency. I can see why some reviews here have rated it unfavorably if the smoker was expecting a classic English blend with overpowering latakia content rather than a balanced blend with latakia being used to compliment the Turkish and oriental leaves. It makes a great nightcap along with a snifter of cognac. It seems to favor thick walled briars and it likes to be savored slowly. It rates a solid 4 stars.
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thefoolish	12/02/2010	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This blend is a relaxing blend that does not require the smoker to contemplate its minutiae. The main reason for this is that the blend is exactly what it seems to be. I tend to enjoy this blend around a campfire. I'm still not done with my first tin, so maybe I will discover that this blend has more to it than I am detecting, but right now it seems like a good example of your standard English mixture.
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TheBavarian	11/30/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Tobacco has almost the right moisture out of the tin, smokes dry and gives no real tonguebite if puffed a bit more on the hot side. The taste is imho quite interesting. Orientals and Virginia are definitly in the foreground, but Black Cavendish and Latakia give additional complexity from the background. I especially liked that mixture of Latakia smokiness combined with the rather sweet nuances of Black Cavendish and VA plus the spicy notes of the Oriental stuff. Room note reminded me somewhat of a mild cigar or high quality turkish blend cigarette plus a good trace of latakia. If there is any flavoring to this baccy, then it is not really traceable for me.(The VA maybe has some very subtle topping, but it doesn't manage to get through.) As far as strength is concerned, this tobacco could well become one of my all day english blends delivering a satisfyingly spicy smoke without being too overwhelming like e.g. Gawith's Commonwealth Mixture(which I prefer to smoke in the evening now and then if I get a latakia crave).
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Patte	09/02/2010	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
I'm used to Rattrays 7 Reserve as an "any time of day smoke" and wanted to try this blend after reading the reviews. McConnell "Oriental" is undoubtly a high quality mixture. It's like a building with a little Virginia as the foundation, lots of Oriental tobaccos as the walls, and a little Latakia as a spicy roof. I find this mixture very mild and gentle to my tongue. It doesn't bite at all, which surprised me. I smoked it for a week as my only tobacco when I was at our summer home. Very nice tobaco to start the day with, like a good aperitif before brunch. After dinner and before bed I wished I had a more a more full tobacco with me, though. This blend should be excellent for a smoker of mild aromatics that wants to try a quality non flavoured tobacco. The latakia here gives enough flavour for that to be an easy changeover. Although I like this blend, it's too mild for my taste. I will stay with 7 Reserve, but don't let this stop you from trying "Oriental"!
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dllhell	03/29/2010	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

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Pipesrevisited	03/26/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I evaded this tobacco for a long time because of the incredibly boring tin-art. I finally tried it because I like orientals and do not always want latakia to go with it. Surprise, surprise... This is a really very pleasant smoke, highly recommended! update: a bit boring... one star down.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 57 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >