Some see this glorious tobacco as the marmite of the pipe world, complaining about Condor's soapy nature. This does slowly fade away, leaving it to shine out above all the other 'supermarket' blends. Sadly this does require patience -and at least a second pouch- and some do give up before this: Out of the fear of tainting their pipes and recalling memories of their loose-tongued youth.

Full-bodied and floral, making it a perfect bedtime pipe. Though if you are inclined toward the milder smokes, you'll probably be screaming yourself to sleep with this one.

Anyways, the flavour I found to be full and pleasant. I found it could be puffed quite hard without becoming bitter or harsh.

I enjoyed the higher nicotine content and stopped about 1/2 or 3/4 of the way down because I'd had enough, but I prefer that type of satisfaction to the feeling you get with a bland tobacco where you smoke it all the way down waiting for something to happen and it never does. In my opinion the greatest shortcoming a tobacco can have is if it is too bland.

Condor is packed with an interesting flavour and strong nicotine, I find myself already looking forward to my next bowl.

note: it will leave an indelible flavour on your pipe.

Now, as an adult, I smoked Condor, and my mouth was filled with an even more foul taste of soap. It only took once to learn my lesson. Never again.

If a young smoker should perchance get his hands on a package of Condor, he is in for a room-spinning awakening. Should a veteran be so fortunate...tis very Heaven. There is nothing...and I mean NOTHING...quite like this. You will either love it or hate it. Just don't make up your mind after the first bowlful; this blend will grow on you. There are times that Condor satisfies when nothing else will.

Unfortunately, though, it not only grows on the pipesmoker...but also on his pipe; the traces of this tobacco will be there forever. And don't expect complements on the room aroma. Everyone in contact will ask, "what the **** are you smoking????" Proof positive that Latakia is not alone in provoking such responses.

Unique. Unforgetable. Wonderful.

Four out of four stars.

Appearance: A deep brown to nearly black oily, supple long-cut sliced tobacco, cut from a dense cake. It has virtually no tendency to flake apart and is easily folded to fit in the pipe, as is my preference. It gives the appearance of being strong, and I immediately got a picture in my head of some old salts sitting around laughing as a young novitiate pipe smoker earns his stripes through dry heaves after being induced to smoke a bowl of this.

Aroma: A very soapy, oily slightly bitter aroma. I detect English tea, Bergamot, Patchouli, and myrrh. The blends of the Lakeland district were known for this distinctively British ?floral? aromatic style, which often utilized Tonquin seed pods (from their colony of British Guyana) and the rind of limes as casing agents. This blend is fairly representative of this style. It has a slightly astringent quality when it hits the nostrils, which is reminiscent of the slightly alkaline odor of Ivory soap ? pleasant and pungent if you like that sort of thing. The density and uniformity of the aroma make it seem slightly daunting.

Taste: It lit easily with a single match and I was immediately presented with a classic soapy British Lakeland flavor. The blend was bitter on the lips quite soon, a sign of its high nicotine content. It is certainly not sweet, as many aged Virginia blends have a tendency to be, but it does not display a prominent Latakia flavor either. Instead, it is simply slightly bitter and perfumed, with a strong smoky Oriental-type flavor dominating. The flavors are very strong indeed: tarry, jammy, concentrated! Condor has an honest, pure tobacco flavor, contemplative and smoky, with a wonderfully integrated floral bouquet.

It struck me as exceptionally smooth and easy to smoke, and while not a simple blend, then a harmonious amalgam of its various components well wedded into an intense whole. In all I found this to be a very relaxing smoke. I personally prefer very strong, high-nicotine blends (e.g. Royal yacht et al), so this must be considered. Despite this, toward the end of the second bowl, my nose was running a bit and I felt a bit queasy for a moment when I got up. Now, I attribute this to the fact that my first two bowls of the day had been Condor (at around 8 a.m.), and perhaps it might be easier later in the day and not on an empty stomach.

After several bowlfuls, the flavors are consistent, with the tobacco burning down to a fine ash. It does give a bit of pipe gurgle, and the pipe cleaners always come out jet black with tarry resins, so I don?t recommend inhaling this one!

Comparisons: Nothing compares to Condor; the taste is distinctive, although it is clearly a Lakeland scented flake. It falls in line with Gawith's scented flakes, such as Nos. 1-7 and 1792, but the flavor is different, perhaps closest to Black Aromatic. Having compared this with the modern pouch version, I can say this much: when one smokes the modern version of this old favorite, one is reminded of the older version as a gentle memory softened with age. The new blend looks much the same but the tobacco is very lightly flavored and the nicotine strength is markedly diminished. The new pouch version is a faint and indistinct echo of the older Condor, like the barely discernable shadow of a great monument fading into the dusk at twilight.

Bottom Line: If you are looking for a very strong, high-nicotine blend with a pronounced soapy flavor, you may like this one.

People say it has the sopey english quality, and certainly when sniffed has notes of soap in there. But on the whole I like it.

A gentlemen I have bought old pipes from on the Preston Market, once advised me that his all day smoke of 20 years was a 50/50 mix of St Bruno and Condor. This I dutifully tried, and indeed despite my fears it was alright. It's not so heavy as neat Condor, more like beefed up St Bruno, and it does not burn hot or bite. If Im spending a weekend in the woods in the colder seasons (as I will this December), this is what Ill smoke. Rich, hearty, a little course, excellent tramping tobacco. As for neat Condor, Ill leave that to those who can tolerate it.

********************************Update*******************************************

Having been overwhelmed by this weed, I later came to enjoy it greatly. Such is the way of things, I think the same has happened with all the lakeland flakes. I tried several and was initially put off by them, three years of living oop noorth and I came to understand them, and later to love them. I may also have manned up somewhat through exposure to Chips and Gravy and the horrors of Lancashire weather...

So, what is Condor? Condor is a VERY strong, VERY manly pipe tobacco. It is a dark, strong, cooked virginia flake with a traditional scent added to it. Soap and perfume indeed, and manly because of it.

This is a tobacco to smoke after doing an oil change on your Royal Enfield Bullet. Or after ploughing a field or laying a hedge. Or in a lock in in a pub after you've come back from a successful nocturnal expedition poaching with a long net with your fellows.

This is not a tobacco to smoke while posting self concious tobacco reviews on the internet! Nor is it to be smoked while at work in an office. You should not smoke this in a fancy wine bar, or while walking around John Lewis with your beloved.

It's meant to be smoked slowly and patiently, and like all pipe tobaccos, I seem to HAVE to try and see if it'll bite me a little. It did (but not too bad). It's a fixation I have, I guess... I like to push the envelope. I did, in fact, as this pipe tobacco is a bit on the strong side. I smoked it to the very bottom of the bowl, 'til all that was left was a fine ash. It gets a little stout at the end, so if you're a little on the mild-liking, just smoke this wonderful stuff 'til it suits you.

I enjoyed this pipe tobacco from start to finish. I'll be buying some more in the not-too-distant future!

Let's see, I've done all but talk directly about the tobacco...

I used a match to char, another to light, and another to re-light. After that, only the tamper was needed. It's sweet, slightly spicy, and has a very "cologne-esque" taste to it. You WILL taste the casing unless your taste buds are kaput. It is a very full tobacco, so:

1.) Make sure you've eaten something... 2.) Make sure you're not going to be eating a mild dessert (like, say your wife's sumptuous banana pudding) because your tastes will be a bit mitigated for an hour or so. I am, however, enjoying some oregon chai, and I love the way it tastes, especially now.

I do all my reviews RIGHT AFTER I smoke 'em, so... There you go!

Condor is a real winner. Thanks Vagabond!

The tobacco was in little brittle strips, and was very dry compared to my usual diet of light Virginia/Cavendish or aromatic blends. It was very easy to pack, but in order to keep this dry bushfire under control VERY slow smoking was necessary - so every once in a while I'd leave it too long and need to relight. Maybe it's just me smoking it wrong but it seemed very high maintenance to me.

High nicotine tobacco puts me right off, and here is no exception. There is a slight VA nuttiness breaking through the smoke, and this is in itself very tasty - hence the Mild/Med taste value. It is however intermittent - tailing off as the nicotine builds up toward the last quarter or so of the bowl.

A tolerable room note and very soft ash residue are the hallmarks of a well processed and refined mass production tobacco - But not of a great one!

Better mass-market VA can be found IMHO, see B&H Mellow Virginia.

If you must smoke Nivea creme, try ST BRUNO instead. IT tastes like tobacco, not bat droppings.