Elephant & Castle Cromwell

Notes: England's Oliver Cromwell held the title, "Lord Protector of the Realm," until his death in 1658. Though he ruled, he was not of royal birth, and it's this fact which led to the use of his name for this great tobacco. Ken McConnell's name was well known to European smokers who had enjoyed Davidoff's Royalty for years before the company had a presence in the USA. Each tin had an insert card which described the time Mr. McConnell and Mr. Davidoff got together to create the perfect smoking mixture. If they didn't quite achieve their goal - and I'm not saying they didn't - they came as close as anyone ever has! Simply put, Cromwell is Royalty. We mean the tobacco, not the man. Cromwell / Royalty was included in the E&C range at the insistence of the US importers. They had "discovered" the mixture in Switzerland some years earlier and could often be heard lamenting its unavailability in the USA. When face to face with the Mr. McConnell of Royalty fame, they cajoled, pleaded and finally threatened bodily harm to have this magnificent mixture included in the E&C range. Ken finally relented. The rationale was simple...there was no Royalty in the USA. Cromwell was needed! We meant the tobacco, not the man! Davidoff now has a substantial presence in the USA, and Royalty is still available, though it hasn't been made in London since McConnell closed. With the few tins available in this offering, a handful of smokers have the possibility of trying one of the great tobaccos in its original - London - form. As with all the tobaccos in the Elephant & Castle range, tins of "Cromwell" were hand blended in the McConnell factory on Barking Road in London, England. They are at least 13 years old. Information from "The E&C Story" on the Marble Arch Ltd. website: http://www.serjacopo.com/e%26c/E%26C_000.html