Gallaher Limited Condor Ready Rubbed (Green)

Certainly a fairly strong and perfumed smoke; if neither appeal, stay far, far away. While the scents used are a bit on the strong side for me, it made a nice change of pace. I seem to get a bit more of the underlying tobacco in the folded flake than in the ready-rubbed, while in the latter the scents are a bit stronger.

Condor is something that puts a big grin on my face every time I open up a pouch. Condor Flake was the only thing my Great Grandfather smoked, so his pipes are now my dedicated Condor pipes. I like all versions of Condor, but Plug and Long Cut (formerly Flake) are my favourite versions. I think there's slightly more sauce on the Ready Rubbed version, which might appeal to some people.

Condor was once extremely popular in Scotland. Walk into any of my local pubs and you can still smell the mighty Condor haunting the building, despite indoor public smoking being banned for 15 years. For this reason, definitely consider trying Condor out in a cob first, because it will ghost a pipe quickly. For anyone interested in trying it, I pick up the following flavours: wintergreen, incense, floral and alcohol.

It's easily an all day smoke for me. Easy to pack, light and smoke. I rarely find myself relighting. The flavour is strong, but it's fantastic. I go through phases where I hoover through packets of Condor. No tongue bite and no hassle of any kind. I can still buy this at some of my local supermarkets, which is a bonus.

It's amazing that this is considered an "over the counter" tobacco in some countries. The dark brown flakes come packaged in a sealed pouch suitable for short term storage. I like to cube cut the flakes and gravity fill my pipe. The top dressing was added with a conservative hand and it adds amazing nuances to the natural flavors of the tobacco. I get some floral notes along with citrus notes that intertwine beautifully with the overall composition of tobaccos. Think St. Bruno but with a more stout, full bodied base and you've got a good idea of what you'll get from Condor. I let the flakes dry out for about 15 minutes before I light up and it smokes effortlessly all the way down. I consider this to be a top shelf tobacco so don't let the "OTC" label turn you off, this is as good as it gets, I absolutely adore this stuff. You may want to try it out in a cob as it most definitely will ghost your briar however, I welcome this ghost. I'll always have a place in my cellar for the almighty Condor, long live Condor! Absolutely, definitely essential.

Having gone through 4 50g pouches of this over the last year I thought I'd give it a review after reviewing its Long Cut brother today. Given a choice I'd always opt for the Long Cut Condor Flake rather than the Ready Rubbed however I do prefer flakes. I feel they might keep the flavour longer although that could be all in the mind rather than fact as the smoking experience is much the same. Truth be told as long as they keep producing either I shall not complain. So my review of this one is along the same lines as the Long Cut, a flavoursome cool smoke, despite me not being someone who likes to puff away too much it stays lit. Room note is pleasant enough. I know Condor isn't to everyone's taste but worth giving it a go at least once in order to decide for yourself. Don't be put off by the aromatic tag....it's more of a hybrid.

Editted 3 years later to add: After recently getting my hands on ten pouches of the Polish produced Condor RR I'd just like to say. For me this is every bit as good in looks, smell and taste as the Irish Condor.

Being still a newbie piper (all of two months) I have managed to try out all of the more commonly available OTC tobaccos out there, plus a few of the more obscure blends (courtesy of Johnnies Of Newquay) and find that of them all Condor 'green' is by far the best of the bunch. It is indeed a 'strong' smoke but after many years of rolling my own (Sampson, Drum etc.) I do not find this a problem. I tend to leave my 50g pouch spread out on a tray for an hour or so afore bunging it in a bail top jar, that is as I tend to find it a tad moist straight from the pouch. Once lit I rarely need to relight it and it burns down to a fine grey ash with no issues from start to finish. A very pleasant smoke indeed, particularly in an old L.Roux rustic poker or an old Swiss Bernina (with antler stem!). Certainly would recommend this baccy and as for a soapy flavour? Well I have never experienced that.

I just had my first bowl of this one for months after a day of my usual St Bruno and Full Virginia Flake, albeit St Bruno Ready Rubbed from Tesco, whilst waiting for a delivery of Long Cut and St B flake to arrive. I had forgotten how much of a welcome change it can be. On the way back from Haywards Heath where I picked it up in Sainsburys on a whim I couldn't help opening it to test that aroma again. Decidedly stronger than RR St B and more flavoured. Whilst I adore the (admittedly odd) aroma and taste of both available St Brunos, the (really peculiar but somehow delightful) taste of Condor had me gazing into the early winter sky and contemplating life as a good bowl should. It is almost like St Bruno flake with added nicotine, a dash of Balkan mix, something bitter and something sweet. You would definately hate it or immediately add it to your rotation. It's joining mine again along with it's (long cut) flake brother. I think I really like it. Tomorrow, when the post comes I can enjoy (hopefully) Bruno flake in a Condor ghosted pipe. Nice. PS I remember I used to pack them in layers so one merged into the other and back again. That works well. Oh yes, and it's NOT inferior to the flake at all, just very slightly different. Also it burns so evenly it's borderline impossible. In that one respect it even trumps St Bruno. RR Condor is the easiest tobacco to smoke well I've met.

This tobacco blew my head off a couple of years ago! I couldn't believe the sheer, raw strength that came through as I smoked it in a Falcon pipe. It seemed to physically impress itself so forcibly that it was like being bullied into a corner with it. And I loved the aroma! Heavy, rich, deep, moist, fruity (that is, stewed fruit in dark sugar, heavily boiled until it is marmaladey and syrupy) but also strong liquorice and figs. Is that enough flavouring there?! Not quite. Something like old leather and wet earth too and a decided tarry, macadam flavour, oily, almost chemical. Inhaling this stuff is seriously ill-advised. It will coat your lungs with enough tar to make a road. What, however, I loved was the sheer intensity of the flavour. It is packed through with a depth that is extremely satisfying and lingering. Yes, in my naïveté, I smoked another tobacco later in the same pipe and, yes, I noticed the ghosting, but it burned off after a while and my pipe was still there, offering its services. I haven't had this blend in a while, switching to lighter stuff, but writing this from memory serves to make me wonder about getting another pack again soon and diving into its depths once more. Those heady moments of thick, swirling, fulsome clouds of Condor have somehow come to life again. If I do give it a go again, I'll let you know my latest thoughts as I enter the Condor club after several years' break. This is one tobacco that comes highly recommended if you want a straightforward, explosive and nicotine-laden blowout once in a while. But for that regular morning smoke, I'll keep to something less intrusively demanding.

This tobacco is testament to itself.I can recall my childhood memories of pipe smokers and i always remember the smell of this excellent over the counter tobacco.As rich and full flavoured a tobacco as one could wish for.Full aroma of liquer/alcohal backed up by a musty,fruity smell.I enjoy just sipping and allowing the smoke to breeze past my nostrils to gather that full bodied rich aroma.A terrific blend with a nice glass of Irish whiskey after a nice steak meal.I never tire of this traditional english blend,and it occupies a permanent place in my rotation.

...While I prefer the Long Cut, this in short. is a great classic British tobacco!

I have smoked Condor for many years and it has always been in my top 10 tobaccos. Packs, lights, and behaves well in any pipe, and I smoke this throughout the day without issue. I also appreciate the floral/parfume scent, and there is nothing quite like it anywhere.

Agreed...you either love it or dislike it...no in between...I don't reserve any pipe for this and smoke it in all of my pipes. It is now difficult to buy unless you have someone who can send it to you...and I have it shipped to me every 2 months...Never tiring, hardly a day goes by without at least one bowl!

...a pipe is to be savored...