Gallaher Limited Condor Ready Rubbed (Green)

This is one of the great OTC pouch tobaccos of all time. In the description above it reads "Virginia" in the contents box, but I am not sure if I believe this. For one thing it is full-bodied. Secondly, it feels like you are smoking a burley of some sort. Were it not for the strong aromatics, I'd say it is pretty similar to St. Bruno, both in composition and strength. It seems like it wants to be smoked well moist, and once you get it going it is quite easy to keep lit. The flavoring is reminiscent of floral essences and tastes quite sweet. I cannot detect any tongue bite and does not seem to smoke hot despite its moist content. For $6 a pouch in Spain I think it's really good value for money as well, so based on all of this I think it deserves 4 stars.

Leaf: A mix of rubbed and broken flake, with a few slightly larger, but still very small, chunks of flake here and there.there. Colors range from medium brown to slightly more or slightly less medium brown.

Tin Aroma: The aroma is very strong. There is an acidity that jumps up your nose,there is tangy sweetness, a little floral note and then a good dose of some sort of alcoholic flavouring, it is almost a little acrid. The tail end is a raisin like note that make you realise 'this actually smells all right now I think about it'. You will go back for another sniff... is that Grandma's old perfume?

Taste: With the first puff I got a strong floral/soapy hit, I got a bitterness and a bit of tang, then I got the flavour of whatever alcohol this is flavoured with. I tasted the flavouring at the back of my mouth as I do with a scotch or bourbon, but I couldn't tell what this was, it was nice enough though. The soapiness made its way to the rear and the Sweetness of the Virginia came through for the rest of the bowl. It was earthy, tangy, bitter-sweet, and very robust, the floral hint and the little soapiness never disappeared. It really comes together in a nice smoke though, it seems well balanced, the flavours are strong and consistent throughout. If you don't like the Lakeland floral experience, or bar of soap style some people sense it as, you won't like this. If you aren't averse to it this stuff makes for a pleasant and flavoursome smoke. It has really grown on me, and watch out, it really grows on your pipe too! Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!

Smokeability: Fire danger = Extreme. This stuff is very easy to light, and stays lit with practically no maintenance. Straight from the tin, got going with one match, no relights, and very little left but white dust at the end. It doesn't burn hot or bite, and seems to not mind how it is packed, or which bowl you use. It billows decent smelling white smoke the whole time.

DISCLAIMER: It has a decent Nic kick to it, which I didn't expect as I puffed away like mad on Huge bowls of this stuff. It got me, the bastard, snuck up on me it did. It felt nice though... a suprise for such an easy smoking and simple blend.

Summary: It is actually quite a nice tobacco, a bit different for me due to the floral and soapy tastes, which aren't what I consider overpowering, not by a long shot is this stuff bad. It appears the taste is how it is intended to be and typical for some Lakeland blends, and it is worth giving a chance if for nothing other than to expand your palette, and the Nicotine of course. Much like the Player's I recently reviewed, this seems to be a no fuss, no frills OTC blend that probably has a huge cult following of old codgers shouting praises at the heavens about it, and I can't blame them. It only seems to be available in the U.K and a few other countries they stole (Except Australia, but we are only Convicts anyway..) so U.S buyers will pay a premium plus postage which makes it hard to recommend to you. For people who can find it, go for it, I am pleased with my new experience with Condor.

I find it very difficult to review this blend, but I'll give a try nonetheless.

My first impressions teeter between the sublime and a dumpster fire. I'll begin with the good news—Condor imparts a most interesting taste. There are a variety of notes, though a floral one seems to dominate for me (I get no liquor taste, as advertised). It's a smooth, airy smoke, yet, oddly, this blend definitely has some balls to it. Those that state this blend is strong are true, yet the strength, for me, didn't slap me in the face, rather it built up as I smoked the bowl—then, towards the end, it gave me a bit of a clout on the noggin. There are stronger blends out there, that's for sure.

At times, the taste of this smoke was outstanding (including a great side stream), at others, not so much. In other words, it's an uneven smoke for me. This may be because of the vast amounts of additives injected. Marmite, bangers, and soap, indeed. Whether or not any of those "spices" have been added or not I cannot say, but something surely has been. There is a good amount PG added as the tobacco was still moist after a year of it being decanted. Let there be no doubt, this is an additive stew.

I definitely can see why someone would thoroughly enjoy smoking this, but, for me, it's just an every once in awhile smoke—I find it hard to bypass the additives in this one. So, I'm giving this blend two stars, a split right down the middle.

Happy piping!

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.

i tried this tobacco many years ago and iam glad i didnt review it as my knowledge of tobacco and taste variation was concluded to captain black..not to say i am an english tobacco smoker as i went back to aromatics with arms wide open but i tried my share of non aromatics and this tobacco has improved to my personal rating much more. easy packed and hold the fire very well, mellow and no tongue bite of any kind, strong in the nic department and have a lakeland soapy incence smell and flavor to it, the room note is not some thing that you would please your surrounding with (hell even i didnt like it) but all an all its a very nice otc blend..could use some drying though. to my tatse i found this tobacco to earn its righteous place with a cup of earl gray tea (very complementing taste-wise).

When I first tried Condor, I hated it. This seems to be a common reaction! The soapy, hairspray smell of the unlit tobacco was fairly repellant. I tried again some years later however, and I'm glad I did. I smoke this in an unfiltered Falcon. It packs extremely easily, is easy to keep lit and gives a pleasant but not overpowering nicotine hit.No tongue burn, ever. The soapiness is just noticeable in the taste of the smoke, but not in an unpleasant way. I love the dense texture of the smoke this stuff produces; very cigar like! I would smoke this more, but the room note is very strong and not at all pleasant, so I'm confined to the garage with this one.

I tried this (as my first tobacco) with my first ever pipe. (I ordered Condor Blended but recieved the Original variety.

It truly is a wonder I am still alive, let alone remain a regular pipe smoker!

This is HIGHLY POTENT, okay it's not going to blow your man-bits off, (it'll try, it'll try well at that) but it is very strong and I would not try this again (for a long, long time) for fear of getting the shivers (and nausea) like that ever again, almost as bad as the food poisoning I once recieved so gratefully.

That said I will never throw away any of my old pouches/tins -- I may one day return when my palate is far more experienced and able to tolerate a lot more.

I was a cad and a pillock to think I would get away with this as my first tobacco.

I am very sure that it's a decent smoke -- when you are accustomed to it.

I am sure it was the Nicotine rather than the taste that did it.

Overall: One to be wary of.

Approach with caution, armed and deadly!

I was prepared to give Condor a zero, and it certainly isn't my kind of blend. But some people do go for it, so I'll try to be a reasonable boy. From pipe tobacco, I do not expect Hotel soap. I don't look for it in my coffee or my chocolate, in my whiskey or my Stilton, or in a grilled salmon. Why would I want it here? I prefer the breath of a grassy field, the density of dark and complex sweets and the spice from Perique. Opening the pouch I got the distinct nose of grandmother's Yardley. However, it did burn well, and it must have a good dose of Nic b/c I had to sit down part way through my first headachy bowl. This floral sensation may be just the ticket for a former menthol smoker(?) Finally I like to comment on the aftertaste, which was, guess what? Smoked hospital soap. 2 out of 5 stars.

I bought this tobacco on a lark in Spain, before I got a chance to research it on Tobacco Reviews. I commend men like Pipestud who try the tobaccos (especially the nasty ones) so I think twice about it. I had no such tobacco gardian angel in this case. I was alone with my pipe, this tobacco and what ever chemicals the boys at Condor R&D decided would be good for their company's bottom line to put into this tobacco. Condor is the only collection of substances that has made me sick thus far after putting it in my pipe and smoking it. After less than a quarter bowl in a small briar, I was dumbstruck. And I definately don't think it was only the nicotine. There is an artificial chemical quality to this product that gives off every signal of being extremely unheathy in every way you could think of a pipe tobacco being unhealthy. After I smoked it my wife said I turned white like I had seen a ghost. I told her it wasn't a ghost, it was the tobacco. I still was feeling it the next morning.

This is a contemplative blend. I seriously contemplated quiting pipe smoking after my Condor Experience.