Robert McConnell Oriental Square
(2.89)
Virginia tobaccos with added latakia and Oriental leaf.
Notes: Dunhill Durbar clone, and was originally called Dunbar Square.
Details
| Brand | Robert McConnell |
| Series | Heritage |
| Blended By | |
| Manufactured By | Kohlhase & Kopp |
| Blend Type | Oriental |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 07, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The dry, mildly floral, woody, spicy, earthy, herbal, and fairly sour Orientals takes a lead here. The dark Virginia offers tangy dark fruit, wood and earth as an important secondary player. The smoky, woody, earthy, musty sweet Cyprian Latakia competes with the dark Virginia for attention, and at times supersedes it a mite. The tart and tangy citrusy, lightly grassy yellow Virginia also provides a touch of spice in the background. In most all respects, it’s rather similar to the re-release version of Dunhill Durbar, except the Latakia. and especially the spice are a tad more obvious, and this is a slightly fuller smoke, so it doesn't quite have the balance that Durbar has. This blend is a little sweeter as well, which I attribute to the dark Virginias. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium, while the taste is medium. The nic-hit is almost at the center of mild to medium. Those last three attributes are similar to the Dunhill version. Won’t bite, or get harsh, and has no rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent, moderately sweet and lightly more spicy, savory flavor through out the experience. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste, and room note. Can be an all day smoke. I gave three to the Murray’s production, and the re-release. This gets three and a half stars.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 09, 2018 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The tobacco is mostly a medium-narrow ribbon cut of tan, brown and black leaf. There are a few "fish food" bits. It came ready to smoke and did not need time to dry. I am reviewing this on its own merits because I have no meaningful recollection of the STG version, and I have never had the Murray.
This is Oriantal forward with the slightly sweet Virginias and the latakia campfire in the background. There is a floral, incenselike quality to the Orientals at times, and they sometimes present as sour. This sounds like an odd combination of flavors, but it works well for a fan of Orientals. There was a somewhat creamy quality to the smoke especially in the last half of the bowl. All of this is hard to put into words, and I think that qualifies as complexity.
The tobacco took a match and burned as expected. It did not leave a damp heel.
This is easy to recommend if you like Balkans.
This is Oriantal forward with the slightly sweet Virginias and the latakia campfire in the background. There is a floral, incenselike quality to the Orientals at times, and they sometimes present as sour. This sounds like an odd combination of flavors, but it works well for a fan of Orientals. There was a somewhat creamy quality to the smoke especially in the last half of the bowl. All of this is hard to put into words, and I think that qualifies as complexity.
The tobacco took a match and burned as expected. It did not leave a damp heel.
This is easy to recommend if you like Balkans.
Pipe Used:
WDC pot
PurchasedFrom:
Gift from a friend in Germany
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 05, 2021 | Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable to Strong |
Another hit in the Heritage series! I have never smoked the old ('60s-'70s) version of Durbar, only the Murray-made early '00s one (and to be fair I haven't smoked it in the last 15 years). To my taste, the Dunhill/Murray version was OK, a very intense Balkan-like mixture: lots of Orientals, very spicy, and if I remember correctly also quite "heavy" (in body but also a bit in terms of nicotine) and with some rough edges, not to mention that I found that the latest batches were getting flatter in taste like all Dunhill blends at the time.
I am glad to report that Oriental Square is much similar to the "good" tins of Durbar that I had the pleasure to smoke. It has the same fullness of taste, the same spicy, smoky and even slightly sour/metallic note (the Orientals...), a bit of earthiness. It is a tad lighter than Durbar and it also seems slightly smoother, but by no means this means that it is less full in taste. If you want another comparison, think about something like GLPease Caravan with less finesse but more intensity.
Minor complaints? It has a touch of cigar-like bitterness (which gets more evident if by mistake you rush it or make it smoke wet due to excessive loading in the bowl), it doesn't have too much complexity or evolution (it's great but it starts wham-bang and goes on until the end).
Overall, though, a great blend and one that quite faithfully recreates at least some incarnations of the original.
I am glad to report that Oriental Square is much similar to the "good" tins of Durbar that I had the pleasure to smoke. It has the same fullness of taste, the same spicy, smoky and even slightly sour/metallic note (the Orientals...), a bit of earthiness. It is a tad lighter than Durbar and it also seems slightly smoother, but by no means this means that it is less full in taste. If you want another comparison, think about something like GLPease Caravan with less finesse but more intensity.
Minor complaints? It has a touch of cigar-like bitterness (which gets more evident if by mistake you rush it or make it smoke wet due to excessive loading in the bowl), it doesn't have too much complexity or evolution (it's great but it starts wham-bang and goes on until the end).
Overall, though, a great blend and one that quite faithfully recreates at least some incarnations of the original.
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