Robert McConnell Old London Pebble Cut
(3.30)
Selected red mottled leaf from Carolina rich in flavor and oils, small Oriental leaves from Macedonia of piquant aroma and bright nut-flavored broad leaf from Virginia, all combined to form the framework of this blend. All are left in bulk to merge and finally a quantity of pure Louisiana perique is added. This blend is then hard pressed as in the old maritime method of "carrottes" hydraulics taking the place of spun yarn and muscle. The resulting 'cake' is then cut and stoved to impart a light toasting effect and packed. Surely one of the most popular tobaccos of all it brings back flavours long since forgotten in today's mass produced substitutes.
Notes: Kohlhase and Kopp replaced the Macedonian Oriental leaf with "deep black cavendish", as stated on the website.
New description: Traditional flake from dark Virginias, deep black cavendish and perique. A tobacco with a fine, natural sweetness, yet vigorous in taste.
Details
| Brand | Robert McConnell |
| Blended By | Kohlhase & Kopp |
| Manufactured By | Kohlhase & Kopp |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 100 grams tin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.30 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 41 - 43 of 43 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 14, 2005 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
If you try this blend, bring along a welding torch as it is the devil's own business to light. Upon lighting it, you will find it spicy and a little bitey , like many other rude boy Virginias. It's worth patiently puffing your way through this smoke's nasty little adolesence, though, since as you smoke your way down the bowl, you'll find that it smokes nice and cool for a flake. The taste alternates between a slight sweetness, a light natural taste, and neutral. A load in a little Prince lasts me well over an hour. On the whole, a nice smoke, but I can't find anything hugely special about it.
A year later: I find that smoking this tobacco quite dry, not rubbed out, in a small-bore pipe leads to a much better smoking experience. It is good, and I enjoy smoking it, but it won't make my flake rotation. Rating upgraded to ***.
A year later: I find that smoking this tobacco quite dry, not rubbed out, in a small-bore pipe leads to a much better smoking experience. It is good, and I enjoy smoking it, but it won't make my flake rotation. Rating upgraded to ***.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 07, 2003 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
This is definitely a McClelland blend; it bears all the hallmarks of their Virginia flakes (thick cut, tart tin odor) yet proves to be an interesting variant, due to the presence of the Carolinas and Orientals. While the classic McC sharp smokiness is present from the first puff, it is matched by a very noticeable sourness, round and full and pungent, and a sweetness almost like ripe figs. This little flake carries a big load of flavor that remains complex and interesting to the bottom of the bowl. It also seems to carry less threat of tongue bite than your average McClelland, probably due to the VAs being "cut" by the other tobaccos. Good stuff.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 10, 2002 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I picked up a small tin of this a few weeks ago because I thought that it might be a good tobacco to use for "breaking in" new or pipes that I have reconditioned. What I found upon opening the tin was a broken flake with a range of colors - from light tans flecks to deep mahogany stripes. The tin aroma had that sweet and acidic brown sugar and vinegar that says "blended by McClelland" all over it. That, IMHO, speaks WELL and good things of this. I chose not to rub it out much at all. I like to leave high VA content broken flake without much rubbing out as it seems to help them smoke cooler. The tobacco was not overly moist and proved easy to light with my trusty little Colibri butane lighter.
At first light, the pungent smoke filled my nostrils with that kind of sweetness that to me is similar to what you get when you bite into a ripe Jersey Tomato. Not that it tastes like tomato, it does not, it just has that same satisfying effect on your taste buds.
Pebble Cut then settles down to a nice even burn that provides a smoke that is hard to describe, it is so delicious. No harshness. Just a nice clean burning, sweet smoke that gets richer as it burns.
The perique lends a presence but does not assert itself at all but, instead, lingers in the background adding a bit of spice - just enough to keep it interesting. The orientals (READ - NO LATAKIA) enrich the aroma and seem to attenuate the sharpness that one can get with perique blends.
There is no dottle left at the end of your smoke. All that is left is a fluffy white ash and a nice spice scent left in your bowl.
The small tin I bought was dated 10/98. I quickly ran back to the store and bought two 100gr tins and noted that the dates were 1995 on both. I can hardly wait to open them but I am cellaring them for now.
I don't care what Gretchen thinks about this one. I give it 5 x 5. No reservations.
At first light, the pungent smoke filled my nostrils with that kind of sweetness that to me is similar to what you get when you bite into a ripe Jersey Tomato. Not that it tastes like tomato, it does not, it just has that same satisfying effect on your taste buds.
Pebble Cut then settles down to a nice even burn that provides a smoke that is hard to describe, it is so delicious. No harshness. Just a nice clean burning, sweet smoke that gets richer as it burns.
The perique lends a presence but does not assert itself at all but, instead, lingers in the background adding a bit of spice - just enough to keep it interesting. The orientals (READ - NO LATAKIA) enrich the aroma and seem to attenuate the sharpness that one can get with perique blends.
There is no dottle left at the end of your smoke. All that is left is a fluffy white ash and a nice spice scent left in your bowl.
The small tin I bought was dated 10/98. I quickly ran back to the store and bought two 100gr tins and noted that the dates were 1995 on both. I can hardly wait to open them but I am cellaring them for now.
I don't care what Gretchen thinks about this one. I give it 5 x 5. No reservations.
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