Robert McConnell Old London Pebble Cut

Blended by the McClelland Tobacco Company, Ashton?s Old London Pebblecut tobacco blend is an interestingly tangy Virginia based flake.

The tin aroma shouts of a pleasing sweetened Vinegar smell. Although this particular aroma diminishes in pungency over time, it does remain a distinctive characteristic of this blend. Red mottled Carolina leaf, Macedonia, Virginia broad leaf, and Perique tobaccos combine to form this blend. Pebblecut is of a deep mahogany red striated slightly with bands of yellow.

Pebblecut appears in a longer, slightly broken flake with a thicker cut. This tobacco rubs out relatively easily especially after it has dried out a bit. Loading a pipe of this tobacco blend is fairly simple. Pebblecut arrives slightly moist but no real drying is necessary for a satisfying smoke.

Pebblecut also lights easily for a flake tobacco and has a trend of burning evenly. A match or two is usually needed to finish the smoke completely. The burn leaves the sides of the pipe bowl clean and no real gurgling was noticed during the smoke. The room note tends to be somewhat sharp and overall decent.

The taste of this blend tends to be tangy, sweet, and with a slightly spicy background. This spiciness is no doubt due to the Perique though this added Perique only plays a subtle background role, never asserting itself throughout the smoke. The smoke remains medium hot but subsides about half way through until eventually cooling considerably. Also, as the smoke progresses, the entire taste becomes smoother with perhaps a slight loss in the tartness of the blend. A somewhat wispy yet smooth and continuous smoke is rendered by the blend.

Pebblecut is a very interesting Virginia flake variant. The full tartness of the pouch aroma may at first seem overpowering but with a bit of familiarity it becomes a very interesting a favorable characteristic of this tobacco blend. Tangy, sweet, slightly spicy, and recommended.

My second venture into Virginia flake territory, after the wonderful Marlin Flake by Rattray. Much of what I said in the review of MF applies here, too, so you might want to take a look there before reading this. What are the differences? First of all, the can aroma has a much more fermented smell. More pungent, with a dominant dried plum flavor and almost-vinegary overtones. Probably it's the presence of Perique. In comparison to MF, it unrubs even better, and smokes just as well. It is a bit less "rounded" and sweet/grassy in taste, and while sometimes it shows a higher spiciness, some other times it feels a bit "empty" and watery. While the first half bowl of Pebblecut is very stimulating to the palate, with citrus note and an everchanging taste, the second half degrades a bit. While Marlin Flake can be relighted at will, this Ashton blend seems to lose something. And even without relighting, the last 1/3 of the bowl has a rather plain and sometimes even slightly unpleasant taste. Personal impressions, no doubt: both MF and Pebblecut are great Virginia flakes which resemble each other in look, taste and burning characteristics, and the preference towards one or the other is just a matter of taste. A serious Va smoker should definitely try both. The presence of Perique in Ashton's tobacco is quite discreet and tolerable even to those who usually don't love this kind of leaf. This one is less famous than Rattray's blend, but it might just click for you. Note of warning: the European packaging of this blend is in a 100g parchment colored tin. The american version is in a 50g tin with a completely different look. This review was written following my notes based upon the European version: several months later, I also tried the US version: the look in the tin is completely different (it's broken flake, not a whole one), the smell is even more vinegary and fruity (of course, being made by McClelland) and the taste slightly differs, suggesting more than a hint of the Orientals. It almost tastes like a much fuller and slightly sweeter version of GLPease Cairo. I like both versions, but probably I prefer a little the European one.

This is a very nice and easy VaPer. Wouldn't say if the easiness of this tobacco is mostly due to the elegant fraggy pebble-cut, or maybe to the number of elements in the plate (I usually don't go into anything that blends more than 2-3 different qualities, there are more in here...).

Anyway it's an easy all-day VaPer, burns well, not super-cool but very round and mellow. I bought it when my man was lacking Old Gowrie, and I must admint that it really took the stand, even if you will not find here much of the spice and complexity of OG. Also, many may prefer this to OG for not that much of sweetness here, and surely less Nicotine.

After a period of smoking familiar blends i decided to open a new blend to me and the choise was obvious.A Va/per should be tried and this blend seemed promosing.the tin appearance is nice and classic.once the can opens a sour,sweet and cocoa smell comes out.the semirubbed dark and brown flakes are moist and after some further rubbing drying time is required.packing and lighting are easy after that.while smoking you instantly realize that perique is the main player.lots of sour notes,plums and figs in generous amounts lead the way.virginias are sweet and citrucy with some earthy notes.last of all the black cavendish are sweet with some cocoa and nut notes that complete the natural taste of the blend.generally i found the taste balanced ,full and very natural.burns almost fast and medium hot to almost perfect ash with a lot moisture left at the filter.room note is bareable and the aftertaste is sweet/sour with no chance of tongue bite.an all day smoke.generally i found this blend satisfying,easy going and a bit heavier in perique content than most Va/pers.recommended.

First I would like to state that I smoked the K&K manufactured version which states on the bottom of the tin (in German) Dark Virginias, Black Cavendish, Orientals and Perique. So according to the description it seems to contain both Orientals and Black Cavendish. The presentation is impressive as it comes rolled in a long 36 cm flake.

The tin note is intense and complex. Reminds me of another tobacco but I cannot put my finger on which. It smells of leather, yeast, stewed fruit like figs and plum and I almost also get a whiff of milk chocolate and some toasted notes. There must be quite a lot of Black Cavendish in it. Smells very juicy and it is also moist and needs a few minutes of drying time. Actually, more than a few minutes as the flake is very moist. And I found that it smokes best when the ribbon is almost crisp. Easy to rub out.

Once dried it needs maybe just one match to light. It produces a very juicy and smooth smoke with full body but only medium strength. In the beginning I get a dark dried fruit character which is quite sweet accompanied by notes of hazelnut and milk chocolate – but nothing tasting artificial here. Still I believe there is some flavoring added and some sugar as well. Could it be molasses? Or even a bit of licorice? Or just the effect of Black Cavendish?

As the bowl progresses it becomes more peppery, black pepper – the influence of Perique it must be. As for Orientals I am not sure I sense them, yet there might be some in it.

As other reviewers have mentioned Old London is a mellow, round and very easy to smoke tobacco. It’s very good and even when it gets spicy at the end it is still soft. Still, I find it not as complex as the tin note first suggested to me. I feel the added flavoring overwhelms the natural tobacco taste making a bit monotonous and I feel I will get a little bored. Yet if you like Va/Pers you should try Old London Pebble Cut and see for yourself, it sure is worth a try.

It gives me the uncanny feeling that I’ve tasted it before, which I haven’t. The best I could describe it is like being a cross between Capstan (probably the flavoring of) and St. James’ Flake.

I smoked a couple of 100 gr tins of EU version of this blend, blended by William Taylor. It is an elegant and nutty smoke with a nice balance of the orientals.

I could rate it 4 stars but it is a bit sour for my taste which tends to get me bored easily. This doesn't mean that I will never smoke it again. Surely I wil have some tins in my cellar for future.

I don't know why this is listed as "Old London Pebblecut." The picture above and the tin in front of me are both clearly marked "Pebblecut."

The aroma on opening the tin does not smell as vinegary as the Black Parrot. The Macedonian and Red Carolina tobaccos combined with the Virginia are modestly flavored by Perique to create a very nice broken flake. This is pretty good stuff. It smokes cool and clean, and has a nice rich taste.

This would go well with a Glenmorangie Portwood Finish. But then, what wouldn't?

To date, eighteen of the twenty reviews are about evenly split. Eight give Pebblecut 4- stars, and ten give it 3-stars. Only two reviewers give it 2-stars, and no one has rated it a 1-star.

Even more so than some McClelland blends I've tried, Ashton's Pebblecut really smells of fermenting ketchup and wine vinegar. And it really put me off trying this blend. The flakes even have ketchupy orange-tinted streaks throughout.

However, when smoked, the taste is something completely different---more smooth, and the winey scent becomes sweeter and more rounded. Without patient puffing, though, this can get a little hot and aggressive.

Still one of the better Ashton blends I've tried.

A very good selection for the Virginia flake afficianado! The addition of the oriental leaf is quite apparent in the flavor. This starts out with an astringent quality,but then settles down nicely into a very tangy smoke. This has a very McC. quality to it. This is ketchup,vinegar,and bbq sauce all rolled into one.I liked it,but it was the Virginias that irritated my throat.This is a very similar blend in taste to BUTERA VINTAGE FLAKE. Worth a try. 3 of 4 stars.