Gallaher Limited Condor Long Cut (Brown)

Opening the pouch, I get the old version of Irish Flake smell. The moist, dark and short flakes are neatly packed. The slow burning tobacco is quite a treat for experienced pipe smokers that dabble into British tobaccos. For the rest, well one might come with words like cheap perfume, soap, floral and they would be right.

The liqueur topping reminds me of licorice and treacle with some dark fruit. The tobacco is earthy, with a beef jerky interlude as the topping is less present by mid bowl. The best part is the bottom of the bowl where tobacco and topping have a kind of synergy that is dark fruit sweet and earthy with a good amount of nicotine. I somehow find it more complex than Revor Plug but in the same vein as a strong British aromatic.

Virginia lover

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 and Condor can haunt my pipe anytime. I'll always have a place in my cellar for the almighty Condor, long live Condor! Absolutely, definitely essential.

I love this tobacco not only for its very individual taste but its aroma floods me with memories of times gone past. An old hillwalking mate of mine used to smoke it so every time I light up a bowlful I'm reminded of dark winter nights spent beside a log fire in a remote Scottish bothy or summer nights camping in a wild glen listening to the sounds of nature. Impossible to get here in Argentina so I have to bring some back whenever I visit the UK which is not often enough to enable me to smoke it regularly.

Given the above my review is of course bound to be biased. The ghosting some people warn about I feel is way over the top...it's not a true aromatic and I never have a problem when switching tobaccos in the same bowl. I have never understood why people mention it having a soapy taste either....I just don't get the connection. It's a cool smoking tobacco, burns well whether you fully rub it out or pack a flake straight from the pouch. As for taste....impossible to put into words. Some say lavender others say rose water. Whatever it is it's a taste not found in any other blend...you'll either love it or loathe it. It keeps its flavour until you hit the bottom then tells you its time to start all over again. Very popular tobacco in the UK and one most old pipe smokers I knew in my native Glasgow smoked....either that or St Bruno which I also enjoy.

So for me smoking Condor is more than just a smoking experience it's a ritual. I don't need to smoke it all the time, as long as I can get a bowlful every now and then I'll be a happy man.

I thought I had found my tobacco nirvana in Condor Ready Rubbed but that was until I tried Condor LC last week. LC is very similar to RR but with brass knobs on, more flavour & more taste.

Upon opening the plastic wallet I spied about 24 dark brown neatly cut flakes with a gorgeous leathery/floral scent. Some have bemoaned both RR & LC as having a 'soapy' aroma & taste, I have never detected either, just a quality, well flavoured tobacco.

I am now on my second packet and as I write this am sipping away and thoroughly enjoying the experience. Not knowing the correct procedure to roll & pack flake tobaccos I always rub them out on a tray and leave them to air for an hour or so afore jarring. I have read on here & elsewhere that a very different smoking experience is to be had when one folds & loads so best I do a web search to learn the correct technique.

One thing I notice about this blend (applies to RR too) is that the initial flavours experienced at light up are still evident throughout the entire smoke whereas most so called aromatics alter very much come mid bowl. Also, LC is a shade darker than RR which knocks on the head the myth that they are one and the same blend.

Another thing I noticed is that it is best smoked in a large bowl to get the most from what is on offer. In a Peterson 307 I can enjoy this for well over an hour with gentle sipping & only the occasional relight.

Some say this is not for beginners, well I have only been piping for 6 months and I love the stuff, I so wish I had tried it earlier. It has overtaken RR as my number 1 blend and will certainly be my baccy of choice. Thankfully it is available pretty much anywhere. Will I still buy RR? Yes I think so, but only because I think it's healthy to have the occasional break. Imagine eating lobster everyday and drinking Shepherd Neame India Pale Ale everyday, one would soon become bored.

This is a gorgeously full flavoured baccy that I would heartily recommend everyone tries at least once. A five star blend in my book.

when i was 15 (im now 52), my dad used to smoke this, i nicked his pipe and went to my bedroom and had a go of condor, i tell you Ive never thrown up so much since, a few years later i took up the pipe of my own accord , age 19, went through the aromatics etc, but came back to condor,this is a classic,best smoked in a meer or clay, a MORE than satisfying nic content,flavors of sweet Virginia , rum, spice, whiskey,and flowers,this is perfect !!!! but beware if your new to pipes wait at least 10 years before you try condor.

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.

This isn't the same smoke as the ready rubbed. Maybe if you rubbed this out it would be similar to its green jacketed sibling, but as these short, tall, thin flakes are perfect for folding and stuffing I'll never find out.

These flakes are quite thin and not particularly dense so you get more flakes than you'd expect for your money.

Sweet, mellow and with a just a hint of florals this is a tobacco, that once tried, you'll find yourself craving on a regular basis.

This flake is commonly available in British newsagents and perhaps this leads to it being overlooked as a great tobacco. I've tried, but I can't think of a reason why this should be anything other than highly recommended.

This is a lovely tobacco, almost like smoking a pipeful of wild flowers! Very soapy but in a good way and very widely available in the UK. I'd recommend this one highly.

This is a real old English smoke. Can be rubbed out or folded if prefered. I found cellering for a couple of months dried it out a bit and made for an easier smoke with less re-lights. I smoke this tobacco in a small bowl mearchaum which doesn't suffer from being " ghosted" like a briar can. A thick, Robust smoke with an almost peaty taste. Like smoking an old wood fire. I get a sort of leathery flavour coming through which I find pleasant and yes the subtle floral bouquet is there. A mans smoke with a good of whack of Nicotine. One bowl does the job. A good evening smoke to be enjoyed away from the missis who insists on coughing and spluttering, ruining the whole experience lol !