Gallaher Limited Condor Long Cut (Brown)

Interesting tobacco! My first straight Lakeland tobacco I guess. Has a floral, slightly perfumy and fruity sweet unburnt aroma, which remind me quite a bit of St. Bruno (Mac Baren incarnation). Easy to handle flakes in good dimensions. As I had a sample of this I can't speak on the moisture when opening a pouch.

The rather intense aroma from the unburnt aroma is a bit less intense in the pipe when lit. It's floral, soapy-perfumy and somewhat fruity, with a bit of sweetness to it. It sublimates the tobaccos mostly, but a bit of the Virginia shines through with some grass and citrus and little spice.

I find it much less offensive than I would've imagined before getting my hands on it (unavailable in Germany), it's actually quite tasty! A nice change of pace and much better than the goopy, overly sweet aromatic blends we have here in Germany... Has some strenght to it both in nicotine and tast, which surprises me...where does it come from?

I enjoy it, really! Not my most favorite style of tobacco, but certainlya worthy classic

A cult classic but not my cup of tea.

From the pack, dark regular square cut flakes. Slightly oily to the touch, may need a few minutes drying time for optimum combustion.

To me it smells like rich fruit. There's a slight floral note but it's nowhere near as pungent as say GH ennerdale or rose geranium plug. No hint of soap, despite what others may have you believe.

A bit of an 'old boys' bacca, there's a traditional 'raw tobacco' scent and flavour. Would not be out of place in a good English ale house. Not for the faint hearted.

Dry burning, requires only a few relights (smoked straight from the pack) if properly prepared and evenly packed.

Starts off citrussy and even a little sharp. Mellows as you burn through leaving a rich sweet taste that resonates throughout. Burns cool but can be harsh on the throat of rushed.

Worth a spin, if not for the legend alone.

Enjoy lads!

This review is based on a fresh 25g pouch. I think I have two of three flakes left, but I have very little desire to smoke them as I didn't really enjoy this blend.

Whilst I thought the tobaccos were of good quality and burnt well, I couldn't really taste them over the flavoring. The flavoring was not at all to my taste and I found it quite unpleasant. I do get moments of soap which I don't dislike, but there's another taste besides that which I just don't like.

I doubt I shall buy this again or try the ready rubbed.

I also don't understand why so many people have compared this to St Bruno. I don't see a connection other then they are both commonly found flakes sold in pouches in the UK.

I'm not saying this 'is' a bad tobacco, just that it doesn't agree with me.

Having tried most of the OTC tobaccos available in the UK, I decided it was time to brave the mighty Condor, long cut. On opening the pouch, the aroma is very pleasing indeed. A very fruity scent, not unlike St Bruno, with a touch of figs and raisins. The flakes are very thinly cut, with very dark tobaccos with the odd light fleck. So to the smoke! I loaded up a falcon International, after fully rubbing out, with a bowl already used for aromatics, and was pleasantly surprised by the flavour of this tobacco. Firstly this tobacco is wonderfully creamy and smooth, with no tongue bite whatsoever. Typical lakeland flavouring with a hint of floral toppings, but not overbearing. Is it soapy? well yes it is I'm afraid, but somehow it doesn't distract you from a very enjoyable smoke. The tobacco burns beautifully, straight from the packet, the moisture content is about perfect, and the pipe remains cool throughout the whole bowl. I think I can detect a touch of Latakia lurking beneath the casing, but I'm not sure. Now for the negatives. It will, as most other reviewers have warned, ghost your pipe to hell and back, forever!. I would recommend a meer or a Falcon to enjoy this tobacco. The Falcon being a perfect choice as you can reserve a bowl for it, and it's worth it!. My only other gripe is it can be a bit sickly if smoked too often, so a once a day smoke for me. A well deserved reputation then for Condor. I prefer it to St Bruno in many ways and wasn't aware of any extreme Nicotine kick. It will certainly enter my rotation, and unlike some reviewers, I would recommend it to beginners as it is so fuss free and smooth to smoke, unlike the dreaded Clan, which will put you off pipe smoking for life! If you find the Nicotine overwhelming then use a filter, as this will calm it, without spoiling the flavour of this very high quality tobacco. Highly recommended.

Waiting for another pack, tried this a while back, I really liked it. It won't replace St Bruno as the best all rounder, but it is a good, strong flake with a pleasant (to me anyway) overtone to it. I don't find it too soapy although with S Gawith tobaccos I favour Full Virginia flake, Kendal Cream Flake, Navy Flake, Chocolate Flake and the like over the more floral blends. Condor is very much worth a try in this and the ready rubbed form.

I am only doing this review on a sample that a fellow pipe club member gave me yesterday, so the reader is advised. On another note, I usually don't like any aromatics, but I have made an exception with this one so that I could make this review. That is to say I did not so more smoke this tobacco out of pleasure, but due to my sense of duty and gratitude with this fellow member and friend. Having said that, I'd say the smoking experience wasn't all that bad. As a matter of fact, I think I've actually enjoyed it. This tobacco comes in flakes and will benefit from some drying time. The aromatic aspect of this tobacco is quite apparent to me and will bite your tongue if you smoke them straight out of the tin/pouch. Not sure whether it has any cavendish in it, but I'd dare to say it hasn't: it is the Virginia tobaccos that seem to predominate this blend. About nicotine content, I'd say this is a medium/strong blend with a good kick if you smoke it on an empty stomach. The taste is quite mellow as you start smoking, but will evolve quite nicely as you go past every quarter of your bowl. Flavours are difficult to describe, but the word "floral" pops up in the head. It is easy to rub and pack in your pipe if properly dried. I have smoked it at a very low pace because of the virginias in it, so it did not smoke hot at all, but I can tell it could if you don't let this tobacco dry properly. I don't think I would buy this tobacco myself, but I guess I'd have another bowl if someone gave me another pipefull for free. Not that it hasn't shown nice properties or characteristics, but it is an aromatic at the end of the day, so this is a 2 stars tobacco for me. I am not trying to put the reader off buying it, but this kind of tobacco is not my cup of tea (subjective though it is, everyone has his own preferences).

Edit 03/02/2017 I've come to really enjoy this tobacco, so I am going to upgrade to 3 stars.

I bought this in desperation from a supermarket (my local 'tobacconist' (a non smoker) can't be persuaded to order decent stuff and I tire a bit of mail order 'baccy). 'Oh, perhaps it isn't all that bad' I thought, and bought 25g on spec.

Sometimes, it's not absolutely awful. And, then again, sometimes it tastes like you're sucking on a burning sock soaked in liquid hairspray. I'll never buy this again.

Easy to light, will have a floral smell at first, but soon fades, don't be fooled by the gentle smoke, nicotine is strong enough.

At the bottom of the bowl, I get a taste similar to agarwood, very comfortable, I will prepare a bowl specially for it, such nicotine is what I need

Package note of lakeland, sharply sweet fruit and spices. Tobacco is a flake of a marbled brown and dark brown. Moisture content is great, flakes rub out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium to strong and nic is medium. Flavoring is mild to medium, with notes of lakeland. Lakeland flavoring is moderate in the beginning after lighting but fades to the background relatively quickly and remains in the background. Taste is medium to full and very consistent, with notes of floral, mild tonquin/lakeland, rich, savory, herbal spices, zesty citrus, leather, fermented sour and tangy dark fruit, woody, earthy, mildly bitter, a lemon grassy background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.