Robert McConnell Black and Gold

Robert McConnell - Black and Gold.

When I initially opened my tin up the name made sense, a tin brimmed with black and gold tobacco. Well, it's actually black and dark brown but lets not split hairs! The aroma from the tin has more of a fruitiness to it than the smokes flavour. It smells quite sharp yet the taste is much milder. From the smoke I get a subtle plum note with a creamy vanilla taste.

I find the flavour of the tobaccos to be well weighted. There is a sour woodiness from the Oriental which is prevented from being too imperious by the creamy/vanilla like Black Cav'. There is also a slight sharpness from the Perique with the Virginia giving build/body/substance to the smoke. At first puff this seemed a little boring but after about ten minutes the flavours really begin to develop and come through clearly.

For me, the nicotine is perfect; middle ground so not too much nor too little.

First puff suggested "a bit of a boring smoke worth one or two stars" but after a few puffs this really comes to life; a love it or hate it blend maybe?!

Highly recommended.

I am not an aromatic smoker. Being a Dane, that could make me quite an outsider. But I am fed up with those eternal synthetic "candy-baccies" which dominate Denmark.

Here is an English aromatic that I simply love. This colorful blend does not taste artificial, it is like as if McConnell's thought; "Hey! Let's make an aromatic like they would have made it a 100 years ago"

A natural, rustic blend; top quality leaf and with a topping so weird (GOOD) that I can't describe it, nor compare it with any other blends. One of my favourites.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

This has been one of my favorite tobaccos for about a decade. In spite of numerous changes of tin descriptions over the years, It has delivered a consistent experience and taste. I have no idea whether this still contains the dubec Turkish or the “woodspice” topping, but it remains tasty. B&G is classified as an English aromatic and has quite a strong tin aroma, but does not feel sticky or gooey. Do not think Lakeland, this is nothing like that style of aro. The top notes are vanilla and what I’m guessing to be wine. I will get these delicious blasts of what can only be described as a sour grape jolly rancher. This may sound offensive to some, but plays wonderfully off the partly rubbed VA. There is a wonderful sort of tartness/sourness that develops when the VA, Perique, and topping conspire. Certainly this is not an everyday blend, but a guilty pleasure that I have reliably come back to. While this may be heavily topped, it smokes smoothly and doesn’t come across as sickly sweet. The tobaccos are complimented by, as opposed to smothered by the topping. Easy 4 stars. Highly recommended. This one is VERY unusual and clearly will not please all pipers, but is very much worth a try!

Sour Concord grapes, faint vanilla, semi-sweet VAPer.

I picked this up at Ed's Pipe Shop in Santa Monica. Over the years, their range of pipe tobaccos has thinned somewhat, but I always make it a habit to pick up two tins while there, which I visit about three times a year.

Black and Gold caught my eye, sitting on the shelf, covered with dust. It must have been there five years, at least, which is instant gratification for those impatient fellows like myself, seeking aged blends.

I honestly had no idea what I was purchasing, but figured the age would make up for it, and I was at least right in that respect. Black and Gold smokes like the familiar VaPer, with the added ingredient of Cavendish, apparently included to sweeten things up a bit. This is not a sweet, cloying blend, however, and I must disagree with the lot of reviews here who have panned Black and Gold as a mild, flavorless smoke.

There is a heavy Perique presence, and the blend is more than mild, I would even suggest it's rather strong, at least medium in body. I first fired this up to complaint, which is rare. A resident non pipe smoker walked in my smoking den and blew the air ahead with a disapproving hand, asking what I was smoking. I was told it smelled horrible, and I have never had anyone protest a VaPer before. In my mind, it was a compliment, suggesting the robustness of my smoke.

I like this blend, and I like it even more souped up with a third of Smyrna, adding a bit of spice to the Virginia and Perique. In the tin you can make out dark strands of flake Virginia, rubbed out, their formerly Golden hue now absorbed by the darker leaf of the Perique and Cavendish, well represented though indistinguishable from one another. The tobacco glitters in the light from a good deal of time spent on the shelf, the discarded tin, its paper insert stained by bleeding of time.

Puffing in cadence brings about a rich, subdued sweetness in flavor with clear, tangy notes, complimented by the ever present plum of the Perique, which hits quite evident. I can't make out the Cavendish...which has that sort of chameleon quality that lurks about in the background, and even without the added Smyrna I detect a bit of spice, from what element of the components, I can't say. You should know, however, that the Cavendish plays no part in watering down the character of Black and Gold. I've put the blend on a fast track to early completion, having no VaPers currently on hand.

This was a solid purchase, if a bit pricey, though I've grown accustomed to paying the inflated B&M charges and associated tax. I complain, sure, but appreciate the luxury of seeing my wares on the shelf, of exchanging pleasantries and experiences with a real tobacconist and not the sort that hangs around on forum news groups, although I love their company as well. Support your local shop!

I just recently purchased a 20+ year old tin of this blend on Ebay for $10...so I thought it would be no big loss if I did not like the blend. Well, I know many of the previous reviews of this blend were not favorable, so I am wondering if the aging process helped the tobacco. When I broke the seal and opened the tin, I was greeting with a wonderful plumlike aroma, and inspecting the tobacco, I noticed it was COVERED in sugar crystals, which for me, usually means I am in for a treat, and this was NO exception. I packed a Country Gentlemen corncob and lit up. This is a wonderful blend, a mild flavor,cool burning, and required NO relights, burning from top to bottom with one light. My partner, who is NO fan of Perique, complimented me on the roomnote, telling me what ever the tobacco was cased with, it covered up the Perique quite nicely. All I can say is, I will be searching Ebay and the internet looking for more of this blend. Highly Recommended!