Robert McConnell Glen Piper

I got this one from my local b&m, thinking for some bizarre reason, that it was a plug. Darn it, I was disappointed when I opened the tin. Never mind, I don't think I need to have worried.

Upon opening the tin, I was amazed at how comfortably the tobacco fitted into the tin. Most offerings are either crammed into near oblivion while others leave enough space to conduct large scale nuclear warfare. This stuff, though, just nicely fills out the tin, without leaving any space and yet without looking cramped either. I think it's noticing stuff like this that kept me out of the really good jobs. The largely dark rubbings, with only the merest dash of occasional gold, smelled lovely too, very fruity. The tin note carries on in milder fashion into the smoke, continuing all the way down to the bottom. It does nicely step off the gas on odd occasions and allows the dark, earthy flavour of the tobacco underneath to rear it's head above the parapet. It does sometimes get a little rough but it's no real biggy.

After the disappointment of finding out it wasn't a plug, I have to say this stuff has redeemed itself reasonably well. It doesn't excite or thrill but it does soothe and calm relatively well. It isn't a classic by any means, but I would rank it amongst one of the better aromatics. I'm sure I'll treat myself to a tin sometime when I fancy a break from the norm.

This is one of my all time favorite aromatics. Its not heavily cased (i.e. a peterson aromatics), but just enough to let you know you are smoking an aromatic. do not let it stay in an opened tin for over a month because it dries out very quickly

The cavendish addition in this blend is somewhat high for my taste. Strength of it is just not enough for me. Packs and lights easily, and offers a light and sweet smoke. The aromatic lovers can smoke this all day. The VA lovers like me would look elsewhere for a true tobacco taste.

Nutty, no tongue bite, mild in taste and nic... Room note is not overwhelming. Although the packaging (tin with a tight flexible plastic lid i/o the rectangular tin pictured above) seems odd against the traditional all aluminium tin with a seal, it does the trick. I tend to break it down into smaller pieces and let it air for 10 minutes. Gets smoked in a smaller-volume pipe, great for an easy but tasty shorter smoke.

I do wonder if I will still like this in years to come, I understand it is being marketed as a starter-tobacco, and I am only a starter (10 months as I write this review)

My first McConnell mixture, and what an excellent one! I'm not sure how I would describe the room note, but the aroma reminds me at times of dried figs (or possibly dates), and, at other times, it reminds me of how my mother's house always smells at Christmas. I suppose that "holiday-cooking-and-baking-with-an-underlying-hint-of-holiday-greenery" is a bit awkward for a description, but that's about as accurate as I can be.

What makes this a truly exceptional tobacco is that, underneath the aroma and subtle flavour associated with the topping, I detect a quality tobacco which doesn't scorch my tongue.

If you like lightly scented tobaccos, give this a try!

WOW!! This is great smoking tobacco! I have a cellar cabinet full of jarred and tinned tobacco. It seems I always grab this first. I smoke this with a glass of sangria on the back porch. Even my Jack Russels love the smell out of the tin. I have to keep it from them or they will eat it. Smoke is smooth with the taste of tobacco still there and a nice, not over bearing aroma. Quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Glen Piper is one of the Robert McConnell lines that is supposed to represent high quality aromatics. Other blends in this group include Cherry Blossom, Black Honey and Kentucky Nougat. These blends rate as quite good, pretty good and good (respectively). So, I was expecting something better than the usual bland aromatic. This is a little better than your run-of-the-mill bulk aromatic, but not enough to make me buy more of it. Pretty generic, no tobacco flavor. Disappointing.

My experience with this one mirrors that of Arkie: it’s a strange kind of Aromatic, the tin smell seems that of raisins soacked in Brandy rather than Rum. The smoke is smooth and biteless but the taste is really elusive: Rum, Perique, chocolate, fruits.... Totally missed! What I’ve got is an indistinct taste of Va/Cav where, unusually, the Cavendish attenuates the sweetness instead of increasing it. I detected just a hint of Kentucky here and there, but maybe just a suggestion. The room note is slightly boozy, not heavy but not so pleasant either.

I recently had the pleasure of trying McConnell's Code Relax and was impressed enough to seek out more of their Aromatic mixtures. Glen Piper apparently delivers both chocolate and rum, so I was eager to open up the tin... only to find the sour raisen, earthy hay, smell I associate with most Virginias. So this was going to be a natural affair, and not what I would consider an Aromatic.

This rubbed out flake had chunky tendrils that felt great and smoldered in the bowl for a good duration. While I can't say what makes a Virginia "dark", either that or the Cavendish/Perique elevated things into what I'll call a 'thicker' smoke. It wasn't exactly richer in depth, but was certainly a notch meatier than your average nutty all Virginia blend, which was interesting as it's strength wasn't all that powerful. Alas, there was no chocolate or rum for me, so I'm calling false advertising on this one.

In the end it was a good quality product for the Virginia enthusiast wanting something with a tad more heft.