Robert McConnell Glen Piper

Ready-rubbed cut (ribbony but not quite ribbons) mottled but mostly darker mixture with a horribly disconcerting tin aroma of a fruit basket. Mostly darker fruits but also some apricot. Perhaps some type of liquor scent as well. No evidence of chocolate or perique in the tin bouquet. I've smelled this aroma in various pipeshop "house blends" that turned into flavor disasters but this is a Robert McConnell creation so I soldiered on.

At tin moisture, this was overly fruity tasting but still pretty decent, with the fruit playing well with the tobacco flavors. As I get much more flavor from drier Virginias, I dried this to various levels and got the best results when it was very dry. At that point, the Cavendish receded in potency and the natural Virginia sweetness and crispness became dominant. Interestingly the chocolate flavor was more in evidence when dried. I can't say I ever tasted perique, even during the snorking process - no nose or throat tickle - and the persistence of the fruity Cavendish hid perique's dark fruit and pepper quite nicely. But its inclusion makes sense, as K&K has added it to several blends that didn't originally have it in order to restore the flavor to the state in which McConnell devised it. And again, I'm not as sensitive to perique in small doses as I am latakia, so it's inclusion is not as obvious as the latakia is in Presbyterian or the lack of latakia in something like Provost. As to what is obviously here, even when dried the fruit flavor is a bit over the top for me. It's smokable and I actually enjoyed it, but smoking too much of this would wear me out, the same way eating too much chocolate cake would. This is good as an occasional smoke, as it's not a nicotine powerhouse, it holds a light well and it's got that "special flavor". Worth a try to Virginia lovers looking for some aromatic pleasure or for aromatic smokers who might like to taste tobacco instead of just flavorings.

This is my kind of aromatic pipe tobacco – a blend where the natural flavours of the tobacco are given a priority over the added flavours, which act to sweeten the blend.

The charring light offers an almost toasty taste and aroma, but after relighting one is met with a grassy, citrusy flavour which could be compared with that of Mac Baren’s Mixture: Scottish Blend. A little further down the bowl, a creamy sweetness develops; this sweetness I attribute to the Virginias, but the topping certainly acts to fortify this. I would not describe the added flavours as chocolate or rum, they are more like stewed fruit and there is perhaps a hint of whisky. What sets this blend aside from other good quality aromatics is the presence of Perique and Kentucky leaf. The Perique is subtle but can be enjoyed when retrohaling through the nose, whereas the Kentucky appears to take a back seat, providing a slight richness.

The nicotine is noticeable but of a medium level.

I believe that Glen Piper’s status as an aromatic could put off certain smokers who would potentially get a lot of enjoyment from this blend. The aromatic toppings are incredibly discreet, and I would liken them to sugar-water splashed onto the tobacco once blended. It offers a naturally sweet smoke and makes for a welcome break when one tires of the smoke of Latakia and Oriental tobaccos.

Glen Piper is an easy to like, gentle aromatic blend. I get some slight grassy and citrus-y hints, presumably from the Virginia, but the blend is far more characterized by the Cavendish and the flavouring.

Those two components create a lovely flavour akin to chocolate pudding, with some hints of alcohol. Even more lovely is that they've managed this without the blend becoming overly sweet!

As you puff along and approach the second half of the bowl, you might find that things become a bit more spicy, which would be the Kentucky and (Apparently) Perique coming into play.

It burns cleanly and doesn't get too hot (Though if you DO smoke it too hot, i've found that this one will bite). In terms of moisture out of the tin, it comes just about ready to smoke, perhaps ever-so-slightly on the moist side of things.

Bit of a shame about the tin art, which was replaced by a solid green colour on the tin due to the obligatory "Smoking doesn't please politicians"-sticker, but then, i'm reviewing the tobacco, not the packaging.

Overall, i quite like this blend. Definitely one of the nicer Aromatics i've smoked.

Ordered a tin from my dealer in Germany, very different from the one in the picture above: it seems like the McConnell brand has shifted to a more generic presentation. My disappointment towards the tin decoration was heavily compensated by the configuration of what was inside. This mixture has an impressive cut, some pieces still as large as the size of the original flake; beautiful color and texture if you gently feel the tobacco in the hand. The smell is also quite unique and puzzling.

I enjoy smoking the tobacco in its original cut although I recommend opening the tin for a little while and let some air go through those broken pieces before filling the pipe as it will save your taste buds from a little bit of the sourness or discomfort in the tongue – which, I believe, is almost inevitable in the first few puffs out of each bowl filled with this particular blend.

This has been mentioned as a starter's smoke - not so true as far as I can see. The aromas build slowly in the mouth and in a fashion more discretely than most newcomers would want to accept and I no doubt read a few comments on it that attest my claim. The chocolate flavoring makes the smoke velvety while there is definitely the taste of spirits as the bowl progresses. This blend is also just in the right proportion of perique for my taste: although I can clearly understand how the taste of liquor in conjunction with this particular tobacco in the blend might come as slightly nauseating to some. The whole flavour is finished with vague hints of fruit.

For full enjoyment, this tobacco begs for slow puffing, as slow as possible which not only makes it the more delicious – making its mild aroma come to life – but also a long lasting experience added that the peculiar cut takes a long time to burn. Smoke it indoors and nowhere else.

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I tried this as I was told McConnells are good quality and I saw alot of good reviews here for GP. It is good, very good, I am still looking for the right pipe for this one. Fruity flavours, plums and port, a good desert baccy with a glass of vintage port as long as you haven't eaten too much...it is rich in taste and flavour. It does burn well for a aromatic and does still have a 'natural taste' to it with earthy tones. Recommend if you like dark dried fruits but dislike, cherry or blackcurrent aromatics. It is wet in tin but dries quickly...not much bite also.

Edit: Down to 3 stars, finished two tins off, it is a great baccy just misses that special extra something, buy a tin you won't be disappointed, it is a top quality aromatic. I could see this one aging well for an aromatic, praise indeed.

Soft, elegant, with notes of raisins, figs and dried fruit, yet not goopy or sugary. The Black Cavendish is there alright, but it is so polite and discreet that it does not overwhelm the delicate composition of this singular blend. Definitely an aromatic, this is not a cased tobacco. The flavor?faintly sweet and bitter?has been applied (topping) with utmost discretion, so that you never lose sight of the fact you are smoking pipe tobacco. Creamy and mellow, it has a slow burning rate which makes it a delight when reading or listening to music. Dark and light browns, some in broken flake form, a bit moist in the tin, this is essentially a Virginia/Cavendish composition, thoroughly enjoyable, and never tiring. Nice and inviting room aroma, too. With Larsen?s Selected Blend No. 80, this is one of the few aromatic tobaccos I really enjoy.

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.

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!