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One of the original blends from 1848. Rich Dark Virginia and Carolina Mature Leaf blended and pressed in steam ovens produce this unique dark mature tobacco, according to the sailor men method called "Carottes". Surprisingly mild and very slow burning. No latakia.
Notes: McConnell's Maduro is a blend of deep, dark, heat pressed Virginias with perique and a Navy rum top note. A black cavendish made from various burley and Virginia tobaccos is rounded off with a whiff of perique (K&K Website).
Favorite Of 1 Users
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JimInks (3047) |   |
Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The rum is very light, and the perique is raisin-like with no spice to speak of. The Virginias are very mild with light hay notes and virtually no sweetness. I have no idea why it's labeled as "maduro" because nothing in this blend presents what I think of when I see the term employed. Has almost no nicotine. No chance of bite or harshness. It burns slightly fast and cool, with a very dull flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has no real after taste to speak of.
-JimInks
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| StevieB (2081) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Robert McConnell - Maduro.
A blend I reviewed years back and have re-posted as I thought I could do better.
Whether or not Maduro implies cigar notes doesn't really concern me, this is a review based on the blend itself:
The ribbons are just below medium in size, almost black in colour, and the hydration of this tin was perfect the moment I opened it. This helps with ignition, and once burning it's a fairly cool smoke. To me, the only link between the flavour this and a Maduro cigar is the sweetness; I don't get rum like a lot of other folks identify, but I do get a dark molasses type of sweetness. Another thing I get none of is bite, whether sipped or sucked. The only tobacco flavour to come forward is a simple Virginia Cavendish one, I get nothing else.
Maduro gives a thick and palpable smoke, good for the palate, but not so good for the room: plumes of smoke! And it's very mild with nicotine.
This is a very nice smoke, one that would be great after dinner: the smoke has the sticky texture of a strong aromatic, but not oodles of false flavour.
Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Comoy's Tawny Saddle
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: My Smoking Shop
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| marosi (70) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is one of the most disappointing blends that i have smoke due to the huge disparity between the tin aroma, which is fantastic, and the flavor and complexity during the smoke, both of which are nonexistent. It is like going to a steak house and being told that they have run out of everything except for chicken!
The tin aroma is one the best, if not the best, I have ever encountered. Fantastic, rich, and mouthwatering. The tobacco is also a beautiful dark, dark brown, and it is just really very enticing. Savor this, because it is all downhill once you put it into the pipe.
It packs fine, but does not light readily, and requires regular relights. Worst of all, it has no flavor. The perique is non-existent, it is weak in strength, and it provides only a very basic tobacco flavor, with no depth or complexity. while it gets a little better throughout the bowl, it does not develop near enough to justify wasting precious smoking time with this when there are a world of other blends out there that are so much better, including many by Robert McConnell. Were it not for the great tin aroma I would give this one star, but dammit sometimes I just crack the tin and sniff it because it smell so good, and then smoke something else when it it time to get down to business.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| L'Italiano (233) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I want to be clear and for this reason I try to answer the doubts concerning this tobacco. First of all the name Maduro is misleading: there is no cigar leaf in this blend. Not at all! Second, without any doubt there is Perique in this mixture and you can taste it from the beginning to the end. Third, maybe there is a sprinkling of rum but it is not leading and it is not so evident. Fourth, Virginia is certainly predominant and there is not only steamed Virginia, but also stoved and toasted Virginia. Fifth, there is a little casing and also a final topping. But the real problem is to establish which kind of mixture you are smoking. I mean Maduro can be a Virginia/Perique mixture; but it could be better a flavored mixture or a simply aromatic blend. And for the reason that Virginia is leading, overwhelming, it could be interpreted as a straight Virginia. To you the choice. In my opinion Maduro is an aromatic flavored mixture, but I have to admit that for the first time I’m struggling (I often think to a Va/Pe slightly flavored). Finally, because of the taste and of the hybrid nature, in my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 7 and two stars
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Gentleman Zombie (729) | |
Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Seems to be some controversy about the ingredients of this blend. Taste to me like a Red Virginia Cavendish with a touch of rum. I find the flavor to be very pleasant and not as weak as some reviewers have stated. Tangy and mildly fruity with a touch of molasses and very distinct note that reminds me of marshmallows. Quite nice. 4 stars.
Body, taste, and nic are mild to medium. Flavoring is very mild. After drying it burns very well.
Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn, Marcus
Age When Smoked: fresh
Purchased From: smokingpipes.com
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Monopod (26) | |
Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
“Maduro” is the Spanish word for “ripe” and is use cigar-wise to refer to the extra time required and the dark colours achieved during the natural fermentation of maduro wrappers. Typically these wrappers are oily, plush with flavor, and earthy to the nose. Etymology lesson over. If you want "Maduro" cigars, then buy Maduro cigars. Or crumble cigar butts into the blandest flake pipe-tobacco you can find. I made the mistake years ago of expecting cigar taste, then I went away for a few years and did some language research to broaden my mind. "Maduro" pipe tobacco means Ripe or darkly coloured .. which it is. I developed a palate too ( not palette, that's something different. Learning English would also be of benefit to some.) Tobacco blenders and producers waste their time on some smokers , who have asbestos tongues and palates like the soles of a lime-burners boots. This Maduro is for connoisseurs of fine tobaccos.
Pipe Used: Comoys Tiger eye squat calabash.
Age When Smoked: Straight from the tin.
Purchased From: My Smoking Shop.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Skando (203) | |
Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild | Unnoticeable |
Well, I pay quite frequent visits to Maduro and just going to finish this current tin, maybe 2/3 years old. The smell of the tobacco in the tin I say it's "elegant". I can smell both the rum topping and the Perique (not of stewed fruits, but vinegarish). I really like it. Instead, the smoke I say it's "understated", which is not necessarily a bad thing. I'm forced to search all the notes - sweet, piquant and liqueurish - with attention, and dedicate myself to the pure act of smoking a pipe. In this way, as soon as I get the right rythm, those very delicate nouances make their appearance and make this tobacco pleasant and fascinating. This makes Maduro be a leisure tobacco, not an all-day stuff. Unattentive smoking makes it flat and bitey. Three stars.
UPDATE JAN30/2009
well, I should confirm my previous considerations. Nevertheless:
1. in the pamphlet of the importing company for Italy the description of Maduro doesn't include Perique anymore, it's described as Virginia + Carolina (?).
2. Maduro is still fascinating me (beautiful the almost black weed colour, heavenly the tin aroma), and sure I will smoke it occasionally, but I have to revise my recommendation and cut one star off. Too difficult to get a completely satisfactory smoke.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Pipestud (1829) | |
Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
McConnell's Maduro smokes cool and is a unique smoke due to the cut and presentation. Multiple bowls can be consumed in the same day without fatigue. The added cigar leaf is barely detectable if it is there at all. A bowl of this lasts a long time and so does the lingering effects of the flavor.
I will say this, if ever there was a tobacco one could smoke multiple bowls of back to back, this would be it. Just too light on the palate for this cowboy.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| renwardhoop (177) | |
Extremely Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
Disappointing blend this one, especially after the tasty Red Virginia.
As the screed says it is a totally black tobacco, and indeed it is (It looks a lot like S.G's Black cherry). The tin aroma isn't what I expected. It's just possible that the top notes of Rum and the Perique are coming through here, giving the tin a fragrance to die for.
This is the only time they do come through, and a 'whiff of' is an overstatement by a long chalk. The blend is maleable enough, pipe ready though it's an absolute bugger to light. I've come across dark blends like this before and they've all had this same characteristic. Dark blends like this are hard to keep alight and you have no clue whether it's afire or not.
I suspect a bigger pipe than the one I used might give better results, but to be honest, I don't think it will make much difference to the taste, which is, of course zero.
If you are thinking of doing some blending of your own, then this black (blank) canvas is a good place to start.
Pipe Used: Meerschaums and Meerschaum-lined only
Age When Smoked: New
Purchased From: Cgars.com
Similar Blends: Kendal Exclusiv BB (Black Bourbon) loose..
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Lingo (39) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Easy one, this is a tobacco I would suggest to the newbies, or to those who are willing to come out from aromatics. Nice chocolate/havana/nuts scent in the tin, but also a slight reminiscence of natural leaves. Perique? Huh... Easy to pack, will smoke creamy and constant. Cavendish takes the lead before half bowl. Perique? Huh... An overall sensation of cuban cigar, that is the reason I think Maduro can be a good help for those passing from cigars to pipe, or from flavoured to aromatics, or from cigarettes to pipe... Not for my rotation.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| the_german (43) | |
Very Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
An almost black mixture, only few dark browns in there. Mostly BC, which is evident on opening the tin: lots of good bread in the tin note, with just a touch of the Perique. Of the original description's matured VA, I find very little, if any.
For this much BC, lighting is amazingly easy, and I get little dottle at the end. The flavour is gently sweet, not exactly rocking my world, but good enough for me to recommend. Use larger bowls, don't stuff too tightly.
Postscriptum, 2019-02-07: Going through the earlier reviews here, I find some confusion about the term "maduro" as applied to this blend, many seeming to believe that that somehow means cigar leaf is involved. That is not the case. The (spanish) term "maduro" quite simply means "aged" leaf, of whatever provenance, and with whatever intended purpose. The "maduro" in this blend is the aged leaf going into the Black Cavendish processing, as opposed to the out-of-the-box BC applied to most other blends featuring BC. So, basically, this blend consists of aged leaf, which has been processed into BC.
Pipe Used: Stanwell Viking, MM McArthur
Age When Smoked: Fresh from new tin
Purchased From: DanPipe
Similar Blends: Dan Tobacco - Swatte Deern (Hamburger Pfeifentabak), Orlik Tobacco Company A/S - Black Diamond--no vanilla sauce, though.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| JustinCarcerated (99) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Unnoticeable |
Recd this tin from the Better - 1/2 as part of gift package...b4 she learned how to navigate to this site's Wishlist option. I would not have sought this blend out on my own. Positives: An old school blend, circa 1850, nice Navy tin note (rum-hardy har har...har). Not prone to be bitey, slightly flavorful but only at the bowl's beginning.
Negatives: Everything else...boring, placid, insipid...yawn-promoting. Oh and by the way, I have no idea how or why it's labeled as Maduro, neither in reference to the leaf nor the wine-as neither is an ingredient in this blend...it's a VaPer that doesn't taste like anything discernable...
Pipe Used: Meers & Briars
Age When Smoked: 2013
Purchased From: Pipes&Cigars
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Vittorio (1) | |
Mild | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
My english is quite bad, but i do hope non disappointing as this tobacco. It looked good, but the flavour was uncertain and non pleasant when smoked.
Waste of money, helas.
Pipe Used: Savinelli, Peterson
Purchased From: Lucertini, Perugia, Piazza Matteotti
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Virginia lover (218) | |
Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Black Cavendish, Burley with some Virginia and a sprinkle of Perique. The rum topping is subdued but complements nicely the fig and raisin flavors. Too aromatic and weak for me but probably a good tobacco for Black Cavendish smokers.
Virginia lover
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Fountainhead (17) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
I was drawn to this because I liked McConnell's "Oriental" and thought that the same pure approach would impress me with "Maduro". Unfortunately, the bests part of this blend are how it smells out of the tin and the room note it creates. It is bland. Not much taste of rum or perique. Though, for being bland, it is a very smooth and inoffensive smoke.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Dubinthedam (133) | |
Mild | Medium | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This appears and taste very much like a rum cavendish, I was a little disappointed by it, even though the store owner sold it in large quanities. A good blending tobacco in my opinion, adds a very natural rum taste to any other blend and beats the pants off most other aromatics. Quite mild in strength.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| FilipPruncu (89) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Curiously, the tin note is vanilla with a little sweet rum, like some Appleton 12.
First smoke comes with the cavendish, then there’s a sweet, hay, bready virginia. The perique is there, don’t worry, has a tangy feel to it but not much, just in the background, bit peppery when you retrohale. Some citrusy notes as well, some dark fruit... But where’s the rum? Has a sweetness there, maybe it would be a light and sweet rum, but not a navy rum like the description tells us. It goes more towards a natural taste and a good blend of the tobaccos.
After you light it up and smoke a bit, for like five minutes, let this baby sit in the bowl for 10 minutes and relight. The aroma will intensify and will become an aromatic with dark fruits and molasses and a pinch of perique.
It’s good that you dry this tobacco before smoking if you want to get the best out of it. The perique will be more prominent, there will be sweetness and nutty flavor.
By the end of the bowl there is some nuttiness and earth, but still sweet.
Burns very well, delivers a cool smoke. Not much aftertaste. After you sip, the next moment the taste is gone.
Has a light to medium body. Strength is light.
Room note is pleasant though.
People keep talking about the connection to the cigar leaf. Well, a cigar does have sweetness, spiciness and nuttiness and I could compare this to a certain extent to some cigars I’ve smoked, but it definitely does not have cigar leaf. It has, however, a little resemblance to a connecticut cigar.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| FP Stew (25) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
The name Maduro is slightly misleading. While the tobacco is nearly black, the thought of Maduro cigar wrapper leaf is very remote and only if you think about it can you catch that essence. The tin note is pleasant with fig, plum, hay and rum present. The charring light is inviting with a light and mildly complex flavors immediately soundi out. As you progress through the bowl the rum topping plays with the light peppery perique and balances the VA. All in all, this is a nice smoke that I have enjoyed periodically, but it is one that I seek as a change of pace and not an everyday tobacco.
Age When Smoked: 7 year old tin
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| tcvarlh (17) | |
Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
A most boring and dull 'tobacco'. Not one I shall buy again and never to be recommended. Personally It left me with a dry mouth, slight headache and a longing for something with a little more passion. Can't give this more than a 1/2
Pipe Used: 7 different
Age When Smoked: fresh
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30171) | |
Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
I have to say I really enjoy this blend.
There is definitely a Black Cavendish-like quality to this tobacco, as it has a nice, sweet, rich flavor. I agree with other reviews here that the rum topping isn't really present, but that doesn't take away from it's flavor. Rich, sweet Virginia tobaccos make for a great flavor overall, and with an excellent room note I find this one worth trying.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| JLong (36) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I had to smoke a few bowls before my taste buds began to savor the flavor of this tobacco. At first it seemed..well..flat. But after giving it some time, this blend has become a keeper for me. Worth dedicating a good briar to. It has a mildly sweet, licoricey, and spicy flavor. The tastes linger for quite some time after smoking a bowl and are very soothing, putting my mind in a meditative state (as crazy as that may sound). A great "eaving" tobacco to unwind with.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| PipePaladin (78) | |
Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This one is GREAT! Taste of molasseses dominate in this pitch-black blend which is the BEST tobacco ever for breaking in a new pipe and developing a good cake!!! Don't be fooled though! This is not a typical artificial aromatic blend! Its sweetness resembles good and strong rum!
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| scootertrash (10) | |
Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
William Serad reviewed this tobacco in the Winter 2001 issue of Pipes & Tobaccos. The above tin description is how he described it. I purchased a 100 gram tin soon afterwards & it lived up to his description; "dark...sweet though restrained, with the raisin influence of the Perique,...rum being a definite enhancement, having been laid in with retraint and delicacy." I found it an enjoyable mild smoke. But there was one thing puzzling then. The 100 gram tin had a different description on the side; "THE ORIGINAL BLEND OF 1848, Rich Dark Virginia and Carolina Matured Leaf blended and pressed in steam ovens produce this unique dark mature tobacco. suprisingly mild and very slow burning. No Latakia." No mention of Rum or Perique though. I've openned a 50 gram tin recently, & now I'm puzzled again. The appearance & aroma from the tin resembled one of my favorites, MacBaren's Burley. It was a medium/dark brown ready rubbed flake with a very light sweet aroma(honey?), not the almost black tobacco of the previous 100 gram tin. Smoking it wasn't the same as MacBaren's Burley though. It was a mild slightly sweet pleasant Virginia, enjoyable, but no Burley flavor. Actually, if you read William Serad's next review in the Winter 2001 issue of Pipes & Tobaccos, his description of Robert McConnell's Ripe Honeydew; "...flue-cured leaf with a touch of honey." seems to described what I'm smoking from this 50 gram tin of Maduro. Is it possible I've obtained a mislabled tin? Oh the mysteries we pipe smokers must ponder while we blissfully puff away. Anyway, I find this tin an enjoyable mild smoke. I'll have no trouble finishing it. If I buy more though, what will I get? Added note: both tins had stickers on the bottom stating they were made in Germany & distributed by XYZ Direct LTD, so I assume they came from the same blender.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| constantsmoker (65) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
It has a wonderful aroma out of the tin, but that's about where it stops. Hardly the 'full strength' blend advertised. I could barely sense the presence of a rum topping, let alone Perique. It is a mild, innocuous smoke that one could puff away at all day. Unfortunately, it is unremarkable and, for that reason, not worth the price.
Note: The tin I purchased is labeled "The Original Maduro".
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noorrmm (192) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Years ago, I loved this blend, and smoked it regularly. This is not anything like the original McConnell Maduro, which was a fairly strong, stoved Virginia (similar to original Rattray Dark Fragrant). The new blend claims to be full strenght with Rum and Perique. IMHO, they are 0 for 3.
The blend is dark and short cut, with some unidentified sweet aroma. I don't get Rum, and I can't find thee Perique "stewed fig" aroma. In the pipe, it lights slowly, burns cool and well, but very little flavor. There are better mild Virginias out there, some of them from Kohlhase, Kopp. Don't waste time and money on this tragic travesty.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emeritus Account (30171) | |
Very Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
Pouch Aroma: Yum! A lovely spicy-sweet aroma which makes my mouth water. It doesn't smell like a sticky-sweet black cavendish, and it has more of a Virginia tone than Burley; it reminds me of Rattray's Black Virginia or Dark Fragrant.
Appearance: This is about 95% deep brown/black, with a few light flashes of medium brown - no golden pieces at all. The cut is mostly what looks like broken up cavendish cut with most of the tobacco being in 2mm x 3mm pieces.
Packing and Lighting: Due to the cut, this packed quite well into an old Charatan 'blast straight Dublin which also has a nice wide draft hole - I may have to be careful to avoid a little bite.
The initial light gives me a surprisingly un-sweet flavor - there is a smooth creaminess like semi-sweet chocolate (not tasting LIKE chocolate though) and the smoke is rather thin-tasting at first. It was a little difficult to get a full burn on the top as it wants to light primarily in the middle, but three lights got it going to my satisfaction
Exposition: Now, underneath the initial flavor I'm getting a very light musty and spicy flavor and aroma that promises to be interesting. It's similar to the undertone that I get from Rattray's Hal o'the Wynd, but not as sharp or pronounced. This isn't a good tobacco for inattentive smoking though - I find myself having to pay more attention to tamping and keeping the burn even that I would prefer. This isn't necessarily a /bad/ thing though - there are times when I want to concentrate on the act of smoking. This tobacco is a little one-dimensional for that kind of treatment though - it tastes good, but there's not much going on.
The Story: I'm thinking this might be best smoked outdoors in the fall when I take my evening walks. The burn will be helped along subtly by the wind, the flavor enhanced by the fall humidity and the aroma would mix well with that of damp leaves and the smell of rain. Sitting here at my computer on a warm summer morning, it's just not a wonderful experience. It's not bad, but I know it could be better.
The flavor is deepening some as I approach the halfway mark, and that certainly helps with my enjoyment some - but I keep looking for other flavors to peek out and mingle with the sweetness and the advancing musky molasses taste. Even a smidgen of Perique would be a nice addition!
Denouement: I've found myself having to work hard to avoid a tendency of this tobacco to bite my tongue, as I think I'm unconsciously trying to pull more smoke volume and flavor from this. I think it'd go better after dinner as a dessert smoke, perhaps with a cup of Darjeeling tea. As my first bowl of the day with strong black coffee it's just not working for me.
The complexity never increased very much, and the flavors remained basically the same - only deepening as the bowl burns down. The nose, or smoke emanating from the bowl, is nice and leathery but that's the only really compelling aspect. I'll try it next in a wider bowl, as this Charatan has a rather tall thin chamber and that may be keeping it so one-dimensional.
Pros: Mild, easy to smoke once you get a good burn going (which takes a while), and a rather innocuous and ephemeral room note. This would go well with light, astringent drinks and after a flavorful meal as a nice rest for my palate.
Cons: Lacking in complexity, very light flavor, and not an attention-getting smoke. I'd smoke this more out of respect for those around me than for my own enjoyment.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wibblefishofdoom (139) | |
Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Unnoticeable |
I recently bought this after a sojourn to my nearest B&M. After picking a few old faves I spotted this one at random on the shelf and took the plunge. Knowing nothing about it, I checked the reviews on here on the way back home and wondered if I'd made a good choice. Turns out I didn't have too much to worry about.
On opening the tin, the whiff of rum is obvious and the tobacco is dark. It packs and lights easily for an aromatic, nicely done on that score. The flavour is one primarily of rum but there is a few hints of raisins along the way. There is the occasional dash of stewed fruit, making me think there is the merest dash of perique in here. As regards the strength it starts out mild and begins to build as the smoke goes on, it never gets out of hand though and never threatens in the way that, say, Irish Flake or Haddo's Delight does. Apart half way through the tin, the flavour does get a little samey, but it's still enjoyable. As to why it's called Maduro (as so many have rightly asked), the dictionary definition of it states that it is an adjective relating to cigars meaning strong and dark. Well, I get the dark bit, but strong? Not really.
On the whole, it's hardly a classic and I doubt it will be rated in anyone's top ten smokes but it's still a decent, solid smoke. I struggle to wonder why so many folk have a downer on it. Still, no one owes the blender a living. If you've not tried it and don't mind a decent enough aromatic, this is as good any out there.
Pipe Used: Parker Jockey Club
Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin
Purchased From: Cuban Cigar Club
Nobody has rated this review yet.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DrT999 (318) | |
Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
My tin claims there's Perique in the blend, and while prepared to accept that, I don't really detect it in the smoke. The tobacco has elements of both VA and Cavendish, and the rum is certainly there from start to finish. More of a 'sweetish' or sweetened blend than a really sweet one, this seemed a nice gentle smoke. I didn't find it nearly as boring as other reviewers, but no, it's not complex. Fans of mild blends who enjoy rum mixtures should give it a try.
Pipe Used: various briars
Age When Smoked: opened 2 years after buying
Purchased From: 4 Noggins
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Corncob3 (77) | |
Strong | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
A comfort blend that smokes well and doesn't demand much. Unlike other rum cased blends this one is subtle and smooth. Good interplay between the Perique and Virginia. Meant for relaxation rather than an all day type. Great after dinner go to blend. In In comparison to Rich Dark Virginia, its not overly sweet or as strong. Pleasant room note and didn't overheat. I usually don't smoke straight or heavily based Virginias, but Maduro is an exception to the rule. Darker Virginia/Perique mixtures work best for me, so RMM is a nice addition to my rotation. Smoking this and Rich Dark Virginia, I'm starting to see where Robert McConnell ranks all together. Very few in their line up might earn fours stars, but all in all they are solid and dependable and never sour or bite. The trick to enjoying RM is not to smoke a full bowl in one setting. I got better results by smoking a bowl down over time. Enjoy.
Pipe Used: Medico Straight Brylon VFQ
Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars.com
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30171) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Nice good quality tobacco and a easy going all day smoke.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30171) | |
Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Very Pleasant |
This is a perfect tobacco to wow the missus with, it has a beautiful room note and the taste is somewhere in between licorice and dried figs. It smokes a bit wet and I find it hard to keep lit for the whole bowl, but it is a great after dessert or wine smoke. It complements anything sweet, not an every day smoke but a nice change of pace tobacco.
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| Emeritus Account (30171) | |
Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
You might be drawn to this tobacco by the references to Perique, rum and Maduro. None of these elements is noticeable, if even present. Any of these would have made this tobacco better. This tobacco has very little flavor. I am actually a little offended, since Maduro (as in cigar) and Perique imply a hefty, substantial smoke. This is a weak blend suffering from disappointment engendered by false advertising. A better description would have been "a bland cavendish with such miniscule amounts of rum and Perique as to be imperceptible, to the point where we threw the word "maduro" in to make it sound interesting."
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Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
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| NEWMAN (305) | |
Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This blend is chopped chunks of tobacco that is almost all black from the hot processing. It is easy to pack and burns evenly and coolly. Although the tin description references Perique and a rum topping which caused my purchase, I didn't sense it in the tin aroma or taste. Don't be deceived by the Maduro name, since it's far from that style. I kept looking for enjoyable flavor but it just wasn't their from the start and degraded into a burnt and slightly bitter taste towards the bottom of the bowls. If also left my mouth extremely dry after smoking. Other smokes are more complex and more enjoyable.
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600 Perdue Ave
Richmond, VA 23224