Robert McConnell Maduro

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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