Robert McConnell Original Oriental

Side by Side Comparison of Orcilla Mixture, Campanile and Original Oriental

I usually do not open multiple tins of tobacco at the same time of the exact same genre. But with the advent of Embarcadero, Yenidje Supreme and HH Vintage Virginia, all containing Virginia and Oriental leaf without latakia, I wanted to see how three ?classic? blends compared. Each has at least five years aging in the tin unopened. I do not have a tin of aged Cairo, or I would add it to the present review.

I laid out three mounds of leaf from each tin, equivalent to what would fill a very large pipe bowl and then some. As always for me, this is a test for the eyes, the nose, the fingers, the ears and mouth.

Orcilla Mixture: Color-wise, Orcilla is the overall lightest of the three. Mostly light browns and tans, with a few suspicious specks of dark leaf. Moisture content is just right, but there were more stems here than in the two others. There is a fermented nose in the tin and something very faintly smoky when I cup my hands around the tin and inhale through my nose very deeply. I am suspicious of Latakia, but am not confident.

Campanile: Darkest of the three and the reverse of Orcilla. The specks are the lighter leaf, while the remaining are medium browns to black. There are a few stems. There is something definitely smoky in the tin aroma, as with Original Oriental. This was noticeably moister of the three.

Original Oriental: Bright, black and brown in near equal proportions. The most visually interesting of three, but it is also the hardest to anticipate what it will be like smoking. Only a tiny stem. Moisture content is fine, but I smell something smoky, just like in Campanile. These are not supposed to have latakia, hmmm.

Cut: All three are a medium long ribbon cut, with Orcilla being much finer, followed by Campanile and then Original Oriental. All three are nice blends to handle, but will require care when loading due to the long leaf.

I decided on three of my best Virginia pipes for the test run, then one more whiff of Campanile and Original Oriental made me think better of it. I think they have latakia. I will not put noticeable latakia or aromatized leaf in a pipe reserved for Virginia blends. I switched out two pipes for pipes used with very light English blends that had very little noticeable residual smell in the bowl. Orcilla loaded with ease, followed by Campanile. Original Oriental took more care. I used the Frank Method with each blend.

My notes on each blend as follows:

Orcilla.

First Bowl Impressions: Not a light-weight by any means, and deep, earthy, spicy flavors betray the lighter appearance of the unburned leaf. I do detect brighter leaf at times. There?s a definite tingle in mouth and nose, but no Latakia, which is a good thing in this case. The burn is exceptionally even, white and rapid. My experience says, ?Respect this or your tongue will get slapped.? That said, it was easy keeping this cool. There is flavor aplenty. ?Sipping? this carefully avoids the need for aggressive puffing. Since this develops somewhat down the bowl, I?ll give my impressions on the middle and last third of the bowl.

The second third of the bowl is when the flavor intensifies. It does not vary from one flavor to the other, except when a little ?something? arrives. This ?something? might be Perique. If you do not generally like blends with Orientals or Turkish leaf because they are harsh, sour or oppressively acrid, Orcilla will change your mind. The Turkish in Orcilla are as good as any I have smoked in any blend and better than most others.

Last half is about the same as the middle third, but a bit more intense. I also sense more Perique. Overall, a solid blend with no arias, but Orcilla is surprisingly fuller than I anticipated without being overwhelming in flavor or strength.

Ongoing Impressions with Orcilla: I keep reaching for this of the three being reviewed here. It gets better each time I smoke it. The balance is perfect, highlighting the Virginias by off-setting them with the mild Turkish. The blender has a palate for subtle, rich flavors that anyone could enjoy who likes flue-cured leaf or Oriental leaf. This is World-class blending indeed.

Campanile: First Bowl Impressions: Subtle, but definite Latakia at the match and throughout, with a surprise taste of non-descript topping. Campanile is a nice, refined mild-medium English, but not an Oriental blend or a ?spiced? Virginia. It really does not develop much down the bowl, but does burn beautifully, cleanly, coolly, and to a dry, slightly mottled white ash. If J.J. Fox were a tobacconist in my neighborhood, I would feel quite blessed with access to such quality (and to think of the blending houses the residents of Edinburgh, Dublin and London had access to, without forgetting Kendal or Jersey, is to sigh that a great era has passed). With the price per tin and solid competition readily available, I am not likely to purchase more. I can still recommend it because it is well crafted, just not a niche that needed filling in my rotation.

Ongoing Impressions: Truly a clean pipe, clean palate blend. The Virginia leaf is top-notch and just gets creamier the more I smoked it in the same pipe on repeated occasions. This is far more refined than my staple lighter English, EMP. If I could get this more reasonably priced, I would enjoy a tin now and then.

Original Oriental:

Initial Impressions: This is more in the genre of Orcilla, but darker still, with that acrid taste for which Turkish leaf is renowned. Thankfully, it is not sour, bitter or bitey. Compared to Orcilla, this starts off strong, like an amusement park ride launched by catapult. Orcilla starts more like the walk before the jog before the run. Despite the instant ?pow,? Original Oriental is smooth enough. The thought occurs to me that Original Oriental borders balkanic. There might be a smidge of Latakia here, but much in the way it appears ghostly in Pease?s Fillmore. If there is perique, it is quite enigmatic. I think Original Oriental is more like McClelland?s Yenidje Supreme, just fuller-flavored, but not as refined.

Ongoing Impressions: This has merit by itself, and I really do enjoy its complexity and richness. If I smoke it back to back with Orcilla and Campanile, it is ?odd man out.? I think that this is because Original Oriental demands my attention, and I do not always want to think too much about the ?act of smoking.?

This is a nice, easy Oriental smoke. Not too strong, not too moist, and not too overwhelming tastewise.

If you like a strong latakia kick then this may disappoint, but for those of us who enjoy a subtle and slightly reserved blend, then this is worth purchasing. It smokes dry, has just enough of the bonfire smell to fill the room, and is easy on the nicotine.

Unnlike some latakia blends I could mention, this doesn't kick like a mule...

I am enjoying my tin, and would happily recommend it.

Just bought a tin of this. it smells very spicy,...yet some sweetness is detectable. Smoking it it turns out to be verry light smoking though there is a refined creamy full smoke with a true latakia overtone. Nowere to find the used tobacco's only A century old formula, traditional mixture of Oriental and Virginia tobaccos. I think it is tobacco for the true latakia smoker, who loves the typical oriental tastes. Though oriental, i think it smells more like some tobacco's i smelled in the middle east, using in water pipes. The positive fact is that the tobacco indeed really will mind u to this mystical country's. For me it is 6,5 point's on a scale to ten, not too much but it can be personal preference. Though when I smoked my second bowl i might probably review this grade.

The nice yellow tin portrays (once you peel of the Governmental warning sticker) an undecidely Asian Landscape with a tobacco(?) factory in front of two Alps, with what appears to be a "classic" Chinaman in a pointed hat with stringlike moustaches. Cool.

Upon opening there is a smokey flavour with organic whiffs that soon dissipate. Sweet. The tobacco consists of somewhat equal thirds of black, bright and olive strands that are a couple of millimeters wide a fairly thin cut. Nice.

The tobacco is on the wet side upon opening so I let a few pinches dry out for half an hour before I stuff them in a small semi-churchwarden Prince that I use for English, Balkan and Orientals.

The smoke is mild at first but enough of Latakia goes in there to make itself noticed although it is more of a spice than an ingredient. the Orientals whirl about in a taste potpourri which is elegant and cool, yet satisfying. The second half intensifys the tastes but they do not change markedly, just get a bit stronger.

I long for another pipe as soon as possible, but my tongue did get a bit of scorching probably due to overzealous puffing. Overall a nice milder alternative to a fullblown English mix with more elegance and less kapow.

I purchased a tin of Robert McConnell Oriental on impulse after visiting my local tobacconist and spotting the bright yellow tin on the shelves. The tin aroma is one of mellow tobacco...attractive, sweet and nutty. Visually, this Oriental is made up predominantly of black and tan ribbons, but you will also find - scattered here and there - occasional olive green strands that give it an interesting look. I smoked this in a Peterson System #314 and this RM offering lit easily enough to produce a creamy, blue hazed smoke. The taste was cool, light and surprisingly refreshing, though it did intensify a little further down the bowl as the smoke progressed. I think this makes a good, any-time-of-the-day smoke, though if you're looking for something more complex from your tobacco it will disappoint. However, I quite enjoyed it for its simplicity and light touch. I will be keeping a tin of this around for an occasional change of pace or for when I need to refresh a jaded palate. Three stars.

Update 06/07/2006: I have just finished a second tin of this excellent Robert McConnell offering. It has certainly grown on me and now has a regular place in my rotation. A bowl full of Oriental first thing in the morning is a great way to start the day...upgrading this from three to four stars.

This blend, along with Squadron Leader and Wellauer's English are my "all day" English choices. This has nice spicy aromas from the Orientals and enough Latakia to add some weight and maintain interest. I smoke this in the morning with coffee and before work or on the weekend when I intend to smoke several bowls. It benefits from some drying out, like many tobaccos, and is most enjoyable once the tin has been opened for a while. It burns well right to the bottom and leaves a nice dry ash.

If you like orientals, this is for you. A fine blend, though it lacks in body, but it couldn't have been otherwise, considering the tobaccos used. You can smoke it alone with satisfaction, but you could also use it to spice up a mixture with a good body and a scanty aroma.

In agreement with much of the favorable posts... It's an honest 'oriental'. I probably have smoked Balkan Sasieni moreso...but both are very simular ie. like coke and pepsi. I get confused by the terms 'Oriental' 'Balkan' and 'English'. I've heard Balkan S. described as really being an 'English'. On Robert McConnell's label it says 'The Original Orient'...but on the back of the tin it says 'traditional English Mixture.' When one takes into account that 'Robert McConnell'(very english sounding name) is made in Germany...and that Balkan Sasieni is made in Denmark(not the tobacco of course but the company blending it) then one is further confused... At any rate I like the stuff ie. latakia and virginias with a little 'orient'. I would say RM has perhaps a tiny bit more 'orient' flabor than BS...and that BS is stronger in regard to nicotine...but that BS has a slightly milder room note. I smoke the RM in a peterson harp that is dedicated to BS and RM... The flavors are so close...pipe selection and the way one stores the tobacco - might tip the balance in regard to preference. I like RM's tins better than do the tins of BSasieni.

I guess I'm the odd man out on this one. I've read the other reviews, and I just cannot reconcile theh comments with the blend I smoked. Maybe there was something wrong with mine.

This is a very mild mixture. The Oriental is shy, and the Virginia is weak. I can?t think of one good reason to smoke it again.

Bland, flat, brings nothing to the party.