Robert McConnell Red Virginia
(3.01)
One of the original blends from 1848. Rich chestnut coloured leaf from Carolina combine with Virginia brights tobaccos to produce a mild but satisfying blend. A touch of perique gives a taste of elegance and quality. No latakia is added.
Notes: Flavoring according to K&K Website: Chocolate.
Details
| Brand | Robert McConnell |
| Blended By | Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG |
| Manufactured By | Kohlhase & Kopp |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Cocoa / Chocolate |
| Cut | Ready Rubbed |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | Germany |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.01 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 29 of 29 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 22, 2011 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Full | Very Pleasant |
I first discovered this blend in 1989 when I was stationed in Bahrain, and it became my preferred blend. Then I couldn't find it. About a year ago I was going through a box of stuff that I had in storage, and low and behold there was an unopened tin that I'm guessing I bought in 1990. Damn! Good stuff, and pre-K&K. I finally smoked up the last of it about two weeks ago.
The tin I am reviewing now is the K&K version, it just came in the mail today along with a Peterson Aran XL02 pipe, which I am breaking in with the Red Virginia.
I wasn't happy with the tin, because it was a bear to open! However, the toby itself is superb. Not as good as the pre-K&K version, but superb none-the-less. The tobacco inside is primarily high-grade Red Virginia with just a bit of Perique. A wonderful berry topping has been applied, and to me it smells like a mixture of strawberry and cherry. That tin note translates to room note, and the room note gets high marks from others. However, at least for me, those notes do not translate to taste - I simply taste naturally sweet high grade Virginia with a whisper of Perique. It has wonderfully rich, but not strong, Virgina flavor (with that fine whisper of Perique). It reminds me very much of Peterson's Sherlock Holmes, only much fuller.
If you like well-behaved Virginia blends, or well-mannered Va/Pers, I think you will like this. Nuanced it ain't, but a fantastic Virginny it is. Most times I just want a rich and relaxing pipe, and if sipped slowly this blend really delivers and without any bite. I'm going to have to next smoke this is one of my pipes that is already broke it. I have complete confidence that it will be even better.
The tin I am reviewing now is the K&K version, it just came in the mail today along with a Peterson Aran XL02 pipe, which I am breaking in with the Red Virginia.
I wasn't happy with the tin, because it was a bear to open! However, the toby itself is superb. Not as good as the pre-K&K version, but superb none-the-less. The tobacco inside is primarily high-grade Red Virginia with just a bit of Perique. A wonderful berry topping has been applied, and to me it smells like a mixture of strawberry and cherry. That tin note translates to room note, and the room note gets high marks from others. However, at least for me, those notes do not translate to taste - I simply taste naturally sweet high grade Virginia with a whisper of Perique. It has wonderfully rich, but not strong, Virgina flavor (with that fine whisper of Perique). It reminds me very much of Peterson's Sherlock Holmes, only much fuller.
If you like well-behaved Virginia blends, or well-mannered Va/Pers, I think you will like this. Nuanced it ain't, but a fantastic Virginny it is. Most times I just want a rich and relaxing pipe, and if sipped slowly this blend really delivers and without any bite. I'm going to have to next smoke this is one of my pipes that is already broke it. I have complete confidence that it will be even better.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 17, 2009 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium to Full | Very Pleasant |
I just love this stuff, it has a great full VA flavor with hints of strawberries, but this aromatic casing is very natural, fruity and not at all artificial. If you like me, love a natural Virginia with something special going on, then this is one of those blends. I would call this blend a semi-aromatic, and in that genre one of the best in its class. The spiciness is very subtle as is the Perique taste....this description by McC's is quite misleading.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 27, 2002 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
I agree with some of the above descriptions. This is a good straight ahead virginia with a dash of perique and some ? top dressing that is mild. definitely shows some spiciness but not nearly as much as some other perique blends. The tobacco flavors come through very well. This is very good and tasty. Smooth without bite. Burns nicely and easy to load up again after being done. 4 stars
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 02, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
Interesting blend. I got flavors of hay, straw, figs, rasins, berries a very natural taste. The Perique is there but hard to detect i did get some spicy top note but not much. All in all its a good natural Va/per perfect for me
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 10, 2009 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
I am not generally a lover of Virginia blends, but tried this based on Dubinthedam's recommendation on youtube. This blend may change my mind about virginias. It is quite lovely. As Dub said it has a kind of hay taste. It seems to smell of rasberry in the can, but upon smoking it is a very light taste. This is no gloopy drug store aromatic or cigar store sticky house blend aromatic. This is a very high quality tasting tin aromatic. I was reminded of my visits to my grandmothers ranch as a child, the smell of the hay there. It brought back nice memories. Nice flavor and a feeling of very high quality tobacco. If you like virginias, you will probably love this subtle blend. If you don't like virginias give this one a try. It changed my view of virginias.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 23, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I agree with Dubinthedam. The description on the tin is not quite my take on this one. That said, it is a great VAper blend to have (that is if you'd even call it a VAper). There is perique in this tobacco and I do detect it, but it is very very subtle. Much more subtle than McConnell's Scottish Cake. This blend is described as Cut RR red Virginia cake with Perique and spicy top note. The top note is very mild, and i actually detect alot of the red VA's sweetness (almost fruity) over the spice in this tobacco. That said, i've only smoked this a few times so we'll see how it ages. Great so far though, 4 stars.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 16, 2008 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I've been working on a tin of this for about 2 weeks now, and this tobacco really grew on me. The first few bowls i thought were harsh, but after the third or fourth bowl, the tobacco mellowed out. This was because of the aromatic i smoked in the pipe prior to the Red Virginia. The blend description says perique, but i couldn't taste any perique. There is a topping of some kind on this tobacco, its noticeable when the seal on the tin is broken and when you sniff the tobacco but not when its being smoked. McConnell's Red Virginia is a nice everyday tobacco. I give it a strong 4 stars....
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 15, 2005 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This tobacco suprised me. Seeking a Virginia break from latakia and aromatics, this came as a very pleasant suprise. I had already discovered Marlin Flake but found that, unconsciously, Red Virginia had taken over as my daily smoke of choice.
This is a light coloured, mildly sweet blend. The tin aroma is fruity but enigmatic, a slight hint of peaches or apricots? The flake is rubbed out so easy to pack. It ignites spontaneously and burns well to a light grey ash. Although I have found it can burn a little hot, this may be due to my enthusiasm rather than the tobacco itself.
The taste of mild virginia is extremely satisfying and the peppery backdraft of perique keeps the mixture interesting. It's not too spicey however but a subtle and well balanced combination that works very well.
This is one of those rare smoking experiences where I find myself instinctively planning the next pipeful. Give this one a try if you like virginias. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
This is a light coloured, mildly sweet blend. The tin aroma is fruity but enigmatic, a slight hint of peaches or apricots? The flake is rubbed out so easy to pack. It ignites spontaneously and burns well to a light grey ash. Although I have found it can burn a little hot, this may be due to my enthusiasm rather than the tobacco itself.
The taste of mild virginia is extremely satisfying and the peppery backdraft of perique keeps the mixture interesting. It's not too spicey however but a subtle and well balanced combination that works very well.
This is one of those rare smoking experiences where I find myself instinctively planning the next pipeful. Give this one a try if you like virginias. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 24, 2003 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is not the original Red Va. of the 70's and 80's that I loved so well, but is still a formidable tobacco. The original did not have Perique, nor any topping, and was similar to Hal O' The Wynd of the same era. The new blend has a very light topping, which to my nose smells a bit like prunes, or dried apricots. (ACome to think of it, GLP Cumberland has a simiilar aroma, without topping). Quite pleasant, and does not interfere with the Virginia tobacco aroma. The blend is a short ribbon, almost enterely rubbed out from broken flake, showing a range of colors from blonde to black, but predominantly red. Packing is easy in any size bowl from a small group 3 to a large group 5. Lighting is very typical, neither too easy, nor too slow to burn. The first match wakes the flavor quickly, with the topping almost disappearing, while a tingle from the Perique mingles charmingly with the sweetness of the Virginias. A medium intensity of flavor is maintained throughout the bowl, with nice compexity and variations in flavor. The flavor changes slightly with puffing tempo, as a good Va. should. IMHO, this is a tobacco that can be enjoyed in a contemplative way, or when busy with other tasks. Not as dramatic as HOTW, or Marlin Flake, more on par with Old Gowrie
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