Robert McConnell Red Virginia

Virginia/perique blends are my favourite so without doubt i had to try out this one.the tιn appearance prepares you for something unique.once you open the tin a sherry topping comes out with some dark fruits and sour notes.some broken flakes are detected the,texture is smooth and the moisture level is high.some drying time is needed and needs effort to light.several relights are needed while smoking..once light the flavours are very balanced between the topping and the virginias.red virginias mostly offer dark fruits and earth notes.bright virginias are citrucy and bready.the perique is in the backround and adds some sour notes.the sherry flavour is there till the end.burns slow and medium hot without dumbness.some moisture is created in the end of the bowl.no tongue bite detected.the nicotine level is almost medium and the room note pleasant.lots of puffs had common flavours with irish oak from Peterson.can be easilly an all day smoke.recommended for a nice smoking experience.

I'll admit it: the name, tin art, ribbon cut, and long history is what drew me to this one. Who doesn't want to smoke a 170 years old red Virginia blend?

In the tin I get sweet notes of strawberry, and chocolate.

Upon lighting the pipe, you immediately taste a sweet warm flavor of Virginia with just the tiny addition of chocolate. The chocolate reminds me of CAO's Eileen's Dream, but far more subtle to a level that it's hardly noticed. The Perique, as well, is extremely mild and honestly I would've completely believed it if the manufacturer said that this is a straight red Virginia. It has a pretty consistent flavor, although the (hardly noticed) chocolate addition does show itself from time to time when I retrohale. The sweetness on this is a bit hard to pin down. It's neither Orlik Golden Sliced juicy/hay sweetness nor Escudo bread notes. Maybe more of a berry type of sweetness. It's also a bit milder in flavor when compared to either of those.

I enjoy this blend very much. Only problem I have with it is that if you're not careful it will both warm up and may bite your tongue. For this reason this is much more enjoyable if you just sip it slowly. Aside from that, this is a fantastic sweet and tasty blend.

It's more mild than medium in strength and body. It's not a complex blend. Easy to pack and smoke. Just a tiny bit moist. Recommended to leave out about 20 minutes to dry.

Can be an all-day smoke if you're a slow sipper. Works best in a small bowl for me. I use one of my Stanwell 242, which gives me the best results by far. Larger bowls didn't allow me to sip and caused it to over-heat more easily.

Very enjoyable blend. Been hard to decide between 3 or 4 stars rating. So I guess 3.5 leaning towards 3 because other Virginia blends are closer to perfection than this one.

Not so many times in the past I have visited The Original Red Virginia. Among the MacConnell's blends, I thought that it was the most prone to bite and the less "yielding" (the quantity of the tobacco in the tin is visibly less than one expects even being an almost fine ready rubbed, plus it smokes quite fast...).

During the time I have managed to smoke Virginias properly, and have to say that RV tends to smoke hot if rushed, but hardly bites.

As per the K&K site RV is given to be a medium strenght blend of Virginias with a pinch of Perique and a hint of aromatization (chocolate !). I frankly don't smell any chocolate both in the tin aroma and the smoke, I smell a very light berry topping, which hardly affects the smoke. The strenght does not exceed the mild/to/medium mark.

Regarding me RV is pleasantly not-so-sweet-not-so-fruity smoke, which can be experienced both contemplatively or absent mindedly. The good character of this blend is taken to light with the calmest sipping, the largest bores being the optimum.

The Perique, declaredly a pinch, does its job giving very faint notes of stewed fruits without any sourish effect.

I don't believe for an instant that a British tobacco from the early 19th Century would have had a plum flavouring, and of course perique didn't even exist back then. So, so much for honesty in marketing.

This is a mostly mid brown short ribbon tobacco with a plum or similar flavouring. I haven't smoked this alongside Royal Yacht but these are, to my mind, very similar tobaccos. Interestingly RY doesn't claim to contain perique but I thought it was there. I honestly think both tobaccos have a small amount; just enough to give some fruity profiles and some added strength. Where I think this tobacco differs from RY is that it is a tad milder in all regards.

This tobacco smokes well, is rich and creamy with fruit and spice notes all the way through. It is a light, in terms of flavour additives, aromatic. Veers towards the strong side nicotine wise.

This is a very nice smoke. I can barely taste any topping and it seems to be there more to enhance the room note than for any other reason. The Virginias are bready with notes of tangy fruit. The Perique is lightly applied, but there are mild notes of darker fruit and spice from it. All in all a nice tasting blend with enough strength to satisfy. A solid 3.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in taste. Flavoring is extremely mild. Burns very well.

It's mainly Virginia which smells like typical Red Virginia. I feel kind of mild Citrusy topping . This blend is very good for hot weather and summer smoking. Sometimes i am exhausted of English blends so i like to smoke something refreshing and there is some blend Robert McConnell - Red Virginia which i enjoy at that time. Additionally i have to say Perique in this blend is very mild and just a bit detectable.

Red Virginia is a tobacco I actually like. Yes, there is a top note that reminds me of chocolate, but there seems also to be some cherry and even something floral as well. But it never really lasts more than a few minutes upon lighting up. Then, what I am smoking is Red Vas that are better, IMHO, than Wessex Classic Virginia. You see, Red VAs, on their own, are rather unidimensional, just like BUs. So a little bit of topping helps toawards enhancing the taste. RV burns fairly well and will bite if one is not careful. Overall, it is more towards the medium side in strenght than mild. As the tobacco is really on the moist side, I recommend you let dry out in the tine over a period of about 4 weeks before contemplating smoking it. Too moist, it is rather bland and tends to bite significantly (as with all moist tobaccos). I have another tin that I will let age for a year or two and revisit. Will I rebuy? Yes, I think so. It has its interest.

Excellent, superb tobacco. The best Virginia I have never smoked. It is without any doubt Straight Virginia. Perhaps, at the biginning, there was a hint of Perique, but now I can't find any Perique in it. I heartily recommend this tobacco to the Virginia lovers. Mark 10!

UPDATE 2021-3-1 Not the same as 7 years ago or maybe my taste is changing. The doubt about Perique remains, probably there is a pinch. But actually this straight Virginia is flavored with chocolate and it is not the wonderful tobacco I remember. At the moment it is a good Virginia, slightly flavored, but nothing special at all. One less star, three stars is a correct rating.

This is a subtle and graceful tobacco. Not at all aggressive, it is a refined, friendly, and to a certain extent delicate Virginia, rather easy to smoke. I do not know if McClelland had this tobacco in mind when they developed their Red Cake in bulk, but I detect a faint similarity in taste and aroma. Being both excellent tobaccos, RVS has perhaps a more consistent body, and IMO conveys a fuller, more emotional smoke. There is a certain wood like character that gives its simplicity depth, and, as it were, eloquence to its apparent plainness. This may be the result of that dash of Perique the blender purports in the tobacco's description. Non the less, RVS is a very mellow and smooth blend.

Tin aroma is inviting. I believe it is one which a new pipe smoker may find mild enough to be attractive, yet sufficiently rich to be appreciated by a seasoned pipe smoker. I ignore what the topping in this tobacco is. Yet it is applied with utter care and prudence, so that it does not interfere with the natural taste of tobacco leaf, but subtly enhances it, underlining the tangy sweetness inherent in red Virginias. RVS comes slightly moist in the tin, so a bit of airing is advisable just before packing in.

Lighting is quite simple and its burning rate is commendable. Without being a completely out of the ordinary smoke (personally, I can not think of this as a Perique containing blend) this Virginia is highly recommended as an enlivening change of pace, especially when in the mood for a slightly sweet natural smoke.