Robert McConnell Rich Dark Virginia

Looks (and tastes) a lot like the Astley's #88 I smoked not long ago. Same jet black color, same chunky ribbon cut, same Cavendish style blending. Smelled of natural light Virginia tobacco with undertones of coffee that the Astleys had.

Same blender, yes... same blend, perhaps! It's awfully close to the Astleys. Any differences I attribute to the 10 years of age on the Astleys I smoked. Dark roast flavor that seemed more Cavendish than pure stoved Virginia, although it is quite stoved indeed. Soft flavor that doesn't intrude with little complexity and yet it's interesting enough to smoke often. I didn't fire any up after mid-afternoon, as more heady brews work better for me later in the day but when I did smoke this, I enjoyed it thoroughly and didn't feel as though I was being cheated in any way. Good blending tobacco for those times I need some caramel-like Cavendish but don't want the goopy vanilla associated with the basic black cavs available. This is a fine smoke by itself, however. Smoked back to back with the Astleys, there may be some very slight differences but I can't say for certain that I was able to pick them out.

This blend isn't extrordinary or the holy grail of straightforward Virginias. It's a decent smoke but somewhat sweet, strong in body and hard to figure out. It falls between dessert, after breakfast or down time smoke meant for sipping. In retrospect, it has the same flavor and feel of MacBaren's Mixture Modern minus the burley. I found a little drying tones down the sweetness. It did require a relight and a few tampers. Burns hot if smoked too quickly, so find a leisurely rythmn and stick with it.That's when RMDV starts to shine on its own and the flavoring comes through. Taste was dense and smoky with a tangerine-like sweetness with the body of dark red wine, possibly Merlot. Got a slght tang at the end of each draw on the pipe. Room note was hard to decipher but not unpleasant. Dark Virginia by itself is nice when taken in at a slower pace. Better for blending as the tin notes suggest. On the plus side, I got a great lingering smoke out my Medico Straight VFQ. Don't smoke a bowl in one setting. Gradually puff your way down to the bottom over several sessions. I got better results from smoking a full bowl in a cob. A great compliment to English style mixtures. In short, RMDV is akin to that friend or cousin you like having around you all the time but can't explain the reasons why. UPDATE: 9-16-15 After smoking this a few times and playing around with it, I'll upgrade to three stars. Unsealing tin and letting sit for a few days changes the flavor. Mellows out and very rewarding, especially in a cob. Doesn't smoke as hot and doesn't bite. My VFQ pipe is Brylon, but briar might give far superior smoke. In the beginning I was expecting something similiar to Royal Cajun Dark. Had to change my mindset in order to enjoy the benefits of RDV. Please share your experiences.

The dark molasses tin note somewhat translates into the bowl -- the molasses topping isn't anywhere near overwhelming as it's smoked but it is the dominate flavor. Despite not having a very fine cut, it burns a bit on the fast side and certainly burns on the hot side, although not extremely so. If you really like molasses as a topping you might want to try this, otherwise I suggest a pass. A true 2.5 for me, which could have just as easily been rounded down as up.