Robert McConnell Scottish Flake

This tobacco comes in a long loose flake form, very easy to rub out. It has a natural sweetness, but is very mild to my palate. Burns down to a gray speckled ash. Overall, not very complex, but not a bad tobacco.

Mmmm, this review is from an aged tin. The Virginia has become quite dark, but the taste has not become particularly richer or deeper. Very little fruit, very little tanginess, very little caramelized goodness. It's rather gray, ashy, flat, cardboardy. Not bad, mind you, but simply monochromatic and austere. I can't detect the Kentucky, but probably I do detect the cigar leaf a bit with its earthy notes (although it's quite a subtle presence): this particular earthy creaminess would probably be loved by aficionados of the (heavier and very old) Sobranie Virgnia N. 10.

Reminds me a bit of Presbyterian: probably there's quite a bit of Orientals here. Anyway, I seem not to be a fan of Virginia + Orientals without Latakia, with the exception of the stunning Ashton/Robert McConnell Old London Pebble Cut (which is extraordinary thanks to its fruitiness... and probably the generous amount of Perique too).

Anyway, it burns cool and even, and the flakes are compact and toughly pressed, so you can crumble them as you see fit.

Decent, but I won't buy it again: too many more flavorful alternatives around.

Not being a big fan a "virginia" type flakes, I was hounded by my friends to try this blend. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. While I would gladly try this blend if it were offered to me, this is not my usual preference. The tobac flakes rub out easy and seemed to work better in smaller pipes (group 3-4), burned slowly and cool with no dottle and a fine grey ash. The flavor was sweet and complex, typical of a well married flake. The nicotine kick was a little high for me, which means this is a sit down blend. For those who like flake blends, I too would highly recommend this.

It's not for me. Tastes rough to me and the rum seems out of place. Will not finish my tin. Perhaps lacking some brightness? Harsh in the pipe and the tin note is dull.

This tobacco I tried based on its rum topping, as I enjoy tobacco flavored with spirits. I don't drink, but enjoy the aromas and scents.

This tobacco was also said to be similar to Dunhill flake/light flake, which I enjoy from time to time. This tobacco so far, has won the competion for the most bland and tasteless flake or mixture out of everything I have ever tried. The only redeeming virtue it has is that the rum is detectable to the bottom of the bowl, in such a miniscule amount that it is an enigma that it is not lost in the tobacco taste, which is nowhere to be found. It has a strong room note of tobacco, which is yet another enigma as the smoke is about as tasteless as it gets. Just hot air with a very, very faint hint of rum. I have smoked a lot of virginias and vapers. Nothing has been this bland. Has a little nicotine but not much. This is mediocrity in a tin!

However you owe it to yourself to try this, just to see how extremely mild it is taste wise. It is amazingly mild.

Not a bad tobacco for me but not in my favorites. I'd say it's a nice easy smoke, nothing to complexe, good but not a WOW factor. Still a tobacco worth a try, for the blend. It was recommended to me at a tobacco shop after I mentioned that I enjoyed my first virginia Capstan Blue but my girfriend felt that capstan reminder her of cigarettes too much. So the shop told me that Scottish flake would be a good compromise for both of us. Though I found it somewhat interesting, my gf still tasted too much the cigarette taste ( which is virginia here in canada).

I get the feeling this stuff has changed over time and is now a completely different blend. My tin says "Dark red Virginia slices, medium strength, naturally sweet (made in Germany)"

Which is exactly what it is, no stained paper, Turkish, Havana or Kentucky in my tin, unfortunately.

Reminds me of Astleys #44. Very sweet, slight hint of vanilla, monochromatic, cigarette-ish, disappointing. If straight up red virginia is your thing, then consider it 3 stars instead of 2.

I guess that I have been spoiled with too much Scottish Cake. I picked this tin up when the local B & M was out of Cake just to see how this one compared.

Like some of the other reviewers have stated, most of my flakes were stuck together so there was no way for me to fold and pack this one. I ended up having to rub out most of it. Maybe this detracted from the taste because I found this blend to be a bit boring.

The taste was pretty monochromatic through the whole thing. There were no surprises, which could be a good thing or a bad thing.

I didn't find it to be Scottish Cake without the Perique but rather a different blend all together. Straight Virginia smokers should really like this blend. Smokers who prefer some kind of spice added will find this one subpar.

10/8/05 - Initial impressions review:

The tin aroma was unusual but inviting -- a VA plum/raisin aroma along with a "grassy" aroma. I did not find it "musty".

The flakes were compressed into the small tin, and it was easy to peel off roughly 1/4" wide pieces of broken flake as needed. Moisture content was only a smidge higher than optimal. The flakes themselves were variegated/mottled, with the mostly dark color interspersed with lesser amounts of various lighter colors.

Given the good moisture level, I did not bother to rub it out, but simply folded a few strips into the bowl. Upon lighting, the flavor of the VA was superseded by a burst of other brigher and lighter flavors. Spicy, grassy. I could imagine that it is from some combination of the Carolinas, Kentucky and orientals.

The flavor strikes me as a rather complex mixture, and definitely not a monochromatic blend, or a rich VA-only, nor the binary flavor combination of a VA/Oriental blend.

The flake burns very nicely, is smooth and has little tendency to bite. The orientals dry the throat a little (which Dunhill Durbar also does to me) and perhaps it is the Havana (which I've not experienced before) which lends an odd pungency in the background that is a bit offputting. This has a fair bit of nicotine - not SG-Brown-Rope#4-strong, but stronger than Dunhill Nightcap.

As it burned further down, I found the room note to be fairly strong and not entirely pleasant - somewhat like a mild spice-scented candle mixed with cigarette ash aroma. The bowl also became somewhat "ashy" and dumping out the ashes on top allowed the remainder of the bowl to return to the "brighter" flavor it had at first light. After its all done, the aftertaste of orientals and a bit of ashiness lingered quite awhile.

I think this blend has to be considered on its own terms, and not as if it were a VA flake, because the import of all the other flavors renders it quite unique. It's simply not in the same genre as Marlin Flakes, Old Gowrie, Hal o'the Wynd, Best Brown Flake, Peacehaven, etc. If I were looking for a strictly VA flake, I would bypass this one.

I do think some aging will improve it - I kept feeling that the flavors were more "raw" than they ought to be. I look forward to finding out what 3-6mo on the shelf will do for it.