Robert McConnell Special London Mild

I have a brother who used to smoke roll your own cigarettes before switching to a pipe. I had a tn of this open and was smoking it when he came by the house one afternoon. I told him this pipe tobacco had a somewhat bitter-sweet taste and was not very strong. I thought it might make a good RYO. My brother whipped out his pocked knife and cut the strands up a bit and rolled one. He loved it and said it burned slow for a cigarette. I thought the blend burned fast for a pipe. The flavor was great and the shag cut made for a wonderful presentation... for both of us!

Pipestud

..an exceptional shag for the pipe! This very fine cut is simply wonderful...pleasant taste and aroma and is easy to pack, light, and enjoy a good 30 minute smoke(group 4-5 size pipe).

Similar to Wills, Three Castles in color yet a different taste. Very earthy, some hay like notes, but overall, a good tobacco taste. Keeping it a bit moist helps control burn rate and enhances the taste and flavor.

I consider this one of the five best Virginia shag cut tobaccos available today and highly recommend it. Like any shag smoked in a pipe...puff slowly, tamp lightly, and be rewarded with a very nice smoke!

Excellent with Coffee, hot tea, or with a wee dram of single malt...

...a pipe is to be savored...

When they said a fine cut, I wasn't quite expecting cigarette tobacco, this is a very fine cut, and for a flake smoker, can be a little tricky to load and pack. Tin aroma is of pure tobacco, pleasant, and when packed properly, I am rewarded with a very mild, pleasant and quite tasty straight virginia of excellent quality leaf.

Were this not such a fine cut, I would be cellering this, as it is, sadly, this may be my last purchase, I just do not like the cut.

If a fine cut tobacco is not a problem for you, your going to love it.

I purchased a tin of this tobacco by mistake some years ago, and realizing my error added the tin to my collection and promptly forgot about it. I rediscovered the tin while cleaning out my stash recently and curiosity got the better of me.

Upon opening the tin the first thing I noticed was the very fine (thin) cut of the leaf, even finer than the shag cut used for most cigarette tobaccos. The tobacco appears to be all Virginia leaf without any topping or casing. The tin aroma is OK; slightly musty but not unpleasant in any way. Moisture level out of the tin was very good; slightly but not too moist.

Packing is easy but some care must be exercised to avoid "caking" the leaf. Easy to light, a gentle tamp is usually all that is required to keep it going. As others have noted, this is a fast burning tobacco and can get hot as a blowtorch if puffed too eagerly.

I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor: a gentle, mildly sweet Virginia taste that remained fairly consistant throughout the bowl. Not a complex or "sophisticated" smoke by any means, this tobacco shines due to it's basic simplicity. I have taken to smoking an occasional bowl in a smaller Peterson or Dunhill pocket pipe. It's a good short smoke for those times when you don't have an hour to devote to your regular blend.

On opening the tin, you´ll find a very fine cut plain Virginia with a natural VA aroma. It packs easily and lights with the first match. However this tabacco should be used only in the smallest bowls and smoked very carefully, otherwise it burns like a house set on fire and could do serious damage to your briars (and your tongue).

IMHO, this is for rolling your own cigarettes rather than a pipe tobacco. I know, there are some fellow pipsters who tend to inhale the smoke, they should give it a try.

Special London Mild sure is of good quality, but I won´t keep it in my rotation as there are much better tobaccos available from McConnell.

4 out of 10 in my personal rating.

Today I got a tin of this stuff as a present from my tobacco-dealer. Since a short time this tobacco is for sale in Holland. Just finished my first bowl.

Not bad, not bad at all! However this is not a long smoke. The stuff burns very easy. The taste is full to medium. Suprising for a tobacco that should be mild. No sharpness at the tongue with me.

After finishing the tin I will do an update here.

Opening the tin reveals beautifully orange ribbons of fine ribbon tobacco combined with a gentle subtle aroma of unflavoured Virginian. Packing of the pipe requires some care to ensure that the ribbons are not placed in to tight; however it lights easily and smokes reasonably well for the duration of the bole. The smoke is a mild masterpiece, which combines many of the qualities of a Virginian blend but in a fashion that is exceptionally delicate and refined. It is definataly advisable to smoke this tobacco when your palet is clean in order to make the most of the subtilles of the smoke This tobacco does have a tendency to dry out quite quickly after opening. It is sufficiently mild to be used as a cigarette tobacco as well if your tastes run that way.