Simon, (Condorlover) kindly sent a green pouch of the Ready Rubbed version of Condor as a result of his last voyage abroad and as curious as I was to finally try it I've done so with a little apprehension. Reading what's been posted on these forums can easily leave you confused as to what the real deal is with this popular UK OTC pouch pipe tobacco and they also reveal a "love it or hate it" type of pattern as you read opinions on this.
Today I spent the early morning (in the rain) doing some conditioning work with my bird dogs and had a bowl of EMP after a huge country breakfast. The early afternoon found me smoking a Drew Estates Undercrown cigar and after that I was ready for something a bit more Nic heavy.
I loaded one of my least often smoked MM Legend cobs with this fiendishly dark looking pipe weed that so many fear and in the process I noted that the pouch note to be very unusual. A citrusy, liquor type aroma that is hard to pin down was very present but surprisingly it wasn't off putting to me. The tobacco is a thick ribbon with chunks of broken flake present and it loaded very easy into the bowl. A test on the pipes draw before lighting presented a sickly sweet flavor that was strange and unusual but again, for me, not yet a deal breaker. Charring light brought forth a crescendo of all the notes just previously described as well as a light, very light, soapiness that at first nearly stopped me in mid puff but as I progressed it became clear that what I was tasting was NOT Tonquin. The familiar ghosting agent that's so present in the Lakeland District blends by G&H and SG is not in play here even though many refer to Condor as a "Lakeland". As my smoking progressed the fruitiness came and went and the power of this mixture let itself be known, it's a rich, earthy smoke with a mouth feel that is "chewy". It's a term I often see in tobacco reviews but one that I very rarely, if ever, use myself to review a tobacco.
I had set the bowl down at just about the midway point, this has a nicotine kick to it and I was giving it the well deserved respect that it commands. Upon relighting the bowl I do believe it was right then and there that I experienced my first ever.....Condor Moment.....The various topping flavors were for the most part gone and I'm now getting what I can only describe as what Nightcap would be like on steroids! This stuff is awesome, rich, full bodied, smokey and just a slightest hint of sweetness. It's not kicking my butt with nicotine, no soapy Lakeland essence whatsoever as many describe but rather just a really bold, powerhouse pipe tobacco.
To anyone on the fence about giving Condor RR a try, you owe it to yourself to do so. It's crystal clear to me now why Simon is so adament in his choice to stick with this OTC exclusevly as I'm sure many others like him do. It's certainly not for the faint of heart or for the beginner but it's one that I plan to enjoy to the last crumb and hopefully, I will be able to procure some future pouches from our beloved, Condorlover.
My apologies for such a long report but in this particular instance, I feel that Condor was worthy of such prose.
Today I spent the early morning (in the rain) doing some conditioning work with my bird dogs and had a bowl of EMP after a huge country breakfast. The early afternoon found me smoking a Drew Estates Undercrown cigar and after that I was ready for something a bit more Nic heavy.
I loaded one of my least often smoked MM Legend cobs with this fiendishly dark looking pipe weed that so many fear and in the process I noted that the pouch note to be very unusual. A citrusy, liquor type aroma that is hard to pin down was very present but surprisingly it wasn't off putting to me. The tobacco is a thick ribbon with chunks of broken flake present and it loaded very easy into the bowl. A test on the pipes draw before lighting presented a sickly sweet flavor that was strange and unusual but again, for me, not yet a deal breaker. Charring light brought forth a crescendo of all the notes just previously described as well as a light, very light, soapiness that at first nearly stopped me in mid puff but as I progressed it became clear that what I was tasting was NOT Tonquin. The familiar ghosting agent that's so present in the Lakeland District blends by G&H and SG is not in play here even though many refer to Condor as a "Lakeland". As my smoking progressed the fruitiness came and went and the power of this mixture let itself be known, it's a rich, earthy smoke with a mouth feel that is "chewy". It's a term I often see in tobacco reviews but one that I very rarely, if ever, use myself to review a tobacco.
I had set the bowl down at just about the midway point, this has a nicotine kick to it and I was giving it the well deserved respect that it commands. Upon relighting the bowl I do believe it was right then and there that I experienced my first ever.....Condor Moment.....The various topping flavors were for the most part gone and I'm now getting what I can only describe as what Nightcap would be like on steroids! This stuff is awesome, rich, full bodied, smokey and just a slightest hint of sweetness. It's not kicking my butt with nicotine, no soapy Lakeland essence whatsoever as many describe but rather just a really bold, powerhouse pipe tobacco.
To anyone on the fence about giving Condor RR a try, you owe it to yourself to do so. It's crystal clear to me now why Simon is so adament in his choice to stick with this OTC exclusevly as I'm sure many others like him do. It's certainly not for the faint of heart or for the beginner but it's one that I plan to enjoy to the last crumb and hopefully, I will be able to procure some future pouches from our beloved, Condorlover.
My apologies for such a long report but in this particular instance, I feel that Condor was worthy of such prose.