Help Me Date This Condor 5 Pack

[hawky454]

I was looking around for some vintage tobaccos today from some various sources and I found this;

I couldn't pass up the price and the seller assured me that the seals were intact and the tobacco was still pliable and springy. I've been pretty amazed at how well these pouches hold the moisture in over the years.
Have any of you Condor heads ever seen the 5 packs released in something like this before? I'm trying to get an idea of how old these might be. I'll post more pictures when it arrives. Just eyeing it from this picture it appears that there is no warning labels present but could still be hidden underneath the sleeve of the case the pouches are sitting in.

 

[condorlover1]

The health warnings used to be on the back if they were sold in the UK whilst Duty Free had no health warnings until the early 1990s. The tins vanished in the mid 1980s about the same time that Gold Block went over to the 'pouch' format. Because its in grams and not ounces I would suggest its late 1990s early 00's. Also the boxes from the early 00's tended to be all green with a red strip running along the top side as opposed to the cellophane display window in your picture. I will be fascinated to see what other 'Condor Heads' have to say about this lucky purchase.

 

[hawky454]

Condorlover1, thank you! Excellent info you provided there! That really narrows it down and that's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for your help!
I hear Condor ages well and now I have my chance to experience it for myself without all the waiting that is usually involved. It's a win win!

 

[mawnansmiff]

Hawky, I would say that was almost certainly a duty free package. As for age, I think it best you send a pouch out to Simon and one to myself for further investigation ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[hawky454]

Hawky, I would say that was almost certainly a duty free package

That is good to know, thanks for your input.

As for age, I think it best you send a pouch out to Simon and one to myself for further investigation ::

Good try, Jay but I'm on to ya! Lol! Honestly, if you lived in the States, I'd have no problems sending some your way... it's just so damn expensive sending anything abroad and as for Simon, he's got plenty of Condor on hand, he doesn't need anymore... well, ya can never really have enough Condor, can you?

 

[weezell]

Hawky, I would say that was almost certainly a duty free package. As for age, I think it best you send a pouch out to Simon and one to myself for further investigation

Can I play To???????...

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Honestly, if you lived in the States, I'd have no problems sending some your way...."
Of that I have no doubt chum, you're a gent, thankfully it's an OTC blend over here though I do prefer the Long Cut version.....not to mention the plug ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[hawky454]

Yup, y’all got the good otc’s. I’m like you though, I much prefer the Plug or the Long Cut to the Ready Rubbed but I’ll take what I can get for now. I paid $50.00 for the entire 5 pack so it was definitely a no brainer.

 

[hawky454]

My vintage Condor RR came in today. Looks like it has Arabic writing on the back. The tobacco has dried out a little bit in the pouches but not to the point of dust and after smoking it (AMAZING!) I decided I’m not even going to try to rehydrate it, it smokes fine as is. One thing that I have noticed, not only from this set of vintage pouches but I bought a 1 oz box of the Long Cut from the early 80’s and I’ve noticed that the flavors are somewhat different, almost perfumey. At first I thought that the tobacco must have absorbed whatever scents were present in the room the pouches were stored in but for both the Long Cut from the 1980’s and then these pouches I’d say that that is too much of a coincidence. I think I’m tasting what Condor used to taste like. Has anyone else noticed changes in Condor over the years? I personally like the new stuff better but I’ll easily smoke through this whole stash and I consider this a steal at 10 bucks a pouch!

This is the Condor Long Cut that has the same perfumey vibe. I understand that some people would call Condor perfumey as it is but I’m picking up something different in these vintage's that I don’t get in the modern Condor.

Oh and by the way, I didn't realize that Mellow Virginia was a Gallaher product. I've never had it but I sure would like to get my hands on some one of these days.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Hawky, the script looks more Hebrew than Arabic.
You certainly got yourself a bargain there chum.
Regards,
Jay.