Well, my daughter's wedding is in Scotland this coming Spring, so perhaps we'll do an Ireland trip. I'd have time to try a plug, then fill my suitcase if it's worthy.
Irish Condor?
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Well, my daughter's wedding is in Scotland this coming Spring, so perhaps we'll do an Ireland trip. I'd have time to try a plug, then fill my suitcase if it's worthy.
I have a number of the Polish plugs, ironically ordered from a shop in Ireland. I quite like them, but I've never had the original Irish ones, so there's that.
Sorry. There is no such a thing. There are Andean and California Condor. But they are too big to shove into any size pipe. Besides, I don't think you would want to smoke them.
Been smoking Condor on and off for 50 years. The last batch was 1/2 kilo of ready rubbed purchased cheaply in Spain and brought over to me here by family members a few years ago. I assume it was the Polish produced stuff but it still tasted great to me. ?
You are just smashing the interweb paradigm.
There seem to be several paradigms when it comes to Condor.
1. They are both the same. I heard this from a 35 year old who has been smoking Condor plug his entire life.
2. They are completely different. This is from me. I've smoked them both, and expected the Polish to be the same, so no preconceived notions. In fact, I smoked the Polish before ever participating on pipe forums. Maybe I just got a bad plug.
3. They are close enough - I love them both. I'm happy for these people.
It’s almost as if everyone’s taste is all in their mouth.
I have been smoking the stuff for 37 odd years. The RR doesn't taste like it used to as it is missing that Fairy Washing Up liquid taste, I have a fair stock of the Gallaghers Plug, the Polish stuff tastes like sucking the farts out of a swan but may have improved. I will be visiting Ireland soon so I may pick up some of the latest Polish stuff and give it a try again.
Well, let's not discount some people being full of shit.
@runscott : Taste is a very subjective thing. Some people tell me that McDonalds tastes different today compared to 30 years ago. The cut of Condor was much coarser when I first started smoking it circa 1980/81 but then in those days it came in little green foil cubes wrapped in cellophane and was sold in 1/2 oz weights I think for 45p if my memory has not gone totally gaga. I noticed the change with the RR in the early 2000s when the cut became finer. I have preferred the plug since you can adjust the cut to suite your preference. I guess nothing ever remains the same with exception of Twinky Bars!
Yes, that all makes sense, but I'm only talking about the plug. I shaved my plugs in the 1980's, just as I did in 2018 or so when I obtained a Polish plug.
The thing is - it doesn't really matter, as I won't likely be smoking Irish Condor again.
@runscott : I used to shave plugs but for some odd reason I used to over time wind up with an odd shaped lump of tobacco. Condor Plugs are smaller than Warrior Plugs which have double the amount of tobacco. Interestingly Jim Inks reviewed both the Gallagher and Polish one a few years back and was adamant that the sauce had changed. I guess its horses for courses! Have a pleasant evening and I'll catch with you all tomorrow!
Glad I’m not the only one who thinks it’s still great! I think there are some people who listen to what a few of the better known folks on here have to say about it and they just follow suit… If it has gotten worse, it’s still king in my eyes. Maybe there were some off batches, maybe it took some time for the Polish to fine tune the process but whatever it may be, it’s still mighty fine… thee all mighty Condor! I’ve not been smoking it as long as you have but you’ve certain given me something to aspire to!
the more reviews I read the more I realize we all experience pipes tobacco in very different ways. Heck I can have wildly different reactions to the same blend from the same tin.
As an example - I’ve got a two year old jar of Original (Walnut) Flake, a close relation to St Bruno. I loaded up a Falcon the other night and it was sublime: cool, slow burning and full of flavour (I sound a bit like a tag line ?).
The next night I decided to have another go with the same tobacco, from the same jar, in the same pipe, at the same time and it was…off. It tasted totally unrecognisable from the night before, totally different. It burnt slow but it was all over my tongue like an imp with a hot poker. Very strange.
some blends go like that at different parts of the same smoking session. The best and worst for that in my experience has been Savs Golden Coins. That one has had times where I was about to dumb out the pipe and then suddenly one of the most sublime smoking experiences ever.
Here is some Condor porn for you all since I had to send a plug off to someone on here who had never indulged in the joys of smoking a bar of Gallaghers soap!
@condorlover1 I've only had my clay pipes since Condor production moved to Poland so can't comment.
Are those the Irish or Polish Condor?