Tobaccos Robert McConnell - Black and Gold

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2014-02-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I recently cracked open a 15-year old tin of McConnell Black & Gold (do they even make this one anymore?) and was surprised by the way the leaf had fermented. I received a delicious and sweet taste that was a bit more than the natural components, but not overwhelming. I couldn't really capture a lot of the Perique flavor but it was certainly there. This was a totally unique smoke to me and I guess calling this one a flavored Oriental/Latakia mixture wouldn't be too far off the mark.

If Black & Gold is indeed still on the market, I sure can recommend this one to those who like more than a cased Burley.

Pipe Used: Bruce Weaver, J.T. Cooke & Rich Lewis

Age When Smoked: 15 year old tin

Purchased From: No clue

Similar Blends: Unique, can't think of a comparable blend.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2016-01-03		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Robert McConnell - Black and Gold.

When I initially opened my tin up the name made sense, a tin brimmed with black and gold tobacco. Well, it's actually black and dark brown but lets not split hairs! The aroma from the tin has more of a fruitiness to it than the smokes flavour. It smells quite sharp yet the taste is much milder. From the smoke I get a subtle plum note with a creamy vanilla taste.

I find the flavour of the tobaccos to be well weighted. There is a sour woodiness from the Oriental which is prevented from being too imperious by the creamy/vanilla like Black Cav'. There is also a slight sharpness from the Perique with the Virginia giving build/body/substance to the smoke. At first puff this seemed a little boring but after about ten minutes the flavours really begin to develop and come through clearly.

For me, the nicotine is perfect; middle ground so not too much nor too little.

First puff suggested "a bit of a boring smoke worth one or two stars" but after a few puffs this really comes to life; a love it or hate it blend maybe?!

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Stanwell 2016

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: The Danish Pipe Shop

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2004-06-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I am not an aromatic smoker. Being a Dane, that could make me quite an outsider. But I am fed up with those eternal synthetic "candy-baccies" which dominate Denmark.

Here is an English aromatic that I simply love. This colorful blend does not taste artificial, it is like as if McConnell's thought; "Hey! Let's make an aromatic like they would have made it a 100 years ago"

A natural, rustic blend; top quality leaf and with a topping so weird (GOOD) that I can't describe it, nor compare it with any other blends. One of my favourites.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2016-11-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Last of the oldish McConnell tins from my cellar. This is one is - surprise - black and gold in color, ribbon cut, with a heavy smell of fruit in the tin. It claims to have a "woodspice" flavor, and since I have no idea what that means, I have no idea if either the smell or the flavor meets that claims. But I'm willing to concede the issue.

In the pipe, this is indeed a bit fruity tasting to start, and proper drying before partaking is recommended to tame that flavor, which is mildly sweet and more than a bit sour. Raisiny and perhaps apricot. This is a well crafted aromatic that eschews its American counterparts goopiness and artificiality. Once dried and once I get a short way into the bowl, the tobacco flavor comes thru. Excellent Virginia leaf with a bit more than a smidge of fruity perique. I did not notice any orientals but they could have been a factor in this one's sour side. Reminded me a bit of Glen Piper, which is another McConnell aromatic that was well conceived. Once this blend got into its zone, it was well balanced with the flavoring becoming complementary to the Virginias tang and mellow sweetness. It had kind of a McClelland-esque fermented quality but on a smaller level. Overall this is a mild-to-medium smoke but is very flavorful and mouthfilling. No lightweight in the nic department either. Complexity is on the short end of the stick but still contained some minor nuances. Smoked at tin moisture (came very moist), these nuances disappear and the smoke becomes steamy and dull. This one, like most virginiais, needs to be dried out to reach its potential and I found it best just short of crispy. This is a good one to try if you're curious about aromatics but have found the typical U.S ones to be too chemically flavored. A nice change of pace for me but nowhere near a rotation maker.

Age When Smoked: 5 years

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2002-07-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A nice fruity smoke, slightly sweet and very mild. I have not smoked it for a long time, but I don?t recall any Perique in it. It is a good tobacco for a change of pace (i.e., when tired of straight Virginias and not in the mood for Orientals). Visually, it is a very attractive mixture, the jet black Cavendish contrasting with the bright yellow (golden?) Virginias. It packs easily, but it is hard to keep lit, probably due to the moisture in the black Cavendish.

Flavour wise, it tastes of prunes and dried raisins, but not in an artificial way. It produces a nice nose or atmosphere, without being notable. I find a good option to break in a new pipe, and a good introduction for those seeking to take up a pipe.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2019-09-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

BLACK AND GOLD: This mixture is peculiar because it contains Perique but it isn’t a Va/Per and it is flavored but it is not a real flavored blend. And of course it is not a natural aromatic mixture. Aromatic yes, but in a broad sense. Perique is perceived very well but also the flavoring is evident (although a little more hidden). BLACK Cavendish AND GOLD Virginia are without any doubt the main actors. Turkish Dubec is hidden and I do not perceive it. Maybe in the last version of the blend there is no oriental leaf. This blend is mild, delicate, but it is also too mild and too light (IMO of course). It could be a great mixture if it had more strength and more body. Anyway it is ideal for all those who prefer mild, light and aromatic mixtures. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 7 and two and a half stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-02-27		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

IMHO tobaccos branded McC and produced by K&K have a common thing ... the understatement. I have found that in Oriental, Scottish Blend, Glen Piper and Maduro, the exception being - at the moment - Scottish Cake only (but I have just the Scottish Flake ready to start).

B&G is far long to be a substantial smoke, but it's polite and pleasant. Notes of raisins and figs in the tin aroma, and a very attractive topping kinda liqueurish/flowerish. The smoke is faintly sweet and also liqueurish, mild and non biting if smoked properly. A bit much flat and boring as all-day on weekly basis, as I'm doing...

As I have noticed with Scottish Blend, the current production has been flattening down in comparison with the small round tins production of the early 2K. I still have one those tins of B&G (I found three of them three years ago) and all the features were more pronounced, and bit stronger. I really liked it, cannot say the same now.

Again maybe it's a problem of aging, but I'm wondering why so many tobacco should be bought today for being smoke the next two years. The producer should bear the costs of immobilization of capitals, or not ?

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-07-23		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable

When I first lit Black & Gold, I almost emptied the bowl after a few puffs. I detected foreshadowing of a soapy smoke. I went on with it, and I am happy to say, the soap receded. Subsequent bowls behaved the same.

Under the casing, there were hints of Va flavor from time to time. I also noted a tendency toward harshness as well. Toward the end, the flavors all seem to mix into a muddy medley where the only thing that can be identified is a hint of Cavendish. As to the Perique?. What Perique???

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2022-11-02		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This review pertains to the 2022 version, and not the previous incarnations, which were different. The lead component is the spicy fire cured black cavendish, which mainly acts as a carrier for the rich syrupy apricot and mild creamy vanilla. They tone down the tobaccos without totally drowning them out. The bright Virginias provide a lot of tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, sugar, bread, floralness, a little spice, honey, and light sour lemon. They are in a support role. The spice and plums from the earthy, woody perique is barely noticeable. Even though Turkish is not mentioned in the current description, I sense a little floralness, spice, herbs, sour note which indicates it is present in a very small amount. The strength and taste levels barely reach the medium mark. The nic-hit is a couple of steps behind them. No bite or harshness present. Barely has a rough note. Mildly moist, it burns cool, clean and slight slow with mostly consistent sweet, floral, spicy, mildly sour, lightly bitter, syrupy flavor that extends to the lightly lingering after taste. The room note is very pleasant. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. An all day smoke. Two stars.

-JimInks

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2021-06-04		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This has been one of my favorite tobaccos for about a decade. In spite of numerous changes of tin descriptions over the years, It has delivered a consistent experience and taste. I have no idea whether this still contains the dubec Turkish or the “woodspice” topping, but it remains tasty. B&G is classified as an English aromatic and has quite a strong tin aroma, but does not feel sticky or gooey. Do not think Lakeland, this is nothing like that style of aro. The top notes are vanilla and what I’m guessing to be wine. I will get these delicious blasts of what can only be described as a sour grape jolly rancher. This may sound offensive to some, but plays wonderfully off the partly rubbed VA. There is a wonderful sort of tartness/sourness that develops when the VA, Perique, and topping conspire. Certainly this is not an everyday blend, but a guilty pleasure that I have reliably come back to. While this may be heavily topped, it smokes smoothly and doesn’t come across as sickly sweet. The tobaccos are complimented by, as opposed to smothered by the topping. Easy 4 stars. Highly recommended. This one is VERY unusual and clearly will not please all pipers, but is very much worth a try!

Sour Concord grapes, faint vanilla, semi-sweet VAPer.

Age When Smoked: A/R/F/S -/-/6/19

Similar Blends: Totally unique.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2014-06-24		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Tolerable

First of all, I’m quite sure it has been reformulated, I guess that’s why of the mixed reviews here. The producer's website (K&K) doesn’t list Orientals, indeed I detect any Oriental in it and even the presentation makes me doubt: no black and gold but tan, dark brown and black! Anyway, I’m not too impressed by B&G, it’s very light in body and flavors, I’ve smoked it fresh and dried out and it always tasted empty; it’s a sort of middle of the road blend: not a true Vaper (a vapid Virginia and little to none Perique) nor an Aro (there’s just a faint trace of vanilla and room note is not so good), in my opinion it’s just an average Virginia/Cavendish. Best thing is that it smokes cool and refreshing at least, very summery. Definitely, I can't say it is bad, just unsexy.

Pipe Used: Bulldog, Prince, Dublin

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I find B&G to be a nice tobacco. It has a good combination of various leaves, taste and aromas. Nice ribbon cut of medium brown tobaccos with some black leaf, B&G has an appealing raisin and fig tin note. It mostly tastes of the tin note, with some spiciness originating from the OR and the Per. It smokes easily and dry, develops some complexity and intensity along the way and ends up in a nice bunch of gray ashes.

What worries me a bit is this tobacco is not listed on Kohlhase & Kopp's list of McConnell's offerings. I might have to stock up on this one if they have ceased to manufacture it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sagesmoke (14)	2010-01-22		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wife bought me a tin of this for Xmas. As others have stated, this just isn't for me. Everything about it was wrong to my tastes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2009-07-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

A great semi-aromatic in my opinion. Fruity (Plums) with a tiny hint of vanilla. Good solid earthy tobacco taste throughout. I wish there were more aromatics in this genre out there, an uncomplicated blend, nicely understated. Non nonsense stuff, if you like VAs with a pinch of perq. and a little aroma added, this should do it for you.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipePaladin (78)	2008-03-11		Mild	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This is a good blend for the new smoker. Very light in taste and nicotine but also promising for the pipe smoking experience that is to come (from other blends though...) Also, I really cannot recall any perique...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-08-31		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Oh dear oh dear, what is this stuff? Not my cup of tea at all. Not recommended by me I'm afraid.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-11-07		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I smoked four tins of Black & Gold, mostly because I got it very cheap, and must say it was almost worth the price. If there is Perique in there it is very well-hidden and the Virginia(s) make only cameo appearances at best. At least I think that might have been Virginia. Hard to imagine anyone smoking this on a regular basis - especially in the temperate areas of the hemisphere where there is so much alfalfa, ragweed, and goldenrod available for the asking. RM's Black & Gold is just a zero stars blend as far as I'm concerned.

Tiger

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-11-13		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

Being a Black Cavendish fan, but thoroughly enjoying McConnell's "Oriental," I was looking forward to trying this. It was disappointing.

I could rewrite Inquisitor's review but he got there first.

Uninspiring smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-07-08		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another blend from my Robert McConnell sampler pack. This smells like any other sticky aromatic in the pouch. There is almost no flavor, certainly not tobacco flavor. The only sensations I could pick up were 1) heat and 2) sourness/bitterness. Not the characteristics I look for in an aromatic. I couldn't even finish my 10g sample. Blah!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flint (30)	2003-01-07		Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Strong

I have been looking for an aromatic to put in my rotation and this is not it. To me it is like sucking hot caramel through a straw. I was never able to finish a bowl. The initial flavor was good but after the first few puffs it went from bad to worse. To top it off my wife couldn't stand the room aroma. I will continue to look for a quality aromatic elsewhere.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Boatdock (38)	2022-06-28		Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Avoid this abomination called Black and Gold. The taste is putrid in every capacity and there's nothing positive to say about it. I'd rather smoke banana peels.

Pipe Used: Irrelevant

Age When Smoked: Freeh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Burning flesh.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2016-03-13		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is an unusual blend. The tin back label just claims VA, Perique, and a 'woodspice' flavor, which I easily detect in the tin and room note, but get only a trace in the bowl. I would have guessed VA, Cavendish, and a hint of Perique, but unless the 'woodspice' is related to Orientals, I don't really notice any real Oriental tones. Nor do I get any dark fruit topping.

A bit off-beat but pleasing on a warm day.

Pipe Used: briars, cobs, and meers

Age When Smoked: 22 months after purchase

Purchased From: pipes & cigars

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2011-06-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I picked this up at Ed's Pipe Shop in Santa Monica. Over the years, their range of pipe tobaccos has thinned somewhat, but I always make it a habit to pick up two tins while there, which I visit about three times a year.

Black and Gold caught my eye, sitting on the shelf, covered with dust. It must have been there five years, at least, which is instant gratification for those impatient fellows like myself, seeking aged blends.

I honestly had no idea what I was purchasing, but figured the age would make up for it, and I was at least right in that respect. Black and Gold smokes like the familiar VaPer, with the added ingredient of Cavendish, apparently included to sweeten things up a bit. This is not a sweet, cloying blend, however, and I must disagree with the lot of reviews here who have panned Black and Gold as a mild, flavorless smoke.

There is a heavy Perique presence, and the blend is more than mild, I would even suggest it's rather strong, at least medium in body. I first fired this up to complaint, which is rare. A resident non pipe smoker walked in my smoking den and blew the air ahead with a disapproving hand, asking what I was smoking. I was told it smelled horrible, and I have never had anyone protest a VaPer before. In my mind, it was a compliment, suggesting the robustness of my smoke.

I like this blend, and I like it even more souped up with a third of Smyrna, adding a bit of spice to the Virginia and Perique. In the tin you can make out dark strands of flake Virginia, rubbed out, their formerly Golden hue now absorbed by the darker leaf of the Perique and Cavendish, well represented though indistinguishable from one another. The tobacco glitters in the light from a good deal of time spent on the shelf, the discarded tin, its paper insert stained by bleeding of time.

Puffing in cadence brings about a rich, subdued sweetness in flavor with clear, tangy notes, complimented by the ever present plum of the Perique, which hits quite evident. I can't make out the Cavendish...which has that sort of chameleon quality that lurks about in the background, and even without the added Smyrna I detect a bit of spice, from what element of the components, I can't say. You should know, however, that the Cavendish plays no part in watering down the character of Black and Gold. I've put the blend on a fast track to early completion, having no VaPers currently on hand.

This was a solid purchase, if a bit pricey, though I've grown accustomed to paying the inflated B&M charges and associated tax. I complain, sure, but appreciate the luxury of seeing my wares on the shelf, of exchanging pleasantries and experiences with a real tobacconist and not the sort that hangs around on forum news groups, although I love their company as well. Support your local shop!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-02-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I just recently purchased a 20+ year old tin of this blend on Ebay for $10...so I thought it would be no big loss if I did not like the blend. Well, I know many of the previous reviews of this blend were not favorable, so I am wondering if the aging process helped the tobacco. When I broke the seal and opened the tin, I was greeting with a wonderful plumlike aroma, and inspecting the tobacco, I noticed it was COVERED in sugar crystals, which for me, usually means I am in for a treat, and this was NO exception. I packed a Country Gentlemen corncob and lit up. This is a wonderful blend, a mild flavor,cool burning, and required NO relights, burning from top to bottom with one light. My partner, who is NO fan of Perique, complimented me on the roomnote, telling me what ever the tobacco was cased with, it covered up the Perique quite nicely. All I can say is, I will be searching Ebay and the internet looking for more of this blend. Highly Recommended!

Nobody has rated this review yet.