Tobaccos Robert McConnell - Red Virginia

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2011-06-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

It is Red Virginia with restrained Perique. The Perique, while not at the forefront, does peek around the corner from time to time. This blend, for some reason, burns slowly and is semi-sweet and loaded with flavor. The Virginia leaf has a strong bottom that is unrelenting and made my palate sing. This one lives up to its star billing, folks!

35 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2075)	2018-04-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Robert McConnell - Red Virginia.

Although it's been fully rubbed some of the 'ribbons' are still fairly coarse. The moisture of my tin couldn't have been any better when I first opened it. The aroma of the blend is only suggestive of Virginia, really.

Classing this as a VaPer would be similar to saying a burger's healthy because it has a lettuce leaf on it. The Perique's been added lightly, very lightly. The Virginias rule the roost here. Being doughy and just sweet enough, with a bit of a tang. The flavour's more nonchalant than some Vas, it isn't all caustic grass and snappy citrus. As a bowl burns I begin to notice a very subtle dark fruitiness. It goes at a medium speed and doesn't bite.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: nice.

Red Virginia? A definite four star smoke:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Altinok Lee Van Cleef: Friday Pipe

Age When Smoked: Four months

Purchased From: 4noggins

15 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	toddsmith7378 (41)	2018-03-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought some tins of this when I realized I didn't want to diminish my 5100 stash too quickly.

I'd say it's on par with red cake, so I enjoy it as much, but it's not the same thing. Much of the taste is similar though. It has what I consider a casing level of topping, like so many other straight Virginia Blends that I don't at all consider aromatics. To me, an aromatic is a flavored tobacco with intentional flavoring and I think this one isn't that at all. It just smells out of the tin a little better than stale tobacco due to a casing of some sort. It's a sign of a well processed high grade leaf that someone took some care with prior to packaging, distributing, and selling. I don't taste it in the smoke at all. It has a bit more strength and nicotine I think than red cake, not a lot, but its a stronger tobacco, maybe even a bit more full flavored as I get down into a good bowl. If there's perique in here, its slight and I don't taste it really at all. It honestly tastes like a high quality straight Virginia blend perhaps a little more dry and earthy than red cake. Could be considered somewhat bland, unless you are particular to the one dimensional-ish taste of other straight red Virginia blends. It tastes like its namesake and it does indeed scratch the same itch as the red cake. No Vinegar McClelland casing though and its more of a broken flake vs. the cake type mixture of 5100. Not the same thing, but close enough that I'm optimistic that I could go without red cake somewhere down the line when I run out as long as variations of straight red virginia's like this are available. Maybe if Royal Yacht and 5100 had a love child that inherited no vinegar......

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3019)	2019-11-07		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The very tangy, dark fruity, earthy, woody, sugary red Virginia is the main component. The tartly citrusy, lightly grassy brighter Virginias have a complimentary role, and are a secondary player. The spicy, raisiny, figgy perique underlies each puff as a condiment. There’s a trace of chocolate from a topping that usually isn’t very obvious. The strength is in the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. The nic-hit is a half step below the strength level. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a hint of a rough edge here and there. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent flavor that also translates to the lightly lingering, pleasant after taste and room note. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke. As this is more than a red Virginia mixture, it’s a poor choice for a blend title.

-JimInks

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ynrozturk (62)	2017-02-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a weird one.

I'm a big lover of anything Va/Per, so my tobacconist said that I had to try this. I said alright and picked up a tin.

Imagine my face when I first smelled this blend. Strawberries? This isn't a Va/Per! Don't get me wrong, it smells delicious, but just not like a Va/Per. Anyway, thinking that this was actually an aromatic, I picked up a corn cob. I wasn't about to put an aromatic into a briar.

The thing is though.. it's not an aromatic. The smell in the tin doesn't really translate to the actual smoke, at least, not in the aromatic sense. Sure it's sweet, but not sickly sweet like an aromatic. What the hell is this stuff?

It's a touch moist out of the tin, but it packs and lights easily. It does burn a bit hot, even when sipped slow. The flavor is sweet but the Virginia's cut through and they are very nice indeed. Perique? Where? That's the only reason I bought this blend and I can't taste it at all. Maybe I have smoked way too many Va/Per's and this is simply too light for me to notice? That could be it, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.

Overall it's an enjoyable, smooth smoke with good flavor. I wouldn't call this an aromatic, but I really wouldn't call it a Va/Per, either. It's good quality tobacco, but not I'm not sure if I would buy it again. Definitely not if I'm in need of a good Va/Per fix.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-08-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Virginia/perique blends are my favourite so without doubt i had to try out this one.the tιn appearance prepares you for something unique.once you open the tin a sherry topping comes out with some dark fruits and sour notes.some broken flakes are detected the,texture is smooth and the moisture level is high.some drying time is needed and needs effort to light.several relights are needed while smoking..once light the flavours are very balanced between the topping and the virginias.red virginias mostly offer dark fruits and earth notes.bright virginias are citrucy and bready.the perique is in the backround and adds some sour notes.the sherry flavour is there till the end.burns slow and medium hot without dumbness.some moisture is created in the end of the bowl.no tongue bite detected.the nicotine level is almost medium and the room note pleasant.lots of puffs had common flavours with irish oak from Peterson.can be easilly an all day smoke.recommended for a nice smoking experience.

Age When Smoked: Dried out for 30 mins.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	felipe (6)	2014-09-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I bought it blindly from a random tobacconist during one of my tobacco hunts. I was in a "virginia phase", so it caught my interest. When I opened the tin, the smell was fruity, but in an artificial and chemical way, so I got immediately turned off.

Quite moist, but ready to be smoked. The first third is sweet and fruity, but you can recognize the same chemical taste you smelled. It lacks complexity, and you are never sure if you are tasting tobacco or whatever flavoring they use. Perique? Maybe, but the same applies. From the second third on it becomes boring, and that's the opposite of what I would expect from a VA blend.

I smoked three bowls, then I gave it to my father who likes aromatics. Would not buy again. It's not bad, I just found it boring and I didn't like the taste too much.

Pipe Used: Savinelli, Stanwell, Peterson

Age When Smoked: From the shelf

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Abadakus (9)	2014-03-13		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

After finishing a 100g tin, I still have a most contrary kind of feelings. On one hand, there's not much to say against this blend. It is quite decent Virginia. Perique is but slightly noticeable (though I'm a big Perique fan and maybe just too used to it). The broken flake can be rubbed to fine ribbon and burns perfectly well. Moisture was perfect, and, well... everything seemed to be just fine with it. Except the casing. Yes, I didn't expect it to be an aro, and still believe tha it was never meant to be. But still there was always present some light flavour, reminding somewhat of chocolate and somewhat of the worst and most chemical aromatics like Mac Baren Ambrosias. For me it was the thing that I didn't look for and didn't appreciate in a 'natural VaPer' kind of blend. And it quite spoiled all the experience with this German product for me. Maybe you will give it a try and come to enjoy it, but I'm not buying this again.

Similar Blends: W.O. Larsen - Old Belt Ready Rubbed, Dunhill - Royal Yacht.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Leon (82)	2020-09-09		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'll admit it: the name, tin art, ribbon cut, and long history is what drew me to this one. Who doesn't want to smoke a 170 years old red Virginia blend?

In the tin I get sweet notes of strawberry, and chocolate.

Upon lighting the pipe, you immediately taste a sweet warm flavor of Virginia with just the tiny addition of chocolate. The chocolate reminds me of CAO's Eileen's Dream, but far more subtle to a level that it's hardly noticed. The Perique, as well, is extremely mild and honestly I would've completely believed it if the manufacturer said that this is a straight red Virginia. It has a pretty consistent flavor, although the (hardly noticed) chocolate addition does show itself from time to time when I retrohale. The sweetness on this is a bit hard to pin down. It's neither Orlik Golden Sliced juicy/hay sweetness nor Escudo bread notes. Maybe more of a berry type of sweetness. It's also a bit milder in flavor when compared to either of those.

I enjoy this blend very much. Only problem I have with it is that if you're not careful it will both warm up and may bite your tongue. For this reason this is much more enjoyable if you just sip it slowly. Aside from that, this is a fantastic sweet and tasty blend.

It's more mild than medium in strength and body. It's not a complex blend. Easy to pack and smoke. Just a tiny bit moist. Recommended to leave out about 20 minutes to dry.

Can be an all-day smoke if you're a slow sipper. Works best in a small bowl for me. I use one of my Stanwell 242, which gives me the best results by far. Larger bowls didn't allow me to sip and caused it to over-heat more easily.

Very enjoyable blend. Been hard to decide between 3 or 4 stars rating. So I guess 3.5 leaning towards 3 because other Virginia blends are closer to perfection than this one.

Pipe Used: Stanwell 242

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2019-12-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

In the post McClelland world of tobacco this was a real treat. I really enjoyed smoking this one for the pure taste of the blend. As Jiminks points out, it is a bit of a misnomer in calling it Red Virginia as it does contain other things that are detectable in the taste; however, I do find that the Red Virginia is the key flavor in this as it is more earthy/tangy than citrus/hay sweet. The latter being more characteristic of the bright leaf that accompanies the former in this blend.

Also present is a touch of perique. It does add a bit of complexity to the blend. As I tend to enjoy VaPers a touch more than straight Vas on average, this does not bother me in the least. In the flavoring notes above, it says it contains cocoa, idk where that would come from. I really couldn't detect a topping at all, but if one exists, I would expect it to be simple sugar or maybe honey, nothing as rich and intrusive as Chocolate or cocoa. It really presents to me as an untopped blend.

So although this has more than Red Va within it, it still primarily presents as a Red Va to my tastes and it tastes great. I am giving this a four star rating, but will honestly say this is mostly due to the vacuum left in the world of Red Virginia offerings since McClelland departed the market.

I have seen people ask in many forums for recommendations of a good red Virginia blend and I see a general lack of response to the question. When McClelland was produced, it was easy to answer and the answer was always McClelland or blends produced for other by McClelland (i.e. McCrainies, Peretti, Watch City, et al.). I have seen this question stump many people who have tried much more tobacco than I and it has also stumped me. Now I have an answer, and this is it.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sirchud68 (60)	2015-04-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

So, this is a nice little change of pace for me, from time to time. I love virginias as well as Va/Pers. Though I'm not big on aromatics, I don't mind topped tobaccos on occasion, even heavily topped ones. In fact, Mac Barens #1 is an all time favorite of mine. I do find a difference between topped tobaccos and heavily cased tobaccos with sauce. This blend has a nice little fruity topping that goes very well with the red Virginias, IMHO. I wouldn't smoke this all the time, but on a bright spring morning like today's ( 4 April 15, 70°, South Louisiana ) this blend is hitting the spot. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to go from full aromatics into the world of light virginias. Also, though I have yet to conduct this experiment, I would think that R.M.'s Red Virginia may make for an interesting blending tobacco. Either way, at a fair price, I would go for it.

Pipe Used: Savinelli House pipes

Age When Smoked: 5 months

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2016-08-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a Danish style aromatic tobacco, but I am not bothered by this fact. For one thing the taste is somewhat similar to the tin note and it does not seem to bite at all. I know this might sound bizarre, but this baccy smells just like Playdough. It reminds me of those pick-and-mix strawberry sweets you buy loose for your kids in most sweet shops, and this is something that quite shows in your smoke. I thought I wouldn't, but funny though it is, I am enjoying this. The moist content is borderline being just too wet, but it seems to smoke perfectly fine after airing for a few hours, so I am not sure I'd smoke this tobacco as dry. As for the quality of the Virginia leaf, surprisingly enough, it seems to be really good. It is not infrequent to find bad quality tobaccos being masked by all the added casings, but this does not seem to be case in this particular instance. Not a nicotine bomb by any stretch of the imagination, but who cares for a morning blend you can smoke anytime to break the day. And it evolves quite nicely the more you progress with your smoke. I am surprised I am enjoying this, but I am, so I am going to give it 3 stars.

24-06-2017 Edit: I have come to fully appreciate this tobacco for what it is, so I am upgrading it from 3 to 4 stars. The Virginia/perique combination is quite balanced, it evolves beautifully in your bowl and, as a mild aromatic the casing is something more of a compliment that the main feature underscoring this blend. When I first tried it I knew it was something worth taking your time to fully appreciate it, and as a matter of fact I have found myself reaching more and more for this tobacco. One of my favs now, this baccy is.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2012-04-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Red Virginias with some Perique and a chocolate topping, this is what is described on the official website of Kohlhase, Kopp und Co in German. Considered a Scottish mixture the name is: The original Red Virginia pipe tobacco.

This tobacco is great for aromatic smokers that would want to dabble in Virginias without sacrificing too much of the flavoring. I do find that the chocolate flavor takes over most of the time. The Perique is weakly applied and adds nothing to the mixture. In conclusion, another average mixture for me. Even if the tobacco is of quality, the blending is a waste of inspiration and resources. A semi-aromatic at best or a light aromatic at worst.

Virginia lover

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2018-02-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I don't mean to throw out another 4 star review but what a lovely surprise here. A lovely Virginia with a hint of perique. I like strong va/per blends but I also love tasteful subtle ones like this... every bit as good as Scottish cake in my opinion... slightly sweet maybe a little bready and tangy. I don't really notice the topping much... maybe sweetens the room note slightly, but completely natural smoke... it's delightful.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-11-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not so many times in the past I have visited The Original Red Virginia. Among the MacConnell's blends, I thought that it was the most prone to bite and the less "yielding" (the quantity of the tobacco in the tin is visibly less than one expects even being an almost fine ready rubbed, plus it smokes quite fast...).

During the time I have managed to smoke Virginias properly, and have to say that RV tends to smoke hot if rushed, but hardly bites.

As per the K&K site RV is given to be a medium strenght blend of Virginias with a pinch of Perique and a hint of aromatization (chocolate !). I frankly don't smell any chocolate both in the tin aroma and the smoke, I smell a very light berry topping, which hardly affects the smoke. The strenght does not exceed the mild/to/medium mark.

Regarding me RV is pleasantly not-so-sweet-not-so-fruity smoke, which can be experienced both contemplatively or absent mindedly. The good character of this blend is taken to light with the calmest sipping, the largest bores being the optimum.

The Perique, declaredly a pinch, does its job giving very faint notes of stewed fruits without any sourish effect.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gaius Baltar (25)	2017-08-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The smell is very natural, deep, like grass or hay. Flakes rubbed with various shades of brown. The humidity is optimal, no need to re-ignite. The virginia manifests itself from the beginning of the smoke, semi-sweet and the perique is present showing a slight itch in the nose and mouth. The taste is maintained until the end. A very pleasant experience with virginia. Depending on the type of bowl leaves some moisture at the end. The ash is gray and fine.

Pipe Used: Stanwell

Age When Smoked: New from new tin

Purchased From: Tobacco shop from Barcelona

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-12-16		Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

I don't believe for an instant that a British tobacco from the early 19th Century would have had a plum flavouring, and of course perique didn't even exist back then. So, so much for honesty in marketing.

This is a mostly mid brown short ribbon tobacco with a plum or similar flavouring. I haven't smoked this alongside Royal Yacht but these are, to my mind, very similar tobaccos. Interestingly RY doesn't claim to contain perique but I thought it was there. I honestly think both tobaccos have a small amount; just enough to give some fruity profiles and some added strength. Where I think this tobacco differs from RY is that it is a tad milder in all regards.

This tobacco smokes well, is rich and creamy with fruit and spice notes all the way through. It is a light, in terms of flavour additives, aromatic. Veers towards the strong side nicotine wise.

Similar Blends: Royal Yacht.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-11-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is a very nice smoke. I can barely taste any topping and it seems to be there more to enhance the room note than for any other reason. The Virginias are bready with notes of tangy fruit. The Perique is lightly applied, but there are mild notes of darker fruit and spice from it. All in all a nice tasting blend with enough strength to satisfy. A solid 3.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in taste. Flavoring is extremely mild. Burns very well.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn, Marcus

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2018-09-03		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Heavenly tin note, intense, very tangy and sweetly fruity, it smells like a fruit liqueur with notes of chocolate. It’s a tangy and juicy smoke which I find quite nice. It is darkly sweet and this sweetness is balanced beautifully by the tanginess and some bitter and sour citrucy fruit element. However the topping which smells so nice does taste a little chemical and metallic to me.

Still not a bad smoke, but not as good as Robert McConnell’s Mature which is also topped but with a much more natural tasting flavor. Not to mention the superb Scottish Cake... And if you are looking for a pure red Virginia tobacco better look elsewhere, for this is not it. 2.5 stars.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2014-06-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Red Virginia is a tobacco I actually like. Yes, there is a top note that reminds me of chocolate, but there seems also to be some cherry and even something floral as well. But it never really lasts more than a few minutes upon lighting up. Then, what I am smoking is Red Vas that are better, IMHO, than Wessex Classic Virginia. You see, Red VAs, on their own, are rather unidimensional, just like BUs. So a little bit of topping helps toawards enhancing the taste. RV burns fairly well and will bite if one is not careful. Overall, it is more towards the medium side in strenght than mild. As the tobacco is really on the moist side, I recommend you let dry out in the tine over a period of about 4 weeks before contemplating smoking it. Too moist, it is rather bland and tends to bite significantly (as with all moist tobaccos). I have another tin that I will let age for a year or two and revisit. Will I rebuy? Yes, I think so. It has its interest.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum; Stanwell HCA; Ser Jacopo.

Age When Smoked: New

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (231)	2014-04-01		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Excellent, superb tobacco. The best Virginia I have never smoked. It is without any doubt Straight Virginia. Perhaps, at the biginning, there was a hint of Perique, but now I can't find any Perique in it. I heartily recommend this tobacco to the Virginia lovers. Mark 10!

UPDATE 2021-3-1 Not the same as 7 years ago or maybe my taste is changing. The doubt about Perique remains, probably there is a pinch. But actually this straight Virginia is flavored with chocolate and it is not the wonderful tobacco I remember. At the moment it is a good Virginia, slightly flavored, but nothing special at all. One less star, three stars is a correct rating.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pantera (8)	2014-02-10		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Really disappointed by this I thought it was a tobacco VA/PER instead it is an ARO.It smells of cake like danish tobaccos.Buy it if you like ARO not if you like VA/PER

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-07-30		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was my first meeting with VaPer. And i must say i was a little "scared" of the perique. But as many other have stated, it has very little perique in it. You can feel it but it will not take over. There is also a small taste of some red-berry-thing that i really liked. It becomes a threeway where the fine red virginia is in center and the other two plays wingmen. A perfect balance! I smoked most of the tin in an MM corncob and almost every bowl i smoked tasted perfect. I will buy this again and then i will take a 100g tin. I would like to call it a starter VaPer just because of its mild taste. The perique tickles the mouth but then the red-berry-thing comes a smoothens it all up.

Just try it and you´ll see what i mean.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2012-12-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The 'touch of Perique' is just enough to add some balance to the Red Virginia. A very nice, relaxing smoke, undemanding but (to me) very satisfying, balanced, and fairly full for its strength.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2003-01-14		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a subtle and graceful tobacco. Not at all aggressive, it is a refined, friendly, and to a certain extent delicate Virginia, rather easy to smoke. I do not know if McClelland had this tobacco in mind when they developed their Red Cake in bulk, but I detect a faint similarity in taste and aroma. Being both excellent tobaccos, RVS has perhaps a more consistent body, and IMO conveys a fuller, more emotional smoke. There is a certain wood like character that gives its simplicity depth, and, as it were, eloquence to its apparent plainness. This may be the result of that dash of Perique the blender purports in the tobacco's description. Non the less, RVS is a very mellow and smooth blend.

Tin aroma is inviting. I believe it is one which a new pipe smoker may find mild enough to be attractive, yet sufficiently rich to be appreciated by a seasoned pipe smoker. I ignore what the topping in this tobacco is. Yet it is applied with utter care and prudence, so that it does not interfere with the natural taste of tobacco leaf, but subtly enhances it, underlining the tangy sweetness inherent in red Virginias. RVS comes slightly moist in the tin, so a bit of airing is advisable just before packing in.

Lighting is quite simple and its burning rate is commendable. Without being a completely out of the ordinary smoke (personally, I can not think of this as a Perique containing blend) this Virginia is highly recommended as an enlivening change of pace, especially when in the mood for a slightly sweet natural smoke.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pxi106 (18)	2002-12-11		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This isn't a tobacco that triggers deep thoughts on the first smoke. You don't think anything the second time you try it, either. As a matter of fact, this isn't a tobacco that will ever jump into your mind. Yet you will notice yourself reaching for it almost everytime you go to fill a pipe, almost unconsciously. An insidious tobacco.

Extremely pleasant. The light flavoring agent really takes the bite out of the virginias, and you really won't find the perique a major player at all.

Good, plain tobacco with a pleasant sweetness. An all day smoke if it had more strength--but if it had more strength it wouldn't be as pleasant.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaPiper (35)	2023-01-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I got this for what it was described to me as a Virginia blend with a touch of Perique. Not a true VaPer, but a blend with a light touch of Perique. A light casing is applied to bring out the Red Virginia’s natural sweetness without being over done. The tin smell is enticing and the flavors during the smoke are a blend nutty flavor with a slight sweet finish. A cool smoking Virginia and very well rounded. Kohlhase, Kopp und Co. KG States the Aroma is chocolate - well maybe.

Pipe Used: Rattray’s Butcher Boy

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (106)	2022-11-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I had found RV intriguing for a long time and had heard variously different assessments over the last decade. I finally took the plunge and was quite excited I did. The tin art depicts a Native American and random white devil, the former smoking a pipe and the latter appears to be enjoying a pinch of snuff. They seem to agree on tobacco, while not necessarily the method of ingestion.

Leon is right, this tobacco smells lightly of strawberry candy when first cracked. I would suggest a combination of chocolate and sour fruit after some air. The strawberry dissipated and the chocolate topping became more evident.

This is a ready rub preparation of red and quite a lot of orange leaf. It is very basic when smoked. You get a Muzak version of your favorite Virginia flavors, but they are all fairly muddled and mild. There are some quite clear black tea notes late in each bowl. I could not readily identify the Perique in the tin or on the smoke itself. The chocolate topping can be tasted mid bowl, and the strawberry comes and goes, barely notable in the retrohale. The strawberry is quite strong on the room note which is why this blend was pleasant to bystanders.

This would be an excellent blend for aromatic smokers to broaden their horizons with. I would also recommend this blend to any and all who fear Perique, because there basically isn’t any there. I found that while the combustion qualities were attractive, this one could irritate my tongue a bit

Pipe Used: Numerous briars

Age When Smoked: -/-/B/V or 2/22

Purchased From: SP

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nuvoleazzurre (36)	2022-10-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Un tabacco discusso, osteggiato o amato. Quindi se se ne parla tanto ha un valore aggiunto.

Quante latte fumate e quante righe scritte prima di decidermi di pubblicare il mio pensiero.

Cominciamo è aromatizzato o aromatico naturale? La ditta lo dichiara aromatico naturale, su vari siti si legge che è aromatizzato. Credo, a furia di fumarlo, che non abbia nessun tipo di additivo, si tratta di virginia e di quelli buoni. Altra domanda il Perique c’è? E se si quanto? Credo un po’ ci sia per la nota piccante che avvertiremo alla fumata. Ma basta fare elucubrazioni, e pensiamo al tabacco.

Aperta la latta si è investiti da una nota quasi di aceto, questo in tutte le confezioni provate, passata la sbornia si sentono note di terra, erba tagliata e frutta secca. L’umidità è quella giusta il taglio tipico del flake già sbriciolato (Ready Rubbed) potrei definirlo armoniosamente disomogeneo. Orami lo conosco attenderò che si secchi un po’ (20-48 ore all’aria) prima di fumarlo.

Sulla recensione, voglio prima fare una premessa. Questo tabacco è la donna del mistero, la donna con la maschera del Carnevale di Venezia. E’ da capire scoprire e comprendere. Sono sicuro che ci saranno molti che sono rimasti perplessi e sinanco delusi dalle prime fumate, o dalla prima latta, ma bisogna perseverare, crederci e, create le giuste sinapsi, come per incanto il tabacco getta maschera e mantello lasciando contemplare e poi possedere il corpo statuario nudo. Lo definisco delicato come una tenera amante, armonico come la migliore musica, variabile come il tempo in autunno.

Carichiamo la nostra pipa preferita, meglio se dal fornello generoso, poi con cura e gentilezza accendiamolo, il tabacco sfrigolerà al contatto della fiamma come corpo vivo, si muoverà per offrirsi alla combustione. Primi puff, sopratutto piccanti di spezie, eccolo il Perique che ci saluta che ci invita nella casa del Virginia. avvertiamo il fieno, l’erba e anche una certa nota di legno antico, che colpiscono le nostre papille, mentre il retronasale sarà stuzzicato dalla piccantezza. La forza è media, quasi medio/leggera, ma non facciamoci ingannare, ripeto è una amante, e di classe.

Si passa quasi bruscamente ad una seconda metà della fumata ove si avvertono sentori fruttati, agrumeti e di frutta secca ben amalgamati con i gusti precedenti, adesso il Perique è svanito e il retronasale sarà con aromi di fieno, quello appena prodotto, inebriante e calmante, quasi ipnotico che suscita allo stesso tempo l'eccitazione gioiosa di avere ritrovato una cosa cara persa e dimenticata. La fumata procede quasi da sola, si rischia di dimenticare l’utilizzo del pigino tanto la brace riesce a procedere spontaneamente. Il tabacco va fumato a fil di respiro, va corteggiato oserei dire. Sale di forza in medio/pieno e bisogna saperlo per non essere colti di sorpresa. Non va maltrattato, si scompone, si offende ed è capace di lasciare in bocca una sgradevole nota quasi ammoniacale.

Siamo al terzo punto della fumata, ove si avvertono sentori più forti, terrosi, legnosi con un sottofondo dolce, proprio del Virginia. La fumata adesso va accompagnata col pigino per poter bruciare anche l’ultimo filo di tabacco. una nota tannica compare, segno dell’accumulo di nicotina che però non disturba. Siamo arrivati a quel punto in cui si prova a riaccendere, ma nulla il tabacco è terminato. Restiamo così come quando salutiamo la nostra amante, un po’ di tristezza, ma con la serena consapevolezza che lei c’è sempre pronta ad essere una grande compagna di svago, di complicità totale.

Nulla ci vieta di svuotare il fornello e riempirlo nuovamente per farci inebriare ancora.

A chi è dedicato? A quel fumatore che vuole conoscere un tabacco da imparare a degustare, non al fumatore frettoloso o compulsino, questo, quando conosciuto, è un eccellente compagno di rilassamento, di meditazione; lo accompagno e si esalta con un ottimo te nero o con un forte caffè alla napoletana.

La nota ambientale è quella del miglior tabacco, per nulla sgradevole.

Il punteggio finale 4.9 solo perchè ve studiato, imparato, corteggiato prima di poterlo apprezzare.

Pipe Used: Charatan, Dunhill, Savinelli

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	b7q (51)	2022-08-20		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is Grand Central Station, made for people who are going out, whether you're from Aromatic or Burley, Virginia. The author's intention was to make pure people understand the possibilities of mixing, and it did.

Pipe Used: Meerschaum&Clay&Briar&corn

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: TobaccoPipes.com SmokingPipes.com Cup O'Joes.4noggins.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bulldog8483 (25)	2022-06-06		Mild	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is an excellent red Virginia blend with the tiniest bit of perique added to enhance the blend. I wouldn't call it a VaPer IMO. The tin note is VERY pleasing. Sweet and somewhat fruity. I taste a little chocolate note from time to time, but it's barely there. It's extremely smooth, does not get ashy tasting when pushed, and does not get overly hot either. The room note is pleasant, nic hit is mild, and the flavor is full and consistent. It's loaded with flavor and it does everything well. You can push it, smoke it dried, smoke it damp, or smoke it new and nothing phases it. This is an extremely good Red Virginia blend. I'm not sure why it only has a rating of 3 out of 4, but I give it a 3.75 out of 4. It's a phenomenal blend and will age wonderfully as well. I recommend it thoroughly.

Pipe Used: Several different briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vuki (5)	2022-05-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I'm into virginia/perique blends, so I had to try this tobacco. Technically great, i don't smell chocolate from the tin, but i can taste it. For me it's good allday smoke with not much nic hit in it, perique is jut a spice in this very tasty tobacco meal, leaves no moisture in the bowl.

Pipe Used: Ropp vintage

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tlemon200 (5)	2022-05-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A va/per for people that dont like per. I could have sworn this was straight VA with some light topping, as the is perique added very judiciously. As a perique skeptic, I appreciated the light touch. The spicy perique condiment balances the sweet chocolate topping to create a enjoyably unique experience. Burns evenly requiring an average number of relights. 3.5 stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	getyur@sstomars (26)	2021-11-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very nice stuff. I'd been blowing out my palette on to me sweet hay-ish va's. This is more tart, sweet and tangy. Bit fruity from the per. I don't notice the chocolate in flavor but could smell something extra in the tin not. A bit moist, and at firth to coarse to readily stuff in a small bowl so some extra attention is required.

All in all great stuff, although I would like something less sweet/fruity and more tangy, and bready.

Solid 3 stars out of 4

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2020-07-04		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

This is a fairly sweet red tangy fruity Virginia mostly . A couple pinches of bright Virginia and a pinch of Perique that adds to the fruitiness of the blend.The Chocolate casing is right there to compliment the taste very nicely. The Perique picks up some after half way point usually . Great smoke on a hot 90 degree day . I will buy more for cellaring . This is not an aromatic in my book. Mostly natural tasting . ✅

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2019-04-11		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My first real taste of a Robert McConnell blend and a fine taste it is too.

Lovely roasted scent from the tin. The tobacco strands are rather darker than I thought they'd be, and quite dry as well.

This makes for a simple load into a briar (large recommended). The smoke is subtle, very quiet on the perique front, with a tasty virginia tang that sends me back for bowl after bowl. Virginia blends can be as boring as hell but this one has many facets to it, which come through throughout the smoke. I get coffee, nut and cocoa with the perique just hiding round the corner.

There's no danger of bite here and has a very fine aroma (unnoticed by the long-suffering Mrs RW).

A quality blend, if a little pricey, but with many yet nuances to be explored.

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Dan Pipe Lauenburg

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2019-03-24		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

On opening the tin, there is a flowery-fruity, somewhat alcoholic aroma coming out. Some of that I can attribute to the Perique, but I would say there is a topping on this. Not too strong, though. The leaf is pretty much uniform red VA. Stuffing and lighting are easy—K&K have created an excellent cut. The flavour is a little less sweet than the tin note would have one believe, but that is a good thing. I get a cool, calm, slow glow with only a minimum of dottle at the end, and a generous amount of flavour.

Pipe Used: VAUEN Classic

Age When Smoked: Fresh from new tin

Purchased From: cigarworld.de

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	McQueen (41)	2018-12-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a light coloured, mildly sweet blend. The tin aroma is fruity but enigmatic, a slight hint of peaches or apricots? The flake is rubbed out so easy to pack. It ignites spontaneously and burns well to a light grey ash. Although I have found it can burn a little hot, this may be due to my enthusiasm rather than the tobacco itself.

The taste of mild virginia is extremely satisfying and the peppery backdraft of perique keeps the mixture interesting. It's not too spicey however but a subtle and well balanced combination that works very well.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 122

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam Perski (7)	2018-01-22		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's mainly Virginia which smells like typical Red Virginia. I feel kind of mild Citrusy topping . This blend is very good for hot weather and summer smoking. Sometimes i am exhausted of English blends so i like to smoke something refreshing and there is some blend Robert McConnell - Red Virginia which i enjoy at that time. Additionally i have to say Perique in this blend is very mild and just a bit detectable.

Pipe Used: Design Berlin , Stanwell

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Peterson - Sherlock Holmes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RoundTwo (38)	2017-11-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not as good as McCranies Red Ribbon vintage 1983 but I won't hold that against it seeing as I can't get that in ready stock. This is a unique blend in that it is unlike any Virginia Perique out there. If you are unfamiliar with the Red Virginia line of tobacco then you must try no matter your preference. This one should leave anyone excited if not intrigued at the very least.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bayro (30)	2016-10-31		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco is open to the public all of his very sweet smell, Virginia is a well-defined from the very beginning, perhaps a bit "in the shade" the Perique. Humidity is almost absent, too. Color: reddish brown, as one might expect from the name. The ignition is normal, nothing difficult, but for combustion - due to the low humidity - it's too fast, so you can easily warm your pipe. Therefore, I advise you to moisten slightly. Other smoke signal will be much better. Taste and smell: it has a good balance, with a beautiful body odor. In this mixture, Virginia is exalted in the best possible way, a combination of the Perique is well balanced for half smoked, in this period, the latter perhaps the tobacco expression too. Power mix is ​​average, you easily make up in smoke. Very nice, especially for those who make our company in the same room. Compatibility little. The risk that you burn your tongue, avoid smoke quickly. It should be quiet.

This is a well-balanced tobacco, great for those who love nature, although it is not easy to smoke. It could be an alternative Amphora Regular ( brown or original).

Pipe Used: some old meer pipes

Age When Smoked: 4-5 years old

Purchased From: "Dreier", Graz, Austria

Similar Blends: Brown Amphora.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FP Stew (25)	2016-03-16		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

For me, the Red Virginia starts out very nice and slightly sweet. The first 2/3 is a good straight forward, easy going smoke. The last 1/3 starts to get a slightly sharp edge ... Just not the finish I had hoped for.

The tin had 9 years on it so the perique was muted. I’ll bet the two to four year old tins are better. This tobacco has the potential to produce a mild bite so puff slowly and don’t push.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	prats23bs (1)	2015-09-21		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

tabacco molto buono, di facile fumata, aromatico al punto giusto. L'ho comprato chiedendo una miscela a base di Virginia, aromatica ma non troppo, leggera. Questa miscela rispecchia tutte le mie richieste.

Pipe Used: Everyman

Age When Smoked: 29

Purchased From: Tabaccheria Rizzi (Brescia)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aseduikis (5)	2015-02-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not bad itself, but that chemically sweet smell when you open the tin is the killer. No information at all about flavoring on the tin, so that was a little unpleasant surprise. After 2 years of aging the smell is much softer, but still not consistent with the overall tobacco flavor. Packing and lighting easily. At first flavor is quite pleasant, although the sweet artificial smell remains, but after half of the bowl it disappears. If you like virginia based flavored tobaccos, then it's maybe worth to try, but that's not my favorite.

Pipe Used: Spitfire by Lorenzo

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: www.danpipe.de

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rogermugs (14)	2012-11-30		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Bites like a bat biting things hard. Other than that I love it. But goodness, hard to get over that.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CoolPilot (69)	2012-11-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin here is red and says "The Original RED VIRGINIA". I cannot find even a dash of perique. The scent is alcoolic, and it burns like hell. I tried smoking this blend in bigger and smaller pipes, to try to avoid overburning, but no chance. My impression is that what is making the tobacco burn like this is the flavoring! Among over 200 blends, this is probably one of the worst I have tried, and I will not keep up trying to find a pipe for this blend which will end up entirely in the garden , or to feed the chickens.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-05-05		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is great tobacco. The two last comments are just nuts. Chocolate topping? That is just nuts.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-04-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

I first discovered this blend in 1989 when I was stationed in Bahrain, and it became my preferred blend. Then I couldn't find it. About a year ago I was going through a box of stuff that I had in storage, and low and behold there was an unopened tin that I'm guessing I bought in 1990. Damn! Good stuff, and pre-K&K. I finally smoked up the last of it about two weeks ago.

The tin I am reviewing now is the K&K version, it just came in the mail today along with a Peterson Aran XL02 pipe, which I am breaking in with the Red Virginia.

I wasn't happy with the tin, because it was a bear to open! However, the toby itself is superb. Not as good as the pre-K&K version, but superb none-the-less. The tobacco inside is primarily high-grade Red Virginia with just a bit of Perique. A wonderful berry topping has been applied, and to me it smells like a mixture of strawberry and cherry. That tin note translates to room note, and the room note gets high marks from others. However, at least for me, those notes do not translate to taste - I simply taste naturally sweet high grade Virginia with a whisper of Perique. It has wonderfully rich, but not strong, Virgina flavor (with that fine whisper of Perique). It reminds me very much of Peterson's Sherlock Holmes, only much fuller.

If you like well-behaved Virginia blends, or well-mannered Va/Pers, I think you will like this. Nuanced it ain't, but a fantastic Virginny it is. Most times I just want a rich and relaxing pipe, and if sipped slowly this blend really delivers and without any bite. I'm going to have to next smoke this is one of my pipes that is already broke it. I have complete confidence that it will be even better.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2010-08-24		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Reading reviews from others on this blend, it seems either one hates it or loves it. I fall in the love it camp with one caveat, the tin I am smoking from is dated 06/99 so it is well aged and with a Va blend, that makes a large difference. The tin note when opening is of a sweet and tart red VA. It has a touch of spicyness if you really give it a good smell. It is a ribbon but in mostly a deep brown leaf with a little bit of darker leaf intermingled. The tin I have is just the right moisture content so no drying out was required. I loaded easily into my pipe and was very easy to light up. It does require a relight now and then but I find this true of most red VA blends as I tend to sip them slowly. After lighting up, the room note that I got was very pleasant. The taste of the smoke is very sweet, with just a touch of spicyness. The spicyness would be from the small dose of perique in it. The perique is used more as a spice and never becomes the main player in this blend. But it does add to it. The sweetness of the smoke is not just the hay like sweetness and this is supposed to have a top dressing though I can't guess what it is as I never really tasted it or smelled it. It just gives an extra punch to it. It burns nice and slow in the pipe and burns literally down to a soft grey ash and no dottle in the bottom of the pipe. I never got any of the tongue bite that some complain about, I just found it to be a very good full VA blend that I like. I have smoked five bowls in a row today and my tongue is just fine. I think that Robert McConnell blend tend to get overlooked but they make fine blends and this is one of them. I highly recommend giving it a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gladi8tor96 (143)	2010-05-17		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Berries and figs in the tin. Lights well and the wonderful sweet, earthy aroma of berries and baccy begin. The taste is wonderful and it just smells great. It does give one quite a bit of tongue bite...it's needs to be smoked very slowly. Wonderful Virginia blend and would have to agree with Dub, that it seems to be a semi-aromatic.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2009-09-05		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I love Red Virginias but this stuff is nasty. Seems like a horrible attempt at copying Blackwoods Flake. I had some hope at first light but the terrible flavor quickly put a kibosh on that. Veteran Virginia smokers please spend your hard-earned money elsewhere. I'm doing you a favor, don't ignore. Luckily I was given this to try and didn't blow my own cash.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2009-07-24		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Mmmmh,... I like its aroma, taste and flavour with pleasant room note even too lingering. Opening the tin the moisture level is right but it dry out quickly, i recommend to put it on a jar. This tobacco has a declination more spicy/fruity than grassy, with an undertone linalool note that I appreciate with a glass of Trani Muscat as partner. Recommended

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	orka (66)	2009-04-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I opened the tin I'm smoking now in 2007, but let it be for the most part until recently. To be honest I didn't really like it at all at first (even if I don't recall it tasting drastically different back then), but I've come to reconsider in the last month or so. It bears resemblance more to an aromatic than a straight VA, so I don't treat it as such. Its topping is on the light side, but still very noticeable. The fruity descriptions (strawberry in particular) are quite accurate to me, and it certainly makes the blend worth while. I can see why people are fond of this blend, but I also see why some are not. I guess you should give this a shot if you're primarily a VA smoker who doesn't shy away from aromatics of the subtler kind now and then.

Tin aroma is good, with wafts of fruit with vanilla overtones and a somewhat pungent (perique'ish) component (I can't say I pick up on the "spice" and roundness I usually attribute to perique while smoking it, though).

I'll miss having the mixture around now that this tin is nearing the end of its life, but I'm still undecided on whether or not to buy it again. It's good, but not outstanding (something I find to be true about most McConnell blends). Perhaps when the next break-in is due...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2009-01-17		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I just love this stuff, it has a great full VA flavor with hints of strawberries, but this aromatic casing is very natural, fruity and not at all artificial. If you like me, love a natural Virginia with something special going on, then this is one of those blends. I would call this blend a semi-aromatic, and in that genre one of the best in its class. The spiciness is very subtle as is the Perique taste....this description by McC's is quite misleading.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arpie55 (77)	2009-01-11		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

this starts out with a bit of an irritation on the tongue that gives the impression of a tongue bite to follow, this is apparently caused by the casing which seems to burn off within the first quarter of the bowl because this blend caused no tongue bite at all. 2nd quarter this settles down and becomes a very pleasant smoke that gets richer as it progresses, i found the final 1/4 to be the high point of the blend. the burn is clean and complete. one thing that i found with the cut is that the strands seem to be so fine that if packed just the little bit tight they would restrict the draw, i found that a loose pack was much better and allowed for a much more pleasant smoke. i tired the frank method with the blend and found it to work exceptionally well. overall i would say that this well above average for a tobacco with a flavoring.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Slow Triathlete (62)	2008-11-10		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

"a dash of Perique" is absolutely right. I hardly tasted it at all. The only hint of Perique that I got was when I happened to smell it rolling out of the bowl.

Overall to me, this was an average Virginia. It bit if smoked to fast but the taste was just okay. I enjoy Gawith's Full Virginia and Best Brown to this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoking-rob (79)	2008-02-11		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

My tin also says "The original RED VIRGINIA pipe tobacco" The smell from the tin is simply delicious, fruity at first but smell deeper and up come chocolate and even roast almonds/hazelnuts. I think this is a top flavour as opposed to a casing. The smoke itself is that of a virginia, light, mild with the barest hint of Perique,I would say about 1-2 %. I am now smoking this with some Perique of my own added, more zest as one would expect. I plan on keeping this in my rotation! Rob.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2005-05-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My sentiments regarding this tobacco were eloquently expressed by reviewer ?pxi106? below and restated here:

?This isn't a tobacco that triggers deep thoughts on the first smoke. You don't think anything the second time you try it, either. As a matter of fact, this isn't a tobacco that will ever jump into your mind. Yet you will notice yourself reaching for it almost every time you go to fill a pipe, almost unconsciously. An insidious tobacco.?

I did notice myself reaching for it more often than my other open VA blends. I wasn?t particularly impressed with it at first but after repeated bowls, it grew on me. This is a nice, pleasant and refreshing VA blend.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.0 out of 10.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Warwick (37)	2005-03-01		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

My first McConnell. A fair but not outstanding VA/P blend. The taste is primarily red VA, but I do find that the perique definitely makes itself known by its peppery effects on my tongue, in the room note, and a certain nicotine kick I identify with perique. If there is indeed a topping, it has eluded me outside the tin.

The VA is not very sweet, and I agree with Tantric that the blend has a "wood like character". This gives it something of an 'earthy'tinge, which can be pleasant in terms of complexity, but also makes it a little rougher in flavor. It also makes me wonder how aged is the VA component.

The broken flakes smell delicious, and pack easily. Moisture level is about right. The blend smokes well and evenly after the charring light. The perique is prominent for the first third and then recedes in the latter half, as does the roughness mentioned above, and the VA sweetens just slightly. Overall, the flavor is fairly consistent (monotonous?). There is only a little moisture, and it burns down to a fine ash.

Certainly it is well-blended in terms of balance, but by the same token it simply seems to lack enough distinction to draw me to buy another tin. I'd rather go to Marlin Flakes for a VA, or Esoterica's Dunbar or Dorchester for a VA/P blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2005-02-27		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is indeed a lovely VA blend, smooth and buttery. My tin was from '92 and it is way better than K&K's version. I could not detect much Périque, and I suspect some Virginia Cavendish has been added.

As usual with Robert McConnell, the leaf is of outstanding quality, and does not hurt your tongue. I could use some more nicotine, but the mildness makes this a good morning smoke for me. Red Virgina has some similarities to Old Gowrie, and is a good quality plain VA.

Goes very well with Earl Grey tea.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2004-10-12		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Tolerable

In the tin this smells like a chocolate souffle, spiced with tobacco. It literally smells tastey enough for dessert. It is similar in all respects to some Astley tobaccos I have smoked. The smoke is a very mild, sweetened Virginia. I do not taste the perique nor the topping. Every once in a while, I will pull a tin out of the cellar just to see if aging has added anything. So far, nothing new. After I finish up the supply I have, I doubt I will buy any more. Meantime, this is not a bad smoke. It could be an all day smoke for some or an introduction to Virginias for others. It is worth a try, but do not expect that distinctive Virginia flavor nor the tang of perique. Reservedly recommended. Paddy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2004-10-06		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is another hand blend from Kohlhase & Kopp in Germany and quite typical of their work with toppings that enhance but don't dominate the smoke. The tin aroma was quite sweet but the taste more of natural tobacco but with a honeydew presence. I've been smoking some hi test blends recently, and I didn't sense the Perique influence. Packing, lighting, moisture content were fine and an even burn resulted in all bowl sizes. This blend was too mild for my taste as a regular but could certainly be enjoyed in the future.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2003-07-24		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is not the original Red Va. of the 70's and 80's that I loved so well, but is still a formidable tobacco. The original did not have Perique, nor any topping, and was similar to Hal O' The Wynd of the same era. The new blend has a very light topping, which to my nose smells a bit like prunes, or dried apricots. (ACome to think of it, GLP Cumberland has a simiilar aroma, without topping). Quite pleasant, and does not interfere with the Virginia tobacco aroma. The blend is a short ribbon, almost enterely rubbed out from broken flake, showing a range of colors from blonde to black, but predominantly red. Packing is easy in any size bowl from a small group 3 to a large group 5. Lighting is very typical, neither too easy, nor too slow to burn. The first match wakes the flavor quickly, with the topping almost disappearing, while a tingle from the Perique mingles charmingly with the sweetness of the Virginias. A medium intensity of flavor is maintained throughout the bowl, with nice compexity and variations in flavor. The flavor changes slightly with puffing tempo, as a good Va. should. IMHO, this is a tobacco that can be enjoyed in a contemplative way, or when busy with other tasks. Not as dramatic as HOTW, or Marlin Flake, more on par with Old Gowrie

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-12-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I agree with some of the above descriptions. This is a good straight ahead virginia with a dash of perique and some ? top dressing that is mild. definitely shows some spiciness but not nearly as much as some other perique blends. The tobacco flavors come through very well. This is very good and tasty. Smooth without bite. Burns nicely and easy to load up again after being done. 4 stars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-11-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If I could give stars for the quality of a blend, and not just the frequency that I choose it, beyond a doubt McConnell's Red Virginia would merit all four stars, with clusters to boot.

A medium strength, and coloured, broken flake honeydew, it has been given a wonderful and subtle topping. Whoever formulated this blend in the bygone years truly merits recognition and accolades. I feel rather grateful that it is still available, no matter where it's from.

It is not at all strong, so wouldn't be my first choice for a cold windy day. But neither is the tobacco meek, counting on mere additives to save the day. Rather it is subtle, sure of itself, and if I had to choose one word to describe it, "clear" would be it. I'm ashamed to admit that the perique doesn't jump out...has too much "Escudo" ruined me?

It is not always my first pick, but whenever I light a bowl of this blend I think to myself: "this is why I smoke a pipe!"

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stah (139)	2023-03-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

The manufacturer claims that this is one of the old recipes that have been preserved since 1848, but based on the review, I’d rather not to believe that.

Appearance: the jar I opened had a "Q4 2019" excise stamp. There were no other date stamps on the can. The jar turned out to be an almost monochromatic light brown blend of rather bright hue, with occasional flecks of light Virginia and even more occasional flecks of darker perique. The tobacco is frankly damp, the manufacturer didn't spare glycerin - the mixture didn't dry out in the open air even after half an hour. After waiting some more time, I still achieved what I think is an acceptable humidity (or rather dryness) of tobacco to stuff it into the pipe.

Flavor: dense note of baked fruit, some fresh strawberry and caramel (what?), faintly noticeable allspice, and over it all - very dense bittersweet chocolate smell, which obviously has an artificial origin. After the tobacco sat in the air for ten minutes, the caramel evaporated, the roasted fruit lost a lot of intensity, there was a slight note of muffins, but other typical Virginia notes were not catching because of the powerful chocolate topping.

Taste: calm and very unassuming. Virginia woodiness obviously dominates, especially after the chocolate topping makes way for it, fading away by the end of the first third of the pipe. A sweetish fruity note lingers in the background, but there are no hints of bread, floral or herbal tones. The initially noticeable, but obviously faint, soft perique spiciness almost completely disappears by the middle of the pipe. The tobacco is a little harsh to the taste at the beginning, about the end of the first third of the pipe it calms down and turns into a very mild blend, but remains demanding to the rate of smoking until the very end, immediately giving off a bitter taste when overheated. If you take your time, the tobacco burns quite cool and slow, but leaves some moisture in the pipe, burning out into gray ash with some dark lumps. The strength of the tobacco is below average, and if you take into account the leisurely pace of smoking - nicotine hit is not a threat. The aftertaste is woody-sweet, not persistent.

The tobacco smoke has a slightly spicy aroma with a woody base. It is not persistent and wears off quickly, not disturbing others at all.

What's the bottom line? I have mixed impressions. The blend is frankly good, in general, as an everyday tobacco. But its cost in our market for a long time was higher than the competitors. Now the situation has improved, the tobacco is on sale at a decent price. Its taste, of course, can hardly be called bright or outstanding. Personally, I prefer Carolina Red Flake, and if you want a blend with more perique, its sister, Carolina Red Flake with Perique. But this tobacco is frankly not bad. By the way, if you have pure perique on your shelf, try adding it to this tobacco - it becomes brighter and more interesting. My mark is 2.5 of 4.

Pipe Used: Peterson 69, 106

Age When Smoked: 2019

Purchased From: Online

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-01-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Interesting blend. I got flavors of hay, straw, figs, rasins, berries a very natural taste. The Perique is there but hard to detect i did get some spicy top note but not much. All in all its a good natural Va/per perfect for me

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-12-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is an interesting offering.

Red VAs are richer, stronger, sweeter and spicier than regular VAs.

With a bit of Périque, this mixture becomes something any pipe smoker would like to try.

I will rebuy!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-09-10		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I am not generally a lover of Virginia blends, but tried this based on Dubinthedam's recommendation on youtube. This blend may change my mind about virginias. It is quite lovely. As Dub said it has a kind of hay taste. It seems to smell of rasberry in the can, but upon smoking it is a very light taste. This is no gloopy drug store aromatic or cigar store sticky house blend aromatic. This is a very high quality tasting tin aromatic. I was reminded of my visits to my grandmothers ranch as a child, the smell of the hay there. It brought back nice memories. Nice flavor and a feeling of very high quality tobacco. If you like virginias, you will probably love this subtle blend. If you don't like virginias give this one a try. It changed my view of virginias.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-08-03		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The very well packing and easy to lit tobacco. Leaving a clean soft ash.

Too much fruity and very mild for my taste. After finishing every bowl, I looked to smoke something else with a rich tobacco taste.

And where is the perique in this blend? I didn't detect it. Sorry, I can not recommend for real tobacco taste seekers. Maybe would be a pace for aromatic fans.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-05-22		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A very good blend, solid 3.5 stars. I'm tightening up on my ratings and only give 4 stars to my top 5 blends that are in my core rotation of tobaccos. Those at this date are Escudo, Penzance, University Flake, Churchill & still deciding what the 5th will be.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-04-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I love Red Virginias, But this wasn't all that great. Moist or dry, The flavor was just ok, and I found it a bit nippy. There are far better choices out there..... Just my .02

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-03-23		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I agree with Dubinthedam. The description on the tin is not quite my take on this one. That said, it is a great VAper blend to have (that is if you'd even call it a VAper). There is perique in this tobacco and I do detect it, but it is very very subtle. Much more subtle than McConnell's Scottish Cake. This blend is described as Cut RR red Virginia cake with Perique and spicy top note. The top note is very mild, and i actually detect alot of the red VA's sweetness (almost fruity) over the spice in this tobacco. That said, i've only smoked this a few times so we'll see how it ages. Great so far though, 4 stars.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-01-16		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've been working on a tin of this for about 2 weeks now, and this tobacco really grew on me. The first few bowls i thought were harsh, but after the third or fourth bowl, the tobacco mellowed out. This was because of the aromatic i smoked in the pipe prior to the Red Virginia. The blend description says perique, but i couldn't taste any perique. There is a topping of some kind on this tobacco, its noticeable when the seal on the tin is broken and when you sniff the tobacco but not when its being smoked. McConnell's Red Virginia is a nice everyday tobacco. I give it a strong 4 stars....

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-10-18		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I hope this is the right stuff. The tin I bought didn't say "superb". It just read "the original RED VIRGINIA pipe tobacco". And had a picture of an Indian and a white guy sitting and smoking.

I bought a tin of this yesterday, packed my GBD Rockroot and must say that i Enjoyed it. It reminds me a little of Davidoff's Oriental, but a little bit more "spicier". At first I thought it was toungue bite, but I think it was the perique. I will have to give i few more test puffs to give a really good analasys.

If you are wanting to explore the world of tobacco beond the regular standbys, then I would recomend trying a tin. And again, If you are ONLY into the Cpt. Black type mega sweet "Sundae-in-a-briar", then reach for the can of blue note on the next shelf.

As you can probably tell, I am by NO MEANS an expert. In my book, There are 2 kinds of tobacco. There's GOOD and there's GARBAGE. This is GOOD :-). That is only one man's opinion.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-08-24		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another McConell only available in bulk, so once more, under all reserve until I buy the tin version.

Thing is, the impression of the bulk doesn't incitate me to try the tin.

A rather small ready rubbed leaf combined with broken flake, red and dark brown, but as if somebody sweeped the floor to pick up the bits of bakkie that were not selected for the tin. Sad to say, but that was my impression.

Easy to light up-figures! but, because of the so broken format, had a tendancy to overheat and thus, bite.

Smoked kind of dry till the end, but I neber bothered finishing the pouch, I quit about half way.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-05-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Apparently my style has changed from my original review, because I like this blend all round, including the cherry-something top dressing. The flavor is also a bit heavier than I remember it. BTW, my tin says nothing about "Red Virginia Superb". It reads: "The Original Red Virginia Pipe Tobacco," and was distributed by James B. Norman and blended in the EU. This picks up a star.

Original review from 2005: Good quality and all, but the cherry/licorice top dressing is not my style. Nice for an occassional aromatic diversion and a nice compromise if non-smokers are being considered. Real tobacco flavor is not covered by the flavorings. I wonder if this is anything like Rattray's Terry Red?

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-05-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco suprised me. Seeking a Virginia break from latakia and aromatics, this came as a very pleasant suprise. I had already discovered Marlin Flake but found that, unconsciously, Red Virginia had taken over as my daily smoke of choice.

This is a light coloured, mildly sweet blend. The tin aroma is fruity but enigmatic, a slight hint of peaches or apricots? The flake is rubbed out so easy to pack. It ignites spontaneously and burns well to a light grey ash. Although I have found it can burn a little hot, this may be due to my enthusiasm rather than the tobacco itself.

The taste of mild virginia is extremely satisfying and the peppery backdraft of perique keeps the mixture interesting. It's not too spicey however but a subtle and well balanced combination that works very well.

This is one of those rare smoking experiences where I find myself instinctively planning the next pipeful. Give this one a try if you like virginias. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-02-05		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Very pleasant to look at - this is a bright Virginia tobacco and no mistake.

Not difficult to pack due to its being semi-rubbed-out flake, but quite short. It therefore takes and holds a light quite well.

It's loathe to bite, but can get the bowl of the pipe fairly warm. It has a nice room note, although enjoying that too much was what made me warm the thing - too much ferocious sucking!

Not as nutty as many VAs, but not 'soapy' or floral. A reasonable daily smoke, but nothing special I'm afraid.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-08-12		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

The tin aroma is very inviting. The tobacco packs and lights easily. Care must be taken while smoking this blend or it will bite. However, if you keep your pace slow you will be rewarded with nice tobacco flavor and the subtle sweetness associated with red virginias. The tobacco burned clean to the bottom. I would rate this tobacco somewhat higher if not for its tendency to bite when smoked inattentively.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-12-16		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A straight-ahead red virginia by flavor. The Perique and topping would probably be missed by someone not knowing of their presence in advance.

I found this tobacco to be a bit lacking in flavor. It also seemed to burn me a bit, in a chemical way, but as this may be my own chemistry, it won't affect my final review.

The addition of Perique gives this tobacco some of the missing flavor and richness. Without Perique, I don't see myself smoking this when there are so many superior blends to smoke.

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