Gallaher -- Condor Ready Rubbed

Brand: Gallaher
Blend: Condor Ready Rubbed
Style: Lakeland
Pipe Used: Cob
Price: Acquired via Trade

Appearance: 8
Taste: 6
Room Note: 6
Value: NA
Overall: 6

In the U.S. the popular, old-time pipe tobaccos are affectionately referred to as drugstore or over the counter (OTC) blends because way back in the hazy past when most men smoked pipes these were the blends that were available at every newsstand and corner store. If your granddad smoked a pipe then he most likely smoked one of these classics.

The same is true for pipe smokers across the pond except that in the UK they smoked, and continue to smoke, a completely different line-up of classic blends. Most of these are no longer sold in the US so the only way to acquire them is through a fast diminishing handful of websites or tobacco trades and swaps with fellow brothers of the leaf.

A few years back I traded for two, 50g pouches of Condor Ready Rubbed and they somehow ended up buried deep in my tobacco stash. Last week I did a much needed inventory of my cellar and at the bottom of a box I found those two emerald green pouches and decided to jar them up and finally give the blend a try.

To my mind a Lakeland blend is a British aromatic style that uses natural floral and botanical flavorings layered on top of strong tobacco. I have had mixed results with Lakeland style blends and know that they usually ghost a pipe almost immediately upon smoking so I decided to use one of my trusty cobs instead of a briar pipe.

Even after a few years left in the pouch the tobacco was still at a perfect smoking moisture level. The dark, reddish brown tobacco was very finely cut and felt and packed just like a classic shag cut blend.

The pouch aroma gave immediate notice that this was a Lakeland blend as it smelled of rich, sweet tobacco and that almost cloying mixture of floral and citrus scents that are the hallmarks of this style.

The pipe lit right up and after the first few hard puffs I was rewarded with an itchy sensation in the back of my throat. That was my first warning that this was not a blend to be hurried through.

The flavor was initially subdued with the sweet taste of the Virginia leaf coming through. But it didn't take long for the Lakeland essence to make its presence known and soon enough all I could taste was potpourri. I tried slowing my smoking cadence down a bit and that did help to temper it somewhat as I began to taste a faint coffee and liquor presence instead.

As if wrestling with the gamut of flavors wasn't enough, Condor Ready Rubbed is also a strong tobacco and all the puffing and fussing soon had me feeling the effects of the nicotine. The blend is like a brute in a fancy suit with a flower in his lapel -- as you lean forward to sniff the blossom he lands a right hook to your jaw.

The room aroma was also overpowering and the smell of potpourri and incense hung in the room for hours much to my chagrin.

Condor Ready Rubbed is a classic UK pipe tobacco that falls firmly in the love it or hate it category. While I appreciated it on some levels I find that I just can't get around that classic Lakeland essence. I've always been sensitive to perfumes and such so this is clearly never going to be my style of tobacco. That being said, it did burn quite nicely and packed a real punch so I can see how it has stuck around for so long. I'm glad I had a chance to try the stuff but I think I'll be passing the remainder on to the next pipe smoker who wants to give it a whirl.