Are you a Condor smoker? I’m going to have a wild stab in the dark and guess that you’re a little bit annoyed at the moment as there seems to be a nationwide shortage of the stuff! We’ve had people from all over the country in recently, hoping that we’d be able to get some for them, but unfortunately, it’s looking like it’ll be a few more weeks before we’ll be able to get any in! Fear not though, we’re on hand to help with some alternatives in the mean time! You can also request a notification when Condor arrives, via the website.
There’s a particular range of tobacco that is part of Gawith Hoggarth’s Kendal range, that are often referred to as the “Lakeland flakes.” These share some pretty similar characteristics with Condor, so I thought I’d use this week’s blog to give you a run-down of some of my favourites, in case you’re missing Condor and need an alternative!
Coniston Cut Plug In my opinion, this is the closest to Condor that we have. As a cut plug, it’s most similar to condor long cut (although technically a little shorter cut) but if you prefer Condor Ready Rubbed, it’s pretty easy to rub out to the same consistency… if you ask us nicely, we might even do it for you 😉. As for the taste, it shares Condor’s cool, medium bodied character and distinctively floral and woody notes on the palate. Even when we’re not struggling to get Condor, I often recommend this to Condor smokers who fancy a change… but not too much of a change!
Bosun flake Bosun has a similar body and a very similar character, with hints of geranium and wood, but this time, the emphasis is far more on the woody side than the floral side. This gives a far richer tasting smoke, with a little more sweetness than the Coniston. One of my personal favourites for a day to day smoke.
Now we’re going in the other direction: Grasmere flake holds off on the woody notes in favour of a full dose of powerful floral notes and aromas with a sweet cream undertone! Be warned: This is easily the most potently aromatic of the range, so it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, as the powerful floral taste can almost taste a little soapy (in fact, I once read a review for it that simply said “Whoops, I think I just put Imperial Leather in my pipe by mistake!) But if you like that element of Condor’s character, then this blend will give you it by the bucket load!
Glengary Flake In no way related to the curse word laden David Mamet play Glengarry Glen Ross (/film adaption staring Al Pacino) this flake sits at the milder end of the spectrum.
It still has some of the floral notes, but with a far sweeter and more delicate taste, with hints of honeydew. We’re straying a little away from the Condor-esque blends here, but it could make for a nice change while you’re waiting for your old favourite to return!
Ennerdale Flake I’m going to finish with a bang, as this is the most full bodied of the range. While the strength of the casing isn’t quite as potent as the Grasmere, it more than makes up for it with a base of rich dark tobacco that gives this blend a full, dark chocolatey backbone. Interestingly, there’s also a hint of clove in there which would normally put me off, but I think it works really well with the overall sweetness of the blend. So, there we go, I hope that helps a few readers keep going until their Condor arrives!
Until next time:
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Calum
Compared to the hefty sizes of the rest of the Black Market range such as the 6” x 50rg 
One thing a lot of our guests pointed out was just how consistent the quality of the cigars was, when it came down to construction and draw. It seems like New World cigars really have this element down. I always attribute it to the fact Cuba have pretty much established themselves as the king of the cigar world, so New World cigar manufacturers always seem to go that extra mile to prove they’re worthy of being mentioned alongside King Cuba. Well, Cuba may be King, but it could learn a lesson or two from the New World when it comes quality control!
Along with the cigars, our guest sampled a flight of whisky selected by Steph, our budding new whisky buff. For the evening, she had selected the light and easy 
Thursday and Friday saw me returning to what has to be my second favourite place to work within C.Gars Ltd: Turmeaus Knutsford. Prior to taking over as Store Manager in Chester, I helped set up and run the Knutsford shop, while it was in its infancy, so it’s always nice to get back over here for a few shifts to see how everything’s getting on. The staff here are a universally great bunch (not that this isn’t true of all our stores, of course!) so it’s especially nice to get over here to see them.
They’re simply no frills pipes that we sell in assorted baskets at a great value price. The Cool and Sweet pipes have always been a customer favourite. However, there was always something missing from this range and that thing is filter pipes! Well, we’ve finally been able to plug this gap with a new assortment of 100% genuine briar filter pipes. Now you don’t have to choose between a bargain pipe and a filter pipe, you can have both! Again, these are so new that they’re not actually available online yet, but they can be found at our 
Ok, again, I guess these aren’t technically new cigars (although one definitely fits into the category of “New-ish”) but a couple of Havanas are now being released in cedar lined tubes for the first time and both of them are firm favourites of mine. There first is one of the newer additions to the Partagas Portfolio, the 
That’s right… we sell clothes! Don’t believe me? Check out the link above! Now, I know a lot of the shirts there might not be the sort of thing people who don’t smoke would wear, unless they’re doing it ironically. Although, I guess the line breaks in the “
Not content with just dressing yourself? Fear not; we can also help you dress your house! These super comfy cushions – each featuring a classic quote or image – adorn all of our sampling lounges and our guests always comment on how much they like them, so we made them available to purchase!
This may be one that’s suitable for non-smokers, but I get the feeling cigar smokers would appreciate it a little bit more. After all, what’s poker night without cigars?! Poker is one of my favourite hobbies so I’m glad we can offer a decent range of Casino quality sets, so you can stock up on chips at the same time you’re buying your cigars for enjoying during the game. The 
This is a time-tested tobacco that is favoured by many experienced pipe smokers. It’s quite naturally off-putting if you’re not familiar with it; dark, oily, somehow slightly evil looking tobacco, coiled into a snakelike rope with names like “
bowl with it isn’t very appealing. But that’s sort of the point. It isn’t meant to be smoked alone, but is intended as a “Blending Tobacco”. When added to a blend, it adds a layer of silky, rich complexity. There are plenty of awesome blends on the market that use latakia for flavour, such as 
Ok, I know this is a tobacco and cigar blog, but we also sell whisky. Also, peated whisky is easily the biggest “Marmite” product that we sell; You either love it or hate it! So, I had to give it a mention here. I’m also a relatively recent convert to peated whisky, so I can understand why it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. More often than not, peated whisky comes from the Islay region of Scotland. Common tasting notes include Iodine and TCP, so it’s not the most appealing of things for the uninitiated! However, once you adjust to the slightly unexpected flavour, you’ll find that no other type of whisky can rival Islays for the different layers of flavour and complexity. Many are like an explosion of flavour across your palate that linger for a satisfyingly long time. When combined with something sweet like sherry or bourbon casks, it can also give a delightful sweet and salty character. Popular Islay whiskies include 
your personal choice of cut, to gently teasing it into a smokeable mixture with your fingers, every stage of smoking this tobacco requires you to take a peaceful moment. My favourites are:
know that I’ve written about this before, but it definitely deserves a mention here. I know that these days, blend descriptions on tins of tobacco are fading away to be replaced by health warnings, but the official description for Nightcap used to be along the lines of “A blend perfectly suited for the evening and its period of quiet contemplation.” I could just leave it there really, couldn’t I?! To elaborate: The blend is a rich and full bodied mix of all the classic English ingredients: Latakia, Turkish, Perique, all combined with classic Virginia. The result is a blend that forces the smoker to slow down for a moment, to simply take it easy for a short while and relax.
That’s all for me this week. I hope you’ll join me in a relaxing, contemplative smoke, in the honour of Yoga Day 😉.
