diff --git a/kombu/transport/redis.py b/kombu/transport/redis.py
index 479dcb03..5c878e80 100644
--- a/kombu/transport/redis.py
+++ b/kombu/transport/redis.py
@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ from __future__ import with_statement
 
 from bisect import bisect
 from contextlib import contextmanager
-from itertools import cycle, islice
 from time import time
 from Queue import Empty
 
@@ -321,7 +320,7 @@ class Channel(virtual.Channel):
         super_ = super(Channel, self)
         super_.__init__(*args, **kwargs)
 
-        self._queue_cycle = cycle([])
+        self._queue_cycle = []
         self.Client = self._get_client()
         self.ResponseError = self._get_response_error()
         self.active_fanout_queues = set()
@@ -450,6 +449,7 @@ class Channel(virtual.Channel):
             if dest__item:
                 dest, item = dest__item
                 dest = dest.rsplit(self.sep, 1)[0]
+                self._rotate_cycle(dest)
                 return loads(item), dest
             else:
                 raise Empty()
@@ -654,13 +654,25 @@ class Channel(virtual.Channel):
         each queue is equally likely to be consumed from,
         so that a very busy queue will not block others.
 
+        This works by using Redis's `BRPOP` command and
+        by rotating the most recently used queue to the
+        and of the list.  See Kombu github issue #166 for
+        more discussion of this method.
+
         """
-        self._queue_cycle = cycle(self.active_queues)
+        self._queue_cycle = list(self.active_queues)
 
     def _consume_cycle(self):
         """Get a fresh list of queues from the queue cycle."""
         active = len(self.active_queues)
-        return list(islice(self._queue_cycle, 0, active + 1))[:active]
+        return self._queue_cycle[0:active]
+
+    def _rotate_cycle(self, used):
+        """
+        Move most recently used queue to end of list
+        """
+        index = self._queue_cycle.index(used)
+        self._queue_cycle.append(self._queue_cycle.pop(index))
 
     def _get_response_error(self):
         from redis import exceptions