McClellands IS GONE?
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Confess Harris, the reason this is the case is because you can't smoke red Virginias without them tearing up your mouth. Otherwise, the ratio would be somewhat different. Nobody is going to reproduce the kind of red and matured Virginias that McClelland made. That era is over.
But the general idea that there is a wide world of excellent options that aren't McClelland is spot on. And while McClelland was in full swing, there were numerous smokers who didn't favor McClelland blends and who preferred many of those blends from other blenders.
I equate the continuing McC worship to pop star’s catalogs. Their legends and sales experience great growth upon their passing. I remember when McC cans set lonely upon a shelf. There were those who “got it”, those who did not, and those that did not care (kind of like Bowie or Prince). There will be continued nostalgia for those that “got it” and miss it and renewed interest for those that hear of and want to experience the legend that, may (or may not) have been. It is sort of like Camelot.
I just find it amusing after reading so many threads over the years of how bad McClelland blends were because they smelled like ketchup.
I guess I'm one of the few who miss the different Frog Mortons every day. My cellar has some but not nearly enough. To each his own.
Yeah, never cared for the Frog Morton blends, but I did cellar up many of their straight Virginias and Grand Oriental blends. They'll more than outlast me.
I never got the “ketchup” thing. I despise ketchup and any tomato product (just me and my strange buds). I liked a lot of the McC green can Orientals but, I never found the “it” in 5100 or 5010. I did not detect ketchup or the oft mentioned vinegar (another thing that I despise). However, they still were not to my liking. McC was a great company to do business with and there is a lot to be missed by not having them around, especially for those that had them as favorites. As is often said, get out there and keep trying. I have been at this a long time and I still find new things (and sometimes old) that become new favorites.
All good suggestions here. I’ll add the Virginia blends from Rattrays, especially Marlin Flake and Hal o the Wynd. They aren’t replacements for McClelland, but just some very good blends. They are often unavailable, so it’s a good idea to sign up for email alerts from Smokingpipes and Pipesandcigars.
They stopped producing it and wont let anyone else produce it, and apparently they are all kind of wonderful.
foursidedtrangle I am not sure if that was meant to be a criticism of Mike and Mary but, I, for one, can assure you that they are. It was their business and it was their right to do with it as they wished. I actually kind of admire the way they went about it and it looks like they have preserved an admirable reputation.
Indeed. Not only did they pay their employees several TIMES the going rate, when one of them had a family emergency a few years ago Mike and Mary paid off her mortgage. As in, wrote a lump sum check. Why? Because that's how their hearts work.
Yeah, "All kind of wonderful" --- meant literally instead of sarcastically --- describes them exactly. :evil:
Yes they are. They could have sold the business to someone else and made some good money, but they chose not to do so because the blends would have either gone downhill or changed. The McNeils were very exacting in the way that they created their blends, some of which involved a number of processes, all carefully monitored. These blends were the product of their personal passion. There's no way to sell that passion to anyone else.
Add to that changes in the tobacco growing market, changes in picking, from each leaf hand picked at just the right stage of maturity to machine harvesting which is cheaper, but which also doesn't produce the same uniform quality.
So sell to who? Someone who won't have access to the same leaf the McNeils used? Someone who doesn't have the depth of expertise that the McNeils developed over decades? Yeah, sure, you'd have the tins, labels, and name, but you wouldn't have the contents. So what, exactly, would be the point?
People who blame the McNeils for not selling are living in a magical reality borne of being truly clueless about what is involved in making blends. They seem to think anyone can do it, and do it the same as anyone else.
The McNeils valued what they did beyond price. So they retired and left behind the legacy of what they had produced.
So, yeah, they are all kind of wonderful.
I miss many of their blends but I appreciate the desire not to sell and watch what they have created change for good or bad. I can't imagine watching something you put your heart and soul, not to mention your money, being ruined by someone else. It's like when great companies go public and the bean counters crush the heart out of the company discarding quality, service, and creativity all for the return on the dollar. Milking the reputation until the company doesn't even resemble the old company. It happens all to often. I applaud their decision to close the company on top!
My "top 5" were all McClelland for many (20+) years: Blackwoods Flake, Dark Star, Christmas Cheer, Royal Cajun Ebony, and Bombay Extra.
Ironically, when I first joined this forum 50% of user comments about McClelland involved jabs about vinegar and ketchup, and now there is mass lamentation and teeth gnashing on their closing. I was also caught unaware, but luckily bought a nice order just before closing and still have a few years worth in my closet (although none of my favorites).
This experience has caused me to cellar my new favorite blends (mostly Esoterica) and branch out to other Virginia flake blends. While not direct replacements, the following do tickle my McClelland itch:
- MacBaren HH Virginia Flake, nice and naturally sweet
- Robert McConnell's Red Virginia, which is similar to McClelland's Virginia Woods and Deep Hollow - a slightly aromatic red virginia ribbon cut blend
- C&D's Bayou Morning Flake - the sweetest of all C&D offerings I've tried to date. It's still a little rough around the edges and higher nicotine than any McClelland VA flake but may improve with age.
- Esoterica's Kingsbridge, reminds me of a rubbed out Dark Star
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Ironically, when I first joined this forum 50% of user comments about McClelland involved jabs about vinegar and ketchup, and now there is mass lamentation and teeth gnashing on their closing. I was also caught unaware, but luckily bought a nice order just before closing and still have a few years worth in my closet (although none of my favorites).
This experience has caused me to cellar my new favorite blends (mostly Esoterica) and branch out to other Virginia flake blends. While not direct replacements, the following do tickle my McClelland itch:
- MacBaren HH Virginia Flake, nice and naturally sweet
- Robert McConnell's Red Virginia, which is similar to McClelland's Virginia Woods and Deep Hollow - a slightly aromatic red virginia ribbon cut blend
- C&D's Bayou Morning Flake - the sweetest of all C&D offerings I've tried to date. It's still a little rough around the edges and higher nicotine than any McClelland VA flake but may improve with age.
- Esoterica's Kingsbridge, reminds me of a rubbed out Dark Star
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For real? That's incredible. Businesses that treat their employees well are in dwindling supply, and treating your employees "well" still falls considerably short of describing the act of paying off a friggin' mortgage for an employee suffering an emergency. Props, kudos, respect.
I enjoyed McC blends, but hadn't found any that made me feel a personal loss when they folded. I certainly feel for the people that loved those blends, though.
I'd suggest trying Watch City Flake #558 (you can send those checks anytime now, WC). I find that it has a bit of that tang that I remember from McC. Again, I'm hardly a McC stan so I don't know how they would compare to those that are.
The ketchup can be removed before smoking the tobacco. Pop the top a week of two before you want to smoke the contents and leave off the plastic lid for a minute or two each day for the rest of the week. The ketchup will largely vent, leaving you just the matured Virginias.
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