McClelland Ashton Blend PEBBLECUT

Despite its name Pebblecut is a broken flake. Easy to rub out and a very nice, creamy smoke. I also like their Celebrated Sovereign which is a lat blend.

The bouquet from the tin is sweet'n'sour red Va. A prominent and gently pungent Oriental base competes for your attention with the red Va's sweet, bread-like qualities; and if pushed, or on an aggressive re-light, shows the bitterness one can taste in the skin of a peanut -- not an altogether bad thing. It's an interesting combination of sweet, tart, and Oriental woodiness (? there's gotta be a better word!)
The Perique, which produces a tingling sensation in the finish, or aftertaste, is a bit more peppery than I prefer; but I tolerate it because it also possesses that signature dark and musty fruitiness I enjoy so much.
It's an interesting variation on the VaPer theme, and if you've enjoyed 5100, Collector Beacon, or Louisiana Red, you should probably try a tin of Pebblecut. I like it, but I probably won't buy another. If this blend had been given some other name, it could have found a comfortable home in the Grand Oriental Series.

I like it, and Cortez describes it well. However, I get mostly sweetness from the VAs, very little tart. It's very, very good, but I like Tudor Castle (another VA-Perique-Oriental) much better.

For those who care for pressed cakes, the NYPC has developed a fantastic VaPer/Oriental blend called Bedloe's Island.

I like it much more than Pebblecut -- but I have a pro-Ouellette bias, and Bedloe's has Russ's fingerprints all over it (IYKWIM).