WTB: McClelland Blends

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americaman

Part of the Furniture Now
May 1, 2019
943
3,101
Los Angeles, CA
Greetings. I am a newer pipe smoker that got into pipe smoking right after McClelland closed its doors. I had heard of the Frog Morton series before I got into it, but when I went to buy some I noticed that it was no longer made. I acquired one tin of Frog Morton on the Bayou, but have yet to try it.
I am looking to try any McClelland blend to see what I missed out on. If you have any for sale feel free to leave a comment or message me. Cheers.

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,405
11,287
Maryland
postimg.cc
Welcome americanman! You don't yet have privileges to post to the for sale sections, so I moved this to Pipe talk. You can BUY from the classifieds sections, just not start a thread of your own (the rules are in the sticky for those section). Enjoy becoming a pipe smoker!

 

morgansteele

Can't Leave
Mar 23, 2018
313
427
[/quote]I am looking to try any McClelland blend to see what I missed out on.
Welcome, americaman! And, good news. You're not missing out. Tons of great blends for you to try before getting into blends you haven't tried and can't replace. If you're looking for great crossovers, try Kramer's Father Dempsey and Bosewell's Northwoods. If you're looking for a red virginia, try Sutliff 515 RC. And, they're available in bulk, to boot!
 

cohibajoe

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 2, 2018
722
1,165
Branchburg, NJ
Yes...Welcome....As "morgansteele" said...Kramer's Father Dempsey and Bosewell's Northwoods are very good on it's own. Get yourself a few ounces of the following...You will like this.
http://www.kingsmokingpipesandcigars.com/product-page/king-s-frog-morton-pipe-tobacco

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,697
27,288
Carmel Valley, CA
Welcome, americaman! And, good news. You're not missing out. Tons of great blends for you to try before getting into blends you haven't tried and can't replace.
Right. And you'll save a lot of dough, too.

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Or you could visit a forum sponsor, Pipestud. He usually has many tins of McClelland at decent prices. The suggestions mentioned here are likely all good stuff, but they aren’t McClelland. Maybe better, maybe worse. But not McClelland.

 

mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,454
Check out some of the premium blends in current production, whether you try some McClelland or not. Seattle Pipe Club, Cornell & Diehl (a master with burley but also creative with Virginia and various condiments), GL Pease, Daughters and Ryan, and others. It's fun to sample the discontinued, but the going blends are pretty amazing. Sample in small quantities. Save anything you think you don't like because it may age well, or your taste may grow into it. Check out bulk available from Peter Stokkebye, Lane, and Sutliff too, for surprisingly good blends at reasonable prices.

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
Amazing. New member asked a simple,specific question. To which there is at least one simple, specific answer. The "must post in every thread" crowd knows it, but won't give it. I am waiting for someone to tell the OP not to overlook Carter Hall. Which by the way is a fine smoke. But it ain't McClelland.
To add three other options in addition to Pipestud, if the OP is active on Facebook, there is a group called McClelland Pipe Tobacco Fans. Trades and sales are permitted There is also a group called Pipe Tobacco Trades and Sales. Finally, there is eBay. Pipestud would be my choice.

 

americaman

Part of the Furniture Now
May 1, 2019
943
3,101
Los Angeles, CA
Hey everyone, I appreciate the great feedback. To ssjones: Thank you for moving my thread and not deleting it. I thought the post rule only applied to people selling tobacco.
Since I got into piping around March 2018 I just missed the cutoff for McClelland. I was eager to try Frog Morton, and it has this warm, fuzzy nostalgia for me even though I haven’t tried it yet. I bought a tin of FMOTB that I have yet to open. I am a member of the Facebook group, but thank you for suggesting it.
I have tried, and currently have, several of the blends listed above. Father Dempsey is a great English, and I just tried Carter Hall for the first time yesterday. It is excellent. I have been aging a tin of Plum Pudding since last summer, and I love Quiet Nights by G. L. Pease. There are definitely many excellent blends out there, and you guys brought some new blends to my attention! But like I said, I have this fascination with McClelland since I just missed out on it and because their Frog Morton series seemed to epitomize pipe smoking for me...sitting on the bayou, listening to the frogs, and smoking a pipe.

 
Jan 28, 2018
13,048
136,428
67
Sarasota, FL
McClelland was primarily known for their unique Virginia blends. I understand the Frog Morton chase but the reality is, it was a middle of the road English blend to most. McClelland was very good and more than that, unique. However, there are so many other great blends, someday you'll be kicking yourself if you blow a bunch of money chasing it in the over priced secondary market.

 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
someday you'll be kicking yourself if you blow a bunch of money chasing it in the over priced secondary market.
Opinions are like noses, everybody has one, I guess. I have spent lots of money trying to find equivalents of 2015. A complete waste. The default opinion on this forum seems to be "secondary market = overpriced". Maybe that is true, maybe not, but the visceral reaction here is to completely denigrate that option, just as the default opinion here is that anyone who buys a new Dunhill/Whitespot is a fool. I look at prices people willingly pay for premium, even non Cuban, cigars, and recent vintage McClelland seems very favorably priced
As far as Frog Morton is concerned, I encountered it more or less when it first came out in the 1990's when I was in the company of two other long time hobbyists, Feathers Thompson and Andy Herbruck. It was new to the three of us. We agreed that it was different than anything we had smoked. After a few bowls each over a weekend together, we couldn't agree on anything else. Maybe in later years English blends on the market became more like Frog, but it sure wasn't "middle of the road" then.
BTW, I have no McClelland for sale or trade. I hope there will be a secondary market for my executor to take advantage of. But the OP should be aware of the inherent biases of thus forum.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,744
45,272
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Most out of production tobaccos sell at a premium. There is no more supply to meet demand. Certain star names cost considerably more because they're star names. I've willingly paid more for a vintage tin of something that I want. But I don't pretend that I'm getting a bargain or anyone is doing me a favor. That's not what the secondary tobacco market is about. It's about cashing in on rare or out of production weed by making it available for purchase. Like any market, price is set by the buyers. If the price is worth it to you to satisfy your curiosity, buy the weed.
I loved McClelland Reds like Christmas Cheer, McCranies, and the 40th, and I stocked up on those, as well as the Numbers, several bulks, and some of their very highly regarded premium Virginias, because I knew that the day would come when McClelland would close its doors. That was inevitable.
I tried the Frogs and didn't like them. Aside from the Grand Orientals, I didn't much care for McClelland's English or Oriental blends. I don't think these were McClelland's best output.
What I would suggest is that you try out blends that are in production from other companies, blends that you can stock up on and let age without denuding your bank account, and before these other blends are forced off the market in a few years by the FDA Deeming laws.
But if you gotta smoke the Frog, you gotta pay for the privilege.

 
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