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skeeter456

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 28, 2017
590
1,429
34
Plattsburgh NY
There are some tins in my cellar which I purchased from various pipe shops in the early nineties--mostly virginia/oriental blends, of which I was fond in my youth. Among them are eight assorted McClellands. I popped this tin a week ago, and moved it into a mason jar. After 33 years, it was still damp (feels more oily than wet), so I dried it out a little to burn better. A good smoke.

"McClelland Oriental Mixtures are made from the finest, delicately sweet Virginia and Carolina leaf blended by hand and carefully seasoned with rich Latakia and rare, naturally aromatic Turkish and Greek tobaccos."

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McClelland made perfect tobacco! Did we take it for granted? I think i did.
 

hoipolloiglasgow

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 14, 2023
276
927
United States
McClelland made perfect tobacco! Did we take it for granted? I think i did.
Wasn't that big of a deal at the time. Of course they had their fans and Christmas Cheer has always been popular. Now though, with its dissappearance and the age factor making those Virginias talk it, is much more desirable. And yes, I took it for granted too.
 

Professor Moriarty

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 13, 2023
194
422
United States
McClelland made perfect tobacco! Did we take it for granted? I think i did.
In 1974, Carl Ehwa, Jr. published The Book of Pipes & Tobacco which reveals his expertise on tobacco and blending.

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McClellands was founded by Carl in 1977.
Carl's remarkable wife, Mary, provides an excellent history here: https://pipedia.org/wiki/McClelland_Tobacco_Co
(this link works only partially, not sure why, just click on "search for this page title")
Before the Internet, we got our news from Tom Dunn's The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, and communicated via snail mail.
I was a big fan of McClelland blends.

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sean.

Lurker
Feb 6, 2024
26
86
New England
In 1974, Carl Ehwa, Jr. published The Book of Pipes & Tobacco which reveals his expertise on tobacco and blending.

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McClellands was founded by Carl in 1977.
Carl's remarkable wife, Mary, provides an excellent history here: https://pipedia.org/wiki/McClelland_Tobacco_Co
(this link works only partially, not sure why, just click on "search for this page title")
Before the Internet, we got our news from Tom Dunn's The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, and communicated via snail mail.
I was a big fan of McClelland blends.

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Thanks for sharing this history. I would love to study that book!

Your link didn't work because it's missing a period at the end

This should work: https://pipedia.org/wiki/McClelland_Tobacco_Co.
 

jbfrady

Can't Leave
Jul 27, 2023
349
1,251
South Carolina
I took a few blends I'd never tried to the Muletown show this past weekend and shared a bit. I've already cleaned out the 2017 Davidoff Flake Medallions or I'd have posted it.

Here's a 2014 tin of Bjarne's Flake de Luxe I cracked open. Still at least half full.
 

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tmcg81

Part of the Furniture Now
May 8, 2020
932
14,309
NJ
Popped a tin of Star of the East Flake from 2/4/20. Smells absolutely incredible. Ive smoked my fair share of this blend, and ive got a bunch stashed for the future. Excited to try it with a little bit of age on it. I've got two 8 oz tins that are a few years older waiting in the wings. I'm going to let this sit in the jar for a few days before i dig in. I can't wait.
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VDL_Piper

Lifer
Jun 4, 2021
1,007
10,896
Tasmania, Australia
Popped a tin of Star of the East Flake from 2/4/20. Smells absolutely incredible. Ive smoked my fair share of this blend, and ive got a bunch stashed for the future. Excited to try it with a little bit of age on it. I've got two 8 oz tins that are a few years older waiting in the wings. I'm going to let this sit in the jar for a few days before i dig in. I can't wait.
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I smoked some of this the other day that has some age on it and it’s been sitting in a jar for a few weeks as well and it was very good. There was a sweetness there that I’d previously missed, assume it’s the orientals providing that but golly it was good.