Butera Royal Vintage

[puff_not_snuff]

I was lucky enough to try a sample of this today that a member was kind enough to send me. Really enjoyed both the smoke and the pungent ketchup aroma that exploded from it’s Mylar enclosure. I was rather surprised by the very negative reviews I read after.

 

[lochinvar]

I loved the Royal Vintage line, especially Blended Flake (of course, I was a fan of the whole McClelland line so...). Was it Royal Vintage No.1 or No. 2 you smoked? Both were good, but I preferred No. 1, had more Basma.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

I loved the Royal Vintage line, especially Blended Flake (of course, I was a fan of the whole McClelland line so...). Was it Royal Vintage No.1 or No. 2 you smoked? Both were good, but I preferred No. 1, had more Basma.

That I am not sure of. The Flake was really dark, maybe darker than FVF and seemed to be thicker slices.

 

[greeneyes]

It is a fabulous line. Several tins of them survived after the closure of McClelland, and some were released afterward by Arango as they sold off their remaining stock to various brick-and-mortar shops. I was fortunate to snap up several.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

Wonder what those one star reviews were about...

 

[artvandelay007]

That I am not sure of. The Flake was really dark, maybe darker than FVF and seemed to be thicker slices.

Was it black like Dark Star or 2035? If so it’d be the Dark Stoved.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

Was it black like Dark Star or 2035? If so it’d be the Dark Stoved.

Sounds about right... I tried to watch Dark Star recently, while very inventive not sure I laughed much.

 

[kcghost]

Not everybody the quirkiness that is McClelland's. Interesting factoid is that in the 40 years that McClellands was in business the number of people that Mike McNeil gave a plant tour was ZERO.

 

[puff_not_snuff]

Not everybody the quirkiness that is McClelland's. Interesting factoid is that in the 40 years that McClellands was in business the number of people that Mike McNeil gave a plant tour was ZERO.

You have to respect someone for being consistent.

 

[jeff540]

If it's sticky, sweet, rich, and very hard to get lit then it's likely Dark Stoved.

Dark Stoved and Golden Cake are favorites of mine, I have 3 tins of each left. I'll open one of each a year over the next three years as I'm searching for adequate facsimiles.

Thus far I have found a few blends that echo these, but some are almost as hard to find as the McClelland made stuff.

 

[cigrmaster]

Dark Stoved is the only MC blend in my cellar. It is made from Lemon Virginia's and won't have the acidity of red Virginia's which can give many people issues. If you read the 4 star reviews you will get an understanding of the blend. Some say it is Dark Star others say it is a bit different. It can be a bitch to smoke if you don't dry it properly as it is more like an SG flake than any other tobacco I have come across. Mine is aging nicely in their tins and in a few more years I will give it a look see.