McClelland - Known for VA But Were They Good at English?

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rushx9

Lifer
Jul 10, 2019
2,299
17,244
42
Shelby, NC
FMAcross the Pond, 3 Oaks, Balkan Blue (Mtn), Oriental 996, Cyprian Star, Butera Royal Vintage Latakia #2..
McC Orientals were just as special as their VAs. Combine the two... hard to beat.
Don't even get me started on Classic Samsun ?.
Definitely envious of @chasingembers stash of Yenidje Highlander and Balkan Blue. I actually lose sleep over the thought of him tiring of latakia and throwing them in the garbage!?.
 
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BarrelProof

Lifer
Mar 29, 2020
2,701
10,577
39
The Last Frontier
FMAcross the Pond, 3 Oaks, Balkan Blue (Mtn), Oriental 996, Cyprian Star, Butera Royal Vintage Latakia #2..
McC Orientals were just as special as their VAs. Combine the two... hard to beat.
Don't even get me started on Classic Samsun ?.
Definitely envious of @chasingembers stash of Yenidje Highlander and Balkan Blue. I actually lose sleep over the thought of him tiring of latakia and throwing them in the garbage!?.

He’d never do that. They’d be used for Bonsai tree mulch.
 

Chasing Embers

Captain of the Black Frigate
Nov 12, 2014
43,256
108,360
Yenidje Highlander and Balkan Blue. I actually lose sleep over the thought of him tiring of latakia and throwing them in the garbage!?.
Yenidje Highlander barely has latakia in it. You really have to be looking for it to find it. Never smoked the Balkan Blue, a fellow was selling off bits of his cellar a few years ago and I bought those for $50. I mainly keep them for photo window dressing.
 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,149
32,928
Detroit
I really liked Balkan Blue - still have three tins. I also really enjoyed Celebrated Sovereign in the Ashton Revival series. Was one of the small minority that did not care for the Frog series at all. Crossover latakia blends just tend not to work for me.
 
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tfdickson

Lifer
May 15, 2014
2,115
40,895
East End of Long Island
The post-closure reverence for the Frog Morton blends always struck me as odd. From the time I started poking around forums in the late 90s until the day McC closed they seemed to be regarded as a stepping stone to get aromatic smokers to try something less overtly flavored and more about the natural tobacco flavors. “Fisher Price: My First English” seemed to be the consensus assessment. Which is really what it was, a cross over. That said, I’m sure it outsold #24, probably my all-time favorite regular production blend produced by anyone, multiple times over. Can a Big Mac become a cult classic? Sure, I guess it can if you take it away.
 
Oct 7, 2016
2,451
5,195
The post-closure reverence for the Frog Morton blends always struck me as odd. From the time I started poking around forums in the late 90s until the day McC closed they seemed to be regarded as a stepping stone to get aromatic smokers to try something less overtly flavored and more about the natural tobacco flavors.
This
 

pip01

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 3, 2018
518
6,589
NJ
British Woods is excellent. As is 3 Oaks Syrian. I have Blue Mountain and Wilderness which I haven't tried yet but I'm sure they will be great too. FM on the town is also very good.
 
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mparker762

Starting to Get Obsessed
Apr 1, 2021
112
624
Houston, TX
They did some good english blends, largely because of their excellent orientals. If they put much virginia in them then the blend was overwhelmed with that vinegar flavor. I loved their stuff for several years but eventually got tired of the ketchup. I recently sold off all my mcclelland tins except for bombay court which is amazing, and which I fortunately have several lbs of.
 

renfield

Lifer
Oct 16, 2011
4,231
31,389
Kansas
Their English blends were quite good. Balkan Beauty is a favorite, as is Blue Mountain.

They used excellent quality Virginias and Orientals in their Englishes and blended them with skill, IMO.
 
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lochinvar

Lifer
Oct 22, 2013
1,687
1,632
They had a few good entries, but their Virginias, VaPers and VaOrs were their masterpieces. I couldn't find much to get excited about in the Frog Series (besides the name and art) or in the Green Tin Oriental line. On the other hand, I loved Samovar, Scottish Woods, Balkan Beauty and Yenidje Highlander.
 

EA-6B

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 22, 2020
178
564
Their Syrian stuff is as special as their VAs. I didn't cellar any of their straight Cyprian blends, & went elsewhere for that type of blend. But Syrian Star, Orient996, 3-Oaks Syrian, & Yenidje Highlander are my faves.
P1070544 (2).JPG
The SS & 3OS have a lot of Syrian. The 996 has just a dash of Syrian. The Yenidje Highlander has a blend of Cyprian & Syrian Latakia.
Glad I wasn't late to the party & could avoid hoarding MacBaren (yuck), & Ashton Artisans Blend with Cyprian before they bothered to change the label to say Cyprian (oops).
 
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GCW

Can't Leave
Nov 17, 2019
363
1,612
Seattle
Their Syrian stuff is as special as their VAs. I didn't cellar any of their straight Cyprian blends, & went elsewhere for that type of blend. But Syrian Star, Orient996, 3-Oaks Syrian, & Yenidje Highlander are my faves.
View attachment 81515
The SS & 3OS have a lot of Syrian. The 996 has just a dash of Syrian. The Yenidje Highlander has a blend of Cyprian & Syrian Latakia.
Glad I wasn't late to the party & could avoid hoarding MacBaren (yuck), & Ashton Artisans Blend with Cyprian before they bothered to change the label to say Cyprian (oops).
Sounds like I’ll need to try the highlander as a few have mentioned it being stellar.
 
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