I opened, jarred and Mylar bagged four different McClelland tins earlier this week. I thought I’d share my first impressions of each tin (all of which are positive).
McClelland - No. 24
DESCRIPTION:
“An unusual form of flake tobacco, its deep chestnut color results from the extended aging of full flavored Old and Middle Belt leaf very lightly seasoned with Drama. A smooth, robust tobacco good anytime for those who prefer the darker Virginia flavor. Is especially well suited for outdoor smoking.”
IN THE TIN:
A mix of whole, broken and ready rubbed’ish chestnut brown flakes. Some flakes in the tin have a nice dusting of sugars, already. The moisture level is near perfect, no additional drying time needed.
TIN NOTE:
Nutty and buttery (olives, too), probably from the Drama. Just great, a real cork sniffer. There are some sweet Virginia notes, as well with a hint of the McClelland Ketchup vinegar.
IN THE PIPE:
No. 24 has a nice overall sweetness, along with a some subtle savory notes (a toasted bread component is there, somewhere way in the back). I cannot think of any other available pipe tobacco that resembles this flavor profile. Top-notch.
McClelland - Black Shag
DESCRIPTION:
“Sherlock Holmes kept it in the toe of a Persian slipper nailed to the mantelpiece. It was dry and strong. Kept at what we today have deduced to be proper smoking moisture and smoked gently, this excellent stoved shag will provide hours of smoking pleasure. Examine the ash carefully. A shag cut black Virginia tobacco, making it very easy to pack a pipe and burn evenly.”
IN THE TIN:
Very dark brown to black pipe tobacco that seems to be either a very fine ready rubbed or a broadly cut shag. Almost ready to go, 10-15 minutes of drying time’s all that’s needed.
Bonus, neat McClelland insert between the lid and tin.
TIN NOTE:
Sugary with a fair amount of Ketchup. There’s no mistaking the McClelland zip. Some spicy notes, too.
IN THE PIPE:
Black Shag is a sweet one - sweet and mild, really. It burns easily to a fine ash. A nice, toasty’ness occurs near the end of the bowl. Thumbs up for this mellow-yellow blend.
McClelland - Frog Morton
DESCRIPTION:
“An exceptionally dark, rich and full Latakia Mixture designed for those who desire really satisfying Latakia flavor but want a pipe tobacco soft enough to smoke anytime. It took Frog Morton four years to perfect this unique blend designed for smoking in quiet serenity. It is his proudest achievement.”
IN THE TIN:
Dark brown and black ribbon cut pipe tobacco. The Frog is just about ready to go, like the Black Shag, 10-15 minutes of drying time’s all that’s needed.
TIN NOTE:
There’s nothing quite like cracking a tin of Frog Morton. This is the most aromatic tin of the four I’m reviewing. Two big parts sweet and one part smokey.
IN THE PIPE:
A hard-candied, boozy (much lighter than FM Cellar) pipe tobacco with just the right balance of smokey Latakia and tangy Virginia. The age on this tin has knocked the Cyrprian Latakia down a few notches from in-your-face creosote to subtle campfire. Fantastic.
McClelland - Yenice Agonya
DESCRIPTION:
“Grown near the Sea of Marmara, not far from the ancient Troy or Illium, this wide, fine-textured, reddish yellow Turkish tobacco variety is renowned for being smooth on the palate with a delicate aroma. Yenice is pronounced Yenidje in Turkish, and the Agonya seed from which it is grown is of Xanthi origin (that first Yenidje of legend). This blend is designed to highlight the beautiful Agonya leaf's mellow taste and subtle fragrance.”
IN THE TIN:
Dark to darker to darkest chestnut brown ribbon cut pipe tobacco. Perfect moisture from the tin and ready to go.
TIN NOTE:
The first thing that hits when cracking the tin is a sweet coconut note, akin to dried coconut shavings. There’s also some leather (Turkish) and sweet dark fruit (Virginia). The McClelland zip is present, but subdued.
IN THE PIPE:
A fragrant and subtle pipe tobacco that I keep revisiting - over and over again.
McClelland - No. 24
DESCRIPTION:
“An unusual form of flake tobacco, its deep chestnut color results from the extended aging of full flavored Old and Middle Belt leaf very lightly seasoned with Drama. A smooth, robust tobacco good anytime for those who prefer the darker Virginia flavor. Is especially well suited for outdoor smoking.”
IN THE TIN:
A mix of whole, broken and ready rubbed’ish chestnut brown flakes. Some flakes in the tin have a nice dusting of sugars, already. The moisture level is near perfect, no additional drying time needed.
TIN NOTE:
Nutty and buttery (olives, too), probably from the Drama. Just great, a real cork sniffer. There are some sweet Virginia notes, as well with a hint of the McClelland Ketchup vinegar.
IN THE PIPE:
No. 24 has a nice overall sweetness, along with a some subtle savory notes (a toasted bread component is there, somewhere way in the back). I cannot think of any other available pipe tobacco that resembles this flavor profile. Top-notch.
McClelland - Black Shag
DESCRIPTION:
“Sherlock Holmes kept it in the toe of a Persian slipper nailed to the mantelpiece. It was dry and strong. Kept at what we today have deduced to be proper smoking moisture and smoked gently, this excellent stoved shag will provide hours of smoking pleasure. Examine the ash carefully. A shag cut black Virginia tobacco, making it very easy to pack a pipe and burn evenly.”
IN THE TIN:
Very dark brown to black pipe tobacco that seems to be either a very fine ready rubbed or a broadly cut shag. Almost ready to go, 10-15 minutes of drying time’s all that’s needed.
Bonus, neat McClelland insert between the lid and tin.
TIN NOTE:
Sugary with a fair amount of Ketchup. There’s no mistaking the McClelland zip. Some spicy notes, too.
IN THE PIPE:
Black Shag is a sweet one - sweet and mild, really. It burns easily to a fine ash. A nice, toasty’ness occurs near the end of the bowl. Thumbs up for this mellow-yellow blend.
McClelland - Frog Morton
DESCRIPTION:
“An exceptionally dark, rich and full Latakia Mixture designed for those who desire really satisfying Latakia flavor but want a pipe tobacco soft enough to smoke anytime. It took Frog Morton four years to perfect this unique blend designed for smoking in quiet serenity. It is his proudest achievement.”
IN THE TIN:
Dark brown and black ribbon cut pipe tobacco. The Frog is just about ready to go, like the Black Shag, 10-15 minutes of drying time’s all that’s needed.
TIN NOTE:
There’s nothing quite like cracking a tin of Frog Morton. This is the most aromatic tin of the four I’m reviewing. Two big parts sweet and one part smokey.
IN THE PIPE:
A hard-candied, boozy (much lighter than FM Cellar) pipe tobacco with just the right balance of smokey Latakia and tangy Virginia. The age on this tin has knocked the Cyrprian Latakia down a few notches from in-your-face creosote to subtle campfire. Fantastic.
McClelland - Yenice Agonya
DESCRIPTION:
“Grown near the Sea of Marmara, not far from the ancient Troy or Illium, this wide, fine-textured, reddish yellow Turkish tobacco variety is renowned for being smooth on the palate with a delicate aroma. Yenice is pronounced Yenidje in Turkish, and the Agonya seed from which it is grown is of Xanthi origin (that first Yenidje of legend). This blend is designed to highlight the beautiful Agonya leaf's mellow taste and subtle fragrance.”
IN THE TIN:
Dark to darker to darkest chestnut brown ribbon cut pipe tobacco. Perfect moisture from the tin and ready to go.
TIN NOTE:
The first thing that hits when cracking the tin is a sweet coconut note, akin to dried coconut shavings. There’s also some leather (Turkish) and sweet dark fruit (Virginia). The McClelland zip is present, but subdued.
IN THE PIPE:
A fragrant and subtle pipe tobacco that I keep revisiting - over and over again.
