MClelland Cellars

[cosmicfolklore]

Exactly.

At the same time, those who missed out on McClelland didn't miss anything super magical. If Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake went out of production today, it would probably be even more legendary than the McClelland Virginias. FVF is almost universally praised among Virginia smokers as an excellent VA flake, more so than McClelland blends were praised when they were in production.

It was McClellands Virginias that made me a Virginia smoker. There were a few others I'd smoke too, but McClellands checked all of the boxes for me. Once, McClelland left the shelves, I wanted to find something I liked as well, because European Virginias just didn't do it for me. So, I just took an interest in the C&D line up, a few of their Virginias I do like more than European Virginias, but I fell in love with their use of burleys.
I think the key is just exploring... it's ok to try a no longer available blend, but don't do it looking to stock up on them, unless you have more money than sense.

 

[lawdawg]

It was McClellands Virginias that made me a Virginia smoker. There were a few others I'd smoke too, but McClellands checked all of the boxes for me. Once, McClelland left the shelves, I wanted to find something I liked as well, because European Virginias just didn't do it for me. So, I just took an interest in the C&D line up, a few of their Virginias I do like more than European Virginias, but I fell in love with their use of burleys.
I think the key is just exploring... it's ok to try a no longer available blend, but don't do it looking to stock up on them, unless you have more money than sense.

Christmas Cheer is what got me into Virginia, so I can relate, at least a little bit.

Also agreed on trying no longer available blends. There are a few I definitely want to try, but it would be more of a curiosity type of thing. I certainly am not intending to build a cellar of Murray's era Dunhill blends etc.

 

[smokeymo]

Exactly.

At the same time, those who missed out on McClelland didn't miss anything super magical. If Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake went out of production today, it would probably be even more legendary than the McClelland Virginias. FVF is almost universally praised among Virginia smokers as an excellent VA flake, more so than McClelland blends were praised when they were in production.

You are missing the point amigo.
Everyone's tastes are different? yes or no?
IF yes, then your opinion matters relatively little with regards to someone else's taste. IF that person hasn't tried McClelland, then it should be up to them to decide whether it is super magical or not.
This is an exercise in putting yourself in someone else's shoes. I don't know how this isn't getting home to you

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You are missing the point amigo.
Everyone's tastes are different? yes or no?
IF yes, then your opinion matters relatively little with regards to someone else's taste. IF that person hasn't tried McClelland, then it should be up to them to decide whether it is super magical or not.
This is an exercise in putting yourself in someone else's shoes. I don't know how this isn't getting home to you

You are arguing with no one!!!
Did you see where Lawdawg agreed with Hoos for saying that he didn't see any6thing wrong with people wanting to try these?

Show of hands from people that believe that smokeymo shouldn't try hard to find blends!!!


No one... we are just giving our take on them. Feel free... go out and buy. We applaud that kinda stuff.

 

[lawdawg]

You are missing the point amigo.
Everyone's tastes are different? yes or no?
IF yes, then your opinion matters relatively little with regards to someone else's taste. IF that person hasn't tried McClelland, then it should be up to them to decide whether it is super magical or not.
This is an exercise in putting yourself in someone else's shoes. I don't know how this isn't getting home to you

Not really. Got no idea why you're being so combative about this anyhow. I'm not arguing with you about anything.

There are a lot of pipe smokers who have been around long enough to see a lot of blends come and go, and see the hub bub around them rise and fall. This thing with McClelland is what happens every time a good blend (or blends) go off the market, which is the point that pretty much everyone is making.

But do go ahead and try some McClelland. I particularly miss Frog Morton Cellar. Christmas Cheer is great too. IMO the ~$100 going rate for these tins is not unreasonable, and would be worth it to try either. Just know that there are a lot of blends today that will be unicorns tomorrow, and don't forget to consider the readily-available future unicorns while chasing the old ones. That's really my point.

 

[smokeymo]

You are arguing with no one!!!
Did you see where Lawdawg agreed with Hoos for saying that he didn't see any6thing wrong with people wanting to try these?

Show of hands from people that believe that smokeymo shouldn't try hard to find blends!!!


No one... we are just giving our take on them. Feel free... go out and buy. We applaud that kinda stuff.

Right. But you didn't answer my question:

Is making comments like "you can buy them at the premium, but I wouldn't touch it above retail?" helpful or encouraging or "applauding"? I certainly don't see it that way.
And of course you wouldn't buy it at a premium, you have pounds of the stuff because you were lucky enough to be smoking when it was readily available. Plus you have a formed opinion of it. Others don't have that luxury.

Then when I say, "some of us have to pay premium if we want to try it," the response is "no you don't HAVE to"
lol yea we do...

I feel like I'm repeating myself here and nobody is understanding lol. I don't mean to come off combative, I'm trying to encourage some empathy. It doesn't seem to be working.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Right. But you didn't answer my question:

Is making comments like "you can buy them at the premium, but I wouldn't touch it above retail?" helpful or encouraging or "applauding"? I certainly don't see it that way.
And of course you wouldn't buy it at a premium, you have pounds of the stuff because you were lucky enough to be smoking when it was readily available. Plus you have a formed opinion of it. Others don't have that luxury.

Then when I say, "some of us have to pay premium if we want to try it," the response is "no you don't HAVE to"
lol yea we do...

I feel like I'm repeating myself here and nobody is understanding lol. I don't mean to come off combative, I'm trying to encourage some empathy. It doesn't seem to be working.

You need our affirmation? Ok, go buy them.

Am I missing something? Is there a hidden camera in here. Is Allen Fundt going to jump out in a minute?

 

[mingc]

Show of hands from people that believe that smokeymo shouldn't try hard to find blends!!!

?‍

We all know he's the only one who's missed the boat! I, for one, am not going to send him pity-freebies!

 

[smokeymo]

You need our affirmation? Ok, go buy them.

Am I missing something? Is there a hidden camera in here. Is Allen Fundt going to jump out in a minute?

You are missing basic reading comprehension. Nowhere did anyone ask for affirmation. I'm asking you to not be a pretentious dick, and yet with every post you continue to do it.

Let's see if being more straightforward helps.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Is making comments like "you can buy them at the premium, but I wouldn't touch it above retail?" helpful or encouraging or "applauding"? I certainly don't see it that way.

But, I don't think anyone who says these things cares. Do what the hell you want.
I mean, I don't care. Am I supposed to make doing silly things like smoking tobaccos that are over priced seem more logical or appropriate. Ha ha, you have been around here for a while right. There is nothing logical nor illogical about this hobby. I paid two thousand dollars for a fucking pipe! Fucking shoot me in the head, ha ha. I dedicated $300 a month to stocking up on tobacco... this alone makes me ineligible for most life insurance policies and excludes me from a lot of public offices. But, we do this shit because we can, not because a bunch of people are going to pat us on the backs.

Enjoy yourself. Have fun in ways that says "fuck you" to the world. Screw what everyone else says. Being a pipesmoker (period) makes us fucking nuts to the rest of the world, but who cares?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I'm asking you to not be a pretentious dick, and yet with every post you continue to do it.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

You want to spend several hundreds of dollars on a blend, and your feeling are hurt by people saying they have some and wouldn't do that, and I am the pretentious dick. What, are they spraying pesticides again?

Besides, I was not being a dick. I was honestly trying to resolve and help.
Now, I understand that there is just something wrong with you.

 

[Chasing Embers]

But I'm not going to sit here and tell people who haven't smoked Esoterica how I won't touch the stuff if it's above retail because I already have a closet full at home. Why would I? What good does that do? It is pretentious and makes other people feel silly for spending the money to try something they never have.

You don't have to pay above retail for anything Esoterica. It often sits for weeks and months on B&M shelves because online availability has made many believe there is a limited supply and those same smokers will shell out hundreds of dollars for the same gold bag that is collecting dust on a physical store's shelf with a $40 price sticker. If you feel you must pay a cellar's worth for a single tin of something just because someone told you you should, more power to you but we were just trying to help. Welcome to the ignored list.

 

[lawdawg]

But, I don't think anyone who says these things cares.

Bingo. In addition to not caring what blends people choose to buy, most of us who have this stuff in our cellars don’t care all that much about having them either.

The whole “I wouldn’t pay above retail for it” thing for the most part isn’t intended to be a “nah nah-nah nah-nah nah! I got the rare blend” brag at all. It’s more like “yeah it’s good, glad I got it while it was cheap.”

In other words, if you buy the good stuff that’s around today, down the road you too will have the unobtainium unicorns... and you probably won’t care all that much about them.

I have quite a few McClelland tins and haven’t touched one since probably last year, not because I’m saving them in particular, but because I’ve been smoking and enjoying other stuff. The McC’s will be fun to dig into over time, but if I had $100 to spend right now, I’d rather get 7 or 8 current tins than one FMC or Christmas Cheer.

 

[Chasing Embers]

It’s more like “yeah it’s good, glad I got it while it was cheap.”

Yep

 

[karam]

I’d rather get 7 or 8 current tins than one FMC or Christmas Cheer.

Always my point of view, in addition to not missing what I never had And not being a serious Virginia appreciator.

Seriously why does it always go like that with McC? That or why they didn’t sell their recipes, older members must be terribly bored!

Why chase something hard to find, pay through the nose, and have to do it all the time with a finite supply if you get hooked?

In the end, what each of us does with their cash is their business.

 

[karam]

Excuse us for wanting to try some of the most reputable tobacco in history. Guess I'll go buy some C&D since it is more readily available.

Gawith says hello

 

[lawdawg]

Always my point of view, in addition to not missing what I never had And not being a serious Virginia appreciator.

Seriously why does it always go like that with McC? That or why they didn’t sell their recipes, older members must be terribly bored!

Why chase something hard to find, pay through the nose, and have to do it all the time with a finite supply if you get hooked?

In the end, what each of us does with their cash is their business.

I've always had some curiosity about older blends. It's just like wine connoisseurs who enjoy drinking aged bottles of fine red. I have never paid above retail for a tin for exactly the reasons you mentioned, despite always having some interest. Now, I've been smoking long enough that I just happen to have expensive sought-after blends in my cellar. Funny how that works out over time.

I am interested in trying some old stuff. On the topic of McClelland, I would like to try one of the McCranie's. The godfather of unobtanium out-of-production blends would be the Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture from the 70's. Also on the short list is old Edgeworth, and Murray's and pre-Murray's Dunhill blends.

That said, I'm pretty damn happy with Gawith, Capstan, and GLP, so I just tend to keep sticking with them. I'm pretty sure a number of the blends I regularly smoke today will be venerated in the future once they are no longer available, or changes are made to the blend, etc.

 

[karam]

I've always had some curiosity about older blends. It's just like wine connoisseurs who enjoy drinking aged bottles of fine red. I have never paid above retail for a tin for exactly the reasons you mentioned, despite always having some interest. Now, I've been smoking long enough that I just happen to have expensive sought-after blends in my cellar. Funny how that works out over time.

I am interested in trying some old stuff. On the topic of McClelland, I would like to try one of the McCranie's. The godfather of unobtanium out-of-production blends would be the Balkan Sobranie Original Smoking Mixture from the 70's. Also on the short list is old Edgeworth, and Murray's and pre-Murray's Dunhill blends.

I asked my Serbian in-laws to get me some Sobranie cigarettes, they are amazing, easily the best cigs I ever had. I offered some to my mother, when she saw the box she cried “Ahhhh Balkan Sobranie! Everyone smoked it in Paris” (she lived in Paris in the mid 70s), i said to her “if only you happened to save a tin”

 

[mingc]

I asked my Serbian in-laws to get me some Sobranie cigarettes, they are amazing, easily the best cigs I ever had. I offered some to my mother, when she saw the box she cried “Ahhhh Balkan Sobranie! Everyone smoked it in Paris” (she lived in Paris in the mid 70s), i said to her “if only you happened to save a tin”

The black ones? They were delicious. But not as delicious as Three Castles, which you had to roll yourself!