McClelland’s Dark Star is, IMO, one of the great stoved VA flakes, distinguished from its peers by a stoving process that leaves the broken flakes nearly black and with a consistency similar to slightly old jerky. While it can be a challenge to rub out, it takes a light well and burns all the way down the bowl without a hint of bite. When I first smoked it in 2005, I thought it was a rich and mellow, slightly sweet smoke with hints of vanilla and citrus.
Now that I’ve reached a certain age (ahem), I’ve decided to finally start smoking some of the tins I’ve cellared. I decided to start with a 2004 tin of Dark Star, the oldest blend I have on hand. I thought some of the folks here might be interested in how this one has fared after about 18 years.
As I mentioned, because the tobacco is so heavily/thoroughly stoved, it’s nearly black to begin with. So it appears relatively unchanged in the tin after 18 years. Notably for a nearly 20-year-old Virginia flake, there is not even a hint of crystallization in the tin. (Again, I’m going to attribute that to the extensive stoving.) My assumption is that there was nothing left untouched by the stoving process that would have allowed for any meaningful changes over time.
That’s fine by me. I loved this blend when I smoked it fresh. If it‘s still the same experience after 18 years, I’m not going to complain! (Especially since it is now out of production.) For a broken flake, I was surprised to find so many whole flakes in this tin; I don’t recall ever seeing that in past tins.
According to my original 2005 notes, my TobaccoReviews review, and my memory of the fresh version, the tobacco really has not changed much over time. It remains a rich, mellow Virginia with a nicotine hit just short of moderate (at least for me). If anything, it’s actually just slightly less sweet than I recall it. But, my, what an enjoyable tobacco.
Given my experience with this tin, I would propose that Dark Star could probably go 50+ years in a tin without any trouble. While it may not improve much at all over that time, I think that’s beside the point: You’d be able to enjoy a (by then) long-gone blend much as it would have tasted when fresh. That seems a rare experience to me.
Here are some photos if anyone’s curious:
Now that I’ve reached a certain age (ahem), I’ve decided to finally start smoking some of the tins I’ve cellared. I decided to start with a 2004 tin of Dark Star, the oldest blend I have on hand. I thought some of the folks here might be interested in how this one has fared after about 18 years.
As I mentioned, because the tobacco is so heavily/thoroughly stoved, it’s nearly black to begin with. So it appears relatively unchanged in the tin after 18 years. Notably for a nearly 20-year-old Virginia flake, there is not even a hint of crystallization in the tin. (Again, I’m going to attribute that to the extensive stoving.) My assumption is that there was nothing left untouched by the stoving process that would have allowed for any meaningful changes over time.
That’s fine by me. I loved this blend when I smoked it fresh. If it‘s still the same experience after 18 years, I’m not going to complain! (Especially since it is now out of production.) For a broken flake, I was surprised to find so many whole flakes in this tin; I don’t recall ever seeing that in past tins.
According to my original 2005 notes, my TobaccoReviews review, and my memory of the fresh version, the tobacco really has not changed much over time. It remains a rich, mellow Virginia with a nicotine hit just short of moderate (at least for me). If anything, it’s actually just slightly less sweet than I recall it. But, my, what an enjoyable tobacco.
Given my experience with this tin, I would propose that Dark Star could probably go 50+ years in a tin without any trouble. While it may not improve much at all over that time, I think that’s beside the point: You’d be able to enjoy a (by then) long-gone blend much as it would have tasted when fresh. That seems a rare experience to me.
Here are some photos if anyone’s curious:
