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skeeter456

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 28, 2017
590
1,444
35
Plattsburgh NY
There are some tins in my cellar which I purchased from various pipe shops in the early nineties--mostly virginia/oriental blends, of which I was fond in my youth. Among them are eight assorted McClellands. I popped this tin a week ago, and moved it into a mason jar. After 33 years, it was still damp (feels more oily than wet), so I dried it out a little to burn better. A good smoke.

"McClelland Oriental Mixtures are made from the finest, delicately sweet Virginia and Carolina leaf blended by hand and carefully seasoned with rich Latakia and rare, naturally aromatic Turkish and Greek tobaccos."

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McClelland made perfect tobacco! Did we take it for granted? I think i did.
 

hoipolloiglasgow

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 14, 2023
570
4,129
United States
McClelland made perfect tobacco! Did we take it for granted? I think i did.
Wasn't that big of a deal at the time. Of course they had their fans and Christmas Cheer has always been popular. Now though, with its dissappearance and the age factor making those Virginias talk it, is much more desirable. And yes, I took it for granted too.
 

Professor Moriarty

Can't Leave
Apr 13, 2023
466
1,380
United States
McClelland made perfect tobacco! Did we take it for granted? I think i did.
In 1974, Carl Ehwa, Jr. published The Book of Pipes & Tobacco which reveals his expertise on tobacco and blending.

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McClellands was founded by Carl in 1977.
Carl's remarkable wife, Mary, provides an excellent history here: https://pipedia.org/wiki/McClelland_Tobacco_Co
(this link works only partially, not sure why, just click on "search for this page title")
Before the Internet, we got our news from Tom Dunn's The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, and communicated via snail mail.
I was a big fan of McClelland blends.

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sean.

Lurker
Feb 6, 2024
26
87
New England
In 1974, Carl Ehwa, Jr. published The Book of Pipes & Tobacco which reveals his expertise on tobacco and blending.

View attachment 294961

McClellands was founded by Carl in 1977.
Carl's remarkable wife, Mary, provides an excellent history here: https://pipedia.org/wiki/McClelland_Tobacco_Co
(this link works only partially, not sure why, just click on "search for this page title")
Before the Internet, we got our news from Tom Dunn's The Pipe Smoker's Ephemeris, and communicated via snail mail.
I was a big fan of McClelland blends.

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Thanks for sharing this history. I would love to study that book!

Your link didn't work because it's missing a period at the end

This should work: https://pipedia.org/wiki/McClelland_Tobacco_Co.
 

jbfrady

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 27, 2023
705
2,965
South Carolina
I took a few blends I'd never tried to the Muletown show this past weekend and shared a bit. I've already cleaned out the 2017 Davidoff Flake Medallions or I'd have posted it.

Here's a 2014 tin of Bjarne's Flake de Luxe I cracked open. Still at least half full.
 

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tmcg81

Lifer
May 8, 2020
1,033
16,156
NJ
Popped a tin of Star of the East Flake from 2/4/20. Smells absolutely incredible. Ive smoked my fair share of this blend, and ive got a bunch stashed for the future. Excited to try it with a little bit of age on it. I've got two 8 oz tins that are a few years older waiting in the wings. I'm going to let this sit in the jar for a few days before i dig in. I can't wait.
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VDL_Piper

Lifer
Jun 4, 2021
1,500
14,609
Tasmania, Australia
Popped a tin of Star of the East Flake from 2/4/20. Smells absolutely incredible. Ive smoked my fair share of this blend, and ive got a bunch stashed for the future. Excited to try it with a little bit of age on it. I've got two 8 oz tins that are a few years older waiting in the wings. I'm going to let this sit in the jar for a few days before i dig in. I can't wait.
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I smoked some of this the other day that has some age on it and it’s been sitting in a jar for a few weeks as well and it was very good. There was a sweetness there that I’d previously missed, assume it’s the orientals providing that but golly it was good.