McClelland Organically Grown Flake

(3.33)
The Virginia in this organically grown tobacco is of the finest quality.
Notes: Pipestud had mentioned the problem McClelland had with this tobacco. My understanding is that they were NOT forced to stop production; they chose to. Mike had procured this wonderful organically grown Virginia leaf and planned to tin and sell it as "organic tobacco," which it is. The problem arose because McClelland had processed it using the same machinery as was used to process non-organic tobacco. This is a no-no. No organic product may contain any trace of non-organics. So, Mike sent this out as organically-GROWN, which it was, but was so disappointed and disgusted with the Federal nit-picking, he decided not to pursue the issue further.

Details

Brand McClelland
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By McClelland Tobacco Company
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Broken Flake
Packaging 50 grams tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.33 / 4
4

4

1

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 17, 2018 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
The Virginia has a lot of grass, hay and some citrus, along with a light honey and sour note and a bare pinch of spice. The strength is just past mild, while the taste level is a step past that. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite, but burns slow and warm with a light rough edge and a clean taste. I suggest a slow puffing cadence. The flavor is consistent all the way through to the finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a few relights. Has a short lived, slightly bitter sweet after taste and room note. Could be an all experience for the undemanding smoker.

-JimInks
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 26, 2005 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
I am told McClelland's was made to stop producing this tobacco because of some silly federal law regarding the McClelland factory standards not meeting the Organic Laws -- whatever the heck that means.

And.....

In this case another goofy tobacco law did interfere with my pipe smoking hobby because this medium strength, flavorful blend was a very nice experience.

Oh well....at least I had healthy smokes.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 30, 2018 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
An interesting Virginia blend. The tin reveals broken, rust colored flakes, that excude a subtle fruity aroma. JimInks is right that smoking the tobacco, I detect hay, grassy notes, and a very subtle sweetness. This is not, however, a sweet blend, such as the matured red Virginias I prefer. The blend must be smoked ever so slowly to best appreciate it. A nice change of pace. I prefer sweeter, creamier reds. Personal preference, of course.
Age When Smoked: 2005
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 12, 2014 Medium None Detected Full Pleasant
I have just a few tins of this wonderful, different Virginia and enjoy it sparingly. It has a unique flavor and a grassiness to which some Virginia smokers object. I like it. Reminds me a little of deer tongue, a wild plant that is used to flavor some blends (but not this one). It must be smoked slowly or it will bite a bit. But, in a tall, slender bowl, it's a rare and wonderful treat.
Pipe Used: Connoisseur stack, Peterson 999, and others
PurchasedFrom: Can't remember that far back.
Age When Smoked: 12 yrs.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 25, 2005 Very Mild None Detected Very Mild Pleasant
Update: Just had to add that this is one of those tobaccos that drastically improves in flavor and natural sweetness as one reaches the end of an open tin. I've heard of this phenomenon but never experienced before so profoundly. The sweetness at this point rivals Christmas Cheer! Must find more, must find more.

Now this is a nice clean, refreshing virginia. If you can get your hands on a tin or two, the smoking experience is wonderful. Just the faintest hint of Mc "ketchup" smell when you first open the tin, but it dissapates rapidly. The smoke is simple but very nice with a natural sweetness. OGF DGT's nicely. OK, I've said "nice" several times; I guess that means something. Hopefully Mc will come up with an equivalent tobacco since I could smoke this all day long.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 29, 2004 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
When OGF was first released I bought a few tins. I opened one and found it a little bland. I stuck the rest of the tin in a Mason jar. After about 18 months I revisited it.

I find this has aged quite nicely. It's bright and pretty tasty. It reminds me a little of an unscented Lakeland flake, like Best Brown Flake or Bright CR Flake. It appears to be composed of lemon and other bright Virginias. I'd say it's most like No. 22, if I had to pick a McClelland blend to compare it to. If you puff too hard, it's bland and will bite, but at a slow smolder the flavor comes through.

It's really too bad the Feds stepped on this blend. Maybe McClelland could re-package this one and call it "Natural Flake". I will savor my remaining tins of this nice 'baccy. I buy organic foods when I can, not for the health benefits, but to support family farmers. I bet this blend would have had a small, but loyal following; I would have been one of them.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
OSR
Jul 04, 2003 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I say that I smoke this regularly but that's not the truth; Since it's not made anymore I smoke this sparingly but if they still made this blend I'd smoke it all the time.

Unlike other McClellands tobaccos this doesn't have the McClellands "smell" - no vinegar, ketchupy smell at all; Just natural tobacco.

This is fine leaf and smokes much fuller to me than other McClelland's Virginias. The smoke is consistent down the bowl and doesn't have that McClellands 'bite'.

Fine tobacco. I wish they'd make something like this and sell it without the "Organic" labeling..I'd definitely buy more.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 15, 2002 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
Another clue unfolds in the Mystery of the McClelland Ketchup Scent. This medium-brown flake (perhaps the lightest McClelland I've seen) is additive-free and it has _no_ ketchup smell! So it's safe to assume that the vinegary smell in all the other McC flakes comes from some kind of additive -- but what? Humectants? Some kind of topping? Do they use actual vinegar in processing their flakes? We may never know.

OGF also seems somewhat less astringent that other McC VAs, but it still can bite. It also doesn't have much of that classic woodsy-smokey flavor all other McC VA flakes have. To me it's a subtle VA, but it never fully bowls me over. Given its high price, there are a whole lot of other VAs I'd turn to first. But if you're seriously into organics (and you _smoke_??), or have craved McClelland without the ketchup, this flake's for you.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 16, 2004 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This can be a very tricky blend but with some patience and exploration it can be simply wonderful. The first step is to age it for a while. If you do not get this in the zone it can burn hot and have little flavor, if you find the zone with this it is realy good. I like to rub this mostly out smoke very slowly in a medium to large, clean pipe. The flavors are very clean tasting to me. The flavors tend to be on the brighter side of virginias and have at times a malty , lightly sweet kind of flavor. My biggest compliment about this is that the finish is wonderfully clean. I wish I could purchase more of this as it gets much better with age. Recomended if you can get this and have the patience to age it for a while.
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