McClelland P.M. Pipe

(3.08)
A full English Mixture rich with Virginia, latakia, perique and exotic Oriental tobaccos, designed for evening pipe smoking pleasure.
Notes: Alternative for Dunhill Nightcap. P.M. stands for "post meridiem" or after midday.

Details

Brand McClelland
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By McClelland Tobacco Company
Blend Type English
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.08 / 4
3

7

2

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 12 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 06, 2010 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
To me, a Nightcap is that final push over the edge, the last shot from a good night of drinking, it's one more cup of coffee, or that extra helping at dinner you should have probably avoided--it's crossing that line of moderation, just enough to know for certain that you're done.

So, in my opinion, if you plan to pay Nightcap tribute, you need to make your blend strong. I'm talking about nicotine, not fullness...there's a huge difference. Sure, there's more to Nightcap than the strength, but there are hundreds of English blends out there...and this factor seems to be an enduring quality often remarked of the original Dunhill. It's a defining characteristic that I miss often--a hard hitting English, preferably with a bit of Perique. I read through so many blend details and sample what seems like endless variations, yet always turn up underwhelmed. I mourn Nightcap, and didn't appreciate it much when I had the opportunity. I say that knowing some other classic blend will cease production in the near future and the sentimentality may then invoke the same emotion...such is the nature of our little sport.

PM Pipe tastes decent; there's nothing fundamentally wrong here. I'm not certain I can detect the Perique, if there is any, but it's all just very average. I expected more from McClelland, honestly. They are an excellent blending house, and I think they essentially just threw this out there to appease all the people bitching about the demise of stateside Dunhill blends.

It's difficult to make a strong English, and I say that because Latakia (the Cyprian sort) itself, while full, is not particularly heavy in nicotine--so you need to get the strength from a heavy Virginia, or some added Perique. Too much Perique, however, and you lose that English profile. I'm no blending expert, but all of this seems obvious--and if I'm wrong, please let me know. Anyhow, the strongest McClelland I've tried is 2015, which does have a noticeable Perique component, unlike PM Pipe. I suppose my point is that McClelland isn't the sort of company to make powerhouse blends, and PM Pipe is a reflection of that.

Having complained quite a bit, I admit that the one ounce sample I purchased is nearly gone...in about a week. That's relatively brisk for my pacing. I'm the type of guy that will bitch and moan about your cooking, then then go ahead and eat the whole damned platter, so yeah, understand that you may feel differently.

I hear Mr. Pease just released his own little tribute to Nightcap. For the love of God, please let it wreck my senses.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 03, 2013 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong
Well, it's there...The creamy, smokey, peaty mustiness of the Latakia...The sweet-sour tang of the Orientals...The spicey snap of the Perique...And the subdued sweetness of the Virginias as the base...You would think 'the perfect smoke'...Not quite...There's something missing...Maybe the Virginias are a bit too subdued...Maybe the Orientals instead of supporting and gently taming the Latakia run a little roughshod...Maybe the Perique doesn't cool the smoke as much as it should...I can't put my finger on it, but it's just not...Not together the way it should be...Still and all, a good but somewhat puzzling smoke...Maybe if it were cellared for a while...
Pipe Used: various for testing
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: smoked fresh when received
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 17, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
Among the many English blends I've smoked I'd place this one just above average. I find it just a shade weak in two areas. Needs a little more Virginia sweetness and flavor and a stronger presence of Orientals. Other than that, it's pretty tasty. The Perique is very much welcome here. It fills in some of the flavor gap. I guess I'm nitpicking a little too much. It's still a pretty good smoke.

Medium in body and flavor. Burns well. Worth a try because we all taste things differently. You might just love it.
Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh bulk
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 05, 2014 Medium Mild Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
Big fan of English and Latakia blends here. I'll give it one thumb up. Pretty good flavor overall, but the Latakia is a little too subtle for me to give it a score of 4. The blend of various tobaccos plus whatever they topped it with gives a nice plumlike sweet flavor. Uncle Nic is present but not obtrusive. This is supposed to be comparable to Dunhill Nightcap, but I can't comment on the similarity as I haven't tried that yet.
Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Meerschaum Lined
PurchasedFrom: BOTL Trade
Age When Smoked: Fresh
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 26, 2011 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
I just have to say that this tobacco is the first of many blends I've tried to truly "smoke down to the very bottom to a fine, dry, gray ash." As I've never smoked Nightcap I can't compare the two. On it's own I will say PMP is a fine tobacco that will find it's way into my rotation. A wonderful English style blend. Kind of coats the mouth, but nothing a hot Decaf doesn't take care of.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 19, 2011 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I'm a new pipe smoker-and even newer to English blends-so please bear with me as I attempt to describe what I taste. I'm very fond of P.M. Pipe. The flavor is full and very nice. I really enjoy the blend of Latakia and Virginia; the interplay between the two is quite compelling.

Perhaps this is due to inexperience, but I can't detect the Perique or Oriental, and as such, the blend seems somewhat one-dimensional. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and I can see myself looking for just this simplicity at certain times. In my limited experience, however, this is not a particularly complex blend, and would be more ideal for an evening of conversation than an evening of contemplation. I'll probably keep some of this on hand for those evenings when I want a lot of flavor without having to pay attention.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 15, 2017 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
McClelland - P.M. Pipe.

A medium size ribbon, with a good moistness, one or two stick-like pieces, and a far higher proportion of black to brown. The note from the pouch is typically English.

It's very well behaved mechanically, and gives a fairly cool smoke. I get quite an enjoyable flavour, one where it isn't only an English Lat-Bomb; the Latakia's flavoursome, but has a calmer character than is often found. The Perique adds a touch of extra body to the smoke, but seems stronger at the beginning of a bowl. To me, the Orientals take until a third of the way in to come through, they almost switch places with the Perique. And when they do come through I get a good hit of sourness from them. I find the smoke more enjoyable from here on. Also, around this point, a mustiness rears its head. P.M.P. doesn't bite me, whether sipped or stressed.

The nicotine? I find it medium to strong, with the onus being on strong, not enough to tick 'strong', though. The room-note's alright, I guess, but I'm not concerned about that!

This is good, but not worth quite enough to gain full marks.

Recommended.
Pipe Used: Markuz Puple Poker
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Two months
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
ATW
Jan 03, 2016 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
This is a good blend. Smokey sweet and creamy but every McClelland English that I have had including Frog Morton on the log is like this. They all have the same flavor profile but some different components amped up for each blend. This is would be exactly like 5110 if the Virginia was stoved. The perique needs to be amped up more. I want to feel and taste that pepper and have some nicotine.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 05, 2015 Mild to Medium Very Mild Very Full Tolerable
This stuff is very good, the closest I've come across so far which harkens back to the Murray and McConnell years when they blended Nightcap for Dunhill although not a dead-ringer: big, bold, upfront with some punchy peppery Perique, subtly sweet with some creaminess; heavily cased Cavendish. And some complexity if you're paying attention and your pipe is reasonably clean. Thankfully the Propylene glycol is dialled down a fair bit which is the case with many of the McClelland bulk/loose blends whereas their tinned ones apart from the Butera Blends are detrimentally swimming in the stuff.

Definitely works best in a large wide bowl which helps to spread out the flavours a bit more. Burns cool, very easy to pack and stay alight.

In my book head and shoulders above many blends both tinned and loose, the current tripe they reproachably call Nightcap. It's not the cheapest bulk blend out there, on par with Old Limey Bastard with the same level of quality and well worth it in my view, definitely a sleeper blend thoroughly enjoyable at any time . . . indeed early morning walks with my dog; peaceful and savoury.

Tastes great indoors or out, yet not a palate buster nor is Uncle Nic repeatedly throwing uppercuts to my noggin. Checks all of my boxes that's for sure, more pounds shall be added to the cellar.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 19, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
A Lat forward medium English with a healthy slug of Perique. The Vas in this are very good; sweet and citrusy. This tobacco is beautifully balanced and weighted, each of the components can be tasted and they also meld together into a harmonious whole. This tobacco is complex enough to focus interest. It is not a pack and go affair, altho its burning qualities are exceptional.

The Vas in this really do lift it above most entrants in this category, and the Perique is a bonus. Kudos to whoever put it together.

Minor negatives are some ammonia presence, possibly from the Orientals, and a slight, and I do stress slight, bitterness as the bowl progresses. I suspect the latter indicates a small proportion of Green River or other Burley, but that is pure guesswork on my part.

Well worth the purchase price and if it didn't suffer somewhat in comparison to McC's other offerings in the style, I would have given it 4 stars.
Pipe Used: Lepeltier
1 person found this review helpful.
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