McClelland Townsman Cavendish Blue

Mahogany brown ribbons that are incredibly soft to the touch and "puffy". The bag nose is of a very light maple and a whole lotta burley chocolate. This stuff is notable for its soft feel but is probably no softer than the average aromatic goop - it's just that goopers are so wet that you don't notice. This one feels very dry on the fingers. I didn't smoke an entire bag but got about 2.5 oz from a friend and finished it.

And it smokes very dry in the bowl. I'd guess this is mostly burley and Maryland with just a spot of Virginia. As Maryland is hard for me to pick out in a blend due to its bland character (it does provide good burn rate) mostly what I taste is burley with a very light casing that does indeed taste like maple. It's presence is noticed up and down the bowl but it doesn't intrude on the tobacco taste. I wish it were a little heavier! Comparing this to McClellands own Town Topic, this is more lightly flavored and the tobacco taste comes through. And therein lies the problem. The tobacco is far from the finest burley available. Granted, McClellands isn't known for their love of burley leaf, but this stuff doesn't taste top drawer to me. I think it's reasonable to believe that less than stellar leaf is great for blenders to use for their aromatics (not all tobacco suitable for purchase can be outstanding and there are uses for mid-quality leaf) and this blend solidifies that belief. So I wish they had used a bit more casing. Then again I have a problem with the PG that most U.S blenders use on their heavily gooped blends. As a result, I'd like to taste this blend with a better grade of leaf. So it goes. 😉 Anyway, this one is hard to recommend except to those who enjoy heavily cased blends that might like to see what's underneath with a less-flavored tobacco. I was disappointed in this one.

Unfortunately for Townsman Cavendish Blue, it very naturally begs comparison with Cornell & Diehl's Autumn Evening (AE) and comes up short by that measure. So, to be fair, I begin by trying to pretend that AE isn't out there.

Townsman Cavendish Blue has a very "fluffy" feel out of the jar: The tobacco is cut in long, broad ribbons that make it almost impossible to pack too tightly--go ahead and stomp it into a big-bowled pipe. There will be plenty of air gaps to allow for a burn that may even be too swift. A very pleasant, but mild, maple flavor dominates the smoke, with a generous burley background. This blend can bite, but only if abused. The nicotine level is moderate, so it's a good blend to choose if you'll be smoking multiple bowls back-to-back. The room note is quite nice. All together, it's a very social tobacco: Pleasant and unchallenging to both the smoker and his/her guests. As such, I am comfortable giving this a 3-star rating.

As stated above, it is rough luck for the townsman that Autumn Evening is out there! AE is everything the townsman is but ramped up. I don't want to turn this into a review of Autumn Evening (which I have already reviewed), so I'll keep the comparison very brief. I currently have open jars of both of these and find that I only reach for the townsman when I think that AE's nicotine content (which is significantly higher than townsman's) might be too much for whatever I have planned next. But Townsman Cavendish Blue is a fine tobacco that, taken on its own merits, deserves some attention.

Bravo...Bravo!!!!...McClelland has pulled an english smoker into the world of aromatics. I have always associated aromatic caviandish blends with "drugstore" blends...meaning; good smell, stale taste, and zero nicotine. Townsman does indeed smell great in the 8oz bag I have...while a wee bit moist, the tobacco packed easy, and smoked even, dry and cool to the bottom...and though this wont give you a nicotine blast, it does have a certain kick if smoked before breakfast. I was surprised that the taste wasnt over powered with Maple, due to the smell...but the maple seemed to drift in and out, and lessen throughout the bowl...I was also very surprised with a nice taste of Virginia late in the smoke. this tobacco smokes great in pipes of any size, I smoke it in my big carved meer, and the room note is a very inviting aroma in my opinion. I dont think I'll ever be an aromatic smoker, but when I do, this is what I'll smoke. cheers!!!

I had been eyeing the packages for the Townsman Cavendish blends for quite some time. I do like a lighter blend in an extra large bowl, and the reviews for these blends did say they were light in character. I decided on Blue because I like maple. I found this blend too wan for my taste. I agree with the other comparisons to Autumn Evening from this site. Townsman Cavendish Blue suffers by comparison. The maple flavoring isn't as maple-y, and the tobacco don't have as much of a flavor either. I found myself puffing harder and more frequently, which left a bit of a burn. There's nothing particularly bad about this blend, but there's nothing grabbing me by the taste buds either. I will probably use up what's left from my purchase in one of my all-day-sucker-sized large pipes. Even extra light blends have something by the bottom of those bowls.

I have been fortunate enough to have managed a swap with a kindly gent in the States.

I still feel I got the better of the deal. I traded some truly ghastly Petersons University Flake for several ounces of this gorgeous tobacco.

Gorgeous it is too. The aroma is sweet and unquestionably rich maple. The tobacco is equally rich, dark, ready rubbed, soft and moist. It's unlike any of the blends I've tried in the UK. Got a totally different feel to it.

It's doesn't need drying out, either. You just want to cram your bowl full of it and light up time and time again. It's certainly very moorish. The maple taste remains throughout the bowl.

Leaves very little debris ; the bowl/stem can get a bit syrupy though and needs a damn good clean afterwards.

Don't know what I'll do when this runs out. Can't get it in the Uk. What a swiz.

Edit ; this blend keeps really well. Months later I still have 50g, although I now find it a bit sickly.

I'll make this review short. Didn't care for this one. The quality of the tobaccos seemed lacking. The maple flavoring seemed almost undetectable to me. It's harsh and burns the ol' flapper quite a bit. I cut it with a goodly amount of McClelland's VBC that made it much more tolerable.

Thanks but No Thanks on this one!

UPDATE: 12/19/08

They say time heals all wounds and in many instances it also improves pipe tobacco. This is indeed the case with this blend. After searing my tongue several times I put this away for awhile. On a whimsy I decided to give it another go. The bite and harshness are gone and this has become at least fairly smokeable. It hasn't transformed into a wonder blend but I will happily smoke the rest. That being said I wouldn't purchase it again. There are too many others I enjoy much more. I am raising my rating to 2**

This tobacco smells awesome out of the pouch, smokes great,easy to pack,no tongue bite, burns to a nice white ash, wonderful aroma,can burn hot.Tends to leave my mouth a tad to dry for me.People love the smell they say it's like maple syrup and pancakes.There may be better blends out ther but this is worth a puff.

I love this tobacco. It smokes a little hotter than a lot of aromatics. I think it would make for a great transition to more robust tobaccos. I really don't pick up a strong maple flavor that others have. I highly recommend it.

This has a delightful, nutty maple aroma in the bag. Unfortunately, it doesn't taste as good as it smells.

Not bad by any means, but not on par with C&D's Autumn Evening which has a better maple flavor and uses better leaf.

* * 1/2

I almost never smoke full aromatics but when I do this is one that I reach for with gusto! I LOVE MAPLE! This is a very MAPLE tasting tobacco. It is not nauseatingly sweet but pleasantly rich and creamy, like a maple candy. I have smoked C&D's Autumn Evening and I feel this is better suited to my tastes although others may disagree. Autumn Evening is a Red Virginia with a casing. This to me equals HOT! Not terribly so but still hot. TCB is Burley and Virginia with a sweeter casing. This makes all the difference to me. A real crowd pleaser on the room note. It is also very delicious in the bowl. Never hot,always sweet ,and so satisfying for the calorie conscious like myself. A full endorsement here for the maple lovers of the world.

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UPDATE

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4/04/07 It loses a lot of flavor after being open for a time. 2 stars now.