McClelland No. 22

(3.25)
A balanced blend of Eastern and Middle belt Virginias aged in cakes to develop their natural sweetness. A zesty tobacco with rich undertones, coarse enough to smoke on windy days outdoors, but easily rubbed out to suit any occasion.

Details

Brand McClelland
Series Matured Virginias
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By McClelland Tobacco Company
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Broken Flake
Packaging 50 grams tin, 100 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 to Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.25 / 4
22

18

6

2

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 48 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 10, 2009 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Nice looking mottled flake. This one combines natural VA sweetness with some mild zestiness. As mentioned by others, hard to get lit and needs some drying time. This one worked best for me with a decent amount of moisture content left - not dried to tinder. I preferred its taste that way, even though it didn't take a light as easily as I'd like.

Great flavor development down the bowl! This has a nice combination of high and low notes, whereas I found #27 to excel at high notes and #24 to excel at low notes. I suppose my taste must be in the lower, darker notes as I prefer #24 and Navy Cavendish to this, and this to #27. I haven't smoked #25 in years so I can't comment on that one yet, although I have a tin simmering.

Of the ones mentioned above, this one might be the best at the balancing act. It's a no-nonsense virginia that does everything right in the flavor department, not trying to do too much or too little. It's just right! I like this one but I prefer a little more "naughtiness", which is what I get from #24 and Navy Cav. Still, this is a high quality, good tasting straight VA and deserves a try.
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 19, 2003 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
Supple and sweet Eastern and Middle belt Virginias aged in cakes to develop their natural sweetness. And yes, the zest of the Bright leaf employed does add rich undertones of joy! This one is made to age beautifully, and the 20-year old tin that I smoked was absolutely sensational.

Well, it did burn well, too.
10 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 06, 2001 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Similar to, but more full-bodied than, McClelland #2010, this is a very unique, very American (in the good sense)bright Virginia blend. It is a pure-form tobacco, without flavoring, steaming, maturing, stoving, pressing or anything else that I could detect. It doesn't get fancy with red and black Virginias. It is simply a delicious, naturally sweet, zesty, tangy, toasty, refreshing, yellow/bright Virginia. It carries McClelland's signature ketchup/vinegar tin aroma proudly, plus a grassy, hay-like undercurrent. The room aroma is rich without being heavy or dark, lively but with substance. It goes without saying that something this bright and sweet can smoke hot unless slowly drawn, but for those who keep the rate down (or especially those who use the "Breath Smoking Technique"), the smoking experience is magical. The lemon-y zest keeps you honest! Only #2010 comes close in character (I find the often-compared Ashton Brindle Flake to be distinct from #22). In summary, the top range is the distinguishing feature of this blend, but is nicely supported by a toasty mid-range that grows richer and more predominant as the bowl progresses, in a wonderful way. The bass range exists more as a side-effect of the mid-range, and some might find this to be a distinct disadvantage. I don't, because the rest of the blend was so engrossing that I didn't notice the lack of lower tones until I actively began to look for them. If you are in the mood for a snappy, flavorful, tantalizing smoke, McClelland #22 is for you.

(PS - A year of aging puts this into another universe, increasing the rich, smooth & sweet elements while decreasing the bite danger.)
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 31, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
This is a really flavorful flake. Very clear raisin/fig notes with a little sweetness and a touch of spice. A nice tartness as well. It's been so humid here that I haven't been able to dry any out, but it smokes just fine straight from the tin. A little stubborn on the light. Might take a few matches. This is well rounded in flavor and is very nice by itself. I think it has a future as a blender too.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. If you like straight Virginias give this one a try.
Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 26, 2012 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
McC #22 Virginia … A tasty, somewhat rubbed out Virginia flake blend of the best of America's Virginias. The moisture level is about ideal, but I aired my tin out some, maybe just from habit, but the result was a real decent smoke. There was some sweetness and a good measure of that milder smooth Virginia tang. Due to the coarser texture, I found bowl packing can be a little tricky unless rubbed out some, but overall IMO #22 is a real keeper. I found this tobacco bite free, with only a bit of the typical Va. tongue tingle, but overall a easy going smoke. For those reasons this tobacco (IMO) could be candidate for as all day smoke, but I save this blend (and others) for my evening smokes, when I have time to get into my sip and taste mode. For those that enjoy the taste of a straight aged Virginia, I sure would recommend you try this one.

P.S. This blend is not without use as a blender.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 23, 2012 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
As per usual, McClelland produces another great VA. Tin note is of course the ketchup/vinegar smell, which of course does not carry over to the smoke.

This one is probably the most unique VA I've tasted. It changed a couple times throughout the bowl. About mid-bowl or a little after mid-bowl, the flavor became very rich and was probably the most multi-dimensional flavor I've experience in a VA. It was sweet, a little leathery, floral, some sort of spice, and of course a little hay-like all at the same time.

Another thing to notice is the room note. I usually don't care about this, as I smoke on my commute to and from work, or while I'm reading outside on the porch or deck. But I had smoked this outside at a friend's house, and another friend, who actually has an allergic-type aversion to scents, liked this smell on me. Also, I will try to occasionally get a clue at the room note simply by smelling the bowl while I'm smoking -- probably not the most accurate way. However, this one smelled great when I did that. Just sweet and slightly floral. I don't like floral tasting tobaccos (see: Lakeland), but the slight floral notes I've mentioned in this review are not like that at all, so don't be turned off when you read that if you're like me.

Overall, this is a great VA. Maybe not the best, but it definitely gets four stars so far from me. Let's see if it stays that way throughout the tin. (And, of course, as per almost all McClellands, a couple days of waiting after you open it is best.)
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 23, 2010 Medium Very Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Another of the blends I have been puffing away at, and meaning to review. Why haven't I? It hasn't moved me. There is absolute;y NOTHING wrong with this tobacco. I enjoy looking at it, touching it, smelling it, and smoking it. Would I go out of my way to buy it again? MAYBE. It's of the "can't hurt to have some on hand" class of straight VA's.

It is a very pretty, slightly broken, fairly thick cut flake presenting a wide range of colors from bright yellow to dense umber. The moisture was pretty close to spot on when I opened the tin( about 2 years old). I just crumble/fold some chunks into a pipe, rub a few strands out as kindling for the top, and light'er up.

The smell I find to be hit or miss based upon my mood, the weather, the alignment of the stars, and the timing of an obscure geyser in Iceland. Some days it smells EXACTLY like A1. Yes, A1 steak sauce, which paradoxically is the WORST thing anyone can do to/put on a steak. But it tends to work here. Whether this is the result of actual spicing used in the process, or just the result of these particular leaves and the chemical reaction which they present when dosed with the vinegar-voodoo juice at Mc C's, it lingers in the room note. Not bad, just different. Some of it comes through in the taste, but not much.

There isn't any bite, but there is a bit of a peppery tingle and spicy undertone. Almost all of the proper Virginia flavor and aroma components are there, but it never really grabs me and demands that I smoke it. Toffee, caramel,buttery pastry, it's all in there. No grassyness, no hay, no citrus. I wish it developed more, then I would have more to say about it.

I still have a tin of No. 25 on the shelf, dated May of 2009, so I have something to look forward to. It may be the family member that floats my boat.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
al1
Dec 13, 2008 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
This one is good if you are looking for straight va taste without much else but good high end flavor. I like the flavor. I do find it more enjoyable outdoors. I agree with another reviewer it needs drying as do all the tobaccos in this series. When properly rubbed and dried it lights and burns ok but harder to light than average.

Not as memorable as #27 but a good smoke for those prefering the high clean end of va flavor spectrum. A good one for those new to the flakes I think. It is nowhere near as touchy as #27 but it has nowhere the flavor or kick either.

Not for me too often but it is good for those liking this sort of flake.

Room note was commented to me to smell good, something like pastry in the oven or toaster. This was said by someone who is sensitive to stinky blends.

Update: I am turning to this and #24 much more often lately. I love #27 but I disagree with the tin label that #27 is a great all day smoke. This blend is much more tameable and less quick to hurt your tongue. #27 is so good but it requires too much pampering to get a great smoke.

I got sent a savinelli 804 canadian instead of the pipe I ordered from the store and that by chance was one of the best mistakes ever made. That pipe is proving itself to be a great smoker- one of the best ever up there with my ardors. This blend and other va's are sublime out of this pipe. In fact it is one of those that I think would smoke anything well. My point- this blend shines in a pipe that suits it.

Second update: This lost it's 4th star after I found the wonderful world of Greg Pease tobacco's.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 18, 2008 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
This is a reference tobacco. It is coarsely cut and pressed into flakes that can be rubbed out or simply wadded up in a Frank-type side-pressure spin into the bowl. This tobacco is very similar to 2010, perhaps it is a longer aged version as some have suggested, but I detect richer notes from this than 2010. Both are very lemony with bright citrus notes - but only in the right pipe and at the right burn rate. When it burns too hot (and it can if you?re not careful!) burnt rubber notes can be gleaned, which I find to be generally true of the lemon virginias. No one likes that! But carefully smoked, this stuff is just marvelous, rich mahogany malty bass notes with a citrus top end. It took me awhile to notice and appreciate the citrus notes, in part because only a few pipes bring it out, in part because I wasn?t tuned in to the flavor. It?s best for me in a tall somewhat narrow bowl with a long draw or cooling stem of some kind (I just made a pipe of pyrolytic graphite that works very well with this). I call it a reference tobacco because it is the old style, old breed, simply prepared without additives, of very high quality.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 30, 2022 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Unnoticeable
Hard to believe that it has been four years since McClelland closed up shop. My journey with my unopened tins is slowly coming to an end. I had about 19 tins ranging from 10 to 20 years old that sat on my self over the years. I have 8 tins left until now when I decided to open and share this one with some of my club members last week. I will be moving out of state and that is just as good excuse as any. The tin code on this is 220500. 22 years. Upon opening the tin, my eyes gazed upon the broken flake covered with microscopic glistening sugar crystals like diamonds. The trademark vinegar smell is still alive and well in this tin but have noticed like they usually do over the past week in the tin the vinegar smell has waned. Lights fairly easy and for want of words has a rich spicy taste to it with an occasional sweet spot hitting the mark every once in a while. Like just about everything McClelland produced this is a fine quality, Virginia. I enjoy this most in the evenings while drinking my coffee. The next stop on my journey will be Bombay Court, an Oriental with a dash of Latakia. That is about 13 years old. Part of me just wants to open the rest soon in the next few years so I can get it out of my system and be able to enjoy these before I go to that big pipe cloud in the sky. 😊
Pipe Used: Altinay Meerschaum Poker
PurchasedFrom: JR Cigars
Age When Smoked: 22 years
3 people found this review helpful.
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