McClelland M-40 Rum Toddy

I'm old enough to remember my dads smoking Sir Walter Raleigh in a nice oval tin, and thinking that was really neato. Had a leather pouch and a cheap pipe rack by his easy chair. Of course i remember My Three Sons on B&W TV with "dad" smoking a pipe. Lots of men smoked pipes and they would buy Kaywoodies, Yellowbowl, and other drugstore pipes, some with filters, and "drug store" tobacco. Drank Folgers coffee from a percolator coffee maker. There wer neigbourhoods and everybody went to church Sunday morning in our "go to church" suit. I went through a phase of "discovering" English mixtures and couldn't imagine smoking that nasty aromatic stuff in my Castellos and Savinellis. Got tired of the whole yuppy thing and quit. A new pipe store opened up recently and i wandered in and bought a corncob pipe, a box of matches and some bulk aromatic tobacco. Guy tells me it is McClelland Rum Toddy M-40. Smells great, like rum, and smokes smooth and tasty and doesn't bite my tongue. Maybe i'm just getting old, but this takes me back to simpler times and life was fun. The room note is definitely aromatic, but not overpowering like Capt Black, lights easily and smokes smooth with not "goop" at the bottom of my cob. So for less than a Jackson, i'm smoking again and loving it. My fave pipe is the Country Gentleman from Missouri Meerschaum ($11.50) and this great tobacco for those of you with a memory wehn we had atomic bomb drills in school. It only comes in bulk so you don't have to buy a lot of it to get a good try. Mary McNeil of McClelland is sensitive to nicotine like i am so her mixtures won't ake you head off like some of the stronger tobaccos, like the original Three Nuns. I've added town Topic to my mixtures (maple flavour) and think i hae finally found a recipe for smoking bliss.

McClelland put together a nice aro here. The rum albeit very slight balances nicely with the mixture. There's plenty of nuance and flavor during this smoke from beginning to end. The honey provides for a soft and pleasant experience on the draw with a subtle sweetness and the orange an added nuance on the back end of the smoke. This aro provides a nice sensation of flavor in the smoking experience from all aspects which makes it a great aro imo. It does not have an overwhelming flavor to take away from the tobacco which again makes it a quality aro. It has a nice aftertaste. Smells great in the stache reminding you of a good smoke. An enjoyable experience without the goop and overpowering flavoring some aros apply. For a change of pace, I would highly recommend this one for a try. Nicely done...

This is a pretty good smoke. The underlying Black Cav and Virginias are of good quality and the flavoring is sweet and tasty. I only get a vague sense of a rum flavor and I can't say that I get orange or pineapple. I can get the honey. In spite of the flavors being hard to identify it tastes very good. It's very smooth and burns cool as long as you don't push it. It's a solid blend.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Mild in flavoring. Burns like a charm.

This review is based on tobacco that I purchase about 12 months prior to the review: I smoked it both new and aged; my first attempt with this blend was with a small meerschaum; this led to frequent relights - I just could not keep the pipe going long enough to enjoy. Switching to a larger GBD led to a much more enjoyable experience. Once lit, Rum Toddy burned well. The unlit tobacco has an attractive aroma, and the smoke itself has flavor, but I was not personally pleased with the taste. I had no issues with tongue-bite. The aftertaste was also mild and not altogether unpleasant. The room-note is distinctive, some might really enjoy it, I find it a bit strong - it is not often that I get a strong scent in my own nose from whatever I happen to be smoking, in this case I did, and found that particular part of the experience a bit off-putting. I can see from the other reviews that this blend has its admirers, I will admit that it smokes well, it is however, not my cup of tea.

McClelland - M-40 Rum Toddy.

The blend contains about an equal amount of Virginia and black Cavendish. The moisture of it's perfect for me: a little moist to the touch but not damp. The pouch smells cased but not like a strong aromatic.

I find the current description a little misleading. The pineapple? Nowhere. It isn't an aromatic flavour-bomb, just mildly enhanced with additions. To me this has a slight Christmassy feeling to it, molasses, alcohol, and some fragrant honey; it seems slightly decadent. After a third, or so, I begin to notice a kind of herby/clovey note coming through. I don't get tongue bite and it burns well.

Nicotine: mild to medium. room-note: pleasant.

Rum Toddy? Three stars:

Recommended.

Interesting aromatic here. Rum toddy is....well just a surprise to smoke. Tin smells mostly of honey. Lights pretty easy and first puff or too are full of honey flavor and a light taste of rum. The honey remains but the rum turns a little fruity as you go through the bowl. Aroma is pretty light and the overall smoke is enjoyable.