This is still a fairly robust VaPer with the addition of some fine orientals. Interestingly, the orientals settle differently in this blend. Instead of melding perfectly with the VA's and perique in the original, they get more feisty here as the bowl progresses. The overall strength of this blend is sure to please those that find McClellands VaPers on the lighter side. Burns well with appropriate drying time and definitely smells closer to an Ashton blend than the typical McClellands. I'm definitely going to pick up more tins of this to see how it ages. It's very good.

Again, I'm glad newer smokers have a chance to taste this recipe. But as much as I hate to fall into these cliches, I'm also glad I have a lot of the original, which replaced Escudo in my rotation in the '90's. This one, as good as it is, falls a couple of skyscrapers short of the original.

Oh...and I had to laugh at the guy that whined about the tin graphics and lamented that he got confused in trying to read the text printed there. Oh my. God grant that we be so spoiled by the goodness of the blends we try that all we can find to complain about is the tin art! What a world!

Alas the original is gone! So let's deal with Pebblecut in its present form. This is still a very good, solid tobacco blend displaying sufficient richness, sweetness, balance and complexity. I am willing to recommend it, but it just doesn't quite "float my boat". And, of course, I admit to being somewhat jaded by my appreciation for the original.

There is another McClelland manufactured blend that contains similar components (VA/Oriental/Perique) that I would recommend over Pebblecut--Butera's Royal Vintage Blended Flake. (Blended Flake incorporates Red Virginia and Pebblecut uses Bright Virginia and undoubtedly the proportions of tobaccos in the two blends differ as well.) But I very much prefer Blended Flake (it deserves a 4-star rating) over Pebblecut. And Blended Flake has remained consistent in quality over the last decade or so.

Pebblecut Revival arrives at the perfect moisture content, is easy to pack and light and burns wonderfully down to the bottom of the bowl.

Are you a VA/Per fan? Well then, here you go pardner!

Over the last year or so, I have lost my interest in English and Balkan mixtures and have discovered a preference for VA/PER and BU.

This is a nice discovery. I have placed an order of a dozen tins or so of different tobaccos (1 tin per brand)and, so far, have been seduced by Brown Clunee, The Malthouse, Christmas Cheer and now, Pebblecut.

Until now, I have smoked either VA/PER or VA/DFK/PER. So Pebblecut is a first for me in its genre.

The PER is present and detectable, the VAs just a little sweet anf the presence of Orientals bring a clear spicy addition that completes very well the 2 other players. These last are detectable right from the start.

Just be careful because this broken flake can bite if pushed.

I believe I will rebuy a cellar a fair quantity.

The presentation of the tobacco is beautiful. A partially broken flake that rubs out with ease. Lightly colored variations on a caramel hue. Small dark flecks throughout. The tin moisture is a bit much for me, but with a minimum of airtime, this is resolved.

Packing is easy. Lighting is just as easy. It takes to the match as you would expect of a quality leaf. The smoke is a luxurious and bright blend of mainly high notes. Sharp and tangy with just the right amount of dark low background to round out the experience. The deeper you go in the bowl, the darker it gets and the more satisfying.

The flavors are a symphony. They change very subtley but noticably as you smoke. Instead of the concentration that you normally get toward the end of the bowl which can sometimes be off-putting, this intensifies more in complexity. A truly wonderful experience to be sure.

I'm happy to have found another McClelland that I like so much. There are only a handful of them that qualify for me. My mission now is to explore more of these old Ashton blends. I'm sure I will be as happy with them as I was with this one.(Fingers crossed)

As far as the tin goes, I just didn't have that much trouble reading it. I do have new bifocals, so maybe some glasses or a new prescription Zulu...lol Besides, the tin language is available above. No need to struggle with the tin itself.

Happy smoking.

The tin itself is an odd creation--a reissue version of the old Ashton line, it's barely readable. Under light the aqua coloring and sparkles crassly mix with black lettering, which has easily flaked off the tin. The description is typed in tiny letters with a sharp slant, covering nearly half the tin. By the time one makes his way to the end of a line all hope is lost of continuing. I know, it's an odd thing to complain about, I apologize, and the smoke isn't compromised by bad typography, obviously.

When lit, Pebblecut isn't as sweet as Tudor Castle, but seems to have a marginally greater strength, or maybe not (I could be imagining this). Sunday Picnic definitely trumps both on the strength factor, by a considerable margin. She can burn hot, and I've found the best smokes coming from larger pipes, particularly my Tinsky bulldog, which tends to afford my best smokes. I can get her to go for a good half hour, which isn't bad considering the fast pace at which I puff. I like to smoke Pebblecut when throwing the ball around with the dog. The slower burning broken flakes easily lengthen an already pleasurable experience, and by the final puff my dog's ready for other things, my arm nicely worked.

I love the old Ashton line (in contrast to the newer candy coated offerings), and lamented its demise, recalling well those dedicated few who fought hard to keep Old Dog, among others. I haven't found a stinker among the handful of blends I've tried, from the Englishes (Old Dog and Celebrated Sovereign) to the Virginias (Black Parrot and Pebblecut). I'd like to compare the new and the old, and I suppose I eventually will, when I get around to picking up another tin of Celebrated Sovereign. While some lines have thinned over the years, McClelland grows and grows. Please don't stop.

Four of Five.

I first smoked the KK version from Germany and always enjoyed it. When the product was withdrawn from the U.S. market McClelland beagn manufacturing the Ashton tobaccos inluding Pebblecut and I then smoked it every once in awhile. This new incarnation tastes very similar to their original taste profile.