After years of smoking other, more developed virginias and Vapers, this one is best reminisced about rather than smoked. I found its sweet/sour taste offputting and bland in comparison to its stablemates Hal O' The Wynd, Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie, as well as other blends from different blending houses. Aging does not seem to serve this blend well, either, as a 14 year old version added a bit of of a soapy taste - kind of like sucking on a dryer sheet. I am mixing this with straight perique to see if I can spice it up a bit and tame that sourness.

Not recommended for my own smoking but somewhat recommended for those who like a very mild smoke and one that has no pretensions of depth or complexity. Good for those starting out on virginias as a teaser to show them what lies ahead.

Now manufactured in Germany, I find this little changed from when Rattray actually manufactured this in the late sixties. Some have remarked that this may be a "starter" Virginia and that may be true; but I have stayed with it all these years. If you have the luxury of an well aged tin of this flavorful treat then you will have truly found your reward. This is in my Golden Circle and remains a delight.

Do Clunees come in other colors than Brown? What the hell is a Clunee? For that matter, what the hell is a "Gowrie"? Let's all lobby Rattray for some nice young Gowrie.

Ps: As this is really drying on the palate-it is fantastic with tea. It is 'the lemon' in my tea so to speak.

Brown Clunee is a mild, ready rubbed VA flake that's easy on the tongue and perfect for anyone seeking a mild, easy burning, all natural VA blend.

I let it dry out before I smoke it - I take a large clump out of the tin and spread it out to dry for at least a day - after that, it's perfect. You can either rub it out further or just load the thick strands right in your pipe - either way works great.

BC has superb burning qualities (after the dry out period) so be careful to puff slowly, although personally, it's never bit me even after some moderately agressive puffing.

This is not a complex blend, but it is a great blend - perfect for the warmer summer months. Within the genre of mild VA blends, Brown Clunee easily earns Four stars.

This tobacco is like Hal o' the Wynd in flavor, but with the mellowness of Old Gowrie.

I get so many different taste impressions from this tobacco, it is amazing. Raisins, nuts, licorice, and of course, sweet Virginia. If you take your time and go slowly, they will reveal themselves to you. My favorite mild Virginia.

I like to smoke this in a large Canadian billiard. This allows the flavor to intensify. Simply scrumptious.

All the Rattrays lose a star from me, as they are all far too wet, and the tins have a surprisingly small amount in them. I love the flavor, but value wise, they are lacking.

Fantastic Virginia, starts mild and easy- builds to a rich almost spicy sweet. Deserves a home in your cellar. Almost meaty spicyness,smooth.Cant smoke it daily.

I packed Brown Clunee into a favorite VA pipe and found what can best be described as "unremarkable." I experienced the same results with two other pipes. And then...I found a smoke equal to Rattray's Hol o' the Wind, Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie.

This one deserves your attention if you like Virginia's.

Good on its own, I also find this works well also for blending (such as mixing 50/50 with SG's potent Brown Rope #4).

As a low-strength, easy-smoking VA, this would be a good "beginner " VA, as other reviewers suggested, but I think alot of its virtues would be appreciated best by a more experienced VA fan.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Not quite as rich as Marlin Flake or Old Gowrie, mostly broken, almost fully rubbed out flake.

Packing and Lighting: Easy to pack, a little moist upon opening tin. After a couple of weeks, it dries sufficiently to loght easily.

Initial Flavor: Pure, light VA with high notes immediately the focus.

Mid-Bowl: Not much change, high flavor notes recede a little.

Bottom of Bowl: Nice, round, mellow VA flavor with the typical sweetness.

Overall: This is very good "entry level" VA blend. It is easy to puff away on without much needed focus to get flavor and keep tongue-bite away. Leaves a fine grey dusting on bowl when done. Unfortunately, I have been spoiled by Marlin Flake, so this one won't be in my rotation. I will, however highly recommend to those beginning to tread the water of VA's.

Rating: 4 out of 5 points

Aroma: Great aroma of stoved Virginia, hints of chocolate and raisins.

Packing: Can be packed as is into medium or large bowls, or rubbed out for smaller pipes. Lighting:

Initial flavor: Starts very mild, slowly increases in flavor to a medium level of intensity. Good sweetness from the Va. leaf, and some depth added by the stoving process.

Mid-bowl: Straightforward simple Virginia flavor. Lighter than its cousins Hal O' the Wynde and Marlin Flake, with nice layering of tastes. Not as complex as other members of the family, but this one could be the "all-day smoke". Can be enjoyed with morning coffee, and continued through the day. Maybe too light for the evening, when I enjoy a more full bodied blend. Burns cool and dry at any reasonable smoking pace.

Finish: Well behaved right down to the end. Leaves a clean gray ash.

Summary: An excellent mild to medium Virginia, strongly recommended for the novice or the veteran.

Upon opening the tin, I got the definite impression that I was in a barn filled with fresh hay. The taste is also somewhat grassy - but in a rather pleasant way if you don't let this tobacco burn too hot.

If you enjoy Virginia blends and have patience with your puffing cadence, here you go. If, on the other hand, you want something a bit gentler on the tongue, look elsewhere. Brown Clunee will not ever find its way into my tobacco cellar, but I can't say it was an unpleasant smoking experience at all.

The tin aroma is very nice, and like most Va's it reminds me of a freshly mown field. It puts me in a slower-paced state of mind, and helps me to relax. So from the opening, BC has something good going for it.

On the initial bowl, I thought, "Where's the flavor?", but I had been smoking Penzance and Abingdon for the last few days. Once I re-programmed myself, I was ready to start smoking BC for real.

The initial light-up brings forth a very light and airy, slightly sweet flavor. By mid-bowl, the flavor has gathered itself and becomes darker, sweeter, yet with a hint of bitter undertone. The flavor never becomes anything approaching bold, but it is definitely a solid Va taste. Nuances are VERY subtle, but they happened consistently and in different pipes. Otherwise I would have thought them not even there. Sweetness and a natural 'grassy' flavor combine to give a hint of spice, sometimes a fruity raisin-like flavor.

BC burned well, and left the pipe dry. Note that I did dry it some. Also, I found that it stayed lit better when rubbed out just a bit more than the way it comes.

One odd thing - when smoked with coffee, it seemed to me that the coffee overpowered the flavor and detracted from the experience. However, when smoked later in the day with Coke, the two seemed to complement each other nicely. (I warned you it was odd...)

Smoked outdoors, BC fades - I prefer it indoors. It has such a light room note that you can smoke inside without fear of the family assaulting you with cans of Lysol.

Belated a bit, but none-the-less HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!!! Let's make this a great year, and as Mauri Tombari would say, "Mellow puff and dry ashes," and may God bless..................

A broken flake of high grade Virginias (I think some of it honey-dew processed), Brown Clunee is a mild tobacco only in appearance. Easy to pack, I usually find my self needing two lights to really get it going. Smoked slowly, tongue bite can be avoided.

This tobacco is so rewarding for me, that I keep a medium sized Brebbia Dublin devoted to this blend alone.

A sweet virginia scent, with a dark, slightly sour, smell that, along with the uniform darkness of the ribbons, tells we that this blend was aged, probably in pressed cakes.

Upon lighting, I discovered this to be a very mild virginia blend. That means that caution must be exercised to keep my greedy self from puffing too hard and turning my tongue into something resembling fried chicken.

The first third of the bowl is mostly uneventful, but with a slight deepening of the virginia flavors.

The second third sees the virginias start to really come alive, and by the two-thirds mark, it has developed into a fuller, richer smoke.

The ending of the bowl is very pleasant, with the tobacco quietly going out, leaving only stark white ash, and a mild nicotine buzz to remember it by.