Update: After finishing the tin I can say this was just great tasting. I found it smoked best in a large pipe Billiard or Pot shape pipe. The flavor really went up near the end of the bowl, where you didn't want it to end. Not as good as Margate or BS but close!

I loved the pouch aroma, smokey, sweet and spicy.

I would enjoy the first half of the bowl very much and then it would become too much.

I wonder how I would find it today? I read one of the reviewers saying it was comparable to Highland targe, I believe.

1/09: Note to self: thanks for buying up the last tins fro dealers for the cellar. Four years later, a tin retrieved and popped open this week has been the joy of the new year. This stuff aged wonderfully, becoming richer, more complex and aromatic in the oriental sense. If this combination of tobaccos re-emerge somehow, stock up.

Upgraded to 4 stars, as if...

Not bad considering that it's been sitting, unopened, in a box of other stuff from 5 relocations ago. Tin was bulging at both ends and made quite a fuss when it was opened. At first the smell was definitely more "odor" than "aroma", but with some air and fluffing out the leaf-lock, things in the olfactory department improved rapidly.

Fine ribbon cut, the individual leaves maintained their integrity quite well considering their long confinement. Short strands of gold, dark brown and almost black. Aroma became almost like that of an old Port, along with some well balanced smokiness. Pretty moist, all things considered.

Smoke was in the same genre as many similar blends, but more "Balkanesque" with the interplay of Latakia and Dubec. Virginias are both bright and deep in their flavors and aromas, and developed nicely as the bowl progressed.

Overall a bit disappointing, but my expecations may have been unreasonable. Stumbling on a long forgotten, almost 20 year old tin of tobacco while looking for an even older notebook can do that.

The Latakia used is a smokier Syrian leaf, rather than the more common Cyprian. And the Turkish leaf is the naturally sweeter Dubec. The Red Virginia, bright Carolina and Black Cavendish make it a fairly complex blend.

But the complexity does not come through in the smoking. The various components go together alright, it tastes okay and is a reasonably enjoyable smoke, but its too simple and unremarkable to warrant ever buying it again. I have little to say about it that is bad other than, as an English blend, it is a pale third-place finisher. If I want an English blend, I'll go with something that has a bit more character.

To date, the 24 reviewers, including myself, have given it seven 4-star ratings, and thirteen 3-star ratings, while only four have given it 1- or 2-star ratings, for an average score of 3.08 stars.

But boy-oh-boy, fire this tobac up in a bowl, and it has consistently wowed me with its smoking qualities: It has become one of my all-time favorites (surpassing even the fine blends named above) because it consistently draws smooth, tastes complex and spicy, and gives off voluminous amounts of delicious smoke that is nothing short of incense. Although its character changes throughout the bowl, it is always multi-dimensional and worth savoring. It burns down to a fine ash that allows me to clean my bowl with a simple inverted tap. Mmmmm, tasty.

If anyone can give me a line on where to find more of this precious blend, or identify a passable proxy, I'd be very glad for the information.

Celebrated Sovereign is a wonderful medium English blend that could easily be an all-day affair in this pipe smokers opinion. The Syrian latakia, once again, makes all the difference between a good smoke and a truly outstanding one.

Its Appearance is much darker than most lat blends, likely due to the cavendish. Sovereign packs easily and will typically light with a single match. This blend is easy to smoke an entire bowl with no relights.

Full of character from the beginning, the flavor builds nicely throughout the bowl. Sovereign exhibits no propensity to bite, even when smoked aggressively.

My first tin is five years old so your mileage may vary. Still, the dozen I ordered recently were stamped '04 so I'll see what the difference is. Most pundits indicate the first year is the crucial one in the aging of this fine blend.

I have over 20 tins most from 2000 and 2003 cellaring as I have come to learn that it is no longer being produced- at least not by McClelland. What a shame too, gone the way of the Three Nuns! May it rest in peace.

This easily manageable blend is simple to pace and light. Keeping it lit and tamped is a breeze, and the flavor of the Syrian Latakia is superb, backed by the sweet Black Cavendish and Virginias. There is a tremendous, but not overpowering, amount of body, and flavor to this blend- the different varieties of premium tobacco make for an excellent affair of analysis and contemplation. Or if your bag is to vegetate while walking about that would work too!

I am- for the most part- a VA smoker but when I want to reach for something with Latakia in it my hand finds Celebrated Sovereign, or Syrian Full Balkin, another Syrian combination masterfully concocted by McClelland.

Highly recommended!

Steering clear of the wide bulk assortment, I checked the pipe tobacco tins to find a small collection of Peterson and Dunhills...and this. They had a ton of five year old tins from the Ashton line, dated to the year 2000. The clear plastic tin cover had darkened heavily and the tins themselves had a distinct cigar-smoke aroma. At nine dollars, I couldn't miss, so I picked up two--Celebrated Sovereign and Black Parrot. How could I pass up the opportunity to get some well aged Syrian Latakia and real Perique? It was one of those drooling impulse buys, I admit.

Compared to the other Syrian blend I smoked, Full Balkan--also by McClelland--this is by far the better tobacco. It's more rich and full, and the Syrian clearly shines through in contrast to its more subdued counterpart, Full Balkan. Full Balkan seemed to simply lack flavor, and the Latakia was rather tasteless, leading me to wonder the mystique behind the Syrian name. Although less pronounced than Cyprian, the leaf here shares the same smoky element, but there's a greater nuance in taste. It doesn't seem to rely so much on the smokiness but on the leaf itself.

There's a hefty variety of tobaccos in the blend, so the smoke doesn't get boring, although I can't say I was able to pick them all apart and distinguish one from another. If I can complain at all, it would be nice to have something a bit more heavy, but this will do fine. The trade off was well worth it.

3.5 out of 4

Also, I was able to try this for the first time from a good friend and I working a trade of some opened and aged tins -- Gary, thanks again!

I'll be honest, I purchased this one more for the name than anything, at first. This one surprised me though, with its rich, sweet, and spicy complexity. It does remind me of Brittish Woods and FMOTT by the same blending house though.Because of its spiciness, I usually do not smoke more than two bowls in a row, otherwise my taste buds are overwhelmed for anything else for the rest of the day. Because of this virginia component, you do have to puff a little slower, otherwise you may need the elders of the church to annoint your tongue with oil and pray for you, so enjoy with restraint. My tastebuds hhave gravitated toward other blends as of late, so I don't smoke this much anymore, but it is still a good English blend to try.

If your favorite blend is Nightcap, this will certainly disappoint you. But if you are looking for a great example of a well-balanced English blend, CS is worth your time and money. I find very few English blends that I would consider "complex", but this pulls it off, while simultanously being an easy smoke. Again, I would heartily recommend "air smoking" this, keeping it just above a smoulder.

It did smell a lil like McClellend upon opening the tin (that ketchup Virginia flake scent) and that brought a smile to my face. It looked darkish with "pebbles" of Virginia flake strands of cavendish? and other dark tobacco.

The actual smoking was like inhaling silk. I admit this was a very high quality of tobacco, and out did what I have been smoking by a good distance. If all things were equal I would smoke more of this but asdly it does cost quite a bit more so I will reserve for when I can fully enjoy all the wonders of this blend.

Tin Aroma: Smoky/Sweet and even a little cloying.

Visual: Lots of finely chopped black with some longer, thinner reddish brown strands and finally a smattering of larger golden/green clumps.

Texture: Although it was probably a bit moist on opening, it rattled in the tin, and in the hand it had a pebble like feel. Almost as if it had been frosted lightly.

Pack/Pipe: Due to the texture noted above, this tobacco seemed to resist conforming to the shape of the bowl, and I tended to use a strong hand when packing it, which gave me the best results. I don't know if I could pick a pipe that this performed best in. It was a very consistent tobacco, and seemed to me to be unaffected by the bowl variations of a number of different pipes.

Lighting/Burn: This was one of the more difficult tobaccos to perform a charring light to. It just did not want to fold into that flour like white-grey ash that lets you know the second match will send you to the bottom of the bowl. This blend often took three matches to get rolling well, and many times two or even three matches to finish the bowl. (Odd for me, I usually have no or one relight per bowl to finish).

1st 3rd: Tangy, smoky and sweet. This is a great "bright" english blend. As mentioned above, the tobacco does not seem to burn fully, and at first just turns into little black crunchy granules instead of gray or white ash. This made judging the proper time and firmness of tamping a bit difficult, which in turn probably caused the additional relights.

2nd 3rd: A bit of the brightness rolls off here, and I am left with a smoky sweetness, and little to no heat. The burn was usually a bit more consistent here.

Final 3rd: More of the same smokiness, and still fairly sweet. My tongue was usually shot by this time. I don't mean tongue burn, it is just that this tobacco left my tongue with the same feeling you got as a kid when you ate too much candy. (Like it has a coating on it). I imagine it is either the Syrian Latakia, or some type of leaf treatment.

Notes: Although my review was not an ovation, I was pleased with this blend, and have four more tins with quite a bit if age on them saved for the future. If you like McClelland VA's, and you are interested in trying Syrian Latakia, I highly recommend that you give this one a try.

Stogie rating of: Seven Heavenly Hoyos