McClelland - Matured Virginias: Navy Cavendish pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 48 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
JimInks	01/27/2013	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
It does need some drying time and you will need to break up the flake a bit. I enjoy this more when I sip it and don't puff like a train. I like the tangy Virginia taste and though some previous reviewers question the amount of rum in this blend, I can taste it. It's sweet and a little spicy. I've been smoking a few rum flavored tobaccos lately, and they have a similar taste to this one. The rum is not overpowering, but is complimentary to the tobacco itself, and perhaps that is fooling some reviewers. Really, it doesn't matter because this is a nice change from the heavier mixtures in my rotation, and I think it's worth having from time to time.
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JustOneforMe	05/08/2012	Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant
Objective: Very wet tobacco, but drying was not a problem. Mild to moderate amount of smoke delivered (Not a good thing, desire more). Price within reason. Packed well, lit well and smoked nicely to the bottom of the bowl. Subjective: This was a nice smelling blend in the tin, but that did not translate into the smoke. I found the aroma to be off-putting and the taste to be somewhat chemical like. Not a mixture I will be revisiting.
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Elkhunter	03/27/2012	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
I have smoked this blend for a few years and seem to crave it after I have not had it for awhile it is indeed sweet and tangy and the rum comes into play often in the taste.NC has always seemed to find a way into my rotation.Flakes require a little more preperation when smoked,this one needs to be dried. I have had it desert like and it smoked and tasted great,smoke it too wet and it will bite bad. A solid 3 Stars,consistent over the years
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Capt	03/26/2012	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I remember the days back when I was unable to smoke many McClelland Va's due to tongue bite. Come to find out, it was all operator error. When I slowed down, sipped and properly dried and packed their Va's, most if not all, are pure nirvana now. And This blend is no exception! Reviewer DK (below) is the one who turned me onto this blend. As he states, if you can make it past the first few puffs, this is an extraordinary blend. Tangy in the tin, without a lot of rum to speak of, but you should be able to find it mid bowl, as it doesn't come right out. One key tip I can offer, when it comes moist in the tin, a bowlful for 10 seconds, and 10 seconds ONLY, in the microwave dries this to smoking perfection, ready to pack and light. Paired well with a Founder's Breakfast Stout.
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rramstad	01/04/2012	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I had the good fortune to enjoy a sample of 1995 McClelland Navy Cavendish recently. I was surprised at how good it was. I don't generally like "cavendish" blends or blends with rum added, but I found this to be a smooth smoking well behaved nicely integrated Virginia with lots of body and good flavor. (The only reason it's not getting four stars is that I can't vouch for the regular non aged version, and I didn't get that many bowls of the aged, so I can't provide a definitive opinion... except that I enjoyed what I smoked!)
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SteelCowboy	12/13/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This review is based on a tin from 2005 that had been kicking around my cellar for the past year. Each time I returned to it, I found that I liked it more and more. The dark flakes remind me of Dark Star in appearance. I choose to rub out the flakes or smoke them chopped. I find that I like it chopped better. There is a tangy sweetness that I really enjoy. Like some of the other reviewers, I found it difficult to detect any rum in the blend. It has either dissipated with age or it has been added with the lightest of hands. Being a bit of a puffer, I was pleased to find that it can be pushed a bit without any bite. The flavors are pretty straight forward without a lot of complexity. Navy Cav is a little light in the strength department for my taste and that would be its downfall for me in terms of future purchases. However, fans of matured Virginia’s should give this blend a try. Recommended
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Kilmarnock Piper	11/18/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Wasn't sure whether I believed this was a cavendish; not what I usually think of when I hear that term, but a more experienced pipe smoker has assured me that one could call this cavendish by strict definition (along with a lot of other blends we normally think of as matured or stoved Virginias). I like it. It reminds me of the others in the Matured Virginia series, and that is not at all a bad thing! My tin is from 2006. It is nicely aged at this point, and I can hardly taste the rum. It just adds to the matured mellowness. There may be a certain astringency here (but no bite) beyond what one finds in even the typical McClelland Matured Virginia, but it is not as overwhelming as something like Black Parrot (Ashton). The attractive flakes are more complete than the usual broken flake one finds with this brand, but they are not perfect flakes. Who cares? I break up all my flakes! All in all, any lover of Virginia Flake (especially the American classics produced by McClelland) will be happy to have this fine offering in their cellar. I find this makes a great blend 1:1 with SG FVF.
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TK Pipe	08/20/2011	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
McC Navy Cavendish … This one smokes too much like a cigarette tobacco (Camel) for my liking. I found little stand alone taste/flavor in this blend, except when fully inhaled. Many seem to love this tobacco, maybe for that reason, but for me I want a blend not so dependent on being smoked like a cigarette, to find satisfaction. For that reason, this one is off my list of expectable pipe blends, and I can only somewhat recommend it to others.
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carolina kid	05/31/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I smoked from a 3-year old tin. Although this is a quality tobacco, there's nothing much to get excited about. Very basic Virginia flavors, more hay and grass than dark sweetness. The dark rum casing doesn't impart much in terms of flavor, but it may account for the subtle sweetness in the tobacco. Overall this tobacco is pretty bland, even with careful smoking technique. McClelland's Matured Virginias series offer better alternatives. Again, not a bad tobacco, but with so many better ones out there, I don't recommend it.
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Ibitz	05/07/2011	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
Something different for me. At first I was not too thrilled, but this one is growing on me. I think anyone who tries this has to give it a chance. A bit hard to light (two matches at once solves that)and it definately needs some finger work to loosten it up really good before packing. But all well worth it. Burns nice and slow. Good flavor. In fact, a very complex flavor. becoming a favorite of mine.
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McAdder	11/03/2010	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I was having no luck with this tobacco until I read Gordy's review, and you know what? Using a coffee grinder I had around the house did the trick. I shredded it to about the consistency of Prince Albert, which worked wonders for this product. The flavor is ketchupy/grassy. The room note was not that remarkable really yet it wasn't unpleasant. That's really the only way I can describe it! It's good. I won't buy it again, but it is nonetheless an exceptional smoke. And it does the trick when I am in the mood for a Virginia. Although I would rather smoke Escudo or perhaps some Wessex Brigade Classic VA.
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Coltrane	10/16/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
I bought a tin of this blend from Grant's in San Francisco to compare to Mac Baren HH Mature Virginia. This blend; in my opinion, stomps the Mac Baren. It is not full bodied but has a pretty descent flavor component to it. I rub it out and let air dry for about 30-min and this blend smokes like a dream. Has some nice buttery notes and even hints of caramel to it that builds up to the rum on the lasting finish. I recommend this blend for seasoned and even some newer smokers as well. I feel it is a good blend for English blend smokers who dabble in Matured Virginias now and then.
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CenTex	10/13/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I cannot give this one a wholehearted recommendation. I bought a tin over a year ago and after a couple of bowls, shelved it. Recently took the tin down to give it another try. Still smelled strongly of barbecue sauce. Rubbed out easily, lit easily, but just not much of a flavor. Not worth the price, I would save cash and just go with smoker's pride black cavendish. Perhaps I just don't have the palate to appreciate this blend? Tried this blend again. Tin has been sitting for over two years. Barbecue sauce smell is gone. Smoked in a meer churchwarden and had terrible tounge bite. Changing my rating to not recommended.
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Ryepipe	09/14/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Old smoker but relatively new to VA flakes I ventured a tin of NC. Lit direct from the can my tongue cried for spare parts. Essence of roof tiles, I dialed up the Review to see if I had missed something. Reviewer DK hit it on the head. Four days later drying out on a paper it transformed itself to something resembling pipe tobacco. Still the initial light harkens to the urinary tract infection dance, on my toes wincing. It does settle down, I didn't get any rum hit at all. FYI, I do smoke blends with VA, even beefy Stonehaven. I need to live to be very old before I forget this one. (I'm working on it...)
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paulw	07/24/2010	Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium	Strong
Not a fan of virginia's used to like lane's oriental cavendish,this was strong all around, my wife smelled the first wiff and that was from inside our garage outside of the house!The blend reminded me of a reasonable escudo loved the rum casing!
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Marshall Law	06/14/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Not much flavor or interest here. The rum-like casing/topping detracted from the virginias, rather than enhancing the flavor. This mixture irritates the back of my throat slightly, and is not easy to light. MEH. Not my thing.
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joseph	05/26/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Some of the reviewers find this a bland tasting tobacco, while others praise this one for its full and rich taste. I have had both experiences and think I can tell you why. Normally (with the other McClellands Virginias) I smoke more or less straight out of the tin. When the tobacco seems a bit moist I dry it for max half an hour. Doing so with NC I found it a nice but rather bland tobacco. Then I got on car holiday for a week, and found it uncomfortable to take the 100 gr McClellands tin with me . I put 50 gr in a empty smaller tin of another brand, Rum Flake (Gawith). I didn't finish this thin in the holiday week and forgot about this tin and its leftover content(20 gr approx.). After 2 months I discovered this almost empty tin again and decided to smoke the leftover, which had turned incredible dry (seems that the tobacco dries much faster in traditional tins than in the Mc tins, with plastic lid). I was rewarded by an incredible tasty full-flavored tobacco. So the trick is (and some other reviewers pointed this already also out): this tobacco should be consumed very very dry, just take it to the point that it is as hard as stone. Then sip very slowly, and you will be rewarded......
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Sinister Topiary	05/26/2010	Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Strong
I agree with the previous reviewer, Davetopay: not bad. It's not a bad smoke at all -- typical McClelland quality. But there's nothing special about it, nothing to make it stand out. I, too, had difficulty discerning much flavor in it. A quality smoke, yet a bland one. This one's not for me.
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Davetopay	05/14/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Not bad. That's not meant as a knock on the blend, I am actually enjoying smoking it a good deal.It's just that it doesn't stand out and declare it self when matched up against other navy blends. This tin has several years of age on it, and smokes very well. Dry, cool, little bit spicy, but I keep thinking about PS Luxury Navy Flake and how if I had to chose one to buy ofrever and a day, I'd go LNF. That being said, this is good stuff and is worth trying if you are looking at getting into the world of Navy Flake. The presentation is a broken flake, fairly soft when compared against some others, and easy to break up and load. It takes a light with relative ease, and burns cleanly to a nice ash. Only problem is, the flavor is a little weak for me. I like a baccy that will jump up and kick your tastebuds in their collective asses. Not so much the case here. In fact, I found myself getting a bit of bite due to my over puffing to try and pull more taste out of it. Therefore I give it 2 stars......pushing toward 3...but not quite.
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Michael	04/01/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I tried a four-year-old tin of this, and recently heeded DK's advice by smoking a bowl after a nice steak dinner with a glass of porter. This stuff is delicious (as is Sierra Nevada Porter, by the way.) It is rich, tangy and sweet, with the Jamaican elixir releasing a dash of flavor as pleasant and welcome as a light Ocho Rios breeze. This is a well-behaved Virginia that didn't bite once, even when coaxed, and the aged tobaccos were never overwhelmed by the added flavoring. Do not mistake this for an aromatic. I consider it medium across the board, because it has depth, gains momentum and maintains my interest to the dottle, compared to other Virginias I've smoked, which tend toward blandness and grassiness. Navy Cav starts slow but will reward your patience; some relights will be necessary, but it won't frustrate you like Dark Star. Ya mon!
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 48 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >