Burn quality is fine, and I rarely need to relight this. It has the McC ketchup smell in the tin; as always, it never transfers to the smoke (it is exclusively a tin smell) and I've actually come to like it now that I'm accustomed to it. The only trouble I have is that, while I love the flavor of the tobacco, it is so soft that I'm inclined to puff too hard and get a touch of bite.

one char light, probably not needed but did it anyway--next light went almost all the way to the bottom with no problems--

nice light flavor--light on the latakia, but the orientals shone through, as well as the virginias--

i encountered no bite, but i believe it will do so if pushed--smoke this one slowly--

i like #1 as well as oriental #14--both will be stocked in what passes for my cellar

My tin from 1996 resembled the typical McClelland scent for the most part. It was covered in crystals. Very nice to look at. The smell was slightly different from those average McC blends.

I taste the VA and Oriental tobacs clearly, but for the life of me, I cannot taste the Latakia. The tin of tobac I have states that McClelland tobacs are make with VAs, Orientals and Latakia, but doesn't specifically state what is in No. 1.

In any case, I like this tobacco. It's a nice pipe for the early morning that sings of more floral notes and less smokiness one would get from an English or Balkan mixture.

My tin was 14-years old and the presentation at the match was lightly spicy. The smoke settled down as the Orientals faded and the Virginia leaf and Latakia were more pronounced from mid-bowl on down.

I admit it took me awhile to get through the 100g tin as I prefer a little more muscle in my smokes.

This mixture was wet, thus sticky and unsmokeable. Even after let out to dry, it was still hard to smoke.

Maybe a bad tin?

Packing: Packed very well.

First Impression: Not bad at all really. Not a heavy taste which is good because it was warm out.

Halfway Through Bowl: Started to become difficult to keep going. Smoke ran out too. Must be too much Va for me. Tongue started to get a little sizzlin.

End of Bowl: Dont smoke this one all the way down. Leave a little in the bottom or you get a nasty flavor.

Room Note: Smelled awesome

Likes: Good for a rotation to get away from English on occassion.

Dislikes: Va (or something) was a little warm on the mouth. Kept moving the pipe around to keep the bite to a minimum. I imagine if I smoked this in a larger pipe I wouldnt be able to speak for a day or two.

This is a good tobacco, but not sure its something I would stock up on. I wouldnt mind keeping a little around for every once in awhile, but I am sure there is something out there I would like better.

I found this one overly bland. The virginias were of high quality but the inclusion of orientals and latakia dulled the VA sweetness. The taste was somewhat ashy, as opposed to the "clean" taste of #6 and #8. The condiment leaf was more of a teaser, but it didn't make me want to continue. They became just a touch more apparent down the bowl but again, they actually subtracted from the blend.

Perhaps a good starter tobacco for the VA smoker that wants to dip his toes into oriental and latakia. I found this preferable to Dunhill EMP but not as fulfilling as Rattrays 7 Reserve (neither of which I'll probably ever smoke again - same with this one!). I'm sticking with fuller latakia mixtures when I go that route but if you're dabbling with latakia or you simply prefer a slight spice with your virginias, definitely give this one a try.

Edit 7-11-2012: I cracked a tin of 2006 not too long ago, and have been enjoying it. It is a bit too mellow and one-dimensional to be a go-to smoke, but I smoked almost half the tin pretty fast, so I think it could be one of those tobaccos that I could sometimes really be in the mood for. Lucky for me, I also have a sealed 100g tin from 2000 in reserve. I was right in my original assessment of the Latakia content: it is light, and reminds me somewhat of Rattray's Professional Mixture in that regard, though only in the application of the Latakia. The Rattray's Professional is an entirely different animal!

One last observation for now about the Oriental #1. Most McClellands I have had, especially the typical matured Virginia broken flakes, tend to get very dry and crunchy when I leave a bowl's worth in my drying bowl for a couple hours. This, for some reason, stays at about tin moisture even if I leave it overnight, which is ok, since I have no lighting/burning issues with it.

BTW, I have come to appreciate Latakia more by now, though I don't like typical Medium Englishes so much; now I like either the light touch found here, or a real mainline, such as is found in C&D Pirate Kake! I really like Syrian Latakia, but it is hard to find. I fairly recently reviewed Hermit Antique pressed Syrian Cake, and love the stuff: winey!

This would seem to fit the bill. When used as the label suggests, I find No.1 to be superb. Gentle Virginia, no bite, the merest hint of Latakia, some times there, sometimes not. I enjoyed every bowl. I admit that I wonder what it would be like with just a touch of Turkish tobacco though.

Packing and Lighting: My tin was a couple of years old, but still was a little moist upon opening, but lit up well with minimal relights.

Initial flavor: Red VA mostly, that is to say Bright!

Mid-Bowl: Orientals do peak their heads a little bit, but VA still dominates.

Bottom of Bowl: A little build up of strength, but nothing really rich, quite a bit of moisture is left at bottom of bowl.

Overall: This blend didn't do much for me, it actually bored me. It has too much of the high flavor notes with a little bit of spice from the orientals. This blend can and will bite if you are not careful! This is the last tin of this blend that was in my "cellar" and I wont be purchasing anymore.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 points.

It was well-balanced, and the leaf was obviously of good quality. The Va made occasional appearances and treated me to a sweet treat.

If you like your Oriental blends in the Light to Mild range, Mixture #1 may be just what you are looking for. It is very good tobacco in its own right, there is no doubt about that. If light is your bag, fill the bag with #1.

This blend packs and burns easily, leaves little or no moisture in the heel, burns to a grey/white ash.

Nothing of note to cite as far as the taste is concerned, sort-of, ehh?, is it over yet.

Might be a good intro to Orientals if nothing more.

Aroma: Smells like a Virginia of medium strenght and maturity. I cannot find Oriental or Latakia with my nose. Some vinegar smell.

Packing: Nice ribbon cut packs easily.

Lighting: Lights easily, sometimes on one match.

Initial flavor: There isn?t any flavor to speak of. I know it?s supposed to be ?lightly seasoned? with Orientals, but I can?t find them. Neither can I find any significant flavor of matured Virginias.

Mid-bowl: Just bland, and can bite if you?re not careful.

Finish: I was just glad to get to the finish, so that I could smoke something more rewarding. If clean ash were reason enough to smoke a blend, then this one would qualify. I can?t find any other reason to smoke it

Summary: Might be a good intro to natural tobaccos for the aromatic smoker.