McClelland - Oriental Mixture No.14 pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 34 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Mr. Big	02/11/2013	Mild	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
Not bad , but not interesting, very one dimensional. I find myself puffing harder than I should to get some flavor. I have to agree with the "Master Reviewer ", "Pipestud" from some 25 reviews back on 12/10/2003
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monbla256	12/17/2011	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Having been a pipe/cigar smoker since 1969 a lot of smoke from many blends has passed over my tongue and this one has become one of my favorites. About 10 years ago I put the pipes away and went solely with cigars and this is a review of one of 5 tins of this I put away with several tins of Dunhill I had bought 12 years earlier. The aroma of the freshly opened tin was one of very full spicy dark Virginia's and Orientals. No "ketchup" smell some have talked about ( but I never smelled it back when I smoked fresh tins of this before) just a nice spicy full tobacco aroma. The color of the belnd had darkened to where there was not as much varigation as I recall in a fresh tin. It packs easily and when the match is put to it, you are rewarded with a nice full blue smooth smoke which continues thru the whole bowl. Because of the predominence of the Virginias it does burn a bit warm if smoked to hard. Take your time and be gentile and it is a wonderful, full,rich, spicy and flaverfull smoke all the way to the bottom. The Orientals do lend a nice spicy tone to it and after aging for 10 years, the Latakia is very nice and smokey without intruding into the overall smoothness of the blend. I originally bought this blend as an alternative to my daily smoked 965 at that time and I'd have to say I could smoke this one all day with no regrets! Keep in mind, I'm reviewing a 10 year old tin of this and I have 4 more to go before I would have to open a new one so I will buy some more and let it age before I get to it. All in all, one of the best blends of McClellands I have smoked. I HIGHLY recomend it!
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Peppino	08/26/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
#14 is a little lighter than I expected I was hoping for a Bailey's Balkan flavor. This is short on the orientals and latakia, there's just not full enough for my tastes. Still a nice blend that burns well and leaves a nice gray ash and has a nice sweetness from the virginia's to it.. Just wish it had more of a kick, it is has a nice cut and moisture content.I would say try some it's worth a it, seems to fit well in the hot summer days, when other's maybe to heavy for the season. I find it to smoke best in a medium to large pipe. I smoked my 1st bowl in a small Dunhill and was not thrilled but going to a larger pipe gave the tobacco a chance to open up. Still not Bailey's but a lot better smoke.
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Capt	08/12/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
There was a reviewer somewhere here that said when you review Oriental blends, you must remember they are not full English blends. That is one piece of advice I would like to pass along. Perfect moisture out of the tin. My tin is dated 04/08 and I opened it in 02/11. Light on the Latikia, it is blended perfectly with the black VA's and Orientals. This is a great change up blend for those who smoke a lot of English. I like smoking these Oriental blends to transition from summer into fall, and winter into spring. Paired well with a Bin 27 Port.
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whitebriar	08/08/2011	Mild	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
#14 was the right moisture content right out of the tin, no added drying necessary--packed and lit well--burned throughout easily-- smoked relatively cool, although i believe it might bite if you don't approach it with care-- the flavor was a mild oriental, light on latakia, but very tasty-- it will remain stocked on a small supply--
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Davie Jones	05/02/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Very nice smoking mixture, with just enough Latakia that is well balanced by the Black VAs and orientals. A tiny too sweet at times because of the fair quantity of Stoved VA, but worth the try. An excellent offering from McClelland whose tobaccos, I find, are better suited to my liking and taste than C & D or G.L. Pease.
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Fife&Drum	12/27/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This has become a solid all day smoke for me. It's balanced between all three components. I would like a bit more Orientals to enhance the butteriness of the background flavors, but, never the less this is a very good mixture. It has the standard moisture of most McClelland blends and could be dried a tad to enhance packing and lighting, but it's not an issue for me. I don't consider this a "sweet" blend as others have indicated. It does have some sweetness due to the natural properties of the tobaccos themselves, but I wouldn't call this sweet by any means. This blend falls in the same flavor category as Frog Morton's "On The Bayou", or "On The Town", without the Perique. Also this is the medium version of Pease "Westminster" in terms of flavor. It gets spicier further down the bowl. The cut is relatively the same as the above blends as well. This is a go to blend and will be in my rotation always.
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Claudius Stradivarius	07/25/2010	Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
As pointed out by other reviewers, this mixture is very sweet. But it is also spicy and smokey. Despite a fair amount of Latakia, the orientals and stoved VA are still detectable. It has to be fairly dried out to smoke well; the darkness of the tobacco might make it hard to keep lit. Still worth it, by all means.
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N.D. Burns	04/28/2010	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I had begun only smoking aromatics. Swearing up and down that I wouldn't like non aromatic tobacco I decided to try this. I loved it. It was very smooth with an almost creamy taste to it. A perfect stepping stone to get a taste of a non aromatic without being overwhelmed. It's one of my favorite blends and it opened me up to English blends.
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DK	09/29/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Whew! Finally a green label McClellands oriental that I can enjoy! I've gone through #6, 8 and 12 so far without much success. I found them all too bland and not very interesting. This one, while not being overly exciting, is very rich and flavorful without being cantankerous or overbearing. Somehow they managed to pack all this flavor into a very smooth oriental blend. Nice! I would not call this a "Full" mixture. This one seems somewhere in the middle to me - in between, say, Rattrays #7 Reserve and Bill Bailey's Balkan Blend. #14 is for those who desire a richer flavor but aren't looking for a latakia dump. I doubt I'll buy more of this but it was certainly a nice ride!
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Sinister Topiary	09/14/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend has grown on me in a big way. From the first I enjoyed it's spicy-sweet complexity, a solid 3-star blend. I don't know what a Scottish blend is. There seem to be a variety of conflicting definitions, so sure, it's a Scottish blend, why not. To me it tastes like a sweetish Balkan with, as Bob Smith rightly says, the "rich and nutty" oriental spices coming front and center, supported by a solid and creamy Latakia background, with the Virginias here a delicately sweet condiment. It all comes together in a wonderfully balanced, accessibly nuanced blend. If this describes a Scottish blend, then I'm definitely a fan of them. Perhaps thedstnguishdgntlmn said it best: "Tangy, Smoky, and Smooth best describes this winner. A nice change for English blend Afficianados and a must try for those who love oriental mixtures." (And I politely disagree with those who say it is mild, flavorless, and tends to bite. To me it is moderately strong, full of flavor, with no bite.) A really delicious blend that would make an excellent all-day smoke. Highly recommended. Note: this blend is best after it's dried out for a while. Right out of a freshly opened tin it can be a bit too sharp and strong, and, yes, a bit bitey. Letting it dry mellows it to perfection.
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Pip	08/16/2009	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Bitey, bitey, bitey. I don't get this one. I Love English blends and this being a Full Scottish mixture I thought it would be great. I was wrong. The tin note was just OK but, not as smoky as I would have liked. The moisture content looked perfect. It packed well and lit up just fine each and every time I have tried this blend but, I always get bit. No good for me.
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Bob Smith	04/26/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
McClelland's #14 is a delicious, perfectly balanced medium English blend. Everything is in proper proportion. There is enough Latakia to make the blend creamy and smooth, without overpowering the other components. The Orientals are rich and nutty without being bitter. And there are enough Virginias to make it subtly sweet but not sugary. McClelland's Virginias are always magnificent; they taste like honey, cinnamon and cloves. Overall, I find this blend's flavor somewhat similar to Esoterica's Penzance. Both are favorites of mine.
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jazzyguy	02/14/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I ordered 2 50gram tins of this blend and looked forward to an enjoyable smoke. I tried it in a variety of pipes and was somewhat disappointed. It was not as rich in taste as SuperBalkan made by McLelland and I really can not get too excited over its flavor. I tried it in 2 of my Dunhills as well as a Tim West with a moderately large bowl (about a Group 5) I did smell the "ketchupy" odor on opening the first tin but I ignored this totally. I guess perhaps this blend may grow on me but my initial opinion is one of a mediocre blend.
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jazzyguy	02/14/2009	Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
I purchased a couple of 50gm cans from smokingpipes.com my regular purveyor of tobaccos. Compared to Mclleland's SuperBalken this tastes somewhat flat to me and without that lingering delicious flavor that I find in Super Balkan. I really couldn't wait to get rid of the bowl as I expected a lot more from the Orientals in this blend. It is Ok I guess if you haven't had a taste of something more flavorful. It burns well but in my opinion something is missing here.
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Dr.sadik	01/09/2009	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
quality blend with fine leafs and natural sweetness and spicy taste to it with that tangy virginia touch(with the ketchupy fermented maccleland taste offcourse). it pack better in wide bowls and holds fire very well. a fine example of how oriental mixture should be.
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CPT/VSG	05/03/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Oriental Mixture No. 14 is a fine oriental-oriented mixture; the Latakia plays in the background against an earthy Black Virginia note. The orientals are somewhat spicy. In all, a pleasant smoke that pairs well with a strong coffee. I did not experience the bite that other reviewers noted. No. 14 burns well and down to a dry white ash. I just finished an '03 tin so I benefitted from some decent aging. This Scottish blend is probably overlooked by many in the mass of McCelland offerings. It's worth considering.
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puro66	10/22/2007	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Without a doubt the best of the McC green cans. Loads of latakia and black virginias are pefectly married in this all day smoke. It is flavorful and smooth from first to last puff and has never bitten me. It is a trusty companion that will not let you down. What can I say laddies I love the stuff! UPDATE 5/8/13: I am removing a star because this has not remained a regular smoke for me. I still recommed it and some may find it to be a favorite.
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Big bad Jon	05/06/2007	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
A friend gave me a tin of this tobacco for my birthday; every friend of a pipe smoker should be so nice. Anyways, immediately after opening the tin I was overcame with the smell of ketchup, I was told by an area tobacconist that McClelland puts a very small amount of vinegar in some of their tins to stay off bacteria growth. If this is true it is the first of McClelland tobaccos that I have tried where this is the case. I took a bowls worth out and smoked it and to my surprise that smell came out in taste too. I then promptly put the tin away and forgot about it for months. The other week while getting a handle on my tobacco stash I saw the tin that I had put in the cabinet, I thought that I should give it one more try? to my disbelief the tin aroma had changed it was now heavy in Latakia. So I put a bowl in my pipe and gave it a second go. It had changed in taste too it now was a true Scottish tobacco, although not the best I have ever had it was pleasing. The initial taste was slightly sweet and then it got spicier as the bowl progressed. It was a very cool bowl and burned to an average ash. I guess that average is the best way I can describe this tobacco, nothing great but not bad either.
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	08/15/2006	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
IMHO this is perhaps the best offering McClelland has for those who do not enjoy smoking ketchup. The balance of those TANGY Virginias,Latakia, and Orientals is superb. Absolutely no bite in this blend! A very sweet oriental mixture.It reminds of their second best offering - BRITISH WOODS. Tangy, Smoky, and Smooth best describes this winner. A nice change for English blend Afficianados and a must try for those who love oriental mixtures. 4 of 4 stars.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 34 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >