McClelland - Oriental Mixture No.8 pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco
ChevySpoons	04/07/2012	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I've enjoyed this tobacco before, but it's been a few years. I recalled it, however; and when I saw it recently, decided to get another tin. I have not been disappointed. "Round, smooth, and Oriental," as another reviewer put it, describes this tobacco perfectly. The Virginia is sweet, as might be expected; but it is perfectly complemented by the Latakia. The Latakia never overwhelms, though it does make its presence felt in a good way. Overall, when smoked slowly, the experience is smooth, flavourful, and gentle. McClelland's Oriental Mixture No. 8 is a very tasty tobacco that I would recommend to those unfamiliar with Latakia, or to those who like Latakia in small doses. Or to anybody who just wants a nice, relaxing smoke at any time of the day.
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florissantti	06/30/2011	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
When I first got this tobacco I thought it was love at first smoke. It tasted nice, had a some spiciness, and had a good amount of body. I smoked it rather a bit. On about my 4th pipe I noticed something funny, though; my mouth was numb. It was that sort of minty numbness you get after you brush your teeth with mint toothpaste, but without the actual mint flavor. At first it was just curious, but over time it got incredible annoying. The sensation would last 4-6 hours after smoking. Even worse, once I called it quits on this blend all the pipes I had smoked it out of kept numbing my mouth for a good 6-8 bowls afterwards. It's unfortunate because otherwise this is a good blend but I simply cannot tolerate that sensation. I've never experienced it with any other tobacco.
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Blackhorse	06/17/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
There are very few latakia blends that I like any longer, having gone over the the American side of tobaccos...well, and the Brit stuff too. The 'acceptible' latakia blends are those in which it is used in a VERY condimental manner, and deftly. This is one of those...though I'm not sure I'd say the intended use of the latakia in this one is condimental. This one works for me due to it's incredible smoothness. It is, as others have said, perhaps one of the most mellow blends out there. With it's combination of the reds, the orientals (I'd like to know the list and ratio of those BTW) and the seemingly obligatory latakia it ultimately comes off sweet, round and oriental. It's safe and eager not to offend. I admit that the varied and significant subtlties of orientals are not my forte...so to me, judging simply how agreeable an item this is...I'm giving it 4 out of 5 just because for its obviously intended purpose it works so very well. Tasty stuff.
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drdave	05/18/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Very Pleasant
The sweet tangy red virginias lead the band here, with the orientals adding subtle notes and the latakia playing softly in the background. A truly fine smoking experience. No bite, no bitterness; just wonderful all the way down the bowl. Like puffing smoky honey.
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doc'spipe	01/22/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A very nice, mild Oriental blend from McClelland. The tin aroma is sweet and pungent. My sample has aged 20 years and now smells just like sweet peat moss/fertilizer (in a good way). It is mild on the palate with the Orientals taking the lead with taste - a combination of incense and peat moss. The Latakia is very subdued as is the Virginia. No bite experienced whatsoever. It also burns dry and clean. One has to acquire a taste for this one. A bit nauseating for me, therefore, a somewhat recommended.
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Winter pipe fan	08/04/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
It's no secret that McClelland's Frog Morton is my favorite tobacco, but after that I have to say that McClelland's #8 green tin oriental blend is high on my list of comfort tobaccos. Strikingly mellow and round in taste, this is a blend that I consider to be up there with the best in English blends. I, for one, will be buying up lots of tins of this blend to lay down and age for years, maybe even a lifetime supply. If I could pick only two or three tobaccos to be in my regular rotation, McClelland #8 is one of them. Definitely deserves a tryout if you like English / Latakia blends. Highly recommended!
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Eulenburg	03/09/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Very Pleasant
I completely agree with Briarabbit that this is the best Oriental that McClelland produces. I have been exploring the byways of this side of the English-mixture field?Virginia/Turkish, no Latakia?where the Balkanic condimentals serve as a natural buffer and sweetener to Virginia, in this case wonderfully honeyed, smoky Red. McC # 8 has the best balance and the most satisfying Oriental lushness. This is so much better than anything with Burley in it!! In a medium-sized briar it smolders so lazily and refinedly. Love every long minute of it.
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jsm201	03/06/2009	Strong	None detected	Very Full	Tolerable
I opened the tin to find a nice looking ribbon cut tobacco. The smell was definitely oriental, but nothing outstanding. I packed it in a medium Ferndown and lit it up. It lit slow in this pipe. The initial flavor was excellent, good, strong tobacco flavor. Almost like a srong burley. As I smoked it seemed to get hotter. I put the pipe aside planning to return to it later. My next bowl was in a medim Nording. I smoked this one to the end of the bowl. It was the same, excellent taste at first but hotter as it went. My tongue was on fire by the time I finished. I tried a couple more bowls over the next few days, always the same results. Great tasting tobacco, maybe someone with differant smoking habits and a more taste than I would enjoy it.
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DK	02/12/2009	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This, along with McClellands Blakeney's Best Latakia Flake, is probably the cleanest smoking blend I've ever experienced. I can't really describe "clean" in this context. It's very smooth and seems well balanced. No harshness unless you overpuff. It's obviously made of very high quality leaf. That said, this blend is not for me. I find little excitement in this. I can't say it's too mild exactly but I'm wondering if they could have beefed up the orientals a bit to make this tobacco more complex. Not objectionable in the strict sense, just sort of flat and boring -and that's the last thing I expect from an oriental with latakia style tobacco. Again, McClellands is world renowned and revered for their virginia offerings but I have yet to experience much of their talent for oriental mixtures (FrogMorton On The Town being a notable exception). As always, your mileage may vary.
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Pipeorgan	10/16/2007	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
There is something about McCelland mature red virginias thet I find agreeable and pleasure inducing. There is a ¨rightness¨to the taste and aroma that hits the mark. This blend balances the virginias beautifully with the smooth round condiment tobaccos present. I always find virginias to be more contemplative than other type blends, and such is the case here. Virginias reward me for sipping the smoke more so than other types of tobacco, where puffing is more pleasureable. As such, it is a relaxing smoke. As I do with most tobacco, I chop this a bit before I smoke it to make it more easily combustible. Trying to keep something lit detracts considerably from my enjoyment. No problems here. P.S. My cans are stamped 1998.
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Pipestud	04/22/2006	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
The depth of flavor here is much better than McClelland's #6 (IMO, of course.) The Virginia/Oriental base accompanied by the wafting of Latakia makes for a pleasant and mild smoke with a complexity that I rather enjoyed. I wish the strength registered a little higher on the meter, but otherwise, this was thoroughly enjoyed. This is, by the way, an extremely clean burning blend with a nice fresh tobacco taste.
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sasha	07/22/2005	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
To me this is a mostly Viginian blend; you can notice the classic McClelland's ketchup flavour upon opening the tin. It is a great blend, perfectly balanced and would have been a perfect classic English if it hadn't have that typical flavour. It burns well and slowly and can be a fine all-day smoke as well as an introduction blend to the world of latakia.
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The Keeper	11/19/2004	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
As others (and McClelland) have stated - this is a very mellow, mild smoke. A fine crossover point, I think, for VA smokers wanting to experience a balkan or light English blend. The spice tobaccos are just that - hints of condiment under the zippy red VA sweetness. Even my aged sample took a few lights to get going - but once it did it burned long, slow, steady and smooth. This could easily be a good morning/early PM smoke - when you want just a touch of latakia and turkish - but not one of the overbearing (in a good way) powerhouse blends. This blend has a mellow, mossy undertone not quite like anything else I've ever tasted.
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Ron Jones	06/19/2004	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
The very first time I have tried this blend and I like it very much and smoked it all that evening I will keep on hand. I like virginia tobaccos and this one is awesome! It has hints of Greek, and Latika but not to overpowering to kill the Red Virginia that is prominate in this blend. I highly recommend this blend for those who like Virigia tobacco or Virginia Blends. Thanks, Ronn Jones
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BostonPipe	03/28/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
To myself, this is the premier "Oriental" blend in the McClelland Line. I enjoy matured red virginia all by itself. What McClelland has done in this blend accentuates the best of the oriental genre. With a red virginia base, and the high quality orientals dancing in and out of the experience,one can sit puffing in a near state of bliss, (especially if home alone, lol). Just a great, smooth, almost meditative experince. I can tell you this blend does improve with cellaring even more. It burns to a nice grey/white ash without leaving a wet-heel. ***12/07/2011 Just opened and started smoking a tin from 2000. Wow, wicked smooth and clean, with a slight spicey and citrus-like note. I have a half-dozen of these tins from 2000...hidden away...
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Briarabbit	01/07/2004	Mild	None detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
High quality American Red Virginia leaf combined with High quality Spice tobaccos from the old Orient,Greece and Turkey. A lovely soft taste of the Virginias backed up and tangled nicely with the Orientals makes this a whole lot of pleasure. The Orientals contribute an herbal likeness to the tangy soft Red cake Virginias that is most enjoyable,and I haven't found similar to in any other tobacco. This (IMO) is truly the best Oriental that MC produces. Ribbon cut leaf,the tobacco burns cool and clean to the bottowm with a gray ash. Wonderful pipe weed.
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Willy	08/02/2002	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
I don't primarily smoke English blends, but this is one blend I do like to smoke when I get that English urge. I find that the balance of VA's and Orientals suits my palate just fine. It isn't real heavy on the Latakia, but there is enough there to give it that smokey flavor. Xanthi could be providing some of that smokey flavor as well. The color is mixed light and dark brown with a good portion of near black. The ribbon cut packs well and it lights easily enough. The matured red VA's shine through as the base with a lightly sweet flavor and that familiar VA tang, but there is an underlying Oriental spiciness as well as a nutty taste that builds as you smoke down the bowl and, as the tin description states, it is a rich, mellow smoke. The flavor is soft and round in the sense that no one tobacco is always overriding the others. Moisture was not a problem, I used one pipe cleaner about half way down the bowl. I feel it did get a little harsh near the end but it was not, to me, unpleasant. It burns down to a fluffy, grayish ash. I find #8 to be a rich, rewarding blend, and I would smoke it almost any time of the day. LSW prefers the aromas of other tobaccos like the VA's or VA/perique blends but she as well as others that were there when I smoked this simply stated it "was not bad". I find it smokes best in a Grp. 5 or G size pipe, but it's mellow enough that a larger pipe would do OK. I tried it in a deep bowl full-bent Don Carlos and it did get a little bitter. I like it though, and I'll keep some around.
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco