If there's such a thing as a quality, flavorless smoke this is it. This tastes like nothing more than quality steam delicately flavored with something nutty. Everyone loves the scent, so it has that going for it. And it smokes beautifully. Oh, and it's real smooth, too. But so is water.

I made a heroic attempt to finish the tin, but I decided halfway through that I just don't see the point. If you like your cream-of-wheat straight, this might be your blend.

Nice cube and ribbon cut with decent moisture. Medium and darker brown strands, with a good helping of black strands. Some pressed together pieces floating around the mixture that didn't come apart. This is easy to light and stays lit pretty well throughout the smoke. A nice toasted Burley flavor hits you immediately upon lighting. The Virginia component is mild to moderate and doesn't dominate the smoke making a nice even blend of flavors. The Perique is there only as a light seasoning, showing itself now and again, but lends a fruity stability throughout. The fragrance enhancement is barely perceptible, yet adds pleasantness to the overall room note. I notice it most when I blow the smoke through my nose. I think it might be a hint of the topping that is added to #2050 Oriental Cavendish. I have smoked a ton of 2050 and seems this possibly could be it. Never the less, I enjoy this tobacco. It is smooth and mild. Good.

3-25-12 Year (more) has passed, and I am really liking it now. It has such a McClelland Virginia quality that I'm not sure if I would even detect the Burley if I didn't know it was there. It is just a nice nutty undertone beneath the moderate McClelland "vinegar," which I love. I will keep this jar out for a little while!

It has little to no casing that I could detect, just the smell of ketchup. That was a bit alarming in itself, as I thought, "What in the hell have I gotten myself into!" as the tomato smell hit me.

It was moist and burned well, and from the first puff I was pleasantly surprised. This is probably the best tobacco I've ever had. That doesn't mean it's the greatest in the entire world or anything, just that I've never had such a pleasurable smoke like I had with Grey Havens.

The flavor had a bit of spice to it, but it was not overwhelming and it was something that I believe I could smoke all day. I've heard of people saying that about other blends, yet until now I'd never experienced it for myself.

I enjoy medium strength & flavor tobaccos. I don't like mine too weak nor too strong. Grey Havens seems to fit the bill for me. I plan on trying more of McClelland's blends, but believe that Grey Haven's is very near a perfect smoke for me. I will probably step up in strength at some point, but not too much.

For those who enjoy some flavor, this is a wonderful place to begin, especially if you've been limiting yourself to aromatics for fear of getting something unpleasant and rank in your pipe.

Okay I'm kidding. This is far better than the bland mess I made. But there are some similarities. Initially it was hard to write a review because this tobacco hardly left an impression.

Its all in there somewhere, sweetness, nuttiness, a whiff of vanilla, I think, and the peppery perique. There's just not enough of it.

Actually I take issue with the perique. With none of the other actors delivering, the perique seems to get too much of the spotlight. I'm more aware of it than I feel I should be.

Someone else mentioned you have to like burley. That may be true. It's possible that burley is just too subtle for me. That may also be why I - contrary to yet another poster -- find the similarly Tolkien-themed Deep Hollow to be much more interesting. But that's what makes this fun -- it's all subjective.

Update: This may be growing on me. I have dedicated a pipe to it for the time being and as it begins to settle in I'm getting some more of the nuances. Also being careful to pack gently and not let it get too hot. I enjoyed my bowl today.

Fast forward a few years, and try smoking a nine year old tin of Grey Havens. Upon opening, I didn't get any of the smell of the fragrant topping. It was mostly a faint wafting of the signature McClelland smell, and a pretty good dose of perique, which I thought odd given that there supposedly isn't a lot of perique in this blend. Putting my nose right into the tin rewarded me with smells of sweet virginia and tangy/spicy perique. The moisture level was perfect, and there was no stickiness whatsoever.

Packing this tobacco is just like any other ribbon cut. No little bits of flakes to worry about. On first light I got a slight suggestion of the topping, but it quickly disappeared to give way to a very nice perique tanginess bolstered by the burley. The virginias were there, in the background, to add just the right amount of sweetness. During the top half of the bowl, the topping could just barely be discerned on ocassion in the room note.

This tobacco, if packed too tight, or puffed too agressively, can bite. However, loosely packed in a large bowl with a gentle puffing cadence, it is positively docile. And it is so very tasty. The flavors are very well balanced, with the virginia playing a supporting role to the burley and perique. I don't think I would categorize this as an aromatic, or even a semi-aromatic. Like so many of McClelland's blends, it is quite simply what it is, and should be approached as such. You won't have to dedicate a pipe to this blend, but it's best not to smoke it in a pipe that you've dedicated to aromatics or English blends.

Naturally it has the McClelland aroma in the tin, and can be moist at first. I will be buying more, its a nice low impact blend to go with any occasion.

This blend made me realize why professional tobacco tasters insist on using clay pipes to sample new blends. I found briar pipes completely glossed over the subtleties of this blend. They only seemed to come out when this was smoked in a clay or meerschaum pipe. Interesting. But I could not determine what tobaccos this blend contained smoking it in briar... or I should say that I could not confirm what the tin description said.

I was not overly fond of this tobacco once I got to know it, as I found it too mild and I prefer full flavored blends. But if the concept of perique is exciting to you but you find it too abundant in other blends, this might be one to try. If you enjoy a nice room note but a natural tobacco taste, try this. If you like a polite, refined tobacco that doesn't burn the tongue, this might be one you'll like. I didn't care for it but in a sense it strikes me as an excellent effort by McClellands at creating something different.

Recommendation: Swipe a couple of bowlfulls from someone and give it a try before shelling out $12 for a can of this stuff.

Sorry McClelland, Darkstar and Blackwoods are like manna from heaven in my book and you'll still get my $12/can for them every two months until armageddon, but this blend just plain doesn't do it for me.

UPDATE 1/15/09: Alright, alright--After a long time to dry out and mellow together, it's not too bad. Not my first choice, but not a horrendous as my original impression. Quality leaf...

Somewhat recommended...now

At the top of the bowl there is a burley presence, but soon the virginia dominate. Toward the bottom of the bowl there is more of a virinia and perique flavor. The casing is amost undetectable. It does have the McClelland acetic smell in the tin, however it is undetectable in the smoke.

On my tongue it was bitier than Barbary Coast. This very little bite, but this blend can bite if smoked hard. To bring out best flavor this must be smoked as a virginia or virginia and perique blend. I feel there is more virginia in the mix. This is the reason, I feel that it compares to Haddos Delight. As a previous review stated this is "Haddos Delight" lite.