McClelland - 221b Series: Honeydew pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 58 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
McKNooB	04/21/2013	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
My first stab at a flake. A little concerned at the first whiff but I've added this one to my list of favourites. What do I know? I've only been smoking pipes for two months. Well, eventually I'll want to seek out and make English tobaccos my only species (I've gone overboard with aromatics, really). I thought I'd try something recommended by folks who are looking for something different and distinct from the boat load of cherries out there. I've tried it half a dozen times and I believe it smokes best after I've rubbed it out and left it overnight. Either way, I've enjoyed this blend very much. Great, great taste. Love the room note (and so do others 'round me). Easy to work with (once you've figured it out). Goes well with a reisling (discovered by accident).
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jstilly1	02/28/2013	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I found this blend to be sweet and pleasant, but temperamental. It was best enjoyed when I prepared the pipe the night before smoking; otherwise, it seemed to have difficulty staying lit and gurgled (I smoke a meerschaum, so gurgling, while possible, should not have been pronounced as it was with this tobacco). That said, it did produce a nice Virginia flavor with an antiquated sort of feel to it.
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BeardProducts	12/31/2012	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
Maybe I just want to smell honeydew melon...? This tobac smells very close to a sweet smelling fruit or melon. I find myself sniffing the tin just to get a whiff of this delicious flake. Ok so it's sweet but it's not too sweet or I wouldn't like it. It's a Virginia type sweetness that is mellow and very satisfying especially later in the day. Another bonus is that my wife loves the room note and is ok with me smoking this inside of the house with the windows closed. When I first smoked this I dried it out for several hours beforehand which I later found out was too long. The second attempt I let it sit for 10-15 min which was perfect, but I think like all of the 221B series you can smoke them right from the tin which is really enjoyable and quite convenient.
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Mr. Big	06/08/2012	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I was a little disappointed with this blend in that it doesn't taste like "Honeydew melon" and itis hot burning and has a bite. It is a quality Virginia, with a light casing that reminds me of the casing on " Distinguished Gentleman", only at about 1/3 the casing strength (there is more to this casing than just honey). Areo smokers should enjoy this as a crossover but I didn't get any "Ooo Wows" from the wife test ! I agree with reviewer, arpie55 02/28/2009 I do like the smaller tin that is easier to slip in a pocket
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TallPuffO'Burley	04/18/2012	Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Nice broken flake that is easy to work with. Tin note is standard ketchupy McClelland tin scent. I do taste this in the first few puffs, but do not find it unpleasant. A pretty mild smoke. Not quite as sweet as I was both expecting or prefer, but a nice taste all the same. As to the room note I am a horrble judge of this as I either smoke in the garage or outside. My wife says this smells like S*&T, but this should not concern anyone because she says that about all of them. lol A friend of mine in the passenger side of the truck asked if I was smoking a cherry flavored tobacco. I took this as meaning it smelled good. Of course, I did not taste anything of the sort. I find this blend to be more gentle on the tongue than most VAs and this, I find, to be a major plus. Can't say anything bad about the blend, but I do prefer other straight VAs to this one.
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Shamie	01/04/2012	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
You just have to try it. Awsome
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furious	09/17/2011	Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Another blend for when the sweet tooth strikes. Casing is light and hints at the moniker on the tin. Good quality Va. leaf in here which is the most important thing. The sweetness of the leaf blends nicely with the light melon casing. A great choice for the summertime out on the patio.
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krg1000	05/11/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
This is the third in the series I have tried and I think this may well be the best of the three. Upon opening the tin, got a weird smell. Not the usual McClelland ketchup smell, almost a vinegary type smell. The broken flake is easily rubbed out and this blend lights up easily enough and stays lit with no real thought to it. The taste is quite nice and the room note seems to be not too offensive to those around. It produces a decent amount of smoke and burns down to a nice ash at the end of the bowl. I would definitely recommend this to all.
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Segador	03/01/2011	Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I tried this on the recommendation of my local tobacconist, and upon opening was greeted by a ketchup-like smell that I've learned is common to McClelland tobaccos. I didn't expect much, and the first bowl didn't greatly impress me. It seemed too moist, lit with some difficulty, and required several re-lights. However... I let the tin dry for about a week and WOW! What a difference! It lit easily, smoked dry, and the flavor is sublime. The strength is medium, which is perfect for me. It has a fantastic Virginia taste complimented by a very light casing, which provides some mild sweetness. This is definitely a tobacco to rub out and let dry a bit, but once you do, you'll be rewarded with a truly sublime smoke. Also, after several bowls, I agree with the reviewers who say that it's best suited to a larger pipe. It smoked best in my large Peterson spigot, and provided an hour of great, unhurried relaxation.
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TheSmokinDragon	02/05/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
A nice sweet smoke, not an everyday smoke, but a nice change of pace from my normal rotation. I suggest grab a tin or three and enjoy...
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JohnnyMcPiperson	01/28/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I really enjoyed this one. This is another of those blends that harkens back to college memories for me. I smoked through a tin of this rather quickly and loved it. At first I wasn't super impressed, but the tin was open and I had alot of papers to get written, so I kept smoking it. This one claimed my Churchwarden for some time, it has a nice soft sweet smell from the tin and a fragrant and mildly enjoyable taste on the pallet. Great smoke to have around when you are working on something that requires thought I think, it goes well with contemplation, however I wouldn't classify it as a late night smoke, for me it was more of a just got home from work, sitting down to work on papers for school in the late afternoon kind of smoke. Goes rather nicely with a rainy day where smoking indoors is available. Give it a try especially if you haven't smoked much VA, this is a nice one to cut your teeth on.
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Taste Buds	01/27/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
A delicious change of pace for me. Easy puffing with a delightful sweet taste. Rub it out, let it dry and you're in for a treat. A wonderful aromatic of the highest order. A lttle too sweet for everyday, but excellent as a dessert blend.
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John Offerdahl	01/08/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Honeydew is a fragrant Virginia blend, with a nice appearance of golds and browns and a very sweet fragrance. The blend is a broken flake, and so could use a bit of rubbing out, but should be allowed to dry a bit first – it’s a pretty wet tobacco. The name is most unfortunate, honeydew being the term for the waste of aphids. I spent a bit of time deciding whether to smoke Honeydew in my Virginia pipes or in aromatic pipes, but finally decided on the Virginia. I think it’s the right decision, and the blend is, after all, a topped Virginia. The charring light brings through some excellent Virginia flavor, but also the sweet, interesting flavor used in topping the blend. This flavor also came through once the pipe was burning. Sadly, the blend has a real bite to it, especially early, that reduces, for me, the enjoyment. The first third of the bowl should be carefully smoked in order to avoid a real case of tongue char. Not bite, char. Deeper into the bowl the flavor comes through and the char lessens. At this point, Honeydew becomes a very pleasant, agreeable smoke. The flavor is reminiscent of a honey-topped Virginia, though smoother, butterier, than honey. I’m not sure what the topping is, but it imparts a good flavor. It’s sweeter than a typical Virginia, but not diabetic-coma-inducing-sweet like too many aromatics on the market. Somehow I’ve been thinking of honeysuckle. The end of the bowl finishes well, again atypical for an aromatic. The flavor remains pleasant, and never becomes acrid, and the tobacco doesn’t become wet and gooey like some aromatics can. Honeydew is, in my opinion, a pleasant blend. It’s not one I’ll smoke regularly, but is one I’d never turn down. Aromatic smokers looking for something slightly less sweet than their typical fare should flock to the stores for the blend, and I have to think that Virginia smokers will also find this to be a good tobacco to keep on the shelf. Mr. Holmes must have been disappointed when he was handed an empty tin.
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DragonBreath	12/12/2010	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
A balanced blend that is especially suited for enjoying indoors or on hot summer days. The room note of this tobacco is wonderful, including the aromas of figs and spices with an occasional hint of cedar. Upon opening, the tobacco presents itself as medium brown broken flakes interspersed with a small quantity of ribbon cut tobacco. The mixture appears to be exclusively Virginia tobacco. A dry, fruity tang like raisin or fig with an undertone of vinegar is detected upon opening the tin. Honeydew burns well straight out of the tin. A charring light produces a strong autumnal scent reminiscent of a cup of hot cider enjoyed outside on an October evening. The tobacco lights evenly, even when there are some larger bits of flake present. Smoking this tobacco hard in a pipe with a small chamber does not produce any oppressive overtones, although it does seem to smoke a bit wet even in a small straight pipe such as a Dunhill group 2 billiard. There is no need to worry about this blend causing any ghosting in a favorite pipe. Indeed, it can have an almost cleansing effect on all but the most intractable of Lakeland-impregnated briars. When enjoyed in a meerschaum, more of the subtleties of Honeydew become apparent, with just a touch of pepper coming into the mix at the end of a drag. This is one of my favorite tobaccos, and one that I highly recommend. Pipes used for testing: Peterson XL315, Stanwell Featherweight Poker (245), Stanwell Featherweight Horn (245), Savinelli Dry System Oom Paul 1604, Savinelli Byron's Favorite Churchwarden
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Wagon25	09/12/2010	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Just finishing my first tin. I'm very happy with this, as an aromatic. The sweet honey taste does not block the natural virginia taste. It gets better with age. Perfect in the mornings. Not ultra-sophistocated, but ultra-enjoyable. Worth having plenty on- hand.
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Claudius Stradivarius	07/25/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Mild and soft. Beautiful, thick broken flakes of light-medium colour. Nice honey tin aroma that does not interfere with the tobacco taste. Well suited for a beginner wanting to venture towards non cased/topped mixtures.
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CPT/VSG	02/27/2010	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Just finished a 2005 tin of Honeydew. The tin indicates this as an Irish flake which I suppose includes some casing. If so, the casing is mild. Basically, Honeydew is a Virginia flake with a bit of a nutty flavor detected as well. It smokes cool once it is sufficiently dried. Not an everyday smoke for me but a pleasant change of pace on occasion.
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ask4free	12/08/2009	Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
When I opened the tin I thought hmmm....doesn't smell that great, a little sour, but once I lit up....WOW! Very nice! Very light and mild. Slight melony fruity taste, just a little bit of sweetness. My first broken flake tobacco. It smoked very cool. I'm so motivated to try more flakes, this was a perfect transition. I recommend giving this a try, it won't disappoint!
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arpie55	02/28/2009	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
i was very disappointed by this having high expectations as a result of the pre-introduction marketing. the blend was certainly decent with no real draw backs other than maybe a little tongue bite that was manageable with controlled smoking but it just didn't deliver a lot of flavor to me. i don't know what the honeydew was supposed to add (i don't even know what it is) but whatever it was, i missed it.
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Big bad Jon	02/06/2009	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I tried this because I liked Black Shag and Arcadia but this one threw me for a loop. What the heck happened? I remembered thinking. Where is the flavor? All I was able to get from this blend was a bit of sweetness and a pipe full of goo. I was very disappointed but relieved that the tin sample was free.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 58 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >