McClelland - Rose of Latakia pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 29 of 29 reviews of this tobacco
reedsteve	02/17/2005	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This recipe demonstrates an interesting trend within the prolific output of Mc Clelland. The tastes that some of us older pipe devotees "remember" from before 1970s are in substantial measure given renewed opportunities. Since the leaf composition isn't to be compared to what was available in tins with names such as Smyrna and State Express , it should be noted that the thin delicate leaf available here is prepared in a process that reminds one of the finer attributes of what is not (to my knowledge) currently available. The time when individual leaf with names like Xanthi , Dubec and Smyrna (to sigh out a few) may return some day. Even then, we should thank those whom offer craftsmanship and product on this level, today. The ribbons are approx. 2.5mm to 3mm wide, cleanly cut, no dust or debris, and burns very well.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pounder 5000	01/31/2005	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
The best out of the new Syrian blends by McClelland. I must admit that I prefer Cyprian to Syrian in pretty much every blend. What makes this stand out from the other Mac offerings is the restraint they used with this spice leaf and the wonderful quality of the Va's. Overall however, I feel ultimately that McClelland should stick to Va mixtures and stay away from the Latakia (Cyprian or Syrian) as I have never found one even close to the quality that other houses (i.e. Pease, Dunhill, C&D, etc.) put out on a regular basis.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pipestud	10/20/2004	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
I am currently on my third or fourth bowl of McClelland's Rose of Latakia. It is pretty darn good. Spicy and sweet with a "laid back" Latakia flavor. I think the stuff has enough Virginia leaf in it to be a great cellar tobacco, too. It also has a nice nicotine kick. Upon opening the tin, I was a bit surprised as the name of the blend and the mostly mottled brown color of the coarse ribbon cut tobacco didn't match up. The bouquet had the typical McClelland odor although much more subdued than normal. The moisture content was perfect. It stays lit without protest and produces a fair amount of light blue smoke. I think those who enjoy milder Oriental/Latakia leaf will belly up to Rose of Latakia with pleasure.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Beer	09/17/2004	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
Go figure... I always complain about the McClelland Latakia blends as being too flat and lacking in taste, not being as full as, for example, the GLPease offerings. I always disagree with those who rave about British Woods, Bombay Court and the like saying that they are full blends, because I find them very mild. Now McC comes out with this new blend which many say is a bit too weak, too delicate, too little spiced with Latakia... and I disagree once more because I find it quite tasty! Probably my tastebuds are wired in the wrong way... Anyway, I do agree that this blend has a light Latakia content, and that the Syrian leaf is used just like a seasoning for the Virginia/Oriental base: what makes this differ from the other bland McClelland latakia blends, is that the Syrian makes its presence felt much more than the Cyprian cousin even at small percentages. Not to mention that this Syrian Latakia is absolutely delicious: I suspect it comes from the same HUGE shipment that Greg Pease had to share with other blenders, as it tastes VERY similar to the leaf in Bohemian Scandal. While Bohemian Scandal is a masterpiece, tasty, complex, spicy and extremely rich, this Rose of Latakia threads a more conservative and less "artistic" path. It's a good old light-medium EM, with no surprises but a taste which is at the same time quite delicate and yet satisfying. In a big bowl, you have a very nice relaxing and balanced taste: a bit tart and spicy, but stimulating. Not a great complexity, and the flavor stays consistent from beginning to end with no variations or hidden nuances, but hey, it's good! Not knock-your-socks-off good, and certainly not the full punch of Bohemian Scandal, but some of the same qualities are here. Personally I like the presence of Syrian in both: Bohemian when I want a stouter, richer tobacco, and Rose when I want some of the same taste but in a much more subdued way. For a McClelland product, it comes quite dry in the tin and absolutely free of their usual ketchup smell (which I usually like, anyway). It burns quite well, and only minimally bites the tongue due to the high Virginia content. Certainly tastier and superior to the previous McClelland made Ashton Celebrated Sovereign, in which the Syrian presence was actually too little for my taste. Good effort, McClelland!
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
pmonroeb	08/12/2004	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Very floral aroma and flavor that reminds me of cloves. This one really left its scent and flavor in the pipe. I was still noticing the taste and aroma several bowls later after going back to my regular straight English or Balkan blends. Drier than most McClellands. Not for me.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Spike	08/06/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
I think this is a high quality Latakia. A little too oriental for me though. Should mix nicely with some Red Virginnia.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Stan	08/01/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This is a true oriental blend with only a small dose of latakia. Being syrian it does not have a pronounced dark smoky flavor as does the cyprian I am use to, but it has more of a woodsy note. However, the strength and spice do build in the latter part of the smoke from the latakia. Ribbon cut, it packs easy and burns steady after it gets going from the initial lights. It is dry and moderately cool (at least not hot) unless you press with the puffing. However, with the fair amount of turkish leaf, I do not regard this as an all day blend. Three bowls in a day were too much for me; one or two will suffice. Still not a true balkan. If you want an oriental blend without heavy latakia and you want to try your hand at syrian, give it a trial tin drive. I'll try the other new McClelland syrian blend as time allows.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Joe Patterson	06/24/2004	Medium to Strong	None detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This blend reminds me most of McCranies Old Syrian -- good quantities of Syrian, but not enough to keep me interested bowl after bowl. If you've smoked that, this is basicaly the same. Even the appearance inside the can is the same medium to light brown mix of VA and latakia. I really think this will improve dramatically with age, so I've cellared a few cans, and plan to get more. The strength, in terms of nicotine, is a bit more than I expected -- not a bad thing, just not what I expected. I think the Balkan/Super Balkan will boost the power even more with the addition of orientals and perique. The tang of the Virginias don't stand up much and the light sweetness of the latakia remains steady throughout, resulting in a lightly sweet blend that can scorch the tounge if not watched closely. 8.5 out of 10.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
WxGuy	06/24/2004	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
One might expect from the name Rose of Latakia that this would be a full-on latakia blend. Not so. Evidently the "most flavorful Syrian leaves" are indeed so precious that only a little bit of said leaf was added to this blend. The tin aroma is very subdued- more of virginias (w/o the trademark McC vinegar tang) with little hint of latakia. the resulting smoke is likewise underwhelming. It is not as thin and nearly vapid as FrogMorton (which I enjoy despite these shortcomings), but full in a kind of harsh virginia way. I have always found McC latakia blends rather hit or miss, and this one is in the "miss" category for this piper. It is hard to imagine that age will help things out (other than a mellowing of the Va), but my tin will sure get some, since I do not plan on revisiting any time real soon. BTW, This one can bite you too, if you are not careful.
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