The flavor has that classic woodsy, tangy VA taste, with the extra kick of Perique, which I love. Flavor is very present, but not strong in the way a Latakia-based tobbaco is. It's more cool and mild, but it certainly is there.

It packs easy and smokes even and cool, all the way down. It also produces volumes of cool smoke, lending itself well to smoke rings.

There's also plenty of nicotine from that Perique, making it a great relaxation aid.

Due to the n factor, it can work well as a before-bed blend, but flavor wise I find it to be especially pleasant as a mid-late afternoon smoke.

Absolutely divine. A blend I must have more of. 4 Stars.

That said, this is a fully serviceable smoke. It is quite tasty and more than just reasonably satisfying. The cut ensures an easy load into the pipe and negates the need for relights. If you like the taste of perique, this blend won't steer you wrong. If it weren't for the existence of VaPer flakes, I could live quite comfortably with this one. Compared to those, this just barely misses the mark. It just doesn't possess the complexity of a flake, in my humble opinion. But those who don't want to mess with flakes will be very pleased with this. It's a nice flavorful smoke.

When smoked, the tin was 1-2 years old. For interesting info. on dating tinned tobacco, link to:

pipes.org---locate the Forums box--Topics--Tobacco Questions-- scroll down , to bottom of page, to Archive Oct. 03, 2006 and Archive Oct. 24, 2005.

Lighting: Oddly enough, it was not easy to keep lit, even though it was dry to the touch, when originally put in the pipe, producing some gurgle and moisture out of the stem. During one of the relights, half way down, it gave a sizzling sound.

Taste & Aroma: More flavor developed around mid-bowl. The Perique ketchup odor was distinct from start to finish; no tongue bite; not sweet.

The Perique quality developed late in the bowl, a peppery feel.

Smoked similar to Royal Cajun Special, in having a toasty VA character.

Laid down a tar and moisture in the pipe.

Nicotine: When the bowl was about done, a only a slight buzz was produced.

Room Note: Nice toasty strong VA. The ash had a vague cacao aroma.

Overall: BBAR is a mild VA billed as having strong and heady Perique. It seems to be designed for those wishing to smoke a blend with Perique, but still having a pleasing room note. The bowl smoke sure gives the nose a zing.

The thought of smoking something with a raisin ketchup signature not distinguishable from Perique, from tin to ash, is not a pleasant thought; could not rightly discern the McClelland from the Perique aroma. 2.2 stars.

The base leaf is toasted gold VA to which a good dosage of perique is added. The rich flavor is nutty, sweet, and caramel-like.

This is a very companionable blend with just enough depth to add an extra level of satisfaction.

Chamber Gauge: Medium

For me this is a change up smoke, though I could see it as an all-dayer for some. McClelland keeps putting out really good products. Now I'm going to have to try me some Grand Orientals.

Characteristics are: Sweet Smooth Dry But not very complex.

Not bad, if normal vapers have bite for you, then try this. I find this med. to strong in nicotine strength. I am a daily Dunhill smoker. Use that as a guage for strength.

My tin has about a year and a half on it.

I don't consider it strong -- in fact, I hesitated at terming it Mild to Medium. One of the other reviewers mentioned Frog Morton in comparison, I believe, but I don't see it. I use Frog Morton to smooth out Holiday, and consider it a blending tobacco. But this is a bit more assertive, which I like in Virginias, but without bite, and without falling into harshness. I couldn't bring myself to rev things up, because it was so pleasant to puff along. Perhaps it could be pushed into being bullyish, but I haven't found it so.

This is going to become part of my regular rotation, and I'll be cellaring some, too, to see what a few years does for it.

Highly recommended.

The nicotine and Perique presence both get stronger on down the bowl, and the new "toasting" method used sure eliminated any bite. I did catch the typical "McClelland's ketchup smell in the tin, but it was quite subdued. I normally do not care for blends with Perique. But, this stuff was an exception. The Virginia base was sweet and not at all grassy. BTW, from what I understand, McClelland's may be the only pipe tobacco company with a large remaining stash of St. James Parish Perique. I have heard there is a cigarette company that pays high dollar for the stuff to put in their particular brand of weed. St. James Parish, Louisiana (the only place in the world where true Perique is grown) was not affected by Hurricane Katrina and future crops have not been compromised.

Finally, it says on the tin, "...rich ribbon blend, smoothed by the Blakeney exclusive toasting process." So, what is the Blakeney exclusive toasting process? Inquiring minds want to know.