Now then, I find it nicely light and airy, a kind of "dry grey" smoke that, were it a photograph, would be a black-and-white documentary image of an airplane propellor with no people anywhere in the image. Kind of "just the facts ma'am." For that reason, it almost has no experience to it at all, just a technically accurate expression of Syrian and Virginia. It's the most like a cigarette of any tobacco I'll smoke, though it doesn't have the sticks and weeds and seeds or the tarry, mal-constructed smell and taste of the cheap tobaccos of typical cheap cigarette manufacture.

Also, the ash is absolutely gorgeous. Arcadia disappears into a perfect white powder with almost no unburnt leaves, no dark spots, little goopy buildup. Would be absolutely useless for trying to pre-char a new pipe, it almost would leave nothing behind but the smooth pristine inside of the bowl just as when you bought it before it was smoked at all!

01/1/007 Being a fan of both McClelland and Sherlock Holmes, I decided to try Arcadia. I do like Oriental blends, McConnell's Oriental being one of my favorites. I acquired a tin with almost 4 years aging, and was pleased with the blend. Arcadia packed and lit easily. This blend burned evenly and smoked cool to the bottom of the bowl, leaving a fluffy ash. While I could sense tongue bite lurking around in there, I experienced none myself. What I did experience was a scrumptious bowlful of tobacco. I would definitely recommend Arcadia to any pipe smoker, and I look forward to trying Honeydew and Black Shag from the 221-B series. Well done, McClelland, another winner.

**update- I noticed I made a typo and fixed. There does seem to be some new reviews stating a lack of the famous ketchup/Vingr. smell. I may try again to see if theres a change...

Contrary to Talonr1701's experience, my tin (2005) was dryer that I expected or would prefer, and the typical ketchup smell of McC Virginias was not there at all. I don't know if the dryness is intentional or accidental, but because of this it burned a little faster and hotter than I wanted it to. So, after slowing down, I discovered its true richness. I find Bombay Extra to be just plain strong, and Arcadia lacks that strength but fills in with satisfying richness where other blends lack, when smoked slowly.

I tend to enjoy aroma as much (if not more ) than taste when I smoke, and I thoroughly enjoyed this aromoa. The taste a tad more naturally sweet than other mild-to-moderate English blends I've smoked (e.g., 5110, FM, NC) and just plain rich with natural flavor; additive flavor is non-existant.

Room note is listed as "strong" because I would expect others to find it so. While outside, I was thinking the aroma leaned toward liturgical incence, but that allusion is oft overused and I thought it was my imagination, but after wandering inside, I immediately noticed it was not my imagination. While I thoroughly enjoy that aroma, many a wife would not!

Definitely worth your try, though Gerber baby food jars are bigger...

For a time it seemed the perfect English blend. I was suppressed to learn that it contained not Latakia, as I swore I could detect it, though certain Orientals could, doubtless, duplicate aspects of the Latakia flavor. Whatever its composition, I generally found it cool and piquant and complex throughout, always assuring an enjoyable smoke, no matter the pipe.

I was somewhat distressed to find that this precept of mind was not to hold up over time. Recent tins of the Arcadia I have purchased began to smoke hot and acrid or even bland at times. What I have tasted the last few times is like a lower quality all Virginia blend that seems to suffer from a perfusion of stems and twigs. I really don't know what happened and can only hope that the Arcadia experience I had of old will eventually be rediscovered.

Lastly, though I know this is not to be a forum for concourse or dispute, I feel I must correct a long standing error and an egregious wrong done to both the McClelland Tobacco Company and the field of Sherlockiana. In an early review of this tobacco posted 5 June, 2004 by the prolific and well remembered individual going under the name of Eulenburg, it was said in no uncertain terms that the fictitious Arcadia and the actual Craven Mixture were in no way associated with the stories of Sherlock Holmes, and that the McClelland Tobacco Company, in offering their version of Arcadia as Dr. Watson's favorite tobacco, were guilty of perpetrating "arrant nonsense, and an egregious example of the lengths to which blenders will go, to say nothing of any value on their labels."

It was Mr. St. James-Tello's accusation that proved to be nonsense. "How could it possibly have anything to do with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional stories of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson?" that vitriolic gentleman asked.

Here's how.

Page 474 of the seminal Complete Sherlock Holmes, edited and with an introduction by Christopher Morley, story: the Crooked Man, scene: Dr. Watson's home, in which Holmes quips, "Hum! You still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days, then! There is no mistaking that fluffy ash upon your coat." For further authority, let us look to the Annotated Sherlock Holmes, W.S. Baring-Gould's groundbreaking work of Holmesian scholarship. Here again on p. 225 of the one volume edition we see within the first few paragraphs of the Crooked Man, Holmes saying to Watson, "Hum! You still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days, then!" In a more recent annotated edition of the Holmesian canon published by Norton in 2005, with notes by Mr. Leslie S. Klinger, we find in the Crooked Man, this time at the very top of p. 583 the once again definite assertion from the mouth of the Master himself that Dr. Watson can, in fact, be found to "still smoke the Arcadia mixture of your bachelor days, then!" And finally, I refer to p. 14 of Mr. Jack Tracy's The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana, Avenel, 1987. Under the heading of Arcadia the entry is given-- the name of Watson's favorite tobacco mixture (CROO).

Take a pinch of snuff, Mr. St. James-Tello, and acknowledge that I have scored over you in your example. (That was a reference to A Case of Identity, not that I had to tell anybody that.)

Update: I've bought half a dozen tins to set aside. I don't know many people aging this stuff as it seems to be regarded as a "novelty" tobacco. But I think some really interesting things might happen with time.

Appearance and Tin aroma: Yes, this has the trademark MCC tang. Smells earthy, musty, and spicy. The cut is a fine ribbon. The leaf is mostly dark with stoved and red VA leaf and darker oriental leaf.

Packing and Lighting: This is a bit wet upn opening. I like to load a pipe and let it sit for an hour or two before lighting. At that point, it lights fairly easily.

Initial Flavor: Delicious stoved VA/Oriental blend. A bit nippy from the start, though.

Mid-Bowl: If sipped, a wonderful journey. The flavor profile is similar to "VA Woods" by the same blended. Sweet and sour transistions abound and they mix wonderfully.

Bottom of Bowl: Not much of an increase in strength, but it ends with a dark grey mottled ash. There is quite a bit of moisture in the shank, though.

Overall: This is a delicious mid-strength oriental blend that is of high quality as to be expected by MCC. I wouldn't say this is going to be a regular for me, but definitely will keeep a tin or two in the cellar. Two notes of caution: 1. Smoke it slow or you will get tongue-bite, 2. The room note is great while smoking, but later is foul, like burned plastic. Smoke outside! Lastly, I found that if you smoke this blend, the aftertaste will not allow you to enjoy other Company's blends. I tried to smoke some Ashbury after smoking this and got a bitter, foul surprise! But this aftertaste is usually gone by the next day. Enjoy...

This is a balanced smoke and that is what I truly enjoy about it. Despite its appearance (which might lead one to think it is strong) it is of medium strength and delightful before a meal. IMO never overpowering, never palate altering, never hot and always leaves the mouth unabused.

My preference is to enjoy this in a small bowl pipe, and I do, often.

Cheers, VC

Four of five stars

The McClelland sour note sure pinched my nose, though it's irrelevant to me. The Sherlock Holmes baloney is as well; I came for the orientals and what they bring.

Aromaticity and sweetness and limited nicotine characterize this blend, and it would have become my favorite of this type had I not found McConnell's Oriental. Arcadia is bland by comparison, requiring a half bowl to come up to speed. Still not a bad smoke and easier to find.