It does have a bit of a vinegar smell straight out of the tin, but this is rather misleading. Very cool vintage-looking tin it comes in, you could use it for decoration.

Mine did not seem to need any drying time, I smoked it less than an hour after purchasing it with great results. This flake is slow burning, this stuff lasts a while even when drawing hard.

I also recommend only barely rubbing out the flakes, and packing the pipe as such. Trust me on this one, the flavor is much more pronounced.

Charring light: There's a citrus-y taste that is sort of invasive, but it goes away in the re-light. I typically have to light this tobacco a few times at the start of the bowl in order to get a good even burn.

1st Half: Huge. The tobacco is mellow, but extraordinarily charismatic. The flavor changes periodically, introducing new nuances each time I smoke it. It is never the same smoke twice, in all honesty. There's a consistent tang that is very enjoyable, but it plays only in the background. There's a play-off between a creamy rich sweetness, subtle woodsy smokiness, and piercing spiciness. The star of the show shifts almost instantly between these three.

2nd Half: More mellow, in most cases. It's a mesh of sweetness with very little tang. The smokiness here is deep and rich, and the spiciness settles down. It's subtler than the first half. The dying breath of the tobacco is one last burst of intense sweet smokiness.

Overall: My favorite blend. Reserved, personally, (no pun intended) for when I wanna take a trip through pipe heaven. Another great one from the guys at McClelland.

Smoking experience:

This is one of the first pipe tobaccos I tried, now being 4 months a pipe smoker. I initially tried this in my Dr Grabow Omega, my first pipe. I wasn't sure what to do with the flake pieces. I packed my pipe to the best of my (at the time) limited ability. I could not keep it lit. Overall it was a bad experience, but I knew that was more me than the tobacco. I then studied about flakes and decided on the rubbing method.

For my second attempt, I rubbed out a bowl's worth and packed my Peterson Killarney 306 after letting it dry out ten minutes. Slightly better experience this time. Still had some trouble with relights. I felt I needed to draw on it harder to keep it lit, and one thing about some McLelland tobaccos like this one, when you pull hard, they bite hard. The Peterson also is a P-lip which is a small draw. My second experience was consumed by tongue bite and thus not very good.

At this point I decided to rub the whole tin out(advice from a review on TR), and I let it settle for a week in the tin. I tried it in the Peterson again. Better. I avoided the tongue bite. It stayed lit almost to the bottom. It was still markedly lower on the totem pole compared to FVF. I felt some spice, but still lacking in character.

I just came back to it again(one month later) and packed it(with better backing ability now) in my 50yr old Larsen Copenhagen, which is a large pipe, the bowl has to be at least 2" deep and it has a large draw. I call this my magic pipe, because it brings out the best in everything I smoke in it. I was not disappointed. I hit it with 4 charring lights to get a good ember going around 5:20. I didn't touch it again with the lighter until 6:45. This was everything a Va flake should be. Smooth, sweet, mellow. I was left in a state of pure satisfaction, dumb grin on my face and all. I guess the old adage is true about tobacco also, if at first you don;t succeed, try try again. Or put it in your best pipe and smoke it.

My recommendation: Rub the whole tin out and give it some air time. Pack it in a pipe with a big draw as this helps ward off tongue bite. And with all tobaccos, take time to light it right, char it 3-4 times before giving it the final light. This one takes some work and time to enjoy, but well worth it if you don't mind the effort. 3 stars overall, but when you get it right, it is a 4 star smoke.

The tin was popped and the smell was typical McC Virginia, Tomato Sauce, Vinegar with some Cloves and maybe All Spice. While not the biggest fan of the Vinegar/Tomato sauce aroma, this did have promise and i was really looking forward to smoking it.

I have dried it for about a week to the moisture level that i prefer by leaving the tin open to air out. I do this successfully with all Virginia blends to get the results i seek.

I loaded up a bowl a few moments ago and lit up. It took pretty well and i started puffing away to get the taste experience. All i got was tongue bite, lots of it and decided to dump the tobacoo.

I know it may seem too soon to review but i have smoked many blends and this is a sign of things to come.

I understand that this blend is very popular and my experience is based on my personal body chemistry, YMMV.

Mo, South Africa

Popping the tin reveals perfect moisture jerky like flakes and the sweet smell of Virginia that I love so much. I lightly rubbed it out, packed it, lit it, enjoyed it! Great slow smoke. Nice billows. Most importantly a good full bodied Virginia taste.

If you like Virginia Flakes, I can't see how you wouldn't like this one?! I'm going to go back and buy a few more to put away for a rainy day...

For objectivity's sake, I will not give this blend less than three stars: it will work extremely well for those who like this sort of thing, as evidenced, indeed, by the plethora of rave reviews here and elsewhere. And there is no denying that the base tobaccos used here are of a high quality. If I were asked for a VA recommendation by an avid aromatic smoker, this might well be the first blend to spring to mind as a gateway to that great tobacco genre.

Final note: I know this has been covered to death, but the tin aroma of this tobacco is, in my opinion, truly awful. It's like ketchup gone rancid - it neither smells of tobacco nor anything I'd happily pour over any food. Fortunately the smell in the tin doesn't translate to the flavour of the smoke itself, but that stench is still a detracting factor as far as my overall impressions of this tobacco go.

Like any flake Virginia, this one need to be approached slowly and rushing through it will only bite your...um, tongue.

I find this one ideal for the patio with a good book and a snifter of adult beverage.

I love the look in the tin and the partially broken up flakes. They are thick cut and break up easily. I think they can use a little drying time before lighting up. I usually let it sit out while I smoke another small bowl beforehand. I typically go with the fold and stuff method opposed to rubbing it out. I think this adds in more of those little sugary hits as you smoke it. It keeps lit well and burns down to a nice gray ash.

As with all tobaccos, never suck this one down! You'll ruin the smooth, sweetness that makes this blend wonderful. Sip it slowly and thoughtfully, you won't be disappointed. This blend is a 100% must for anyone that loves straight virginias. I will always have some on hand.

Very highly recommended.

Kokinhenik had mentioned about blackwoods smelling like sweet pickles. Right. But for me it also tastes like pickles. If you ever tried Russian or Bulgarian sweet pickles (cabbage, red pepper etc. with coriander seeds) then you'll know what I'm talking about, cos this is very similar.

Sweet, Sour, Toasty, Sweet, Sour, Toasty, Sweet, Sour, Toasty, Yummy!