McClelland - Personal Reserve: British Woods pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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Thorre	10/28/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong
As far as English blends go, this for me is tip top. I tried this several years ago when I was just a young Latakia junkie. I liked it then. Now after going through the other blend types, such as Burleys, Virginias, VaPers,and Aros. I have now tried this anew. Silky smooth, spicy Orientals, cool smoking English pleasure. I give this the highest mark.
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tramroad28	07/02/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
English blends are my favorite and British Woods consistently delivers the goods. It is one that I won't be without. Opening the tin and a deep sniff lets you know that each bowl will bring a depth of flavor that meets the expectations of an English-type blend. Moisture is spot-on for me...and it just looks right. I enjoy it most in the Autumn and find it fits well when a bowl is called upon when driving between woodcock and ruffed grouse coverts.
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wosbald	06/30/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Very Full	Strong
The tin aroma of this mixture of short-cut, medium ribbon reeks of a torte-like richness; the pungency of ample latakia and turkish leaf overlying the sweet and fetid reek of highly fermented virginia. The main focus of the flavor is a duet between latakia and dark-stoved VAs with balance and interest provided by fine turkish leaf and red VAs. The penetrating distinctiveness of the richly fermented, dark-stoved VA provides backbone and prevents stolidity. British Woods is a rich and opulent delight which did well in a chamber of any gauge.
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Captain	06/27/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
It is said that this is Barry Levin's masterpiece. I agree. It is the smoothest English Mixture that I know. Sweet and mellow tasting Virginia based Latakia Oriental Mixture. The taste of sweet Macedonian leaf delivered in a release of full rich flavor. Is this the best English Mixture? As in all of the Arts, there is no "best" tobacco. This is,in my opinion,close. It is at the front of my Golden Circle.
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BriarBurner	06/02/2009	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
An enjoyable english/oriental blend...i.e. more oriental than a real english blend. Dark rich fragrant tobac on opening and also very very wet. had to dry for 36 hrs. Reminded me of Frog Morton Across the Pond. Both excellant smokes. Definately worthy of your briar.
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Kleophrades	02/18/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Out of the tin (stamped 2006, popped 2009) British Woods looks like strong, villainous stuff: some of the darkest leaves I've seen in a ribbon cut. But appearances can be deceiving. In fact it is the smoothest English I've ever tasted, indeed one of the smoothest blends of any kind. The Cyprian latakia is not the heavy sort one finds in, say, Pelican, Margate, or 965, but the middleweight of Butera's Latakia #2 (also blended by McClelland) and Pease's Maltese Falcon. As others have noted there is a distinct sweetness to this blend; Maltese Falcon comes again to mind, and I wonder if there mightn't be a bit of casing. Butera's Latakia #2 is the other comparison, and in this case British Woods is a bit sweeter and downplays the Orientals. While it lacks some of the complexity of the really great blends -- "one dimensional" is a term that's been used -- this blend is delightful on its own merits: wonderful on a cold morning with coffee. It's not big and heavy but it's not trying to be. Lovely.
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bigjonburley	01/30/2009	Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I've been smoking this stuff for a few years now and, I just looked at my profile and realized that I had not yet reviewed this blend. BW is a good blend. I like the fullness that it presents to the palate. It smokes very cool as well. Like other mcclelland blends that fall into the the english genre, I detect their characteristic sweetness that occompanies the smokey essence of the latakia. I find it very american, and very similar in composition to 5125 or coyote. They both have that sweet thing going on. Its almost like theres some sort of cavendish in the background. This blend does not possess the twangy spiciness that orientals add to other blends but, it is still good in its own right. I think the sweet factor keep this blend pretty monochromatic but, imo that what makes it an all day smoke. BW is an americanized british blend of full body little spice and absolutely buries its lacking cousin, frog morton. Yeah, I said it...the frog is weak and lacking compared to the alternatives. I much prefer other full strength blends such as 965, commonwealth, penzance. But when I'm feeling like I want something from a different world, but within the same category I still reach for BW. Good stuff.
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john doe	01/23/2009	Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable
I love Orientals, and it is always with great sadness that I find within a week of opening a tin containing said loveliness that their flavor expires, no matter how well I store them in a glass jar. The first week of smoking BW is full of Oriental herbiness -- in this case, a strong oleandar / rosemary flavor. At first I thought it was a casing, but when it disappeared within a week, I knew, with sadness, it was a particularly curious Oriental. There's good nicotine strength here. It won't wallop you, but you'll be quite satisfied. The cut is McClelland's thick ribbon style. Gravity pack this, or you won't be able to burn to the bottom of your pipe. It's good stuff. The price is good value. But Westminster is better. I will enjoy finishing the tin, but I doubt I will buy this again. A solid three star blend.
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Sinister Topiary	01/20/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I first got into pipe smoking many years ago via nothing but bulk english blends and have only recently started to branch out into tins. I came across this one not too long ago, and it is a revelation. It has become my quintessential, supreme english blend. The search is over. Like McClelland's Dark Star, this tobacco sometimes seems to me to transcend the sensual and approach the realm of high art. Incredibly smooth, silky, full, rich, subtle, even -- dare I say? -- close to perfection. It's everything I could hope for in a terrific, peaceful smoke. Such a calmly joyous experience, like the fourth movement of Mahler's 4th. This blend is so good that I cannot consider British Woods an everyday go-to blend, but something to be relished when the mood is right, a Lagavulin rather than a Johnny Red. Pipe smoking exists for blends like this.
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macbforme	01/05/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A very good offering from McClelland. Tin aroma is very nice with hints of spice, leather, and campfire. The smoking experience was very favorable and I remember getting a little soapiness. Otherwise, it was a very cool smoke and produced a very pleasant campfire-ish room note. A good "English" intro. Enjoy!
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catdaddy	12/11/2008	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend has a wonderful woodsy flavor with enough strength to make it interesting. Looking for that one special blend for an evening front porch smoke?
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Notanuftime	11/20/2008	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong
This is good stuff...not the ultimate smoke, but definitely worth keeping around. A little too heavy on the Latakia for me...my wife thought I'd fired up the woodstove! My tin (dated 371206)contained far too many stems compared to what I'm used to seeing. Overall, an enjoyable smoke that I'll continue to revisit 2 or 3 times a week.
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Black Seamus	11/19/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Update: I've been smoking from a tin that's been aging in my cellar for four years. The sweetness of the Virginia tobaccos is much more prominent than when the tobac is younger. Still four stars with the aged stuff being more suited to those who prefer a sweeter smoke. +++ Original review, 05/22/2005 +++ Some of the other reviewers have used the adjective "silky" in their review of this blend, and I can't think of a better one. British Woods has to be the smoothest tobacco I've ever smoked. The tin describes the flavor as "full," but when I think of full, I think of Balkans like C&D's Star of the East. This one falls into the medium catagory with Dunhill's London Mixture and Lane's Crown Achievement. It is very rich and flavorful, and definitely not one of those "me too" English blends. It's in a class all its own. The stars of the show here are the well-balanced Orientals, with the Virginias being barely noticed. The room note is very nice as well. This one may be ideal for those that want to enjoy an English tobacco without being run out of the room. British Woods won't replace my beloved London Mixture, but it will always have a place in my rotation. Highly recommended for the English lover.
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BriarChef	09/10/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
This review is based on old tins of Barry Levin British Woods that have been resting quietly in their bail top jars. The McClelland version may be different and your mileage may vary. Veddy British. Perfect moisture. Some fermented aromas of big red wines present. Like Claret. Some vintage port-like sweetness, balanced with some nice tannins that are almost "rusty" in character. Very nice indeed. Leathery aromas in the jar. Some "leaf lock" after their long rest, so fluffing was needed. A wee bit of air helped the moisture. Loads well with a light hand. Takes the match like a champ. Burns to a pristine gray ash with some dottle...no big deal. Full, Rich and Dark sums it up nicely and accurately. Cold weather. Fireplace. Miles Davis Kind of Blue. Islay malt with a wee bit o' water, no ice. An old Bogey film noir. Life is good.
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Lochinvar	09/02/2008	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Ahh Barry Levin, without you, where would we have been. One of the few good Enlish Blends McClelland produces, this is no heavyweight. The taste is good and satisfying, and reminds me of walking in the woods on a fall day. It has a kind of burning honeyed muskiness underlying the smoky acidity of the latakia and Macedonian tobaccos. The overall smoke, though, is fairly light and light on the nicotine. A great all dayer, a good second stage for the English novice.
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CPT/VSG	04/23/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Very Pleasant
BW seems to be to be the best balanced of the McClelland Latakia blends as the the Macedonians come through nicely. (Being of Macdonian heritage, McClelland got my attention by just mentioning Macedonian on the tin!) I'm not a big fan of the Frog Morton series as being too much of a one note theme but BW satisfies with reasonable complexity. My wife consistently rates BW as the best room note to her...so that's another plus. A solid English that I'll always keep around.
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DoctorThoss	03/03/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a fine "crossover" English blend, meaning that it has both a decent hit of latakia as well as the kind of mild sweetness I associate with quality aromatics. The base tobaccos seem to be typical McClellands fare: high quality, sweet, and tangy. The latakia and orientals seem to be in equal proportions, and they combine to provide a very nice incense/pine needle quality (but without much of the campfire flavor I enjoy in latakia mixtures). It's considerably more complex than most other McClelland latakia mixtures (excluding Wilderness and Legends), but still a far cry from the many GL Pease blends available in this range. It's unusually sweet for an English blend, enough in fact for me to wonder if it's been flavored somewhere along the line. In that respect, it is similar to the Frog Morton series. In fact, this blend evokes the Frog series in many ways, only it's a bit stronger. Burning qualities are typical for a McClelland blend -- it takes a few lights to get it going and then burns smoothly to the bottom of the bowl. Other than the Frogs, the most natural comparison is to Boswell's Northwoods. While the flavor profiles are remarkably similar, British Woods is positively anemic compared to Northwoods. Northwoods is a "full" mixture with a noticeable amount of nicotine and a heavy flavor profile, while British Woods is on the lighter side of medium. I prefer stout blends, so British Woods seems a bit lacking to my tastes. Nonetheless, British Woods is very nice blend that may just hit the spot for those who prefer to avoid "latakia bombs" or are new to the world of English tobaccos.
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BostonPipe	07/25/2007	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Many of the reviewers have noted that upon opening, the blend was quite moist-I am no exception. After a couple of wet bowls, I let it air out a bit before embarking on it again. There are no nuances as one smokes down the length of the bowl. Pretty much what you taste in the beginning, is what you taste at the end. I find it to be a "nice smoke," smooth and gentle. Maybe a little too gentle, (my everyday is Kendal's Dark Shag). Due to the inclusion of Stoved Virginia, this blend to me is sort of, a "beginners english blend." Mind you, I am not stating that as a put-down of either the blend, or those that enjoy stoved virginia. It is just that for myself, this blend is o.k., nothing I would look forward to "kicking-back" and experiencing. I good smoke for puttering around the workshop or yard.
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Fumatore	07/05/2007	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
If this is English tobacco I guess it would be located in the Channel just off the coast. To me this tastes like Frog Morton with just a little sweetened black Cavendish tossed in the pot. Don?t think it is a bad blend, even with the Froggy curse, just nothing I prefer to smoke. 2.5 stars.
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JazzSmoke	01/15/2007	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
I can't add much to what's already been said but this tobacco is an excellent English style blend. It's unique in that there is a little sweetness in it, but the latakia (is it Syrian?) is greatly present and has an incense like aroma when burning. I dry this and all tobacco quite a bit and it smokes cooler that way. It does require a few relights but so do most blends. I'm almost finished with a 100g tin which is from 2006. I have two more tins which are several years old which may be better yet. Although I'm not really sure they would smoke any cooler that this recent tin. Don't be put off by the slight sweetness as it helps to give this blend it's unique character and separates it from traditional English blends, which are all made in Germany and Denmark these days!
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