The flakes (well, 4-5 of em cause most of them are broken) came out to be black in color and I caught a whiff of the signature ketchup smell. I love it! It was definitely more acidic than Blackwoods Flake or Virginia No.24. Very moist in the tin and I knew that it would need at least a good 20 minutes to rest.

I pulled out the large pieces and shook out the fragments onto a clean wooden table to air out. I then took them in my fingers and gently rubbed them in a circular motion to further open up the flakes. Gravity fed my bowl and tamped every so lightly so that the pieces could expand and air themselves out during initial charring. Took a couple of lights to start seeing white ashes on the top. Burns okay. Needed a few relights but what's the fun in pipe smoking if you don't take the time to prep?

The flavor is smooth and slightly creamy. It's just like other VA's but very sweet in aroma. The flavor is deep, leathery, tangy and woody. It is very clean in aftertaste and the room note is pretty darn good!

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a genuine VA experience. However, for beginners, I would recommend Blackwoods Flake first as it is more forgiving in terms of burning qualities and is less likely to give ya bite!

Because of this high moisture content, it is very hard to light Dark Star, but I prefer to smoke it immediately without drying. I feel that drying this tobacco would make it lose some of the interesting characteristics it exhibits. I tend to fold the tobacco firmly and either push or screw it into the bowl of a pipe with just enough firmness to hold it in place. Two or three flakes will fill the bowl of a pipe of medium size while still allowing enough space between the folded flakes to allow for expansion while burning, allowing for a good draw. Adding a sprinkling of fine particles from the broken flakes in the bottom of a Dark Star tin to the top of a pipe bowl just before packing will reduce the time and effort it takes to light this tobacco.

This tobacco seems to be well suited to a briar pipe of a Liverpool, Cumberland, Lovat, or Zulu shape. A pipe with a tall and narrow chamber would be ideal. However, something like a dry system Oom Paul from Savinelli or Peterson might also be a perfect pipe for this tobacco, since Dark Star can smoke very wet if you don't approach it slowly and with care.

I would recommend a Zippo lighter with a pipe insert to be used for lighting this tobacco. Getting Dark Star to burn well can be a chore, and the aforementioned type of lighter will ignite the tobacco without risking rim charring of your briar. The initial vinegar tang of Dark Star will mask any taste from the liquid fuel of the Zippo that a sensitive palate might detect. (Personally, I have never had a problem with using a liquid fueled lighter, but some people claim they can detect an altered taste to their tobacco when using such a device.)

At the start of a smoke, Dark Star asserts itself strongly, with a tingling sensation on the palate and a taste of vinegar. These sensations are bracing and surprising, but not unpleasant. I could detect a hint of what seemed to be fresh mint in the background at first, which was most unexpected.

After a few minutes, the taste of Dark Star becomes softer and much more complex. Something of molasses and currant can be felt, and a meatier tobacco taste begins to appear in the background.

For the final act, Dark Star begins to taste more like a traditional English blend, such as Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe, or perhaps it could be perceived as a milder version of Gawith, Hoggarth's & Co's Black Irish X.

All in all, Dark Star is a pleasant tobacco that presents the smoker with a taste that evolves almost like what could be expected from a layering of different blends in a Chimney. I found this tobacco to be a surprising experience.

Dark Star is a chore to get burning, but it rewards patience and persistence well. A good, bracing tobacco that smokes like a three-act play.

Pipes used for testing: Brigham Chinook (65), Falcon A16-19, Peterson Darwin, Peterson Tankard, Freehand Baglan Meerschaum, Peterson Aran 268, Dunhill Shell 0314 Bulldog (1976)

The initial lighting of Dark Star produces a sweet, heady smoke that fulfills the promise of spice. Each subsequent puff continues that promise. Somehow, as I get deeper into a bowl of this stuff, I am reminded of raisins. Though not a huge fan of raisins, it works. It’s delicious. Enticing. The further you get into a bowl of this stuff the richer and more complex the flavor and sweetness. A wonderful, almost vanilla-like creaminess develops in Dark Star that never fails to amaze and delight me.

Dark Star is a slow-burning tobacco. In a bowl that normally lasts me an hour and a half, DS seems to burn for at least a couple of hours. The finishing notes are every bit as interesting and pleasurable as the start. It DGT’s well, too. Puff slowly when you smoke it. I suspect that this tobacco could do a typical Virginia burn on your tongue if smoked heavily, but heavily smoking it would so detract from the subtleties of flavor that it would make the experience far less anyway. To me, McClelland’s Dark Star is the tobacco that all other stoved Virginias aspire to become.

That's unacceptable.

But I've done more to accommodate lesser tobaccos.

So why the 3 star rating? Because if you let it dry a bit, 95% of the vinegar flavor disappears. What's left is one of the purest, smoothest, most naturally sweet VA experiences out there. The "pressing and stoving" of the Virginia leaves has kept the bright, sweet VA character while introducing a fuller dimension to the smoke. It's getting towards winter here, and the best way I can describe Dark Star is to think about the way fresh cut maple (normal McClelland VA) smells, then think about the way your house smells when you burn aged maple in a wood stove (Dark Star). The presence of the constituent VAs is very much a part of Dark Star, but there's more going on. Something mellow and dark and, well, comforting.

Also as the tobacco dried out (over about four months) it seemed to lose its entire flavor. Definitely don’t let it dry out.

Scent is McKetchup and Worchestershire. Taste is mild but nice and mellow like a diet-Planta San Succi. Good starter tobacco as it requires minimal effort to fold and pack. No bite.

didnt like this alone. hard to keep lit moist and found it harsh dried. I'll take pieces of it to blend with others. i know, i know..need to give it another chance, but dont think i'll change my mind on this one.

Unlike some other reviewers, I tend to break this down by peeling the flakes longwise into fine strands with some length to them, rather than rubbing and crumbling it down into little hard bits. Once it is fine enough to tangle, I pack it more tightly than normal, usually into a low, wide bowl. I then have no issues whatsoever getting it lit and keeping it going, right to the bottom of the bowl. Puts out rich, luxurious clouds of dense, fragrant smoke. This has become one of my frequent evening companions, sitting out over the lake bidding adieu to the fleeting sunset and ushering in the blackness of night, as the balmy breezes rustle the maples. As the darkness descends, Dark Star provides euphoric accompaniment to Lustmord's The Place Where the Black Stars Hang and a quality tawny port. A worthy and memorable experience, now go find out for yourself what McClelland's can do with virginias and carolinas in this savory blend...

UPDATE: It was so tempting I decided to, in fact, throw a pinch of Lane's BCA in with a bowl of Dark Star. The results were predictable...an even more intoxicating smoke, with slight hints of sweetness which counter and balance the tanginess and slight tar-like qualities, to further mellow the smoke and smooth out the taste very slightly. Even more fragrant room note, just as cool smoking, and simply low-maintenance to light and keep lit, right down to the bottom of the bowl, with an occasional gentle tamping. If you like Dark Star, and are also an aromatic fan, try a small pinch of Lane's BCA or some other high quality black cavendish such as Bennington's Raven or McClelland's VBC. You won't be disappointed.

I have had problems keeping it lit, and the best way to handle it (besides obviously drying it out) is to be more aggressive than usual with your charring lights and relights -- counterintuitive for a Virginia. DS requires some patience and determination along the way. I personally have no problems with the latter; it's the former that I lack. But once you get it going, it will reward you, and the last third is sublime. This stuff is vinegary, rich, satisfying and doesn't bite. It pairs extremely well with a good California Cabernet Sauvignon, such as Rodney Strong.

So why two stars? It's too high maintenance for me.

This is an aged Virginia that has been pressed and stoved. Now, we are into "real" tobacco! Tobacco that stands completely on its own without any added flavoring. I have a place in my heart for this stuff even though I generally smoke mild aromatics. I can really appreciate this as a treat but not an all day blend by any means. I'll rotate this with my heavy Latakia Blends because I do love non-aromatic leaf, especially matured Virginia. This is exceptional. A little goes a long way in a big bowl. You will need some re-lights and some tamping. I simply folded the slices and jammed them into the bowl. All in all, an exceptional treat.