Barclay-Rex Barclay Slice

I just bought a couple of ounces of Barclay Slice. It is a very nice broken-flake Virginia (almost cavendished). I don't find that the slight vanilla essence applied (more sprayed than "cooked") mars the natural tobacco taste. This is a very smooth blend. It is easy to pack and it lights at the first go. It burns slowly and it won't bite. Different in taste from those Virginias with a ketchup/vinegar undernote, but also different from the more European preparation (English/Danish), with the molasses/raisin natural sweetness. It is a very simple and nice smoke, nothing to write home about, yet a very suitable companion to read and write. Kudos!

I associate this blend with an experience. I've recently dropped off my IM Corona Elysee for repair. On the day of picking up the lighter I went down to Wall St. to visit Barclay Rex, where I set my eyes on an absolutely beautiful Genod Canadian pipe which turned out to be the exact same size as some of my favorite Savinelli Canadian pipes.

I approached the table full of house blends, opening them one by one to smell their aroma, starting with Barclay Slice. From the first second I knew that I will get myself couple of ounces. Leaving the store, I filled my branch new Genod with this local Virginia blend and lit it with my repaired Elysee, while walking towards Wall St. This was a fantastic smoke from the first second to the last.

The aroma from the jar was of berry-like sweet fruits, hay, and grass. I get absolutely no vanilla flavoring at all, which is possible if the city banned flavoring tobacco. But I'm not sure what are the official ingredients today.

These are also the notes I'm getting from smoking this straight Virginia, except for citrus rather than berries. Definitely on the bright-Virginia side of things, with only a drop of spice coming through (but then again, my palate gets some spice from every blend I've smoked in the past couple of years, so who knows). The broken flake is easily rubbed-out and I prefer to rub it all out from the get go. The moisture was spot on, but living it in my tobacco pouch for a few days didn't make it over-dry. In fact, it kept a perfect moisture whenever I needed it.

Thanks to this experience, Barclay Slice has been the only blend I've smoked in my new Genod. And every smoke has been fantastic. It's easily packed and smoked, doesn't require relight, has absolutely no tongue bite, and can easily be an all-day smoke. In fact, I had to stop myself from finishing it too quickly. Fortunately, it smokes exceptionally slow, helping me to enjoy longer smokes with the amount I have left.

It is medium in body, light-medium in strength.

Now, it's been some time since I've smoked Orlik Golden Sliced, but from my memory these two are very similar blends. It's also similar to the general cased Mac Baren bright Virginia blends, such as Virginia Flake and even a bit of Amphora Virginia. It is sweet with a touch of spice, very satisfying. This blend gets the highest rating. Unfortunately, only being available at a brick-and-mortar store, it's more expensive than Orlik and I'm forced by the rules of capitalist economy to not support Barclay Rex as much as I'd like to. I'll buy couple of ounces whenever I visit, but that won't be too often.

After giving this some thought, and a good amount of fair shakes, the verdict is in. This slightly-aromatic broken Virginia flake is a hidden gem in the pipe community. Only available in the brick and mortar, you've got to find your way beneath the skyscrapers to Pearl St. in the Financial District to lay hold of this offering. A journey into the belly of Manhattan for which you'll be richly rewarded.

This is a broken flake, and if I was pressed to place this on the Virginia spectrum of light and dark, this is somewhere in the middle. Every once in a while, beautiful citrus notes pop through, but boy, this Virginia has some depth under the hood. I wouldn't say this reaches the toasty, red end of the spectrum, but it gets a good bit there, too. Just like any Virginia, this will burn a little hotter and takes some finesse to keep it in the sweet spot, so don't go chuffing on this like a kid behind the bleachers because this leaf will rise up and quickly remind you that this is a tobacco to be savored. Once you've got the correct cadence down, you'll understand.

There is a good amount of vanilla-sweetness to this blend, but I wouldn't say overly-so, or even enough to call it a "crossover" blend. It merely sweetens up the blend and compliments the cozy nature of this tobacco.

Particularly, I enjoy this tobacco as a "Golden Hour" smoke, watching the last of the rays paint over the sky before mellowing westward for the night. And just like the sun that you wish would never set but is soon past, you'll not know what you've had until it's gone. Then onto Pearl St. once again you'll go.