Nording Fox Hound

Fox Hound is a typical McClelland English blend in tin note and texture. That’s not a bad thing, just a comparison. The tobacco needs some dry time. The Oriental component, which is of the usual McClelland high quality, leads the way with the Latakia and Virginias in supporting rolls. This is what many would refer to as a “crossover” English or an aromatic English. I find it really similar to Frog Morton on the Town, and lovers of that blend will likely enjoy this too. Its mild in strength, burns cool and the vanilla like topping leaves a nice room note. I don’t normally respond to other reviewers, but I have to say, this would only be like Nat Sherman’s City Island Dawn if City Island Dawn had Virginias, Orientals and Latakia rather than straight golden Cavendish. And it is nothing like 965, not even remotely. What Fox Hound is, is a nice entry level English blend for those looking to cross over from aromatics or for those that simply love a very mild English “style” blend.

McClelland never ceases to amaze me! Every time they manufacture an outstanding blend that does NOT appeal to "Mass Tastes" they discontinue it. Alas, Like "OLD DOG" this is a wonderful mixture that is still avilable but no longer produced.

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Upon opening the tin, one is greeted by a wonderful mix of Vanilla and Orientals with just a wisp of Latakia in the background. It has a wonderful sweet and sour aroma. Strangely,the famed "KETCHUP" smell is not a Virginia ketchup but rather an "Oriental Ketchup". A very alluring yet unusual olfactory experience. This is a true "CROSSOVER" blend. It has a definitive English taste and aroma but is tempered by the addition of an aromatic vanilla casing. It has no bite and is quite smooth. This is very strange stuff. It is nothing like the Frog Morton series at all. If you have smoked OLD DOG which is a tweaked British woods IMHO, then you will understand the concept. This is a tweaked oriental blend. It burns dry and cool. It has a slightly bitter taste that I enjoy immensely. The room note is that of some sort of English /Aromatic hybrid. It is not a sweet Vanilla ! If you are a McClelland fan I do think this one should be tried.AH! Now I can give an example of a similar blend. C&D has a series of aromatics with Latakia- e.g. Craig Starks blend comes to mind. It is something like that ala McClelland ketchup. A unique smoking experience and not one to be missed. A solid 3 of 4 stars!

My thoughts on this when I first lit it up were "egads! a cavendish english blend!" Really: I checked to make sure I wasn't using a dedicated aromatic pipe. I'm not talking Captain Black here, but there's a telltale sweetness that isn't Virginia and not oriental. I note that I'm not the first to suspect the inclusion of cavendish (see BriarLaw's review). I was determined to dislike this bastard halfbreed just out of principle, but I found myself enjoying it. The sweetness oddly plays well with the orientals and latakia. It is a great gentle smoke to wake up to: not at all austere, harsh, bitey, "artistic" nor nicotine-laden. It has become my standard early morning smoke, quite tasty in its unique way.

If your tastes in tobacco are catholic, as mine are, try this. If your tastes tend to be, well, classical only, avoid.

This is a fine addition to the series of tobaccos by Nording. All the elements come together nicely. This lights well and stays lit with no problems. I think this is the best of the series. It smokes down to a nice ash for me with no goop at the bottom of the bowl. Recommended.

This blend has an outdoor feel to to it, as the taste is very woodsy, and the tin note and aroma remind me of a fresh campfire. The aroma is well-executed, but perhaps not ultimately for everybody. To me however, this blend is autumn in a pipe, and I enjoy it quite a bit.

It smokes a bit wet, but burns very well. If you smoke it too hot, it starts to taste pretty soapy, but that can easily be avoided. I don't feel any strong buzz, but I certainly do relax while I smoke this down.

I can't wait to enjoy this around a fire on a fall evening.

I, too love this blend. The smell out of the tin is nice and unoffensive. The room note is strong, but not "Go outside and smoke that stuff" strong. It's a smooth tobacco that won't burn you tongue. It does have a pronounced "ketchup" taste as the bowl finishes. Wonderful and good so far, eh? That said, it is a WET tobacoo upon arrival. I swear if you took a handful of it and squeezed, water would drip. Even though it is very high in moisture, it is still fairly easy to keep lit. I left my canister open for a day and that made a big difference. It was still a bit moist, but much more smokable. Just for the record, I believe that most tobaccos NEED some moisture to bring out the flavors. C&D's blends are usually far TOO dry to be enjoyable. Their aromatics are ok,though.

I really like this one. I do not detect what other reviewers claim as added vanilla topping. I thought it was very smooth and actually reminded me of the old Balkan Sobranie. Many pipe snobs would probably scream at me for saying that but I can't help it. This blend invokes those memories. Definitely worth a try if you like a little latakia and a sweetish smoke.

I very much enjoy this blend. It says no longer produced but I just got 2 tins dated 3 2012. I hope it continues to be available.

A very nice blend with a mild smoky taste and well balanced flavor. Burns clean, no bite and very satisfying. A top notch blend.