McClelland Mellow Mack

The tin I just cracked is 13yrs old that I bought at a local B&M after the word that McClelland was closing the doors.

I've had a fresh tin a while back. I remember that being a bit wetter in the can. The top dressing was more pronounced and the leaf flavor was in the background to it. I don't recall it getting bitey or anything like that.

This tin with 13yrs age is definitely a different animal. The leaf is a tad drier. The top note has faded off a bit and the Burley + Virginia made Cavendish are definitely more to the forefront than they were in a fresh tin. The nuttiness of the Burley is more evident than the pecan flavoring.

I would say this is a good aromatic fresh, but as McClelland has closed if you come across a tin down the road it won't be a disappointing smoke. If you prefer a more natural tobacco taste then it could work out great for you.

This is a top quality American style aromatic. The tin aroma is very much like a pecan brownie.

The tin I purchased was three years old. There was no vinegar smell, and the moisture level was perfect.

Packs, lights, and smokes quite easily. Not too wet. There are hints of licorice weaving between the chocolate and pecan. The tobacco taste is nearly absent.

Afterwards, I had a pleasant aftertaste, so the tobacco is of good quality. I would recommend this as a step up from Lane or Altadis aromatics. If you like all natural tobacco, you should of course skip this. I doubt I will purchase any more, but it isn't bad.

In Central Texas, in June, both the humidity levels and the temperature hover around 90. Every summer, about this time, two things happen. First I begin to wonder who in the hell decided to stop and settle this steamy little stretch of hell--weird fish-people who need to breathe pure steam, future deoderant magnates, ordinary masochists, families of dry cleaners? The second thing is I lose all taste for Latakia and lose some, not all, of my patience regarding Virginias. This is the time when a man smokes some kind of burley, or just gives it up and smokes cigars until October, when the first waftings of cooler air begin to make us consider turning our A/Cs off SUPER MAX.

Mellow Mack, despite the goofy name, is a quality Burley mix. It looks to be about half Burley and half Black Cavendish and there is a bit of some kind of nut-flavored top note. The effect in the pipe is a soft, mild, nutty smoke with a good tobacco flavor. The flavor is not really sweet, and has none of that weird taste and aftertaste the sweeter aromatics have. Trial pinches laid out in the open air do seem to dry out some, so the humectant level in this stuff is not overwhelming. It also smokes to a nice grey ash, and I don't seem to have any problems with wetness, gurgle, or dottle. All in all, this is a good choice for the steamier climes and I'm adding this to Mac Baren Navy Flake as one of the few aromatic Burleys I'm willing to smoke (at any time of the year). It won't replace Marlin Flake, and no one will ever mistake this blend for a great tobacco, but it's pretty damn good, and pretty unbeatable for the mission at hand.

I have smoked this tobacco in a variety of briar and meerschuam pipes, and even a cob. It goes well in all, but really shines in a well-smoked meerschaum.

Later note: Aptness for steamy Dallas summers notwithstanding, I find this tobacco uninteresting in better weather. It also seems, like many aromatics, to lose flavor after it's been opened awhile. I'll smoke it again next summer, I'm sure, but in the meantime, I'm downgrading my recommendation.

I'm a relatively new pipe smoker at about a year and a half. I tried a number of blends starting out and almost gave up on the hobby until I tried this blend. As a new smoker I was looking for something with low nicotine, pleasant aroma while smoking, mild with no bite and didn't leave my pipe smelling like a skanky ash tray. This did it for me. I found it easy to pack, easy to light and keep lit and smokes dry to the bottom without gooping up my pipe. (At times it will smoke wet and gurgle a bit, but I've seen that as more related to me learning to pack my pipe and sip patiently rather the chuff it like a locomotive.) Occasionally a tin will be a bit moister and harder to light. I've found in those cases that letting my pipe sit out for 5-10 minutes after loading solves that. I've tried a few other blends, but keep coming back to Mellow Mack, so I guess it presently rates as my favorite. Many reviews refer to this blend as too mild. I find it a pleasure every time I light up. Perhaps my tastes will change over time, but at present this is my go-to blend that I always make sure to have available.

This is the only aromatic I smoke. It smells like my house did growing up - My Dad's Bradley's Vanilla Nut always ever present.

Not really much on flavor with the typical aromatic flavor that I think comes more from the smell then the actual flavoring. Burns very well though and not as wet as most aromatics.

Strickly Nostalgia for me though.

I like this one. As other reviewers have noted, it's a little pricey, and I will likely not buy another tin...but that doesn't mean it isn't a good tobacco. Easy to pack and light, lots of smoke, mild sweet taste, what could be wrong with that? If you like aromatics, give it a try! It may just be what you're looking for!

If you are looking for a mild, lightly aromatic smoke, then this is the best I have found. Everything about this is mild. It is a nice light smoke. Like a Spring day.

Having smoked a pipe for some 35 years, I have mostly moved from Aromatics to more hearty tobacco. In part this is because most Aromatics are just too heavily cased and sickly sweet for my taste.

This one is getting its own pipe. The casing is very light. It provides a tin and room note that is just a hint of Honey and Pecans. I love it. Can't see myself smoking it all day long. But I like variety and rotate tobaccos as well as pipes.

This one will be part of that rotation for the frequest occassions where I want something light in flavor (like McCranie's Red Ribbon) and slightly Aromatic. This tobacco is for the Bourbon drinker who can occassionally appreciate the lightness and subtelty of an excellent Vodka Martini.

Not bad at all! This is not nauseatingly sweet (and throat-irritating) stuff like Blue Note, Sweet Killarney or Sunset Breeze. Neither it is an usual cavendish pouched aromatic with their bland taste. This tobacco has a very nice biscuity tin aroma, is sligtly moist and sticky to the touch, but not too much. You don't get the impression you are smoking molasses tobacco for shisha... What makes this tobacco tolerable for me is that the taste of the leaf can truly be felt under the casing...

A nice nutty-flavored aromatic that burns cool, tends toward moist. The texture is creamy and smooth, the flavor is sweet but not bold; the casing is light enough that the fine tobacco flavor comes through. I detect hazelnut and almond, with perhaps a hint of honey and/or vanilla. Ribbon cut, packs easily and stays lit after a couple of charring lights.

The tin aroma does have a coffee-like quality, though I'd say the coffee in question would be a hazelnut-flavored blend. Also when first opened there's a vinegar-like scent, evidently from the preservative used to prevent mold. This blend doesn't mind a little drying out.

The leaf itself is primarily a rich reddish brown, with some lighter flecks and some black cavendish visible, and is moist and fluffy to the touch. Produces a good volume and thickness of smoke, suitable for those who like puffing smoke rings.

Overall a satisfying aromatic that's not too strong, not too sweet.