McClelland Anniversary 1977-2010

When I saw a tin of this at my local B&M, I simply had to have it and give it a whirl. It was well worth the slightly higher price. First off, this is a marvelous blend that you just wish McClelland had made a ton of. All the components come together for me the almost perfect smoking experience. The packaging just adds to the pleasure of getting to the tobacco. High recommended, if there is any left I would grab them.

The Anniversary I'm smoking is the 1977-2010, brown wax seal. As others have noted the packaging is outstanding. The wax seal is a great touch. When smelling the tobacco in the tin I pick up both the spiciness of the Latakia and the sweetness of the Virginias. The tobacco packs nicely, but was a little difficult to light and keep lit. Just as a side note I'm reviewing this on a fresh tin. I'll come back and update once I've let it dry out a little. The tobacco gives a very sweet blueish smoke and produces a nice white and black ash. I get a bit of tongue bite, but this could be due to the wettness of the tobacco. As of now I'll give this tobacco a 3/4 and will update once it dries out.

I am a huge fan of Virginia Tobaccos. I am a true believer in aging and this can is already pre-aged. I love the fact that it is so mellow on the draw, and even if you over puff, the tongue bite is not unbearable. I would say this is a good smoke for someone who wants to try a Virginia Blend for the first time. McClelland has been making excellent Virginia tobacco for years. Good starter tobacco for people venturing off into another type of blend as well. This is a mild english with virginias mixed in. Starts off with a sweet and mellow taste and develops over the course of the bowl to become more sweet and more smokey. Great smoke for the money. I found a tin of this at a local tobacconist and was impressed with the packaging as well as the wax seal that holds the paper together at the top. Really an elegant tin design. Definitely an impulse buy for me but it was worth the $16 I paid for it. I will make sure I pick up another tin hopefully when I finish this tin if the tobacconist has not sold out of the 10 tins they had in stock. I hope this review was helpful and I look forward to seeing future reviews on this tobacco.

This review is from a sample of the 2005 edition and it was 5 years old before I smoked it.

It took me several bowls to get it. At first it seemed a bit too simple. Va. Latakia. I kept wanting to insert oriental flavors that are so often companion to the two main ingredients. The latakia is a good one and it is always pleasant. The Va. is the real show and the stuff is terrific. Very sweet and mellow. When I realized that the purpose of latakia in this blend is to throw the Va. into relief, I understood. The latakia is there to underline the Va. This truly is a Virginia blend supported as it may be the latakia. It really isn't missing anything if you enjoy a mild smoke of a flavorful Va. If you find yourself drawn to this blend, it is definitely worth a try.

If we have called some blends kings of the flavor range, we are now in the presence of a genuine emperor. For many smokers, it is the indisputable number one. If you have scaled all the heights of the art of pipe smoking, there, if you dare try this blend, it will be love from that moment, and you will not want to know anything about the others. It is the blend par excellence of great times, public or private. Giving yourself Anniversary from McClelland is giving yourself the pleasure of smoking one of the finest tobaccos in the world.



As good as a Partagas Lusitanias, yes, that good!,,,,



or listening to a silver flute in the great dome of the Taj Mahal.



Or perhaps you choose to continue the quest for that clumsy dull eyed ox complexity, as you wish. Just remember that simplicity is the teacher of complexity.

My tin is the 2005 run. I smoke Latakia blends as a change-up, but really like the touch of Latakia found here. I could smoke it all day. The Virginias are high quality, as I would expect from McClelland.

Downgrading to three stars-that is just my opinion. Still a tasty blend, but it is not going to make my greatest hits list.

Edit 7-18-12: Well, I'm well into a huge Marxman Jumbo-full of this blend, and I like it. Maybe a bit more Latakia than Oriental #1, and the thing is with this one, is that it has the Latakia combined with that well-known "vinegar" thing found in McClelland matured Virginias. I just don't think it would be the first McClelland I would buy again, unless I got a really good deal on it.

So, I'll smoke up the rest I have, enjoy it, and stick to McClelland Matured Virginias and Christmas Cheer before I go buying anymore of this.

Don't get me wrong; I'm enjoying this pipe, but I think my main issue with it is that I don't like the typical McClelland "vinegar" (even though I know that's not what it really is) combined with this Latakia. It has taken me a while to finish this tin, and I gave some away, so I guess this is my final word. Still recommended, of course, even if it's not my favorite McClelland.

11-7-2022 It's been a while since I smoked this, and I sure do wish I had some more, and even though I don't have another bowl to smoke, and it's highly unlikely that I will ever see it again, I'm upgrading to four stars. Not sure why I gave it three in the first place, and I like the McClellands with Latakia now, like this tin of 1991 Bombay Court I just opened three days ago, rehydrated, and am thoroughly enjoying. At this point, I would give McClelland's worst blend four stars just out of respect.

I finally popped a can of this stuff and glad I did...yum yum. I have a bias going into any McClelland blend and that is I expect a lot which given that I am not neutral can hurt the review or help it. Because I have high expectations when trying a new blend by them I suppose I can be let down easily but not with the case of Anniversary...its pretty darn delightful!

I am a sucker for marketing so the packaging is top notch here, wax seal...common got to love it. Tin smell is a tangy mild ketchup not quite as ketchuppy as the Frog but noticeable. This is a well behaved smoke, packs well and burns consistently after initial scaring. On intake you get the mouth watering tangy Virginia and exhale the cool-smoking Cyprian Latakia which tames the Virginia quite nicely without destroying it. This is a one-two punch smoke and could be an all dayer no problem.

I had waited a very long time trying to find one of the original run tins. Finally having one show up at our last pipe club meeting, I snatched the opportunity to have a few bowls full. The tin was sealed, but the tobacco was acceptably dried and of good consistency to smoke. The tin note was of VA tobacco and small faint hints of Latakia. There was also a very, very faint hint of the McClelland vinegar smell. I am not sure if the seal was less than perfect, I expected a slightly more moist and pungent smell from the tin. The tobacco packed well, and light with only two matches, and proceeded to burn as I expected. The taste towards the top was of sweet VA and slightly woody Latakia. As the bowl progressed the tobacco became a bit fuller that I expected. It never got too hot, but the flavors became a bit unbalanced and maybe even harsh. I am certain that there is some casing on this blend, but I was unable to put my thumb on it.

This bend was a bit of a disappointment. I am a huge fan of McClelland's blends and having tried many of their other blends I just expected a bit more out of this one. All and all the blend is not bad, but as for a special release blend I just expected a bit more.

This a good smoke with virginias predominant and the latakia a background player. While the smell is sweet, the taste was less pronounced. While this does seem to be one of the drier blends from this company, for me it is also one of the harder ones to keep lit.I have two more tins which I will stash for quite a while to see if my impressions have changed. Overall, two and a half stars.