McClelland Anniversary 1977-2010

First, let me say how much I appreciate McClelland's tobacco company for all it has done for our hobby. They have many wonderful blends to choose from, including Anniversary. My pipe club popped a tin of this at our year 2008 meeting. All 16 members who attended tried a bowl and the reviews were glowing. Most enjoyed the blend from top to bottom. Their impression of the Virginias was that it was stronger near the bottom, but not harsh, and that the Latakia was smoky and rich. Truly worthy of its name, Ecru paper with wax seal wrap, and the McClelland's name.

Like a lot of folks, I remember the old McClelland tobacco tins. Beautifully wrapped in white paper, with a giant, red wax seal displaying a Whale breaching the Ocean's surface in the moonlight, the tobacco was a stand out in it's market, even before you opened the freakin' tin.

Packaging: 100g tin, labeled with ecru paper, gold embossed logo and script. Covered in Ecru paper, sealed with red wax. Tobacco appearance and fragrance: Fully rubbed, good uniformity, overall very dark in composition. Upper olfactory registers the ever so faint McClelland signature acetic acid, with delicate hints of Latakia, rounding the lower realms. *Perfect* moisture content, by my tastes. Packs well, let take 'er for a drive!!! Flame hits weed, releasing soft clouds of muted fragrance, soft? This stuff makes velvet seem like sandpaper. The scent is primarily Va, with utterly no edge. Latakia is present, but in such small amounts that it only provides a slight darkness for the Moon (Va) to hang in. The Bear's palate can detect no orientals (save Latakia, if you choose to categorize it thus), and no perique. Burn was consistent all the way through, developing an extra dimension of nuts in the bottom third of the bowl. Bottom line: Outstanding example of a soft, all day, indoor English tobacco. Displays great finesse and breeding. Would especially recommend to those who prefer their weeds with less Latakia, and to Va lovers that would like to add an occasional Latakia into their rotation, but who have been put off by "Big Shouldered" Lats. 9 out of 10 Bear Claws.

When I smoke a blend consisting of nothing but Virginia and Latakia there are two things that I have come to expect. First that I will be treated to a tangy, meaty, smoky combination that both invigorates and relaxes; second, I expect this experience to be negatively augmented by a fair share of heat in smoking that detracts from the overall experience in that I have to be extra careful not to scorch my tongue and ruin all further enjoyment of flavor. It is the one great curse of all blends of this sort.

Or, at least, it was up until now. Somehow, the notoriously inconsistent McClelland Tobacco Company have managed to make a blend of naught but Latakia and Virginia that not only showcases all of the best smoking, olfactory, and visual appeals of those varieties of leaf, they do so without any heat or harshness coming through in the smoke. This stuff is good, righteous good and a truly worthy commemoration of the company?s fortuitous anniversary. Truly, that charming waxen seal was not wasted on these tins.

This review pertains to the red wax version. The Cyprian latakia is smoky, woodsy sweet and while not a major component, you will notice it throughout the smoke. Sometimes, it's more obvious than it is at other times. The Virginias seem to be red and stoved, offering some sweet fruit (dark and citrus with a mild fermentation), a little earth, slight grassiness and a touch of spice. It has the familiar "vinegar" smell you expect from a McClelland Virginia blend, but that taste doesn't linger throughout the smoke, nor does it mitigate the flavor nuances. The nic-hit is just past the mild level. Won't bite or get harsh and is a cool smoke. Burns slightly less than moderately, and requires some relights, and burns just a little moist. Sometimes, it will leave a little dottle, other times not, so I recommend a light dry time. Has a very pleasing after taste and I never heard a complaint about the room note. Not quite an all day smoke, unless you're a McClelland aficionado who's addicted to this company's blends.

-JimInks

EDIT 8-16-2017

I am coming back to this one to just leave my impressions on the tin of the first issue (red seal) I recently finished. I must say I was left with mixed feelings on this one. To start, I purchased two of these tins in an estate auction. One was opened and the other sealed. So I obviously started smoking the open container first.

If I had to grade this container, I would have removed a star, but I am not going do so for a few reasons. The first is that I don't know how long the tin was open, but the contents were pretty dry. It was smokable but it was not as pleasurable as my first experience with this blend a few years ago. Smoking this confirmed two things that I believe happens with aged tobaccos.

First, Virginias do indeed get better and second, Latakia does not. This had hardly any leather smokiness left in it. But the Virginia was mild and sweet. I will be interested when I pop the fresh one from 2002 to see if the experience is the same.

Knowing I will be coming back to this, I will say this. It is my theory that people who believe Latakia improves with age are people who do not really like Latakia. Or maybe people who have a lot of tins they sell on consignment that are old and contain Latakia.

I also have a tin of the green seal that I will be able to compare as well. In any case, I have to more trips to this review in the future and will consider it a work in process until I am able to finish them all. 🙂

Original Review 10/23/2015

I was fortunate enough to have a forum friend send me a healthy sample of this one. I was hesitant on this one and that is, perhaps, the reason I never purchased a tin. When I read Virginia and latakia, I immediately thought this would be like Frog Morton which I did not like. I shuddered at the thought of having 100g of something that tasted like that.

So I was pleasantly surprised when a package of samples included this. I was even more pleasantly surprised after smoking it. I not only like this blend, I loved it. Not like Frog Morton at all. This was more like Sam Gawith Navy flake to my tastes. More about the sweet Virginias with a whisper of latakia. The result is a wonderful Virginia blend from a company that knows how to do Virginias. The Virginia in Anniversary is very sweet and of the lighter colored variety with hay type sweetness with maybe a touch of citrus. The whisper of lat sets it apart from other straight Virginias allowing room for this in any rotation.

As to the vintage of this blend, I believe my sample was from the 2010 issue. I highly recommend this to Virginia lovers who want a different twist to their favorite Virginia staples. Oh, I also noted that the typical scent from McClelland Virginias was very subdued in this one, so I think that people who are opposed to that scent could also like this one.

McC Anniversary… Let me first say, Latakia is not my favorite flavor enhancer, like to much topping on a overdone Aro, IMO latakia can likewise ruin an otherwise good tobacco. But the good folks at McClelland did not just roll off a log when it comes to blending to perfection, and this blend IMO is just about perfection. I found it much easier to smoke than some of their (McC) other fine Virginia blends, Anniversary seems milder for one thing, and just seems to adapt to a variety my sometimes unorthodox smoking styles without getting nasty.

My tin had a hard brown wax seal, the tin was dated 2010 so I guess it is some of their latest lot of this product. Lights easy, and has a smooth creamy taste with some pleasant sweetness. I found almost zero true tounge bite, just the typical tingle, I get when smoking any full flavored VA.

IMO this blend is dominated by the flavor of fine Virginia's, with just the right amount of Latakia that is noticable in it's aroma, but not so much in its taste. For me, a worthwhile and satisfying smoke.

This review is based on the later release, with the green wax seal - the date stamp on the bottom of the tin indicates 2005.

Upon opening I was surprised how comparatively little of the signature McClelland ketchup aroma is present and how forward is the Latakia smokiness. The label says "seasoned lightly" with Latakia but I take issue with their interpretation of "lightly." Seems to me from the aroma, the appearance, and the taste that there is a bit more in there than the description suggests.

I have loaded this blend traditionally and with the Frank method, the latter seeming to provide a bit more consistent flavor throughout the smoke. And what a wonderful smoke it is! The natural sweetness that is indicative of a very fine Virginia leaf is unmistakable, while the Latakia smokiness is also right there in the foreground. Both characteristics blend smoothly but remain distinct and enjoyable throughout the smoke. I could not detect any flavorings.

Again, the level of smokiness indicates to me there is more than just a light serving of Latakia here. Seems to me it's more likely in the 20 to 30 percent range. The flavor is neither monochrome nor complex, but the constant interplay of VA sweet and LAT smoke compliment one another perfectly. Rather mild, very well behaved in the combustion department, providing copious smoke, and great flavor to the very end make this an ideal all day smoke.

I can easily see myself stocking up on this one.

I?ve really tried hard to like McClelland blends, really hard. They are a big furry lovable company with a great many suitors, and, gosh darnit, they?re American as Apple Pie. Apple Pie with Ketchup. No matter how I try to get around it, that ketchup in the tin just bugs me, even in their heavier latakia blend, the ketchup rises to the top. It?s not like it tastes like burning ketchup in the bowl or anything, it?s just getting that far, packing ketchup into one of my precious Radices? or even one of my not so precious Savenelli?s, or decidedly knock around Peterson system pipes. That said, I really like the anniversary blend. Not sure why exactly, it?s not like you can?t tell it?s a McClelland blend or a bottle of Heinz from across the room, but burning in the bowl it?s sublime, a subtle combination of sweet and earthy, complex, mysterious, like an aged Pu-Erh cake or something dark and red in bottle in a cellar. After the char it stops smelling like ketchup too. I?d suggest it?s just the aging, their anniversary being almost four years ago after all, but I?ve smoked aged McClelland blends before that weren?t good enough to get me over that ketchup hump. No, this is a superior blend of tobacco, and though I might have limited credulity here (if I like it four stars, if I don?t one, no in between) this really is a four star blend, unless you don?t like Virginia blends at all.

If I were helping wean someone off of aromatics, this is the blend I?d choose, not because it?s similar to any aromatic, but because it?s a very well behaved Virginian, no biting or barking, and because unless you have a stubborn palette, it?s hard not to like this stuff, and it?s mild but not bland and not lacking in nicotine. Ok, shutting up. Four stars. Smoke it.

Like so many before me, I read the reviews here and also noted Mr. Serad's glowing accolades in P-T Magazine. The presentation of the tin is magnificent, with white paper wrapping on the outside of the tin itself, and topped off with an old-style wax seal bearing the famous McClelland whale.

I carefully opened it, and the seal now sits proudly upon my bookshelf. Upon opening the tin, my nose was greeted with the wonderful smell of fine, aged, Virginia tobacco and the wonderful, smoky scent of Latakia.

The moisture level was spot on, and the cut was exemplary; packing was easy in all of my various pipes. Unlike many others, I had no problems lighting this tobacco nor keeping it lit. Just smoke slowly and patiently and use the tamper wisely and you should have no trouble.

(I think too many pipe smokers tend to puff too fast, and thus, either fail to enjoy the blender's labors, and/or scald their poor tongues and blame the tobacco and not the technique.)

The first impression of taste was of sweet, fragrant Virginias, with the Latakia only there to compliment and add coolness. As the bowl burns to midpoint, the Latakia fades away and comes back at just the right time. The aroma is of fine, burning tobacco. No foul cigarette reek here!

The room note is delicious to smell both during the smoke and after the pipe was back resting in my cabinet. My wife, on the other hand, hates any pipe smoke that doesn't smell like a Glade scented candle, and her comment was, "Oh! Stinky!" That sealed the deal for me, and this shall now be added to my growing rotation! This is a very satisfying smoke if you smoke it slowly and actually take the time to try and taste all the nuances it brings to your senses. I really enjoy many of McClelland's fine tobaccos, and this one is definitely worth trying. It is something special.