McClelland Frog Morton on the Bayou

An overall great blend, after G.L. Pease's Maltese Falcon (a very different blend) this is my favorite. The tin note is afflicted by the vinegar/ketchup smell typical to McClelland blends but after a bit of airing out the smell fades. The smoke itself is slightly warm with a silky quality to it, it never bites, overheats, or produces water. Towards the bottom of the bowl the smoke heats up a bit but is still pleasant and easy on the tongue. The flavor starts off sweet and rich with a background of black pepper like spice. Throughout the bowl the sweetness, the spice, and a very slightly sour flavor play off of one another. The spice builds and the sweetness subsides as you progress through the bowl but all three main flavors stay present. Their interplay is complex and interesting and is best appreciated during quite meditative moments. I find that this blend pairs well with bourbons, stouts, and coffee. While I haven’t actually tried it I can also see it sitting very well with a robust red wine like cabernet. A great smoke and highly recommended.

I have smoked 3 of the Frog Morton series: on the Bayou, Cellar, and the original.

For me, on the Bayou is my favorite (one of the few tobaccos I have reordered). It definitely has Perique, and I think that is what sets this apart. (Original comes second, Cellar comes third).

I know I am in the minority on this, but Cellar for me is just too sweet and distracts from the latakia. It also had a weird aftertaste for me. I wish I had smoked the others first before get a tin of Cellar.

But back to Bayou. The reason I like this is because this is a great cold weather smoke. The Perique burns the nostrils not unlike the crisp air of a cold morning or evening. I also think this blend goes back and forth between latakia and Perique. I can't really pick out the Virginias, but I think there is enough going on to keep me interested.

I tend to prefer savory and sour for my smokes (and my tastes in general as well). For me, this blend hits both. If you don't like the feeling a pepper in your nose, and you use smoking satisfy your sweet tooth, this probably isn't the blend for you. But for a smokey, sour (in a good way, not a dirty pipe taste) smoke, this is my go to.

I love the smell of latakia when it is smoked around me. I don't think non-pipesmokers would enjoy this but to me, it smells great.

This is the blend that reformed me from being a confirmed "Lataphobe". I tried this on a whim and have not looked back ever since. While this blend has a lot of latakia, it does not dominate the blend but rather it compliments it as it is supposed to do.

I look at tobacco blends like a good pasta sauce. Each ingredient should serve a purpose to create the complete flavor that was intended. Too much of any ingredient and the sauce will be very different from the chef's original idea. For me, Latakia is like the onion of tobacco, excellent when used properly but terrible if there is too much of it.

FMOTB has a complexity that one can enjoy for a long time. Many flavors make their introductions then allow each other to shine throughout the bowl. Great burning blend without much in-smoke maintenance.

Frog Morton on the Bayou was similar to the On the Town version, but McClelland eased off the accelerator when dishing out the the Latakia in this one. What shines is the Perique. That skillfully dished out Louisiana pepper sauce makes FMOTB a winner for my palate.

I have to say that the first 3-4 bowls of this tobacco, I was seriously disappointed. I almost traded it to a friend but I am so glad I didn't! The first few smokes, the Perique/Latakia mixture seemed to make the blend overly acidic to the point of making my nose and throat irritated. KEEP READING THOUGH!

As the weather was getting cold, I found myself reaching for this tobacco again and again. My nose and throat must have acclimated because about 2 weeks after opening the tin, I started to crave the savory/smokey/sweet goodness of this tobacco over all others. Pretty soon, I would pass by my GL Pease Maltese Falcon and even my favored McClelland Christmas Cheer tins for a cobfull of this stuff. So, if you get this, don't give up on it right away. It may end up being your favorite tobacco!

When I first opened the can of FROTB, I immediatly knew just by the smell that this was going to be one of my all time favorites. It was at first a little bit moist, and here in south Alabama, its a bit difficult just to let it air out (and because i couldnt wait to smoke it), as it is very humid, so it took several relightings throughout the bowl- and I must say it would be an increadably consistently burning tobacco had it been just a bit dryer. The cool and increadably smooth way this smokes, its just something to be experianced. The Latakia is prevelent, and even though there is a hit of a sharp edge, it is a little hidden, and very interesting. Most everything I want to say about this has already been said, so if this is the first review you scrolled to, I suggest you start from the top. Its difficult for me to describe the way it is, for any tobacco, I cant htink of words but I can say things in colors and shapes and landscapes. This is certainly a low, happy, marshy, boggy, misty smoke... As the name suggests of corse, it reminds me alot of the overcast conditions during the fall in the Shire. I cant describe it, but it brings a very, very nostalgic feeling to you. I reccomend anyone trying this, at least once, to see what I mean. Overall, the tast is suburb, the latakia and turkish mix very lovingly, in fact all of them do. I especially like the review somewhere above likeing it to a symphony.

I love OTB and was blessed to score a tin from eBay dated 2011. Man, this stuff is GREAT!!! A fine Balkan, that when enjoyed in a Corn Cob has a nice sweetness and when enjoyed in a Briar is smokey and a bit spicy. Some Balkans have a pungent room note, but OTB is quite different, it has an inviting room note that trails off to produce a subtle, smokey pleasurable aroma. No bite, finishes well on the palate and you can taste all of the tobaccos throughout the smoke. Highly recommended and if you can find older tins, consider it winning the lottery!

What can I say about McClelland that hasn't already been said? It is one of the worlds most supreme tobacco blenders and are making exciting, Exciting, EXCITING stuff, consistently!!! Not everyone likes McClelland though. Some people say that A LOT of their stuff smells like ketchup, vinegar or BBQ sauce out of the tin. It does. Some people say that they use a lot of Propylene glycol in their stuff. I would suspect that they do and I don't have a problem with it. With a lot of their stuff, the look of the tobacco out of the tin makes me wonder if they have the Swedish Chef doing their cutting. But these things don't bother me. I have smoked a lot of tobacco and I keep coming back to McClelland for one reason and that reason is that whatever they're doing, for me, it works! I can't think of any other blender that I like as much, as consistently as McClelland, with the exception of Samuel Gawith. Ha! Take that naysayers!

But if there's one thing that people should remember about pipe smoking, it's that you should be enjoying yourself, whatever you choose to smoke...

FMOTB is like a leather recliner... You just sink into it. The first thing that comes to mind isn't the Latakia, though there's a fair amount in this. No, it's the Perique. I think back to some of the other Perique containing baccys that I love, like Escudo and SG's St. James Flake and with those, it's fun to see how Perique contributes itself to the experience when it's just the Virginia and the black truffle itself! SOOO EARTHY!!! I don't know if I was completely prepared for the impact Perique had until after many years of smoking it... The way that the Perique in this mixture plays off the Latakia! Have you ever heard The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams? It's achingly beautiful with all the string instruments used for it. Beautiful base structure playing off a top note, the lark itself, fluttering higher and higher! That's how the Perique and Latakia play, like a beautiful piece of music, the base ground of Latakia and the wet earth itself, with all its minerality, roots, bugs, fungi and other stuff living in it, just under the surface.

Then there's the Turkish/Oriental and Virginia leaves. They are tying in the various strings, rounding them out. The Oriental contribution, fills out the mixture with supreme complexity and the Virginia is wonderfully sugary and help drive the experience.

Like I said before, this and other McClelland mixtures look like they have the Swedish Chef doing the tobacco cutting. It's sort of boggling to look at. It almost looks like they were being lazy, but it seems to work! The mix burns well and packs well. It stays lit, even though I think they've been using plenty of humectant to keep it moist. Sip this, and it shouldn't bite. Also an added benefit of Perique is that it helps with alkaline tongue bite because it tends to be more acidic. (Thanks Pipedia!). The aftertaste leaves you wanting more!

Sit in your leather recliner, put on Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending and smoke some Frog Morton on the Bayou with no regrets!

Smoked as an introduction to English blends. Reminded me of black coffee. I've researched Perique and have read there should be a spicy taste and was expecting a bit more of a kick. Despite having missed my expectations on flavor, it's an incredible blend and I'll definitely finish the can. Would love to try some other English blends to compare apples to apples.