McClelland Tastemaster

The question of "Do tobacco blenders put their best stuff in tins and their less fully realized stuff in bulk?" is one for the ages. With McClellands, I think that question has been answered: They do.

Now is that a bad thing? With their VA's and Vapers, is it wrong or deceitful to put a more aged version of a very similar if not identical product in tins and the more youthful version in bulk? Not at all. Their bulk VA's and Vapers age nicely and the bulk sales presentation package isn't as nice.

Is it wrong for aromatics, which don't age well? Again, I don't think so. But after smoking various samples of McClelland bulk aromatics, I always felt their claim that they used the best tobaccos and the blend, while sweet and soft, was of a higher quality than other blends was a bit of codswallop (the new balderdash). With Tastemaster, I think they've hit that mark.

Ok, aromatics aren't my thing, it's true. But this one is of the high quality they've claimed. It's a chocolate/vanilla (to my taste and nose) blend that is sweet and soft but also flavorful and of high quality. It tastes and smells quite good, burns well, doesn't leave a goopy heel and is as satisfying as an aromatic can be. Now I'm not in any real hurry to do so, but I believe over time I'll try their other tinned aromatics. They've proven with this one that they can blend in this style, and do it properly. If you like aromatics, try this one.

Tastemaster... The tin says chocolate aroma, and there sure is, loud and clear. But will it come thru in the taste? This type of a blend always feels too moist, so as normal, I gave it 15 or so minutes, under my desk lamp. Don't know if it makes much of a difference, but that ritual has become my SOP for newly opened tins. Wanting to see what this chocolate / tobacco was all about, I loaded up a bowl, with a very gentle tamp. Light up is amazingly easy for a tobacco with a almost feels sticky to the touch. Mindlessly puffing away, I found this stuff to be very mild, and would you believe with a “dark chocolate taste” as promised. Smooth, mild, nice aroma / taste, adequate N hit and absolutely no bite, very impressive. As a personal note; I would not complain if there was bit more tobacco flavor, a bit mild for my taste. Because of that I can't see much of a future using this stuff as blending tobacco, but really, who cares about that. Being such a gentle smoke, you can go thru one bowl after another, without a care in the world, making it a good, but expensive, candidate for an all day smoke. 3 Stars.

It is sweet, but i wish they had blend it like Town Topic. They say it has chocolate-cocoa taste, but try Boswell Chocolate Cream and compare. Now, add one star for the absence of chemical taste. Add two more for being a good quality aromatic tobacco,which won't bite, smokes cool and is good for all day smoking.There you go three stars.

The tin description is not far off, although this is not just a straight chocolate aromatic. I detect solid flavors and wafting scents of milk chocolate, caramel, maple, and nougat, in that order, which starts with the tin aroma and lasts throughout to the last puff. The room note is mildly that of chocolate brownies baking. The gentle scent left in the hair and clothes afterward is that of maple. This blend lights easily and burns beautifully without many re-lights, despite seeming quite moist in the tin, right down to a super-fine white ash, making tons of rich, creamy, dense smoke. It does like being packed a bit tighter. Absolutely no tongue bite, even if you puff mercilessly enough to heat you briar up to the red zone. This is an extremely relaxing and flavorful aromatic experience that is neither chemically nor too sweet. Well done. Three stars.

Update: As my current tin has remained open and aged gently over several months, this aromatic gets better and better. Possibly McClelland's best aromatic. It is even less "artificial" and has more of a nougat/caramel/vanilla/milk chocolate thing going on. No gurgle, no wet remnants at bowl's end. Firmly in the rotation now, this is a great concoction as far as aromatics go. Tasty, lightly sweet, great room note, gentle on the palate, and a light, pleasant aftersmoke taste. I can't see what more you could ask from it, for what it is.

I've smoked other McClelland blends before - Virginias and Orientals and have been satisfied. Tastemaster is the first "flavored aromatic" McClelland that I've ever tried.

The tin aroma has a very prominent rum/chocolate smell. It did not seem overly moist and hence I did not need to dry it out. I smoked it in a CAO Lion's head Meer. There was no trouble getting it burning, however, it needed constant relighting - especially if I put it down for several seconds. The taste was reminiscent of chocolate cream and butterscotch - not too bad in and of itself, but it was too sweet for me which made me faintly nauseous by mid bowl. There was also a chemical taste similar to what one finds in OTC aromatics (Capt. Black, etc.) as well as a slightly burnt taste which reminded me of how briar tastes when you are developing a burn-out through the bowl. No gurgling to speak of, but no tobacco taste either. It was like smoking burning candy and burned hot.

I wouldn't dismiss the blend altogether, but it will only serve me as a "once in a while, on a whim" smoke. Most of all, I liked the coarse cut. Overall, I give it 2 stars.

UPDATE 11-11-09: After letting this one sit for the past 10 months or so, it has improved enough for me to raise my rating to 3 stars. Why? No appreciable chemical taste, number of re-lights reduced, and minimal burn-out taste (I think this taste is due to the Green River Cavendish). The hot burn was now more of a spiciness on the lips and tongue. Still, however, only an occasional smoke for me. Good for when you want something sweet with minimal (if any) tobacco taste. Overall, a better version of Captain Black White that actually tastes like something. Good in place of an after dinner cordial.

One of the most aromatic blends around, even before smoking it! It has the "nose" of cognac with a strong vanilla presence. I found the smoke was almost too rich and little heavy. I tried mixing it with Captain Cool and was very surprised as to the results...a good smoke and great taste. The length of the smoke was not too shabby either, slight ash and dry so long as it is gently puffed.

Smoked in Ashton pipe.

Yes it is, a smooth and creamy smoke. Very pleasant aromatic although I don't feel that it is as chocolaty as described, I don't know what else I would call it though, maybe mild chocolate nouget. It smoked surprisingly clean and dry in my Sherlock Holmes Squire.

Its not the chocolate juggernaut that MacBaren Honey & Chocolate is, but its good

I find myself smoking this more and more. In fact as I type this review I am smoking a bowl in my newest Meerschaum Eagle Claw pipe.

It is a bit on the mild side with little nicotine strength. But I like that most of the time. Only rarely do I like a strong tobacco. I find the flavor to be quite unique. There is a subtle hint of chocolate flavoring mixed with a very sweet aftertaste. Towards the end of the bowl one begins to taste more tobacco and less flavoring. The room note is nice however there are other blends with a much more pleasant room note.

This is an excellent choice for someone new to pipe smoking.

I got Taste Master as an early Christmas gift, together with Best of the Show. For a moment I had visions of Chocolate and Ketchup, and was not sure of opening the tins. Overcoming my initial fear, I ventured into the contents and was greeted by a nice surprise. I hadn?t had this type of heavily steam-cased leaf in a long time.

Chunky bits of jet-black, shiny leaf, splattered with some golden bits, making a lovely contrast. Highly aromatic (nay, pungent), the chocolate-dry raisings-plumb aroma jumps at your nostrils and knocks you out! Wow! I guess if you are an aromatic lover this must be manna! I wouldn?t classify this as your typical drug store aromatic blend. Though moist and sweet, the tobacco is neither syrupy nor sticky. In fact, it is easy to light, and the first puffs yield a rather cool and rich smoke, not entirely sweet. This blend has a rather bittersweet smoky under taste which can be very palatable and not at all cloying.

The aroma is indeed very strong, but tolerable and for many non-smokers it?s even pleasant. The wife loved it. The taste is not as sweet in the smoke as it is in the tin. It burns pretty well, and surprisingly slowly for a steam-cased concoction. The flavor is consistent throughout the bowl, and can be monochromatic, but it?s rich, without the slightest speck of tongue bite, and mild. There?s a certain carbon like note, not at all unpleasant.

This is a very high quality aromatic, in a completely different league compared to the traditional drug store blends. In spite of having the typical flavor of steam-cased Burleys (1Q and Black Natural come to mind), the added dark chocolate sauce gives this one a meatier edge, and you can smoke it rather frequently. I liked Taste Maste much better than Best of the Show, precisely because of this quality.

Personally I don?t enjoy McClelland?s straight Virginias, and I haven?t had the courage to try their Orientals, but this one at least seems like very nice aromatic blend, adequate for the season, and a once-in-a- while change of pace. Though this type of blend helps build a quick carbon layer in the pipe, and does not leave an excessively strong aroma, it?s advisable to set aside a pipe, keeping your Virginia and Oriental briars from the inevitable aroma contamination.