McClelland Honeydew

Just finished a 2005 tin of Honeydew. The tin indicates this as an Irish flake which I suppose includes some casing. If so, the casing is mild. Basically, Honeydew is a Virginia flake with a bit of a nutty flavor detected as well. It smokes cool once it is sufficiently dried. Not an everyday smoke for me but a pleasant change of pace on occasion.

I tried this because I liked Black Shag and Arcadia but this one threw me for a loop. What the heck happened? I remembered thinking. Where is the flavor? All I was able to get from this blend was a bit of sweetness and a pipe full of goo. I was very disappointed but relieved that the tin sample was free.

Give this some air! I smoked this one right from the newly open tin and got the gurgles. After drying this little jewel shined through. Easy light, soft draw, pleasant side stream. Nice indeed.

Picked this tin up from my B&M as a last tin clearance buy. I should have let another bargain hunter pick it up. I like the flake style, but that's it. Melon taste is very overpowering. It tasted like I was smoking a car air freshener.

Not a blend for me.

It seems to be good quality broken/semi rubbed out flake but the topping is just too much. I have smoke two bowls out of the tin. I will let it sit a while and come back to it but way over the top in the flavoring.

Honeydew...and the secret formula is a pinch of Burley and spoon of Molasses? Maybe not, but it might as well be.

Honeydew is a tasty broken flake consisting largely of what I assume is Virginia leaf. It's mild, and it doesn't remind me a bit of melons, despite the name. Honeydew has a sugary taste, that may or may not be all natural. That I don't detect a synthetic taste, however, makes this my kind of "aromatic".

McClelland has applied a nice touch with the nostalgia, going out of their way to craft blends that fit the Sherlock Holmes universe. I enjoy reading their tin notes..and request a blend in honor of the Speckled Band. Unfortunately, I'm not one for details, and as far as I know, they may have already done this. When I get around to reading the story, I suppose I'll know for sure.

This is a medium thick-cut, partially broken flake of gold VA along with a smattering of light burley, and black cavendish with a curious tin aroma of vanilla and pastry.

Moderately sweetened with a seeming brown sugariness, the typical McClelland VA ferment is evident and is slightly dulled by the burley and the cavendish. The taste is mild yet flavorsome with high grade virginia leaf, and the room note is particularly pleasant.

With quality leaf shining easily through the delicate casing, Honeydew is both elegant and accessible.

Chamber Gauge: Narrow to Medium

It's good, I like it, but it keeps me wanting for more. but in a good way. I smoke this in a nice big bowled billiard, and it never tires the pallette. Very natural sweet tasting. Finishes with a grey dry ash, no dottle, just a grey dry ash. Honeydew is a nice transitional tobacco for the aromatic smoker looking to get into VA's and Englishes. This makes for a nice afternoon smoke. It's a light bodied VA that won't knock you on your patoot! It has a pleasant sweet flavor and no bite whatsoever. The aroma is also very nice for a VA. This would make a good all day smoke, if you could afford it. To all aromatic smokers who are tired of hot, wet, smokes and gooked up pipes but are leery of Virgina and English tobacco's streghth, start of with this then move up from here. Before you know it, you'll be smoking 1792 or Irish Flake like a champ, respectively.

Update: I have found this works much better for me in pipes with wider bowls. In a full bent Comoy's Gilded Grain, the experience was warm with a pleasent honey sweetness. I'm going to give this an extra star.

Let me preface my remarks, by saying that I am not a big fan of straight Virginia. I have tried a number of them over the years, without being impressed. Honeydew reminds me of the Mclelland Christmas blends, with a barely perceptible topping. The flavor lacks the sharpness of some Virginias I have tried, but has very little sweetness or complexity. I would call the flavor thin and cigarette-like. I did not rub this out at all, simply packing some of the broken flakes into an Upshall straight apple and lighting up. The blend burned cleanly with few relights, but tended to be hot. Perhaps some years of aging would bring out more flavor.