McClelland Honeydew

A dark-golden broken flake, on the thicker side, with a fragrant tin nose that goes beyond straight Virginia. I found it pleasant smelling but I miss that tangy fermented Va aroma when it's awol from McClellands tins. This came wet and had to be dried out, as do most Virginia flakes. I dried this one to just a few degrees short of crispy for maximum flavor.

In the bowl, this was a fairly mild bright VA with a distinctive top dressing. Much more fragrant in the room than on the tastebuds, this is more of a scented flake than an aromatic. I couldn't place the scent or the taste, and honeydew melon doesn't fit. I'm also not entirely sure what makes this an "Irish" flake. But no matter, this was a mellow, tangy and lightly sweetened mix that required a lot of snorking to get the most from it. It was a bit light for my tastebuds, but it was a refreshing kind of smoke - nice palate cleanser. Reminded me of a toned-down #2000 but this didn't have that one's tendency to bite when enduring anything other than slow sipping. In fact, this one would tolerate a fair bit of puffing without getting too cranky. Nice, easygoing flake with a light flavor. No complexity to speak of, but nice for those times you're too busy to take much notice of what you're smoking and just want a mellow flavor. Not destined for my rotation, but still recommended.

A friend of mine had asked me to pick him a tin of this blend my next trip into Boston to see my tobacconist, L.J.'s. Needless to say, upon giving him the tin he insisted on my taking some to sample.

Well, now I find myself having to plan a trip into Boston again this week.

After several months of being on a "Gawith Binge", this blend was a totally unexpected wonderful change of pace.

Much like the Gawith blends, the flavoring in this blend accentuates the high quality tobacco and never overpowers them.

Unlike Gawith, the mildness of this blend is refreshing and a nicotine "zoning-out" does not occur, which I find is often the case with the Gawith's.

This is a gentle, kind, blend with a consistent taste down the run of the bowl. A pleasant, slight sweetness that resounds through the experience and left this smoker wanting more, (hence the road-trip tomorrow, lol).

I pack the blend unbroken and rub out just a little to top it off, to assist in lighting. One false-light, a tamp, relight, and I am off to some quality downtime.

A very nice experience, recommended.

This tobacco meets my specs of a mild, sweet, easy-to-puff, uncomplicated Virginia. In spite of its simplicity though, different delightful flavours emanate from the bowl as one smokes along; and they remain consistent through to the end.

It is labelled an Aromatic here though it's connection to being one is only in its sweetness, not even in its fragrance because it has the usual McClelland ketchupy aroma. Even so, I don't detect much flavouring which means little was used to enhance the Virginias though I can't tell what it is with precision.

My tin is newly purchased but has a stamp underneath that reads 230412. Not sure if it means it dates back to 2012. If so, that may have enhanced its taste. If new, no matter - same result: a pleasurable smoke.

It is no less than a three and half star.

Nice broken flake that is easy to work with. Tin note is standard ketchupy McClelland tin scent. I do taste this in the first few puffs, but do not find it unpleasant. A pretty mild smoke. Not quite as sweet as I was both expecting or prefer, but a nice taste all the same.

As to the room note I am a horrble judge of this as I either smoke in the garage or outside. My wife says this smells like S*&T, but this should not concern anyone because she says that about all of them. lol A friend of mine in the passenger side of the truck asked if I was smoking a cherry flavored tobacco. I took this as meaning it smelled good. Of course, I did not taste anything of the sort.

I find this blend to be more gentle on the tongue than most VAs and this, I find, to be a major plus. Can't say anything bad about the blend, but I do prefer other straight VAs to this one.

Honeydew is a total departure from the Arcadia and Black Shag brothers of the 221B Series. This one is a very thick cut and Bright broken Virginia Flake with a sweetener of some sort that really didn't translate to the palate, but sure made my sniffer happy! Easy to smoke all day due to the lightness of the fare, and very naturally sweet. And finally, typical of all McClelland's Virginia offerings, the quality of the leaf was superior.

Whoever does the marketing at McC must have a good sense of irony or especially enjoy puzzling us mere mortals. Altho Sherlock was written to enjoy pungent, powerful tobaccos, the McC blend in this series dedicated to the character, Black Shag, was a mild and delicate, low nicotine stoved Va. Likewise this blend, dedicated to the literary memory of Dr Watson, proclaims itself as a Honeydew (historically a Va with naturally occurring high sugar levels), and in the Irish tradition. I don't detect either of these inputs. Further, the casing/top note on this tobacco defies my attempts at deconstruction. I haven't a clue what it is.

Here's what I do know, or think I know. It is a broken flake of mostly chocolate browns with occasional bright and dark spots. In the tin it has an ineffable sweetness with some floral notes. These scents are carried thru into the smoke itself. I wouldn't call this an aromatic as such, but others might. As another review has already suggested, this tobacco has most in common with scented flakes. To which I would add, specifically, this is a light lakeland type of tobacco, which would also include such geographic outliers as Erinmore Flake and Mick McQuaid Plug. For the sake of accuracy, I am not suggesting this tobacco tastes like those two tobaccos. But it shares that relationship between tobacco denseness and artificial fragrance additive.

Burns beautifully and is easy to pack and light. Lasts an age in the pipe and is great value. The flavours are rich and complex (more than just puzzling) and there is plenty to enjoy. There is also some pepper and spice to balance the sweetness, especially as the bowl progresses.

A near miss for 4 stars from me.

My first stab at a flake. A little concerned at the first whiff but I've added this one to my list of favourites. What do I know? I've only been smoking pipes for two months.

Well, eventually I'll want to seek out and make English tobaccos my only species (I've gone overboard with aromatics, really). I thought I'd try something recommended by folks who are looking for something different and distinct from the boat load of cherries out there.

I've tried it half a dozen times and I believe it smokes best after I've rubbed it out and left it overnight. Either way, I've enjoyed this blend very much.

Great, great taste. Love the room note (and so do others 'round me). Easy to work with (once you've figured it out). Goes well with a reisling (discovered by accident).

Pretty good, a weird blend- sort of a lightly aromatic flake. I do get a melon taste here and there.

Tin aroma is for a lack of better terms- appetizing to best describe it. I detect hints of rum and vanilla smell. Mostly mollases.

I will smoke it some but not everyday. If you like sweet light smokes this would please. Not too heavily flavored either. A very nice effort by Mclelland. I might just keep a tin around for when I want something different. I am into heavier Virginia blends though. I like the navy cavendish more than this and you might want to try it if you like honeydew.

I can see this being good in especially hot weather. A summertime smoke for me I guess.

Update: 4-27-08 This tobacco has really become a favorite of mine. Upon smoking it quite a bit more I found that it does not go so well in a small pipe but is excellent in a mid size.

I noticed the flavor became more apparent after some inital drying and that it smoked very cool and dry. The flavor became more robust like a really good mollases cookie. This is not an aromatic by my standards at all but does give a good subtle sweet dark sugar taste. I agree with a previous reviewer that it leaves me wanting for more, but in a very good way as it goes so good I could smoke it nonstop. This has become a regular with me, just wish it was a bit cheaper and came in a bigger tin.

Honeydew is a fragrant Virginia blend, with a nice appearance of golds and browns and a very sweet fragrance. The blend is a broken flake, and so could use a bit of rubbing out, but should be allowed to dry a bit first – it's a pretty wet tobacco. The name is most unfortunate, honeydew being the term for the waste of aphids. I spent a bit of time deciding whether to smoke Honeydew in my Virginia pipes or in aromatic pipes, but finally decided on the Virginia. I think it's the right decision, and the blend is, after all, a topped Virginia. The charring light brings through some excellent Virginia flavor, but also the sweet, interesting flavor used in topping the blend. This flavor also came through once the pipe was burning. Sadly, the blend has a real bite to it, especially early, that reduces, for me, the enjoyment. The first third of the bowl should be carefully smoked in order to avoid a real case of tongue char. Not bite, char. Deeper into the bowl the flavor comes through and the char lessens. At this point, Honeydew becomes a very pleasant, agreeable smoke. The flavor is reminiscent of a honey-topped Virginia, though smoother, butterier, than honey. I'm not sure what the topping is, but it imparts a good flavor. It's sweeter than a typical Virginia, but not diabetic-coma-inducing-sweet like too many aromatics on the market. Somehow I've been thinking of honeysuckle. The end of the bowl finishes well, again atypical for an aromatic. The flavor remains pleasant, and never becomes acrid, and the tobacco doesn't become wet and gooey like some aromatics can. Honeydew is, in my opinion, a pleasant blend. It's not one I'll smoke regularly, but is one I'd never turn down. Aromatic smokers looking for something slightly less sweet than their typical fare should flock to the stores for the blend, and I have to think that Virginia smokers will also find this to be a good tobacco to keep on the shelf. Mr. Holmes must have been disappointed when he was handed an empty tin.