McClelland Frog Morton Across the Pond

I worked my way through a tin of this over four months and never really had a eureka moment. I was drawn to this tobacco having never tried Syrian Latakia and wanting to.

It is clear that a lot of people do like this one, perhaps it is the variety of oriental used. I just can't seem to enjoy this one. I do concede in the quality of leaf and smokability of the blend, but cannot go over two stars on this one.

I will not repurchase, but probably will try the other Frogs as I am curious about them and they seem to get higher praise on here anyway.

I did not enjoy across the pond as much as the original FM as it is a little light in the britches for me but this is indeed a top shelf blend with rare Syrian latakia. I can see where a lot of folks would really enjoy this blend due to the mildness and low nicotine presence. I actually really enjoyed mixing this blend with some Yenidje Supreme by McClelland, the mix of Syrian Latakia and Yenidje Orientals was absolutely delicious!!

This is a decent blend. Not much else to say, everyone has said it, but I will echo someone else and say that I could use a bit more strength in flavor.

Compared to the original Frog, this was a surprising contrast. A touch bitter, a little pungent, and just barely recognizable as being a Frog blend (mostly in the tin moisture and topping). Not a terrible smoke, I did get through the large tin, but it was never my favorite smoke of the day.

My first mistake with this blend was loading up a bowl out of a freshly-cracked tin. My second mistake was using the wrong pipe for it at the moment. Out for a night at the local cigar lounge with a friend, I had just sampled some of his tobacco, a goopy cinnamon aromatic, in the only pipe I had about me at the moment: a sweet little Loewe bulldog, circa 1920, bought for a steal on eBay and intended from the get-go as an English pipe. Well, that cinnamon aromatic wasn't bad, just wet and nondescript. After about half a bowl of my friend's wares, I Frank-loaded the Loewe with a smallish amount of the Frog. Caramel, moisture and the threat of bite were the orders of the day. FMATP comes pretty wet by itself, and the swampy pipe wasn't helping. A very slow cadence staved off full-blown bite and allowed me a glimpse of a better smoke to come. Hints of soft caramel, interlaced with high, sharp hits of cinnamon from the previous smoke made for an odd, incongruent smoke. Very uneven, and while the flavors didn't exactly clash, the combination was distracting, as was the constant imminent bite. Ah, well. The fiddly, fussy smoke didn't detract from an overall pleasant night.

Back home, I scoured out the Loewe, used two pipe cleaners and left the FMATP on my shelf with the lid ajar. Two-odd months later, not a lot has changed. This stuff doesn't want to dry out for me. Another run in the Loewe- and this stuff still burns hot, wet and nippy. With the amount of latakia in here, I was disappointed and surprised. The caramel sweetness has receded a touch and the sharp mustiness of the orientals has inched up to the fore. Normally, with my preference for English blends over aromatics, this would be a plus, but I found myself missing that soft dessert flavor. It's still a quality tobacco, perfectly smokable (provided you tiptoe around the tongue bite), but it's unpredictable. Not within the single smoking session, but from smoke to smoke; and that is not to my liking. I'm undecided on whether or not I like this one. I like what it can be. I like the components and the tin note and the softness and the tin art. And I like some of the smokes it's given me. Some of the other ones, not so much. Still, would I buy it again? Yes, I would. Who knows, I might find a whole tin of the creamy caramel side of Frog Morton Across the Pond, with none of its hot, biting side. I dislike inconsistency in general though.

This a tobacco I will always keep on hand for those times when I want a smooth smoke blended with good tobaccos. It is not my favorite but again it is good and pleasant investment in puffing while letting my mind relax. Froggy is always welcome in my house. If this was the only blend I could get, that would be OK but since there are so many good tobaccos to choose from he is relegated to being just a good friend to have in the tobacco larder. This is a four star blend but only a 2 1/2 star for me. I find it best smoked in a large bowl so I can enjoy the flavors as they meld during a long slow smoke. The angel wife says the aroma is like a campfire with a few too many green logs in it. Not terrible but not as good as some of the incense-like other blends that she enjoys smelling. You should invest in the price of a tin or two.

Meh. Something about this is off. Based on other reviews here, I think it may be due to the syrian, but I don't like it regardless. There's a weird sweetness that bothers me more than any aro I've ever tried. Not to mention it seems wet and goopy no matter how long I dry it out. All that being said - it's an easy and safe smoke, so I've found myself reaching for it more often than I expected. I still wouldn't recommend it knowing how much more I liked FMOTT.

I can taste the Orientals clearly, the Latakia faintly, and the Virginias....not at all. There just isn't much here to hang my hat on. Tried it in both briar and cob and the only difference was that the Orientals were even more dominant in the cob. The only good news is that the Orientals are fairly decent and that saves this from being a one star blend.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns very well straight from the tin.

This was a one-time can for me. Well made, as many have stated, but too wimpy for my taste. I'm not into adding this, or that, to a product. In this case, there are SO MANY fine English blends to choose from.