McClelland Tawny Flake

(3.04)
Little, elegant flue-cured Virginia flakes, redolent with sun-dappled sweetness, and pleasantly tangy. This skillfully blended tobacco, mellowed with Blakeney's exclusive toasting process, fills the pipe with pleasure.
Notes: McClelland introduced their Blakeney's Best line at the 21st CORPS (Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers) Pipe Show in Richmond, Virginia. The 50g tin was released to the public in late 2005.

Details

Brand McClelland
Series Blakeney's Best
Blended By McClelland
Manufactured By McClelland
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Flake
Packaging 50g Tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.04 / 4
8

13

5

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 27 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 15, 2009 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Another good McClellands blend that misses being great by a short margin, and one that is not a taste factor.

The folks at McClellands know how to blend a straight virginia. This is cut as a small square flake that is, unfortunately, somewhat too thick. I had trouble getting this one to hold a light no matter how much it dried out. Flabbergastingly (is that a word?), the feel of the flakes made me think the moisture content was perfect right out of the tin. Yet it fought the burn bravely until I was able to overcome its reticence. Still, the lack of proper burn loses this one a star. I rubbed this one out fully before loading and still had some trouble.

Flavor-wise, this is as good as most McClellands straight virginias. Pleasantly tangy and sweet with a wonderful room aroma. Light citrus notes and even though this didn't get as "dark" as I prefer, it performed admirably as a fairly mild but full bodied smoke. I very much enjoyed the flavor of this, but I found its unwillngness to hold a light somewhat offputting. It's not like Dark Star in that regard but I believe I'll stick with VA's that aren't quite so much work!
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 22, 2015 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
The Virginias are citrusy sweet, and just a shade grassy with touches of dark fruit and earth. I also got a hint of apricot here and there. The "vinegar" essence is mild, though I do notice it now and then. Fairly monochromatic, but the taste is consistent and comfortable. The cut of the broken flakes varies a little, and I got better results when I cube cut it with my fingers. The strength is mild and the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. May need a light dry time. Burns cool and clean at a moderate rate and leaves little dampness at the finish. Needs a few relights. Sports very little nicotine, and won't bite even if pushed. Has a pleasant sweetness that doesn't dull or weaken, and the after taste is just as good. An all day smoke and a good starting place for those wanting to try a mild McClelland Virginia.

-JimInks
9 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 04, 2005 Very Mild None Detected Very Mild Pleasant
Newman's descriptive of the leaf was spot on. Not the easiest to contend with. And like Newman, I also found the flavor to be too mild. I still have not quite figured out what the toasting process does to tobacco, but I'm trying to be a fast learner.

If you enjoy mild and not real flavorful Virginia leaf, here you go.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 19, 2016 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
This blend rocks . The little flakes are thick , like many a McClelland flake is thick , but these are smaller . The trick is to break it up and let it dry a bit or visa versa . Popping a fresh tin and going to town is gonna be frustrating [ think SG blends as far as wait time , almost ] . I'm not into " Ketchup bombs " and this isnt . I wouldnt say the ketchup is mild [ it isnt ] but it's not a bomb . The tangy element rocks and stays with the bowl for the length of the smoke for the most part . I'm guessing a good amount of Red Virginia in this one [ ? ] . It's pretty straight forward from start to finish with some build up and tangy fade off toward the final quarter . If youre looking for a complex thought provoking smoke .... I think you could have this one figured pretty quick . It's magic is that it is consistent from start to near finish . Why change up what isnt broke . Smokes slower than blue hairs on the freeway and dry . Gotta give it 4 stars because it is the blend that " got through " to me in regards to McClelland Ketchup blends . This is one I always have on hand
Pipe Used: I like it best in average sized pipes
Age When Smoked: fresh and aged .. dried and broken
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 07, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
A nice tasting flake without a lot of complexity. Tart, tangy, fruity notes. Very, very smooth. Not as much of a toasty flavor as I expected; might be hiding in there covered by another note. This is a very pleasant smoke by itself, but really shines as a mixer. Drop a little Burley in with this and you get a real treat.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Doesn't have to have it, but I like to give it some drying time. Burns great.
Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 14, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Tawny Flake is a good but not great straight Virginia broken flake. It is fairly sweet with good Virginia flavor and with no bite, but it is also rather one dimensional (i.e., the taste remains the more or less the same throughout the smoke). It tastes rather fruity (mainly raisins and apricots with a hint of citrus).

Out of the tin, it is a bit a moist and therefore benefits from a some airing out. Once properly dried, it lights easily and burns evenly to a gray ash. The appearance and flavor is reminiscent of a red Virginia like McClelland's Bulk No. 5100, although it is a little more flavorful than the bulk tobacco.

If you like straight Virginias, you will probably enjoy it. For me, it could benefit from the addition of some Perique. With this in mind, it would be a decent blending tobacco. However, given the price (~ $5.00 per ounce), I would stick with the Bulk No. 5100 for this purpose.

I'm glad I tried it but, given the price, probably won't buy it again.
Pipe Used: Various Canadian briars
PurchasedFrom: Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked: 1 year old
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 12, 2005 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
These are nicely prepared flakes but ~ 1" square and comparatively less pliable than most McClelland flakes. Without any rubout which I normally prefer, I experienced difficulty in the intial lighting and numerous relights. The tin aroma is very mild Heinz and inviting as a natural VA. I found that TF smoked cool and dry in multiple bowl sizes. The toasting did little for me in the way of flavor and the blend was too mild for my overall satisfaction. For reference, I'll stick with 2015 and 2035 from this respective blender.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 23, 2017 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
McClelland - Tawny Flake.

They should rename this Tawny Broken Flake, as that's what it actually is! Sure, there are a lot of small whole flakes, but there's more broken ones. There's the usual McKetchup smell, and the moisture of mine was without fault when I de-sealed the tin, aiding easy ignition.

Quite unadorned. This is a good description of the flavour: there's a little sweetness, a touch of citrus, and a straightforward Virginia hay note. It's quite a modest flavour. Unlike a few folks I don't find a problem with the burn from Tawny: it's reliable, consistent, without gargle, and gives a cool smoke that's free from bite.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: very pleasant.

I can see how Tawny Flake might be perceived as being a little boring by some folks, but I think it's as good a straight Virginia as you can get. Four stars:

Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Siena 320KS
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: Three months
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 10, 2015 Very Mild Mild Extremely Mild (Flat) Tolerable
Poorly conceived cut that fills and packs like bits and pieces whether used as tinned or rubbed out and still it doesn’t light easily.

Very little in the way of flavor; a bit of sweetness and grass and an unpleasant background note. I found myself smoking more aggressively (to get some flavor) but the sugar took on a chemical caste and it began to burn hot. Behaves best when packed with light pressure and smoked slowly but then it's also nearly devoid of flavor.

I smoked this mixture eight times and every bowl was unpleasant and a chore from rim to heel. McClelland makes some fine Virginia but this isn’t one of them and I’d ask anyone considering it, why?

Perhaps I had a tin from a bad batch? I won’t try to find out.
Pipe Used: Barling, Ser Jacopo, cob
PurchasedFrom: online
Age When Smoked: new (2015)
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 21, 2013 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Just crossed the halfway mark through a 2oz tin dated 9/05. As I keep many tins open at a time, I've been working through this for the better part of 2 months. Although the moisture level was fine upon opening, the subtle drying that has occurred over the past few weeks has sharpened (favorably) the VA tang. Burn quality is superb and I tend to smoke this rubbed out, with a few chunks of flake mixed in. The toasting process is not necessarily a desirable one as far as my tastes are concerned - I love the sharpness of McClelland VA's. That said, it is a bit easier on the mouth and where I might notice that I smoked a bowl of Old Ashton Pebblecut or Black Parrot - this one doesn't leave the same next day sour mouth. I don't notice the caramel notes that others have found so pronounced, just a lightly sweet, mid-level VA tang with good black tea bitterness. Not sure what a newer tin of this would taste like, but most of my reviews are of 8-10 year old tobaccos now and will likely follow that curve as my cellar is stocked substantially. Recommended.
2 people found this review helpful.
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