McClelland Royal Cajun Ebony

Virginia, Perique and Kentucky processed in the McClelland's special way for their Royal Cajun series. A very impressive compilation that burns cool, has some strength and will give the VaPer crowd a unique smoking experience.

Pipestud

This tobacco is one of the best I've ever smoked, if not the best. First the tin note is amazing - like brandy flavoured chocolate, not to speak of the nice charcoal looking coarse appearance. It has a tangy sweetness and a buttery creaminess that descends on the palate towards mid-bowl. This does not taste like tobacco at all. I have tasted several brands of tobacco - Aromatics, Virginias, Burleys, Orientals, those with Latakia, Perique, what have you in the tobacco world, from the highly acclaimed brand names around, but I must confess that this is really good. It actually tastes like food, bread and butter. No matter how you load your pipe, nothing 'expected' sneaks up on you, like some bite or bitterness or after-taste that you occasionally get from most other tobaccos however 'eminent'. This is a mild-medium exciting smoke that can be enjoyed all day. Indeed, if not for the fact that I have a collection of other tobaccos that I smoke and want to savour, including some cellared ones that I expect to improve with age, this one can be smoked exclusively. I have not tried the Royal Cajun Dark nor the Royal Cajan Special but will do so soon. If they are anything like the Ebony, then McClelland would have made, arguably, one of the best triad-tobacco blends in the world. Besides, this is a newly purchased tobacco made in June of this year (2015); if it tastes this good one wonders what it will taste like if allowed to age (presuming it improves with age). This is highly recommended. I will surely obtain more tins and try the other two (Dark and Special) blends out asap.

Opening this 5 year old tin of Royal Cajun Ebony revealed loose, coarse cut ribbons of tobaccos that were mostly rich black in color with a fleck of brown here and there. It was just slightly moist and the tin smelled of hickory smoked barbecue sauce and subtle spices. An unlit sip gave me a smoky taste that reminded me of Latakia.

My first few draws after lighting produced a light chocolate taste, but as the bowl progressed things got a bit livelier even though I never experienced a "complex explosion of flavor." At I progressed down the bowl the chocolate taste remained constant, but a spicy sweetness like cinnamon and a Latakia like smokiness became noticeable at various times. The room note was toasty and slightly sweet which seemed very pleasant to me.

I really like this tobacco, the strength is about right for me, and the tastes were pretty enjoyable, if unremarkable. I did not care for another tobacco in this line, the Royal Cajun Dark, as much as this one. Ebony was a little stronger and tastier to me, and I will most likely be buying more of this.

I wanted to open my first tin of this after it aged two years, but I couldn?t wait, and opened tin # 960206, which I think means that the tin is almost a year old. In my two years of pipe smoking, I have sampled almost all the different types of tobacco (virginia, burley, oriental, perique, cigar leaf, Nicotiana rustica, and Cyprian latakia - Syrian is still in the queue) to get a good feel for their characteristics and flavor before I tried this. Virginia is my home base, smoking that is; I live in Montana.

Cajun Black is different from all other tobaccos that I have tasted. It?s marvelous! Cajun Black quintessentially illustrates why right now is the pinnacle period of pipe smoking: The art of tobacco has evolved to its greatest height in history. With so many pipe tobaccos available on the worldwide market, one could ask, why invent a new kind of tobacco? Smoking this I see the answer: for the pleasure!

The tin smells slightly sweet, earthy, tangy, and slightly smokey. It is slightly moist in the tin, which is typical of most tobaccos. It burns as well as any tobacco I have smoked. The first light tastes like virginia tobacco plus a clean earthiness, sweet, complex, and very pleasing. I can go fairly quickly into the mouth-to-sinus back- feed mode, which I reserve for my favorite virginias, but usually not until the last third of the bowl. The tobacco smoke is richly flavorful, yet mild on the palate. And the flavor is unique. I?ve been experimenting with different blends, and making my own blends of blends, and this is something new altogether. It?s a flavor that tobacco should be, somehow; it?s like discovering a new place that feels immediately like home. It?s at home in all the pipes I have sampled it in, including a large briar with a tall, narrow bowl, a meerschaum, and several pipes with graphite bowls. The flavor is a combination of raisons, ponderosa pine, earthy smokiness (we all struggle for words here), and just good old tobacco.

Some reviewers comment on the level of nicotine. I get a nicotine buzz every time I smoke (I smoke every other day) and Cajun Black Ebony is no exception. Despite the large scale corruption of tobacco into a pleasureless vector for an addictive drug (cigarettes), pipe smoking can still be enjoyed for the pure pleasure of it. This tobacco is what pipe smoking is all about. Every time I smoke a bowl of this, I am disappointed when it?s finished. This is not because of a lack of nicotine (I am nicely floating on it), it?s because it tastes so good that I don?t want it to stop!

I seem to be going through this tobacco faster than any others in my drawer. It mixes very well with McClelland 5100. I can?t wait to try some of the other in this series, which other reviewers say are a little smokier in flavor. The tins beckon me from the dark closet...

This rich & pleasingly complex blend creates an immediate appreciation for skillfull blending and excellent curing of components. Flue-curing and stoving of the Virginia and Burley have been accomplished without the usual excessive oils that leaves one needing to wash hands after handeling. Again the Cajun Black brings a sweet, smooth and smoky presence to the blend that would not otherwise be found. Earthy and primal, this blend is not to be missed by pipesters desiring an interwoven experience of both towering influence and counter points of resonance attesting blending skills not easily earned.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a CAO Dunhill Man Pasha

The gentleman who runs McClelland together with his wife (I forget their names), handed me 3 tins of these newest McC creations at the 2006 Chicago Pipe Show. I was trying so many different things at the show, I did not want to further confuse my palate. I simply took the tins, thanked him and waited for the right moment to open. The dithyrambic description on both tin and the round card under the lid would you have you believe that this is one of the most unique, extra special creations to hit tobaccodom, and let me tell you, they're not kidding. This is not mere marketing bravado, as is the case with so many other things I've tried. This really is a great blend of excellent Virginia sweetness and just the right touches of sour and salt to taste, probably eminating from the perique. Taste is everything here, with tin aroma being much more pronounced and McClellandy than the room note. Aroma dissipates quickly. There is great complexity on the tongue and nothing to interfere with the interplay of delicious flavors. This is a conoisseur's blend for the most discriminating and purist of smokers. A friend of mine who is not a great fan of McC even admits that this is one of the finest things he's ever tried. I am eager to pop the lids off the other two Royal Cajuns, but will hold off, allowing those to age for awhile longer. Besides, I picked up so many other things at the show I'm still working through. Congrats to McC for debuting something really grand and different and for not skimping on quality. Now, please don't change the blend!

Five of five stars

McClelland cranks out another stunning hit. This is a rich, smooth, flavorful, velvety smoke that is well-balanced, and a treat to enjoy at length. Real tobacco that smokes up gentle and delicious, almost like a mild chocolate coffee aromatic of some sort, but with none of the downsides of a cased aromatic. Excellent sweet fermented raisinfruit aroma in the tin. Takes a bit to light well, but stays going and burns right down to a light ash easily. Definitely benefits from a week or so of sitting in the tin after opening, and keeps getting better. No tongue bite whatsoever and could not reasonably be provoked to do so when pushed. Albeit rich and pleasing, with great flavor, this is not a sweet dessert smoke. Not a bit of bitterness from beginning to end, either. This is a satisfying and tasty indulgence that is good anytime and anywhere, whenever the mood suits you for a rich chocolatey-smooth coffee type fix. Three and a half stars.

UPDATE: The more I enjoy this, the more I am enjoying it, if you know what I mean. Solidly in my rotation now and I've cellared a healthy stock. Detecting hints of a molasses quality and perhaps a light sweet oatmeal or cream stout character, especially in the pleasant aftersmoke flavor. Get some!

McClelland gave away samples of all 3 Royal Cajun blends at the 2006 Chicago Pipe Show. Ebony is the first that I have smoked. I find this to be a very desireable blend. It lights easily, burns well, and does not get overly hot or wet. It smokes well in all sizes of pipes. I am smoking it now in a very small bowl (for me) and there is no sign of over-heating. This is a blend that can be smoked at any time of day, and indeed all day. The taste is good, but not overpowering. I will buy more of this blend, and store some to see how it ages.