McClelland Beacon

The orange and lemon-yellow virginias are well in the foreground. The perique is present but almost muted, being expertly blended to cool down the virginias. As a result, those sugary virginias provided me with a cool smoke and no tongue bite whatsoever.

This is the smoothest VaPer, with the best virginia flake that I've smoked to date. I like milder blends (i.e., lower to moderate nic strength) ideal for multiple and relaxing smokes, and this one is it for me. This very rich and flavorful tobacco is ideal for me, a lover of virginia blends. Those who like heavy nic blends beware.

Yes, there is some whiff of vinegar/catsup in the tin aroma but none in the smoking, and even then subdued in comparison to other McClelland virginia tin notes (added to the fact that this is a 2 year old tin). I didn't fully rub out the flakes, just broke them down into strands. It filled the bowl well although there was some need for relights in the first half. This is just niggling, however, and maybe rubbing it out completely will fix that "problem".

destined to be a classic. I have been smoking this for 15 years. I dont consider it for smoking till it hits 5 years old. i haqve a few tins with 15 years on them and let me tell you, age some tins this long it becomes a near religious experience at this age. sweet witha touch of citrus yet dark at the same time with the perique becoming that sugary plum like taste that is so deep its incredible, my mouth starts to water just thinking about it. the flakes become leather to the touch covered with crystals and bloom. I opened a 15 year old tin 3 months ago that had a light dust all over it that smoked so good it was indescribable. when young, beacon can bite if smoked quickly so for those new to this blend, age it, age it, age it!

The pipeguy website claims this blend is akin to the old Cope's Escudo blend... hmmmmm... not sure I'll quite buy that - but this is a pleasantly tangy, spicy and tasty VaPer. I find no top note on opening the tin, other than a subdued McClelland stoved Va tang (which I love!) and a quiet undercurrent of the Perique. The Perique is subdued in this blend (at least in my tin) and much more so than I remember the old Escudo (and certainly the ACP version). I have been smoking quite a lot of 633 over the summer and it's nice to smoke a quality VaPer without the sweetish overbite that I get from that (admittedly addicting) weed. This is clean, fresh and quite unadulterated tobacco - carefully blended, with the components allowed to be themselves, thereby enhancing the whole to a marvelous effect. This is blended by McClelland, but it is certainly not like the other VaPers from that company - especially the ubiquitious 2015 - and other than the stoved Va component, this is really nothing like anything else they do.

At the first light, the smoke is almost purely Virginia. After a tamp and a relight, the bowl smokes strong and sweet with just a little tingle from the Perique. As the bowl progresses, the Perique brings it's fruity spice to the party, but not in an aggressive way at all. This is a very smooth blend. At the last third, the sweetness gives way to a matured Virgina heartiness and the Perique just dances around in the background, tingling your nose and making sure you don't just drift off into Neverland... and then - ash. Just nice clean ash left in the pipe at the end. No dottle to speak of and not a lot of anything gurgling through during the whole affair.

I smoked this in a variety of pots and billiards - Group 3 to Group 6 - and even had the huevos to load up my big old Boswell Dublin, which is ODA and then some - and is not my usual VaPer choice (yeah this weed is that smooth) - with this stuff and it still went down nice and easy. My little Italian pots love this stuff too, although the smallest ones (my little Caminetto Sports) remind me that this is stoved Virginia after all... calm down!

So - I'm not sure why I'm the first one to review this marvelous blend, but if you like VaPers, I have to predict that you'll love this stuff silly.

Four stars - easy!

You had me at 7 year old perique!! Beacon is a wonderfully balanced and rich vaper. The virginia's are tangy, not too sweet. The range of virginia flavors is great. Then there's the perique. The perique flavor is there but it's not overly peppery up front. I prefer Beacon to Beacon Extra. Not surprisingly Beacon is less stout and strong of the two. Beacon is more of a pipe taste than a stout cigar type taste. If you like the genre its a number 1!

Saint James Woods is still my #1, followed by 1776. Beacon is a strong third. I can definitely see why people put Beacon above SJW. Beacon is very balanced and smooth. There's just something about the reds and black stoved combo that keeps me coming back to SJW more. As far as 1776 I really like the sweet, lighter flake with a pinch of perique at times when I want a lighter smoke.

I hope this helps other va/per lovers. I think that there is nothing better than a virginia and perique combo smoke. Some say that McClellands vapers are all the same. I will say that they are similar but there are subtle differences and they are all top notch blends.

Without a doubt, one of the very best blends I have smoked. As a VAPER, it is in the upper tier in its class. Along with Fillmore and Escudo, it is tops with me.

Beacon is also in the category of Escudo and Fillmore in fuller flavor, stronger in the nicotine department and complex. It is pretty hard for me to imagine someone liking Fillmore and Escudo and not liking Beacon. However, put another way, if Fillmore is not sweet enough and Escudo too sweet and peppery, Beacon fills-out the middle ground and won't overwhelm those moderately sensitive to Perique.

Beacon is heavier than most other VAPER blends that profile brighter tobaccos, casing or little to middling Perique. I think few blends are heavier (Night Train comes to mind). As much as I truly enjoy McClelland's SJW and other VAPER's they blend, this is nothing whatsoever like what McC has done previously.

Rubbed-out and a tiny bit dried-out made for my nearly being bowled over with Beacon's depth and creamy, smooth personality, rich complexity and full mouth satisfaction. It is also very cool. This is also a visually appealing flake, if you are like me and your mouth waters at the sight of ruddy Virginias.

I will try to age some for a few years as long as I am able to smoke Beacon regularly. Beacon is available only direct from pipeguy.net.

Four very bright stars. This blend alone could make Bob Hamlin a world-renown blender (and to a few insiders, he is renown already).

One of the very finest tobaccos I have smoked in my almost a decade of wanderings. The Beacon deserves its name, shining across the oversaturated supply of halfling mixtures, with strength of flavour and structure like no other.

I am a big admirer of Virginia-Perique blends. I find their elusive sweetness enticing and have several open tins in constant rotation, always searching for those perfect moments when all the variables align and the blend comes to its own.

What sets Beacon apart for me, first, is that those sweet spots are far more common and dependanble than many its competitiors. While blends like Solani 633 shine thanks to their creamy smoothness, their sugars taste drier and more straightforward to my palate. With Beacon, the sweetness is at once rounder and more complex, ranging from sourness to dark molasses.

I love the characteristic smell of McClelland's vinegar that seems to scare off so many first timers. If that means more aged tins for me, I could hardly complain. For my part, I can forget myself with a freshly opened tin for a very long while.

I find the Beacon smokes as well in colder weather as it does in warm. I have enjoyed it on a blazing and moist day in central Vietnam, just as I have in the biting Midwestern winter in the US. I do recommend drying it out a little, as the flakes come well moistened in the tin. They rub out beautifully though, never crumbling too much while still being pliable in the bowl.

I very hearty recommendation to add to the hundreds before me. For once, a blend deserves every single star in spades.

This is so far the best Va/Per i have smoked in nearly 20 years of pipe smoking. There is no detectable flavour but it tastes almost cherry like to me. I think it is a result of the very matured virginias. The perique is there but in a minor supporting role. Just right to lift the virginias to a much more interessing level. It has a decent nic hit too and I can not see myself getting tired of Beacon. Sweet, Smooth a little Spicey and not biting. A flake almost in the english style of the past,Capstan Blue for example. Highly recommended

I love this tobacco. If smoked gently it will give you flavor that lingers in your mouth long after the dottle has been tapped out. Hints of citrus similar to a lemon drop (tho not as sweet) and black pepper. I'm currently smoking a tin from 2009 which has been aged in the tin - that may explain the mellowness. If you like VA/Pers you should give this a try

I enjoy pure aged Virginia flakes. Virginia flakes have what I call the "Yum" factor. The exception to that rule is the adding of a little Perique. I love this tobacco. I went through a 50 gram tin in a week and ordered a bunch more. In my opinion it is much better than St. James Woods and slightly better than its cousin Beacon Extra. I love Beacon Extra too. I do not care that it smells like catsup when I open the tin... it tastes great! After all, parmesan cheese smells like smelly feet and people pile it on their food!