McClelland Yenidje Supreme

Yenidje adds a sweet and subtley herbal flavor. A unique treat found in many less than stellar blends, this is a blend that truly exemplifies the Yenidje (Xanthi) flavor profile.

A must try!

I was deeply disappointed with this entire series. I heard they were coming out with Oriental blends not Virginia blends with dashes of Oriental. I was all a twitter in anticipation waiting for them to debut, then when I got hold of the tins and ripped them open and sniffed it was felt like the time I took a facemask to the groin in junior high football. Virginias? faint smells of sugary top dressing? My heart sank as I loaded my first bowl. I tried to offset my initial disappointment by reminding myself that it was flavor and aroma that mattered. It is, and the blend (all of them) failed to deliver. The oriental is there and it teases, but the virginia base tobaccos overwhelm them most of the time. These are not the scrumptuos blends showcasing exotic and rare tobaccos that I hoped for. They are virginia blends that have been laced with precious oriental. McClellands has disappointed me, and I have been a big fan for awhile. They are behaving like a tease. The oriental shines through occasionally, but the blends tend to be too moist, smoke hot and taste predominately like rather boring virginia blends. What a waste of Orientals.

Wish I had given this one a try when it was still in production - if I had a time machine I would certainly squirrel a bit away for the future.

Alas! This is a wonderful smoke. Buttery, smooth, and well-balanced with a delightful undercurrent of vinegary tang. The sour notes bring to mind Levant Mixture, though there the similarities end. Mild in strength but approaching fullness in flavor and aroma. Try it if you can get your hand on it! 4/4

To me this tastes absolutely nothing like Middleton's Cherry Blend. I said that just to grab your attention. And now just two more words: Exotic Masterpiece.

This is a complex tobacco, quite fragrant, but to my tastes not as sweet as the other entrants in the Grand Orientals series. It has a pronounced peppery quality that is perique-like in its insistency. I found the smoke produced some minor irritation in my nose and mouth, possibly because of the famed concentration of volatile oils . Stronger in nicotine than I would expect from a notionally light Oriental. In my opinion this is a good example of why some Oriental blends cry out for Latakia to soften and broaden the experience, and accordingly I would never choose this tobacco ahead of its stablemate, Yenidje Highlander.

A very mild McClelland with just enough Yenidje to flavor the blend without overwhelming the Virginias, YS is a beautiful example of Mac's Grand Orientals. It tastes so good, you won't mind the paucity of nicotine. A perfect morning smoke, without a hint of tongue bite, you can puff as hard as you like. YS is an ideal blend for the novice pipe smoker and a perfect companion to the veteran.

Although I wrote that you can puff hard as you like, I must qualify that statement. The favors in this blend are fragile and subtle. The slower you sip this one, the more you will get out of it.

Sampled from a 2007 vintage tin. Many have already described this blend's attributes better than I could. My first impression was that it tasted somewhat like Sullivan & Powell's Gentleman's Mixture Original and that's some really good stuff. This makes a pretty good Balkan with some Latakia blended in. I mixed a small amount of McConnell's Latakia with this and it wasn't bad at all.

I believe there is Red Virginia combined with the Yenidje in this blend. I like these Orientals for a change of pace. Sometimes, I might even fill the bottom third of a bowl, or use something like this to mix in a little flavor & tone down the finish of a very strong blend, or one that might be Latakia heavy. Anyway, there's not much I can complain about with this offering. I concur with most of the other reviewers...4 ****s!

very boring and one dimensional! i found very little to praise this tobacco for except for the honest tobacco taste and clean, complete burn. as i continued through the tin i had the same thought that others have expressed "it needs a little something more" so i tried adding a little blending perique- it did nothing for it. i smoke the whole tin but i assure you i will not go back for seconds.

Y'know that wonderful smell of dry oak leaves while you're raking your yard in autumn? Add McC's classic ketchup smell and that's the tin aroma. Very nice actually.

Straight from the tin it was relatively dry. I just carelessly crammed my pipe about half full and lit it up, and it burned perfectly. Upon lighting it's relatively mundane until the bowl warms up. After five minutes it settles into a nice smoky flavor but with the Virginias readily accessible - a good thing for me since I like straight Virginias.

It never gets really complex, but it's just a steady supply of mild flavor - a little VA sweetness mixed with a particular earthy taste I haven't experienced elsewhere (the Orientals obviously) and can't really compare to anything else. If you're careful and keep it cool this blend will reward you with a very interesting, relaxing smoke. Don't expect a big buzz, just mellow flavor for a mellow afternoon on the back porch. Three and a half stars...think we'll call it three.