McClelland Black Sea Sokhoum

Probably the most robust of the McClelland's Grand Orientals line, I liked this one very much. There was a lot of depth to the smoke (hard to find with blends dominated by Oriental tobacco) but I guess the Sokhoum is as advertised, and allowed by the Oriental taste I sought to come at me in waves. For those who like a stronger Oriental tobacco.

Pipestud

The Virginias provide rich fermented ripe dark fruit, light stewed fruit, a lot of earth, and mild sugar as the base of the blend. The woody, earthy, dry, buttery sweet, slightly floral Samsun is an important second lead. I didn't really notice anything resembling a cigar note. The strength and taste levels are a little closer to medium than they are to mild. The nic-hit is a shade past mild. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a very consistent flavor. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and needs a fair number of relights. Has a pleasant after taste. Almost an all day smoke, it seems to be a little more filling to your senses than the strength and taste aspects indicate.

-JimInks

Black Sea Sokhoum presents as an array of brown ribbons from very dark through medium with a small scattering of light. Tin note is both sweet and pungent with rich chocolatey notes and some herbal scents further in the background. There is a slight Virginia tang that emerges as the tobacco has some time to breath. As a Samsun comparison, I find Black Sea Sokhoum to have a deeper and richer, less sweet tin note than Classic Samsun of this same line. In either case, the complexity of tin note that I have come to expect from this series is present.

In the charring light, the flavor profiles are reversed: saltiness on the first sip or two, followed by a more herbaceous flavor with deeper base notes than the tin note might suggest. There is some wood here, some salty nuttiness and a bit of chocolatey sweetness in the background.

Overall the flavor is very rich here, but the body is medium - a hallmark of an outstanding Oriental. The salty, spicier notes balance harmoniously with the semi-sweet chocolate and the tanginess of the Virginia is held cleverly in the background. Lots going on here: a true sippers blend. Whereas I view Classic Samsun (a 4-star blend in its own right) as an all-day smoke, Sokhoum is a more complex tobacco more suited to the evening and the easy chair - a more contemplative blend.

As with any good Oriental, the smoke is cool and dry, even with the Virginia component. A truly first class blend and among my favorites of the series.

(As with many of the other reviewers, I'm not picking up on the cigar leaf analogy. Though not being a cigar man, perhaps that flavor profile of this specific Samsun varietal is too subtle for me to detect.)

Update 2020: could it be that this exquisite blend is yet another casualty of the war on the refined? Alas. I wish I had stocked more. Let my error serve as a lesson for younger pipemen.

The tin aroma is intensely like a plum pudding. Reducing that down to dried fruit, caramelised sugar, vanilla and brandy, I don't believe anything but the fruit aroma is natural to the tobacco. There is also a pepper, cloves and spice aroma that may or may not be part of the heavy casing.

Visually, the tobacco is a mix of mid to dark browns with a large proportion of black leaf. As others have suggested this dark leaf could be stoved virginia or a mix of stoved and cavendish.

This tobacco burns cool and sweet. It produces generous amounts of creamy smoke. I get only vague hints of the cigar aroma promised and almost nothing of the oriental aroma. If there were an award for a tobacco being least like what I expected, this would be a winner. But McClelland will not win friends with this sort of marketing.

I agree with other reviewers who say this is a processed virginia blend to which has been added some condimental oriental leaf. I would go further and say that it is a light aromatic. The orientals themselves are lost in this mix. They do however contribute a mellowness and the result makes for a very gentle and enjoyable smoke. I would buy this again on that basis, but because it is so far from being the oriental varietal the labeling suggests, I cannot give it better than a 'somewhat recommend'.

This is perhaps the sweetest, simplest and fullest in flavor of the Grand Orientals line. It is fragrant and smooth, similar to Classic Samsun, but less complex, and is slightly more consistent and bolder throughout the bowl than some of the other Grand Orientals. This tobacco prefers a cooler lighting and smoking temperature, being much sweeter and fuller on the sides of the tongue the slower and cooler you smoke it, but does not require the same concentration and finesse as its delicate siblings Katerini and Drama to fully appreciate. This is surely another tasty treat you should sample if enamored with oriental blends, and has found is way into my rotation. Like most other McClelland's virginia based blends, it continues to improve after you've opened the tin.

It's no surprise that this is a stain of Samsun as I find it tastes similar to the Grand Oriental's Samsun. I view view this one as Samsun's little brother. As a long time cigar smoker, I don't seem to be able to find the cigar like flavor that McClelland is referring to. I find this to be a mild sweet tobacco best enjoyed in the early day. Recommended.

This is fantastic even among the other tobaccos of the Grand Oriental Series. As I said, I have the suspicion that a little something is added as a scent and/or sweetener but it is very light and delicious.

Tin aroma is sweet, nutty like it came out of the bakery, but very delicate. It smokes easy, it packs some nicotine and for those who inhale it's difficult to resist. It tastes sweet and tangy and nutty with sweet spices. This a delicious and complex "straight" tobacco, because ''straight' is what it tastes like. Cannot imagine anything better for the first morning smoke.

Only reservation is that it does not smoke as good throughout the bowl, it becomes a little 'muddy' and bitter towards the end and does not burn uniformly. Four stars because of the excellent smoke for the first 3/4 of the bowl.

I like this, very mellow. The description states it's Samsun and Virginia tobaccos with no mention of Latakia, but I think it's in there and Cigar leaf. Maybe it's the cigar leaf that I'm mistaken for the Latakia, I'm not sure. I really don't get an overall flavor of cigar, more of a creamy smoke ( agree with Steel Cowboy's review).

When I compare this to McC's. other Samsun, ( Grand Oriental Classic Samsun , which is a much hotter burning Red Virginia forward blend, I do like it ) ; this is much smoother, creamier and not as spicy a blend. Two totally different uses of the Samsun, both good, but this one has a little more body ( agree with Pipestuds review).

There is also a spice note that I'm having trouble identifying, cinnamon ?, nutmeg? most noticeable in the scent and very intriguing.

I'd buy this again.

Definitely agree that this tobacco is "cigar-like" and that the cigar note is more like a burley blend than an actual cigar leaf blend or cigar. It's a mild, good tasting smoke, at least until you hit the bottom 1/4th of the bowl, where it becomes a little harsh and bitter. Easy to pack and stays lit, and produces a nice volume of smoke with low nicotine. I honestly don't taste much in the way of oriental here, though, and I'm not familiar enough with the taste of Soukhoum tobacco to know for sure. But the blend description says that the oriental "lends depth" to what is basically a matured virginia blend.

This is a fine smoke but I probably won't buy more. It's recommended as something slightly different, and shows that a tobacco that is a mild smoke doesn't mean that it's low on flavor. Whether you like the flavor is up to you. I find it ok... somewhere in the range of a 2.6 rating.

Delightful in every way! I appreciate how McC has taken these Oriental's and packaged them so we can accurately compare the lead ingredients in very similar base blends.

Samsun seed leaf has a very airy, yet spicy richness to it that cannot be accurately explained by me, but its a leaf that really can add bloom to a blend. Here this Sokhoum strain really did add a medium spicy cigar wrapper taste to this blend, some sweetness as it heated up, yet never hot and always consistent. Ribbon cut, perfect humidity even at 5 years of aging.

I tried Key Largo years back as it boasted a cigar-like component, but I found that to be overbearing. This blend is spot on, somewhat Balkan like in its make up but absolutely sweet and sour at the same time.

This blend did best for me in a small Peterson bowl with a P-lip, treating it like a desert.

I cannot recommend the Grand Orientals enough if your into Orientals at all - even as a crossover for aromatic lovers.