McClelland Black Sea Sokhoum
(3.28)
Sokhoum tobacco in grown on the mountain slopes in Georgia, beyond the far eastern shore of the Black Sea. It is considered by many to be among the finest Oriental tobacco grown. Sokhoum is a strain of Samsun seed and the leaves have the appearance of Samsun and share a very similar aroma, but notice how the flavor has a quality that is almost cigar-like, rich and deep and mellow in this blend. Sokhoum is the easternmost of the Classic Orientals, fewer than 400 miles south of Sokhum is Iraq.
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | Grand Orientals |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Oriental |
| Contents | Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.28 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2014 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
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'.
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'.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 19, 2014 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Recommended to me because I was looking for a cigar blend. This is not it. When I'm thinking corona or maduro, this falls far short. Settling that aside, I'll review it for its own merits.
I'm a heavy puffer, so I prefer blends that smoke cool. This isn't too bad. It smokes completely down to a fine white ash. But no hash taste. There is a bottom-of-the-bowl taste I don't like, though. A sweet, off flavor.
The tobacco has a sweet flavor, but it's a bit sour to me. I'm not a huge fan of orientals, but I've had several I like. I tried it, then waited a year and tired it a few more times. I'm not really a fan. It's not bad, but not my style.
I'm a heavy puffer, so I prefer blends that smoke cool. This isn't too bad. It smokes completely down to a fine white ash. But no hash taste. There is a bottom-of-the-bowl taste I don't like, though. A sweet, off flavor.
The tobacco has a sweet flavor, but it's a bit sour to me. I'm not a huge fan of orientals, but I've had several I like. I tried it, then waited a year and tired it a few more times. I'm not really a fan. It's not bad, but not my style.
Pipe Used:
Newlook
PurchasedFrom:
Cigar & Tabac, 6898 W 105th St, Overland Park, KS (913) 381-5597
Age When Smoked:
2 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 29, 2007 | Very Mild | Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
Cigar like? Hmmm. There is no cigar leaf in this blend, so the tin description could be a little confusing. I smoke cigar blend regularly and I don't detect any cigar leaf character here. I assume it's just a description of the flavor present in this blend. Also, while I think is a good high quality blend, I don't taste exotic oriental tobacco either. The tins description leads us to believe that is a traditional virginia/oriental tobacco. However, It's a sweet aromatic, and tastes like their other mislabeled blends like Syrian "Balkan" or Virginia Woods! The typical McClelland virginias with a faint acidic smell are present. There is a sweetened or cased dark tobacco which really makes this an aromatic blend. It is light and has a lovely room note. But it's not what's advertised, which is so typical with McClelland.
Good quality and some people will like it.
Good quality and some people will like it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 01, 2010 | Extremely Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant |
Not much taste to this blend. No cigar notes. Frustratingly, a not-so-accurate description of this blend, as is so often the case with McClelland. I realize that taste is subjective, but none of the blends that they describe as full-bodied fit that description in my book. A very mild & smooth blend & perhaps one that could be uses as a blender, but that would be all this tobacco would be up to IMHO.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 23, 2007 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I really wanted to like this tobacco.
It's an attempt to rediscover a classic style of pipe tobacco -- the kind of "fine Turkish" Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain smoked. It's also an unblended tobacco from a single region, if you're interested in the raw materials the blenders use.
Both of these reasons make this tobacco a curiosity, and interesting to smoke, at least once.
Unfortunately there is almost no flavour in this tobacco. If you smoke if very slowly in a big pipe you'll get an extremely mild Virginia flavour, and the merest hint of cigar.
I like mild tobaccos, and this is very mild indeed. But I also like a robust flavour I don't have to concentrate on to actually detect. Also if you forget and smoke this fast it quickly becomes harsh and unpleasant.
I'd give this one star but I reckon McClelland deserves two stars for effort.
It's an attempt to rediscover a classic style of pipe tobacco -- the kind of "fine Turkish" Rudyard Kipling and Mark Twain smoked. It's also an unblended tobacco from a single region, if you're interested in the raw materials the blenders use.
Both of these reasons make this tobacco a curiosity, and interesting to smoke, at least once.
Unfortunately there is almost no flavour in this tobacco. If you smoke if very slowly in a big pipe you'll get an extremely mild Virginia flavour, and the merest hint of cigar.
I like mild tobaccos, and this is very mild indeed. But I also like a robust flavour I don't have to concentrate on to actually detect. Also if you forget and smoke this fast it quickly becomes harsh and unpleasant.
I'd give this one star but I reckon McClelland deserves two stars for effort.
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