McClelland Classic Samsun

This is just excellent. I understand that some people find this *too* subtle. But I think its as tasty and smooth as any tobacco of this sort that one can find. All of the Grand Oriental series by mcClelland have been criticized for lacking in power or Nic strength, and its true, I guess, if that is what you are looking for. But the taste is perfectly balanced. The Samsun is present without in any way taking over the smoke. The Viginias are classic McClelland and hence excellent. if you like Oriental, then get this one. Its delicious, and burns cool and pretty slow for a ribbon cut. The Samsun is dusky and a bit sour, but it has also contains a natural sweetness that comes for the Virginia. Its a four star blend, but I understand it might not be for everyone.

McClelland's Classic Samsun presents as a full array of dark to light brown ribbons. Tin note is chocolatey, with some wood tones and a subtle, sweet background note that is almost cake-like. Moisture content is just right for an Oriental and, as one might expect, Classic Samsun takes a match well, burning slowly, evenly and very dryly.

The charring light brings a rush of classic Oriental flavors including wood, salt, mild pepper, parchment and a backdrop of floral exotics. As the true light progresses, these flavors intertwine and even out to produce an Oriental experience that can't be beat. Salt, nuts and white pepper define the first third of the bowl while a soft chocolatey sweetness asserts by mid-bowl. The final third is spicy and peppery but never harsh. The finish is dry and spicy leaving no dampness or mess in the pipe. I'm just not sure how this can be topped as an expression of Samsun tobacco.

Classic Samsun performs extraordinarily in the bowl: a cool and slow burning tobacco with no bite, no preparatory drama and little maintenance required. Room note is to the neutral side of smokey and generally inoffensive. I humbly offer my highest praises for this tobacco.

Update 2020: I was lamenting the loss of this fantastic blend, and just happened to find a single tin stowed in the back of my cellar. Sometimes you just get lucky. Don’t know when I’ll smoke this, but it will be a good day.

I like the McClelland's idea of presenting grand classic Orientals to broader public. While most of other producers are very esoteric in regard of exact leaf varieties they use in their blends, McClelland tries to give a pipe smoker a clearer idea on what Samsun or Smyrna or Drahma is and what's the difference between them.

Saying that, I'm not too excited about this particular tobacco. The leaf from Samsun does really have some unique aroma and flavour nuances. But its another noticeable quality is high oiliness, which makes the smoke clammy and suffocating by the end of the bowl. That's just the way some Orientals are. You just like that or not, and me, I don't like that. And what I really disapprove is the lack of nicotine. Nic-free tobaccos should be labeled as that, just like caffeine-free coffees are.

I appreciate the educational effort though. So this blend gets two stars and "Somewhat Recommended" from me.

This is a classic oriental. I have smoke raw aged Samsun leaf, and this is very close. Samsun is a very complex flavor and when slowly smokes reveals layer after layer of fine tobacco flavor. This oriental is a delight and should be smoked as often as possible.

So this is what Oriental tobacco is. Very interesting. This is my first venture into strictly "Oriental" tobaccos and I must say I am very pleasantly surprised. The fact that this produced no bite except when I puff super intensely and fast to try to get bitten, earns this tobacco 3 stars off the bat. This is definitely not an aromatic, but there is indeed a slightly nutty aroma. Any "sweetness" is subtle and mostly imagined. Dry it for a day or two, then get a good charring light, and you are good to go. It also lasts a long time in the bowl and no truly foul aftertaste. Man, this is a good tobacco. The only thing I think some people would have a problem with is the fact that it is very reminiscent of smoking a cigarette, including a noticeable nicotine kick. It took me a few bowls to get over that, but once I did, I was able to enjoy it with no problems. I will have to try the other Grand Orientals to really compare, but I feel confident in highly recommending this.

I bought this tin in 2008 because it showcased one of the lesser utilized Turkish components, Samsun, and i was looking to find a good sample that might isolate its profile without Latakia, as the smokiness might mask the flavor. I smoked half a dozen bowls and shelved the tin. It seemed unremarkable.

Well, I pulled this after pouring through about fifty half finished tins that I threw in a box after moving into my new place. I thought, maybe I missed something.

Years later (8 years), it's still moist! Hmm. What do they put in this stuff??

In my reassessment, I find the spice is standard, the Samsun doesn't stand out, the bowl doesn't seem to develop through the smoke, and the blend is mild. Not a favorite.

Here's a couple stars for trying something new.

upon the first lighting of this tobacco, It started off mild and sweet with a creamy smoothness that was pleasantly surprising. As I smoked further into the bowl it got a bit tangy and no bite. I also get a very subtle nutty flavor too. The strength stays fairly mild, but the gentle flavor gets a little fuller by mid bowl, but I wouldn't call this "full flavored." I know that some have mentioned that room note was pleasant to some ladies, but my husband who is also a pipe smoker actually disliked the room note and had mentioned it on several occasions as I was smoking my pipe. Overall, I really liked this blend from the very first bowl. If the other Grand Orientals are this good, I can't wait to try them!

It is kind of tough to review such a blend as this. Kudos to McClelland for putting together this series to allow people the opportunity to discern the flavors of individual leafs that are often buried within other blends. So often you hear Oriental and Turkish without realizing all the different tastes that those labels encompass.

So with that I do recommend this to someone to garner the taste of Samsun, because it is definitely the star of the blend. So much so, that the McClelland scent haters will rejoice at the lack of signature Va smell issuing forth from the tin. I think that is how it should be with the GO series as the Va should just be along for the ride, offering minor sweetness to the blend.

That said, I am not too crazy about this blend as the taste of the samsun is just a little too sour for my palate and I feel it just needs something else and this, perhaps, is the reason it is more often used in the condimental sense. Not even the fact that the tin was six years old when I popped it could save this one for me.

So I don't recommend this for a tasty smoke unless you are, perchance, a die hard oriental lover which I am definitively not. I do recommend trying out the series for what it is. A chance to taste the different flavors of oriental strains of tobacco. It is for this reason that I will continue to try them all out as well, but I likely won't reorder any of them.

This delightful blend ostensibly consists of un‐topped Turkish tobacco from the Balkans. This is absolutely lovely: Upon lighting the bowl with a flaming charred splinter of bird‐eye maple, the smoker is confronted by an innocuous plume approximating in taste a hypothetical confection consisting of marshmallows and dried figs—perhaps some drunken makeshift 'smore' analogue consisting of alternately‐skewered 'Fig Newtons' stacked in close proximity to marshmallows roasted over a fire: An aromatic conflagration engulfing planks of oak (4×2), coffee beans, cocoa hulls, and one unfurled ceylon cinnamon strip dipped in cranberry juice. But after persisting with this, the taste slowly morphs to one reminiscent of hay and smoldering birch bark—not what most people would usually consider 'good,' but more approaching my idiosyncratic preference. Persisting further with additional Samsun tobacco addition—over a Costa Rican espresso and lit with butane—the smoker is presented with a new suite of flavors, including: graham cracker, pencil shavings (from a Dixon Ticonderoga™ pencil), burnt Pop Tart™, and middle‐aged nutsack—definitely getting better. But perhaps the best way to appreciate McLelland's Classic Samsun is through a flax rolling paper—as a cigarette—where halfway through the smoker is graciously presented with an unparalleled array of flavors that can only be described as your grandmothers vagina being licked through a sepia‐toned photograph from the '60s. Thus: McLelland's Classic Samsun never disappoints and offers nothing less than a 4‐star experience, the rating which I had personally given it (I'd give it four million if they'd let me.. .)