McClelland Tudor Castle

This is an excellent blend of tobacco. I am a little confused though about some of the comments here on this blend. I have been smoking this for years. It is not rare or hard to find. I have 20 tins in my cellaring vault from when it first came out. I add to it yearly and have never had a problem finding a tin. Average cost is 8 to 10 dollars. It lights well and smokes better as it ages. I always roll it out let it sit and then drizzle it into my pipe to pack. I keep it light and let it sit to smoke later in the day. I stay with this routine on about a good third of my tobaccos.

I probably give too many four star reviews on here. But then, I also like a lot of tobacco out there. But this...THIS is a ten star blend. Honestly, this is as good as it gets. I think Pease's Triple Play is a ten star, too. Maybe a handful of others. But Tudor Castle is just sublime. The balance of oriental and virginia is perfect. I cant think of another blend that has such lush flavor from Oriental leaf (Pebblecut is the closest)/ And the perique is nicely backgrounded ....all of it to make the stoved Virginia shine through. And its great McClelland virginia....and i dont know what else to add. This is just a great tobacco blend.

This is a four star blend for sure. I just wish I was a four star pipe smoker. I would prefer to blame the tobacco of course, but this time I'm gonna have to say it's my technique. When the stars align, this is a sublime smoke. All the components are skillfully integrated, none taking center stage...a hallmark of a quality mix. I do like a good Va/Per, and the addition of Yenidje is icing on the cake. The reviewer below me has stated it has a monochromatic character, and I tend to agree...I really didn't notice any subtleties as a bowl progressed, but then again, the flavor is so spectacular I didn't care either. However, I found contemplation whilst smoking a must. (Well, maybe not contemplation, more like careful attention.) My problem with Tudor Castle was a fickleness that I thought was the 'baccy itself. Nope. It's me...smoke it a smidge too fast, the flavor tanks. Too hot? Yep, the flavor tanks. (Specifically, the lovely Yenidje.) Even rubbed out, (and possibly packed too tight, too loose) the flavor...well, you get the idea. Now, smoked properly, which I realize is something I should do always anyway, it is a must have. I'm glad I bought several tins.

I think tonight I will step outside, put match to bowl, and see if the stars can align again. Knowing my luck though, it'll rain.

Four stars anyway.

Personal notes-

-Better when kept as a flake. -Go ahead and DGT it. You can still enjoy/salvage? a bowl this way. -Oddly, does better in briar, over a cob or meerschaum.(!?!) -Larger bowls work better than small.

An exceptional flake and my all time favourite tobacco. The Virginias are deep, complex and very naturally sweet. The Yenidge adds a unique tang and the St. James Perique brings a spicy dark fruitiness to the mix. The combination of top quality tobaccos in this blend compliment each other beautifully. The balance is perfect.

Somewhat moist out of the tin and will need to be dried out a little but take the time to prepare it properly and you will be rewarded with a rich heavenly smoke. I like to let it air dry in flake form then fully rub it out right before packing.

Tudor Castle is an absolute masterpiece! Fantastic fresh but ages incredibly well. I really can't say enough great things about this wonderful blend. I will miss it very much... but not for a while. Thankfully I stocked up quite a bit of it prior to the McClellandocalypse.

Having just smoked through a half pound of B.S.O.S.M Match from Pipes and Cigars i went into my local B&M here in Vegas to find another English blend with Yenidje as i find that little oriental leaf to add extraordinary nuances and aroma to a blend. I picked up this tin, saw the word Yenidje and proceeded home to enjoy the afternoon. Boy was i surprised when i opened the tin and saw broken flakes in various shades of mahogany, no smokiness and no latakia!! Totally expecting an English blend but excited for a new McClelland blend i spread out a bowlful and let her dry for 30 min (its super dry here in summer, 3 percent humidity) rubbed out and stuffed a pipe to let sit for another 30 min packed. The lighting is a bit of a chore as it tries to scramble out of the bowl like an octopus but two or three false lights gets her going. Confectionery sweetness from the Virginia's dominates in the first third, the oriental adds dimension until the Perique adds its flavor but never gets to the spicy peppery level which is fine since its the oriental i really want to taste. Tudor has that unbelievable duck sauce like sweetness I've only found in one other blend, Saint James Woods by McClelland, another favorite.

My tin had two years of age and i can only dream of smoking a 5 year or older tin! 4 stars and a wonderful companion to a hot summer day...

Revised Review 12-14-2013-I just retried this blend from a CLAY ! and it really shines, tangy & complex. I really love this tobacco, McC VV sweet and sour Vinegar Virginias, Perique in perfect balance . but the star is the Yenidje, Herbal incense scent ( or am I confusing the Perique for Yenidje???).

Needs some drying and rubbing out or it gets spicy and and hard to keep lit. I would actually classify this is a VaPer. Has a slight bitter aftertaste, And you pick up a slight perfume/incense scent when "French inhaled", very interesting( call me crazy, but it smells like the print from a new book?). I will keep in stock. I find this a little spicer than I like for my everyday rotation or it would be 4 stars.

I have to agree with almost everything said by reviewer "Wagon25 -2011-06-08" , below.

Having smoked almost three tins of this I feel qualified to submit a review. I had put this aside for almost a year and finally opened a new tin, thinking it would be my last. But after a number of smokes I will probably get it again, simply because it is complex enough to not get boring.

I am certainly not able to detect the amazing variety of tastes many other reviewers can, but even I can identify the Yenidje in this blend. It is different from any other taste in anything else I've smoked, and it finds a comfortable place with the VA and Perique. The balance is good.

I would offer only two minor complaints. It bites the tongue a little more easily than I would like, but that may be due to the fact that I'm a fast smoker and like the avoid the relight if possible. Also, I enjoy the side stream but my wife does not. It's always nice when everyone can enjoy it.

But this is full and complex, and worth having on-hand. It burns very well; it's a great final smoke of the day, for me; the complexity goes well with the contemplative spirit of the waning hours.

Popping the tin top presents nicely formed flakes with very few broken. The McClelland ketchupy smell is there but much toned down from some of their other blends and not noticed @ all when smoked. Thought it was bit moist from the tin and since I don't rub out my flakes several relights were needed until I mastered the packing technique. However, no condensation developed and a cool smoke without any bite was enjoyed. I missed the Turkish or it was overpowered by the Perique but the relative proportions of the ingredients seem just right for a great and comparatively sweet flavor.

This absolutely splendid tobacco has not had so many high reviews for nothing. It is without reservation, an ambrosia VA/Per/Or. Perhaps the very best one in the world. It's provides one of the most blissful pipe smoking experiences one can ever hope to relish from this genre. It burns cool, creamy, sweet and refreshing with an excellent mouth feel.

The tobaccos used in this blend all come together in harmony and absolutely sing in the side stream (puffing with mouth open) smoke. Instead of becoming harsh or tiring, working one's way down the bowl, the flavors dramatically improve and become celestial. How many tobaccos can do that? And if that isn't enough, the room note will have people following you!

A relight does not in any way hurt the tobacco, it won't ever bite, when enjoyed slowly, and it leaves a pleasant aftertaste. What more could anyone ever expect from McClelland for creating an such a stellar, unrepeatable masterpiece?

This tobacco will reward you even more if you decant it for a few days after opening. Pour it out on a plate for a 10 - 15 minutes, and then pop the lid for a few minutes every couple days and it will be sublime! I also have rubbed out the entire tin upon opening, which stops the fermentation process faster. Don't waste this superb blend by smoking it while it is still fermenting.

5/15/18 Edit: With McClelland suddenly closing, I sure wish I had 130 tins instead of only 13.