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.

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.

Early review of this, as I plan to smoke more to get the full experience. First impressions are good. The Yenidge brings a woodsy character which I enjoy and gives the smoke a full flavor. It also takes the forefront of this smoke, leaving the Virginia and perique as subtle undertones. I found this one to take on a completely different flavor profile with a retro-hale through the nostrils, quite pleasant and a nice tingle, showing its potency. I did feel a bit heady after this smoke. It is quite different and not for everyone.

Another winner in the PCCA redux series. Gentle and sweet, a real classy Va/Per, McClelland style. A little monochromatic for me, but a no-brainer if a guy just wants a pleasant smoke and nothing too challenging. Not really a contemplative tobacco for me, but just straightforward and tasty.

This one I was able to sample a few weeks ago at the pipe club I attend. It smoked well but really can’t do a review justice. Just marking this one down since McClelland closed shop. The tin was dated 2015.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this, and with one bowl left in the tin, I'm still figuring this blend out. The VA components gives this a good structure, the Perique gives it strength (and a bit of roughness), and the Yenidje complexity. An interesting blend that I wish I had let age more (the tin was just over a year old).

On the other hand, the flakes themselves (more like large broken flakes in my tin)were tough to bend or rub out, and a tad flame-resistant. Once it catches, however, it burns nicely without much tending. If I manage to let a tin of this age, I wouldn't be surprised to see me up the rating.

I finished up my first tin of this at deer camp last week and was impressed. I purchased about three tins of this about a year and a half ago based on many recommendations, mostly from Europeans who really enjoy McClelland blends.

The tin I smoked was 1 yr 3 mths old. The tin note was typical McClelland vinegar/ketchup and had some broken flake and some full flakes. When I bought this, I never looked at the contents to see that it contained Yenidge. I am not really a fan of yenidge, so this may have stopped me from the purchase at the time. It is the taste of yenidge that turns me off, but I must admit the sidestream, or the smell of it burning, is one of the finest scents in pipedom.

Clearly TC has a good amount of Yenidge, and hence a wonderful sidestream aroma, but with the Virginia and perique it really works for my tastebuds as well. This blend has incredible balance and offers a very unique flavor experience. I am glad I will have a chance to try some aged tins down the road.

I am leaving this at 3 stars for now and will revisit, but this could easily be a four star blend.

Nice, but I like Blackwoods Flake better. But a good strong, fragrant smoke.