McClelland Katerini Classic

Mixed cut. Contains pitch black chunks of presumably fire cured tobaccos, loose red ribbons, and brighter chunks of broken flakes. Slight vinegary note combined with a very faint nutty sweetness which reminds me of custard pudding for babies.

Packs and lights fairly easily but needs a few relights which I think is only natural with those chunks it contains.

This tobacco is certainly reminiscent to me of old Greek cigarettes. To my mind it’s an archetypal Greek blend sans Latakia. The Katerini leaf is tangy, curry-like as the tin description states and it also reminds me of cumin and dry limey soil. The other tobaccos play a supporting role probably adding some body and that faint vanilla note which I suspect is a very mild topping. Katerini Classic is the drier (i.e. less sweet) of all the tobaccos in the Grand Oriental series I’ve tasted so far. Its taste is more robust than the Classic Samsun’s and considerably less sweet. Still this is a mild tobacco, very natural-tasting and quite cigarette-like. For me it’s much easier to understand than the Classic Samsun.

I believe this tobacco is an acquired taste and I can see how one cannot like it. On the other hand I do, although the similar-tasting cigarettes of old were awful as far as I can remember…

I sense the taste of an old tobacco here, I don’t know if it is related, but the tin I’m smoking is nine years old.

You want an idea how the Oriental leafs taste? Then try this.

Another winner in the Grand Orientals series, Katerini Classic rewards with a delicate undertone of spice and is especially naturally sweet compared to some of the others in this series. Certainly no bite, even when you suck hard like I did while trying to coax out a little more strength. It didn't happen, so, I did the usual and added some Five Brothers to the Katerini... Now we're talkin'!

Pipestud

Last year I got turned on to McClellands Drama Reserve, which was excellent, so good I purchased more of that blend and several other Grand Orientals—Katerini Classic is my second stab at this wonderful series. First off, I love oriental tobaccos, they are my single favorite type of tobacco (with burley coming in a close second—who'd of thunk that?), so, I was looking forward to this one.

Being both oriental tobaccos, I find it hard not to compare Katerini with Drama. I found Katerini to be both stronger and fuller than Drama Reserve. I also got thicker volumes of smoke with this blend over Drama, too. Taste wise, there are some subtle similarities between the two tobaccos, but I did not get any curry-like flavor from Katerini at all. Katerini is marginally sweeter than Drama, but it's difficult for me to put my finger on any specific taste.

Overall, I like this blend, but I found myself dipping into my second tin of Drama Reserve much more often than the Katerini. Katerini's a good blend, and I can't wait to try another in this wonderful series.

A wonderful mild to medium oriental blend that is complex without being heavy. Whispers of warm caramel wash over the refined soapy oriental leaf- my tin was from 2007 so everything was melded together and subdued somewhat with an underlying spicy creamy hit. As with all of the other grand Orientals in the series the Virginia is the dominant leaf- ripe and fermented they add a backbone of tang, caramel and very slight grassy notes.

Most of the Grand Orientals that I have tried are very mild and this one falls into that group. I find it really requires a nice "slow sip" to really get this blend to sing. I don't get a mild curry-like taste as the blender suggests. Sweet, but not too sweet. I should also point out that having smoked this "new" and also with 4 years of age on it, time treats this blend well. It does need to be dried as it arrives too moist, but it's worth the wait. With classics in the same line like Samsun, it's easy to overlook this one which is a shame. Good stuff, Recommended!

In the tin, this medium ribbon blend is notable for its initial turkish spiciness along with a notable dose of perique. The McC virginia fermented scent, stemming from both black stoved and red virginias, is present, though subdued.

Since the spirit of this series is, apparently, the splitting of hairs... some nuances exhibited are: herbed chicken broth, ginger, sweet bun, cincinnati chili, and sesame. The perique is gently evident throughout the bowl.

After sampling both the Katerini and the Black Sea Sokhoum, I am not sure that McClelland fully exploited the potential for this series. If McClelland's intent was pure education, the addition of condimental leaf (in this case perique), as well as the fact that the condimental leaf varies between blends within the series, complicates this end. I finished the tins unsure of my grasp of each varietal's specific character. This deficiency would be gladly forgiven had either blend been notably singular and iconic. However, though they may be savory, delicious, and composed of top-tier leaf, they fall slightly short of timelessness. This seemed best in narrow to medium gauge chambers.

Smyrna Light? Seems almost like a blend of Smyrna and Samsun but much more mild. By comparison, this mellow blend is more delicate, smooth, subtle, and gently fragrant. Smoke slowly and sip lightly, lest you pummel the subtleties of this delicate construct into irrelevance. Unlike some of the other blends in the line, Katerini doesn't get more spicy or intense if you work it harder, or as you approach the middle of the bowl. It is consistently mild and slightly sweet throughout. Lights and smokes flawlessly, cool and dry. Pleasant, sweet aftersmoke taste. Not as full or rich as its big brothers, Samsun and Smyrna, and lacking a bit of the finesse and uniqueness of Drama. I can see some fellow pipe-a-holics finding this blend too delicate or light in the flavor department, as it requires you to stay focused in order to catch the whole performance. Still excellent. Three stars.

Katerini Classic didn't dissapoint me as the rest of the Grand Orientals Series tobaccos. It is so good that I only can compare it with the other tobaccos of the same series.

I found this one similar to Samsun and Black Sea Sokhum (all of these three tobaccos are from the same seed, but grown in different zones). It is a mellow version of Samsun, with almost the same cigarette like flavor, and lower nicotine dose. It has a subtle spicy note and a little bit oily taste which reminds Yenice Agonya from the same series. I can say that it has also a very subtle sweetness.

Packs and lights easily, leaving a fine whitish ash. A must try for the oriental fans.

My review will be a lot less detailed and sophisticated than 1/2bowl's, but I like this blend a bit more than he did. In comparison to the other Grand Orientals, this is more like the kid brother that tags along with the big boys: not quite up to their level of risk-taking, but fun to have around. I didn't pick up any notes of kitchen spices, but what I did find was a smooth, pleasant smoke that I'd be glad to have in my rotation. I smoked this in a small briar and it burned well, only requiring a relight or three to finish the bowl. If you like the other GO's, I think this is worth trying if only to experience a very different sort of blend from the others.