McClelland Smyrna No.1
(3.32)
Back when Istanbul was Constantinople, Izmir tobacco was Smyrna. "A rose by any other name..." These tiny, top-grade tobacco leaves from mountainous Western Turkey across from the Island of Khlos have long been prized as the most aromatic of all Orientals. They grown dense and extremely fragrant in this dry country moistened by Mediterranean Sea breezes.
Look for a whole Smyrna leaf on top of the tobacco when you open the tin. Notice the tiny hole where it was string up by hand to air cure in a time-honored , labor-intensive process. There is no Latakia in this blend. Smyrna is the defining ingredient in this sophisticated Oriental tobacco. Our intention here is to spotlight the character of this extraordinary, delicate leaf.
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, 100 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.32 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 13, 2013 | Medium | None Detected | Overwhelming | Overwhelming |
I love Drama Reserve and Yenidje Supreme. But this Smyrna, although a small leaf (the single intact leaf included in each tin is a very nice touch), it is so fragrant. And let me tell you, this fragrance is either one you love or one you hate. This is not a taste I can even describe with words. You'll just have to give it a whirl, but from memory, it is musty and potent. It ghosted my pipe for 5 bowlfuls afterwards. Not a pleasant taste at all. I gave the remainder of my tin away.
If you love it, more power to you. But it was not for me.
If you love it, more power to you. But it was not for me.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2010 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I rarely give a tobacco a low rating as I find I enjoy most all tobaccos and can find something good to say about most of them. I struggle to do that with this one. I just tastes plain hot and bland to me. Very one dimentional. It presents itself nicely in the tin, mostly small rough cut brown leaf with a few whole leaves thrown in. It has the nutmeg smell I get from most Turkish tobaccos in the tin and it loads quite easily into the pipe. It came at a good moisture level in the tin and it lites quite well, one the first light after the rise for me. On the first puff, it emits the very fragrant aroma of the Smyrna, which is kinda aromatic with a spicey overtone. I like Smyrna in a blend as it adds charactor, but in the proportion this blend uses this leaf, it is just overwhelming to my pallette. It is so spicy that that is all I taste all the way down the bowl. It tastes hot to me, though my pipe in reality stayed cool and I experienced no tongue bite. It burns all the way down in the pipe to a light grey ash and little dottle and no moisture. I would imagine this would make a good mixer with other blends, but as it stands alone, I do not recommend it at all.
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