McClelland Tudor Castle Arcade
(3.17)
Pressed in traditional Scottish cake, aged to perfection, this blend of the finest naturally sweet matured Virginias, fragrant Katerini, rich Louisiana perique and just a touch of rare Syrian latakia makes an exceptionally smooth, cool smoke suitable for a stroll along the castle arcade.
Notes: Reintroduced in 2009 from a PCCA Blend.
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | Collector Series |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.17 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The rather tangy, “vinegary”, ripe dark fruity, earthy matured Virginias also sport a light sugar note, and form the base of the blend. The fragrant, woody, very floral, tartly sweet, sour and spicy Katerina is a supporting player. The spicy, raisiny, stewed fruity Louisiana perique is an ever present condiment. The dry, wine-like, smokey, woody Syrian latakia adds a touch of a flavor push to the blend, and occasionally does slightly more than that. The strength level sits squarely on the medium, while the taste is a step beyond that. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness. Burns cool, clean, and a little slow as broken flakes will do, and has a very consistent, rich taste from start to finish. Will burn to ashes without stirring up the bottom of the heel. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs some relights. Has a pleasantly, lingering sweet and lightly floral after taste. Not quite an all day smoke, though experienced smokers in this genre may consider it to be one, depending on the size bowl one uses.
-JimInks
-JimInks
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 08, 2010 | Medium to Strong | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I preface this brief review with the fact that I tried this tobacco in 3 pipes; a Zulu, a large straight Billiard and an Author. I had the best smoke in the large bowl Billiard. I don't know if this flies in the face of convention, but there you have it.
Upon opening the tin, the 'signature' McC ketchupy (or barbeque saucey) aroma wafted into my nostrils. Rightly or not, I have always attributed it to nicely aged, mellow and sweet Va's and, frankly, I truly relish the aroma.
My tin was a combination of flake and broken flake. It requires rubbing out (okay, fold it if you prefer) and a little drying. It fired up promptly and stayed fired up for most of the smoke. The VAs and Orientals predominate, and the interplay is rewarding. Oddly enough, while I could not taste the Latakia that's contained in the blend, the resultant room note told me that it was in there somewhere. And, I could not definitely taste the Perique, but my taste buds may have confused it with one of the zesty Orientals. However, I had a bit of a peppery aftertaste in my mouth towards the end of the bowl: perhaps the Perique has greater mass (joke).
All in all, another great blend from McClelland, and a very enjoyable smoke.
Upon opening the tin, the 'signature' McC ketchupy (or barbeque saucey) aroma wafted into my nostrils. Rightly or not, I have always attributed it to nicely aged, mellow and sweet Va's and, frankly, I truly relish the aroma.
My tin was a combination of flake and broken flake. It requires rubbing out (okay, fold it if you prefer) and a little drying. It fired up promptly and stayed fired up for most of the smoke. The VAs and Orientals predominate, and the interplay is rewarding. Oddly enough, while I could not taste the Latakia that's contained in the blend, the resultant room note told me that it was in there somewhere. And, I could not definitely taste the Perique, but my taste buds may have confused it with one of the zesty Orientals. However, I had a bit of a peppery aftertaste in my mouth towards the end of the bowl: perhaps the Perique has greater mass (joke).
All in all, another great blend from McClelland, and a very enjoyable smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 27, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Tudor Castle Arcade has always been a crowd pleaser. The way the old style Katerini Orientals blend in with the smokey and rich Syrian Latakia is a must try experience. And the supporting Virginia and Perique are constantly battling to be the lead player. It's a wonderful battle going on inside the mouth with every puff.
Pipestud
Pipestud
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
I finished my sole tin of this blend about a week ago and am just getting around to reviewing it. My tin carried a tin date of 2009, and since I had never tried the blend before I cannot comment on how 8 years of age effected it.
The blend is a broken flake and the smell from the tin is primarily of McClelland Virginia, or ketchup as some would say. I found the taste of Syrian Latakia to be absent in both the tin note and the smoke as it must have been used sparingly in this one. I also could not detect that Katerini in the tin note, but I found it nearly dominated the taste of the smoke itself. The Oriental has a sort of floral quality to it that I just found to be OK, it does, however, smell fantastic as it burns. So much so that I would say that I preferred the side stream aroma to the taste.
As this is a McClelland tobacco that uses Syrian latakia as a component, I am sure this is now as hard to find as any of the others. Where the thought of this made me sad after trying my only tin of Wilderness a while back, I will not have the same feelings of regret as to this one.
I would be remiss to not mention the Perique. It was there, but a minor player in flavor as the Katerini really steals the show. Where the perique is felt is in the strength of the blend. This is not what I would call a strong blend, but it is for a McClelland blend. Don't get me wrong there is a spiciness that dances throughout and I am sure the perique is the reason for that.
I put this one between 2 and 3 stars and will round this one up to 3 for its exceptionally good side stream aroma and sufficient nicotine content.
The blend is a broken flake and the smell from the tin is primarily of McClelland Virginia, or ketchup as some would say. I found the taste of Syrian Latakia to be absent in both the tin note and the smoke as it must have been used sparingly in this one. I also could not detect that Katerini in the tin note, but I found it nearly dominated the taste of the smoke itself. The Oriental has a sort of floral quality to it that I just found to be OK, it does, however, smell fantastic as it burns. So much so that I would say that I preferred the side stream aroma to the taste.
As this is a McClelland tobacco that uses Syrian latakia as a component, I am sure this is now as hard to find as any of the others. Where the thought of this made me sad after trying my only tin of Wilderness a while back, I will not have the same feelings of regret as to this one.
I would be remiss to not mention the Perique. It was there, but a minor player in flavor as the Katerini really steals the show. Where the perique is felt is in the strength of the blend. This is not what I would call a strong blend, but it is for a McClelland blend. Don't get me wrong there is a spiciness that dances throughout and I am sure the perique is the reason for that.
I put this one between 2 and 3 stars and will round this one up to 3 for its exceptionally good side stream aroma and sufficient nicotine content.
Pipe Used:
John Hines Pot
Age When Smoked:
8 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 31, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Very nice, lovely flakes, fairly thick cut. This one needs to be rubbed out. Tin moisture is acceptable but a little high. Have tried in several pipes, and it seems to prefer something a bit on the smaller end. For best results, don't smoke it in a heavily Latakia imprinted pipe.
This one is a good intro to English style blends for a virginia or vaper lover, since that is about all you get. Fortunately the virginia is very high grade. The overall impression on opening is a very grassy, herbal smell. The flakes are light colored, with some brown streaks. After lighting, you get a big burst of the va. The oriental and perique are both fairly apparant, but the latakia seems absent. If it's there, there isn't enough to pick out, for me. As the bowl progresses, the smoke loses some of the herbal notes, but not the perique, and the lat. is still MIA. No bite, but a little heat and some perique pepper.
Overall a good smoke, of very high quality, but without enough latakia to really appeal to me- and I'm not one who likes a heavy hand with the latakia, just midrange blends. I've enjoyed this tin as a change of pace, but doubt that I'll buy more.
This one is a good intro to English style blends for a virginia or vaper lover, since that is about all you get. Fortunately the virginia is very high grade. The overall impression on opening is a very grassy, herbal smell. The flakes are light colored, with some brown streaks. After lighting, you get a big burst of the va. The oriental and perique are both fairly apparant, but the latakia seems absent. If it's there, there isn't enough to pick out, for me. As the bowl progresses, the smoke loses some of the herbal notes, but not the perique, and the lat. is still MIA. No bite, but a little heat and some perique pepper.
Overall a good smoke, of very high quality, but without enough latakia to really appeal to me- and I'm not one who likes a heavy hand with the latakia, just midrange blends. I've enjoyed this tin as a change of pace, but doubt that I'll buy more.
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