McClelland A.M. Pipe

This is one of my 'go-to' pipe tobaccos. The VA is quite nice, not super sweet but full of flavor. Now...the Latakia is just right...it seems to me to add a certain sweetness to the flavor. The Oriental in this is subdued, not the spicy-hotness of Early Morning Pipe but like a very slight sprinkle of Tabasco or even better Texas Pete's hot sauce, very slight, just tasty. This is a mild tobacco and that's one of the reasons I like it so much. Great in the morning, nice at noon and always good in the early evening. Why do I say the Latakia is sweet? I enjoy smelling my pipe tobacco as I smoke it and when I smell this after a nice puff...the Latakia comes across with just a hint of sweetness...not like a sweet-tea but more like the hint of sweetness when you add some lemon to your tea or iced tea, just that little hint of a taste of sweet.

Being as I am still quite the heavy cigarette smoker,this one is going to be a little hard for me to judge. I will throw in my two cents anyhow, as I'm sure I am not the only pipe smoker who still wastes his/her money/health on cigarettes.

First off, I haven't the pleasure of smoking Dunhill's EMP, so I'm just judging this blend on it's own. Secondly, I usually have a cigarette or two (shamefully) by the time I get moving and reach for my pipe. A habit I'm trying to break.

AMP is a quality smoke, with a nice room note that isn't offensive as Englishes go. I think a little more strength wouldn't kill me, yet I understand the point of the blend is to be "light". The smoke is nice enough, if not a little bland.

I will experiment with this tobacco throughout the day as a mild English until I drop the morning cigarette habit and try it for what it was blended for. It is worth a try (as all McClelland blends are, IMO) but I am not sure if I will include AMP into my rotation, as of yet.

I'm a firm believer that taste is subjective. I wanted to compare this with Dunhill's EMP to see which one is better. I was told to try this as a prelude to the EMP. I was able to get a hold of a couple of ounces as a "test" sample from a local smoke shop here in Villa Park. The sample was a little dry for my taste (although I was told by others it was just right). However, it burned and smoked well. I can only speculate that with the proper condition, it would have been an even better smoke.

The flavor was very mild and left a somewhat bland English taste. I guess this would make it a good "first pipe" of the day. At the risk of sounding bias, being a full-bodied cigar smoker, I tend to crave for a stronger smoke when it comes to my pipe tobacco.

After opening a "new" tin of EMP recently obtained from Iwan Ries, I compared one over the other; it is safe to say that AMP is not equal to EMP. It was like comparing apples to oranges. We've all heard of the saying that goes, "copied but never equaled" (or something to that effect). Well, this was the case - only Dunhill can be a Dunhill.

Which is better? Let me put it this way, they're both similar AND different at the same time. They both use the same tobacco, with the exception of Latakia in AMP. The EMP has a richer darker tobacco color than the AMP. But then, it may have been due to the fact that the AMP was a little bit drier. I also found that the EMP has a richer flavor than the AMP.

AMP on its own is not really a bad tobacco. A little too mild on the palate but overall will make a good everyday smoke. I am giving this the benefit of a doubt and give it 2 out of 4 stars (for now).

This is really tasty stuff. I haven't tasted EMP so I can't compare them, but it fills the bill - a mild blend that is complex enough to keep you interested and mild enough to smoke any time, anywhere. Certainly a regular in my rotation whenever I want a mild, reliable smoke.

I used to smoke quite a bit of this blend back when McClelland was in business. Fortunately, I found 8 ounces of our at one of the lesser tracked shops in town. It has the same basic flavor profile as Dunhill EMP, but richer. The orientals play a prominent role in this blend and it's quite delicious. Try it if you can find it.

McClelland - A.M. Pipe.

It's quite a well rubbed ribbon but sadly includes a few twigs. The moisture's good from the fresh pouch.

The Latakia gives a heady flavour but I don't find it eradicates the other leaves, unlike a Lat-Bomb. The Orientals are about equal to it in weight, giving a buttery, woody, taste. The Virginias lend a fruity sweetness, but are a few rows back in comparison to the Latakia and Orientals. The initial part of a bowl scores four, but this rating decreases as it's smoked and an acerbic quality establishes itself and reduces the recommendation. Mechanically it behaves well, needing hardly any relights or tamps.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

A.M. Pipe? Would be wonderful if it weren't for the sour top-note. Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

Edit: I'm upgrading this one. I'd probably say it's 2.75 stars. It's not Murray made EMP (though neither is the STG version) but it's a bit sweeter and flavorful than I had originally given it credit. It's still a very mild but very decent light English and particularly good in a meerschaum. My original review is below.

A.M. Pipe is a perfectly smokable light english but if your looking for EMP this isn't it. The flavor profile is definitely McClelland's english but it's lacks the sweetness or complexity of their other english blends. Decent but bland.

This is my second round with this blend. In a nutshell, i like it. Having smoked both old and new versions of EMP I,d say this is similar to EMP in that it is a mild english but with a little more flavor and less grassy. Price aside I prefer it to EMP. Good anytime smoke and nice change of pace from more Lat foreward blends.

Usually I find McClelland tobaccos to be very high quality. When I decided to try this AM Pipe I was expecting a tobacco that would be mild for a first smoke of the day. I'm rather surprised to find it slightly spicey and with a higher Latakia content than I would have imagined for an 'early morning smoke'. It's also stronger than I imagined it would be, and doesn't really fit my definition of mild. Having said all that, the quality of the smoking experience is high, with a background sweetness and slight creaminess (presumably from the virginias) nicely balanced by the Latakia and some spice. So although this tobacco meets McClelland's usual high standards, I'm not going to give it high marks because I don't think it fits the name or marketing angle as an 'early morning' smoke.

I also find this tobacco to be a little uninteresting. Yes, it's a nice blend of the usual English ingredients, but there's nothing that really stands out, and nothing that would make me rush to buy this one instead of others.

I've also been smoking Tom Eltang's English, which finishes with a beautiful creamy tone and leaves a very nice creamy tobacco aftertaste. Compared to that, this McClelland is rather a disappointment.