McClelland Bayou Slice
(3.39)
Sophisticated small slices of the smoothest Louisiana perique aged in cakes to mellow with sweet, zesty matured Virginia. Rich and satisfying, with perique's uniquely mysterious and compelling aroma, enhanced by Blakeney's exclusive toasting process.
"Choose Blakeney where toasting bans the bite for a smoke that's right"
Notes: McClelland introduced their Blakeney's Best line at the 21st CORPS (Conclave of Richmond Pipe Smokers) Pipe Show in Richmond, Virginia. The 50 grams tin was released to the public in late 2005.
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | Blakeney's Best |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | 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 to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.39 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 17 of 17 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 16, 2009 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This broken flake arrived ready too smoke out of the tin. Some drying time may be preferrable for smoking in larger bowled pipes as this blend does burn hot but has not yet bit. This blend can be classified as more of a PerVA than a VAPer as the Perique dominates. The Perique is clearly well aged and of high quality as it is never harsh except for the first few puffs which is natural. The virginias provide an excellent woody/nutty/toasty sweet base for the zesty/leathery/peppery Perique leaf. This blend is perfectly balanced offering a nice volume of smoke throughout the bowl. I find myslef puffing greddily on the last peppery ashes wishing I wasn't done. Flavors I noticed in this smoke where of cajun spice, light hazlenut, and good toast. Highly recommended for lovers of Perique and natural virginias. Maybe not a good introduction to Perique for the inexperienced. Enjoy.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
McClelland makes three great Vapers....(well, more actually, but ) the big three are st james woods, Beacon Extra (and Beacon regular) and this, bayou slices. I think beacon extra is among the best VaPers on the market, but this one might be even better. Beacon extra has more perique...in fact it might have more than any blend I can think of....and it is superb. But Bayou Slices is actually more complex, and better balanced. These are nuances, because all of the Mc C blends with Perique are very good. Its a question of the composition of the Virginias and the amount of stoving. Now the bulk 2015 from McClelland is also very very good...but has considerably less perique. And in general is a bit milder. St James Woods is probably milder overall, too, with a bit less nic hit. Beacon Extra has the highest nicotine content with Bayou somewhere in between. While it seems as one is nitpicking very tiny differences, its not really true. I can tell these apart easily I think, if one were to give a blind taste test. For one thing, the aroma is different. The room note different too, and bayou slices has the superior room note I think.
Anyway, this is excellent stuff. McClelland does stoved virginia better than anyone, period. And among the pantheon of VaPers id say only St James Flake by Gawith is at this level. There are others....some with burly like Reiner Longer Golden Flake (and wee bit of casing) and solani 633, but I think none of them are quite this good. The rich virginia taste is in the foreground and the Perique is quite clear but not as foward as in beacon extra. These are milder virginias (less red perhaps) and there is a nice quality of sweetness in this blend i dont find in any of the others. A real strong clear virginia sweetness that appears about halfway through the bowl. Overall a 5 star blend. Much neglected for some reason.
Anyway, this is excellent stuff. McClelland does stoved virginia better than anyone, period. And among the pantheon of VaPers id say only St James Flake by Gawith is at this level. There are others....some with burly like Reiner Longer Golden Flake (and wee bit of casing) and solani 633, but I think none of them are quite this good. The rich virginia taste is in the foreground and the Perique is quite clear but not as foward as in beacon extra. These are milder virginias (less red perhaps) and there is a nice quality of sweetness in this blend i dont find in any of the others. A real strong clear virginia sweetness that appears about halfway through the bowl. Overall a 5 star blend. Much neglected for some reason.
PurchasedFrom:
4noggins
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 2017 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
The guy who stated this to be one overlooked VaPer hit the nail on the head. Takes on a deep fruit tin note several days after being transferred to a jar. This one is tasty smooth. I'll leave it at that.
Pipe Used:
Nuttin' but Cobs for me ...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2010 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
I have smoked this for a few years now. Every time I come across it in a store, I grap it. Its brother, McClellands 'St. James Flake', is more available in the few shops I have around. If memory serves me well in tastes, I would say the only difference in the two is the toasting of the Bayou Slices. The toasting does the flake a favor in flavor. Tangy, sweet, peppery, earthy and; unlike St. James, ready to smoke without any drying. The last tin I found in a shop in Ashville, NC had been on the shelf since 2005. I opened it more than 5 years after the tinning date, WOW!! It made me wish I could buy this in bulk and age it myself. 5 years was probably to long to age, maybe three would be perfect. Anyway, it was the best 50 grams of tobacco I ever smoked. An unaged tin of this still gets a 4 star rating, but an aged tin is now my all time favorite.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 14, 2005 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
The brother to the new latakia flake. I'm smoking it now in my exile from New Orleans.
Mild smoking and medium flavor. Not as heavy as latakia flake. Ready for rubbing.
The tang of twany flake is again subdued, this time by some perique. Just enough spice to make it interesting, but not heavy or sharp. But not terribly complex either.
I like it fine as non bite version of virginia-perique flake. Enough strength to be satisfying through the day. Only time now to smoke a bowl a day. Worth the investment.
Mild smoking and medium flavor. Not as heavy as latakia flake. Ready for rubbing.
The tang of twany flake is again subdued, this time by some perique. Just enough spice to make it interesting, but not heavy or sharp. But not terribly complex either.
I like it fine as non bite version of virginia-perique flake. Enough strength to be satisfying through the day. Only time now to smoke a bowl a day. Worth the investment.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 01, 2009 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
[With the same blend listed twice under Blakeney's Best Bayou Slice, this is a repeat review.]
These medium-cut, partially broken, hard-pressed flakes have a tangy and syrupy tin aroma.
This blend is unique amongst the VA based blends in the Blakeney's Best series in that the base leaf is red virginia, not gold as in Tawny Flake and Acadian Ribbon. The butter caramel and peanut brittle overtones so distinct in Tawny Flake, here instead, evoke treacle and black walnut. There is a pretty heavy dose of perique which adds to the depth.
This is a unique flake of great depth and presence and which gains phenomenal richness down the bowl.
Chamber Gauge: Narrow
These medium-cut, partially broken, hard-pressed flakes have a tangy and syrupy tin aroma.
This blend is unique amongst the VA based blends in the Blakeney's Best series in that the base leaf is red virginia, not gold as in Tawny Flake and Acadian Ribbon. The butter caramel and peanut brittle overtones so distinct in Tawny Flake, here instead, evoke treacle and black walnut. There is a pretty heavy dose of perique which adds to the depth.
This is a unique flake of great depth and presence and which gains phenomenal richness down the bowl.
Chamber Gauge: Narrow
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 10, 2007 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
[With the same blend listed twice under Blakeney's Best Bayou Slice, this is a repeat review.]
These medium-cut, partially broken, hard-pressed flakes have a tangy and syrupy tin aroma.
This blend is unique amongst the VA based blends in the Blakeney's Best series in that the base leaf is red virginia, not gold as in Tawny Flake and Acadian Ribbon. The butter caramel and peanut brittle overtones so distinct in Tawny Flake, here instead, evoke treacle and black walnut. There is a pretty heavy dose of perique which adds to the depth.
This is a unique flake of great depth and presence and which gains phenomenal richness down the bowl.
Chamber Gauge: Narrow
These medium-cut, partially broken, hard-pressed flakes have a tangy and syrupy tin aroma.
This blend is unique amongst the VA based blends in the Blakeney's Best series in that the base leaf is red virginia, not gold as in Tawny Flake and Acadian Ribbon. The butter caramel and peanut brittle overtones so distinct in Tawny Flake, here instead, evoke treacle and black walnut. There is a pretty heavy dose of perique which adds to the depth.
This is a unique flake of great depth and presence and which gains phenomenal richness down the bowl.
Chamber Gauge: Narrow
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