McClelland CPCC Caramel Rush

Mostly black wide but short ribbon cut with a heavy tin aroma of buttery caramel and nougat - heavy but not overbearing. Much too moist in the tin but I did smoke one bowl without drying. Review is based on four bowls, which was plenty, as aging or further experimentation with these types of blends is pointless in my experience. They show what they have right off the bat.

Summer is the season for aromatics, and McClellands has made a couple of pretty nice ones. And some not so nice ones. This one falls into the latter category. There was definitely a caramel taste but overall the flavor falls into basic black Cavendish. Soft and sweet and any tobacco taste fully blanketed by the casing. Dried out a bit, this one showed a hair more tobacco but not enough to elevate it beyond mediocre, even as far as aromatics go. Not nearly as antiseptic tasting as their Holiday Spirit and not as gooey in the pipe as I thought it would be, but nothing I'd consider a reference. Making a topnotch aromatic must be the hardest thing in the world, as there seem to be so few on the market (Steven Books' aros are the best I've tried). Not much to say about this one because it seems to be just another black Cavendish blend in a sea of black Cavendish blends. If when someone mentions great U.S blenders, your thoughts go directly to Lane's or Sutliff, this blend will probably ring your chimes loudly. If you think of McClellands, I'd recommend Tastemaster or, better still, their bulk #2050. This one is good for a weak 2 stars.

For a McClelland aromatic, this one was very uneventful. I expected much more before I opened the tin. Caramel RUSH? It was more like Caramel Whisper. Any topping that was added to this blend was done way too lightly. The tobacco seems replayed for all McClelland aromatics, inlcuding Nording blends. It isn't a bad blend, but just not my cup o' tea.

Upon opening the tin I found the aroma to be very aromatic and almost overwhelming but was exactly as described in the latest edition of P&T magazine. The write up in P&T was such that I just had to give this aromatic a try. Caramel, maple syrup, and buttered pancakes is what came to mind from my initial whiff from the tin. After trying a few bowls I could almost describe it as Captain Black on steroids. I found the flavorings to be a little on the heavy side. In reality, I think I prefer the over all room note and flavor of Captain Black better than this one. I found it to be a little wet from the container and even after letting it dry for an hour or so before packing I found it took three matches to keep it going and finally a fourth to finish the bowl in my medium size cob. I'm one that has been moving more toward the English blends so my taste for the aromatics is subsiding somewhat. However, I do still like the aromatics now and then. This one would definitely get the thumbs up from the wives for room note and I would recommend this to the aromatic smokers out there.

harkpipe

Definitely very heavy on the caramel flavoring, this one had just too much chemically topping for me to abide by, and I simply couldn't get through it, even after weeks of airing it. I dub thee "Chemical Rush." If you find something appealing about this heavy aromatic concoction, I highly recommend giving McClelland's excellent Tastemaster a try, as I feel it to be a far superior alternative aromatic, if not the best in McClelland's aromatic line.