McClelland CPCC Samovar

Samovar has become my favorite English blend. And, as many reviewers of this blend have stated, the key descriptive term is balance. The richly piquant Orientals, the sweet, bright Virginias, and the silky smooth Syrian Latakia tobaccos are masterfully combined to make a deep, warm and utterly satisfying smoke. The color, aroma and cut of this lovely tobacco excite the senses. It begs to be stuffed into your favorite pipe and slowly savored, like a well-aged single malt. The flavors fill your mouth, and, as you smoke, each of the components makes itself know, yet the impression is one of pure harmony. Samovar burns clean and even; no bite, no moist dottle. The aftertaste lingers, a sweet, spicy, smoky coda. Can you tell that I like this stuff? Anyone interested in a refined, distinctive and wonderfully congruous English style tobacco, should sample Samovar. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest blends that Mary and Mike McNeil have produced.

This a fantastic blend from popping the tin the final puff. The tin aroma has the distinct Syrian wine like character; subtle smoke and a savory wine like smell. The Virginia's are characteristically McClelland, sweet and vinegary/bbq sauce. There are also some woody notes likely from the orientals. The smoke is nuanced, sweet and subtle. the Latakia is subtle on the bed of VA's which are sweet and earthy which support the Syrian leaf. The Orientals are spicy and woody. Every puff provides a different flavor and how puff (retrohale) highlights a different aspect of the blend. Great stuff.

Being fond of Balkan derivatives as well as Syrian latakia in general, several of the highly recommended blends in this category have been on my radar for some time now.

This blend fits the profile, dark ribbon cuts peppered with soft crumbly bits of latakia sparsely added, with some yellow Va shag throughout -typical McKetchup note-though sweeter. Perfect moisture content here-I cellared this tin for 16 months.

Subsequently the burn characteristics were spot on, and despite my poor packing methods it remained lit and toasty throughout.

I have to say the use of the Syrian latakia is absolutely perfect! You taste a sweetness that -despite the smoke being light and dry (think Cult's Blood Red Moon) it's so flavorful and forgiving to the Thomas the Train's amongst up. The Virginias add to the sweetness without being hayish, and the entire experience was ...refreshingly.

Samovar tastes mild but it is strong enough to be my morning wake up dose, but could be an all day blend in my opinion.

I would throw out there that if your new to pipes, an aromatic fan or apprehensive about Latakia in general (they have to some a reputation of being applied in a heavy-handed manner) [think Lat Bombs] this could very well change the paradigm.

Splendid in every way!

Yes. Yes. Yes. Is it because I'm smoking it from one of my favourite pipes? Is it because I've just opened the tin and filled my nose with its beautiful earthy scents for the first time? Is it because I'm sitting under a yellow lit overhang of a field house in my local park on the first warm night of the spring with my dog lying quietly beside me? Is it because I've just come from having a few drinks with friends I don't see often enough? I have no idea. But as I sit here with billowy clouds of Orientals and Syrian latakia around my head on this warm, still night, I'm thinking this is about the finest tobacco I have tried yet. Will it taste the same tomorrow in my car on my way to work? No idea. But right now, in this place, looking out at fresh grass and leafy trees in the darkness while I stroke my dog's neck... it's perfect.

When I thought I couldn't be any more impressed by McClelland's contributions to the world of English blends after smoking British Woods, Samovar comes along and stuns me.

Stuns me!

Actually stunned!!

I smelled the aroma from the tin, and indeed it is very similar to British Woods in several regards. The Latakia is clearly at the front, no mistaking that at all. Behind it though there is a casing of something that I cannot identify, almost a very very mild syrup or something. Not anywhere near enough to classify this as cased, but just a delicate hint. It might even be naturally occurring and not intentional, but there is just the slightest sweetness.

Epic quality, really rich components, all dark and murky. The initial light makes you think of sitting beside a roaring open fire in Winter, the smoke is thick and creamy plumes, the texture is Lat heavy but you can detect that tiny sweetness as well as the beautifully crafted Oriental and VA mix. Its more Oriental heavy than VA, which is a subtle difference from British Woods in which I get the VA throughout. It gets spicier the longer it goes, the Lat stays there but moves to the side little by little, and it almost becomes an Oriental blend by the end.

Wonderful stuff.

If you are a latakia lover then this is a must try. Who my kidding, if you are a latakia lover you have most likely already tried this blend. And the chances that you like it a lot are very high. I took this tin out to where my friends and I smoke our pipes on Friday nights. Not everyone there is a latakia lover. Only a couple of us are latakia fanatics. But everyone who smoked a pipe at group tried the blend. And at the end of the night everybpdy had only positivity to say about it. A few made note of the name as they wanted some for themselves.

On opening any tin I always take a big smell. This tin was no different. I was expecting a huge and maybe even over powering smokiness smell of deep campfire. But I was greated with something else. This was a very smooth and mellow latakia smell. But the orientals are what surprised me the most. Very crisp and it actually made my mouth water a little bit. Yes, the thought of what would it taste like did cross my mind. The note of virginias in this blend is very difficult to detect upon opening the tin. It took me some time but I think I could barely smell any virginia if at all. This smells predominantly of oriental and latakia.

Lighting this blend was easy. Didn't have to let it dry out at all. Straight out of the tin to the pipe. And to top it off, no need to char light it and retap. One light is all it took. It's like the blend was wanting to be lit and smoked.

First taste was smokey. But the orientals made their pressence known along with a great dose of that wonderful syrian latakia. Balance at its best is the only way to describe this taste. The tobaccos here blend well. Nothing sticks out dominantly more than it should. Again, balance is the word here. The burn is even down the bowl. Everytime I smoke this blend I tap it down no more than three times and maybe relight three times max. More often than not one relight is all I did.The smoke is is very, very smooth. Exhaling through the nose at times reminds me of how calming and relaxing this blend can be if smoked slowly. I have decided a two, slow sip cadence is best to maximize my enjoyment with this blend. Accompanied by water to drink as to not impede the accuracy of the tobacco I think was a good choice.

At the end of the bowl all I did was turn the pipe upside down and tap. The ash freely fell out. It didn't even look like there was moisture in the bottom of the bowl. At that moment I remember thinking, "when am I going to smoke this next?" I ate dinner and the next bowl I smoked was Samovar.

What a superior blend! I have yet to work my way through all McClelland's blends containing Syrian Latakia but this one is outstanding. This is better than their Syrian Full Balkan and their Syrian Super Balkan. In appearance it resembles the Syrian Full Balkan (which I gave 2 stars long ago) but the flavor is more like the Syrian Super Balkan - but better. It is far better balanced. Silkier, smoother, more velvety.

As with most true Latakia based blends, do not expect a nicotine onslaught. I don't miss that anyway. It's that good.

In short the flavor profile is more robust than either other. I don't know about Russian black tea but this is the aged Merlot of the pipe tobacco world. A daily bowl is a treat, especially in the evening which one can savor its smoky delicacy at leisure, and yes, with some good hot tea. This is not a beer and chips blend - it is a celebration smoke.

As to comparing it to Ashton Artisan's Blend - remove the perique in that, soften the Virginias, up the other Orientals a tad: there you go. As to comparing it to the C&D Cordial - I only do that from a taste similarity in that the black cavendish there softens its Cyprian Latakia into a more Syrian-like experience, add more oriental varieties than just Ismir: There you go.

But it is most like C&D Star of the East - just much, much smoother and without the sneaky nicotine kick SOTE can give by bowl's end.

My favorite blend is still C&D Engine 99. If I was on our desert island and had a large supply of it that would be my choice. But if I were restricted to only a small stash of pipe tobacco on that island and could only smoke a bowl a week, or a month, or worse, this one might get the call.

Extremely pleasurable tobacco experience. Great blending with great tobacco. Multi-dimensional and complex, yet balanced. Delivers spice and floral notes on the retrohale. Burns clean on one light, post char. 4*.

This ribbom-cut blend immediately makes itself known as you pop open the lid with the smokey Syrian Latakia predominating. As is usual for me, I immediately took out a pinch to play with. While not wet, it is somewhat on the damp side, so I took out a bowlful and spread it out to dry. After about 15-20 minutes I judged it ready to smoke, and decided on a pipe with a deep, but not too wide bowl. The pipe that fit off the top of my head was my Bjarne. I packed it slightly tight at the bottom and worked my way to a looser pack up to the top. It takes a small bit of work but after going through a standard pipe-lighting routine, it caught and burned nicely.

In a word - WOW!

As with the tin, the first thing that makes itself known is the Latakia. Is delicate an adjective you can use for Latakia? Well, thats how it tasted to me. Right behind it though was the unmistakeable sweetness of the Virginia, with the spicyness of the Orientals bringing up the rear. I have no idea which Oriental vatietals were used in this blend, but they add a smooth spicyness (if that makes any sense) without that perfumy, soapy harshness I've encountered with some other Orientals.

That said, Samovar must be sipped, as the Virginia will bite if you're not careful. A slow, smoldering bowl is best. This will, in most likelyhood require some relights along the way, but so what?

All in all, in some ways, and I'll probably catch hell for saying this, something in the back of my head whispered something "Bohemien" at me. Now it's been a long time since I smoked anything "Bohemien", so I won't insist on this, but for me, the impression was there.

Incidentally, I unintentionally got to sample the DGT potential of Samovar and I must say it's great! Somehow, the sweetness of the Virginias remains, but the bite seems to have attenuated a great deal, allowing for a bit more vigorous puffing.

Another item - room note. Had a friend drop in and I offered him a bowl of Samovar. As I was smoking cigarettes at the time, which temporarily ruins the palate for pipe tobacco, I got to sit back and enjoy the aroma. Now, keep in mind that I love this stuff, so my opinion may be skewed, but I thought the room note was great. The general aroma was soft with the Latakia definitely present but in no way overwhelming.

I can't speak to what age will bring to the table with this blend, since I've not had the oportunity to sample any but the current offering, but I'm keeping my eye out for either the original production, or the current one with age on it, and should I luck out, I'll try to add my impressions to this review.

In conclusion, if you want to try a really great English blend that gives balanced satisfaction without overwhelming, you must give this a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I really LOVE this blend.