McClelland Legends
(3.76)
A generous portion of rich, top quality Cyprian latakia provides support and structure for dark stoved and red Virginias deftly combined with Orientals, including Mahalla and the finest Drama. Reminiscent of the legendary, complex blends of times gone by, this smooth, deeply smoky ribbon cut blend created by Fred Hanna tastes at once bold and subtle. It is creamy with soft, quiet, background hints of plum and currant.
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | Collector Series |
| Blended By | Fred Hanna |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.76 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 46 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2011 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Smooth, well balanced with Orientals out front, Complex,creamy, some sweetness, smokey, good "N", lights well burns well. Very similar to Jubilee but I Like this better because it has more Latakia. I'd buy again. I don't get any of the Plum and Currant "CRAP", I really don't even know what a plum flavor would taste like, prune juice ?
Updated 1/1/12 I have found that three McClelland blends have very similar characteristics and deserve just a word, they are: Jubilee, Legends and Aurora. All have the same burning , packing and "N" levels but most of all they are extremely smooth and are among my favorites. I feel that Aurora, a Virginia blend, is the basis for the other two. Add a touch of Latakia and a smidgen of Perique to Aurora and you have Jubilee but the dominate flavors still are Aurora. Add a touch of Latakia and a healthy dose of Orientals to Aurora and you have Legends. All are very good but my personal favorite is Legends, smooth, creamy, smoked Provolone with Aurora in the background.
Updated 8/18/12 OK let's bring a 4th into the mix, "Wilderness". I had both a tin of Wilderness and Legends open and was switching smokes between the two, I could not tell the difference. I decided to load two pipes and smoke them at the same time ??? Results: Legends Is creamier, zero spice on the tongue, almost no "McC Vinegar" and a bitter sweet cocoa flavor. Wilderness, is also very smooth but has that tangy sweet and sour "McC Vinegar" ( I love McC Vinegar), not as creamy, but more hidden flavors of cocoa and is sweeter. I think Legends is the slight winner for me.
Updated 1/1/12 I have found that three McClelland blends have very similar characteristics and deserve just a word, they are: Jubilee, Legends and Aurora. All have the same burning , packing and "N" levels but most of all they are extremely smooth and are among my favorites. I feel that Aurora, a Virginia blend, is the basis for the other two. Add a touch of Latakia and a smidgen of Perique to Aurora and you have Jubilee but the dominate flavors still are Aurora. Add a touch of Latakia and a healthy dose of Orientals to Aurora and you have Legends. All are very good but my personal favorite is Legends, smooth, creamy, smoked Provolone with Aurora in the background.
Updated 8/18/12 OK let's bring a 4th into the mix, "Wilderness". I had both a tin of Wilderness and Legends open and was switching smokes between the two, I could not tell the difference. I decided to load two pipes and smoke them at the same time ??? Results: Legends Is creamier, zero spice on the tongue, almost no "McC Vinegar" and a bitter sweet cocoa flavor. Wilderness, is also very smooth but has that tangy sweet and sour "McC Vinegar" ( I love McC Vinegar), not as creamy, but more hidden flavors of cocoa and is sweeter. I think Legends is the slight winner for me.
Pipe Used:
cob
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 03, 2017 | Mild | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Tin note is classic McClelland Virginias: sweet, tangy and kechup like. Orientals come through as toast and a bit tart like lemongrass. the Cyprian Latakia is strong but not overpowering This is a very complex blend and a masterfully blended tobacco. Top quality Cyprian latakia, smoky and sweet. McClelland stoved Virginias provide a subtle sweetness with a hint of dark fruit, apricot. The combination of orientals in this are the centerpiece of the taste experience. I have read other reviewers use the term unflavored soda, if that is the "fizz" like tinge you get on the retrohale this blend has a very nice gentle addition I attribute to the Turkish tobacco.There is a woody, dryness that is present and pairs beautifully with the sweet Virginias and Latakia. I have smoked a tin and a half of this blend and have found that to really get the most out of this you should be sipping your favorite beverage (I have found Earl Gray tea to be the best drink to go with it) and really concentrate on teasing out the flavors. That said I have smoked most of this while working on the computer and it is just phenomenal as it takes few if any relights and requires little attention. I always dry this out for 5 to 10 minutes even when in a mason jar for a period of time. My experience with McClelland Virginias is they hold moisture well keeping the tobacco fresh but burn better if allowed some drying time. Fred Hanna is a truly great blender, I wish he would lend his talent to a few more blends for us to enjoy
Pipe Used:
Briar, meerschaum and cobs
PurchasedFrom:
Iwan Reiss (BM)
Age When Smoked:
1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 02, 2016 | Mild | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
One of the first tobaccos that I truly enjoyed all to way to the bottom of the bowl. Mind you I am somewhat of a novice pipe smoker, not yet two years in. Another reviewer says that Legends is "Odyssey-Light"; I would agree, and was inspired finally to add my thoughts here based on his excellent review. This is my first.
While the aforementioned reviewer I believe attributes his preference for Odyssey over Legends primarily because of its strength, I would venture to say that the differences are more complex than that, but I cannot say why. Forgive me for that. Odyssey is the one tobacco, so far in my limited experience as a tobacco tenderfoot that made me feel as if God herself was giving me a noogie. That sublime bowl-full has been so far thus unreproduceable, as she provided me one night - just one night - with the best pipe smoking experience Ive yet had. Now Legends is a consistently fantastic tobacco, very often bordering on the spiritual, but is not capable of delivering the peak experience that Odyssey has the potential for. And I recognize it is probably unfair to of me to ask her to do that. I give her 3 & a half stars.
Now if someone here could perhaps shine a light on how I might duplicate that so far as of yet otherworldly one-bowl-experience with Odyssey, I would place myself in your karmic debt.
MF Update Feb 2017: A bit more time with this one has allowed me appreciate her more. Mysterious this one - and so a full 4 stars.
While the aforementioned reviewer I believe attributes his preference for Odyssey over Legends primarily because of its strength, I would venture to say that the differences are more complex than that, but I cannot say why. Forgive me for that. Odyssey is the one tobacco, so far in my limited experience as a tobacco tenderfoot that made me feel as if God herself was giving me a noogie. That sublime bowl-full has been so far thus unreproduceable, as she provided me one night - just one night - with the best pipe smoking experience Ive yet had. Now Legends is a consistently fantastic tobacco, very often bordering on the spiritual, but is not capable of delivering the peak experience that Odyssey has the potential for. And I recognize it is probably unfair to of me to ask her to do that. I give her 3 & a half stars.
Now if someone here could perhaps shine a light on how I might duplicate that so far as of yet otherworldly one-bowl-experience with Odyssey, I would place myself in your karmic debt.
MF Update Feb 2017: A bit more time with this one has allowed me appreciate her more. Mysterious this one - and so a full 4 stars.
Pipe Used:
Charatan - wide, straight-drilled bowl
Age When Smoked:
Tobacco: young - Smoker: getting the hang of it
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 26, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Tolerable |
This blend is superb in its balance and quality of ingredients. What makes it unique is its lightness. I'm not an all day smoker, at most I'll enjoy one bowl a day. This blend is not the type to sit quietly and think with, rather it makes for a great smoke on a long commute or at a party where you are not focused on the tobacco. I feel this way because while the flavor is outstanding, it is too light to command your full attention. Complexity is there, with a delicious interplay of the various tobaccos, however the bowl becomes exceedingly sweet. If by "flavoring" we mean topping, then no, this is not that. But there is a heavy casing or preparation of the Virginias presumably that is very sugary. This softens the whole experience greatly, adding to my preference for reserving it as a more casual smoke than a contemplative one. For anyone wondering about aromatic/English crossovers, or someone new to the hobby looking to move into the world of English blends this would be my top recommendation as its flavor and quality are very fine, albeit muted.
PurchasedFrom:
4noggins
Age When Smoked:
new, 1 year
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 14, 2015 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This, IMHO, is the same or a very similar blend than FMC, but gives you more of the flavors that are hinted at in Cellar. Sweet and smoky all at the same time, but lacking any bite at all on my already bitten tongue. Wish they sold this in larger than 50g tins, but I guess I will have to stock it up. Such a pleasing smoke with a soothing room note and a creamy and soothing aftertaste. Well worth the purchase.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Dublin Castle
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes and Cigars
Age When Smoked:
A couple of weeks in the opened tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 08, 2015 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
One fantastic blend. I truly think this may be as good as it gets for this type of blend. I agree with everything pipestud has to say a little further down the list of critics. One amazing smoke. Peace.
Pipe Used:
Bringham billiard Ashton billiard.
PurchasedFrom:
North American natives
Age When Smoked:
?
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 13, 2013 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Full | Tolerable |
Good grief this is great tobacco. I had forgotten just how much flavor it has. Why do I ever smoke anything else. Oh yeah, I forgot. My wife won't let me smoke it in the house. Cool, dry a great blending of flavors. You can definitely taste the Latakia but it's not up front. You get a good mouthful of VA smoothed out by the Lat. I don't inhale very often but it's hard to resist with this - it's so mild. Come summer (outdoor smoking) this going to be my everyday smoke.
Pipe Used:
Dunhill Zulu
PurchasedFrom:
4Noggins
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 03, 2010 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
The other reviews of Legends below are dead-on. Hanna's a genius. This is an excellent, complex, tasty, easy smoke from beginning to end...a top-notch, masterful delight. This is seriously great tobacco in all respects. The latakia and other orientals are well-balanced and highly flavorful, particularly in the first two thirds of the smoke. The only comment I would add is an observation that the gentler orientals are a bit dominant in the last third of the bowl, and the latakia seems to duck out all the way before the final act. Hanna and McClelland continue to crank out the hits. Highly recommended without reservation. I assume it will only get better with some cellaring.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 31, 2010 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
Mr. Hanna has truly outdone himself with this fine mixture. A serious blend for smokers of the extraordinary blends of yesteryear. Smokey Cyprian Latakia and wonderful Virginias add elegance to the blend, but it's the Orientals (Mahalla and Drama) that make this superb mixture shine. If you were a fan of the old 759 made by Sobranie, then you'll be right at home with this in your pipe. Cool, flavourful and nary a bite, this should cellar very well.
Thanks Fred. You've made this pipe smoker extremely happy.
HIGHLY recommended.
Thanks Fred. You've made this pipe smoker extremely happy.
HIGHLY recommended.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 19, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Smokey Latakia and sweet Orientals make this a delightful smokey blend. Robust enough to be interesting for any English lover who favors the Latakia. This blend has an incredible aroma and flavor.
PurchasedFrom:
Iwan Ries
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
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