McClelland Wilderness

An English blend with virginias and orientals and something else? On opening the tin you get the McBBQ thing but that has never really bothered me.Smokey latakia and deep virginias come forth.The taste is really a medium English and yet their is a lot of complexity to this blend.I can not figure out what the mystery taste is but it does have an almost piney character to it.might be one of the Orientals. This is a favorite for me and one of Mclellands best in my humble opinion.

I tried this blend a while ago for camping and such, long enjoyable smokes and was very pleased. I got it again recently and am still very pleased, even though it is -20 degrees outside(MN).

I find this blend to be very sweet and a decent body the same time. It's a good all around blend for an english smoker. The Virginias really come out in this blend which I appreciate from such a good virginia blender such as Mc.

In short, good taste, decent room note, and a good all around english you should try.

Before reading any off the reviews below, and lighting my first bowl of Wilderness, the first thing that came to mind.......Frog Morton on the Town crossed with Britts Balken! This is VERY Smooth, and leaves a very apparent creamy taste in your pie hole! Lots of puffy white smoke also. The yenidje does not play second fiddle to the latakia in this blend! If you want to experiment with the yenidji leaf, try this blend! 4 stars easy!

I really like this blend, feels so balance between the flavor of east and west. Quite complicated but i like it. I can feel the sweetness of virginia, the smell of Latakia and the spicy of Orientals at this blend. Sure does this is a blend that i will buy it again.

I'm writing this review months after finishing my tin of Wilderness, so it will be largely impressionistic. But I can say thati remember it fondly - a well- orchestrated blend. I remember a fairly rich, complex smoke with lovely Syrian Latakia notes, with ample smokiness, Orientals and a savory-sweet Va base.

Lighting and burning characteristics were superb. All in all, this tobacco was a winner.

The tin did not last long, as I recall. I bought a second to have on hand and plan on opening it soon.

A solid 4-star blend

I won't go into detail about the composition of this fine blend, others have already covered that. I will say that this blend snuck up on me, it smells wonderful in the tin but it had little flavor....at first. I thoroughly cleaned a pipe and dedicated it to Wilderness for the rest of the tin. Wilderness is subltety defined, the flavors come through like a fine Jazz quintet, each leaf takes his turn at the lead, as the others lay back and keep the rhythm. This is one of the most complex tobaccos I have ever smoked, do not try to rush this smoke, it takes a soft touch, but you will be rewarded handsomely for the effort.

This is just a super blend, period. It has become my "Early Morning Pipe" replacement due to the smoothness and the calming mood it produces. Sets me up for a hectic day.

I've read with much sadness all the lamentation regarding the disastrous 2004 Syrian leaf warehouse fire which resulted in the loss of G.L.Pease's great blends such as Renaissance, Raven's Wing etc. Wilderness is the proof that you can still enjoy the incredible smoking experience of this unbelievable Syrian tobacco. An experience not to be missed. How blessed are we?

A nice dose of Drama lends a hand and wafts in and out of the subtle and winey smokiness of the Syrian. Pure and wonderful down to the last draw.

In my pipe smoker's mind, this is what the air in heaven must smell like!

My 1-4 star ratings are very simple: 1 star = garbage or trade; 2 stars = to be enjoyed once in a while for a change of pace; 3 stars = a great tobacco that becomes part of my regular rotation; 4 stars = A magical desert island smoke I couldn't live without.

I've probably smoked over 500 different blends in my lifetime and only 3 active blends have ever made my 4 star list.

This is one of them. Thank You Fred Hanna!!

I just finished a couple samples of this from a friend -- the end of his tin. I must say, if the end of the tin is this good, it must have been great throughout. This was on my to-try/to-buy list recently, and having smoked some finally, it's a definite to-buy.

Smooth Syrian latakia definitely comes out even though this blend is very well balanced on the VA/Or/Lat front. The description says "sweetness, richness...creaminess." Yes, definitely yes, to these three descriptors. This is great stuff.

Wow! I think Fred Hanna gave Tad Gage a run for his money on this here blend! I went home with a sample tin of this yesterday and I can't believe how good it is! It reminds me of 3 Oaks Syrian, only a bit more full bodied and complex. I think I may have a new favorite blend! Only time will tell. The room note is fantastic too!