Tobaccos McClelland - Pebblecut (Ashton Revival)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2014-10-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The fermented red Virginia is richly tangy dark fruit sweet, earthy, bready, vegetative, sugary and woody with the patented McClelland vinegar notes, thought they are fainter than usual and mostly disappear before long. It's the main component. The bright Virginia provides a light tart and tangy citrus, grass, floralness, bread, sugar, and a pinch or two of spice in a support role. I get a few tangy stewed fruit and brown sugar aspects from how the Virginias are stoved. The earthy, woody perique is moderately evident, more peppery than plumy and figgy, and almost competes with the bright Va. for attention. The condimental Orientals may be a minor amount of the mixture, but you will notice a bit of smokey, earthy, floral, herbal, woody dryness from them, maybe a tad more so after the half way point. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the mild mark. Won't bite or get harsh. Burns cool, clean and a little slow as the broken flakes are a little moist. I wouldn't dry them much though, because you'd lose some of the flavor. The flavor has a little inconsistency at times, but it also has nuance and a little complexity. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste. The room note is a notch stronger. Not quite an all day smoke. It has enough body and depth to please your senses without overwhelming you. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2012-11-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I find this a very smooth VaPer as the Orientals stay in the background. Very complex and it holds your interest all through the bowl. Comes in a large broken flake form, for those that like the fold and stuff method, but I prefer to rub it out, as I find this easy to smoke at a brisk pace, no bite, plenty of flavor. My first impression was that this was similar to Tudor Castle but much smoother and less spice. I also compared it to St James Woods (a straight VaPer)and again, Pebblecut was smoother but similar in flavor. Maybe closer to Beacon Extra ? Overall, I'm buying more.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blackhorse (96)	2012-06-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

After 40 years as a pipe smoker I think I've found 'the grail'...or at least one of them as I tend to think of it as a top five thing. I'll preface any comments with 'in my opinion'. Other than that, this is easily better than the prior version. The infamous Mickey C aroma is extremely light in the tin and doesn't go over to the bowl at all. To me it's just a guarantee you're getting genuine McC Red. The torn up flake is beautiful and in fairly large sized pieces, as well as being at an ideal dryness level with little to no dry time needed. The flake rubbed and once packed ignited easily, then burned with little fuss to the bottom of the bowl. Flavors are the most subjective part of any evaluation...the terms I might use to describe some specific nuance might mean something different to you. So I'll just say that I found the base Red VA noticable as such, of perceived very high quality and more sweet that tart. The Perique was lightly noticable and fairly constant. The "Oriental" aspect of this blend is the reason I sought it out and what sets it apart from most everything else. Whatever it is, it is spot on perfect in terms of level and flavor. It kicked in about a quarter of the way down the bowl and slowly became more instense til the end. I get exactly the same Oriental flavor profile from C&D's "Oriental Silk" which is a rather coarse loose leaf and which I like very much and from Captain Earle's "Honor Blend" which I also find very fine. And the latter is a plug, so that's a plus as well. Taking those three I have my bases covered with this specific condimental leaf in terms of format...one torn leaf, one broken flake and one fairly soft plug. Overall, Pebblecut offers the best smoking experience for me. Quite simply it may well be the single best first bowl experience I've ever had. Well worth exploration, my very highest recommendation.

Oh...and I had to laugh at the guy that whined about the tin graphics and lamented that he got confused in trying to read the text printed there. Oh my. God grant that we be so spoiled by the goodness of the blends we try that all we can find to complain about is the tin art! What a world!

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2011-08-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

Better than the original! The delicate and spicy Orientals added to the top shelf Virginia and Perique combine to make this blend really shine. One of the finest of its genre that I have had the pleasure of putting in my pipe.

Pebblecut Revival arrives at the perfect moisture content, is easy to pack and light and burns wonderfully down to the bottom of the bowl.

Are you a VA/Per fan? Well then, here you go pardner!

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lit a Kia (69)	2014-06-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

"savory with a concert of ever-changing flavors, always intriguing, never dull"

I assumed that was just marketing copy, but it's bang on. This stuff is good. Tin note is softer (and more harmonious, imo) than, e.g., Tudor Castle; perhaps more Oriental and less Virginia? The smoke isn't quite as harmonious, but it's enjoyable. Flavors rotate among earthy, floral, dark fruits/spices, roasted nuts, toast and burnt cedar. Burns nicely.

Agree with other reviewers who recommend this as a VaPer intro (as long as you enjoy Orientals) or a change of pace from straight-up VaPers. Really nice. Complex but mellow.

Similar Blends: Tin note reminds me of Mississippi River, despite no Latakia. Some similarities to Tudor Castle, but spicier..

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-09-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I suppose I'm happy that McClellands has seen fit to re-introduce these old Ashton blends. On the other hand, this and Black Parrot were staples of mine when McConnell's blended them and I have about a dozen old tins of this in my cellar. This Version 4.0 is preferable to the old K&K version and the first McClelland iteration but sadly does not come close enough to the original classic. But if you've never smoked that one, you probably won't be disappointed here.

This is still a fairly robust VaPer with the addition of some fine orientals. Interestingly, the orientals settle differently in this blend. Instead of melding perfectly with the VA's and perique in the original, they get more feisty here as the bowl progresses. The overall strength of this blend is sure to please those that find McClellands VaPers on the lighter side. Burns well with appropriate drying time and definitely smells closer to an Ashton blend than the typical McClellands. I'm definitely going to pick up more tins of this to see how it ages. It's very good.

Again, I'm glad newer smokers have a chance to taste this recipe. But as much as I hate to fall into these cliches, I'm also glad I have a lot of the original, which replaced Escudo in my rotation in the '90's. This one, as good as it is, falls a couple of skyscrapers short of the original.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2010-12-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I bought this tobacco on the strength of Tudor Castle, which shares similar components. Both contain Virginias, Perique, and Orientals, a combination I've grown to appreciate and may well dub with the ridiculous moniker "Super Virginia" (try C&Ds Sunday Picnic for their version). The tin rather cryptically declares that Pebblecut contains "Macedonian" leaf. What does that mean, anyhow? Can you blenders be more specific?

The tin itself is an odd creation--a reissue version of the old Ashton line, it's barely readable. Under light the aqua coloring and sparkles crassly mix with black lettering, which has easily flaked off the tin. The description is typed in tiny letters with a sharp slant, covering nearly half the tin. By the time one makes his way to the end of a line all hope is lost of continuing. I know, it's an odd thing to complain about, I apologize, and the smoke isn't compromised by bad typography, obviously.

When lit, Pebblecut isn't as sweet as Tudor Castle, but seems to have a marginally greater strength, or maybe not (I could be imagining this). Sunday Picnic definitely trumps both on the strength factor, by a considerable margin. She can burn hot, and I've found the best smokes coming from larger pipes, particularly my Tinsky bulldog, which tends to afford my best smokes. I can get her to go for a good half hour, which isn't bad considering the fast pace at which I puff. I like to smoke Pebblecut when throwing the ball around with the dog. The slower burning broken flakes easily lengthen an already pleasurable experience, and by the final puff my dog's ready for other things, my arm nicely worked.

I love the old Ashton line (in contrast to the newer candy coated offerings), and lamented its demise, recalling well those dedicated few who fought hard to keep Old Dog, among others. I haven't found a stinker among the handful of blends I've tried, from the Englishes (Old Dog and Celebrated Sovereign) to the Virginias (Black Parrot and Pebblecut). I'd like to compare the new and the old, and I suppose I eventually will, when I get around to picking up another tin of Celebrated Sovereign. While some lines have thinned over the years, McClelland grows and grows. Please don't stop.

Four of Five.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Drumdude06 (4)	2013-07-11		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've only had this blend aged for 3 years (I haven't had it soon after tinning). With that said, it's an extraordinary blend. If you like Virginia-based blends and can detect the subtle nuances in a Virginia blend, you will love this. If you do like Virginia blends, this one will blow you away with a full-bodied, spicy smoke. If you are new to Virgina-centric blends, this may be a good introduction because it has a little more character than most. This is probably inadequate (I'm sure professionals would see this as pathetic), but the best way I can describe this blend is as tobacco cider. By "cider," I mean the unfiltered, unpasteurized, non-alcoholic variety you can get in the fall from a local orchard. To me, this blend is the tobacco equivalent of that type of apple cider. It's complex at every turn, but not overpowering in any one component. It has the sweetness, the tanginess, and the spiciness that a good cider should possess, but in an entirely tobacco kind of way. The Orientals and Perique add the wonderful spiciness (by spiciness, I don't only mean the peppery hit through the retro-hale, although I love that), and the Virginias provide the tanginess and sweetness. Although distinct, none of it's components out way the other; each is in perfect proportion and contributes to the complete symphony of flavors. It's currently my favorite blend (but that changes with my moods, as in I smoke what I feel like that day, and that's my favorite blend on that day). I highly recommend this blend to anyone.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-07-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

A blending masterpiece. It's not so much the flavors here as it is the way they interact and present themselves. You can get these flavors in many different blends; wood, smoke, leather, nuts, fruit, with sweetness and spice, but I've never quite experienced them this way. It's constantly evolving and gets better and better until, sadly, it's over. Truly, one of a kind. A must try if you like complexity.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burns very well straight from the tin.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-07-30		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This is an excellent VA/OR/PER. I have certainly not tasted the original Ashton's but this tobacco brings an interisting note with the addition of orientals.

Over the last year or so, I have lost my interest in English and Balkan mixtures and have discovered a preference for VA/PER and BU.

This is a nice discovery. I have placed an order of a dozen tins or so of different tobaccos (1 tin per brand)and, so far, have been seduced by Brown Clunee, The Malthouse, Christmas Cheer and now, Pebblecut.

Until now, I have smoked either VA/PER or VA/DFK/PER. So Pebblecut is a first for me in its genre.

The PER is present and detectable, the VAs just a little sweet anf the presence of Orientals bring a clear spicy addition that completes very well the 2 other players. These last are detectable right from the start.

Just be careful because this broken flake can bite if pushed.

I believe I will rebuy a cellar a fair quantity.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2015-06-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

It is almost a given that when I smoke a blend from McClelland that is primarily Virginia that I will like it and this one is no exception. This one does differentiate itself from the others in that the familiar McVV scent is really subdued by the tangy oriental and ample peppery perique.

Although this does mute the scent, it does wonderful things to the taste of this blend. Think St. James Woods with a lemony oriental touch that is very well balanced. I was given a good sample (3 to 4 bowls) of this from a forum friend and was sad to finish it last night. It is due to the limited number of bowls of this I have had that I am only awarding this one three stars.

My natural inclination is to hang four stars on this, but will wait and come back to this after I have had a chance to smoke a whole tin after I order up some more.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joeray (61)	2013-12-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First i open the can, the smell is'nt good, when i give to my wife she does'nt like it. But i rub it into small pieces and them put it on the paper to absorb the moist for a little while and then pack it into my pipe. First light the taste is very great, a great smoke, i can feel the good sweetness virginia with a little bit spicy at my nose from the oriental. This is a very good blend to enjoy at a cold and rainy day. I always enjoy it with a cup hot coffee or chocolate and it is make my smoking time very mellow and pleasant. Is not turn bad when i relight it, still good with the sweetness of va and the spicyness from the oriental almost without gurgling.

Pipe Used: Stanwell 163 Facet Sandblast

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tripjoker (65)	2010-12-24		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've never been a huge fan of McClelland. I'm constantly being let down by the lack of strength in their blends, yet continue to try the occasional tin to see if I am missing something that I would care for. This happens to be one of those happy finds.

The presentation of the tobacco is beautiful. A partially broken flake that rubs out with ease. Lightly colored variations on a caramel hue. Small dark flecks throughout. The tin moisture is a bit much for me, but with a minimum of airtime, this is resolved.

Packing is easy. Lighting is just as easy. It takes to the match as you would expect of a quality leaf. The smoke is a luxurious and bright blend of mainly high notes. Sharp and tangy with just the right amount of dark low background to round out the experience. The deeper you go in the bowl, the darker it gets and the more satisfying.

The flavors are a symphony. They change very subtley but noticably as you smoke. Instead of the concentration that you normally get toward the end of the bowl which can sometimes be off-putting, this intensifies more in complexity. A truly wonderful experience to be sure.

I'm happy to have found another McClelland that I like so much. There are only a handful of them that qualify for me. My mission now is to explore more of these old Ashton blends. I'm sure I will be as happy with them as I was with this one.(Fingers crossed)

As far as the tin goes, I just didn't have that much trouble reading it. I do have new bifocals, so maybe some glasses or a new prescription Zulu...lol Besides, the tin language is available above. No need to struggle with the tin itself.

Happy smoking.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2017-12-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

In my book this isn't a Vaper, nor an Oriental or Balkan, nor an American English nor even an English English. Not that labels mean anything beyond helping the consumer know what they are buying. What it is, is a broken flake of mostly matured Virginias, which have been seasoned with Perique and some tasty Oriental leaf. McC in their description say the whole is then lightly stoved. 'Lightly' seems to be the operative word because I would never have guessed it.

The result is a beautifully slow burning, tasty tobacco that is by turns sweet and salty, bready and spicy.

Food and drink analogies are sometimes useful when talking pipe tobacco and this baccy strikes me as a beautifully blended Scotch. It doesn't have the peaks and valleys in its flavour profile of a single malt that would deliver something especially distinct and memorable. What it does have, like a well blended Scotch, is those peaks flattened and the valleys filled, to produce a uniform and harmonious whole.

It is lovely stuff. Just shy of 4 stars for me.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-01-15		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is related, in a sense, to McClelland's Matured Virginia #24. The MV has no Perique, but then the Perique in Pebblecut is a minor player. The constitution of the Virginias is different, too. This is stoved longer, or fermented more....and is darker and richer I think. The oriental leaf is there, but its in the background....though you do taste it. Its quite skillfully blended because more would make it harsh and less would be pointless. I give this 3 and half stars. I gave MV 24 a full four stars. Im not sure I like MV better, but I think its a flake I will not tire of and this is less an everyday smoke and more an occasional treat. The nic hit is medium...barely. So it has a bit of muscle. All told another great McClelland Virginia flake. What would virginia lovers do without McClelland.

Purchased From: 4noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2018-09-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

McClelland - Pebblecut (Ashton Revival).

Damn fine stuff!

In the tin it's a partially broken flake, it hasn't been smashed into ribbons! The flakes, although mostly medium brown in colour, are flecked with light and dark pieces. The moisture's perfect.

The smoke? What's not to love! Plenty of sharp Perique, tangy Virginias, and smoky Orientals; these take more of a minor role. It burns exceedingly well, consistent, at a comfortable temperature, to a white ash. I get no tongue bite.

Room-note: not 'too' bad. Nicotine: medium.

Pebblecut? A faultless smoke. Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Rattray's 2016 Poty

Age When Smoked: 5/3/17

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (70)	2017-10-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Folks, this blend is delicious. The red Virginias have a tangy sweetness to them with a little earth, while the bright viriginias add a little hay and a slight citric note. The turkish is buttery, and adds a dry wood note. Finally the perique is equal parts pepper and raisin, and makes an interesting presence throughout the bowl. The smoke is creamy and pleasant all the way through. Easily 4 stars.

Pipe Used: Old England Virgin Briar, Dublin

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Twas a gift!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LannarkGent (145)	2016-12-18		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Many Virginia and oriental based blends tend to amaze me, As I gently smoke my WY through them, I find them to be complex and fascinating. This is a rich blend with many basic tobacco flavors darting in and out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dutchman (1)	2014-08-12		Medium to Strong	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

Definitely a middle-of-the-road blend for me, rather balanced when it comes to flavoring without one of the tobaccos overpowering the others. The strength is just about right, providing a hefty load of nicotine. You definitely want to air out the flakes before breaking them up. Smokes well in a churchwarden.

Pipe Used: Billard, Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Purchased From: Ellison Place Tobacco Nashville, TN

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fireball (36)	2011-07-15		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

Obviously a quality tobacco presented nicely in broken flake form. It's quite a lightweight in terms of flavor and N, and I mean that for me it doesn't really taste of much. Maybe it's too subtle for my tastes, it's mildly enjoyable, but nothing more. The one major drawback is the ketchup tin note. I didn't believe it was possible but it really is. Thankfully this doesn't transfer to the smoke other than psychologically.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Goose55 (33)	2018-07-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Having only really begun to learn proper pipe smoking and discover really good tobaccos about 2 - 1/2 years ago, I came in on the tail end of The McClelland Era. Having come to relish many of their blends during this time, I experienced this one just as word came of their closing. Managed to obtain 6 tins and I have only three left but oh, how I wish I had 30! Why is it that all good things must come to an end?

Pipe Used: Large Tilshead bent billiard

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Various

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Soft peppery sweet, spicy. Just a really nice smoke that doesn't overwhelm, but don't puff too hard. Shards of tobacco that i fully rub out and pack into pipe in three pinches seems to work well with 1 or 2 matches sometimes a relight mid bowl. Recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2010-08-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a flavorful flake from McClelland that some people might overlook with all the new re-introductions. If you like Arcade and Tudor Castle then you might also like this offering. The four leaf combination in this blend comes together quite harmoniously for those willing to give it a chance. It is not a powerhouse of perique nor is it supposed to be. As with all McC's it benefits from a little air time and ages well.

I first smoked the KK version from Germany and always enjoyed it. When the product was withdrawn from the U.S. market McClelland beagn manufacturing the Ashton tobaccos inluding Pebblecut and I then smoked it every once in awhile. This new incarnation tastes very similar to their original taste profile.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	spirop (1)	2017-09-19		Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

After working through one tin and starting a second of this tobacco, I read the reviews to gain a better understanding of it. I am not familiar with the original, but rather like this blend as an occasional smoke, not an all day smoke. It's very rich in flavor, and something I use as a treat, or a an after dinner smoke. I like the blend of Virginias and the orientals. While I am not a big Perique fan, I don't think the amount in here is overwhelming, though it is certainly noticeable. The blend of Virginias and Orientals though makes this a fine blend for me. I find the nic hit to be stronger than the moderate everyone rates it at. That's probably me, though, as I like milder blends.

Pipe Used: Al Birinci Meerschaum and Il Cieppo briar

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Cup O Joes

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Blue Bayou (60)	2013-01-26		Strong	Extremely Mild	Full	Strong

A good quality mix of strong toabaccos. A bit too heavy for me in taste.

Nobody has rated this review yet.