McClelland Pebblecut

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.