McClelland Pebblecut

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!

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!

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.