McClelland Brindle Flake

I think a neglected blend from McClelland. This is one of the many Virginia blends that they produce, and for some reason it seems sort of forgotten. I think its actually among the best. Its not as heavily stoved as say Blackwoods Flake, or even Butera's Golden Cake, though it resembles the latter a bit. Let alone as stoved like dark star. Its also not particularly sweet -- in comparison to Blackwoods or Black& Red. But its sweet enough and quite rich and smooth and slow burning. Its also not as wet out of the tin as some of McClellands tobaccos. It is probably a combination of brown virginia (slightly heated as i understand it) and not a lot of red or black. Some lemon or orange, too, I imagine. The description says flue cured, but that could meaning anything honestly. My guess is based on the fact that there isnt a LOT of sugar in there. Its a nice pungent virginia with a bit more nic hit than you might expect. Also....its rather a purist blend in that I suspect only two or three varietals are used (unlike say macbaren HH Pure Virginia that has a dozen). Its good stuff...very good.

This is a straightforward Va broken flake of pure tobacco. Partially stoved I suspect, it does not have the Christmas pudding aromas I usually find in stoved Va tobaccos. Nor does it have much of the McC acetic aroma.

What it does have is solid Va flavour, untouched by any kind of artificial assistance. To my mind it is what a navy flake would be without molasses, brown sugar or rum. This is a point of distinction to, say, the Rattrays Va flakes which do have a pronounced brown sugar flavour.

It is moderately sweet, with some distinctive spice notes. Burns cool and slow (I can get nearly 2 hours in a mid sized bowl) and requires few relights. Rather linear in profile, it does not grab me with complexity, nor does it change much as the bowl progresses.

I prefer this in a MM Shire Cobbit; the long stem ensuring a cool smoke and the cob bowl keeping the smoke dry and clean. Burns fine without being rubbed out.

Honest, well made tobacco. Just shy of 4 stars.

I have just finished my first tin of Brindle Flake and thoroughly enjoyed my experience with it even though I find it somewhat difficult to completely nail the description of it. As the name indicates it is indeed a flake tobacco which was very easy to work with. It is light to medium brown in color and a light aroma. Under the category of Flavoring I selected Extremely Mild, the description gives no indication of flavorings added but to my tongue I seem to detect some extremely faint something which I have not been able to identify. But don't be afraid of that because it is quite pleasant. It burned great straight to the bottom of the bowl and was deceptively flavorful. This is one bear that is friendly.

I cannot with authority compare this to the original version so I will simply say it's worth a try it might just surprise you and I would certainly recommend it to new smokers.

I had forgotten how good McClelland Virginias were…. Tin note is intense, pungent and vinegary with deeply sweet stewed fruit notes. The flakes are brown in color with some bright specs, mostly broken. A little bit thick for me to fold but rubbing is easy. Just a few minutes of drying time are enough. The smoke is excellent! Earthy and savoury, with mild honey sweetness, slow-smoking with a nice bittersweet finish. A medium strength smoke for relaxation truly.

A good flu cured VA. It is zesty and tangy with notes of citrus a little hay some bread like sweetness that comes and goes and a note or two of toasted grains. As with all flu cured VA I get a slightly woodsy note like sawdust. It has earthy/dusty notes here and there and a light sweet spice (that reminds me a little of cinnamon and maybe clove). It is slightly sweet and represents what flu cured VA's should be. It is not overly complex and it changes very little as the bowl progresses. A good blend that missed greatness for me but one that if you can ever find would be worth a try if you like flu cured VA's. Smokes slow requires several relights, the nic is closer to the mild side and is great as a first pipe of the day as the finish does not linger very long allowing you to load something else latter in the morning. Room note is a little harsh but not horrible.

A well-aged straight Virginia flake of the highest quality. About 65% high sugar bronze leaf and the balance lemon leaf, this has a brighter, sweeter flavor profile than the typical McClelland Virginia blend. Tangy but without bite, medium in body and nicotine, as one smokes a bowl down to ash, the flavors nicely deepen. The last half hour of a bowl can be immensely satisfying. A largely unheralded classic.

This is an atypical McClelland blend that processes fine qualities and is more similar to English tobaccos than the McClelland Virginia's. It's zesty and earthy with a mild sweetness and gets stronger as the bowl progresses. Honestly reminds me of Wessex Brown virginia flake towards the bottom of the bowl but doesn't have the hotpressing qualities unique to English tobaccos. Molasses like sweetness that is mild with a earthy darker virginia flavor and some zest. Excellent blending that I look forward to trying years from now.

When I first open the tin, it smelled ok, then, it smoked ok. I place the tobacco in a mason jar for a year and it was a different tobacco altogether. After a year or so in a jar, it was sweeter, smoother, and great.

I opened a 4-yer-old tin and discover loosely composed broken virginia flakes with mainly bright and light brown color tobac. Very easy to prepare and similar to C&D or GLP's flakes. The McC vinegar was less evident than their other Va/Vaper offers. The taste is grassy, citrus, dry, with less sweat and tangy I usually prefer. Very easy to light and keep lit, but it gets hot and spicy if push. A good straight Va, but not one of the bests. Somehow I think of C&D's opening night, may be due to the flake presentation, but I like the latter much more.