McClelland Black Parrot
(2.95)
A balanced blend with Virginia, Carolina and pure Louisiana perique, this unique square-cut pipe tobacco encompasses flavor, maturity, and mellow smoking. The several growths interact and the skill of the blender is exercised in arriving at a balance to tempt the palate. Rediscover this classic. You will be richly rewarded.
Notes: "Ashton Revival" introduced at Chicagoland Pipe Show in May, 2010
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | Ashton Revival |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Virginia/Perique |
| Contents | Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Broken Flake |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.95 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 01, 2017 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
I purchased 3 tins of 2010 Black Parrot from a B&M. Tins had no bulging - The plastic lids had yellowed significantly.
The smell is very strong "MccLelland" also notice a slight clove spice smell and strong vinegar note. A deep smell of a newly opened tin hurts the nostrils.
The flakes are half broken and half intact. The appearance is a deep dark brown with no lighter spots. It looks much darker than pictures I've seen of fresh tins. The flakes are wet, maybe a little less than Sam Gawith. They fell apart into cubes rubbing out. The strands of tobacco not staying intact.
The taste is closer to Mc 2015 than St James Woods. Strength slightly less than Beacon Extra. It has a sweetness, but this is under the thick sour notes. In a clay pipe the sour flavor really comes through. I get slightly less than medium amounts of Perique. I get a lot of subdued spice tastes like cardamom and allspice. Reminds me of a homeade east coast BBQ sauce (vinegar based) taste.
This tobacco tastes best imo smoked wet. Drying it I lose some sour flavor and gain more malty toast flavor. It takes a slow deliberate false light to get the top toasted and burning even. Trying to rush light this wet will leave a pipe wet on the bottom.
I like it best stuffed or ripped by hand into cubes. Makes a lot of smoke that is easy to inhale and doesn't tingle the nostrils. Stays consistent through the bowl. Faster puffing brings out a slight bitter harsh taste. I smoke slow to get the sour flavors.
I will update this when I get some fresh to compare. Easily in my top 5 vapers and my favorite VaPer from McClelland. A sleeper and I like more Perique than most.
The smell is very strong "MccLelland" also notice a slight clove spice smell and strong vinegar note. A deep smell of a newly opened tin hurts the nostrils.
The flakes are half broken and half intact. The appearance is a deep dark brown with no lighter spots. It looks much darker than pictures I've seen of fresh tins. The flakes are wet, maybe a little less than Sam Gawith. They fell apart into cubes rubbing out. The strands of tobacco not staying intact.
The taste is closer to Mc 2015 than St James Woods. Strength slightly less than Beacon Extra. It has a sweetness, but this is under the thick sour notes. In a clay pipe the sour flavor really comes through. I get slightly less than medium amounts of Perique. I get a lot of subdued spice tastes like cardamom and allspice. Reminds me of a homeade east coast BBQ sauce (vinegar based) taste.
This tobacco tastes best imo smoked wet. Drying it I lose some sour flavor and gain more malty toast flavor. It takes a slow deliberate false light to get the top toasted and burning even. Trying to rush light this wet will leave a pipe wet on the bottom.
I like it best stuffed or ripped by hand into cubes. Makes a lot of smoke that is easy to inhale and doesn't tingle the nostrils. Stays consistent through the bowl. Faster puffing brings out a slight bitter harsh taste. I smoke slow to get the sour flavors.
I will update this when I get some fresh to compare. Easily in my top 5 vapers and my favorite VaPer from McClelland. A sleeper and I like more Perique than most.
Pipe Used:
Savinelli Lumberman, Clay, R. Hahn Brandy
PurchasedFrom:
Local B&M
Age When Smoked:
7-8 Years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2016 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
maybe not the very best McClelland Va.Per.....but its certainly a good one. Broken flake and maybe that is why I think it not quite the zenith of this brand. I liked it a lot overall. Its the usual high quality McC virginias and a fairly solid dose of Perique. The virginias are not quite as complex as some other blends, but thats subjective I think. Good stuff. Not for those who love sweet aromatics, but for those who like Perique blends, this is a 3 and a half star. But i lean toward 4.
Update: returning to this blend after a while I find i like it more than I remember. Its a bit rustic, by which I mean its not as perfectly balanced as , say Bayou Slices, or St JamesWoods, but it has a definite appeal. You really can taste the individual tobaccos, and the Perique lingers and is very seductive. This is good stuff, just a bit rough around the edges.
Update: returning to this blend after a while I find i like it more than I remember. Its a bit rustic, by which I mean its not as perfectly balanced as , say Bayou Slices, or St JamesWoods, but it has a definite appeal. You really can taste the individual tobaccos, and the Perique lingers and is very seductive. This is good stuff, just a bit rough around the edges.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 09, 2017 | Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Strong |
McClelland - Black Parrot.
A medium brown, with lots of lighter flecks, not too broken, flake. The majority needs rubbing, but although the flakes are thick they do so with ease. The moistness is without any problems.
The smoke has a great flavour. The Perique has more a lot more weight than the Virginias, but tastes sublime. At first it has an almost vinegar-like flavour, and seems fairly tangy, which may deter a few pipers. It takes until a quarter has passed for some traditional Perique spiciness to announce it's presence, with an accompanying 'mustiness'. The Virginias are a fair few steps back, giving a flavour of a much lighter calibre; MUCH lighter. The burns quality is unquestionable, giving quite a cool smoke. Tongue bite? None.
Nicotine: strong. Room-note: not pleasant.
Room-note aside, this is a great VaPer. Highly recommended:
Four stars.
A medium brown, with lots of lighter flecks, not too broken, flake. The majority needs rubbing, but although the flakes are thick they do so with ease. The moistness is without any problems.
The smoke has a great flavour. The Perique has more a lot more weight than the Virginias, but tastes sublime. At first it has an almost vinegar-like flavour, and seems fairly tangy, which may deter a few pipers. It takes until a quarter has passed for some traditional Perique spiciness to announce it's presence, with an accompanying 'mustiness'. The Virginias are a fair few steps back, giving a flavour of a much lighter calibre; MUCH lighter. The burns quality is unquestionable, giving quite a cool smoke. Tongue bite? None.
Nicotine: strong. Room-note: not pleasant.
Room-note aside, this is a great VaPer. Highly recommended:
Four stars.
Pipe Used:
Stanwell Pipe of the Year 2016
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
Four months
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 22, 2017 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable to Strong |
This tobacco simply has the finest bouquet out of the tin that you can imagine . It simply invites you to smoke . This bird has the usual Mc Clelland Virginia which means it is really good Virginia . The perique is present but not over the hill . I do think that Mc Clelland makes even finer VaPers sich as Tudor Castle but this is a treat for the tin note alone.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 07, 2010 | Medium | None Detected | Medium to Full | Pleasant |
This is a very good VaPer, well balanced and pleasant in all ways for my individual tastes. The perique is carefully handled to add the desired zest without being overwhelmed. McClelland has proven itself quite adept at this balancing trick and lives up to it's reputation here. As with all of their virginia flakes a little air time is beneficial and I belive this is worth laying down a few tins. I've already finished my first and will soon open the second.
As a side note, for those who are interested, in my opinion they have indeed resurrected their original taste profile for Black Parrot. I began smoking BP just before it switched production houses to KK in Germany which by the way I liked just as well as it's predecessor's production. Then it was removed from the U.S. market and a year later the new McClelland version was launched and though different from K.K. it still became a part of my regular rotation.
As a side note, for those who are interested, in my opinion they have indeed resurrected their original taste profile for Black Parrot. I began smoking BP just before it switched production houses to KK in Germany which by the way I liked just as well as it's predecessor's production. Then it was removed from the U.S. market and a year later the new McClelland version was launched and though different from K.K. it still became a part of my regular rotation.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 23, 2020 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable to Strong |
Another fantastic tobacco lost to time and modernism. This may be my favorite VAPer. This and the original are very close in flavor profile and are to be mourned now that they have passed on. Standard McC tin note with a touch of sweetness. The flavor is spectacular and builds throughout the smoke. It is on the other end of the VAPer spectrum from Escudo, darker, richer, spicier and some supporting sweetness. The Virginia's are first class. Earthy, toasted bread, mottled leaves, and a brown sugar sweetness, but subtly sweet. The Perique is also fantastic, fig/plum and white pepper. Spicy. The relights are almost the best part of the smoke, I let the pipe go out on purpose just to get that burst of graham cracker/toasted marshmallow flavor. Strange and awesome. I am glad to have tried this and even happier that I have a half dozen or so tins in the cellar. Worth getting if you can find it on the resale market.
Pipe Used:
Briar's, meerschaum, clay's and cob's
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 08, 2010 | Medium to Strong | None Detected | Full | Pleasant |
Gee whiz. I guess this blend is really new. I'm the first person to review it. This blend to me stands out from most other McClelland's that I am used to smoking. It has the McClelland Virginia Tangy scent that I love though. Smelling the tin of this one is almost as enjoyable as smoking the tobacco. The tobacco in the tin is in unrubbed flake form. I think that this tobacco is a little moist right out of the tin, and as a result doesn't stay lit as well as I would like. I guess I should let it dry a little. However, the taste is great and offers something a little different from most other McClelland Virginias that I smoke. Maybe it's the Carolina in it or the amount of perique. I dunno, judge for yourself. I know though that this VaPer will age very nicely. Definitely worth getting again. McClelland sure does have their blending all figured out!
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