Tobaccos McClelland - GKCPC Boston 1776 (Club Blends)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-05-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

There was a recent discussion on a pipe forum regarding all of the various Club Blends that McClellands has re-introduced and how they could all be different. I've smoked several and find them all to have different characteristics and tastes. This one is one of the finest.

As the previous reviewer mentioned, this is similar looking in the tin to Epitome. But there the similarity ends. Where Epitome was very good but subdued, this one is boisterous in its flavor profile. A rich tasting, medium bodied smoke with a spiciness that made me wonder if they had forgotten to mention the perique. No stewed fruit or pepper flavor/tingle but an excellent spicy flavor with a sweet and mellow background. No overemphasis on the lemon virginia. This one tasted not too dissimilar to a broken flake version of Rich Virginia Ribbon, which is also a staple for me. Epitome and Quantum were fairly middle of the road and I can't find a place for Aurora, but this one hits my tastebuds dead center. Very assertive in a non-confrontational way, excellent tasting, clean burning, mild nicotine and that wonderful McClellands matured virginia scent. This is highly recommended for all VA lovers. Don't pass this one by!

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2012-12-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It's as simple as this," McClelland does great Virginias and this is one of their best". A touch of Mc Vinegar, gives a sweet & sour taste and stays the entire pipe ( agree with reviewer, "DK" ,below in that it has the sour touch like Perique, but without the pepper). Very flavorful, interesting and doesn't get ashy. It's closest comparison is, "Blackwoods Flake", but lighter color and less prep time. This blend is smooth with no bite. I'll smoke this anytime of day

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2017-05-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

My goodness. What a nice Virginia flake this is. A little grassy citrus, some mildly sweet dark fruit. A little earth and a touch of tang. Well rounded, slightly bottom-heavy. Has a really nice bass note. Very smooth with ample strength. McClelland knocked this one out of the park.

Medium in body and taste. No added flavoring. Burns very well.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn, Marcus

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2016-03-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a beautiful blend, and I'm stunned to see it has less than a dozen reviews on here at the time of writing. As a Virginia fan, I'd always been slightly underwhelmed by McClelland's VAs, and this was a massive exception. Blackwoods and Dark Star get all the focus and rave reviews, but I'd put Boston 1776 above both of those. It's a fairly rich, medium-bodied smoke and has those slightly pastry-type notes that you find in some Virginia flakes here in England (SG's FVF and BBF mainly, but also Dunhill Flake, which is, of course, blended elsewhere now). I'll restrain myself before waxing too lyrical, but it's a delicious blend that seems to have fallen under the radar here for some unfathomable reason. Maybe it's the humdrum tin design - who knows...

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3050)	2018-12-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

The tangy red, lemon and orange Virginias offer quite a bit of citrus and grass, some very ripe dark fruit and earth along with a little tartness, and a touch of sugar and vinegar. The tingling spice provides a little complexity, and is very noticeable in every puff. In fact, you’ll notice nearly every aforementioned aspect in every puff, which is the hallmark of a complex, nuanced, well balanced blend. The strength just misses the medium mark, while the taste sits squarely on that threshold. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. Won't bite, and has fewer rough edges than expected. Being a thick flake, it burns a little slow, clean and fairly cool with a very deep, rich, consistent sweet, mildly spicy, lightly savory flavor that translates to the pleasant lingering after taste. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has pleasant room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2016-06-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

I've now had the original and the most recent revival of Boston 1776, but cannot compare the two now as my original tin is long gone and I did not take notes. A nicely put together Virginia flake with more grassy notes than what I am used to from McClelland's. Not a lot of depth to the leaf, but I did get what I call fresh sparkle as the Virginia flakes within are nicely aged and tangy. A somewhat mild Virginia and typical of McClelland's preparation of such leaf, there is no bite.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	O'Confrère (40)	2016-05-05		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Bringing together richness, sweetness, earthiness, spiciness and depth, Boston 1776 is all about balance! It is a wonderfully intriguing smoke that can perk you up or chill you out and can be smoked at any time of day. It is delicious!

The red, lemon and orange Virginias seem to have combined to become a unique strain of tobacco incorporating all of their different qualities. I get the best results by rubbing it out thoroughly and letting it dry a bit. Try lighting, tamping and re-lighting for a few puffs. Then set the pipe aside for about ten minutes before lighting it for the duration. That really works for this smoker.

It is one of the best Virginias in the McClelland lineup, IMHO, of course, and I agree with the esteemed DK that it is in some ways reminiscent of Rich Virginia Ribbon. This last tin was from 2009. It develops incredibly with age!

If you like Virginias this is a must. It’s wonderful. Or, if you are interested in Virginias, but haven’t gotten in to them yet, this would be a great place to start.

Very highly recommended! Thanks McClelland!

Pipe Used: Several, reserved for Virginias w/out top flavor

Age When Smoked: 7 years

Similar Blends: McClelland Rich Virginia Ribbon.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2016-09-06		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Dang this is good stuff. If you are a Virginia flake smoker, this is as good as it gets. Honestly, its just wonderful flavorful mellow and creamy. The nic hit is just below medium, so its not without some muscle. But if you think of great Va. flakes....Gawith's FVF, and Dunhill flake, and some of McClelland;s others...the brown label flakes, and maybe Butera's Golden Cake...this is perhaps the best of all, and thats saying something. Thew Gawith full virginia flake has always been the gold standard and Id say it has a touch more nicotine, but not by that much. Otherwise this is the equal to any.

Purchased From: 4noggins

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2013-08-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not much of a Virginia Flake type of guy (so far), but I was very pleasantly surprised with this tobacco. I rubbed it out & let it dry for about 30 minutes & I was rewarded with an easy packing, clean burning, very flavorful blend that I'll definitely be seeking out again. I agree with others that it has a slight Perique type flavor without the pepper blast. Very refined, with a light fruitiness & great matured Virginia flavors. Highly recommended.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2018-12-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A friend send me about 4 oz of this jarred in 2016. It is a fairly dense broken flake with shades of brown tobaccos with a few tan bits in there. The pouch note is mild vinegar and ripe fruit. The broken fakes are fairly hard/dense and I rubbed them out.

Smoked, this is a very good Virginia. it is sweet and has a fruit note or two. There is a mellow quality that it hard to describe and a fullness in the flavor. There is a slight spicy edginess when puffed. The mild vinegar pouch note does not come through in the smoking although the fruit notes have a little sour at times. The flavor is wonderful if you like red Virginias.

It stayed lit well. The flavor was consistent - perhaps growing in depth as the bowl progressed.

It is a little unfair to rate this a 4, because it is no longer in production. I still think a Virginia fan should try this if given an opportunity.

Pipe Used: Grabow pots

Age When Smoked: 2016

Purchased From: gift from a friend

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2016-09-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Intensely flavoured, beautifully complex, this is a reminder that we have tobacco blenders today at least the equal of years gone by.

Just stunning, and already well described by earlier reviewers so I will forgo needless additional description.

I found this burnt perfectly straight out of the tin. This is a special occasion tobacco that deserves to be savoured.

Pipe Used: Lepeltier

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Virginia lover (218)	2016-07-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The quintessential full Virginia flake, full as in flavor, balance and creaminess. Slightly tangy and sweet at the beginning, it turns into a brioche and fig flavor of American Virginias as the pleasure endures.

A Virginia lover owes to himself to try the best and purest expression of an American Virginia flake, enough said.

Virginia lover

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	crazy owl (74)	2016-05-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Everybody talk about Lat. bombs,but this is the real virginia bomb.A explosion of flavour and aroma that hits in the center of perception of a Va. lover.Nothing compares,out Mc Clelland planet,this fabulous flake.By the way not easy to rub out but in perfect moist for smoking from the tin.Aged to the right point,I really can´t be sure if cellaring could improve this master piece of tobacco blending.So it´s true I´m no able to put 1776 up or down respecting other virginias of the house.Of course is present the infamous ketchup scent for ones and most exquisite maturing aroma to other happy people like this humble reviewer.I wonder why so scarce opinions.To be fully honest I declare no biting at all but in meers or cobs,in a briar becomes,for me,overhemly strong.

Pipe Used: meerschaums

Age When Smoked: fresh from the tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes

Similar Blends: other wonderful Mc Clelland Va.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2082)	2018-10-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

McClelland - GKCPC Boston 1776 (Club Blends).

Ever so slightly broken, lightly mottled, tangy smelling, flakes with a good moistness to them. Due to them being a touch broken an assiduous hand isn't needed to prepare them; they crumble quite easily, albeit, I just fold and stuff.

The smoke? A very fortuitous one! A bowl ignites simply, and proves, as always with McC', they were at the top of their game! The flavour isn't as tart, tangy or sticky as a lot of their Virginias, but somewhat 'drier', and more barren; that's NOT meant to sound bad! After the halfway point the smoke begins to taste more seasoned, with a subtle flavour of pepper. The burn is unremitting, it isn't a blend that DEMANDS lots of maintenance.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

GKCPC Boston 1776? A definite four star smoke:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Dracula #221

Age When Smoked: 2017

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2018-05-15		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Excellent flavor, bright and red flavors play together and bring a smooth creamy smoke with deep and high notes. I miss this blend and it has not left my cellar completely yet.

Pipe Used: Briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh and 2 years in my cellar

Purchased From: Mccranies

Similar Blends: Tobacco of old.....

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CherchezLaghost (52)	2017-08-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

An excellent symphonic achievement by McClelland. To my tastes, they often hit or miss on Virginias. I should say that i sometimes don't love their virginias, taste being a subjective matter, not that they "miss" in the sense of a criticism of their blending ability. Just that i sometimes dont get what I'd hoped for from them. Not so here. This flake has the quintessential mcclelland scent in the tin, near perfect symmetry of flavor between brightness and depth, and showcases some virginia flavors that i wasn't familiar with but are exquisite. Sour dry tart notes balance the familiar sweet fermented fruit here. If, like me, your virginia palette tends to emphasize the yellows, this would be a phenomenal entry into what quality reds and oranges can bring. Midbowl and beyond this really deepens and widens into something rich and beguiling. Ive stocked up, because this is some truly complex, flavorful tobacco for contemplative evenings. Very highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Cobs, meerschaums, briar

Age When Smoked: New to 1 year

Purchased From: Tinderbox

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (305)	2017-02-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

An excellent blend to read a book with for one since it doesnt require ones full attention and two it is an indoor smoke. Mild with a decent nicotine hit. The light brown with blonde streaked broken flakes come at the perfect moisture level and are very pliable for packing. Medium across the board with a wonderful room note.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2014-01-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a wonderful lighter va/per than my Saint James Woods (my main smoke). It's a palette cleanser smoke. The flavor is a lemony rich virginia with a dash of perique hiding in the background. It's a very light but complex virginia flavor. Mine came dry which is odd for McClelland. Doesn't really matter though. Awesome smoke. You can't go wrong with this if it's your thing. It's a mild to medium virginia flake with a pinch of perique. Mild to Medium in the nicotine department.

Pipe Used: large lovat

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2013-08-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I guess I'll finally throw in the towel on this one and promise to get back if something changes for the better.

The tin of Boston 1776 used for the review had 3 years on it, which I hoped would make the aged tobacco inside even better. Presentation is dense, separated flakes about the consistency of the average fruitcake, with a look and feel that suggests it is dryer than other flakes I am accustomed to smoke straight from the tin. Tin note is mostly aged, pressed VA, sweetened and subtly rich, with a spice medley that I kept sniffing until I came up with apple pie spices, including ginger.

And now, A Tale of Two Tobaccos: Lighting this tobacco and keeping it lit has been an adventure. I suppose the humectant is propylene glycol, but whatever it is, it hasn't worked for me so far. If I dry it out, the best part of it disappears. If I smoke it near original moisture, it hardly burns. One way or the other, I cannot simply fold, twist and stuff a flake, but I am stuck rubbing it out, drying it, and then rubbing some more, then packing it very loosely. No matter what I've done, I've had to re-light often.

Smoked near "tin-wet", B1776 is rich, quite sweet, and the spices make for a fairly heady, exotic smoke, right from the match. The ginger is like Perique without the pepper or sour figs, and there does seem to be just a dash of Perique, too. When it's burning well, there is plenty of rich, aromatic smoke. Basically, the aroma parallels the taste. Nothing changes much, re-light after re-light, as it is smoked down, except the best of the aroma and taste slightly concentrate. Aftertaste is brief spent campfire, quickly followed by the sweetened VA, followed by a spices redux.

Dried out for some time in my dry air, I still have to struggle to light it and keep it burning. The VA is prominent, less sweet, with a mild Perique chaser. Spices are MIA, except the faintest ginger. Aroma is like a mild VaPer with scant Per.

Maybe I have to just bite the bullet and dry this out overnight, or something, in order to actually smoke it. In that case, however, I suppose it would not be nearly so exceptional as the McC blurb about 5-year-old VA and sweat processing suggests.

At this point, no reason to continue beating a dead horse.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	puro66 (73)	2010-05-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a small cut flake (McC style) that is very similar in color to Epitome, a medium brown perhaps slightly darker. This is not as well rounded as Epitome but still extremely good with a slightly sharp taste that is very alluring. This should age very well. Great for the Virginia lover!

12-7-10 UPDATE: Just opened another tin and I was right it has aged magnificently. A deep rich virginia that merits cellaring several tins.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BC (21)	2018-02-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a great VA. I have to concur with the other reviews, although, to me, it has an interesting profile that changes through the smoke. It is a broken flake, sort of leathery and dark brown in the tin. Very mild ketchup smell that doesn't translate at all to the smoke. It responds well to lightly rubbing it out. The top note is grassy with citrus. About 1/2 way through the bowl, though, it changes into a sweet bready bass note. Someone aptly described it as brioche, which seems exactly right. It is very smooth through the rest of the smoke. It will not bite even if you chug it a bit to get more of that bread note. Minimal nic hit. Burns with no dottle. Outstanding, and it has become one of my favorites. Now the bad news. At the time of this writing, nobody has it in stock. I know I got the last tin at Iwan Ries, and maybe the last couple of tins at SP. This is no doubt because of the red VA component. It is is kind of a bummer. I would like to see how it ages, but there is no way mine will last very long. Hope it comes back.

Pipe Used: full bent Lorenzo, bent Vesz

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

Similar Blends: Red and Black.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Planet Scott (66)	2017-03-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased this after reading all the great reviews. I'm a big fan of straight Virginias and McClelland as well. I found this one slightly disappointing. It is rather bland compared to my favorites(Opening Night from C & D). It is far from a bad blend and I did find it enjoyable, it just lacked some of the dark fruit and richness I look for in a top notch and complex straight Virginia.

I'm hoping more time will help with this one.

Age When Smoked: 6 - 8 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-08-15		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This sample was given to me by a good friend in my online tobacco club. This sample burned ok out of the pouch, produced a moderate amount of smoke and minimal tongue bite. This had a taste of hay and smelled of caramelizing sugar, but there wasnt too much more to it...which is ok since many VAs can be singular in taste and aroma. Glad I had the chance to try a new VA...thanks friend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Antonius Blok (192)	2021-11-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

For those who doubt that an aroma can feel so spicy that it tickles the nose, I would give you a taste of some of McClelland's virginias, for example, this Boston 1776. It gives off a typical ketchup smell of this brand that is note in the first few puffs, but then disappears quickly. It comes with a type of cut that is halfway between broken flake and crumble cake. The color is very dark and allows the shine of the sugar, which has crystallized over time, to stand out even more, creating with that contrast a beautiful visual spectacle that I enjoy looking through a magnifying glass.

It is powerful in flavor, and has a good range of nuances that go from sweet to spicy, through toasted, sour, dark fruits, citrus. Slightly balsamic in the first / second third of the bowl. Towards the second half the flavor becomes more homogeneous and relaxed. It is in the middle in nicotinic strength and does not bite if smoked at a medium cadence.

Historical note: The name of the mixture seems to allude to a famous historical episode during the War of Independence, known as the “Siege of Boston”, which marked a major strategic victory for the Colonials, and the British evacuation of Boston. Even today, March 17 is a holiday in the state of Massachusetts, known as "Evacuation Day."

Paraphrasing the now old commercial, I will say that "there are many virginias... but they are not Boston 1776".

Age When Smoked: 11 years

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (306)	2014-11-16		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

More nicely prepared Va flakes from McC; these are ~ 1/8" thick and very densely compacted dark brown, orange to yellow tobaccos. Not much of the McC ketchup smell from the tin but still inviting. Much drier from the tin than other McC flakes but still smokes cool and smooth. I don't rub out my flakes and the thickness/density of these flakes required numerous relights and reduced the smoke intensity. BulkVAs and VA/Pers from McC and others are just as good with a cheaper unit cost.

Pipe Used: various bowl sizes

Purchased From: pipes & cigars.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.