McClelland GKCPC Boston 1776

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.