Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | Club Blends |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| 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 to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.83 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 28, 2015 | Very Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Finishing off the year with two Syrian latakia blends. The first of these is a dark black narrow ribbon with a slight whiff of latakia in the tin, enmeshed with a light MClelland Virginia scent. I'd call the aroma non-descript overall.
Mild and smooth describes this on a superficial level. Balanced is another word for it. There is very little sweetness from the Virginia, very little spice from the latakia and very little incense-y sweet/sour tang from the orientals. So it's balanced in the sense that none of the components assert themselves in any meaningful way. It smokes dry on the tongue, with a finish that evaporates almost immediately. The flavor is kind of...quiet. Subdued. It reminds me of McClellands Rose of Latakia blend, and comparing this one as well as that one to McC's Syrian Full or Syrian Super is a study in vivid contrasts, as the "Balkan" Syrian blends are much more flavorful and have an abundance of character. Also unlike those, this one needs to be sipped very slowly or it becomes unfocused and dull. No flavor powerhouse, this one, which might make it good for the latakia fancier that wants to start the day with a mellow smoke. This one is ok - just not enough "there" there. Reviewer Beaupipe recently commented that he'd prefer they name it something like "Matured Stoved Virginia with a smidge of Syrian". I'd say that sums it up nicely. 2.5 stars for this one but I have to round down, as I really don't see the point of this in light of McC's other Syrian blends which are my reference for the genre.
Mild and smooth describes this on a superficial level. Balanced is another word for it. There is very little sweetness from the Virginia, very little spice from the latakia and very little incense-y sweet/sour tang from the orientals. So it's balanced in the sense that none of the components assert themselves in any meaningful way. It smokes dry on the tongue, with a finish that evaporates almost immediately. The flavor is kind of...quiet. Subdued. It reminds me of McClellands Rose of Latakia blend, and comparing this one as well as that one to McC's Syrian Full or Syrian Super is a study in vivid contrasts, as the "Balkan" Syrian blends are much more flavorful and have an abundance of character. Also unlike those, this one needs to be sipped very slowly or it becomes unfocused and dull. No flavor powerhouse, this one, which might make it good for the latakia fancier that wants to start the day with a mellow smoke. This one is ok - just not enough "there" there. Reviewer Beaupipe recently commented that he'd prefer they name it something like "Matured Stoved Virginia with a smidge of Syrian". I'd say that sums it up nicely. 2.5 stars for this one but I have to round down, as I really don't see the point of this in light of McC's other Syrian blends which are my reference for the genre.
Age When Smoked:
3 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2014 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I have smoked a full tin of RSR and my first impression of it is that it burns smooth and mild with no bite. But I have to agree with “Mr. Big” below, something doesn’t agree with me in this blend. It leaves my mouth dry and there is no sweetness even though the tin is aged. I get the opposite of that with some bitterness. I don’t dislike this blend enough to give up on it as there are more tins in our cellar. But I won’t be opening another any time soon.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 27, 2011 | Very Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Nice balance between the Latakia and Orientals but I don't find much sweetness from the Virginia. Smooth , no bite or spice, mild and could be an all day smoke, however, I don't find this very complex. Kind of Blah, I don't know why I would crave this. I'm not a fan of the particular Orientals in this blend , has a strange flavor to me. Also, hard to light and stay lit. 3 Oaks Syrian much better and no "funky" taste!
Updated 7/16/12, After a year in the cellar ,I went to finish up this tin, somewhat improved. My initial reaction was ," there is that strange Oriental ( Syrian?)", but as I smoked this all day I acually found it interesting. Still won't buy again. FYI,was smoking this back to back with Rattrays Black Mallory, this is similar ( don't know if I was getting some pipe ghosting) but this is much smoother. 2 1/2 stars
Updated 7/16/12, After a year in the cellar ,I went to finish up this tin, somewhat improved. My initial reaction was ," there is that strange Oriental ( Syrian?)", but as I smoked this all day I acually found it interesting. Still won't buy again. FYI,was smoking this back to back with Rattrays Black Mallory, this is similar ( don't know if I was getting some pipe ghosting) but this is much smoother. 2 1/2 stars
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