McClelland Arcadia

This is an interesting blend. The color is dark brown and black in a ribbon cut so it is easy to pack, easy to light, stays lit, and draws smoothly. The tin aroma is some vinager, some sweet Virginia reminding me of the 5100. The orientals are in smaller proportion, but give a little bit of musk to the aroma and taste. My impression of the flavor is that this is definatly a McClelland Virginia blend that reminds me very much of the already mentioned 5100. Unlike the 5100, there is more variety and complexity to this blend. The orientals give a nice bottom note, but without the dominance of latakia found in an English blend. I would call it an American Virginia-Oriental blend. My opinion of the overall effect is that I like it. It is sweet, but not boringly so. There is mystery in its flavor, but dominated by the familiarity of a red Virginia cake. I can certainly see this as some smoker's daily smoke. For me it would be something to always keep on hand and smoke as a break from English blends and Virginias. Arcadia is quite a find and I am sure that I will get to know it much better as time goes by. Highly Recommended.

This is an outstanding pipe tobacco. The taste improves with every puff. One of my favorite McClelland blends. This combination of Virginia and Oriental tobacco was masterfully blended. I have stocked up on this one!

A member 0f the 212B series, this blend arrives slightly damp in the tin as do most mcClelland blends. It is almost a fine shag cut with a few stems present. It lights easily and burns well consuming only a single match during a bowlful. The initial taste is pure virginia but soon the mellow oriental tobaccos become known. By mid bowl the latakia is noticable and the taste becomes pleasantly spicy and changing. The spicy taste increases throughout the bowl. This is an excellent English blend with a subtle and changing character throughout the bowl. There is little bite and it smokes cool, burning to a surprisingly pure white ash. The room presence is pleasant for an English blend and has raised no objections from others. I would highly recommend this blend. Although it appears to be priced slightly above the other McClelland tinned blends,I plan on keeping it on hand.

Arcadia has a distinct flavor unlike any other blend I've tried. It is certainly my favorite of the Mcclellands. It burns terrific also. One of my all-time favorite smokes!!

Arcadia is one of the best tobaccos McClellands has come out with in the last couple years. Supposedly modeled after samples of the original Arcadia, it turns out to be a very nice tobacco. Arcadia is different than most McClelland tobaccos in that it is a little more dry and doesn't have that ketchup smell. Arcadia has nice English tobacco smell with Virginias, Latakia and other oriental tobacco. It packs fairly well and lights easily. Arcadia gives a nice rounded flavour, it is middle of the road for English tobaccos. Arcadia burns to an extremely light white ash and leaves the smoker wanting more.

This is something of a novelty: a McClelland blend without bite or excessive moisture, which still has excellent taste. If you are expecting a "tongue-bite-in-a-can" Virginia or a soupy Frog Morton-style blend, you should be pleasantly surprised here. The tin aroma is a nice mellow, musty sweetness, with a hint of the normal McClelland vinegar smell. It is a darker tobacco, black and dark browns making up most of the tin, with a small amount of lighter brown leaf. The cut is medium to long, and packing is fairly easy. The moisture level is rather low for a McClelland blend, though higher than others such as GL Pease. It lights easily, puffing up immediately into a fluffy white ash, and needs about the average number of relights during the bowl. In the first 1/3 of the bowl, there is definite sweetness and bright flavor from the Virginias. The Oriental tobacco, however, seems to mellow this out, providing an excellent addition of subtle, musty flavor to the smoke. Though too early to tell, tongue bite seems to not be a problem here. The overall flavor is very smooth and sweet, not dark at all but not overly mild and weak either. With the second third, some of the strong sweetness dissipates, though the smoke is still somewhat sweet. The musty, darker Orientals become more prominent and flavorful, though I still wouldn't call this a dark, rich smoke. There is still no bite, and no problems with moisture up to now. The last third is similar to the second, darker and richer than a straight Virginia but not as much so as an English blend. The smoke is still smooth and tasty, full but not overwhelming. There is a bit of gurgle towards the end, but a single pipe cleaner took care of that. There is still no bite, something I find amazing in a McClelland (partial) Virginia blend. It just stays smooth and good right down to the bottom. Overall, I find this a very good, mild blend without any bite. There is enough taste and complexity for the full English smoker, but at the same time it isn't too rich and full for the Virginia flake lover. I, liking both types, would tend to reach for this when I'm in the mood for something lighter and sweeter than Latakia-based blends. This is a very good tobacco, and I plan to buy more when my tin runs out.

What a nice tobacco! It lights well, burns beautifully, has a pensive aroma (like you might expect from Watson), with an interesting white ash. This is one of my favorite smokes. Well balanced. Try it!