McClelland Arcadia

Arcadia was the name of the fictional mixture in Sir James Matthew Barrie's minor masterpiece of irony, My Lady Nicotine. This was, supposedly, the real-life Craven mixture, which Barrie actually smoked himself. If this is a reproduction of a real-life mixture, how could it possibly have anything to do with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional stories of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson? The entire tin legend for this tobacco is arrant nonsense, and an egregious example of the lengths to which blenders will go, to say nothing of any value on their labels.

Either that, or they have a very wise confidence in many of their customers' inability to tell fact (Craven's) from fiction (Sherlock Holmes.)

Be that as it may, this is a good blend. The bouquet of the almost shag-cut tobacco, unlit, is yeasty in the way of latakia, but I do not taste latakia when I smoke it. The chief flavour is the savoury sweetness of lightly-stoved virginia, but some other leaf?not Turkish, I woundn't think?keeps it from getting syrupy. The taste bears some kinship to Rattray's Dark Fragrant, but this is a far more manly, interesting smoke. It is a bit like Haddo's Delight without the Périque.

An excellent afternoon mixture, if smoked slowly.

I totally agree with Beaupipe's review. This one should have been great for me based on the ingredients... and I did like it ok. But the oriental flavor began to wear on me over time. It took me about 6 months to finish the tin and what hit me as favorable with the first few bowls became what turned me off the last few.

I still recommend that people try this, as there seems to be a lot of dissension in the ranks. For that reason, I give this 3 stars. For my own enjoyment, 2 stars.

I had some samples of this a while back and liked them. I'm now almost through a 3-year aged tin & can truly say that I REALLY like this. Oddly, it seemed quite hot & thin in the narrow bowls I usually use for Vas, but in a big meer with a pot-shaped bowl nearly 7/8" across, it transformed into a genuinely rich smoke. Started with lots of Va highs, plenty sweet, a little spice from the O's. Mid bowl develops a creamy balance with the spices kicking in & out, finish is dark with lots of Va base under Oriental tang. Very lightly cased, I think. Nice room note, but pricey for me.

Arcadia, from McClelland's "221b" series, is a pleasant Oriental/English blend on the lighter side. There's a nice interplay of flavors between the Virginia and Oriental components here, neither one overpowering the other. It's not a terribly complex smoke and the flavor is fairly consistent all the way through-- though I do get a slight, temporary bitterness about mid-bowl. It fortunately doesn't last long. Arcadia might merit four stars rather than just three, but I find that it's just not quite as strong or as full as I'd like. Those who are seeking a milder English-style mixture without Latakia would probably enjoy Arcadia-- there's no Latakia here. I'm a big fan of the stuff myself, but sometimes I need a break from it; that's when I find Arcadia most satisfying. In my experience, Arcadia lacks the familiar vinegary McClelland tin aroma; it has a subdued smoky, leathery aroma that I find inviting, and the tobacco is of the customary high McClelland quality. The tin appears small, but don't let that fool you; the tobacco is very tightly packed in there. Arcadia may be a tad moist when the tin is fresh, but it still packs and lights well. I've never experienced any tongue-bite, and I am generally a pretty vigorous puffer. The room note isn't quite in the aromatic league, but seems to be more tolerable to non- smokers than many mixtures of this kind. Arcadia tends to be more expensive than most of the other McClelland offerings (as well as other popular brands), ruling it out as an all-day, everyday smoke; otherwise, it might be well-suited to that job-- both in nicotine strength and flavor, it's mild enough not to wear you out. And of course, anyone who is a Sherlock Holmes fan (like me) naturally has to try Arcadia at least once. It does indeed seem like just the sort of tobacco the good Dr. Watson would enjoy.

McClelland - Arcadia (221b Series).

The blend's prominently a mixture of dark brown and black pieces, with just a few light specks. Most of the pieces are shag cut, there's only a couple of slightly coarser pieces. Moisture's impeccable.

The smoke: the cut enables simple igniting, and then the last line of the description here would serve as a good review: a rich Oriental mixture. The Orientals outweigh the Virginia, they're creamy, buttery, with a slightly woody/toasty edge. The Virginia gives a sweet touch, but is nowhere near as heavy. I note little fluctuation in flavour over the duration, it's similar from beginning to end. It burns perfect: consistent and cool.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: a little potent.

Arcadia? Although it's well made, I won't give it four stars as it isn't something I'd have as a go-to. So, three stars it is!

Recommended.

I think analogies with BBQ sauce are very apt with this one. It is meaty, spicy, a bit smoky, a bit sour and a bit sweet. To me it tastes like there is some latakia in this one (i wont get into a square VS rectangle argument with oriental VS latakia here...). It is not incredibly complex, nor memorable. But somehow, this smoke has never disappointed me and as such, even though i am not ''consciously'' impressed by Arcadia, on the back of my mind it always feels like a very reliable and satisfying mixture.

The waxy texture and too-perfect moisture level indicate generous portions of propylene glycol used as a humectant. There is quite a bit of 'Latakia,' likely the Cypriot variety of the smoky weed, but there is more too it than Latakia. The casing is a common but unidentifiable flavoring...the propylene glycol?

Of course, there are the Virginias, including generous helpings of MClelland's dark stoved Virginia. But this is the most English of the English blends I have sampled from the American tobacco firm.

No tongue bite, even when smoked fast, but it does leave a lot of moisture behind. Mind the gurgles!

Tin note is mostly Latakia, but the room note is a delightful, old fashioned, Grandpa's pipe smell that will please most of the rabble. Indeed, I may buy more of this simply for the classic aroma so loved by those unfortunate enough to taste it themselves.

I'm half way through my first tin of this blend and I am liking it very much as my start of the day smoke. The nic level is low so I want a higher octane later in the day.

The Va and Orientals are nicely balanced with the Orientals adding interesting notes to the flavour. It is an interesting change from the Lat bombs I'm fond of but it is still plenty 'English' enough for me.

It is probably a good starting point for aro smokers interested in trying something different.

Recommended.

This is one of those odd little tobaccos that seem to have everything I want and then just miss somehow, somewhere. I want to fall in love with it, but I just can't.

It is a lovely smoking tobacco. It appears a mottled black, brown and yellow in the can. The orientals give a slight resiny/grassy quality to the tin aromas mixed with the honeyed qualities of the Virginias. It packs like a dream and smokes cool, dry, and long.

I can't remember who it was, but some scribbler once described a woman like this: "She just missed being beautiful and in just missing was not even attractive." It's mean, but I find it curiously apt to describe hallowed and hollow Arcadia.