McClelland Arcadia

McClelland shines with this one. A perfect balance of Virginias and Orientals. As with its name sake, I find this to be a true gentlemen's smoke. A slight bit of a sour tang, blended with a few sweet notes and a little bit of smokiness in the background. Not to complex nor overtly simple, perfectly rounded out in my opinion. I am not a latakia lover and do not miss them is this blend. Of course it will nip a wee bit like any Va if pushed to hard.

I am a sherlock fan and I do think this an apt mixture for a man of Watson's civil and informed taste. Though the man is fictional this tobacco is based on the very real blend of old.

I have puffed this through a number of good briars and no doubt find it to be excellent in all of them. I pack it either by layering or the frank method, both to great result. perfect moisture content out of tin and great McClelland aroma. great tin artwork and a perfect all day smoke as well. As the tin says "An original pipe tobacco recipe worthy of offering to one's best friend."

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

I agree with BostonPipe...Arcadia is a friendly mixture without a lot of frills. Loved the shag cut -- helped promote an even pack and burn every time. Unique flavor too. Although there is a good portion of the cool and airy Oriental leaf, this one packs some punch, and I found it to be quite welcome. I'll cellar some as this one has all the ingredients for promoting depth and flavor variances as time goes by.

What a wonderful smoke this is. The Orientals provide the main flavors of wood, leather and a hint of butter along with a fair amount of spice and a bare hint of smoke. The Virginias are stoved and provide a little sweetness with a toasty note. Not terribly complex, but it's very well rounded with nice depth. Absolutely delicious. Truly, a great blend.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Not sure about a topping or not. If there is one it's extremely mild. Burns perfectly straight from the tin.

Ribbon cuts, darkish in appearance, a mingle of dark probably stoved virginias and black latakias with considerable less quantity of brighter leaf presumably oriental. Tin note is mostly leathery, tangy and to a lesser degree smoky - latakia dominant - but has also a degree of sweetness. Easy to fill and light. Smoking Arcadia at first, though very satisfying and with a bold flavor, I considered it to be just an occasional smoke for my taste because I thought it was a rather dry smoke. Predominant aromas were leathery and smoky with a black peppery spiciness. And although a rich smoke it was not heavy at all. Still, it's better for the evening than at the start of the day. Yet as soon as I got used to it I began to detect a very welcome subtle sweetness. This combined with the fact that it burned very smoothly and stayed lit to the end gave me a deeply satisfying and relaxing experience which I relished for several 45-50 min smokes. Better when smoked calmly as flavors deepen throughout the bowl. Nicotine level is medium +, just right for me to get my kick and it burns to a beautiful fluffy white ash. Room note is rather subtle considering the latakia content of the blend. I know there is a controversy concerning whether this blend contains any latakia at all but if it doesn't then I'd be very surprised...

A very mild smoke, but with a fair amount of flavor. A real Oriental treat for any smoker in the mood for a mild, smooth, relaxing smoke. I get a lot more Oriental than Virginia, but it's not overwhelming in any aspect. Likely a good intro to this catagory for the OTC smoker

My specimen of this was from 2009 so it's aged about 5 years. This was a good thing apparently. Opening the tin presented the typical McClelland's smell. A very nice fine shag with pleasing colors. It packed nicely in the bowl. The initial light was very pleasing with a fairly good puff of smoke. The taste burning through was a nice creamy sweetness. Perhaps a touch of nuttiness and a hint of carmel. It burned nice and cool all the way through the bowl. And as promised leaving a fine white ash. No topping cased flavor here.

Et in Arcadia ego! McClelland Arcadia is one of those tobacco it took me quite a while to get. But when I finally got it - it was a revelation. This tobacco is unique. This tobacco is a masterpiece. And - this tobacco is very subtle - so if you want to experience its magic you better smoke it when you are not in a rush and can give this baccy its due. I recommend to smoke it early in the morning when your tastebuds are still fresh. This is one of the few pipe tobaccos that are not just downright great but simply sublime. This tobacco transports me to another era and place entirely. My thoughts drift off and I am amongst a bunch of English guys in Tweed jackets sitting in a compartment on the Orient Express. But back to the real world and the taste of this blend. The McC VAs are of very high quality and provide just the right amount of unique sweetness to this blend. At first, they are quite prominent but as the bowl progresses the Oriental tobacco comes more to the front. Still the VA always makes itself heard. The VA and Orientals meld in a way that it's truly magical. They complement each other perfectly - period. Some of the other reviewers speak of a buttery taste or of butterscotch and that's something I definitely detect in this blend as well. Lastly, the tin artwork is very stylish. OK - this is (or should I say "was" - oh McClelland why did you have to go?) rather pricey. But with something that transports me right into Paradise and let's me shout out loud "et in Arcadia ego" the price simply does not matter at all. One of my all time favorites and most certainly 4/4 stars.

That unmistakable McClelland scent is there are soon as you open up the tin - deep and earthy. Delicious.

It lights easily and smokes well, blowing up big plumes of blue-white smoke. It never gets too hot and burns nice and evenly with a deliciously deep flavour and no bite. It tastes like it smells - earhty and spicy, which makes for a relaxing evening smoke. If you like the sweeter taste of aromatics or drug store blends, then this might be a bit too rich for you, but if you want the actual taste of tobacco this is the way to go.

My only real complaint is one that I have with all McClelland blends, and that's that it's too darned wet when you first open the tin - which makes it hard to keep lit when you get to the bottom of the bowl. But, a little bit of drying will fix this right on up, and I suppose it does keep it from getting dry and hot.

All in all, this is a fantastic smoke with a rich and complex flvour that I just adore. Heartily recommend.

I’ve had several tins of Arcadia cellared for years, and this one I’ve had on the shelf for about six years. Opening the tin I was greeted about 75% rich reddish brown small ribbons to about 25% oily black small ribbons, all perfectly slightly on the drier side. The smell was spicy, smoky, and had the McClelland’s Virginia smell. An unlit sip tasted of smokiness and sweet BBQ, and the charring light brought forth a thick sweetness. Overall Arcadia delivers a dance between an underlying sugary sweetness and a slightly sour Latakia note, and while not complex it is a rich smoke. Every so often I get a slight cracked pepper spiciness and the vitamin N content seems very light. The finish is short and the room note is fair. Arcadia is one of my favorite blends and I recommend it to anyone looking for a light yet rich English blend.