McClelland Blackwoods Flake

First, let me say that McClelland's 2035 is one of my favorite tobaccos. I also enjoy a couple of other McClelland blens that use stoved Virginia's. So, I was surprised at my reaction to Blackwoods Flake.

For whatever (other) reasons, I find myself out of step with my fellow reviewers. This is one of the few Virginia's with which I experience a good deal of bite in spite of careful, slow smoking. On that basis alone, I cannot recommend this obviously quality blend.

For this McClelland tobacco, I really want to like it. But unfortunately I am on the opposite position. I really can not understand why there are so many 4 stars reviews. Maybe my taste bud is not as same as normal people. OK ,it tastes very very mild, actually that's flat. I can only find it like tomato sauce or ketchup and vinegar, NO SWEET at all.

Sorry, it is not for me. 1 star.

I think this is a case of no one wanting to go against all the positive reviews. Maybe McClelland employees filled out a number of reviews. I smoked the entire tin before I decided to review this. This is an extremely mild smoke that kept me wondering when the flavor was coming. It never came. Maybe I like much more robust tobaccos - Nightcap comes to mind and a full flavor tobacco - not this. I recommend this for those moving from aromatics to english blends. It smokes well when dried a bit. No tongue bite (and I am a strong puffer). My wife enjoyed the room note. Good quality tobacco. For those reading these other reviews, thinking your going to get an explosion of flavor in your mouth, you will be disappointed.

My tin was from 2010 (aged three years), and upon opening I was greeted with none other than the McClelland ketchup aroma. I don't mind it to be honest, but thought I should put it out there. The tobacco was waaaaaaaaaay too moist out of the tin, and even with a few days leaving it open to dry it was still very moist, so the best course of action is to rub some out and let each bowl dry individually. Blackwoods is by far the mildest blend I have tried (surprising right?). It smokes cool though its hard to keep lit, didn't bite even if I tried. Seriously, this was the smoothest smoke I've had (still mild however...). Unfortunately the flavor never came. If I was blind I wouldn't have even known the pipe was lit. Every so often there would be a nice sweetness, and once in a while that ketchup aroma would manifest into the flavor (sounds worse than it really is}. If you're looking for simplicity then you've found McClelland's magnus opus. If you're looking for dynamic and layered, then keep walking.

I have not been a pipe smoker until recently and have been fortunate enough to find this website. I normally smoke cigars, of which I enjoy the full-flavor full strength variety, usually Hondurans. Of the pipe tobaccos that I have tried over the last few months this is by far my least favorite.

Based on reviews I've read and high ratings I decided to give Blackwoods Flake a go...much to my disappointment. Upon arrival of my tin I opened it and was not surprised to find the ketchup smell that is so described in many of these reviews. I rubbed out the flake and let it dry for about thirty minutes at which point I thought the ketchup smell would dissipate, however, the tangy malodorous spirit remained. I thought that maybe this unpleasantness would not be present once the pipe was loaded and lit...again I was wrong.

After several relights the tobacco finally stayed smouldering-long enough for me to be introduced to and immediately deported from flavor country. If I wanted this sort of taste in my pipe tobacco I could have dipped a Marlboro cigarette into a cup of ketchup, lit up, and saved about ten bucks. After the deportation from flavor country, I was immediately checked into the infirmary where I was administered anti-emetics and oxygen at 7 liters/minute. When the sickness went away, about eight hours later, I was discharged and could not smoke a pipe for about a week following this incident.

While I appreciate the reviews and individual opinions I've read regarding Blackwoods Flake it is NOT the tobacco for me. In fact, my experience was so bad that I may not ever return to McClelland tobaccos. The ketchup smell alone would send me back to the infirmary.

Blackwoods Flake is a dark broken flake with some lighter birdseye. It comes fairly wet in the tin and has that unmistakable McClelland "ketchup" aroma on opening. I found this flake fairly hard to light and needing frequent relights, usually throughout the first half of the bowl. At first, this flake tastes very spicy, almost as if it contained perique, and quite sharp. Later in the bowl, some of the spiciness abates and there is a slight natural, somewhat sweet, tobacco flavor. In general, this is a **very** subtle flake, often with almost no real flavor. After the initial troubles with lighting, this flake is almost always well-behaved and doesn't bite even with heavy puffing. Ultimately, though, I find this flake to be fairly bland, and won't restock it.

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Ok before damming this to hell, I'd better quantify my review on what basis I've delivered that verdict.

A 10g scrap of this rather rubbery flake was given to me by my wonderful son (who keeps his poor ol' father in pipe tobacco all year round) who does excellent video reviews btw. It's been jarred at the back of the little cupboard that does as my 'cellar'. Actually as this is a British review it's more of a 'cellarette'....

I've had it ages and it certainly keeps in the moisture, so it's a bugger to keep alight. It tastes of absolutely nothing. It smells of absolutely nothing. No room note.

What a pointless tobacco. Might be better if it was chewed. Actually. no it wouldn't, ever tried chewing tobacco ?

I'm going to New York later this year, and if I get half a chance to go to one of the brilliant tobacco shops there, I won't be buying this.

Yes, Blackwoods Flake does smell like ketchup but it tastes like vinegar. At first, I thought the smoke was unique but as time went by I started to realize that this "unique" taste was similar to the smell of heated vinegar. Now it's a tolerable smoke, and it's not horrible but once I started to notice this vinegar taste I dumped the bowl. No thanks.