McClelland Blackwoods Flake

I like McClelland virginia blends. To me, like the American people themselves, they embody the spirit of the New World: honest, unpretentious, a bit rough around the edges but naturally sweet and complex in a minimally processed way. Sometimes I'm in the mood for this, sometimes I'm not, but I know from the get-go that I can take it or leave it.

This is a rough cut, broken flake virginia. It is very wet right out of the tin, so I let it air out overnight. I like the ketchup aroma, but if it's hanging around, it means the tobak is still too wet and will bite like a rattlesnake.

I stuff the flakes into my pipe pretty much as they are, roughing them up a little bit but not really rubbing them out. BWF is easy to overpack, especially when it's new, and it will bite and burn hot if this is the case. Like Dark Star and others, it can be a hassle to keep lit.

I detect notes of grass, clover, heather, and, at times, something else like autumn leaves. One reviewer described this experience as the "colours" coming out. I agree--it's almost synesthetic, and quite wonderful. Too bad it doesn't always happen.

It can be tricky to get in the zone with BWF, and when it doesn't occur, one can be left with a scorched tongue and a clogged, but not sated, palette. Two things bear repeating: air out the tin, and dry out the "pinch" a little bit (not too much) immediately prior to smoking. I try do this with any virginia flake, but especially with McClelland blends.

I don't know why some reviewers of BWF have indicated the presence a "mild" or "medium" flavouring. While almost all pipe blends are cased with something, BWF is about as natural as it gets. Perhaps they've mistaken the ketchup smell of the fermenting sugars for a topping, or maybe they have yet to get the hang of the rating system. There is a lot of subjective grey area when rating a blend's other attributes, but IMO a strong flavouring is either there or it isn't.

My brother recommended that I pick up a can of this in my next tobacco order, and I'm grateful that he did. It's a perfect example of a straight Virginia blend, and the flake cut makes for a different experience than you're typical tobacco.

I'm currently enjoying a bowl before bed, and rubbed out the flake into an even, light texture. While we're currently on the brink of spring, the flavor reminds me of a backyard campfire, with hints of roasted marshmallow sweetness. There is not much complexity to the flavor, but does give a pleasurable experience that I'll be looking to enjoy a lot in the future.

I just christened my new cob with some of this that I have had aging since 2008. It was still quite moist and took several lights to get going since I wasn’t patient enough to let it sit out to dry for a bit.

The characteristic ketchup quality of McClelland has completely dissipated and integrated into a fantastic combination of molasses, roasted nuts, candied fruit and a hint of cocoa.

I only have about a third of a tin left, but it's really just come into its own and I plan on enjoying it while I can.

I was lucky enough to receive a sample of this from a friend, and I really liked it. Unfortunately, as others here have stated, it's not really available outside of North America, so it will probably be the only time I get to try it.

It's called flake, but straight away, the appearance is surprising. Instead of neat rows of flake, this is a collection of small pieces, it is a broken flake. The colours range from fairly dark brown to just short of black.

The tin note (I got my sample in a pouch), does have that ketchup aroma, mixed in with an earthy leatherness, and I find it pleasant.

In order to smoke this, I rubbed out some of the tobacco, and used a mixture of this & pieces of whole broken flake.

The lighting was not too difficult, but I found that regular relights were in order towards the end of the bowl.

The taste is rich & satisfying, hints of leather with a pleasant background sweetness evening out the earthy tones at the front end. Towards the last half of the bowl, the sweetness became more dominant, with hints of coffee & very dark chocolate.

The room note is fairly pleasant, this is no aromatic, but it doesn't to pretend to be, and it will put off less people than e.g. a typical English blend will.

The nicotine strength is a solid medium. If it was available in the UK, I would keep some around for sure, but as it isn't, I am unable to.

Three stars instead of four due to the relight issue towards the end of the bowl, but overall, a very good smoke. Moisture was not an issue in the sample I received.

Blackwoods Flake is a mix of red Virginia with what McClelland calls stoved black Virginia, which is then pressed into a cake and aged. The flakes sliced from the cake are heavy, with a nice Virginia aroma but a somewhat high moisture content typical of McClelland blends. With a bit of drying they rub out fairly easily. To me, the blend is similar to a mixture of 2035 and 5100. The charring light brings the rich flavor of the constituent Virginias out. Once lit, that taste is quite smooth and easy. There are no real highs or lows to the blend's taste, it is a fairly straightforward blend. The taste remains consistently sweet, with the red Virginia's sweetness dominating while the stoved Virginia contributes a nice, darker tone to the overall taste. There isn't a lot of variability through the bowl, but the taste never sours or gets ashy, even at the very end of the smoke. Blackwoods Flake is, in my opinion, a Virginia to enjoy. I think that smokers can get the same results, however, from creating their own mixture of either Dark Star or 2035 with 5100, and in doing so will get the results at a much lower price point.

Ketchup is the dominant scent in the tin. But not as strong as in St. James Woods. But it is the best ketchup you've ever smelled. Moisture content can vary a bit from tin to tin.

Rub out or fold and pack, it is a cool and slow-burning tobacco.

Nicotine content is moderate.

Strong, unchanging, somewhat monotonous Virginia flavors. I don't think it is cased with ketchup, but the ketchup taste is evident in every puff to the bottom of the bowl.

A month or more after opening, and 10-12 hours with the lid off to dry, and the flavor is more of a pure and sweet Virginia. Stronger, more full, than Full Virginia Flake. The spicy aroma described on the tin is similar to Perique. Not for the mild or aromatic lovers.

For McClelland, it's pretty good stuff, and very sweet. I think it is better than Full Virginia Flake (itself an overrated weed).

Update, 7 July 2010: I have received compliments from the ladies on how great this stuff smells: very pleasant if a little strong, and my wife has declared it a favorite for the room note. So I guess I will be buying more... Three stars mostly for the pleasant room note and appreciative comments from the ladies. Otherwise, it might not be in my rotation.

Smoking Blackwoods Flake is a bit like smoking 1792 Flake: one has to get past the smell first. Those like me who have little problem with tonka should have no problem with vinegar, but while tonka merges with the basic taste of 1792, vinegar competes with and distracts from the splendid taste of Blackwoods.

The red VA's lead the way for me with that tangy dark fruit sweetness and with just a touch of sweet spice. Then the black stoved VA follows. I will be honest I have not smoked a lot of VA's that have been stoved to the point of being black but I have smoked a few. It may be that I have not smoked enough of them to fully develop an understanding but I get a darker dried fruit note (or fruit juice note) from them. So think prunes instead of plumbs, cherry juice instead of cherries, etc. However, it is just that simple darker fruit note that I pick up kind of like drinking a mixed fruit juice of prune/cherry, etc. but not being able to pick out all the components without looking at the label for lack of a better way to describe what I taste. Then I get some grass and citrus that comes and goes in the background. Late in the retro-hale I get a woodsy note that also brings a slight earthy undertone to the smoke. The finish is fairly short and returns to the sweet tang of the red VA's. It is a very round and smooth smoke and smoked properly will not bite. Push this and you will pay the price and get nothing added to the flavors for your trouble. It never gets harsh or cigarette like and the nic is just at the mild to medium level. The smoke has a light creamy mouth feel placing it in the mild to medium level as well. It is not a complex smoke and the overall flavor profiles do not really develop or change throughout the bowl all that much. It is still a very well done blend and I could see picking up a match blend if one becomes available to try.

Yes, I do love this. Virginia, but well along the complexity spectrum. But when trying Dark Star, I feel like I discerned the telos. But if you want to enjoy the journey, not the destination - Blackwoods it is.