McClelland British Woods

Ahh Barry Levin, without you, where would we have been. One of the few good English Blends McClelland produces, this is no heavyweight. The taste is good and satisfying, and reminds me of walking in the woods on a fall day. It has a kind of burning honeyed muskiness underlying the smoky acidity of the latakia and Macedonian tobaccos. The overall smoke, though, is fairly light and light on the nicotine. A great all dayer, a good second stage for the English novice.

Well, well.

Something was missing from that one, a blend that wants to be sort of a balkan mixture rather than an english, but somehow, it missed the spot.

Not a bad tobacco, quality wise, quite the contrary, no ketchup smell, a rather dark bakkie, long broken flake.

I don't know, but it seems like the different bakkies weren't melting in together on the good note, I guess...

I might try it again, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Many of the reviewers have noted that upon opening, the blend was quite moist-I am no exception. After a couple of wet bowls, I let it air out a bit before embarking on it again. There are no nuances as one smokes down the length of the bowl. Pretty much what you taste in the beginning, is what you taste at the end. I find it to be a "nice smoke," smooth and gentle. Maybe a little too gentle, (my everyday is Kendal's Dark Shag). Due to the inclusion of Stoved Virginia, this blend to me is sort of, a "beginners english blend." Mind you, I am not stating that as a put-down of either the blend, or those that enjoy stoved virginia. It is just that for myself, this blend is o.k., nothing I would look forward to "kicking-back" and experiencing. I good smoke for puttering around the workshop or yard.

On a few occaisions I have recommeded this blend as a first try for an English. This is a well balanced English without a Latakia smack you in the face left hook. The tin aroma to me is musty, moisture content a little too high so a little dry time is needed. But, too dry and British woods looses character. British Woods is fairly easy to load up. Light, tamp and re-light, and away you go. Personally I do not find the taste of any topping. This blend has a sweetness to it along with the woodsy nature of the Latakia, very nice.

I can't add much to what's already been said but this tobacco is an excellent English style blend. It's unique in that there is a little sweetness in it, but the latakia (is it Syrian?) is greatly present and has an incense like aroma when burning. I dry this and all tobacco quite a bit and it smokes cooler that way. It does require a few relights but so do most blends. I'm almost finished with a 100g tin which is from 2006. I have two more tins which are several years old which may be better yet. Although I'm not really sure they would smoke any cooler that this recent tin. Don't be put off by the slight sweetness as it helps to give this blend it's unique character and separates it from traditional English blends, which are all made in Germany and Denmark these days!

Maybe I'm partial to slightly sweet latakia blends, but I really liked this tobacco. It smells great, lights and burns well, and the taste is rich latakia, yet with sweet undertones. I could smoke this all day, anytime of the year.

Another tobacco I hoard. It is a bit expensive and almost as pleasing as G.L. Pease Blackpoint. Wish I had a cellar full of either. Highly recommended for fans of English-type blends.08/06/2004

06/09/2006. Not one I smoke any longer. A little too "Frog Morton-ish" for my tastebuds these days.

An excellent blend to get to know English-type mixtures without the too-heavy Latakia of most.

For this review, my sample was aged a little over 1.5 years ? it seems that is about as long as I can bear to wait these days. To the touch, it was just a little wet for my tastes, so I let it dry before my first try.

A nice balance between the tobaccos - I don't particularly like a heavy?handed use of spicy tobaccos, and BW maintains a good balance throughout the smoke; a rounded balance without any sharp edges. Even though I categorize BW as medium English, it does have a lot of flavor which intensifies towards the bottom of the bowl.

This is a wonderful all-day smoke. It demands little, yet provides a very good tobacco experience. It is not overpowering. It has no great nicotine hit (But I do consider Night Cap to be just above the line separating the strong from the weak). It doesn?t bite; simply easy going and flavorful. The latakia is present, but nothing that overpowers ? my favorite McClelland blend.

Sometimes I want/need to be pounded, and in times of such need I reach for G&H Kendal's Dark Shag. Other times, something more subtle is in order and that's the time for BW.

Before the tin was ½ empty, I ordered more from the folks at Stafford & Jones Tobacconist, Richardson, TX. (That and another tin of Squadron Leader!)

Of the many McClelland latakia-focused blends, British Woods is at the top; this blend may be the most robust and well-balanced among the lot, though it is still characteristically a bit weak and a bit too sweet. And among those blends, though, this is the one I am most likely to keep in rotation.