McClelland No. 105 Chocolate Mint

You can taste the grass, citrus and light dark fruit and earth from the Virginia a little, but it certainly takes a back seat to the chocolate, caramel and mint. The caramel is very mild, and the mint isn't all that strong either, though you will notice it. The chocolate takes center stage all the way through, but the flavor is rather artificial. Has very little nicotine. Won't bite. It needs some dry time, and even then, burns a tad slow with a fairly consistent flavor. Leaves some moisture in the bottom of the bowl, and needs a few relights. The after taste is okay. Not an all day smoke.

-JimInks

McClelland - No. 105 Chocolate-Mint.

I never thought I'd like this one, mint doesn't really work in pipe tobacco, for me. But as it goes it's not bad!

In the pouch the black Cavendish pieces are far coarser than the Virginia ribbons. It's smokeable fresh, but a bit too moist.

The mint is far lighter than I imagined, it gives the smoke more of a slightly 'cold' edge, rather than a frosty blast. The others have been added with a heavier hand: slightly syrupy/caramel-like, and chocolatey. At first light neither seems to outweigh the other, but after a third the chocolate easily overtakes. After an airing C.M. burns well, with a cool temperature smoke.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

Surprisingly I'll happily recommend #105:

Three stars.

I bought it searching for the thrill of the mint. Find none, or at least, perhaps its overshadowed by the chocolat topping and only very vaguely you perceive a glimpse of the freshness from the mint mentioned, for the rest it is chocolat all the way to China. The virginias act promptly after lighting and wander around your palate diverting it with its stingy bits rounded by the chocolat and moka notes. But there is not much else than this, just tonalities of the same flavour and as said beforehand the vague note of fresh mint in the back, so vaguely that you have to try hard to find it. Nevertheless it is a pleasant all day smoke and reminds me a bit of Sir Walter Raleigh with its classic yet basic taste, once again, a good blend for novices who want to distinguish tastes and dynamics without getting lost in more complex blends.

very pleasant in every way without being too 'childish'. zero tongue bite (great!). genuine tobacco flavor, no artificial/chemical taste. I sense little mint though. the chocolate/sweetness taste is subtle and classy. an all day smoke IMHO. at the end of the bowl, it develops into almost pure mild Virginia Flake flavor with much subsided sweetness, nicely done!

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Just got Mac Baren's vanilla cream and Pipeworks&Wilke's No.191 and Gramercy Park, Bleeker Street. The P&W stuff are GREAT! I will put my reviews later. Mac Baren's are good too, but a little stronger with noticeable tongue bite. McClelland's Chocolate-Mint stands well in comparison -- best taste than all above, minimal tongue bite, more complex flavor, the nose note is phenomenal! So far my most favorite. Just ordered another pound of it:-)

Ok, I may be going against the grain here with a high recommendation on this. But if you like a topped virginia this is great. Its inexpensive, has a great room note, and mild.. I also looked at the reviews for Bobs chocolate flake and Gawiths.. but because of me being a nicotine weenie I shyed away from them. As with most virginias, I tend to use a peterson P lip which directs the smoke away from the hot spot and to the roof of my mouth... This is a great Dessert tobacco and is not an all day smoke. I could not detect the mint, but the chocolate is there. And if your dieting, smoke this candy treat and stay away from the candy bars. I dont like burleys or the other aromatic burley based tobbacoss out there. My daily smoke tends to be a straight virginia like this companies 5100 so I base a lot of reviews off that benchmark. Flavored topped virginias tend to grab my interest and are a lot rarer that the burley based aromatics out there. This was not goopy and sweet, but burned pretty dry and clean. I recently did some shopping from store to store on a Saturday and had this going in the truck from place to place. Each time I reentered the truck the great room note was there and the pipe DTGed great and relite with ease.. In fact, I have left a few pipes of this laying around and found I can come back to it a day or 2 later with it still tasting great. This is not reviewed very often, and not many places stock it.But seek it out and try it.. I have 1/2 lb cellared and will keep it on hand. Mike

Part of me wants to harsh on this blend, but I cannot. You see, this is the king of "wife pleasers" in a lot of ways. Its room note is so nice that I have had people come over to compliment me on what I was smoking.

Besides the roomnote, I have to say this is the most random tobacco I have ever smoked. I have smoked a half-dozen bowls of this, and every single one of them has tasted different and had a different strength. Once, its flavor was dead on and probably the best combination I have ever had in my pipe. Once, it tasted kind of like "sour plastic" (whatever that means, it just came to mind). I have never gotten a buzz off of this one, but it makes a good work pipe. It has enough nic to relax me on stressful days, and is pleasant for those around me.

It has an annoying tendency to not stay lit for more than five-ten minutes. It also feels moist after drying for a couple of weeks, which probably does not bode well for the topping they used in this one. I would recommend using a pipe that you are fine with taking a little splatter.

If you are an aromatic lover, or are looking for blend to smoke around people who are want to complain, this might be a great blend for you.

This tobacco reminds me of a chocolate ice cream pie: sweet and flavorful but still rich and full (for a desert, that is). Another mild, high-quality aromatic, this is nothing like the goopy drugstore crap that is so common in America. The smell in the bag is very nice, strongly chocolate/caramel and sweet; I only notice mint if I inhale deeply. The tobacco is very dark, 90% black and 10% brown in a medium cut. The moisture level is high, as is common with McClelland tobaccos, but not as high as Frog Morton in a freshly opened tin. It packs well and lights easily, requiring an average number of relights during a bowl. I first tried this blend in a Kaywoodie billiard I reserve for aromatics. For the first third, the casing is very strong, a rich flavor of dark chocolate and caramel with just a hint of mint in the background. There is quite a bit of sweetness as well, much of it obviously coming from the tobacco. There is no bite; as with #705, this is a very mild, smooth smoke. Moving into the second third of the bowl, the casing is more muted though still the dominating flavor. The best way to describe the taste is rich, sweet chocolate/caramel with mild tobacco base. I can't imagine this blend ever biting, and there is no problem with moisture up to now. The room aroma is very pleasant; I've gotten several compliments about this. For an aromatic, the casing's flavor is surprisingly rich and full. On to the final third already; this smokes very quickly. The chocolate/caramel/mint flavor is still the main note by a wide margin. The taste is one-dimensional, but in a GOOD way; I'd have to smoke a lot of this to get tired of it. Just don't expect a subtle, complex, natural tobacco taste! There is a bit of a gurgle at the end, taken care of nicely by a single pipe cleaner. Despite the slight moisture, I'm in the ashes before I know it. Overall, this blend is almost identical to #705, with chocolate mint instead of nut liquor for flavor. A nice, light, smooth treat that is easy to go through a lot of without noticing. If your mouth is crisped from a heavyweight bout with that Virginia flake, this will give it a nice break and time to heal. I'll continue to enjoy this as a once-in-a-while change of pace from my usual natural blends, or as a late night snack after a long day of smoking.

Not sure I understand the name Chocolate Mint. I get little or no chocolate nor any mint in this blend. There is some fruity flavor but very little. It is not a bad smoke but the name is very misleading.

McClelland Bulk No. 105 - Chocolate Mint

Star Rating = 3

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst

Pouch Note = 7

Room Note = 7

Flavor = 7

Bite = 8

Burn = 8

After Taste = 7

Raw Score = 44

Rated Percentage = 73%

Comment = Smooth, Mild, Mellow, No Chocolate or Mint Pouch Note or Flavor, slight chocky After Taste

I love this stuff. The mint is detectable easily to me, the chocolate is less discernible. I really enjoy the light mint flavor. This could work as an all-day smoke for me. It can be coaxed to bite IF smoked very aggressively, but under normal puffing is very gentle and friendly, with no bite. As aforementioned in another review, it still tastes good when re-lighting a bowl half-smoked and left a while or forgotten.

At less than $5 for 2 oz., this stuff is a bargain and might possibly become my stand-by smoke.

REVISED: i hate this stuff - after over-smoking it, the flavors of moss and mouthrot overcame me...i jettisoned what else i had to my landlord who favors most anything. apologies for my previous overly favorable review. i became sickened with this blend and could not relive my pipes of it soon enough.