McClelland No. 2015 Virginia Perique Flake

04/09/2014 - My last batch of 2015 had wayyy too much Perique for me. It was spicy like those 10,000 times hotter than hell hot sauces, you know the ones with a mushroom cloud or the words "death" etc. I know I got a bad batch (or good if you really like Perique) but raising my rating to 4 stars since my aged batch which I had to dip into is absolutely divine!

8/3/2004 - I have waited awhile to review 2015. I wanted to get a real good feel for it. After smoking a pound, i find i like my Kind Eider better. The leaf is a better quality in that it has no sticks and the flakes are larger for a bulk blend. They are almost similar but the 2015 has more of a tangy sweet and sour sauce taste and i prefer the slightly smoother King Eider.

Hands down if i had no other tobacco i would be very content to smoke 2015! Good stuff in its own right.

Yum!

There are precious few Virginia/Perique blends that are as consistent and well balanced as 2015.

The Perique adds just the right amount of peppery goodness without being overbearing. The Virginias integrate beautifully into this blend and provide a beautiful base to this mixture.

This is a bulk blend that stacks up head to head with any tinned blend of any kind.

It can be found at many B&Ms as well as over the Internet at excellent prices. It's hard to find something wrong with this picture!

I'll keep this short and sweet. Let me just echo the positive reviews from above. I like St. James Woods from McC as well, but this is a bit softer and tends to have less bite, while still maintaining a deliciousness that I have found in few other tobaks.

A bit of aging (6 months or more), and a little drying will make this favorite of mine all the better.

Price is right, taste is good, bite is small, wehat more could you want?

This tobacco is a great mix of Viginia and Perique, sweet with just a bit of spicyness from the Perique. The smell of the unburned tobacco smells like a cross between Ovaltine and rasins, but not as sweet as either of those. The tobacco burns cool for a Virginia and quite slowly. This is a tobacco to take your time with. Don't rush it and you will be well rewarded. It burns right down to the heel with no relights and only occasional tamping. I've never been bitten by this tobacco, but when smoking I always keep in mind that this is a Virginia and will bite if you smoke it too hot. This tobacco lends itself well to Autumn nights with a cup of coffee.

Another great tobacco from McClelland. Similar in taste to 5100 with a bit more. This one must be smoked slow to appreciate the variety of flavors. It doesn't tend to smoke hot, but can do so if pushed. Once again, for the economy and quality it's hard to beat.

Great value from Mclells with this aged one. Nice brown/red mash of flakes & broken bits, Fine straight from the bag, although as with all in their press-aged VA line some cunning flame-work is required. Taste is quite woodsy & zesty, though not complex, but for those who savor such tastes such as myself - who cares. A bit of a nose tickler 'cos of the perique. Been going down very well lately with my evening Bourbons.

Another winner from McClelland in a natural smoke. No casings here just great brown VAs intermixed with some lighter birdseyes and with just enough Perique to result in a well balanced blend and a pleasant experience. I don't even bother to rub out the nicely pressed flake which results in a long, mild, even, cool smoke. The intial taste is semi-sweet but light bodied. The woodsy undertones of the Perique become more evident but remain subtle until near the bottom of the bowl when more spiciness develops. I thought that it smoked a bit wet in various bowl sizes, but with my next receipt, I'll try to dry the tobacco some since I feel the intial moisture content of this batch was > needed. I find the medium strength to be ideal for an all day smoke but switch to a stronger blend after dinner.

This is a light VAPER which seems to be well balanced, but due to a lesser than assertive flavor this begs comparison to other more robust fulfilling blends in my mind. This is a so-so one for me, but not unpleasant to smoke. I finished my portion, though won't purchase this again. Body is medium, smokes well once lit, few relights and a light clean flavor once finished. This just didn't fill me up, didn't quite satisfy, left me longing for another bowl, unfortunately not a bowl of the same. 2 stars..sorry 2015. TCJLY

I'm still a rather novice VA smoker. Less than one year, of thirty plus, smoking pipe. I've found some excellent ones, awful ones & not awful but ONE-TIME trials. I always smoke ( or try to ) about 2oz before forming an opinion. Since I'm truly not a Perique fan, I didn't make it through all 2 ozs, as this was way too peppery for my 'buds'. I'll say it packs well, lights very well, and smells pretty good in the pouch/jar. But, I'll not deprive others and move on.