Tobaccos Butera - Dark Stoved (Royal Vintage)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2014-06-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Dark black and thick flakes with some brownish overtones. Rather wet fresh out of the tin. I took one look and thought to myself that I'd better get the microwave going, as I do with Dark Star and 2035 from McClellands. This looked identical. But comparing it directly to Dark Star, it's a bit darker in color and has a slightly tangier tin aroma. So I first simply dried out the flakes for a couple of hours and loaded. The leathery flakes were almost rubbery at the start but became less pliable. Dry Virginia is good Virginia.

Surprisingly, I did not need to bake this stuff to get it to smoke. I did crumble up some for top kindling and, while it needed more than a few relights, it did quite nicely. This is a bonus, because no matter what else I do to Dark Star, the 10 second microwave is necessary. Taste-wise, this is tangy as you would expect and also has some interesting flavors such as creamed coffee and dark fruit. The sweetness was there, but not over-intrusive like some lemon Virginias are (this one starts out as a lemon). Fairly high in complexity but also had a constant base - sort of like a mimimalist music piece with the overtones being the complexity while the actual notes provide the stability.

Comparisons to Dark Star are unavoidable but, smoked back to back, I prefer this one. Dark Star tasted excellent but was fairly monochrome, while Dark Stoved had a similarly excellent flavor but provided some variations. Both are worth a try, but I think I'm going with this one. Butera's vision with McClellands raw materials and execution definitely produces a lot more hits than misses. This one is a hit.

Pipe Used: meerschaum and morta

Age When Smoked: 3 years

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3049)	2015-08-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The “vinegar” goes away after a few puffs. The stoved lemon Virginia has a multiplicity of flavors: very tart and tangy citrus, some wood and earth, light spice, mild grassiness, and fermented sweet dark fruit (figs, raisins, dates, plums) that dominates the blend. There is a slight acidity as well, but it doesn't interfere with the experience. Needs a bit of dry time, and even then, will burn slow, wet and leaves moisture in your bowl. Expect to devote time to keeping it lit. I experienced no bite, but the spice did play on my taste buds a little, but in a modest way. The taste is a step or two short of medium. The nic-hit is just short of the center of mild to medium, thought the strength level sits squarely on that mark. The medium sweet and mildly savory flavor is very consistent to start to finish, and has a very pleasant after taste. The room note is pleasant to tolerable, and not always appreciated by women. Not quite an all day smoke. Three and a half stars because of the abundance of moisture.

-JimInks

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2006-03-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Appearance: Small somewhat thick flakes, uniform dark brown in color. Just like McC Dark Star (which is a close cousin, IMHO.

Aroma: Some of the McC vinegar upon first opening, which goes away after a few days. Then you have the smokey/sweet smell of the heavily stoved Va.

Packing: Usually needed to be somewhat broken up for easy packing, but NOT fully rubbed out. When rubbed out, it loses flavor in the pipe. (Again, like DS)

Lighting: Slowly, needs two matches for a good charring light. Initial flavor: A tad sharp at first light, then tones down into a mélange of tastes. There is a wide range of high and low notes, characteristic of a stove lemon Virginia. Less dramatic than Dark Star, but also less tempermental.

Mid-bowl: Lovely complexity of flavors when enjoyed slowly. When puffed too quickly, only the high notes come through, and the pipe will smoke wetter. Relax and enjoy.

Finish: Just a little stronger at the end of the bowl. When enjoyed slowly, there will be nothing but ash in a dry pipe.

Summary: I think it?s enjoyable any time of day, under the right condition. Absolutely perfect for an evening companion.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-03-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Used my food chopper to turn this into BB sized pellets and dried completely. Requires about three to four lights to get it going and then it burns very well after that. Very tangy, more sour than sweet, spicy, fruity with some coffee notes. The deeper into the bowl you get the darker and deeper the flavors. This is an outstanding smoke in both briar and cob, but in a clay it's pure heaven. The flavors in a clay are clearer and crisper. I'll relegate this flake to clays only. The small bowl on my 6" Dutch Gouda is perfect for a 45 minute smoke. This flake is absolutely delightful.

Medium in body. Medium in taste. No added flavorings detected. Burns well when properly processed.

Pipe Used: Savinelli B'Dog, MM Morgan, Dutch Gouda

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2002-04-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Deeply stoved and rich, Dark Stoved will provide a flavor and strength blast that is appreciated by fast Virginia puffers as it has no bite. Another nice blend in the Butera Royal Vintage line-up!

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2001-07-19		Strong	None Detected	Full	Pleasant

Cut to flake form, Dark Stoved offers a maze of diverse tastes...from tart and spicy, through smooth and mellow... [From the tin]

Complexity is the current vogue word in tobacco æsthetics. Whatever it might mean, "a maze of diverse tastes" is not a phrase I would normally associate with virginia flake. In his classic little book, The Gentle Art of Smoking (London, Max Reinhardt, 1954), Alfred Dunhill says [p. 133]:

An Empire 'flake' or 'Navy Cut' which serves as an adequate tobacco during the day may...seem a little flat and dull in the evening.

Which is not to say that well-made virginia flake, using quality leaf, is not an eminently pleasant—albeit not very "complex"—smoke.

Royal Vintage Dark Stoved is precisely such. I could best compare it to a strong cup of the best Arabiga coffee, abundantly, but not excessively, sugared. It is plummy, but never cloying; smoother and creamier than S. Gawith & Co.'s Full Virginia Flake, which, conversely, is darker and smokier, and certainly less rich, than Dark Stoved. Nor do I become dizzy and queasy from smoking Dark Stoved, as I can with St Bruno.

I normally cut flakes width-wise, with small scissors; a kind of cube-cut that burns slowly and cooly. This is not possible with Dark Stoved, because it is not presented in the neatly-sliced, whole-plug, format. The flakes are heaped, helter-skelter, in the tin, and are often partially broken. So I just took a pinch, crumbled it in my hand, and stuffed it into a mid-sized dublin. Once lit, which took some perseverance, it burned richly and smoothly to the proverbial fine white ash. Very nice indeed.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	steppx (186)	2017-02-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

a very good almost black flake. This is NOT Dark Star (and if you think that you need more education in tobacco). It bears comparison though with a number of Virginia flakes, including Dark Star and Blackwoods flake. Astelys#44 also, and even Wessex Campaign .....they are all on a spectrum of comparitive stoved-ness. (so to speak). This is predictably moist but not nearly as hard to keep lit as DS....and once lit it stays lit better than any McClellends flake I can think of. its curious to read negative reviews of this. I mean, its a straight stoved Virginia flake...what did you expect? As such, its very rich and very smooth. Smokes cool and has a moderate range of flavors. All the usual figgy and autumnal qualities are here, and a bit more sweetness than I expected. All told its a very very good flake. Nic hit is mild plus a notch. One might wish for more in that respect. I found blackwoods flake and Pebblecut and FVF to have more nic....and even macbarens virginia flake has more. But there IS some.....just not a lot. But in flavor, this is one of the best virginia flakes you can find. All told very good stuff.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2007-10-12		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

The tin aroma of these hard-pressed, dense and oily flakes is fermented and spicy with rich cocoa notes.

Often compared to Dark Star, that tobacco's flavors of grape must and roasted nuts are here, though there is a bit less of the fruit character and more emphasis on the mellow, roasted flavors. The caramelized sweetness is deep and rich.

Overall, this is in the same vein as Dark Star. The broad flavor profiles are rather similar, though the balance is slightly different. With a touch less focus on the fruit tones than Dark Star, Dark Stoved becomes a more reserved and meandering smoke and perhaps even a bit more sophisticated and contemplative. Taken on it's own merits, this is a rewarding and worthwhile experience. This goes best in narrow gauge chambers.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2082)	2016-12-30		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Butera - Dark Stoved (Royal Vintage).

The appearance of Dark Stoved is quite unique as it's not strictly a whole flake, nor is it in broken flake form; it looks like dark 'shards' of flake. The moistness of my tin is spot on, but the flakes are quite firm, making them difficult to crumble.

The smoke has a deep/dark fruitiness to it, not the bright citrus flavour that one would normally get from a straight Va. There's also a small touch of molasses. Dark Stoved burns well, and as it does the molasses-sweetness becomes slightly stronger; I'm not talking about a cased flavour but a very mature, rich, natural one. If I'm not careful with my puffing Dark Stoved can be a bit uncomfortable with tongue bite, so I use a gentle technique with it. The smoke D.S. gives off is quite thick, and relatively cool in temperature.

The nicotine's less than medium and the room-note's only tolerable at best.

I'm sure lots of folks will love this, but I don't rate it with any more than two stars.

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Roma Lucite 614 Oom Paul

Age When Smoked: Three months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2009-08-05		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very similar to Dark Star, and still much better. Less vinegar casing, a bit more sweet, more complex and with a deeper taste. Golden Cake is my favorite from this series, but this one's very enjoyable smoke.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RMBittner (66)	2009-01-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'll keep this brief: A delicious, heavily stoved flake that is quite sweet and mild, releasing occasional hints of lemon and butter -- and much more frequent hints of fine tobacco!

Although this is, in many ways, Dark Star's twin, I found Dark-Stoved to be much easier to break up and keep lit in the bowl. If I had to choose between the two, I would probably favor Dark-Stoved for its "ease of use."

My review is based on a 5-year-old tin.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2006-02-25		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I make it point to try everything that is blended by McClelland. They are masters of the Virginia flake, without question. I have come to the conclusion that mouth chemistry plays a large role when I see so many oposing reviews. I swap tobacco with several VA lovers, which allows me to sample blends along with them and then compare notes. I found that the proportion of "love it or hate it" between my friends was very similar to what I found here.

I found this blend very enjoyable. A bit of a chore to rub out, but it burned slow and long. The gentleman that sent the sample has very similar tastes as mine, but absolutely hated this blend. We both enjoy Darkstar and 2035, but our opinions differed greatly with this blend.

I recommend giving it a try. If you don't like it, I'm almost positive you will find someone who does. Such is the wonder and joy of our glorious hobby (obsession).

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Uban (60)	2005-10-12		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This seems to be a love-or-hate smoke. I wonder, honestly, how much it has to do with the pipe? I smoke this 'blend' in a small bent plateau freehand by Walt Cannoy which has never had anything but Va flakes in it. It comes off in this pipe as somewhat 'monochromatic,' not being a complex flavor at all, but very smooth and mild. It is only a tiny bit sweet, still it has the distinct taste of the dark Vas that everyone else mentioned. It reminds me of the woodsy, haylike, field-of-wheat descriptions that apparently mean we all know what we are talking about here. It does NOT taste of vanilla, raspberries, leather, chocolate, or anything else. It tastes like good straight Virginia, well stoved and nicely cured. Four stars.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stefanos (222)	2017-03-27		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Tin aroma is very pungent, tangy and vinegary. A strong McClelland odor I would say. But very very pleasing to me. The flakes are pitch black and highly compressed, so they won’t peel off to ribbons but rather break with rubbing. Loading and lighting is easy and it keeps lit while burning slow and evenly.

When smoked aromas of burnt caramel, leather, black pepper, smoky wood came to me. Even the vinegary aroma comes through, at least in the beginning, a thing that is not always the case with McClelland’s tobaccos. Overall it is pungent with some sourness but there is plenty of supporting sweetness but towards the end it becomes more mellow, earthy, nutty and sweet-spicy.

Dark Stoved is a fantastic, complex tobacco. It’s also strong but never crosses the threshold of being unpleasantly so. In any case I cannot imagine it being an all-day tobacco for me, it has to be an occasional treat. I believe it is a tobacco that will benefit from ageing.

I have never tasted Samuel Gawith’s Lakeland Dark, but Dark Stoved has similarities with 1792 without the tonquin. However it’s not as strong and behaves better.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lbarraa (29)	2016-08-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

Nice dark stoved broken flake. Mild virginia blend, tasty and cool burning. Plum and currant flavors, easy to ligth. Need to be rubbed before packing. None of the Classic McClelland's ketchup aroma.Good for a brunch pipe. Maybe a little plain.

Pipe Used: Briar differents sizes

Age When Smoked: 4 years

Purchased From: Ebay

Similar Blends: Gawith, Hoggarth & Co. - Best Brown Unscented , J. F. Germain & Son - Germain's Brown Flake, McClelland - Dark Star (Personal Reserve), McClelland - No. 2035 Dark Navy Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fmjiii (18)	2014-10-08		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Butera Dark Stoved (Royal Vintage) tobacco is the prefect collaboration between pipe carver Michael Butera and the McClelland Tobacco Company.

Tin aroma was McClelland’s signature aroma vinegary/ketchup but goes away in a few days.

Dark Stoved look very similar in color, feel and appearance as McClelland Dark Star. It is somewhat of a chore to pack and light, in the bowl Dark Stoved offers an overall sweet smoke with occasional notes of fig, dark chocolate, and wood. Once lit, it burned richly and smoothly to a fine white ash. As it gets going the sweet vs sour tastes are fun to play with. Enjoyable any time of day. I have several more tins set aside to age. I recommend it highly.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: 2 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-08-25		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

If you want the prep work and attitude of Full Virginia Flake without any of the promise of reward, then this flake's for you.

For all you tobacco tinkerers out there, when FVF just gets too easy and monotonous, when you want to spend even more time *#%ing with your tobacco for an even more ambiguous payback, grab some of this and knock yourself out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zulujerk (146)	2012-08-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I was a bit miffed when I opened my tin of Dark Stoved. I wasn't aware that the blend was made by McClelland, and was shocked to find that I had ordered a simple rebranding of Dark Star. So let's see, there's Dark Star, 2035, and now Dark Stoved. Am I missing any?

Judging by the inability to find any Pelican or Kingfisher, and the overwhelming availability of Royal Vintage, it's obvious what people really want. It's simply unnecessary to rebrand an endless array of McClelland blends when people are pining for something more native to the Butera name. That's not an insult to McClelland, they make many fine blends.

So how about devising something more derivative of the Pelican and Kingfisher formula? Or increasing the supply? If I wanted to purchase McClelland blends, then I would. Can't you people be a bit more creative?

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Davetopay (43)	2010-05-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Tolerable

Dark ain't a lie! When I popped this open a while back, it was a catsup bomb, but some time has mellowed that note. ( Yes it is packed/blended by McC) In fact now when I open the tin to fill a bowl it reminds me of A1, or wochestershire sauce. The flakes themselves are smaller chunks and slightly broken. They are black. Black like death. Tarry like a New York roof top in July, and just as black. Some have noted the moisture content, but I think this stuff may just be oily. It leaves your fingers resiny, not goopy like PG, but slightly oily to the touch. I found it does its best work in a medium to large bowl and when rubbed out to the point of crumbs. I had a hard time getting it lit as larger flakes. Flavor wise, it starts off for me a a very tangy, slightly sour, and heavy smoke. As it gets going the sweet vs sour tastes are fun to play with. About midway through the bowl it brightens up a bit and you hit the classic VA buttery, oaky, baking bread and cookies portion of the ride. At the bottom third it gets dark and heavy again. Gaining in bitterness(not in a bad way), building strength, and taking on a very tanic feel. All in all it is neat stuff that VA nerds need to try. I get the feeling that many people don't know about it as the tin I bought recently was from 2005! Happy Puffing! __________________

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SeoulSister (37)	2016-07-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I wanted to try Dark Stoved because I really like McClelland Virginia tobaccos. I smoked it quite dry, cut into small pieces. Even with that, I still had some difficulty keeping it lit. It started off a little grassy and hay like. It was also quite tangy with some spice into the bowl. It was less sweet than I prefer compared to other McC blends that I prefer. There is no bite at all but in the last half of the bowl, it made my tongue a little leathery. This blend didn't capture my interest because as the bowl progressed it gave off a flavor that was less than I had hoped for mainly because, being stoved it didn't offer the sweetness that I really like from one of my favorites, St James Woods. Although St. James Woods is stoved too, the lack of red Virginia found in St James Woods separates this from being a winner for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (318)	2014-09-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

On the plus side, if you think you might enjoy dark stoved VAs, this might be a good one for many to try. Milder, even a bit generic, than many other similar blends and fairly uncomplex, this could give the smoker a sense of what dark stoved are like without being overwhelming. On the other hand, this tobacco bit me hard, which is rare for any VA. The generic uncomplexity might have had me wavering between a 2 and a 3, but the bite brings it easily down to a 2 for me.

Pipe Used: various briars & cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: pipes & cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-09-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This morning I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and could not sleep. I read a lot in the forums and got my kids off to school at 6:40. I came home feeling adventurous. Having been gifted 14 tins of tobacco yesterday, I had a whole new world of tobacco to choose from so I looked the tins over and saw this one: Butera's Royal Vintage Dark Stoved. Never heard of the brand. Upon further investigation I discovered it to be made by The McClelland Tobacco Company. It sounded interesting.

Pickled tobacco??? This I had to try, so I cracked the tin to find It full of 1x2", slightly broken slices of dark reddish black flake. The smell was that of Perique on steroids. Way more of a vinegary, Ketchup smell, yet appealing. I pulled 2 of the slices out and prepared them in the cube cut method and loaded my Savinell Long John. It took 3 char lights to get it ready for the true light and you could very much taste the ketchup flavor come through but it was smokey and nice.

True light: Very much the same as the char light only very heavy with a tangy, almost Perique note as the main component. There was also a slight sweetness that came through. Maybe a hint of leather too. As I got into the heart of the bowl the sweetness came out more and more but was far from sweet like the typical Virginia. The tangy flavor still took center stage and continued to take center stage throughout the whole bowl.. I wish I could be more descriptive but it is certainly its own flavor. I can't think of anything to compare it to other than A really strong Perique but a lot more sour and tangy and less spicy. You could tell you were smoking a Virginia, but it was way in the background. You could also tell it was a Virginia in a subtle way by the way the smoke felt on your tongue. It was making my mouth water excessively. I had to stop smoking several times to wipe my stem.lol

The end of the bowl took on a little different flavor. The components all kind of ran together. It was more mild on the tang and you could tell you were smoking a Virginia even more except it was still not very sweet. It calmed down and finished a lot like most other Virginias I have smoked. I was surprised that it smoked really cool and dry. I am going to cellar the remainder of the tin till I get a more refined taste. It was enjoyable, but in the same way an amusement park is enjoyable. Its great to go to every once in awhile, but not an every day thing. I would recommend it as something to at least try.

I know this has been a bit of a confusing review, but its a very complex smoke and I'm a very new smoker. Happy smoking!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beaupipe (102)	2011-11-30		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Dark Stoved is mild but interesting stuff. It's a black broken flake with a few little lighter strands evident when it gets rubbed out. The tin aroma combines the familiar high-toned sourness of a McClelland Virginia with some very appealing Christmas cake scents—dried fruits, spiced plums, that kind of thing. I'm a sucker for those nostalgia-inducing smells, by the way, so whatever positive comments emerge from this review may be have been twisted out of me by that collection of aromas.

When Dark Stoved is good, it's very good. The tin aromas come through nicely in the smoke and I'm reminded of plum pudding with brandy-spiked hard sauce. That's a pretty impressive aromatic complex for a tobacco that claims to be pure, stoved Virginia.

But this is also a fussy tobacco. The first bowl I smoked wasn't dry enough and I was left with a hot, tasteless smoke that almost had me throwing in the towel. Slower smoking and proper drying are essential for all Virginias, but I think Dark Stoved could act as the yardstick for that advice. Throw this at a new smoker interested in Virginias and tell him to come back when he's getting nice smokes from it. I completely understand those reviewers who complain that this is nothing but hot air or that it's tasteless. I had a few smokes that confirmed those comments.

But I've also had some very nice smokes, especially toward the bottom of the tin I jarred up a couple of years ago. Consistency is important, of course. But I'm going to rate this based on the best bowls it gave me, not on the worst.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-06-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Comprised of light black to very dark brown shiny broken flakes, the tin nose is sharp with the signature McClelland aroma of vinegar with sweet and woody undertones. Thick, leathery, and none too pliable the flakes are tinned quite moist and require careful preparation. Something of a chore to pack and light, in the the bowl Dark Stoved offers an overall sweet smoke with occasional notes of fig, dark chocolate, and wood. A bit of tangy sourness appears now and again as does some spice. Mild to medium bodied, the finish is short and dry.

As far as American stoved Virginias go, Butera's Royal Vintage Dark Stoved is an offering in the same vein as McClelland's Dark Star, although much lighter and less complex. The sample on which this review is based was tinned about three years prior to opening. While not unpleasant Dark Stoved is certainly not among the best in class nor is it a particularly noteworthy smoking tobacco in general.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2008-08-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A solid Virginia flake similar to Dark Star. The flavor is deep and complex. I will be smoking more of this for sure.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-05-23		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I was enticed by the tin description, and it was the last tin at the shop where I bought it. In a word: horrible! It's especially hard to imagine because this is a Butera/McClelland collaboration. (I know you're gloating, but shut up, Miciu!) The flakes, black as pitch, do not have any of the characteristic sweetness and complexity of McC's Dark Star. The slices are hard to rub out and they're slick and even a bit soggy, like damp leather. You have to wind up cutting the flakes into little cubes or strips. It's impossible to light this stuff and even more impossible to stay lit; I went through a half book of matches. A 'multi-dimensional array of flavors?' Give me a break; the taste was hot, burned my tongue immediately and was gummy in the bowl. I believe this stuff wasn't cured, it was boiled like pasta. I wound up emptying the bowl and throwing this crap out. I can't even describe the flavor or the lack thereof. It's just hot, stoved exhaust. I'll try drying this out for a few days, though I doubt it will help. This is a bad item that Butera should have enough sense to no longer market. I suppose we're all entitled to a flop. Try the other Buteras, such as Latakia 1 or 2, his Esoterica line, or go for McC's Dark Star if you want a heavily blackened dark Virginia flake with multi-dimensional flavor and bouquet. Avoid Dark Stoved at all cost. I agree with Pipestud on this one: yechhhhhhhh!

Zero of Five stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-04-07		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Dark Star is a favorite of mine. Even though I don't always have a tin of it open, there's always some in the cellar. However, Dark Star is not always the appropriate choice for me when it comes to stoved VAs. The flake can come off a little too bold, too zesty or tangy -- a little overbearing in the flavor department. This of course depends on my mood, time fo day, what I've eaten, the pipe it's in, and other variables that are unique to the smoker.

When the mood calls for a silky, buttery finish but with just a little less in the all-out flavor and mouthfeel adventure that is Dark Star, Butera Royal Vintage Dark Stoved is the ticket. Butera's flake is just toned down a bit. It's an excellent, breezy smoke that is still full of flavor and interest.

When you feel like Dark Star might be a bit much, reach for this instead. Save the Dark Star for a more suitable moment.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-12-18		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Butera?s Royal Vintage Dark Stoved tobacco is the product of a collaboration between pipe carver Michael Butera and the McClelland Tobacco Company.

The initial tin aroma has an acidic characteristic that is a good indication that this blend was indeed produced by McClelland. The aroma in itself is dark and tangy with a spicy background. This blend is simply a deeply stoved lemon Virginia leaf. The basic color of this tobacco is dark with lighter shades distributed randomly throughout. The tobacco contains a fairly large amount of sugar crystals.

The cut of Dark Stoved is a rather ragged medium-thick flake cut. Dark Stoved tends to rub out easier than its flake counterparts such as Dark Star. No real tearing is needed. The initial moisture is medium-high and removal of some of this moisture improves the qualities of the smoke.

If dried properly, Royal Vintage Dark Stoved lights fairly well and has a slow, consistent, and mostly complete burn. The burn spreads quite well. The room note is similar in many respects to the average dark stoved Virginia blend in that it is strong but pleasant.

The taste of Dark Stoved is dark, tangy, and slightly spicy. This flavor becomes less tart, sweeter, and creamier as the smoke progresses. The bite can be considerable but if the flakes are brought to the correct moisture level, and the blend is smoked slow and smoothly, than the bite can be minimized a good deal. The smoke given off is smooth and medium thick.

Butera?s Royal Vintage Dark Stoved is very similar to McClelland?s Dark Star although it seems slightly less refined and not as complex in flavor. Dark Stoved is of a high quality tobacco and is a pleasant rendition of a stoved Virginia blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2004-10-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This was recommended to me by someone who knows that McClelland Dark Star is one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, it isn't in the same league.

As Beer says, this is obviously a McClelland product. But the beauty of Dark Star is the combination of zesty/tangy, leathery, sweet, savory, caramel/toasty and rich elements, all combined in perfect balance. Dark Stoved lacks this balance, having none of the darker tones. Like a tannic red wine with no follow-through. There is no pay-off. It also bites the tongue. With Dark Star, Blackwoods Flake and 2035 available, I don't see any need to keep this around.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-09-01		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Well, well, you can't even remotely think that this isn't a McClelland, from the tin shape to the smell after opening (dried plums with some of that "vinegary" trace). This one is very similar to Dark Star, but a bit less dark and leathery, more chocolatey. The slices of flake rub out quite easily, and exhibit some moisture (nothing to worry about, though). Taste is quite consistent from beginning to end: a subtle, dark, slightly fruity experience which requires calm and patience. First, not to be scorched, but also to appreciate all the nuances: it is not a very strong blend (neither taste-wise nor nicotine-wise). To my taste is similar to a cross between Dark Star and Orlick Dark Strong Kentucky. Towards the end some very pleasant chocolate notes start to become more and more evident. A very fine tobacco, ideal for an evening smoke: a group 5 bowl of this can last me 75-80 minutes.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JSB (6)	2004-04-21		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

When I first opened the tin of this tobacco the sour aroma was overwhelming but this aroma did not overpower the flavor .this was one of the coolest smoking tobaccos I have tried in a long time. There was only a slight sour taste and aroma wile smoking. The flavor was consistent throughout the entire bowl, this has quickly become one of my favorite blends and I highly recommend this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-03-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I've only had one bowl of this so far and that was in a Castello that seems to like any Virginia but if first impressions mean anything this is one pleasant blend.

The flake texture reminds one of Dark Star or 2035. That is to say the flake could be used to repair worn shoe soles. Upon rubbing out and lighting the taste is very refined for a Va. This is something that could be smoked with very little thought but doing so is going to mean that one misses a lot of subtle tastes. All in all this is a great choice to introduce someone to Va. blends or for the seasoned smoker looking for an all around good smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Voyaging (80)	2019-02-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The flake are broken and chunky (and quite hard too), and quite moist, but beautifully dark. The smell is like dried fruit, vinegar-like, and sweet. It doesn't have that ketchup smell most people talk about, to me.

It doesn't take the flame that easily, needs quite a few relights, which I find, makes you eventually burn out the taste of the tobacco because you just have to keep subjecting the tobacco to so much heat. The flakes are so chunky, and trying to rub it out leaves you with something that isn't flexible to be packed and burned easily. They're like chips and chunks. The flavor I did manage to get leaned on fruit notes, bread notes, and vinegar- very fermented. I know the Virginias are stoved, and I am not a fan. To me, it removes the character of the taste and mouthfeel of the Virginias, and I just feel like I am smoking something airy and rather hollow. This is my opinion with many of McClelland Virginias. However, if you enjoy McClelland's Virginias, I think you may like this blend. I gave the rating of 'somewhat recommended' because of the packing issues and consistency of the tobacco. My rating is not a reflection of the taste or quality of the tobacco. There are enjoyable notes. It's just not a tobacco for me.

I found the nicotine level is mild. Same with the strength and taste.

If you like many of the other McClelland Virginias, especially the ones containing stoved Virginias, then I recommend this blend.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: brick and mortar shop in NYC

Similar Blends: Any of the McClelland stoved straight Virginia blends.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-04-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tin scent of Dark Stoved is typical of McClelland made Virginia blends. It takes forever to dry to the consistency that I prefer to smoke their Virginias. In the pipe, my preferred way to smoke this is with fairly large pieces (not quite fold and stuff) and a little fully rubbed out at top of the bowl. I also made sure to not pack it too tightly to get the most out of it. I have noticed that there are a lot of comparisons to Dark Star, so here’s my two cents. It isn’t Dark Star any more than Deluxe Navy Rolls is Escudo although the appearance to Dark Star is very similar. This is tangy, but for my taste buds, (for what it’s worth) I find Dark Star tangier. I find this to offer a little more complex flavor than Dark Star too. It is sugary and smooth. There are a fair number of high notes, and no dull spots, although it seems to burn a little less sweet with differing cadences. There is a lot of fruitiness to this blend too. It never burns hot, even when pushed and in mainly mild in strength only jumping toward medium in the late stages of the bowl. I didn’t experience some of the issues that others have mentioned concerning relights, but I dried it, like I do with many McClelland flakes, to the point of almost brittle (barely pliable). Red & Black has become my new standard by which I now compare all McClelland Virginia’s and this won’t replace that, but as straight stoved Virginia’s go, this is a very good choice.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2016-03-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am not the biggest fan of Dark Stoved Virginia's but I do enjoy a bowl here or there such as Dark Star, the preparation, difficulty in rubbing out and drying time usually outweighs the delicious flavor for me (YMMV) and I usually prefer the brightness of orange, red and lemon leaf. Very mild in nicotine and as usual with Butera and McClelland, wonderful leaf is used. I am giving it 3 stars as I believe Stoved VIrginia lovers will enjoy DS immensely and I do recommend it but for me it's really a 2 and a half star blend just as a personal preference. Va's stoved this much can be a hot air and tasteless experience but DS does at times have a tasty sweet and sour tangy flavor that when in the zone can be very enjoyable.

Similar Blends: McClelland - Dark Star (Personal Reserve).

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-09-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Jet black broken flakes with an aroma of dried citrus peel and something musty. Mushroom perhaps, damp earth...something in that spectrum. The flakes are quite moist, a little greasy almost, and tough.

This is not an easy tobacco. It lights well enough but then burns at a smoulder, always on the brink of extinction. At times it gets a full burn with lovely plumes of smoke, but this is a false hope, and the tobacco soon returns to its minimal burn.

At first light the virginia origins are clear as a bell, with vibrant lemon scents. This never abates. But five or ten minute into the smoke there is a dramatic shift and smoky, mushroom notes emerge.

This tobacco is both sweet and sour. There is some pepper on the tongue. It burns just on the acceptable side of hot and produces some wetness.

This is not a tobacco for tyros and I believe to get the best of this baccy one will need to be really on one's game. One of the few tobaccos I have had that did better in briar than clay.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-09-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Strange blend. First - it is black like a devil. Second - it smells like spoiled fruit jam. Third - it is sticky and far too humid. Directly from the tin it is unsmokable, because of its humidity. It needs at least one day of drying in room temperature. Through this process, this tobacco fills the room with its mysterious aroma, easy to confuse with smell of rotten apples. When more or less dry, it is easier to smoke, but still difficult to fill the pipe, because previously too wet flakes now are, well, too hard. It is certainly not EASY tobacco. Generally, I consider this blend rather strange than pleasant. Butera or not, it is most McClelland's blend, which I've ever tried. If somebody like fruit vinegar in big quantities, it is his choice. I am not fully convinced.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-01-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I found this tobacco tasteless. I expected some rich sweet and spicy flavors from this stoved tobacco. But it could not satisfy my needs. It is stoved too much! I don't know how to finish this little tin as I hate to throw away tobaccos.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-12-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a nice stoved Virginia. A little nicer than 5105 but not perfect. It is good enough that I keep a tin of it around all the time. It is nice outside in the winter. It has a nice sweetness to it. And an unusual dryness to it as well.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2005-05-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Emmbee's review came in a week too late for me. Being a fan of Dark Star and 2035, I looked forward to a change of pace.

How the makers of the excellent blends above can create, much less market Dark Stoved is beyond me.

Avoid this blend at all costs. Just awful.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flint (30)	2003-12-31		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This so far the best of dark stoved type tobaccos. It's easier to work than McClellands Dark Star and a creamier flavor. I really like this tobaccos tart/sweet flavor interplay. Dark Stoved lights and burns well down to a whit ash. Not a real heavy smoke but satisfying to me. But don't listen to me try it for yourself.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2003-06-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I'm not a big enthusiast of the McClelland Tobaccos other than the Nording Hunter Blends. I love the taste of a Sweet Virginia this one just did have it for me, it left my throat feeling like it was hot and dry at times and I credit that to that Zesty Lemon, but I had to try it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2002-09-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tobacco is made for Butera by McClelland and is similar to Dark Star or 2035. The tobacco comes in slices that are somewhat more broken out than Dark Star. I had some Dark Star on hand when I tried Dark Stoved. The color of Dark Stoved is very dark brown, but not as dark as Dark Star. Dark Stoved has more of a Virginia taste, is less naturally sweet and has more complexity to the flavor than Dark Star.

I have always had a tonguebite problem with Virginias and Dark Stoved was no exception, though the bite was certainly less than some. While I found Dark Stoved to be good, I still find myself preferring Dark Star and McCranies Red Ribbon when I want Virginias. Both the Dark Star and McCranies are flavorful, but without tonguebite for me.

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