McClelland No. 600 Special Black

Having a rough day, I felt the need to purchase a "headier" blend, something that would spin my vision a little and chase away the blues. I proceeded to browse the bulk tobacco, whiffing those that looked somewhat nasty. I then stumbled upon Bulk No.600. As Special Black's color is indeed charcoal black (as well as having a stench that reminds me somewhat of burnt molasses), I figured that this would be a good one to try. I purchased an ounce and proceeded home.

I grabbed a Peterson half bent and loaded up the bowl. The tobacco itself was quite moist and sticky to the touch. I packed it in nicely and went to light. This particular blend required an initial light to dry out the weed, and then two more after tamping down into place. Once it was lit however, no relights were required.

Expecting something that would hit me hard, I was shocked to discover that I was smoking an aromatic. It somewhat reminded me of McClelland's 2009 edition of Holiday Spirit. Although not an exact match, the room note is quite similar as is the taste. The main difference I noticed is that it is just a smidgen stronger in the vitamin N department - but not much.

Starting out, the experience was somewhat nice. All the aromas and tastes were there. However, I quickly found myself in need of a pipe cleaner as goop built up rather fast. About a third of the way down into the bowl, the taste started to disappear as it was replaced with some "nice" heat. Although it did not give me any tongue bite, it certainly didn't soothe the palate. About two-thirds into the bowl, it required another application from the same pipe cleaner. From that point on, all I noticed was heat. Yes, the room note was there, but the taste had all but vanished.

It did smoke all the way through to nice gray ash, but now I'm left with a coating on my tongue that only strong coffee, an engine degreaser or coke will remove. Yet thanks to the tingling sensation due to heat, I'm not ready to apply any "harsh" liquids to my abused tongue.

As I was not expecting an aromatic, and prefer to stay away from them, its hard to say if this is a horrible tobacco or not. Perhaps if I was more "experienced" with them, I could give a more detailed review. However, as it stands, this is not a blend that I will purchase again. I'll keep this 1 oz bit around for the rare occasion where I need something "different," however, I will finish up my 2009 Holiday Edition tin before going to this weed. As the room note is quite nice, and it wasn't a horrible smoke, I've decided to give it two stars instead of one. On a scale of 1-10, I'd probably give it a 3.