McClelland No. M-27 Three Cherry Blend

This tobacco has my favourite pouch scent of all the tobaccos I've yet tried. It's a very fine cut ribbon, which leads to a slightly different smoking experience that the thicker cut ribbons I'm used to. A very nice even smoke, pleasant but not spectacular. I'm satisfied with it. I'll come back and amend this review once I've tried other cherry aromatics.

This is as good as any when it comes to cherry blends. I don't normally smoke these but a buddy of mine had some of this and Macbaren coconut and I decided to see how they were. I have to say, in a corn cob this is a great fishing smoke. Cheap and with good burning qualities, I seem to detect a burley heaviness here that is quite pleasant. Much better than the drug store varities.

Once in a Blue Moon a get a craving for some Cherry tobacco. This will suffice until a better Cherry comes along. I would sure hate to have a half pound to get through! Corn cobs only please.

As I’ve gone on in the pipesmoking hobby, I’ve found myself smoking fewer and fewer aromatics, with more and more time between the smokes. I still, honestly, don’t harbor that antipathy towards aromatics, and consider myself an omnivorous smoker— I’ll try anything once, and I’ll never swear off an entire genre altogether. But I have simply found enough satisfaction in the other types of tobacco I like— Virginias, Englishes, burleys— that I don’t miss aromatics when I don’t smoke them, and I haven’t bought an aromatic tobacco in a long while.

However, a few months ago, I was visiting with some friends— wonderful, hospitable people, generous with their time, their home, their food, and their pipe tobacco. Over a bowlful, I had been lamenting McClelland’s demise and the father gifted me with about an ounce and a half of Three Cherry.

Trying an small sample of it tonight. I have no idea how much age this has on it, so that bears on this review. Scent from the bag is mild to nonexistent, and moisture is high. It packs, lights and burns without much fuss and also without much flavor. A little sweetness, a little fruitiness, and most intriguingly, a little doughy breadiness. Almost like a cherry pie experience that throws in the pastry crust. It does have a drying, bitey effect that doesn’t abate no matter how charily you puff. It dries out my nostrils and makes me sneeze. I can’t retrohale this one. No nicotine effect to speak of.

The flavors, though mild, are very pleasant. So is the room note. That’s about it. If you like aromatics, you’ll like this one. If you like cherry aromatics, this one is a lot better than most of the ones I’ve tried. Of course, being as this is no longer in production, you might be out of luck. I won’t miss this small sample when it’s gone, but I’m happy to have been able to try it.

I tried a lot of cherry blends this year. This one ranks in comparison as merely acceptable and that is because there is good tobacco here. Very mild, but it settles in for enjoyment even thought eh flavor disappears.

My favorite cherry blend by far. The cherry topings are done right. They taste and smell of real cherries, not fake manufactured chemicals. The tobacco is high quality, and there is a decent tobacco taste here, not just toppings.

It comes very moist, and could benefit from a little drying, otherwise it will leave the bottom of the bowl soaked. If you are looking for the "go to" cherry blend, this is it.

Since my pipe smoking is relatively new, I wanted to find a cherry blend to round out my still growing collection. I have been happy with other McClellend blends so gave this one a go. It light fairly easy and burns well enough, and finished with some ash and a bit of dottle. The taste was delightful, with the cherry flavor coming through quite well, and with side notes of rasins, red wine and a hint of molasses. All in all, I really like this and intend on keeping it on hand.

This one surprised me. I expected it to be sickly sweet, but it wasn't.

Three-match light despite a good drying and pack; very subtle cherry; slight bite, but I've had worse.

~~~ Worthwhile whim investment.