McClelland Dark Star

This is a truly great VA and others have mentioned, it requires attention, although I will say if you adopt the breath smoking method, it is very well behaved...once lit. I will also encourage all smokers that haven't tried Virginia's in a meerschaum to try it. I believe this really is the best way to enjoy VA tobacco with reduced fuss due to the ability of meerschaum to absorb moisture and cool the smoke. Tin note, classic McClelland ketchupy Virginia. I have not microwaved the tobacco, although I may give it a try but it does need significant dry time. I break up the flakes by hand or run them through a grinder and then leave on a plate for at least 12 hours. It is usually pretty crispy by then which may scare some off, but it smokes very, very well once dry. Gravity fill with a light tamp is all you are going to be able to do, it is like loading gravel in a bowl.

after the charring light I do get the first few puff's of ketchup or A1 sauce on the tongue. Some say the smell doesn't go into the smoke but in this particular one it does for me, every time. It slowly evolves into more of a stewed fruit, like raisins and figs. It has a little spice and and citrus, but very subtle citrus as it comes and goes. There is a toasty bread like flavor as well, like well toasted rye bread with jam. It is really very good and for a Virginia has amazing depth and complexity. I usually to to Virginia's for a simple reliable smoke that I don't have to think about but this one is different. This is a treat and should be enjoyed when you have time to contemplate the flavors....plus if you don't and puff away you may scorch your tongue out of your mouth. Breath method to me is best, it will never bite and the flavors can be thoroughly enjoyed.

I can't really add much that has already been said.

Dark star is a wonderful tobacco, sweet, tangy and a little bit spicey.

I find it to be a very full flavored virginia, there isn't any searching for flavour here its not subtle, it's a straight foward tasty smoke.

Needs a good drying out, I recommend cube cutting it quite small or what I do is cut it into twigs losely fill the whole bowl leaving a small layer on top for what u can rub out which is dust and broken cubes.

This stuff is like asphalt, once you get it going it's burns nicely, requires a few Tamps and relights, almost impossible to rub out once dry so prepare is while still wet.

These very dense, almost rubbery, flakes are black to very dark brown. They smell of dark, deep, rich fermented fruit with just a hint of hay. There is also the typical McClelland VA smell that mixes with the sweetness perfectly and tickles my nostrils with each whiff.

I have found that rubbing out the flakes, letting them dry a bit, then gravity feeding them into the bowl is the best way to handle this tobacco (as many others have also noted). I have also found that just folding the flakes will work as well, though this will take more relights. Once you do get this lit it stays lit well with very light tamping rarely. This tobacco burns quite slowly.

The smoke is creamy, smooth, and rich with deep dark fruit flavor. One reviewer stated it perfectly..."What kind of fruit? I don't know..." I agree, it's hard to narrow down what the flavor is, but I'd say it's just rich, deep, natural sweetness with hints of hay and sometimes spice, like cloves, now and again. If you push this tobacco and puff hard, you can get more spice out of it along with some woodiness. Otherwise, if you sip at a regular pace you will enjoy one of the best naturally sweet tobaccos I've had the pleasure to enjoy.

A dark, dare i say, black, broken flake that a lover of deep and rich tobaccos will be almost overwhelmed by. Its quality is beautiful. The tin/pouch scent is itself beautiful. And non-smokers wont hate for picking this one as its room note is that of a gentlemans study; lush, rich, deep and dark. Its not hard to imagine oneself pondering the worlds woes whilst seated at a beautiful mahogany desk, before reaching for your pen to write memoirs. A tobacco that takes you away to a place of thought, and not one to miss out on

Happy piping

Dark Star has become one of my favourites, but it's a finicky tobacco that needs a bit of preparation before it's ready to smoke. It has a higher moisture content than most flakes and needs quite a bit of drying. My preference is to rub it out and leave it for a few hours on a piece of A4 paper on my desk before I'm likely to use it. Packing a pipeful the night before also helps.

Dark Star needs a few relights while you're smoking, but in between those relights, what a wealth of flavours! Sweet, Spicy and Smoky. With a few hours drying beforehand, and slow and gentle puffing, I've never experienced tongue bite.

I've heard many McClelland blends described as having a tin aroma like ketchup, but I personally find it closer to the English "HP Sauce."

Dark Star not only has that distinctive McClelland tin aroma, but for the first half of the bowl you can actually taste it in the background. If you're like me and love the McClelland aroma, this makes for a delicious smoke.

Further down the bowl, new flavours come through. In some places it's almost like Latakia, in others - particularly in the bottom 1/3 of the bowl - it's vaguely like licorice or aniseed.

I reckon it's beaut.

Perhaps one of if not the most popular stoved Virginia is McClelland?s Dark Star. Dark Star is a prominent member of McClelland?s Personal Reserve Series.

Dark Star has an almost choclately aroma with definite hints of spiciness. The initial slight acidity of the aroma disappears after the tin has been opened for some time. The Dark Star blend is the result of aging, pressing, and stoving of Virginia and Carolina leaf tobaccos. The color of Dark Star is, as the name implies, dark black/brown giving the flakes an almost fudge like appearance.

Dark Star?s cut is a medium-thick, wide, flake cut with some pieces measuring 2? x 1.5?. Theses flakes are quite stubborn to rub out, especially to a finer consistency. Packing of Dark Star can best be done with the more course portions nearer the bottom and the finer well rubbed portions on the top to help facilitate lighting. The initial moisture of Dark Star is on the medium high side but can be remedied by drying for at least two hours.

Dark Star needs more charring relative to other tobaccos for an even first light. Once lit, Dark Star burns surprising well to a complete thick gray ash. This blend burns best with deep, steady, and long draws. This tobacco burns very slowly and tends to become cooler as the smoke progresses. The room note is pleasant in a tangy natural tobacco way.

A dark, tangy, and spicy taste characterizes this tobacco. The taste seems to become only richer and more complex as the burn continues developing and almost creamy characteristic. No flavorings were detected. Dark Star, being a bright tobacco, certainly has the ability to bite but smoking slowly and removing most of the moisture can all but eliminate this. Dark Star smokes especially well in a calabash pipe.

Dark Star is a refined and elegant smoke. Its rich and tangy yet spicy flavor fails to impress. A true accomplishment by McClelland.

This is a very fine tobacco, with the subtle undertones I expect from an extra-long aged blend. If you are not familiar with the broken-flake cut, be sure and rub it thoroughly before filling your pipe! You may also want to dry it slightly before smoking, although I found when well-rubbed it burned easily and smoothly after the first light.

The aging and cut makes it a dense tobacco, which contributes to its strength. My only criticism is that it is monotonal, without the really distinctive character of some of the other Personal Reserve blends such as St. James Wood (one of my favourites). Highly recommended for those looking for a strong, dark smoke.

First impressions - opening the tin, it had scarcely any of the typical McClelland ketchup aroma - just a really rich tobacco aroma. Taste slightly acid, definitely no Cavendish sneaked in. The dense broken flake cut makes the tin look only half-full, but I weighed it - really is 50g. Part of the strength of these Personal Reserve blends is their sheer density - I weighed a medium pipeful and it was 4g, as opposed to 2 g of a fine cut like Captain Black.

I actually enjoy rubbing the tobacco (essential), it's part of the ritual for me. Filled a medium size Carey pipe (my favourite type), some difficulty lighting it (as expected). Very, very rich and well aged, pleasant room aroma. Set it aside for a few hours - it now lights easily and burns smoothly. Might benefit from a LITTLE drying before smoking if your tin seems moist. Under no circumstances dry with heat - all the subtlety is lost.

Second pipe lit & burned smoothly after the first couple of lights. Taste is rich and strong, spicy, but without as many subtle overtones as the other Personal Reserves such as St. James Wood (my favourite) or the Bombay blends. This is not intended as a criticism; this is what I expect from a straight stoved Virginia. Surprisingly little tongue-bite. A quite pleasing room aroma, which is not always the case with dark stoved Virginia.

Overall a high-quality strong smoke, very satisfying, perhaps not for the beginner, but experienced smokers will admire its assertiveness.

P.S. This is also a good blending tobacco; goes well with Perique and/or an oriental or Balkan blend such as Mac Baren - HH Vintage Syrian

The beauty of this tobacco is its accessibility. I read many reviews discussing how difficult it is to prepare/light/smoke this tobacco, and i just could not disagree more. Yes, its a densely pressed aged flake. Very moist in tin. Yes, rubbing out gives one a pile of crumbs, not ready rubbed ribbons. But if you spread this out on a paper towel and let it sit out overnight, then rub it and jar it, and if you then load ot into your pipe ala gravity, and char it up, it burns cleanly and fairly easily. At least the last 4 tins ive smoked of it have done so. To someone with familiarity with a flake like this, its pretty standard. Handle this one how you would most flakes by SG and you should be just fine.

I say accesible, because once in the pipe and smoldering, it gives off great white clouds of pure, sweet, delightful yellow virginia goodness without any bite. Its rare indeed to get this purity of sweetness without cultivating an uber measured approach to puffing. Dark star gives one the unadulterated honey and carmel that can be teased out of Mac Baren Va no 1 only with deliberation and patience. It is, to my palate, sweeter even than no.1, but without the tendency to bite. Now, to be fair, a blend with such a high sugar content can bite, but this can be greatly minimized by sufficient drying time, packing gently, and smoking slowly. I find shallow, short puffs and drawing some outside air into my mouth really carries the smoke around and allows the sweetness to shine. I feel this is the flavor most new pipers expect from the smell of pipes, and are disappointed not to achieve from their aros. This is a (nearly) dummy proof intro to yellow va. I love it. I actually don't find it to be super nuanced, just absolutely sweet and delicious and light with touches of spice and tartness. There is a depth here, with wonderful stoved richness coming in as the bowl progresses and growing to a crescendo in the last third. So easy to recommend. The flavor straight from the tin is soft and round and certainly not young, but im eager to see what this blend will taste like after breathing and resting for a year.