McClelland Dark Star

Another winner from McClelland. It's in the dark brown/black family with Blackwoods Flake but with longer aging, I find it slightly stronger and more complex. As with that one and Bulk 2035, Navy Flake, the moisture content and flake consistency make the initial charring light difficult. However, Dark Star is much softer than #2035 and can be molded like a putty into your bowl. Your patience in lighting is rewarded and results in a slow burning, cool smoke with no bite. Although the taste is initially light and sweet, overall, I find it too full and rich for an all day smoke. But after a meal or with a brew, what a tobacco. The flavor intensifies and develops thru the bowl but never gets bitter. All blends mentioned here are good but if you enjoy VA flakes, you must give this one a try.

Dark Star is a treat that is part of McClelland's Reserve Series. This tobacco comes in almost raven colored mottled flakes. I always cut the flakes with scissors into fairly large chunks. Packs pretty well into the pipe. OK, here is the one drawback to Dark Star, it takes tree or four matches to light the stuff. It burns great once lit. It is easy to be patient with this tobacco, and it makes the flavour soar. The Virginia tobaccos have an almost chocolate flavour to them. This what a good aged and stoved Virginia can be. Dark Star seems to be a love it or hate it tobacco, but it certainly is worth a try to see which camp you fall into.

Perhaps the heaviest "ketchup" present in all of McClelland's offerings. Very dark brown flakes which have clearly been under a lot of pressure, as they are a real chore to rub out, if they do at all. However, a touch of flame gets them going, and separating.

Burns a little hot at times, and has a sour tang in both taste and aroma. This however, adds, not detracts from the experience.

I almost wondered, the first time I tried this blend, if it had been fermented with dried tomatoes! Strangely satisfying, and sadly now gone.

I first purchased this stuff two years ago after reading some reviews. at first I thought it was a practical joke, this stuff ain’t flake this is jerky! Or perhaps old leather scraps!, I rubbed it out (more like tore into manageable chunks) and stuck it in a large meerschaum, puff puff bite, blah, chucked it in a cupboard and forgot about it. well.... two years later I come back to these black leathery misshaped flakes and slow it down. I carefully rubbed at a couple of pieces, and gravity filled a fairly medium sized narrow bowl. a couple of charring lights and a tamp and we’re off.. slow and careful like. this ain’t half bad, actually ... this is very good! Nice chewy sweet wisps as I slowly breathe, puff, breathe, puff. there is a lot more too this flake than originally perceived, it makes you look for other subtle flavours. I put it down half way through the bowl and leave it for a few minutes, I find this can help distinguish subtleties when the pipe is on the cusp of going out. the sweet hay Virginia is present but there is something deeper here, like burnt caramel but so natural that you can forget it’s there at times. close to the end of the bowl and it’s getting a wee bit of spice but not unpleasant just something that demands a little more care. (Two years and it’s still a lil moist). I don’t know about dark star I reckon it should be named black mamba, it requires preparation, respect and to be treated with gentle cautiousness or it’ll bite! but when you do... wow! a truly delightful tobacco, I prefer something that’s easier to tame and quicker to pack and go... None the less a great tobacco!

A pain in the arse blend to keep lit, a definite biter. Good/ sometimes great flavor. Get two torches and a striker and you might get through the tin. As for me I'm not reccomending this. As for me I wouldn't buy it again. As for me mclelland was my favorite blender due to the sheer fact that I didn't know any better. But hey, Rookies make mistakes. Mclelland blends are chemicals. After smoking dunhill, Germains, SG, and many more other quality blenders offerings you just won't be able to bear these blends.

Wow, If I didn't know better I would of thought I had a tin of tire shreds, it was that dark. This flake is extremely dense (yes, almost rubber like) and takes some work to rub apart. These unwieldy rubed-out bits tended to create air pockets in the bowl, which created a bad suction at times. The smell in the tin was amazing and the spice tickles you nose.

Lighting up can be a pain, so make sure to keep the tiny kindling bits to put on top, otherwise it is like lighting charcoal biscuits without fluid. Once lit however, it acted much like charcoal and smoldered forever, giving you a long smoky treat.

As expected the flavor is spicy and deep, though it felt different from an English or Oriental in taste. It was very good, even without that McClelland flavor I come to expect from their blends (the Frog Morton zing) and is a solid 3 star for me. Honestly, might even be a 3.5 star, but the fact that it is such a pain to get packed and lit in the middle of winter with my cold fingers, held the score back.

Note: while it may not have any flavoring added, my taste buds decided that someone dashed something spicey on it.

"I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon" (Song of Solomon 1:5). Look folks, just break it down to a near shag. It smokes a bit wet but with a Peterson system standard, problem solved. Treat yourself, people. It's a Virginia in English clothing - best of both worlds.

I can't add, or take away from, the many reviews here. This is more like a memo to my future self: there are far easier ways to get the taste McClelland virginia tobacco than faffing about with these strips of crispy leather! Get Blackwoods flake instead. My future self will thank me.

I have to say this tobacco is very much a 'split decision' for me. Usually, this is a very pleasant smoke -- the dark tobaccos meld well, it's mildly complex, deliciously dark with just the right amount of bitterness, like a good porter. Other times, it hits me as bland and bitey -- obviously, since it's all from the same tin, it's me not the tobacco that's different. I'm sure that's true of all blends and all smokers, it's just that this time the difference is so dramatic, and of course shows why we shouldn't rely on just a bowl or two before we rate. Still, usually this is a very good dark tobacco, well worth trying.