McClelland Dark Star

Notes on preparation: I opened my tin and left the cover on for about a week before it got remotely close to smokable. Then, I'd do one of two things. If I was smart and planned ahead, I'd dry out a bit on a plate overnight. If I was dumb and hadn't planned ahead, I'd stick the same amount in the toaster oven. I used this rather than the microwave others have suggested because I don't own a microwave. Then, I'd rub it out fully and pack lightly.

After two charring lights, this tended to burn quite well. The flavors were pretty muted and came out best with true slow smoking. I could get an average-sized bowl of this two hours with little trouble, though it did take a few relights. The flavors were muted but broad in scope, without any particular frequency band really taking over. There was some zest on top, some deep fruity notes underneath, and plenty going on in the middle.

While this isn't one I'm going to be stocking way up on, I certainly had a good time with my 100g of it late last summer, and might repeat the experience again this year.

This blend is tricky, because the treatment of this blend by McClelland makes for more pre-smoke prep work. The broken flakes are very dark dense and moist, and not easily manageable right out of the tin or even with some drying time. I finally put some in my magic bullet and gave it a spin reducing the flakes to the perfect ready to smoke texture. (Highly Recommend!)

The flavors really don't start to kick in until the middle of the bowl when this dense moist tobacco gets heated up. You get a great va sweet flavor but there is a twist due to their process, there is a slightly more sweet/fruity/sugary taste that pops up every now and then, that this blend calls it's own. Also, the taste is a bit warmer and richer than McClellands straight Va's like Christmas blend. My wife complained about the smell when I came in from outside. That doesn't happen unless the blend was on the musky strong side.

This is a good quality tobacco but I didn't detect anything super special that would really distinguish itself from the pack of Straight VA McClelland Special Reserve offerings, other than it takes more work. Keep that in mind if you plan on spending an average of $16.00 on a 3.5oz. I like and recommend Dark Star, but it has me wishing I had tried something else like Bombay or British woods. Med Nic Kick.

Additonal review/update: July 28th 2014: I put this tin away for 4 months. I finally had a day where I could invest in the prep time. I put Dark Star in my processor chopping it into smaller pieces. (This helps with the lighting as well as the burn. ) I then let it sit for an hour while I made coffee and breakfast. I then loaded my best pipe and took to the porch taking my time with the pre-lights. WOW. This is really awesome and worth the investment of prep time if you have the time. I'm a VA smoker and this is hard to beat.

I've been holding back on my review of DS until I have sorted it out in my own mind. Its a good 'baccy for sure.

However, for whatever reason, I just seem to like 2035 better.

I know people have said that DS is just 2035 with some aging, and it could be true. They might pick the best looking flakes and select them for DS and sweep the rest of the leavings over and make them into 2035.

Maybe its an acquired taste, but I just really like 2035 and DS was a lot more expensive and was just slightly more mellow. I have put up some 2035 for aging, so in a couple years I will know if the word on the street is true.

In any case, this is a superb stoved virginia flake. If you like this, try 2035 also. I'd snap up DS anytime, its a great smoke.

If a person doesn't like heavily stoved Virginia flakes, fine. Taste is an acquired and subjective characteristic. Everyone who loves a pipe owes it to himself to try this blend at least once, if for no other reason than to make up one's own mind. The suggestion that this is not a blend worthy to be sampled is ludicrous. Furthemore, the previously given suggestion that this is one of the least successful tinned blends in McClelland's vast portfolio is belied by the numerous reviews it has received, bettered only by two of the Frog Morton offerings.

At first glance, the thin, rubbery strips appear jet black, but are rather a very dark brown, and flecked with white, particularly in the case of older tins. These specks of sugar crystals portend the sweet, rich flavor to come. Ketchup? You bet. McClelland's signature bouquet is appalling to some, endearing to others, and front and center in Dark Star. Take your pick. Rubbing out the flakes is on the hard side, as these things go. Some particularly stubborn bits resemble pencil erasers. Establishing and maintaining a light is difficult, as well.

It smokes cool, and certainly is on the wet side of neutral. A slow, easy pace is recommended to maximize the flavor, although that alone may not be enough to tame the tongue nipping. It has bitten me many a time. Still, I put up with the above to savor the lush body and sweet and tangy flavors.

Despite my overall favorable opinion of Dark Star, I find myself reaching for it less and less. Marlin Flake is more interesting, and makes a better choice for all day use. When I absolutely must have a dark, heavily stoved flake, Stonehaven gets the nod, as DS can't match its aristocratic deportment. Still, I have tons of DS squirreled away for future tasting, and I'm sure I'll derive at least some pleasure from each tin.

Now here we have a very interesting tobacco; I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. Dark brown to black in color, this tobacco comes in medium-sized, dense flakes that give the impression of a very long, slow aging process. The tobacco is totally homogenous and soft, for the most part crumbling rather then rubbing out. The normal vinegar odor is certainly there, however; the instant you open a can of McClelland Virginia tobacco, the smell shouts out in warning: *Slow down, tongue bite ahead*! I crumbled/rubbed out a couple flakes into an older GBD billiard for the first test. It lit fairly easily, for a McClelland blend, but required frequent relights. This may have been because I was smoking as slowly as possible to avoid the feared tongue bite. And believe me, it'll be there if you aren't careful! The first third of the bowl was nice, with the sweetness of Virginia tobacco combining with the richness of a fully aged blend. Some hints of bite at first, making me slow down somewhat. The second third of the bowl was richer, while the sweetness stayed about the same; this is a very dark-flavored Virginia blend. The last third of the bowl is where I ran into some problems. The tongue bite, until now lurking mostly in the background, defiantly presented itself as I got toward the bottom. In addition, there was some moisture, making it necessary to push a pipe cleaner into the stem a couple times. The dampness, combined with the required slower smoking, meant a large number of relights were necessary at this stage. That's not to say the end of the bowl was bad! The dark, rich flavor remained present even as the sweetness faded, leaving a very satisfying finish. The excellent flavor is what caused me to bother with the relights; otherwise, I would have just dumped the very end of the bowl. Overall, an excellent smoke, and probably my favorite McClelland Virginia tobacco. I imagine leaving the tin open for a couple weeks may help to solve the only real problem, moisture, and this is what I plan to do.

It all depends upon how you smoke McClelland Dark Star (Personal Reserve). The dark, almost black flakes (this is a flake and not a broken flake) look like beef jerky. They smell like an empty tomato soup can that has been in the garbage bag for three days. This tobacco can be devilishly difficult to light. And it has the same propensity to bite as a constipated badger. Yet with the proper preparation for smoking, Dark Star delivers a fine smoke that will delight Virginia lovers and may even find favor with those who are not normally fans of Virginia tobacco.

Dry it out! It is waaaaay to moist straight out of the tin. Break the seal and wait three days, or better yet a week, before attempting to smoke it. Drying tones down the acetic "ketchup" smell (I personally find it more akin to Worcestershire Sauce) characteristic of McClelland Virginias. Attempting to smoke this before proper drying may yield a soupcon of acetic taste, but dried out it does not become part of the room note or the flavor.

And by all means rub this tobacco out thoroughly. Those chocolate colored flakes are thick and tough, and many find it best to use scissors for this task. Attempting to smoke Dark Star without rubbing it out well is what engenders the bite problem. A rough cut attempt at smoking will scorch the tongue of even leather tongued pipesters who are vigorously puffing in an attempt to get the pipe going. Scorch the tongue at the beginning of the smoke, and the rest will be an unpleasant experience. But having gently puffed a good light from a well rubbed out pipefull, sip the tobacco for the rest of the smoke, and exhale slowly through pursed lips. The result will be a pleasant smoke.

The taste is medium, a very slightly sweet Virginia with a nuanced flavor, a slightly tangy taste you will never appreciate if you have scorched your mouth in the lighting attempt. The amount of smoke produced will be copious even with gentle puffing. The room note is fine, although it does not have the sweet aromatic character that elicits "smells good" comments from others in the room. The nicotine strength is on the light side.

Aside from Smokers especially appreciative of Virginias, few will rate this a favorite smoke. But I am personally convinced that even those who normally smoke other types of mixtures will find this an intriguing change of pace when smoked properly.

My last tin of Dark Star was smoked with the pipes I reserve for Virginias (including Virginia/perique and Virginia/oriental blends)--mostly Petersons and Savinellis.

McClelland produces a myriad of Virginia and Virginia dominant blends, both in bulk and tinned versions. More than a few pipe smokers rate this brand as the best in providing intriguing Virgina smokes. Suffice it to say that no tobacco company does Virginias any better than McClelland.

My first experience with McClelland tobaccos was the 996 blend. I didn't care for the ketchup and I found it didn't dissipate while in the bowl so I was hesitant to try another blend. I talked myself into ordering a tin of Dark Star after reading the reviews and looking for very complex smoke. What i received was a tin that looked and smelled of beef jerky. This tobacco is very moist and sticky and requires drying time. My first bowl was simply mind blowing. The char light tasted of the fermentation but that was gone within the first puff or two. Everything about it was beautiful and tantalizing. There's so many flavors and different notes that your pallette is constantly stimulated. The sugars, which is why this flake is so sticky, sing a burnt caramel song, almost creme brulé. If you've not learned how to sip a pipe this one one will teach. Nice and slow and if you rush it your tongue will pay the price. Paul

I often times don’t have the patience to wait for McClelland blends to dry. I opened a tin of Dark Star about 18 months ago but after a bowl or two, I moved on to other things. When I returned to it, the leathery flakes were almost crunchy. I broke them up into small pieces and had very good results with it. I really think that DS responds best when really dry as I had no need for relights. I tend to gravitate to Virginias and VaPers from the EU, but Dark Star has a decent amount of body, and a combination of sweet and tangy that is quite nice. There is a bit of an earthy quality to it too. I also find a bit of bitter, in a good way, along with the sweet/tang in the bottom third of each bowl. I find that Dark Star starts on the mild side, but by mid bowl, there is a decent nic kick too. I am not sure if I would be willing to wait another 18 months for a new tin to dry out, but that will be something to contemplate while finishing my remaining half of the 100g gram tin.

The McClelland representative made not not to rub out this flake but to FOLD it 3 times and then stuff, which is an odd way to pack but it works. Followed his suggestion and stayed lit fresh and wet out of the tin. DO NOT DRY OUT as it ruins it.

Scent is McKetchup and Worchestershire. Taste is mild but nice and mellow like a diet-Planta San Succi. Good starter tobacco as it requires minimal effort to fold and pack. No bite.