McClelland Frog Morton

The original toad, refined as he appears, is good stuff. My tin was 2 years in the cellar, and to me the tin note was rich,.Lat-heavy, but lacking the distinctive MacCatsup scent one expects from McC. Earthy yes, but nicely so.

The cut appears a coarse ribbon, with larger chunks of stoved Latakia overshadowing blonde Vas. It seemed dry to me, which was perfect for the first few bowls but required hydration 1/2 way through the tin.

Tasty it is, the original...reminded me of a rougher version of Legends -a top 10 toby that one is! Some harshness, or perhaps -a missing roundness occurs late in the bowl. I find for me packing this tightly seems to slow down the burn, enhancing the taste.

Better to me than his trip to my stomping grounds down here, but not as good as when he's out in the Quarter, I still have 2 to check out. Kudos to McClelland on their entire Craftbury Collection, worth a look, all of them.

This blend hardly needs another review but here it is anyway.

I am about half way through the tin (50 grams) and it has been open for about 2 months. The moisture level was moist upon opening. It really hasn't dried much at all in that time (propylene glycol anybody?). It still smokes well though, if needing a few relights. The flavor is pretty much just latakia though you can tell it is being mellowed out by the other leaf.

I have also smoked on the Bayou and Cellar and for me, this comes in second place. It is a good mellow smoky, well smoke. I kind of wish I had tried this one first before trying the others though, just so I had a point of reference (I was still pretty new to lat blends at the time).

I give it a solid 3 stars. I can't give it higher though because, for a latakia mixture, there are betters out there. Boswells Northwoods, And Blue Mountain Pipe Tobacco are similar blends but better than this one. It is a bit too mellow and balanced for my taste. The orientals in Blue Mountain add spice where this blend starts to lose flavor past the middle of the bowl. Northwoods sits a bit heavier on the palate and has more earthiness.

That said, I DO like this blend a lot and for me the smell of this is really nice (I doubt a non-pipesmoker would like this but it really is a nice fragrant latakia mixture. It just isn't good enough to hit that 4th stat.

Frog Morton was the first English style blend I enjoyed. There is quite a bit of smokey Latakia flavor without being overwhelming. I found this blend to need a bit of drying or it could be a little rough on my tongue. If you want just a bit more strength and flavor try From Morton on the Bayou. As far as I can tell, it is the exact same blend but with Perique. I've tried all of the the 'Frogs' and find them very similar.

The bottom line is that this probably won't appeal to long-time latakia fans who are looking for a complex smoke. If you're looking for a simple, all-day, English style blend you should try one of the Frog Mortons.

This is the first of the Froggy series that I've tried, but of all of the other Englishes that I've tried (which isn't too many)the latakia in this one is different (and I assume this is where the bbq flavor some have mentioned comes from). I do enjoy this one when outside in the garden or out fishing, so the little ladies don't run me out of the house with brooms or frog gigs. Definitely a mix that will earn you a little respite from the non-pipers. My dog even looks at me funny when I kick out the first puff. I will keep smoking this, and think about it a little more...

Another non-aromatic standard that must be tried. Even though this is listed as a full latakia mixture, I am not sure that is appropriate. What I find is a very pleasant light English blend with depth - for lack of a better word. If you love your latakia, then this blend will be perfect to start the day, full of intrigue and rich enough to keep you coming back. Just got another two tins to be sure..

I bought a tin of this, along with some Squadron Leader about a year ago for a first taste of an English blend. The first time I tried it, I didn't very much care for it.

Opening the tin, it smelled like smoky BBQ sauce. Fairly pleasant I suppose, but not what I was expecting a tobacco to smell like.

The taste was smooth, maybe even a bit soapy? Smoking it from a pipe that had never been cleaned with soap by the way. It just reminded me of soap, or some fragrance or something like that.

Tried it again just a few minutes ago and enjoyed my bowl. I still prefer aromatics at this stage, but this wasn't bad at all. The room note, as you'd expect is not that great. It would not pass the wife test. She would tolerate it, but not really like it.

I smoked this once in my shed, and for the next few days, the lingering smell of it wasn't very pleasant.

I'll finish my tin, but I may not be quick to buy more of it. Probably my English blend of choice right now, but again, I prefer aromatics.

I spent the holidays trekking the Shire, and was given a bit of this lovely leaf by an old fisher-hobbit I met while camping one evening just south of The Water, as I journeyed west to visit an old friend in Michel Delving.

The burning characteristics are far more satisfactory than those of most blends: lights pretty easily, stays lit to the bottom of the bowl, and burns to a very fine, white ash. This alone makes for a pleasant smoking experience.

It's a nice, long smoke. Carve out plenty of time for a full bowl. And again, it's extremely low-maintenance for the duration. A good thinking tobacco.

It's quite cool as it burns. I tend to heat bowls a tad much, but that's not been a concern with Frog Morton. Again, this makes for a pleasant experience, as I don't have to give the pipe a rest.

The smoke is soft, though it seems to give my tongue a hint of tingle that I can't quite account for. That's not a complaint, though.

The flavor is very distinct, but very difficult to identify or describe. At first, I think “sweet-and-salty nuts.” But then I think “brine, but with sweetness.” But finally, and usually, I think “salty dried figs and salty dried plums.” Whatever the flavor is, it's very much there. And very good.

The only cons are slight:

[1] The room note is rather distasteful, according to my family. This is surprising given the pleasantness of the flavor.

[2] This blend consistently produce a noteworthy amount of gurgle.

Definitely worth trying.

This is a great latakia blend. You honestly can't go wrong with the Frog. The blend is had some heft to the leaf so you can't really pack it well in a smaller pipe, this is meant for a medium to large pipe.

This blend burns cool, and you taste just tobacco and it has nothing fake in the 'baccy, casing wise. The tin-note is just a good earthen aroma of nice latakia. It smokes down to the heel with no wet dottle.

Another winner from McClelland in my pipe cellar.

Unique. A pleasant mild somke that i somtime crave. Good stuff.