McClelland Frog Morton

Love it! A real smooth latakia smoke that can be enjoyed all day. Reminds me of a real good single malt. Did not detect that McCelland ketchup aroma upon opening the tin. Really a nice room note that reminds me of a English library when one could smoke pipes while enjoying good literature. Don't know what all the fuss is about the picture on the tin...don't judge a book by its cover. A great smoke with no bite.

I know this one already has many reviews. But I don't see many from people, such as my self, who have never smoked an English blend before. Having only smoked Aros for eight years I finally took the advice of my local tobacconist and tried this Frog Morton. As I understand it, it is also often referred to as "Frog on a Log".

First I thought the tin note was that of "traditional tobacco". Turns out the aroma is actually from the Latakia, something I had yet to experience. Which as it turns out smokes much better than I had originally expected.

This tobacco is very light in nicotine making it a very good option for an all day smoke.

This being my first i counter with Latakia I could not have been happier. Even my wife, who tends to dictate what tobaccos I put into my pipes, enjoys the "campfire" aroma.

The smoke is very light and does not tend to linger.

Packing the bowl is also much easer than I am used to. It does not tend to expand as much as the Aros I typically smoke. And it burns evenly all the way to the bottom, often with only one or two lights, with out really heating the bowl. Also on that note I noticed I could puff on it like a chimney without suffering from a lava bowl or tong bite.

In short I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good introduction to an English blend. I can only hope it does not set the bar too high for all the others I am now excited to try.

Dark brown and (predominantly) black. Smell: molasses. This is a smooth, medium strength, reasonably full-bodied, well-rounded latakia mixture, with hints of leather, molasses and especially blackcurrant. It is a beautiful smoke. I also love the label art of this and the other froggies, pace emmbee.

Well, this is probably not very fair, but I am writting a review on 16 years old Frog Morton, acquired on eBay a few months ago. Maybe it’s the years of storage, maybe it’s all about the American type of blend, which is quite hard to get here in Europe. But this tin of Frog Morton is totally different from all English/Scottish/Italian/whatever latakia blends I have tried so far. Broad cut, very dark in colour, featuring rich and deep aroma, pleasantly salty and sour in taste. In fact, the taste is so unique, so incomparable to other latakia blends, that I plan to get as much as possible tins for storage.

The day was long and my body was tired. I come home to a cozy house with the fireplace rolling. Out my front window I can see out across the Utsalady Bay and to the far side stands Mount Baker with her snowy top. It was time to smoke a pipe on my front porch and further take in the peaceful and serene view. What to smoke? There's no rush. My mood is relaxed and I'm yearning for a smokey drag. I search my ammo can where I keep my tobacco tins stored. Ahhhh yes. A Mcclelland. Frog Morton. I crack open the can and breathe in its fiery smokey aroma. Deeper in I breathe and there's a alfalfa sent with horse pasture note. There's also a hint of something you can't place your finger on. Maybe a smooth gentle fishy note? Nonetheless it is alluringly pleasant. I pack my dedicated Latakia Savinelli Straight in my religious technique as I always do. Not too tight or loose. Upon first light the Latakia is flowing heavy over the palate. Reminiscent of Dunhills Night Cap but not as strong. The Frog Morton is full bodied and smooth. Consistent. It makes me eager to try out the other Frog Blends. As I mentioned before, there is an underlying fish note that I absolutely adore. A fun blend when you want a break from something as beastly as the Nightcap. Silk and smoke. Awesome. Mcclelland Frog Morton.

It is only out of respect of all the brethren that this does not get one star from me. Not that it really matters with nearly 250 reviews to date. I did not like this and this now makes 2 for 2 on frogs I don't like. (FMATP the other)

I think I just probably am not a fan of full english blends in general as I have yet to find one I really like. I also join the chorus lamenting the lack of nicotine with this and with McClelland in general.

The positive. The tin note is incredible. What do you get when you mix ketchup and smoke? BBQ sauce and this is exactly how it smells to me. I like this, several don't. It smokes slow and cool, perhaps cooler than any other smoke I have had. It is hard to even tell it is lit from the feel of the pipe. I imagine it would be hard to get a bite from this. Finally, the room note. I had several people tell me they smelled nothing, which I take as good from a full english blend.

The bad. The taste doesn't do it for me.

This was the very first blend I loaded into a pipe, and while I have since moved on to "harder" stuff, I do realize that my initial enjoyment of Frog Morton is probably solely responsible for my perseverence with the hobby. As such, it has a certain amount of nostalgia for me which draws me back to it from time to time. I well remember the smile that spread across my face and lasted throughout the entire first bowl. Whenever I feel the need to reminisce about that first experience, I pick up a tin. The first few bowls always remind me what a wonderful revelation this blend was to me. I moved to the pipe from cigarettes, and was quite shocked when I discovered, through FM, that tobacco could actually taste good. After the first few bowls, however, I remember why it's not in my stable regulars: mainly, after moving on to fuller blends, FM does seem like rather weak tea by comparison. I will likely always return to this occassionally, mainly due to nostalgia.

Still this a remarkably pleasant blend, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who is just starting out, or as a tame but tasty transition blend for someone curious about, but fearful of Latakia.

This is yet another success by McClelland. They seem to be able to take any mixture and keep it from biting. This is extremely important to me and my smoking tastes. If it bites, even partially, I won't smoke it - period.

The Frog does not bite and has a wonderful spice/incense aroma that is best enjoyed with the the "nasal taste" rather than the tounge.

Latakia takes center stage but doesn't dominate. The virginia compliments well imparting a little "grassyness" though not in an unpleasant way.

This is very similar to Black Watch by ThePiperoom.com, which I similar to the Frog.

The two blends have ever so slight a topping, though Frog's topping is stronger than Black Watch and has more "spice" to it - but I like the spice.

All in all the Frog is a winner. Defintely worth a try for any pipe smoker from aromatic to English fans.

This blend is a modern classic. Well done McClelland

Original review (6-1-07, 3 stars)

Update, 10-18-07, 4 stars * * * * !

10/28/2004:I am going four stars on this one even though I am not completely taken with this one. It may be the only English style mixture I could sneak by the wife without her protesting the "stink" of my clothes. McClellands 2015 really got her protesting and if I can't smoke that and be in the same house this Frog Morton will due as a compromise solution. I will update this review later if this too is shot down! Anyway this is a good blend if you don't mind a little "nougatty" aromatic presence in your English. Your tongue kind of does do a "doubletake" on first puff, but hang in there don't dump it yet! It does taste a bit more traditional as the smoke progresses. I think this may grow on me as long as I don't smoke a straight English or Balkan immediately afterward.

11/16/2006 Update: An excellent introduction to blends that include Latakia. No longer in my rotation.