McClelland Frog Morton

I remember my first tin of Frog Morton . I was new to Latikia, I think Crowning achievement was my first of this type and FM was next in line. It was January and my passion for the leathery taste of the new tobacco was at a peak. I smoked three tins of this in a row and I remember thinking I would never smoke anything else ! But by the fourth tin something strange happened. It was a though I had become immune. Suddenly it seemed bland and I decided to move on and I have never returned. I think I just over dosed on this very monochromatic blend but it was nice while it lasted. If you have never tried it you should , it?s still a very good memory for me.

I am in the process of going back to some of my old favorite tobaccos that I have stored away. This review concerns a four year old can of Frog Morton. This blend used to be a regular in my rotation a couple of years ago. I had to give this a try to see if I wanted to include it in my lineup again. Except for Squadron Leader, I usually reserve my English blends for the evening. Frog Morton was one, if we can call it an English blend (?), that I enjoyed any time of the day. I now find my all day smokes to be either Squadron Leader, Stratford, or Barbary Coast. Somehow Frog Morton just can't get me to jump like it used to. I would finish my day with something like Dunhill's My Mixture 965 at that time. I might be primed for the Latakia with Froggy, but I could really enjoy it in 965 late in the day. Well, 965 isn't in my regular line up anymore, either. I will occasionally pop a tin of the old Dunhill stuff now and then, for a treat. My evenings are usually spent with Durbar, Nightcap,Esoterica's Penzance, Balkan Sasieni, or, if I would like a Virginia/Perique blend...Haddo's Delight. Frog Morton is a great all day smoke, however. It doesn't overpower you. It's great to hand to a piper who want to make the switch from aromatics to English blends. Some will stay within this "pergatory" of tobacco styles, but others will move in another direction to satify their tastes. I moved on. Even a can as old as mine doesn't excite me even if it burns cool and dry without a hitch. If you are a new English smoker I would give this a four star rating. It won't challenge you. Well, it doesn't challenge me, either. I'll step my rating down a notch to three stars simply because Frog Morton doesn't offer me the complexity that I am looking for. I didn't spend my time describing the experience of smoking Frog Morton because so many others have so well. Still, I would recommend that all who haven't tried Frog Morton should give it a whirl.

I think pipestud's description works for me. This is not my cup of tea, but it certainly seems to be very popular.

Have you ever noticed that this tobacco never dries out? I wonder why that is?

I bought Frog Morton to try on the strength of some of the reviews above. Many people whose taste has guided me to very pleasant tobaccos have said that they like this blend. I do not. I am actually shocked at the divergence of opinion on this tobacco. De gustibus non disputandum, I guess.

On opening the tin, the tobacco is faintly damp and quite sticky. After it dries a little, it lights easily and smokes evenly. There is no bite at all, no matter how hard you puff. These are the good things about Frog Morton.

The taste has been called monochromatic by other reviewers and that is fair. But, I have seen many monochrome photos that I admire and enjoy looking at. Not so this stuff. The taste of Frog Morton is boring. It is like a latakia-spiked candy bar, sweet and sticky to the end. I will spend my time in the future with tobaccos that taste like tobacco, not with this stuff. If you enjoy Frog Morton, please go ahead. I won't be competing with you for the last tin of this on the shelf, that's for sure.

May 2010: I can only say that my opinion of this blend has not changed. It is heavily treated with things that make it burn steadily and taste syrupy sweet. I note that many of the positive reviews of this blend begin with "Well, I have never smoked a pipe before but I really like this one!" Nuff said. I am glad that someone enjoys this stuff. I don't.

Upon opening the tin I noticed the smell of vinegar. Then when I put my nose closer, I smelled latakia, and not much else. The tobacco is in long strands, so it was a bit of trouble to pack. Nothing terrible however. It was a bit moist, but it fired up just fine. It has a strong, smokey,slightly sweet flavor, with hints of chocolate. No bite whatsoever. It has a very mild nicotine strength. The flavor is a bit monochromatic to me. Towards the end of the bowl I notice the vinegar smell in the room note, as well as the smoke. I will finish the tin I have, but this stuff is just too plain for me.

Addendum: I have smoked this one a while now, and it has all the charm of vinegar soaked charcoal. Smoking it is a bit like kissing the bottom of my barbeque grill...

Appearance: Very dark leaf throughout, with little variation from dark brown to almost dead black. Looks like Black Cavendish and Latakia, nothing else. Right from the can, it was more moist than I like. It showed no tendency to dry out in the air.

Aroma: Very smoky and somewhat sweet. I could not determine what aroma what present, but it is definitely an aromatic crossover.

Packing: Best done with a light touch, or it will not burn.

Lighting: Took flame well enough when packed properly, nohing unusual.

Initial flavor: Just like the aroma, the Latakia predominates, with a sweet background. Because of the flavoring, I don?t taste any Virginia or Turkish.

Mid-bowl: The flavor does not vary as I progress hrough the bowl. Monochromatic is one word word for it, BORING is another. It does smoke dry and cool, though.

Finish: Still boring, leaves a dry ash but also leaves its aoma in the pipe.

Summary: If you are looking for a crossover, then it would be worth a try. The quality is there, but it is just not my style.

Tin Aroma: dusky, but with sweet overtones.



Physical Characteristics: a fine ribbon cut of mostly oily black pieces, with a ribbon of something slightly lighter, here and there. Packs easily. VERY moist. I let it sit opened for several hours before even attempting to smoke it, and have since found that opening the tin upon purchase and then going back in a week or so to smoke it yields the best results for me.



First Light: Yum. This is a good mellow English blend, in the best sense of the word. Strong Latakia flavor, but not overpowering. The Virginias are in evidence, but sublimated to the Latakia and Orientals, so no complaints from me. I will definately be smoking a good bit of this in the future.



Notes: Like a good virginia, and unlike a lot of English blends, the flavor at the bottom of the bowl is the real treat here. The flavor during the last third of the bowl is bursting with duskiness, and is as smooth and thick as a good single malt. The first two thirds of the bowl are extremely pleasant as well, sweet and with a decidely 'earthy', smoky flavor, the flavor that draws me back to 'English' blends over and over again. A bit lighter in texture than it's cousin, Frog Morton on the Town, and the two of them, alternated bowl for bowl, provide me with a full day of english smoking pleasure. I can see recommending this blend to aromatic smokers who are interested in sampling a good english blend. There is the faintest hint of a topping of some kind, though for the life of me, I can't pin down exactly what it is.

It was a happy day when I found a jar from 2018 that I had put away back then to be forgotten with some other jars of course. Now in 2021 I brought it back out to the light to give it a go.

The tobaccos are dark, the tin note is smoky. The moisture content is still perfect. Unlike newer tins and other McC's I don't get the ketchup/bbq note anymore from this jar. It's ribbon cut is chunky and easy to pack. It's fairly easy to light with a charring light and then a true light.

The smoke is quite full/creamy. There is a background sweetness with a campfire accent from the latakia. It burns very cool if not pushed and was even more enjoyable than I remembered back then. The nic level is low to my tolerance and it's def something you could smoke multiple times a day in my book. It produces some moisture in the pipe and really shines to me in smaller or taller bowls.

My favorite Frog has always been Bayou with that touch of perique in it, but with some aging I can tell why this was for so long a favorite.

The ole’ Frog! This Latakia based blend is a McClelland staple and favorite of many. First in the Frog Morton series this mild to medium blend greets you with the classic McClelland’s ketchup smell as soon as the tin is popped however it doesn’t translate to the taste of the blend. The Cyprian Latakia is the major player and gives a nice smokey, woodsy flavor. The Virginia’s are typical of McClelland, top notch providing tones of dark fruit, citrus, and grass. Sweet Orientals help round out this blend without overpowering the Latakia or Virginia. Not my favorite of the Frog Morton’s but still an incredible blend that deserves at least one reservation in every smoker’s pipe!