McClelland Frog Morton on the Town

See my comments on the original "Frog", in addition:

I equally enjoy this blend, although I prefer the original by a slight margin. If you haven't smoked either Frog blend, I suggest you try the original first, then OTT.

OTT is "spicier" than the original, but not too much so, it's still quite mild and never bites.

This is an incredible tabacco. The smell in the room was that of a summer camp fire. There was a hint of something sweet but I can't put my finger on it. This is a smoke that requires some time and thought to analize.

The smoke itself was perfectly humidified out of the tin. The tin aroma was very woodsy. Almost to the point of being unpleasant. It lit easily and for a novice smoker to say there was no tounge bite is saying something.

I have never tasted something this misterious to the pallet. I am looking formard to many more pleasant and relaxing smokes with this blend.

One word, Wow! I have never tasted a tobacco with such a full flavor while maintaining a gentle level on the strength (neither in cigars or pipes). This blend is something special. I found the blend to smoke shockingly cool. Something I've never experienced before. No tongue bite through my Peterson Bulldog. The smoke stayed rich and creamy right to the end. As a previous reviewer stated, I was also unable to put a finger on the casing. Just enough of something sweet to both flavor the smoke and assist with room note. I don't rate room note as I smoke outside. This is a blend I won't do without. At a minimum, it will be a steady in my rotation. May be my number one pick.

Ahh, another incarnation of the bipedal Frog I love so much. I knew from the beginning that this one would be something -very- special. How? you ask. Well, As soon as I opened the tin, it was.. get this.. the proper moisture! No hours of drying, no blow-drying it, nothing of the sort! It was ready to smoke at a proper moisture right from the start! The tin aroma is delectable. You get a very clear whiff of the strong and undeniable presence of rich latakia (syrian, I believe), and the pepper-like attributes of oriental tobaccos. Packing is a breeze; small ribbon cuts gravity feed and tamp easily. No problems here. As the fire hits the top, a wispy, flavorless smoke hits the tongue. Panic! But no, just wait, it gets much better, and quickly. After the initial relight and tamp, I find that, on average, 2-3 relights are needed per bowl, and that is well in the range of "acceptable". For the first half of the bowl, the flavor is straightforward. The flavor is definately two different tobaccos, but it seems that they are almost separated in the smoke. You can easily tell the flavor of the orientals from the latakia. This all changes, however, as the bowl goes past the halfway mark. Transcendental is the word I'd use. The flavors mix in such a way that it makes me want to light a bowl of it up. Okay, there we go. Anyhow, it produces a rich, delicious smoke that is full of english-flavored goodness. I recommend this to anyone that is looking for a tobacco to smoke in the evening, or on a long stroll, or perhaps... On the Town!

Since I very much enjoyed Frog Morton, I expected to like this blend as well. I did; in fact, immediately out of a freshly open tin, I liked it even more, since it was much drier then its counterpart. On popping the lid, I at once smell the Latakia, as with Frog Morton. The aroma for this tobacco, however, is far lighter than that of FM; unlike a freshly opened tin of Frog, the Latakia here is not overpowering. The appearance differs greatly, too. Frog On the Town is only about 50% black leaf; the rest is mixed dark and light browns, giving a much more varied look than the nearly all-black Frog. The tobacco also appears much drier, though still not dry by any stretch, and it isn't sticky to the touch like FM is. A medium cut, the tobacco packs and lights easily, and burns with perhaps slightly more than the average number of relights required. I selected a Stanwell poker for the initial try of this blend. For the first 1/3 of the bowl, I get the impression that this is a mellowed-out version of Frog Morton. The strong Latakia flavor is there, but not as overwhelming and forceful as with FM; I can taste other tobaccos as well, more so than I can in FM. On the other hand, this blend appears to be just as smooth and gentle as its big brother; I'm getting no hint of bite thus far. Moving on with the second third, the flavors are becoming slightly more complex. Latakia is still the biggest influence, but I'm getting a nice mix of other tobaccos as well. There's a bit of a spicy flavor, and I'm even getting hints of sweetness now and then. Still no bite, and no gurgling like I experienced with its wetter cousin. The flavor is perhaps not as rich and full as FM, but it is somewhat more complex and varied. Getting down to the last third of the bowl, and we're still bite-free! This is clearly related to FM, if for no other reason than its mellowness. The bottom of the bowl is somewhat richer in flavor, though still not as much so as FM. There is some moisture at the very bottom; I've never met a McClelland blend where that wasn't true. It isn't excessive, however, and I don't believe I'll need to leave this tin open to dry more. Overall, this is a very good Latakia blend. Not as rich and dark as Frog Morton, it nevertheless is very satisfying and is among the most bite-free of all tobaccos I've tried. The room odor is not as heavy, so I may prefer this to FM in mixed company, or anytime I want a good, mellow English without super-strong Latakia. Not having to dry it for two weeks helps, too. A very good blend!

Tin Aroma: smoky and woodsy, as an English should be, but with a hint of something sweet in the background. This is constantly in my rotation. A nice well-behaved English blend, with rich Cyprian Latakia and enough Basma to give it a bit of spice. The tin aroma is cohesive, and is pretty close to the actual taste of the tobacco. I have several pipes dedicated to English Blends, but this is the only blend that I have a pipe dedicated solely to. The various components in this blend combine in a way that many blends aspire to, but few achieve. The symphony ranges over the territory a bit, from dark and rich to light and refreshing, but always in harmony, never does one ingredient overpower the others. I would highly recommend this blend to anyone wanting to try English blends, but unsure of where to start.