McClelland Frog Morton on the Town

I will probably be one of the lone dissenting voices in this review. FMOTT is a wonderful, cool smoke. I just don't however think it lives up to it's older brother FM. This blend is more complex and closer to a proper english. The basma lends a very interesting note to the overall picture and the cavendish keeps the smoke very sweet. So why doesn't it get a higher rating? Because- the reason I was so taken with the original is because of its simplicity and richness. The quality of the latakia in the original frog stood by itself as a treat and allowed you to smoke a luxurious tobacco without having to think so much about it. By adding various orientals and trying to sophisticate this blend they have merely shoved it into a different category with blends like: My Mixture 965, Penzance, Caravan, and other complex latakia blends. In this category it gets walked all over by other better blended mixtures. Personally I will take the original Frog any day of the week and appreciate it for what it is, not add some more igredients to make it something it's not. The grass is not alway's greener on the other side.

The tin I've been babying is from 2017. The smoke is smooth as silk with a deep, natural sweetness. The Virginias stand out, although I mostly get sugary red Virginias on the palate. The Latakia is smoky, the basma is woody. It all comes together in a deep, rich, sweet, smoky mixture with the slightest hint of vanilla, with almost no complexity or evolution. An extraordinary blend. 4 stars.

I found a full jar of this from 2013 that I completely forgot about. Theres an odd flavor for the first third that’s hard to describe. Band-Aids sounds weird, but that’s what it’s kinda like. Its the only blend I’ve had with Basma Orientals in it, so maybe they could be what I’m tasting? What sells this one for me is the retrohale. It’s super smooth, and strangely tastes almost exactly like these crème de minthe cakes my mom makes around the holidays. Wish I stocked up on this when I had the chance.

Now that we're in the Post McC era in 2020, I've been going back through my open jars from 2017 to retry the Frogs.

I remembered liking Frog on the Town the most back then and that has not changed now. The additions made to Frog basic blend really work here for me.

The chunky ribbon cut is what I remember and it is easy to pack, light and smoke. The addition of the orientals add a creaminess to this one that I didn't find in the original. It's a notch sweeter overall without becoming "too sweet". The flavor is consistent through the bowl and it is one that I could smoke

For me, this is the best of the Frog Morton series. Better than Cellar, by a good margin, due to a greater sense of harmony. This is the FM blend that I'll miss the most. As close to a perfect aromatic without really being an aromatic.

The Virginias are grassy and fruity and along with the earthy sweet notes of woodly Cyprian latikia, they form the base of the blend. Basma plays a major role offering a dry, slightly tart and floral opulence. The vinegar and vanilla topping is present throughout but not overwhelming as it melds the flavors together. Mild to medium in strength but satisfying. May require some drying time, average relights. Certainly a good smoke I’d enjoy on the town as the pleasant aroma lifts the spirits of passers by. Solid three stars!

I was really excited to try this out, and fired up a couple of bowls this evening. Not a whole lot nicotine (I like nicotine), and a decent amount of flavor. A very good, very nice aftertaste. I did like the room note.

It's pretty wet out of the tin. I'll let it age for a not, and then revisit it.

Sticks and stones... well, I guess mainly just sticks can be found in abundance inside. Every bowl I packed, I ended up picking out some unwieldy stick that wouldn't cooperate. That aside, here goes review #100!

This is the fourth (of 5) Frog Morton blends I have tried, and so far it was my least favorite. I'm not saying it was bad, it just didn't have that spicy taste of the previous three. While it certainly had the similar spicy aroma, it lacked the gunpowder quality that made my nose tickle upon smoking and leaned on being more of an English than an Oriental for me.

For my money, I would stick with the original Frog Morton, or better yet, go down to the Cellar, have a seat on the little wooden cube inside, and start puffing on the best of the series.

Another Frog and another disappointment for me. This is the fourth of the five that I have reviewed leaving only on the bayou to review. My buddy who hunts with me is a Frog fanatic, so I know I had tried this fresh before and thought it alright. Granted, this would be at deer camp with many beers/whiskeys being consumed. The furthest thing from my mind during these times is contemplating the nuances of a particular blend. And while hunting, I've got my own favorites In the tree with me.

Anyway, fast forward to an estate auction where I ended up winning an opened tin dated 1999 with no clue as to how long it had been opened. Now, some people swear latakia blends get better with age. I have noticed the majority of people making these claims don't smoke a lot of latakia blends. It is my contention that Latakia gets better with age if you really don't like latakia that much.

I am not a huge latakia fan, but do enjoy it from time to time and I definitely prefer it fresh as this can was just lousy. lol The latakia is just flat and very similar to other Lat blends from the 90's that I have tried. There is just this stale taste that really detracts from what is likely a nicely aged Virginia. Also, the oriental varietals intended to star in this blend, are obscured as well.

Ultimately, I really questioned whether I should even review this blend and don't expect it to be much help to anyone, but thought I would put my impressions down as I do have another tin unopened in the cellar of a more recent vintage.

For now I am leaving this at a cautionary two stars and will revisit when I pop that tin.

Update 2/7/2023 I smoked that other tin that had aged about 6 years at the time I opened it. I would still put this at two stars, but might have pushed it to three if it was still available. The problem is that it is just not worth putting a lot of hard-earned money towards a purchase of this. It is just a mediocre latakia blend as far as I am concerned. There are many latakia blends out there and available on the cheap that are as good or better than this.