McClelland Navy Cavendish

This is my favorite rum flake. Seems to be just rum added to a wonderful red and orange virginia flake. The rum gives the Vas another dimension of sweetness and depth. People say to smoke on the dry side. I don't like dry tobacco so I smoke fairly moist like normal. This works well for me with a little bite at the beginning if you're not careful. It's a great tobacco though.

Smoking now:

The tin smells of dark aged Virginia. Sweet hay, molasses, and dark fruit.

Moisture out of the tin is perfect. It is a very flavorful Virginia with lots of sour dark fruit, molasses, rum, and that sweet fermented hay taste. Now keep in mind my tin is 15 years old. I thought this was smooth, retrohale wasn’t sharp and it did not tingle my tongue or bite. This could be from the rum or the age smoothing it out. Short and very nice after taste. Smoked it to ash. This is god damn one of the best bowls I’ve ever smoked. If you ever find this hiding away get it and sell it to me please.

I had a chance to sample some 1998 Navy Cavendish and it makes me kick myself that I didn't load up on this blend when McC was going out of business.

The 1998 smelled wonderful in the jar with a light hint of McKetchup and also a sweetness which I'm attributing to the rum treatment. Loading the bowl was easy as the flakes still had perfect moisture. A slight crumble to have smaller pieces for my radiator bowl was all it took. Lighting was simple as it took to the flame quickly.

The taste was a sublime combination of the slight ketchup, a mild sweetness which came across as molasses (the rum) and the background of dark virginias. The flavor remained consistent through the bowl and it smoked down too quickly to grey ash.

This has now become one of the few McC's that I might be willing to pay a premium for to get some "preaged" and/or scoop up whatever I can find to have a long nap in the cellar.

I just finished a 50g tin of this I bought 6 years ago on a whim and am kicking myself for not trying it out before it became discontinued; It was not what I had expected at all and that is probably the reason for this. I really expected an aromatic with strong rum flavor. What I got was another fantastic Virginia flake from the Virginia masters.

While I have enjoyed every McClelland Va Flake that I have tried, this one, in particular, smoked very smoothly. It was sweet, but also had a touch of earthiness to it that was nice. The ketchup aroma also seemed lighter than the other MC Vas. As to the rum, I really didn't taste any rum at all. So it is either lightly applied or just blends in that well with the tobacco.

NC also seemed to burn a little better than the other MC Vas. Other than that, the nicotine level was on the low side like many other MC blends (and Cavendish tobaccos in general) and it was so easy smoking it suits itself well as an all day smoke. I highly recommend this one if you can find it.

I love this stuff, ketchup and all....makes a nice change from other' more sugary and cased Navy's. My favorite McCle so far, the other being C.Cheer which was not so great for me. I think a spray of Rum would do this no harm.....my tins are from 1994....so maybe I'm just spoilt....lovely stuff.

This blend has turned into one of my favorites. The tin aroma is delighfully complex. There is a note of sourness, not unlike acetic acid, along with the rich smell of the cavendish itself.

The tobacco is anything but sour though. It comes in broken flake form and requires some rubbing before it is ready to go. Packing was no problem.

Light up went fine. Despite being very moist, it almost never needs a relight---maybe just one for the bottom third of the bowl. The ash was nice and powdery all the way to the end.

"Festina lente" on the smoke ("hasten slowly"). This mixture can turn nasty if you smoke it too quickly. I should know.

It has a yummy flavor. There is some sweetness present, but it doesn't cloy. If you like Virginias but haven't tried a Navy blend lately, you are in for a real treat.

It certainly isn't an all day smoke, but keep some on your shelf. Once a day will offer you some real enjoyment.

After opening the tin, I find tobacco cut into broken flakes, with a very dark hue that makes the shine of the crystallized sugar stand out more. Once the pipe is lit, the flavor of the Virginias is very rich, and the nuance that the addition of rum gives it is very light, perhaps due to the aging of the tin that I am smoking, but it gives it a nice and different flavor. If you're a little careless, you can suffer from the pipe heating up and a slight bite of the tongue in the first days after opening the tin, but after a while and after having aerated it, it works perfectly. The smoke is very pleasant and it is very rich in flavor.

To date this is my favorite rum flavored tobacco and in my opinion one of McClelland's best. The quality of this brand's tobaccos is undeniable, but I find that many resemble each other. Maybe that's why this one surprised me so pleasantly.

I’ve always been a fan of Navy-style blends but this one has to be my favorite of them all. Made with top-of-the-line McClelland Virginia’s that bring notes of dark fruit, grassy, and citrus married to spicy rum really is an amazing combination. One doesn’t overpower the other they just compliment nicely. Not too strong but you definitely get a nic hot with this one, I prefer sipping this blend to get the most flavor possible

Maybe I was suited for navy service in the 19th Century, but more likely I've got a thing for lost arts. This throwback Cavendish is fantastic.