McClelland Navy Cavendish

I think this is the best of its kind, just make sure if you are in a B&M that you look at the bottom of the in and get the oldest one.

This needs some drying out and can be hard to pack as its prone to going out, but when you get it right, when its well-aged, well-packed and well-dried, you are in for a very satisfying and deeply flavorful smoke,.

As always, VA's so rich and tangy that your mouth almost waters on sniffing it the tin, but there is something there that makes this all the better, that Rum casing. It doesn't smell like nasty, hungover alcohol like I find GH Rum Flake does, or even GLP Sextant where it smells like the breath of someone who had a skinful of rum the night before and is now suffering, this smells like nice and classy rum which is being served to you aboard a sailing vessel on a nice day without a care in the world.

The prep is so important. Shortcuts equal bite or blowing through a book of matches and giving up in annoyance, but its worth it.

Cannot think of a Navy Flake as good as this. Maybe a little light on the casing as the VA's hit high guy near the middle and can drown out the rum casing, but otherwise, a real winner.

This review is based on a tin from 2005 that had been kicking around my cellar for the past year. Each time I returned to it, I found that I liked it more and more. The dark flakes remind me of Dark Star in appearance. I choose to rub out the flakes or smoke them chopped. I find that I like it chopped better. There is a tangy sweetness that I really enjoy. Like some of the other reviewers, I found it difficult to detect any rum in the blend. It has either dissipated with age or it has been added with the lightest of hands. Being a bit of a puffer, I was pleased to find that it can be pushed a bit without any bite. The flavors are pretty straight forward without a lot of complexity. Navy Cav is a little light in the strength department for my taste and that would be its downfall for me in terms of future purchases. However, fans of matured Virginia's should give this blend a try. Recommended

I basically agree with The Keeper below... this is what Captain Black and the other Vanilla/Black Cavendish mixes are trying to imitate. That said, this product bears absolutely no resemblance to the drugstore aromatics.

I would have called this a broken flake rather than a ribbon, but maybe I'm out to lunch on that.

This tobacco needs a bit of a rub, but not much. Moisture content wasn't bad, and unlike some McClelland's, this stuff actually will dry out.

Inoffensive in the pipe, there's a nice dose of vanilla, rum, and the carrying Va tobaccos. Not as sweet as a black cavendish by any means, but the balance of flavours is really good. It's not real heavy, and a guy could smoke this all day without trouble, I think.

I wasn't terribly impressed with this tobacco until I tried it in a really good pipe- I don't know if it was the size, or the quality, or whatever, but right at the end of the tin I had one fantastic smoke with this tobacco, and finally understood it.

Many, many years ago I bought some different McClelland tins and without purpose they wound up aging between ten to 20 years old. I never had a huge collection but I have maybe 6 unopened tins left. I decided to open this tin dated 290300 at our Sunday meeting. Twenty years this has sat on my shelf. I let a fellow friend of mine have the honors. It still had the McClelland Vinegar smell and was still slightly moist in the tin consisting of beautiful dark brown flakes. This smokes good with what I believe to be a light rum topping but this has a taste that I just can’t put my finger on, maybe it is the Cavendish, can’t really say. I also read in a review, which I cannot find now that this probably would reach its peak at around 10 years. Due to the age I had really blown my expectations out of proportion but in honesty it is good but not 20 years good. Who knows, I am going to let it sit in the can and try some more after it breathes. Guess I am lucky to have lived twenty years to try it but really don’t think the age made much difference on this blend. Of course, I will never know as I cannot buy a new one to compare. Glad to have tried it, even more glad to have shared it.

4/10/08 Very good. Not a lot of other tobacco tastes like this. I disagree with previous reviewers that it is a darker tobacco, It is a golden brown rum soaked navy cavendish style flake.

It does require some initial drying, and I would not reccomend this to a newbie at either flakes or the pipe in general. I think the work involved is well worth the rewards of enjoyment. Try it in a medium or smaller sized pipe.

It has a good flavor. I like this a lot. It is rich enough for a continuous smoker to fit into his routine. But easy enough on the tongue to satisfy that anytime need for a good solid smoke.

I was a little surprised at how well the rum enhances the natural cavendish flavor. It kind of creeps in as you go. Has a good va flavor with some added mellow sweetness from the rum which by my taste is dark and well aged. If you are expecting a blast of rum on your tongue you won't find it here and should try a rum aromatic for that.

I'm done with black cavendish for the most after finding this lovely flake. It has some punch for those not faint of heart.

Like all mc va's, rub it, dry it out most of the way, then enjoy- just pace yourself. It takes a while to adjust to va's anyway so I can see where a different type of smoker or the inexperienced could not understand this or any tobacco in this series. With all mc va's patience is key. I feel quick drying is no problem as long as approached correctly. Rub out a palmfull or two, put it on a plate or the like and 4-10 hrs in the house out of sunlight usually gets her right, just keep checking it every couple hrs. Then I put the dried portion (about 5 bowls worth) in a mason jar to lock it in at the right moisture which is around 95% dry leaving the rest of the undried tin for later to keep it fresh. I do this with everything in my rotation to keep some of everythng ready to go. Any airtight container will do and if you smoke up a tin quicker than I do you could prep the whole thing and just use the tin, I use glass because it is easier to see how much is left than having to peek under the lids of tins and as long as the jar is clean and has a good lid there is no way it will ever color the taste of your smokes like plastic can. Of course the Spouse thinks I am too particular- I prefer the term conniseur.

Common sense should tell you when it is super humid or while raining is not the best time to dry. There is no reason to let it sit for a year after opening! Maybe before opening to age some would make sense but every tin I ordered so far is at least two years old anyway.

But then again I am a farmer that raises hay and has raised tobacco, this seems very simple to me. Not for those who want to pop a lid and pack. Or those who can't sip slowly.

I would call this virginia based rum candy myself. Not as sweet a s#27 or #25 though. Very distinctive.

Update 9/15/08 This is bothering my allergies somehow and it took me a while to put my finger on it. It always makes my mouth dry way too much and makes my eyes water and itch. Real shame cause I liked it till then. Seems too hay grassy for me now.

I am damn sorry McClelland has exited the industry. They were/are fine people and in the tobacco blenders hall of fame. That will never change. They also had an ethos that we need more of: tradition, loyalty, hard work and commitment to excellence. With all my lauds and praise now aside, on for my review, that will be less pleasant. First off, this is truly a masterpiece in terms of the blending, processing and replication of "the old way" when making a VA Cavendish. The leaf and methods are beyond compare, in my opinion. That said, the flavor is not really for me but I will not let my personal taste totally sully this review. I have smoked about 10 bowls of this 2 year old tin. The tin note is vinegar/ketchup...signature McClelland, and I love it. There is a hint of rum and spice in the background but you have to try and notice it over the fermented VA's. I will say up front that I am not normally an English Cavendish smoker. Unflavored Cavendish has an odd taste on my palate. The rum topping on this is so light that I can hardly notice it. The rum flavor has consistently shown up in the bottom third of the bowl in every pipe I tried this in. Even then it is incredibly faint and I mostly taste it on the retrohale and after taste. The Cavendish process really does a disservice to the Virginia's , in my opinion. McClelland are masters of VA tobacco and this process mutes the best flavors the leaf had to offer for me. The flavor is fairly consistent throughout the bowl with the exception previously mentioned of the rum showing up lightly towards the end. The main flavor for me is very hard to describe, in my parlance I call it "unflavored Cav flavor". It is earthy and vegetal, like a strong mineral water that has that "minerally" flavor that is hard to put in words. It is slightly piquant and is tasted on the rear of the tongue and off to the sides. There is none of the McClelland VA sweetness and spice that I love so much and the earthiness is not like the earth you get with Red VA. I can see why this is appealing and I also now know why I like unflavored Cavendish when it is added to an English blend. It is mouth feel and backbone (for lack of a better term) that it adds, but it isn't really a pleasing flavor on it's own. I am not a big aromatic lover but I think I would have liked more rum or maybe if they threw a whiskey stave in with it ( I may do that) I think I would like it better. For what is worth I found this best in a Falcon or shallow bowled briar. This is a fine blend but not one that is really to my taste. This is a 5 star "blend" for me with a 2 star taste...3 it is.

Medium to dark brown flakes that are fairly tough. It has a brown sugar/molasses nose. From the start there are some strident, sometimes harsh, darker Va notes. The smoke softens considerably by mid bowl and this is when the promise of this baccy is on show. However, towards the end there are some intrusive bitter notes suggestive of an unsophisticated burley.

Burns well once underway and I preferred to stuff and go. Does not smoke well in clay and needs a good briar or cob to take away the rough edges. Lasts an age in the bowl.

I suspect my year old tin is well underdone and it might take a few years for this tobacco to come into its own. Really a two star blend as it is but there is sufficient promise for me to give it 3 stars. I will try to review it again in perhaps 5 years or so.

This is the original Cavendish (Golden Cavendish), the first creation of this extraordinary invention. If you want to try the original Cavendish here is it. Pure Virginia leaf pressed in cake and aged with Rum. No other ingredient. Simple with a natural taste. The idea is great because McClelland gives all of us the opportunity to taste the real Navy Cavendish of the origins. The result is not as exciting as the premise. I mean that this is a good cavendish, but not excellent. It has no complexity, probably because of the simple “original recipe”. But it is natural and this is a merit. From the side of the taste two stars, but four stars in regard to the idea. So, for these reasons, in my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 8 and three full stars.

Smoked cool and clean. Tasted very natural, I barely tasted the rum casing. Pleasant nutty flavor with no tongue bite. Not a lot of deep flavors, but the simple purity was nice. Room note was lite and pleasant. Moderate nicotine buzz.