McClelland Oriental Mixture No. 12

(2.42)
Rich and full of flavor, especially appealing in the evening, still spiced gently enough with Latakia and Turkish leaf to be a superb occasional tobacco for the individual who normally prefers lighter mixtures and Matured Virginias.

Details

Brand McClelland
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By  
Blend Type Oriental
Contents Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50g Tin, 100g Tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.42 / 4
1

13

5

5

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 24 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 12, 2009 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant
#12 has been around for a long time and has an ardent following. The Virginia/Oriental base is, typical of McClelland's; a quality laced offering. The combination is too light for me though. It made me puff a little too fast and my tongue protested.

Many thanks to McClelland's for making something to suit everyone's tastes.

Best, Pipestud
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 31, 2009 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
As other reviewers have mentioned, this is a light tasting, bland mixture. The description does state that it's designed for the person that normally prefers light mixtures or matured virginias, so in that respect they are correct. But they also state that it's rich and full of flavor, and in that I'd have to disagree.

I find this blend wimpy. It's along the lines of Rattray's 7 Reserve which I'm not crazy about either, but which seems a more fully realized blend than this one. I think McClellands is a great blender (indeed, they are my overall favorite) but they seem to struggle to produce latakia mixtures that are to my liking. Or maybe I'm just of strange tastes. But so far nothing in their green oriental series does much to distinguish itself. 3 down, 2 more to go - and I'm not looking forward to the rest of the journey.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 25, 2015 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant
Wow....I thought #6 and #8 were bad. This is just a touch of sweetness with a mild taste of Oriental. Nothing else. If it has Latakia, I can't find it. A waste of good matches.

Mild in body and flavor. Burns well after a stubborn light.
Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 09, 2011 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
This is nice. I'm just adding a few comments, not a full description of this obviously fine Oriental mixture, since I'm working with a small sample. The sample is very well aged, being from 1995. As is true with most McClellands, time treats this blend very well! I am mainly a Virginia man, but like Latakia, tending to prefer either a light application or a mainline, rather than "the average English." Oriental #12 goes in the light application category. Smooth and delicate, the blend is best slowly sipped. The Virginias in here are mild, but of the usual McClelland quality, and are perfectly balanced by the light Latakia and exotic Turkish. Attractive tobacco, with a nice cut and mixture of colors tending to black, which must indicate a certain percentage of stoved Virginia, since the Latakia is really very light. I have smoked mixtures this old by well-known blenders that are now crumbling to dust, but this has held up very well. I've been smoking this bowl very slowly, with lots of relights (no, it's not my first bowl, more like my fourth!) and am getting some nice flavors. Delicate flavors, almost flowery, though there are no toppings. This is pleasing me greatly, as I have been overdoing the heavier blends as of late. If I get more of this, and smoke enough to really put it through its paces, and it keeps giving me bowls like this, I could see putting up a fourth star.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 26, 2022 Mild None Detected Mild Unnoticeable
I met up with the guys this past Saturday for our unofficial pipe club meeting. Our esteemed VP brought in McClelland - Oriental Mixture No. 12 120095. A mere 27 years old. Upon opening the entire contents were covered with bloom and sugar crystals. I have never seen a tin with that much fermentation going on. Imagine sealed in the dark for 27 years. I was a young lad of 36 when this tin was born. This is a very mild Oriental blend. Upon smoking and I have had about four bowls already these past two days the Latakia is subdued in the background to the point that all I really taste is the Oriental. I do find the description on this site a little amusing: “Rich and full of flavor, especially appealing in the evening, still spiced gently enough with Latakia and Turkish leaf to be a superb occasional tobacco for the individual who normally prefers lighter mixtures and Matured Virginias.” Which one is it, full or light? The answer is light. I have enjoyed this but is best to be sipped with a lighter tasting beverage so as not to drown out the subtle taste of the tobaccos. I have had to this date #14, #6 and #8 now #12. The only one I am missing is #1. It has been too long to compare any but I believe the #8 is more flavorful. I will be leaving the club in about 6 weeks as we are moving out of state so this has been a rare treat. I was also gifted by our Second in Command with a beautiful Savinelli Dolomiti Rusticated 311 KS Poker which I have been smoking this rare blend in this morning. It is a beautiful brown stained pipe with brown stem. Life couldn’t be better.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Dolomiti Rusticated Poker 311KS
Age When Smoked: 27 years
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 20, 2021 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
I had the chance to enjoy some 1993 vintage #12. I've had newer before and wasn't "overly impressed" finding it similar to the other blends in the series. However, with the extra aging it turns into a very sublime oriental. The tobaccos play off each other nicely and it has become much more flavorful. It really convinced me to let the unopened tins in the cellar stay dormant for another decade or so 🙂
PurchasedFrom: gift
Age When Smoked: 1993 vintage
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 26, 2017 Mild None Detected Medium Pleasant
Spicy and lemon like, this is a spritzy Oriental and Va, with the barest whisper of Latakia. Burns fast and clean and is light on nicotine and very fresh on the palate.

Not a lot of depth, but this clearly isn't the intention of the makers. It is rich, in the sense of being tasty and bright, but there are few darker notes in this tobacco. It is what it is, and I enjoy it a lot. Somewhat reminiscent to me of Skiff Mixture but with even less Latakia.

For me, suits a summer's day in the garden with a pilsener.
Pipe Used: Cobs
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 18, 2015 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
The more I smoke this, the better I like it. While it's not my favorite pipe tobacco (I favor a good English, like Dunhill 965), it offers a very pleasant smoke without a bite. I'm new to Orientals. This is the first Oriental mixture that I've tried. I'm enjoying it. I can understand why other smokers consider this mixture rather blah. I give it a 3.
Pipe Used: Dunhill Billiard
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 2 to 3 months.
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 26, 2010 Mild None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
The reviews here are a great tool for finding new tobaccos to try. But take the reviews with a grain of salt! There are just too many factors to take into consideration to get a truly accurate review. The best reviewers have experience in their craft (pipes and tobaccos) and have the fully broken in pipes to prove it. They also tend to have what many newer pipe smokers lack: patience. If I had a dollar for every time someone reviewed a blend after only smoking it once or twice I would have enough cash to buy an S Bang!

In other words, try to read A LOT of reviews, and if you like a review, read that reviewers OTHER reviews to get a feel for their knowledge and experience. Anyway, continuing on:

Since I can't find my beloved Penzance anywhere, I began my search for a "replacement" until more could be aquired. As the Oriental content is one of the key "personalities" of Penzance, I decided to find a comparable blend with good quality Orientals.

**Side note- I have read that the reason for the Penzance shortage is due to Esoterica having problems with their Oriental leaf supply. I don't know if it is true, but that's what I heard.***

Being a lover of all the McClelland Tobacco Company blends I have tried (Dark Star, Anniversary, Christmas Cheer), I decided to try a McClelland blend with some of that delicious Oriental leaf.

After reading all the varied reviews here, I went to my local tobacco shop with the intent to purchase a pure Oriental, like Drama. I saw the green labeled Oriental and took a chance with the 12.

Upon popping the tin I got the familiar McClelland virginia aroma I love. Calling it a ketchup smell is wrong. It does have the smell of stewed tomatoes and vinegar, but ketchup just isn't quite right.

Anyway, the tobacco was moist and cut just perfectly for easy packing.

I loaded up an old Dunhill I use for my "English" blends, and did my two requisite charring lights followed by my regular tamp and light.

At first, I thought the blend tasted rather bland. I relaxed, and tried to ease into the experience and take my time. Sure enough, I was rewarded with a wonderful smoke that varied in taste but never left the path of "mellow, tasty, and creamy."

Yes, you can taste the sweetness of the Virginas. Yes, the Latakia is VERY subtle here, and at first I was offended by this. Then I remembered I had bought an ORIENTAL blend and NOT an ENGLISH blend!

For what it is, this is really good tobacco. It was just what I was looking for. After the tin had some time to dry a bit, it became even better.

It was NOT a replacement for my Penzance, but I am glad I found this blend and gave it a try as I really did enjoy the tin. I will be purchasing more and I will be adding this to my favorites.

Don't buy a Jeep and then get upset when its not a Ferrari! In other words, if you want a good blend with a light Latakia finish and mellow Oriental flavor, grab some of this stuff!
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 19, 2005 Mild None Detected Mild Pleasant
I don?t know why this blend receives such middling reviews. No. 12 may not be for the novice, and its light subtlety may not shake the foundations. You have to give this one time. It will not reach out and grab you, but rather, slowly entice you with its charms as you proceed down the bowl. This is a light Scottish adventure unlike anything I?ve come to expect from McClelland, and yet, it?s everything I would expect from them. The label indicates that it?s an evening smoke, but it could easily be an all day. Latakia & Turkish are supposed to be in this, but all I really taste is sweet matured Virginias for which McC excels. The tin note is ketchupy, even gassy; a Polish lady friend of mine aptly calls it ?sweet fart?. The initial light is bland but soon reveals a complexity of heathery flavors and the satisfying sweetness of pressed Virginias. The cut is a beautiful shaggy ribbon. Caution: don?t smoke this outdoors, as you won?t taste or smell anything but hot smoke stoking in a bowl. Don?t rake the leaves or watch an intense movie or read an involving book while smoking this. Devote your full concentration to it and you will be amply rewarded. This is a contemplative blend for the serious pipe smoker. Sit back, relax and experience pure, unadulterated tobacco perfection that will leave you looking forward to more. This is what pipe smoking is all about.

Four of five stars
1 person found this review helpful.
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