McClelland Oriental Mixture No. 8

High quality American Red Virginia leaf combined with High quality Spice tobaccos from the old Orient,Greece and Turkey.

A lovely soft taste of the Virginias backed up and tangled nicely with the Orientals makes this a whole lot of pleasure. The Orientals contribute an herbal likeness to the tangy soft Red cake Virginias that is most enjoyable,and I haven't found similar to in any other tobacco. This (IMO) is truly the best Oriental that MC produces.

Ribbon cut leaf,the tobacco burns cool and clean to the bottowm with a gray ash. Wonderful pipe weed.

I am halfway through a tin of this stamped 2004. The bouquet from the can is a melange of fruit and spice. The signature McClelland aroma is present but more subdued than a straight Virginia.

It is a mix of light and dark leaf ribbon perfectly cut for packing. It was a little too moist for my taste, but a weekend of air made it perfect.

Packing a Pererson bent spigot bulldog with this mixture and striking a match, I felt the perfect harmony of flavors by mid bowl. VA, orientals, and a little Latakia are perfect.

Anymore, I find straight VA's to be lacking. Strong VA/Latakia's are too obnoxious. Too much Perique with a VA overwhelms the taste buds. #8 is a VA mixture supported by the subtle sweetness of the Orientals, with a little Latakia for spice. Refined and mellow, and just right.

This tobacco was a one match affair. It burns slowly and evenly. Never harsh and no gunk in the bowl.

5 more cans of 2004 vintage are in the cellar for future evaluations.

Presentation is medium brown ribbon with some dark and light brown accents. Tin note is tangy and chocolatey with some spicy and mildly floral background notes. Moisture content is just right and this is ready to smoke right from the tin.

The charring light is very dry and brings deeper, darker chocolate favors with a backdrop of parchment and nuts. The Virginias assert in the first third of the bowl, adding a light, lovely sweetness perfectly mellowed by the Orientals, and creating a biteless and delicate smoke that still retains richness and body. No.8 has a full creamy mouthfeel that belies the fundamental delicacy and balance of the blend.

There's a bit more tang by mid-bowl but it doesn't replace the mild sweetness. Rather, it adds a third flavor to the gentle sweet and chocolatey Orientals. The finish is an extraordinary balance of flavors, each demonstrating their distinct characteristics without competing with or eclipsing one other. This is s blend that could easily be an all-day smoke, yet contains enough flavor complexity to stand in as a more contemplative, evening blend.

Overall an excellent Virginia/Oriental mixture that smokes dry and mellow, earthy yet sweet. The Orientals tame the Virginias without overwhelming the subtle sweetness. The Orientals here are very chocolatey with a bit of parchment and nut. The Virginias are soft and subtly sweet with just a pleasant hint of tang. Latakia is condimental here, adding just a touch of earthiness by mid-bowl and a hint of mustiness in the final third.

Balanced and nuanced. Zero bite. Exceptionally cool smoking and very dry. Outstandingly well blended. Smoke this one in a wide, shallow bowl such as a pot or prince, sit back, and enjoy.

The sweet tangy red virginias lead the band here, with the orientals adding subtle notes and the latakia playing softly in the background. A truly fine smoking experience. No bite, no bitterness; just wonderful all the way down the bowl. Like puffing smoky honey.

I bought two 100 gram tins of this back in 1998 and never intended to cellar these for 21 years but until about a month ago I could not bring myself to open one. So finally I took it to the pipe club and we popped the lid. It is a medium dark coarse ribbon cut and has a strong earthy, musty sweet smell out of the tin. This is a really smooth blend that starts out a little sweet and sometimes ends a little tart. I have no way of knowing what the 21 years of age did to this one but there were no complaints at the club. Thumbs up all around. I had a lot of fun opening something that was two decades old. Today I smoked some more and this is one great blend that has a lot of flavor. But as for the other tin it is going to sit a spell. My stash of McClelland is limited even more so since they closed their doors. So, I will wait my time to open the other one when the moment is right. But hopefully not on my death bed. Ha.

The ribbon cut packs well and it lights easily enough. The matured red VA's shine through as the base with a lightly sweet flavor and that familiar VA tang, but there is an underlying Oriental spiciness as well as a nutty taste that builds as you smoke down the bowl and, as the tin description states, it is a rich, mellow smoke. The flavor is soft and round in the sense that no one tobacco is always overriding the others. Moisture was not a problem, I used one pipe cleaner about half way down the bowl. I feel it did get a little harsh near the end but it was not, to me, unpleasant. It burns down to a fluffy, grayish ash. I find #8 to be a rich, rewarding blend, and I would smoke it almost any time of the day. LSW prefers the aromas of other tobaccos like the VA's or VA/perique blends but she as well as others that were there when I smoked this simply stated it "was not bad". I find it smokes best in a Grp. 5 or G size pipe, but it's mellow enough that a larger pipe would do OK. I tried it in a deep bowl full-bent Don Carlos and it did get a little bitter. I like it though, and I'll keep some around.

This is one of my favorite smokes. It is mellow but has a great balanced taste. It's a little difficult to light and keep lit but a real pleasure when finally going. Even though the cut is ribbon, there are many small waxy cubes that need to be rubbed a little to make the tobacco easier to smoke.

The smoke is floral and a lightly sweet and spicy.

The end of the bowl tastes a little sour and that sour taste lingers in the mouth for hours.

This blend alternates between giving you a sweet and spicy smoke. It is listed as a mild smoke but it has to be the taste smoke of the day for me otherwise it overpowers the other blends.

It's no secret that McClelland's Frog Morton is my favorite tobacco, but after that I have to say that McClelland's #8 green tin oriental blend is high on my list of comfort tobaccos. Strikingly mellow and round in taste, this is a blend that I consider to be up there with the best in English blends. I, for one, will be buying up lots of tins of this blend to lay down and age for years, maybe even a lifetime supply. If I could pick only two or three tobaccos to be in my regular rotation, McClelland #8 is one of them. Definitely deserves a tryout if you like English / Latakia blends. Highly recommended!