McClelland St. James Woods

Another nicely prepared flake from McClelland that ranges from dark brown to black. Their typical vinegar aroma is again present when you open the tin and I let mine air out some before I even attempted my first smoke. I found a full, rich smoke suitable for enjoyment after meals that smokes cool and easily. I just can't smoke this one around company without complaints or negative comments. The heavy Perique loading of this blend, possibly combined with the jet black stoved VAs, is just too spicey for my tastes as an all day or even everyday smoke. You must love Perique more than I, to consider this as a regular smoke. I'm back to the Blackwoods blend.

When you open a tin of St. James Woods you're greeted with a pleasant but pungent vinegary aroma. Right away you know this stuff has some body to it. The mottled flakes were leathery like Blackwoods Flake and rightly so since this is Blackwoods w/a good helping of Perique. It rubs out fairly easy, packs and lights well but a little time drying helps. Spicy and tangy on the first puffs, the smoke is full, thick and creamy as you progress down the bowl, becoming rich and smoky after about the 1/2way point and losing a bit of the sweetness. The red & black stoved VAs dominate but the zesty, peppery taste of the Perique is most assuredly present. The tobacco does smoke a tad moist, but not enough to put one off or ruin the enjoyment of the smoke. That spicy taste remains present and reminds me of a lightly sweetened, mild salsa. There is a bit more "bite" here than w/Blackwoods but not overly so. The heavy smoke can nail ya, but relaxed puffing will keep the strength from being to "in yer face". This is a good blend that has a darker taste than say Three Nuns, Escudo or maybe Bengal Slices, all three of which I like, it's just heavier in body and taste and I would suggest this tobak for evenings after dinner or when taking a late fall afternoon/early evening walk. Burns clean to a fluffy ash. IMHO, ya gotta really like Perique to smoke this.

I'm fairly new to virginia flakes, transitioning from english blends, so this came as a wake-up call. Scent on opening the tin is vinegarish. After a few days of drying it loses the vinegar and slides toward a nose-tickling sharpness. Mostly darker thin cut wide flakes that I cut into 1/4 inch squares to smoke. I smoke this mostly in taller thinner bowls, and pack it fairly tightly - otherwise the flavor gets too thin for my english (blend) bred tastes. On lighting it is way more sharp than sweet, but as I (carefully) smoke it down the sweetness kicks in and remains to the end. Perique is obvious, but it seems to accentuate the virginia sweetness. The smoke does get thiner at the end of the bowl. This can bite terribly if smoked too fresh out of the tin or too quickly, but properly prepared and carefully smoked it is very enjoyable. Recommended. 8 of 10. - Kelly

I enjoyed this blend, although I probably won't include it in my rotation. I find it a bit too strong to smoke on a regular basis.

The right combination of Virginas and Perique make this spicey blend a pleasure to smoke. It smokes smoothly, but can be a bit harsh to the inexperienced smoker.

The rough cut of the tobacco allows the smoker to break the chunks it into a desired size and consistancy, a plus for those who take their pipe smoking seriously. For those new to this style, it quickly becomes an inconvenience.

As with all McClelland blends, SJW is quite moist out of the can, but not as bad some of their other blends (e.g. Deep Hollow, Gray Havens, Frog, etc.). After initially opening the can, expose it to the open air for a day or two. This should dry it out a bit.

Otherwise, you'll get a lot of condensation, which spoils the smoking experience and ruins the unique taste of this blend.

Nice va/perique blend. It's in flake form, but the flakes in my tin were sliced quite thin, are were fairly small (roughly dime-sized), so this tobacco needed no rubbing out. It's a little harsh when new, but smooths out within a few weeks of being opened. My current tin has been in the humidor for several years (obviously this isn't my daily smoke!) and my most recent pipe a few days ago was really quite nice, with the plum/dark cherry flavor of the virginias nicely balanced by the sour spiciness of the perique. You do have to be careful of the nicotine -- if you smoke too quickly or inhale a bit this tobacco will flatten you with its punch.



The room aroma from this aged tin is nondescript, the best description I could get from my wife was "pipey", but she didn't find it terribly objectionable. However, when this tin was new I heard the aroma described most charitably as "burning gym socks", so YMMV.

As with most McClelland blends, it is a mistake to judge this tobacco by its aroma in the tin. The typical "ketchup" flavor is there (although perhaps not as potently as in other McC. blends) and gives you little indication of what is to come. The tobacco itself is in broken flake form and is dark brown to black in color. As with all Va./perique blends, this blend benefits from a couple of weeks of drying out in an opened tin. (The SJW I purchased didn't really hit its stride until it had been open for two months!). I don't bother to rub this out, although if you are particularly prone to tongue bite you should consider doing so. The tobacco lights easily and stays lit with little difficulty. The wonderful perique flavor is obvious from the first puff, along with a certain "spiciness" that is, I believe, unique to this blend. I would consider this tobacco "strong", as it yields a good nicotine punch without being too overwhelming. Overall, I would recommend this to any va/perique lover as a must try.