McClelland St. James Woods

I expected more from a four year old tin. Upon first light, a bit harsh, acrid & bitey, but very spicy & loaded with Perique. Age had turned these moist flakes into a combination of very dark brown and blackish color. St. James Woods & Beacon are very similar in taste & neither tasted like any other VA/Per I've sampled in the past.

I'm somewhat dissapointed and will confess that this is my least favorite VA/Per so far. I preferred their Beacon offering over this. It was smoother, cheaper and that tin sample was only two yeas of age. Maybe I've become spoiled by Bell's Three Nuns & Escudo. I'll try this tin again later and if a bit of airing improves the quality, I will update this review.

Update: Airing & drying it out a bit ridded the Ketchup smell somewhat & I upgraded to three stars.

Some of you may not like this review and call it ‘nitpicking’:

-1 star for smell: The tin smells like ketchup. The tobacco smells like ketchup. When you cellar the tobacco into a glass jar it still smells like ketchup. If I wanted to smell ketchup while smoking, I’d dump a load of ketchup into my pipe and start dipping French fries into it while I am puffing away.

I don’t care if all of McClelland tins smell like this; I want to smell fresh tobacco, not a stale ketchup stench. In my opinion, the scent of tobacco is just as important as the taste, and nothing ruins this more than an unpleasant smelling tobacco.

Aside from the scent, it is a quality, upper-tier 3-4 star VaPer. The natural sweetness of the Virginia tobacco blends well with the Perique that has an above-average level of spiciness. St. James Woods has a darker, sweeter dried fruit taste that merges with the spicy Perique exquisitely. Overall, it is a very smooth, satisfying smoking experience. Burns rather hot, so smoke it slowly and use the ‘breath method’ throughout. Certainly an all-day smoke and I finished my 50 ounce in about 2 week. A really nice blend, but the aroma hinders the overall smoking experience.

Tin Date 2/2007

St. James Woods is by far my favorite of the Personal Reserve Series. As stated many times before, McClelland flakes need to be dried out blah blah blah, but once that optimum moisture level is reached, SJW is pleasing. Sweet and subtly sharp at the same time, tangy, elegant and in true McClelland's fashion, never too much. SJW fits neatly into my mild-medium slot in my spectrum of Va/Pers. It has a PERFECT amount of perique for my tastes for that range. When I want something stronger in the cajun weed, I reach for Escudo or even Haddo's.

Ok, I am a novice here. I have only smoked one bowl of this and it is my first perique experience. I had previously smoked some blackwoods flake, which I believe is the same as this without the perique. I rubbed the flakes and let dry for 15 minutes, after having had trouble with re-lighting I discover I need a method to dry my tobaccos out. I did not enjoy this smoke as much as I would have liked while I was smoking, but I do like the lingering flavor on my pallett. I was not ready for the pepper and spice of the perique. I am going to give this one a few more chances and maybe it will grow on me, or maybe perique isn't my thing. I did greatly enjoy a latakia blend recently. Agree with other reviews about the aroma coming out of the tin, and have heard that Mclelland is known for having a vinegary scent.

Second bowl update: I rubbed out the whole tin and gave it some drying time. The result was a more well rounded smoke, that stayed lit very well after 3-4 charring lights. It is one you can play with a bit, the slower you smoke the less pepper/spice you perceive, and vice versa. I still found that towards the end, the smoke didn't smooth out, and the pepper/spice still overpowered a bit. If you like that, you will like this smoke. I was looking for more balance.

Third bowl: Over time it is getting better. Perhaps mellowing out a bit with time now that its been opened and rubbed. I liked the level of spice and pepper, and there was some nice background flavor but still not enough. I'm sticking with two stars.

Ongoing: This really improves with time. I have a tough go with Va/pers, but this one is growing on me. I smoked it in a brigham with the rock maple insert filter and enjoyed it more than any other va/per I have smoked before. Moved to 3 stars.

The review is based on a 50g tin from 2006. Tin aroma: A whiff detected a spicy note and I didn't get a Ketchup smell from this one. My first olfactory sensation was of Nutmeg and/or Clove. I think this mild topping enhances the flavor of the smoke which becomes sweet & mild after 1/3 has burned off. The first few puffs were a bit harsh & tart but give this one a chance and you'll get a burst of mild, sweet tobacco flavor prior to the halfway point.

Initially...the first few puffs, I didn't think I'd like St. James but it developed into an excellent smoke as the tobaccos began to interact. It doesn't bite, although you might think so because of the "Perique Affect." The flakes are dark & moist. They rub out easily though & it burns well enough. If you're a VA/Per fan, you might enjoy this as much as I did.

It left a sweet, pleasant aftertaste on my palate. It smokes mildly with diminishing flavor towards the end and burns down to a fine gray ash. The Perique kicks in pretty good near the end and it doesn't become harsh or bitter. Escudo is still my favorite VA/Per but I have only tried maybe...eight blends in this genre so far. I'm anxious to try the new Dunhill, Deluxe Navy Rolls. Therefore, IMHO, St. James Woods merits three stars.

"Got any stewed prunes? Give them some black coffee. That'll sober 'em up."

Mmmmmm. Perique.

No kidding, I get a nice stewed prune note and a little bitter black coffee/chicory in this very good blend. And best of all, it still tastes like tobacco.

McClellands flagship VA/P blend my tin was 4 years old . A fine looking flake . Great initial taste and a complex all the way down it of course merits recommendation . But the $64.000 question is with so many great VA/P blends availble is this one one of the greats . Maybe , but as other reviewers have noted 2015 may well have the edge to my taste. It's not bad but is perhaps not as good as I was hoping.

This review was initially written in 2009 under my old handle. This blend was already four years old when purchased. I was a novice piper back then. This review was based on a 50g tin from 2006.

Tin aroma: A whiff detected a spicy note and I didn't get a Ketchup smell from this one. My first olfactory sensation was of Nutmeg and/or Clove which may have been induced via the Perique which enhanced the flavor of the smoke & becomes sweet & mild after 1/3 has burned off. The first few puffs were a bit harsh & tart but give this one a chance and you'll start getting a better, milder flavor prior to the halfway point.

Initially, I didn't think I'd like St. James Woods but it developed into a pretty good smoke as the tobaccos interacted. It doesn't bite, although you might think so because of the "Perique affect." The flakes are dark & moist. They rub out easily & it burns well enough. If you're a VA/Per fan, you might enjoy this as much as I did. It leaves a sweet, pleasant aftertaste on the palate. It smokes mildly with diminishing flavor towards the end and burns down to a fine gray ash.

I enjoy everything about this blend with the exception of the moisture level. Even after rubbing out I have quite a time keeping it lit unless it dries for at least an hour. Otherwise, it is a wonderful VAPer with a flavor that is all its own.