McClelland St. James Woods

As I become more experienced a pipe smoker, I've noticed that I detect flavors more fully, and this is certainly a flavorful smoke: The VAs are stoved, and the Perique is quite tasty. A half tin of St. James Woods has been sitting in my basket of current tobaccos, and was unlidded by mistake, but having it dried out turned out to be an advantage -- the broken flake is burning quite evenly, without having to rub it out. Cheers!

Another high quality Virginia from MC. This one somewhat reminds me of Blackwoods Flake, although it's a bit milder, less complex, sweeter and daker. Perfectly spiced with Perique, noticeable but never overwhelming.

The ketchup taste is less than average for typical MC Virginias, another similarity with Blackwoods Flake. SJW is meant to be sipped, becoming tasteless when smoked hot and making it a great DGT candidate.

It would get 4 stars if it wasn't for a rather flat mid third of the bowl: the last one is where the flavor really kicks in.

St. James Woods is an excellent Virginia perique blend, one of the best in the market today. The tin aroma is the same as Blackwood flakes, means sweet ketchup and vinegar, the flakes is ready to pack directly into your pipe, no raping or drying is needed, the burning property is dry and clean.

The taste is wonderful, same as bwf but a bit spicier and a shade sweeter. This is a delightful smoke, deep, sweet, dark, creamy and mellow.

I love most McClelland offering and I really enjoy the ?ketchup? taste and smell they have.

Blackwood flake, st James wood and dark star are 3 tobacco from the same family. If you like the virginia of McClelland, buy these 3 blends.

Boy is this different from anything I have smoked. The tin note really is like Ketsup and maybe a touch of Worchestershire. I found this broken flake a bit difficult to roll out as it always oriented itself to roll on its long axis which accomplished little. What seems to work best is alternating between rolling and pinching to break it up a bit. Upon opening it was moist and a bit difficult to get it started. the flavor is deep, rich and peppery. It definitely became fuller and more peppery over the course of the bowl. To me the room note was as unusual as the tin note. The strong Ketsup became a very mild aroma of sun dried, vine ripened tomato with a bit of white pepper. Very quickly this room note softens and sweetens and becomes quite nice. I honestly could not decide if I liked it or not. I now find myself in the mood for this about once or twice a week. Certainly a fine change of pace and a truly artful blend. To me this is the caviar of tobaccos. Very exotic and not something you will eat on a daily basis.

I would have named it St. James Kitchen.

I?m glad there?s confirmation here that this stuff has the scent of ketchup, and it?s not only my tin. This was my first premium tobacco and the first where I had to rub out the flakes. I went through the tin in about a year and smoked it with pleasure. Tongue bite was an issue but I really can?t complain. Are there really any blends where the flavor doesn?t disappear once the bowl is about halfway done?

I know that most smokers of McClelland's elude to the heinz ketchup effect. To me it actually smells like home canned pickles. Like many of the smokers in this forum I have smoked a lot of this makers products. They are in fact very nice people and passionate about what they do. My experience is that all of their virginia flakes benefit from extensive aging. They also benefit from popping the top, relidding and tossing the can aside and forgetting about it for about six months. This provides a much more enjoyable smoke in my opinion. SJW is a decent VaPer and worth trying. I don't think it is as good as their version of Black Parrot was, but still respectable. Puff slow and you'll enjoy. I can smoke this in any size bowl and enjoy.

I have yet to find a bad McClelland. I am sold on the entire company. This reminds me of Virginia 24 with Dark Star and the Zest of Perique in as well.

Too Good Not To Try. A smoky Virginia, That starts light and zesty, but develops a rich spice similar to Dark Star. Must Try.

Like many McCllelland blends, this one was pretty moist on opening. I let it dry out in the covered tin for a few weeks and it really came to life. It's an earthy tobacco with deep spice. I like smoking it with Cafe du Monde coffee as they seem to compliment each other. This seems like an ideal tin to age, and I'm stocking several for this purpose. After five or ten years it should move from a three star to a four. Both the Virginias and the Perique get better with age, and compliment each other. This is real St. James Parish perique, not the substitute stuff found in some other "perique" blends. The nicotine is there, but not too overwhelming. It's a great blend for those smokers who, like myself, dislike the abundance of latakia in many more complex blends. This is a strong blend with a lot of layered taste but without the Syrian campfire. Indeed I find I can really appreciate the virginias when I don't have to choke down a bunch of latakia.

Gorgeous, this. I am a fan of 2015, an almost daily smoke, so it seemed natural to give this a go. St. James is pricey in Canada, albeit very tasty. Tin contents are a messy broken flake and the expected aroma of quality virginia. A few reviewers have labelled the perique as MIA, but it stepped right up to shake my hand, gently though, with discretion. Taste is similar to 2015 but as the tin says, rather more "complex". I found a spectrum of fullness present that I have not experienced with the above bulk, quite intoxicating. The blend is not overly sweet but savory and most satisfying. Unusually, I experienced very little bite, even straight out of the can into my pipe, with no drying time. Hey hey, she's a winnah...