McClelland St. James Woods

My opinion of this tobacco has changed, for the worse, the more I have smoked it. My first time with St. James Flake was like having an exotic new lover. I thought I had found my mate for life, my new favorite tobacco. Perhaps I overindulged, smoking this blend frequently over the next couple of months. If it had been a one-night-stand, I would have been left with romantic memories of an exciting blend. But the bloom is off the rose.

Upon opening the tin, the odor is strong and harsh: not really ketchup, and not just vinegar...Heinz 57 steak sauce? It is as if the tobacco has been soaked in Heinz 57 prior to packaging. And contrary to what many reviews say, the Heinz 57 never completely goes away, no matter how long you dry it, or how long it is opened. I can still taste it at the end of the pipe. And after emptying the ashes, the pipe smells of burnt ketchup for some time. After making my way through almost 100 g of this stuff, I wonder if the tobacco is actually cooked in the sauce.

The broken flakes are thick and beautiful, black and brown, and feel quite moist. The tobacco burns well with occasional relights. It is slow burning. No matter how I try, I can not get it to burn hot or bite my tongue. It is smooth and easy to smoke. I recommend rubbing it out well, then letting it dry for some time, otherwise you will be left with chunks of charcoal instead of ash.

The Perique dominates, indeed overwhelms the rest of the blend. It may be heresy, but I think there is too much Perique in this mixture.

Medium nicotine content, and one of the easiest tobaccos I've ever smoked. But I am still bothered by the ketchup-steaksauce-vinegar flavor. What is that?!

I probably won't be smoking this one again. I like my VaPer straight. Hold the ketchup.

The dominant flavour here is of the red Virginia, with a decided Périque buzz on top of that, not unlike Wessex Sovereign Curly Cut. It's a combination I love. This has a bit more body at the bottom, but it also has a pronounced McClelland ketchup stink in the tin which is sometimes tasted in the mouth. I don't love that. This would have been a good three-star choice except for it.

A good but not outstanding blend in my opinion. It is nice & peppery, but I got a pretty bad tongue bite that no other McC blend has given me. That aside, it has good flavor & a nice consistency thru the bowl. Light in Va sweetness & flavor.

My review is based on some five bowls received from a friend. He has the nice habit to label the lid with the date of purchase, this tin is dated DEC '09.

The tobacco is a medium rubbed out flake, almost very dark brown with few lighter specs, delivering a quite strong spicy/vinegarish aroma, stiff to the touch.

A bit laborious to light, SJW then burns very cool and steady and doesn't needs relightings.

Perique is here but not in spades. I find nice and interesting the pairing with dark stoved Virginia and this one makes me think to Dark Fragrant (Rattray) and Maduro (McConnell).

The first half of the bowl consists of a mild bodied smoke with faint notes of grapes and coffee. Barely sweet & sour and almost non piquant, the smoke is refreshing but bit monotonous. The second half is much rewarding, instead. The smokes grows stronger, creamier and slightly musty. The flavour is dark and woody, with some raisins still on the back and occasional peppery notes.

Not the tobacco of my life, but a pleasant diversion

I largely agree with Dr. Scott's review below, especially about the Heinz 57 flavor, and the over-dominance of perique.

For me, the taste is like figs seasoned with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, then smothered with Vegemite or HP sauce. It does not have the elegance and balance of Escudo, but instead is monochrome and too sharp.

Like all McClelland's blends, it's quality. I expect there are some for whom this will be nectar, but it's just not my flavor.

I have decided to give up on McClelland. All last 5 or 6 mixtures I have tried had the same result as I just rated.

St-James Woods is no different. A beautiful broken flake, but that requires several charring lights, gives no taste, nicotine, etc.

The only one that still appeal to my tastebuds is 221B Arcadia.

A hotdog at the ballpark is better than a steak at the Ritz.

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 wasn't even aged. Maybe I've become spoiled by Three Nuns, Escudo & Reiner's LGF. I'll try this tin again later and if a bit of airing improves the quality, I will update this review. For now, IMHO, McC's St. James Woods merits only two st**s!

First, and once I opened the box, the ketchup Heinz flavor came to me, a note that I read and couldn?t believe. It is a flake tobacco red brown and black Virginia. Most reports say that (as for all the McClelland) it becomes even better if you leave it 2 - 3 years in the cellar to get mature. Somebody has forgotten it (4 - 5 boxes) since1998. Certainly the one I opened, needs to get dry, it didn?t really impressed me after the first smoke (as per example BOB?s] but generally it is a tobacco ?neither cold neither heat?. Meeting in 2 years. After a week, tobacco is much better. Coughing in the morning remains the same, dry but till the end of bowl, stable flavor and generally a pleasant, neutral smoking. It is very bitter.