McClelland No. 22

a well aged virgina flake this was my first tinned tobacco i got and found it to be enjoyable. it does have the mcclelland vinger and catsup smell but dont let that scent fool you it is a great smoke and really dresses up the the virgina nicely

a well aged virgina flake this was my first tinned tobacco i got and found it to be enjoyable. it does have the mcclelland vinger and catsup smell but dont let that scent fool you it is a great smoke and really dresses up the the virgina nicely

This Virginia is a tasty, zesty one. It has an acidic, fresh note.

Problem here is the high maintenance it demands. If really dried out it takes light well, but looses some flavour. If not completely dry, it tastes great but is very hard to keep burning.

Smell of sour prune jam and pear, very yummy. Broken flakes, very easy to load, maybe a little rubbed out. Lights and smokes very easily and dry. A very good tobacco, tasty (sweet, sour and spicy) and not bitey (though my tin was 3 years old, so YMMV). Not as distinctive and memorable as 27, but solid and reliable.

After reading several favorable reviews of #22 and 2010, I bought a tin of #22. I enjoyed it a great deal, enough to buy a pound of 2010, to which #22 is often compared. Having compared the two, #22 is a smoother, more refined smoke. My tongue starts to warm up quicker with the 2010. Room note is always a tricky one. I find the smoke from a good Virginia or Virginia/Perique very pleasant and satisfying. No. 22 also reminds me of a new blend from Bufflehead, Virginia Ruddy Duck. I like #22 enough to buy another tin in the future. With 2015 and 2010 available in bulk, those are my default tobaccos.

For the lovers of VA's-- myself included-- a 'must try' blend as we make our way through the taste-gauntlet of the world's innumerable tobaks.

This is a good day starter, no shock to the system, no real surprises.

It is the lack of that certain something else that keeps this blend from receiving a higher rating.

I open this can finally, not before inspecting it; when I notice the stamp on the bottom reading "220715". So I am thinking "Great, if that's the packaging date this has some age to it, so my day is about to get better". Well ... I open the can, and it pops with a loud noise, and I stick my nose in it ... it smells like ... ketchup, some vinegar, perhaps a wiff of something in between clove and ginger. Not very encouraging, but non the less I am determined to get past the first impression - although from past experience if it smells nasty, it tastes nasty. I pick up a a couple jerky looking flakes, rub them on my pipe plate, and fill a bowl. It takes a bit to light, but finally I have a full draw, and it's simply amazing. All the repulsion dissipated, as I was puffing smoke after smoke. I used a Denicote pipe for this, with a 9 mm carbon filter, and I puffed at it for a bit over an hour. Very pleasant smoke - throughout the first half of the smoke it keeps its taste constant: smooth, slow burning, virginia with a unique sweetness to it. The taste reminds me of exactly one thing, yesterday's cut moist grass that has been sitting in the sun for a warm early summer morning. I did not leave it out to dry, since it didn't feel overly moist. As a term of comparison, as far as moisture goes in flake my last experience was Samuel Gawith Navy Flake, which felt considerably wetter. It took me only two relights, which is ok in my flake book. Shortly within the second half of the bowl, this blend kindly reminded me to slow down - the pipe got a tad warm and it was threatening to bite. After I turned off the locomotive I was rewarded with a slightly more intense taste, still grassy like, but resembling a lightly sweet dark chocolate. I was quite impressed by this smoke, and I need to take my hat of in front of this great American blender.