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.

I am going to keep this brief. #22 has everything I look for in a Virginia tobacco. It lights well, when allowed to dry a bit, and stays lit. The flavor at the match is a little sweet and grassy but this develops beautifully as the bowl is consumed. After about 1/2 bowl, #22 becomes rich and sweet with a little spiciness that plays in and out. The only thing left at the bottom of the bowl is a grey/white ash with absolutely no goop. I love this blend.

Jay

Opening the tin, a smell of fermentation and dried apricots. None of them detected while smoking it. On his best in the first half of the bowl (then a little hint of the fermentation). I prefer it otherwise. At the end the spiceness dominates too much. Is it a bad-tasting tobacco ? Not really. But as I use the star-qualification very strict, I can't say that I recommend it.

A smooth and flavorful straight Virginia. This is from a three year old tin so a new one may not be as tasty and bite-free. The spousal unit was especially critical of the after-smell of my clothing. I on the other hand enjoyed it thoroughly. Highly recommended.

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.

As I load up my last remaining bowl of VA No.22 from McClelland, I feel I have done this tobacco proper service by smoking an entire tin before reviewing. (As I always do!). As a self-professed lover of VA Flakes, and one that finds most of the McClelland product divine, I was not nearly as impressed with this tobacco as I had hoped to be, or as most of the previous reviewers were. I purchased VA No. 22 along with tins of VA No. 24, St. James Woods and Dark Star, of which I will have reviews posted soon. This was my least favorite of the four.

Visual: A dark brown flake, with lots of yellow and gold streaks throughout. My tin contained mainly broken flake, no full "sheets".

Texture: As with most McClelland flakes, this one was just a little moist upon opening, but I like it that way. I let this tin get fairly dry over the three months that I took to get through it, and as it became dryer it lost that VA tang to a large extent. Even upon proper rehydration, the wonderful tanginess of VA never returned.

Pack/Pipe: I smoke this both partially rubbed and fully rubbed. Usually I preferred the latter. Gravity fed into a number of my VA pipes, (Ashton XX oldchurch and Pebblegrain pots, Nording freehands, Dunhill Redbark Poker etc...) This seemed to burn best with a light hand.No problems smoking this to bottom of the bowl with minimal relights.

Lighting/Burn: Two matches to char, one to light. Without fail, this tobacco needed a relight within the first third of the bowl, but then makes it almost to the bottom. Burns to bottom and leaves a white/grey ash with a few bits of charred tobacco.

1st 3rd: This tobacco is definitely most flavorful in this portion of the bowl. VA tang is here as well as a nice earthy sweetness. Smokes through this portion quickly and with nice mouthfuls of white smoke.

2nd 3rd: Burn rate slows down here. Smoke becomes a little cooler and flavor evens out to a natural VA taste with just a little tang. If it had more zip here I would rate this higher. Never needed additional matches in this portion.

Final 3rd: Have lost a lot of flavor here. Almost no VA tang at all, minimum smoke generation, and need stirred and relit with some frequency. Maybe I am tamping this too firmly, but evidently my consistency is amazing, because it happens every time!

Notes: Like all McClelland flakes, I have no issues with the quality. This just did not stack up to the benchmark set by St. James Woods and VA No.24 in my opinion.

Stogie rating of: 5 Fair Fonsecas