McClelland No. 24

This is by far my favorite of the McClelland brown label virginias, and I think the inclusion of the Drama leaf is the reason. It imparts a beautiful spiciness faintly reminiscent of perique to the blend and elevates this to 4 star status. Not my favorite blend but it will be part of my regular rotation... a regular but occasional smoke.

As mentioned, this is wet out of the tin and needs some drying time to perform at its best. I recently smoked a 19 year old tin of this but most of my review is based on a 1 year old tin. With regards to the aged version, it's absolutely wonderful - the best tobacco I have ever smoked. The one year old is also very good but it makes me want to cellar a tin or two for a couple of decades, which I have decided to do.

As is, this is still a great smoke.

Oh yes, another fine Virginia tobacco blend from McClellands!

More forgiving than Dark Star and even #27, this tobacco surely will win over even the most "dainty tongued" pipesters who shy away from Virginia blends due to the heat. It is also (nicotine wise) a headier brew than #27, and I do appreciate that drug.

McClelland's #24 is, simply stated, regal in flavor and behavior. It rubs out and stays lit easily. Puff slowly in order to savor the varying waves of Virginia flavor.

Hey McClelland's, you done good with this one!

The light vinegar smell that McClelland is well known for is only slightly present when you smell the tobacco, and almost non-existent during the smoke. The Virginias have a deep, fermented tangy dark fruit sweetness, slight tart and tangy citrus, stewed dark fruit, and a lot of earth, wood, sugar and bread with a few blades of grass. The spice, wood, earth, herbs, vegetation, floralness and dry sour note from the Drama provides a mildly present flavor push. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness, but it does have a few rough edges. The flakes are broken and a little thick, so make sure you've given it some drying time. You may want to consider breaking the flake pieces a little smaller than they are. Burns slow, cool and clean with a very rich, tangy sweet, slightly savory, consistent taste all the way through. Requires a fair number of relights, and leaves a little moisture in the bowl. You may have to stir up the last quarter, depending on how you dried and packed your pipe. Has a very pleasant, lightly lingering after taste, and the room note is a touch stronger. Can be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of McClelland Virginias as they often lack the punch of the EU made Virginia blends that I often smoke. But No. 24 is a winner. The flakes are very moist and need dry time, a lot of dry time. But the wait is worth it. The Matured Virginias offer their usual sweetness, but the Drama is what wins me over to this blend. It adds a delicious spice note while amping up the overall flavor of the blend. I wouldn’t call it overly spicy, but just right for me and it adds an additional dimension to the blend that I often crave from this fine company. It burns slowly and like every McClelland Virginia blend I have tried, there isn’t a whisper of a bite. I have never minded the fermented smell of McClelland Virginias, but those that do should know that it doesn’t seem as strong to me as other blends. I find my best results by a fairly light pack of small flake pieces with just a little fully rubbed out to get things going. My wife, a McClelland VA lover, has an eleven year old 100g tin stashed away that I’m sure she won’t miss…….

This is a most remarkable blend. Other reviewers have noted the initial qualities most adequately. While I have smoked this in various degrees of maturity, the tin I am smoking for this review has 7 years age. Some sugar crystals are noticeable on the flakes, yet they are still slightly pliable. I was most surprised that this particular tin has smoked delightfully without any drying whatsoever. Not my usual experience.

I'm smoking it in a Savinelli - Bing's Favorite - which is long stemmed, long shanked - slight bent billiard with a medium bowl. The pipe has been dedicated to this blend. My personal observation; one must dedicate a pipe to this blend or similar blends to really enjoy it. To the best of my senses, there is no topping at all. This particular smoke is very nuanced and I reserve the time to sit and enjoy it without distraction. The subtle amount of Drama in the blend provides an occasional incense-like waft every so often through this very nutty-woodsy smoke.

This is a very satisfying tobacco with a nice nicotine level. Unlike so many other VAs, this never gets hum-drum. It always leaves me wanting more when I am finished with a bowl. There is no signal in flavor to detect the bottom of the bowl - it smokes wonderfully from char light to final ash. This is a smoke of choice before a meal - since it leaves the taste buds stimulated. It is NOT my choice just after a meal, for I feel it requires a fresh palate to enjoy the complexities of this fine blend, My pipe-packing method of choice is to lightly rub and then gently screw the wad into the pipe.

My tastes run the spectrum of unflavored blends including many VA/Oriental, Latakia-heavy Oriental blends and very lightly cased Cavendish cut VA blends. However this unflavored VA flake is in a class by itself and is a regular treat and deserves it's own pipe.

Cheers, VC

This is a fairly complex smoke for a two component blend. Among the flavors and nuances of flavors encountered were fruit, wood, spice, sweetness, a note similar to butter, and hints of salt and earth. Very nice and pretty well rounded.

It got interesting when choosing a pipe. I first used a cob and got a much stronger showing from the Oriental. In fact, by the end of the bowl it had drowned out the Virginias completely. For this reason I recommend using a briar for this flake. In a briar the Virginias remain strong. The Oriental will gain in strength and achieve a nice balance toward the end. It's a nicer smoke that way.

I really like this one and think it deserves full honors. 4 stars.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. I used a cube cut and a full rub on this and got a little better burn with the full rub.

I'm primarily a straight Va and VaPer smoker and I finally got my hands on a four year aged tin of this stuff. Popped the lid and saw an army flat rich brown flakes staring back at me. The moisture looked just right but I rubbed a flake out and let it dry while I prepared a cup of hot tea. I then loaded them into my best briar.. A handmade Straight grain Luciano Dublin bowl.

Oh my. This is REALLY GOOD. You don't get waves of sweet VA here and there, its a constant VA sweetness throughout and really tasty like only McClelland Va's can do. You can tell the dark VA has some age on it and its pressed to perfection. I hope this one doesn't spoil me regarding my other VA's. This tasted alot like Blackwoods Flake. If you enjoy VA's and haven't tried No.24 I highly recommend it! A tail wagger for sure. Smoke it up!

Pouch Aroma: If this isn't a McClelland's 2000 series, I'll eat a meerschaum. It's got that lovely fermented, acidic smell (some folks describe it as 'smelling like ketchup') and it makes my mouth water. It seems to be a Virginia flake with little or no perique judging from the smell.

Appearance: Thick broken flakes made up of tobaccos that vary from yellow to dark brown. It looks like #2015 but is just a tad lighter, although my supply of #2015 is at least 3 years old and has sugar crystals on it, so it may just be the age difference.

Packing and Lighting: I rubbed this up just a little and put it into a Savinelli Punto Oro, shape 316 (1/8 bent, short flared dublin) which smokes great with flake tobaccos. The pre-lighting taste is a little more subtle than #2015 - sweet and musty, but not in a sugary way like sample 'A'. This is classic matured virginia sweetness...

The first puff tastes quite sweet and sharp, but again lacking in that signature perique 'bite' when blown out of my nose. Tasty and mellow, and each following puff gets more mellow and flavorful and is developing the usual McC's taste.

Exposition: I have gotten in the habit of letting flake tobacco go out and rest for 10 minutes or so after I get a good burn going. This seems to accent the fuller flavors and tone down some of the sweetness. The re-light is heavy and spicy, as expected, and the smoke feels cool on my tongue. The smoke itself is on the thin side, but is a lovely blue-grey. There is quite a bit of sharpness here; I'm assuming it's from the lighter virginias. Overall, a very savory smoke which I'm enjoying immensely.

The Story: Once I got going fully the sweetness is subdued to the point where it's a subtle counterpoint to the sharp woodsy taste of the heavier virginias. The room aroma is leathery and spicy, and I'm tasting something suspiciously oriental that I can't quite place. I don't think this is #2015; rather, it's something similar that I've never tried before. It's too light and brassy and is missing the tang I'm used to. It's a nice change though, and I'd definately keep some around if I'm right. If I'm wrong and it IS what I think it is, I can see exactly what aging has done to my favorite tobacco.

Denoument: Here at the end of the bowl, re-lights have come a /little/ more frequently, but I have a tendency to let it go out, so most of the time it's my fault. These last few puffs are quite heavy and creamy-tasting, while the sweetness is coming back out for a peek. A nice finish to a pleasant bowl of tobacco...

Pros: This is rich, creamy-tasting, and yet has a pleasant sharpness under it. The sweetness of the virginias never quite goes away, but the character changes in unpredictable ways throughout the bowl. It was a fun smoke, and very relaxing. There is a spicy-sweet aroma left in the room and a definate 'tobacco' taste lingers on my tongue. This would be a great reading tobacco, or one to smoke unrubbed in a large pipe while taking a walk.

Cons: Some folks may find this to be a biting tobacco, as it must be puffed very patiently to allow the flavors to outweigh the sharpness. The flavor also intensifies quite a lot toward the bottom which may put some folks off if they're used to a milder smoke.

*note: I smoked this later also - but in my straight Hardcastle bulldog. This pipe is also very kind to VA flakes, and in this case it brought to the fore a nice Oriental aroma that calls to mind McClelland's #2025 with its sweet, earthy Turkish undertone. Good stuff, whatever you smoke it in!

McClelland - No. 24 (Matured Virginias).

Think of Peterson University Flake, snap a flake in half, and that's the size of these. Some pieces are smaller, and some bigger, but that's about the size of the majority. The colour of them is a dark brown, and the moisture of my tin made the blend smokeable straight away.

For the first half the Virginia is in charge; it tastes sweeter, earthier, and fresher, than the latter half. Once the Orientals kick in they change the character a bit; it goes from being sweet and mild, to more savoury and sharp, with a slight tanginess. The flavour progresses until the finish, with the Orientals constantly gaining weight. The burn from No. 24 is great, the smoke's medium in temperature, and totally bite free.

The room-note's quite full, and the nicotine's just above medium.

No. 24? Highly recommended:

Four stars.

I've had this tin cellared for 6 years. I have always found McClelland Va's perform much better with some age on them, and this one is no exception. Cracking this tin reveals some beautiful brindle flakes, comprised of medium brown, dark chestnut and light lemon color. Tin aroma is a bit different from the usual vinegar McClelland, if you are familiar with sour Kriek Lambic beers, this will smell familiar to you. It has a sour fruit aroma, with a bit of citrus. Rubbing out wasn't much of a chore, it seemed much easier than say Blackwoods Flake. loading was a breeze, a bit of spring back, enough to make the charring light easy, and perfect for minimal relights.

Initial light is something special. You can really detect the Drama, it lends a spiciness that plays very well with the sweetness of the darker Va's. Small, consistent sips instead of full long draws with keep the nuances alive, and will prevent this blend from smoking hot and airy. The flavor is sweet and bready, with a touch of spice. The spiciness is really noticeable when exhaled through the nose.

It states on the tin that this blend is suitable for outdoor smoking, but smoking this indoors leaves an awesome room note of baked breads and Danish. I know this one will be a permanent fixture in my cellar from now on!

Out of all the Matured Virginia in this line up, try this one last. Because it's the best.

Pairs well with a bold roast coffee.