McClelland No. 24

From a Va lover but quite sensitive to biting I can only say that,carefully smoked of course,is tongue friendly in a briar and splendid in a cob Fine stuff as a true Mc Clelland but I prefer in similar range the glorious Yenidje Supreme on both sides,Va & Oriental with the famous sour-sweet ketchup aroma.This No.24 has in the good way more vinegar touch,less sweet.IMHO the before said YS is more ripe and desn´t need aging.Anyway worth to try and perfect for cellaring.I must explore more Va forest to give more accurate reviews.In short don´t be so afraid of biting but slowly sip and enjoy it.Absolutely needed some hours of airing before first smoking. UPDATE I give the fourth star considering that this is almost a pure Va with just a magical pinch of Macedonia and not a straight oriental blend and because it´s one of the very few blends that I´m not get tired of smoking bowl after bowl.By the way only a few months after rubbed and jarred is yet better.

This stuff is awesome. I never thought I would take to a virginia like I have with 24. It happens twenty-four is a lucky number for me. I only enjoy smoking aromatics but that all changed recently with this nice blend from McClelland. It's simply a good smoke. This tobacco comes highly recommended.

Appearance: medium sized flakes, a bit trickier to rub out than normal. Mixed coloration.

Scent: rich, slightly acidic, almost olive oily type of smell. Very pleasant.

Taste: bright and spicy. A touch of citrus and olive oil.

Smoke level: not overwhelming.

Overall, a very unique style of red Virginia with the inclusion of the Drama leaf. Highly recommended.

Oh , man ! This is quite a great blend . Every so often a blend blows me away and # 24 sure did ! I'm not a big McClelland Fan mostly because of their " ketchup " perverseness [ lol ] . well , this blend doesnt have any ketchup at all , thank the Lord . McClelland flakes are thicker cut and softer than the European stuff , in general . The aroma of the open tin is lovely ! It smokes very slow and very cool .. this stuff couldnt bite , just impossible . The whisper of Oriental [ drama apparently ] is just the cats ass ! It's there but in such a mild lovely way that I wasnt even sure what it was . It adds a slight depth to the blend and is just fantastic ! I'm gonna keep it short cause I just started smoking this blend and I'm sure I'll edit later as I get to experience it more . In a Nut shell .... Giada De Laurentis in Fishnets !!!!

As of late this has been one of my go to blends. I absolutely love this blend. I am a big fan of Virginia blends with orientals in them and this one does not disappoint. The virginia's in this blend are of the darker and red variety and it contains a little bit of drama leaf. The combination in this blend produces a wonderful subtle yet complex smoking experience. The blend starts of sweet and then for me the oriental starts to show more pronounced about a third into the bowl. The sweetness wears off a little bit and then you get a nice interplay between darker virginia flavors and the drama leaf. The drama leaf is a nice addition to this blend and has a unique flavor that is slightly pungent and a little bit assertive. If you love virgina / oriental blends this is a must try. If you can cellar this up as it ages very well. I have been smoking tins of this from 2007 and am going to continue to stock and cellar this. Very, Very good and highly recommended!

Today, I officially moved away from aromatics and thanks to 'tobaccoreviews' had decided to give VA 24. a shot!

Upon opening the tin, I was greeted visually with rectangular flakes that were dark, lined with a few bright leaves. They looked like small pieces of chocolate lined with thin slivers of almonds.

The aroma was a little sour. Now that I think of it, when I opened the tin it did smell like ketchup. So, as some reviewers suggested, I rubbed out the flakes and left them on my table for a good 10-15 minutes to let them breathe. After the sitting time, I came back to what smelled like rich, leathery tobacco leaves. Being an aromatics smoker, I didn't expect much in terms of taste because I was accustomed to just getting a whiff of the aromas while I puffed (yeah...'smoker's pride, captain black, macbarens, etc.)

I lightly packed my Stanwell colonial pipe 3/4 not knowing what to expect. After lighting the baccy and 'gently' tamping the charred flakes, I didn't get much with my first few puffs. However, after the leaves smoked themselves a bit, I started to notice sweetness at the tip of my tongue. Then, the flavors started to orchestrate themselves and I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet, nutty, and spicy notes. I'm a 'sipper' of tobacco so naturally, I experienced no bite. Being that this is my first with VAs, I decided to really draw some smoke. NO BITE! Wow...

I vow never to touch aromatics again! My next level will be Dunhill EMP and 965. I'm nervous as heck but soon...

My first, and still my favorite Virginia. Very flavorful, not at all subtle, and incredibly good. Sweet, smoky, absolutely unlike anything else I've smoked and I love it. Tin note? Who cares? Nothing tastes like it smells in the tin anyway. I've always had aged tins of this, by the way, which I understand has a great impact on my perception of the tobacco.

Overall impressions: Dark and deeply flavorful Virginia flake made the more complex with a varietal Oriental dappled in the layers. Very cool, slightly sweet and without the sourness associated with some Virginia/Oriental attempts (cf. Embarcadero or even Blended Flake made by McClelland). Perhaps my favorite McClelland Virginia presently, having tried all their brown and reserve tins. I can find no fault.

I must say, this blend caught me by surprise, a very pleasant one if i may add. I love the cut, the tin aroma, the perfect moisture level from the tin. The taste is deliciously tangy, sweet and natural. It is a great virginia blend that i really enjoy.

If you are a lover of virginia blends you cannot go wrong with this one, please bear in mind that it is a bit light on nicotine