McClelland No. 24

This is a very nice tobacco. Very full bodied and flavorful tobacco without being overwhelming. This is a sit and smoke kind of tobacco a little to complex to be doing to much. If you want a real treat drink some hot chocolate with a shot of Myers's dark rum in it. The flavors of the dark rum and chocolate match the flavors of the tobacco perfectly.

"Typical" Mc initial flavor with the pleasant virginia sweetness and tang. But, there's something extra; a yes, the gentle hint smokiness from the drama. Nice! The drama intensifies gradually through the bowl but does not overpower the experience. I give it three stars only because I get an enjoyable smoke about 75% of the time. Something odd happens every now and then in that the smoke is ashy and somewhat bitter, but I think it's me (body chemistry) and not the tobacco.

This review based on a tin from 99'

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Nice 1" squares of flake that are mostly dark brown. Due to the age, there are alot sugar crystals on the flakes. The familiar MC tang is subdued and that is typical of aged tins. The aroma reminds one of red VA and hay, delicious!

Packing and Lighting: I had a lot of fun while reviewing this blend and settled on rolling a "burrito" of flakes lengthwise and stuffing it in my pipes. The age also made lighting relatively easy, 3-4 lights.

Initial Flavor: yumm! Red Va is prominent with the matured and golden leaves as support.

Mid-Bowl: This is delightful mid-strength VA with a nice roundness and sweetness. The turkish really adds a nice flavor.

Bottom of Bowl: This is over too quickly. There is a slight increase in strength, DGT works awesome with this blend. This is definitely an all-day blend.

Overall: If you are looking for a tasty all day VA blend, age a few tins and enjoy. This blend has grown on me lately and I have upgraded from 3 stars to 4. A delicious VA with turkish added! Yummmmm!

A very full dark Virginia partly broken flake. A bit moist fresh from the can. Crumbles fairly easily. The vinegar smell was quite subdued for a fresh tinned McClelland. About one-half star below Best Brown Flake. Should improve nicely with age.

Typical McClelland flake! The difference here lies in the presence of some oriental leaf, which makes the sweetness of the virginias less evident and adds some pungency. The thick flakes are difficult to fully rub out, so this is a perfect blend for smoking outside. My tin was 3 and a half years old, and the flakes were covered with sugar crystals: this may have helped in creating a very nice, complex smoke. It certainly is a flake which requires your attention and which after a while can actually grow on you. A bit bitey, though, but nothing that a seasoned Virginia smoker won't be able to handle!

I should preface this review by saying that the tin of VA 24 I am reviewing has some age on it, at least 3 years.

This is really wonderful tobacco. I have smoked it in several pipes, all of which smoked it well. It is broken flake, dark in color, and I let the tobacco dry well. I rub it out roughly before packing my pipe. The flavor is exquisite, sweet but not cloying, with a spicy undertone. Something of a sweet and sour flavor. It can bite your tongue, but with a modicum of care you will smoke a full pipe without indicent. The tobacco burns well from start to end, with the normal number of relights required for a "go slow" VA.

I love this stuff. Highest recommendation.

This was my first experience with Drama, a Turkish tobacco which proved enjoyable. The tin aroma is pretty typical of the McClelland 'vinegar' although not as intense as others. Nicely formed chestnut colored flakes that are easy to pack without rubbing them out and result in a cool, rich smoke. Although tasty thruout, this blend is spicier, even @ a slow burn, than I prefer for an all day smoke. However, after meals or for a change, it's a mellow smoke.

The tin aroma is typical McClelland, slightly vinegary and fermented. The small flakes are mostly red with a trace of yellow leaf, and rub out easily. The flakes are slightly thicker than the offerings of S. Gawith, and so I finf them the resulting rubout to be a bit coarser. The result is a tobacco that burns slowly, and often requires a relight. The flavor is zesty with a trace of spiciness (probably the Drama), and is best at a slow burn. It burns quite cool, but if puffed agressively loses some of the flavor nuances. It lights easily, starting out with a medium intensity of flavor, develops a more pronounced richness in the middle of the bowl, and ends just a bit tingly on the palate. I find that it needs to be dried a bit before it smokes properly, this seems to be a McClelland trait. It leaves a clean, white ash.

The odor from this can is a bit different than that of No. 22; I would define it as being from a RED vinegar. (See my comments on VA No. 22 as to this odor in general.) It comes in medium-sized, reddish flakes with veins of lighter color running through them. Somewhat on the moist side, they rub out easily into strands that pack well. This tobacco burns similarly to VA No. 22 - lights easily when rubbed out, but needs an above average number of relights. As with No. 22, I generally smoke this in my large Savinelli estate billiard; going back to a partially finished bowl later on doesn't seem to hurt the flavor. While SLIGHTLY less tongue-biting than No. 22, this blend still required a very slow and careful smoker, with some time on his or her hands. The first third of the bowl is sweet, but slightly richer and more complex than VA No. 22. Getting into the second third, the taste becomes even richer, but with a bit less sweetness. Again, as with No. 22, the most flavorful part of the bowl is in the last third. The tendency to bite and smoke wet at the bottom is still there; I would recommend drying the tin for a couple weeks or so. Overall, I enjoy this more than VA No. 22: it has a bit less bite and a slightly richer, more mature flavor. The only Virginia I'd reach for before this would be McClelland's Dark Star.