McClelland No. 24

This is good, but I feel it needs a year or two in the cellar . I also detect a slight flavoring, almost a "Lakeland floral", that I'm not a fan of. All that said , I can't rate this a full 3 stars.

Updated 2/12/14- Well I gave this another try, and I really don't find the Lakeland Floral scent anymore. The tin now has about 6 months of cellar time . What I did notice is a bad bite. I usually love McC Virginias and for that matter Drama, but these two together, make a real tongue scorcher . I also found this a hard tobacco to keep lit, I guess that's why the description says it's a good outdoor tobacco, I guess for when you're riding a motorcycle . Back to the cellar with this one.

Moist broken flakes which are predominantly bleached brown in color streaked with chestnut, chocolate, and light grey to nearly cream-colored veins along with a light dusting of sugar crystals. The visual effect is that of a dull late-winter landscape, something accentuated by the overall grayness of the sugar bloom and the jagged brokenness of the flakes themselves: a tired, abandoned field at the edge of a ratty forest on an overcast, snowless February afternoon. It is presumed that the grayish-white streaks are the Drama.

The tin nose is sharp, with a predominant note of fresh cut grapefruit and just a touch of musty earth. The expected acetic acid aroma is entirely absent, perhaps obscured by the heady citrus smell. Thick and moist, the broken flakes of cut cake rub out with considerable ease as well as having enough pliability to accommodate various fold-and-stuff methods, depending on individual circumstance or preference. Like all such preparations, lighting and maintaining a proper ember requires patience and attention. Topping the bowl with a pinch of finely rubbed crumbs is recommended.

On the thin side of medium bodied, this oriental-seasoned matured Virginia flake is sweet and piquant with notes of citrus, new wood, and light roast coffee. Marked by a peculiar, occasionally smoky spice which can tend towards sourness, it has a refreshing finish which is short and crisp. The grapefruit aroma present in the tin carries forth in the bowl, adding a brightness which is accentuated by the signature natural zest of the McClelland aged Virginias. While this reviewer found bite to be rarely, if ever, an issue, No. 24 can become a bit taxing on the tongue if puffed too aggressively. As a Virginia-Oriental blend, it components are clearly distinct yet sometimes a bit off balance.

The example under review here, coming in the ever fetching McClelland 100g. tumbler, was tinned in 2000 and opened in 2009. An intriguing blend, Matured Virginia No. 24 bears many of the hallmark characteristics of McClelland's unique aged Virginia cut cakes. Among them, however, this particular offering seems the least zesty and rich, although like its brethren there is little reason to believe that it will not fare well with extended cellaring.

Despite the obvious quality of the product it did not agree with me. The addition of some OR leaf made things interesting so I was looking forward to try No 24. Unfortunately, the taste was too bland for me and it quickly bite my tongue. It would probably do weel in a blending of some sort with some LA.

McClelland's Virginia #24 is my first experience with the tobacco Drama, which is a strong Macedonian condimental tobacco. The blend comes as a small flake, cut fairly thick but easily rubbed out; it is fairly consistently medium brown in color and has a pleasant pouch aroma. The charring light strikes me as basically Virginia. Once lit the Virginia is still the primary flavor, coming through as sweet and slightly fruity, but there is an interesting undertone which reminded me somewhat of the taste of Orientals, but which certainly is not a typical Oriental flavor. The early part of the bowl needs to be smoked quite carefully. This blend could potentially burn the smoker's tongue more than most blends I can think of. Deeper into the bowl the flavor remains sweet and creamy, while the bite-inducing nature dissipates, making the mid-bowl extremely pleasant. The undertone previously noted has picked up a bit at this point, but the Virginia sweetness is really enjoyable. The somewhat spicy underflavor of the Drama is quite pleasant now. If the entire smoke was what it is at mid-bowl, I'd run out and buy a couple of pounds of the blend. The end of the smoke, unfortunately, lets off on flavor. To me, the taste of the Drama adds a somewhat metallic flavor along with the musty spiciness. With each bowl I smoked, the last quarter or so was quite a letdown after the exciting, almost brilliant mid-bowl pleasure. It could be that Drama is a tobacco I simply need to get used to in order to enjoy. However, the blend is sold as a Virginia, and so my expectations in smoking it are naturally going to be based on what I know of this type of tobacco. As Virginias go there are many better. Coming from McClelland, I was disappointed with #24.

Another quality VA from McClelland. Almost too many to try. I cannot recognize 'Drama' Overall it was sweet, flavorfull, smoky, grasslike, ashy aftertaste, with steak sauce spice much less than Dark Star, yet similar and transient.

You Cannot Go Wrong With McClelland!!!

I use CUPOJOES.com Its half as much as the local shop. -sorry pipeshop!

BETTER PICK: MCCLELLAND CHRISTMAS CHEER 05' OR 06

1 February 2006

Well, firstly I'm a new pipe smoker. Have only been at it a few months and have been thoroughly enjoying it. I'm a big fan (as are many if not most fledgling pipesmokers) of mild aromatics.

Anyway, I decided to take a foray into a non-aromatic and thought a Virginia would be nice. So yesterday I went out and purchased McClelland's Virginia No. 24 for my first try. Bought a new pipe as well.

I was truly, truly put off (NOTE: this is all subjective. Many people love this tobacco and love Virginias. Tastes vary. I recognize my experience is unique and in no way is my review meant to put down any of my fellow briarfolk who love this or any other Virginias). Here are the details:

TIN AROMA: This was the first thing that put me off, and to me tin aroma is really important. It's just how I am. If I can't get beyond it, I'm not going to like it. Although I had read about the typical "ketchupy" tin aroma of McClelland tobaccos, I was really unprepared for the pungency. It smelled of an unfinished glass of really cheap red wine that had been left to sit for a week, whereby all the flavorful characteristics had evaporated and all that was left was the odor of vinegarized fermented grape.

APPEARANCE: The thick flakes actually looked rather nice, slightly difficult to rub but not too bad.

LIGHTING: Took forever to light. I killed several matches. Maybe it was my packing.

FLAVOR: This is the second thing that put me off. Firstly, the flavor was very mild, smooth and buttery, and it exhibited characteristics of grass and hay. But then the flavor quickly became unpleasurable to me. Not bad, just unpleasurable. I totally did not care for the aftertaste it left me.

BITE: No noticeable tongue bite.

ROOM NOTE: This is the third thing that put me off. The room note was mild. Imagine the smell of a freshly mowed lawn. We all love it. Now imagine setting fire to that freshly mowed lawn. That's what the aroma was like to me. Totally didn't care for it. And after all was done and smoked, the aroma lingered and lingered and lingered. It was annoying. In fact, I recall sensing the slightest reminiscense of cat urine.

Overall, I recognize that my new pipe palate may not be ready for non-aromatics. Perhaps one day down the road when I feel I am ready, I will try again. Until then, my Virginia No. 24 will be put away unattended and ignored.

As you may see I am not thrilled with this tobacco.Will update and change my call if things change.