McClelland No. 25

I picked up a can of this a couple of years ago and stuck it in the back of the closet. I had actually forgotten about it until I was rummaging around in there and stumbled upon it. I decided to crack it open and give it a go.

Red and black stringy tobacco.... perfect moisture content...

Honestly, nothing new or exciting about this. Not to say that it is a bad tobacco it doesn't break any ground with me. One for working around the house or yard but not one to break open the Ardbeg with....

Fairly straightforward matured Virginia flavors.... it lacks the brightness of number 27 and the depth of number 24...

This is a quality product, no doubt about it. The cut is wonderful. Instead of the chunky ribbon that is usually found in most McClelland offerings, NO. 25 is a nice stringy, shag cut that is easy to work with and great for packing. This reminds me of some of the Rattray rubbed-out tobaccos (in texture only) and I love their ready rubbed tobacco.

Now the flavor: what everyone wants to know... It starts out nice. Tangy, slightly sweet, but mostly tart and sour, tickling your tongue. It's hard not to overpuff on this one, but even when taking your time this guy wants to turn ashy. I'm still trying to find that balance between tangy, sweet Virginia and charred tobacco that is beyond help. 25 has great promise and now into the second tin of it, I'm sticking with smaller bowls. Mostly conical shaped and cobs seem to be 25's best friend.

When this blend is working, I get beautiful fig notes that have a fruit-like character to them, some sweet, mostly tang, somewhat reminiscent of Marlin Flake, however, it is hard to get more than half a pipeful of consistent flavor out of this one.

McClelland has the reputation for producing very fine Virginia mixtures. No 25 in the Matured Virginia series is no exception, even though I find it a little short of ranking with a "Wow!" factor.

This is a combination of red and black Virginias in a ribbon cut that is partly dark brown and partly black. McClelland's tinned Virginias all contain tobacco that has been fully aged. This is darkened. The ribbon cut is easy to light and to keep lit, but there is one caveat. The cut is so fine that a pipe packed tightly will have a difficult draw.

The taste is typical of a darkened Virginia, slightly sweet and of medium intensity. The nicotine level is just above average. The room note is also typical of a Virginia, and has no "stinky" overtones to alienate non smokers.

Pure Virginias or mixtures heavily weighted with Virginias have the reputation of being bite prone. For many smokers, a carefully controlled sipping cadence will control the bite and keep it from from being a deterrent. I fall into this category. Some other smokers are much more bite prone, and Virginias pose a serious challenge to them for a satisfactory pipe smoke. No. 25 is a little less than average in bite challenge for a Virginia tobacco.

My only issue with No. 25 is that it is somewhat monochromatic and can become a bit boring by the end of a generous sized bowl. But this mild criticism does not mean that I do not enjoy smoking this offering. I do enjoy smoking it. The reason I do not go beyond two stars is simply because there are a number of other Virginias (including several by McClelland) that I enjoy even more.

Bought it in absense of the Christmas Blend. Was nice if one doesn't need latakia. Had that very distinct McClelland's catchup aroma and taste. Would like to try a Virgnian with less of this taste so that I can make up my mind if it is the Virginian or this particular style of presenting the Virginian that makes the blend strange. I can not say that this is one of my favorites but does offer a change of pace when something out of the latakia line is required.

I'm with lustra....this one did little for me, and it's a three year old tin. It behaves well in all technical respects, but doesn't show up flavour-wise to warrant the price tag. If you want a good non-invasive all-day Va to smoke, try the McC's bulks. If you want an amazing Virginia epiphany, smoke some McC's Va #27...but don't be in a hurry to have high expectations met with this one. Again, while this tobacco is quite tasty (you will not hesitate to finish the tin) it does not attain to the levels of complexity or flavour I seek in premium tobaccos with premium prices.

Virginia No. 25 is ready rubbed; loading the pipe is a simple matter. The blend consists of dark ready rubbed bits of tobacco.

This is flavorful; it is not really bitey. However it can bite if one puffs on the pipe. This reason keeps it from being a 4-star tobacco. If you are an experienced virginia tobacco smoker, there are many aged tins that a available at without inflated prices; you should give No. 25 a try.

This failed to inspire me the way other straight Virginias do, but if you do not like working with flakes, it could be just right for you.

It was actually the very first straight VA I ever smoked. I knew I was smoking pipe tobacco right when I'd get through a bowl of No. 25 with my tongue intact.

Certainly better to me than Navy Cavendish, but my love affair has been with St. James Woods. My reviews of Blackwoods, Nos. 24 & 27 are pending. Perhaps as a base for some home blending, No. 25 could be useful to me. RV Matured Ribbon, also by Mc Clelland for Butera, is more interesting.

This is a tasty smoke of fine ribbon cut black and red VA's. It has a very sweet flavor. This one has a tendency to nip at the tounge due to its high sugar content, no matter how lightly you puff and its just not as smooth or flavorful as 5100 or Blackwoods Flake.