McClelland Virginia Woods

Upon opening a tin of this, you immediately notice the typical McClelland acetic acid smell. As I've often said, don't let it sway you! This tobacco is worth the time to smoke! Virginia Woods is a ribbon-cut darker blend of stoved Virginia, red Virginia, and bright Virginia tobaccos. There may be some sort of slight topping to it, because it is so sweet a smoke, though I can't say for certain. I think it is a good tobacco to introduce the pleasures of Virginias to an aromatic smoker.

Like a lot of Virginias, Virginia Woods is a little shy. But with patience, the real nuances and undertones of the flavor will come through after a few minutes. Puff gently, because it also can probably bite, as most any Virginia is likely to do. The tobacco lights easily, but the charring light will only act as that – to char the surface so that after a tamping the second match will really ignite the tobaccos. The burn is relatively clean, though I found I need a pipe cleaner a couple of times during a bowl. The further you smoke, the sweeter the flavor.

The tobacco is a good one to DGT, and upon relight the flavor comes through rich and dark. There's a good hint of the spiciness of Dark Star or 2035 here, but also the creamy smoothness of lighter Virginia tobaccos.

Overall, this is a nice, mild smoke for a Virginia, with the good sweetness typical of the variety. I don't keep it around all of the time, but if in a tobacco shop and I spot a tin I'm likely to buy it.

Good stuff. Just not what I had hoped for. I wasn't expecting this nougat/maple/caramel candy coating. It reminded me of that Benjamin Hartwell Evening Stroll that Altadis makes, but with MUCH better tobacco to hold up the casing/flavoring. It smokes reasonably cool for a mostly VA ribbon cut blend, the VA notes are in there, just WAAAAYYYY down in there. The sweet spot for me has been just past the halfway point in the bowl. I am not going to swap it away, but I don't know if I'll seek it out again. Spring may just be the wrong time of year for me to smoke this as the flavor package makes me think of cooler weather. I will continue to revisit this as curiosity warrants and see what develops. I would certainly tell all the aromatic lovers who are looking for a more tobacco-y experience to check this out.

...for reference, this was a tin dated 2007. Your results may vary.

Let me preface this by stating that my review is based on a sample of an 1/4 oz, so about 4 bowls. I found this to be not a straight viginia by any means. Almost seems like a crossover blend, and it didn't have the typical McClelland tang in my sample. Nice smoke, fragrant, burns well and has a real woodsy flavour, without the rich cigarette-like aroma that some VA blends can have if not done well. I don't know if this has casing or not, but it sure tastes like does. I would almost say that I sensed an incense-like flavour. A dash of myrrh maybe? For those who like non-aromatics, it sure is worth a try. Would I buy a tin after the sample I had? Sure. Does it stand out in the world of great blends? Not really. Note I must recommend that this be smoked in a larger bowl to get the best out of it.

Notes: I have smoked quite a bit of this now, and I must admit it suits my personal tastes, although I try to write reviews that are objective. I can't stop smoking this one, though! I find it best in a tall thin chimney briar. Amazingly, it didn't burn my tongue, either, and I always get bit by Virginias.

Appearance: Reddish brown wide cut ribbon mostly; with brown, black and a few golden strands completing the mixture. Fully rubbed out.

Aroma: Strong smell of concentrated tomato paste, white vinegar, brown sugar, dried figs, pencil eraser.

Taste: Walnuts, brown sugar, sweet-sour Virginia tobacco flavor, nutty, oily deep flavor (from the stoved leaf), heavy on the tongue, juicy with flavor (i.e., tasty; it was a dry smoke). Well-composed; good flavor balance from to to bottom. Not over the top at all.

Comparisons: Some richer blends can be a bit much, but not this one. McClelland here is aphrodisiacal, in contrast to GL Pease's concupiscent blends. Not as nutty as Samuel Gawith's flakes, even a hair less nutty than the well-balanced Dunhill Light Flake. A hair less naturally sweet than Rattray's Marlin Flake. It comes across as a magnified, slightly sweeter Dunhill Light Flake with a helping of stoved leaf mixed in. Take just that stoved leaf alone, and you would have McClelland's Dark Star.

Bottom Line: For those who are seeking a natural Virginia blend that is in the middle of the nutty-sweet spectrum with a backbone of stoved leaf to provide fullness, this may be your blend.

Tin Aroma: Vinegar, ketchup, whatever you call it, this is most definately a McClelland blend.

Physical Characteristics: dark brown ribbon cut, mottled with some blackish ribbon, and very moist. It has always amazed me how long a McClelland ribbon will keep moisture. However, it is easy to fill and pack with, and it takes the charring light well.

Notes: I like to char this one, and then let it sit for a while to dry out a tad more before smoking. I suppose that means that almost every bowl I have smoked of this has been DGT'd to some extent. I do love the 'burnt marshmallow' aroma that this blend gives off. Very thick smoke, good for coloring a meerschaum, if you are the type to blow smoke at the pipe while smoking. The flavors become darker and richer as the bowl progresses. This blend tends to start off a bit spicy and disjointed, but by the midway point, it has settled down into a very nice rich smoke. The flavor/aroma I am most reminded of by this blend is caramel, burnt caramel.

When I open a tin of Virginia Woods it strikes me as being very similar to McClellands Blackwoods Flake in smell. Virginia Woods is finely cut into ribbons that pack easily into all but the smallest pipes. It is hard to tell if there is any topping on this tobacco. My opinion leans towards there not being a topping because of its simularities to Blackwoods Flake and Dark Star - just good stoved Virginia tobaccos. Virginia Woods burns clean after easily lighting. The flavour is red and stoved Virginias. This tobacco could almost be called a crossover blend - a nice change for those accustomed to aromatic tobaccos.

Like so many pipe smokers, I started off smoking exclusively aromatic blends, then moved on to Latakia and straight Virginia’s. I now find myself longing for mild aromatics. This blend, should you be able to snag a tin, fits the bill perfectly. My tin is from 1994, so an incredible 27 years of aging. The topping is mild and really compliments the Virginias. The ribbon cut is mostly dark and medium dark Virginias, and the sweet topping is noticeable in the tin, as well as during the smoke. But it’s not a heavy topping, and that’s the beauty of this blend. A nice, clean, pleasurable smoke. Easily an all day blend. Light nic hit. Burns to a fine grey and white ash. Little if any moisture. Just a really enjoyable light aromatic. But smoke it slowly....it’s still a Virginia with all its inherent sweetness and tendency to bite when puffed rapidly.

So I just finished off a bowl of this. It's very spicy still, even after a year of "cellaring". This is my first experience with a straight Virginia blend, and I was expecting a bit more sweetness and a stronger flavor. Aside from the spice, this is a very mild blend. I definitely get the lightly sweet, grassy flavors everyone associates with Virginia blends. The room note was barely detectable as well, but two ladies sitting with me said it was pleasant. I grew up in the woods of Virginia, so I think the very little bit of disappointment I have with this blend comes from my expectations that it would be bold-flavored and have more smoky leather notes. They're there, just not as loud as I anticipated. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this blend, and I'll happily finish the tin, but the jury's out on if I'll take another ride on this train.

An Aromatic? Hmmm! Not so sure. Seems some classifications are subjective.

But not to worry. This is a nice, simple, uncomplicated tobacco that can be an all day smoke for new and experienced pipers. It smokes right out of the tin, requires no fanfare, either for drying or rubbing out, and delivers fair and square without any pretext of complexity. However, I don't find it as sweet as some reviewers have stated. I find both McClelland's HoneyDew and Stave-Aged Virginia 35 Ribbon sweeter than this guy.