McClelland Virginia Woods

I have a 2007 tin that had been opened a month. Let some dry out on a napkin for 3 hours. This is very tasty stuff. I loved this. Very good smell, lots of smoke, totally dry, no gurgles, no ash left in bowl. What a clean smoke ! This just vaulted into my top 3 favorites.

The appearance of Virginia Woods in the tin, and the tin note, reminded me of the blend, "Reserve 1928," which is private-label produced by McClelland for the Tinder Box stores (and retails for slightly less). The leaf and cut appear to be identical. I cannot quite describe what the scent is (caramel-like?), but it is very unique and not as pronounced in Virginia Woods as in 1928, but I'll bet it is the identical chemical, cure, or topping. And, it comes through in the smoke as well. You can still taste it in your mouth the next day, although it is a pleasant aftertaste.

Although Virginia Woods does not require more than minimal relighting, the blend out of the tin is decidedly too moist. It starts out tasting sweet. No bite. But then started burning hot, and even when I was not puffing, the stuff made a "snap, crackle, pop" hissing sound in the bowl. I never was able to smoke it all the way to the end, as the last fifth of the bowl was soggy - not the fine grey ash associated with typical gourmet English blends.

The batch of Virginia Woods I tried did not have that smooth, sweet taste I have enjoyed from other English blends, which I attribute to whatever flavoring or aroma has been infused in the curing process. It's not bad, mind you, just not the greatest. It's an okay smoke - way better than any drugstore blend. But, I would not go out of my way to order some again. Two-stars.

UPDATE 04/09/2010: Put the snap-on plastic lid on the tin and let it sit for a few months on a bookshelf. The contents dried out a little. It made a big difference. Smokes much better. Whatever flavoring was added seemed to have disappeared. Mostly just tobacco taste/aroma. 06/09/2011: Sat in the tin for another year. Smoked clean, cool and dry to the bottom of the bowl. Not bad at all. I have to agree with Bob Smith: "It ages wonderfully." Very good with a cup of coffee. I might actually buy another tin if the price is right. Bump to three stars.

McClelland do it again...This is very good stuff...I ve smoked with my Porsche Design pipe then use several different pipes...I like this blend...

Ketchup is always around (not like blackwoods)...Moisture perfect for me...Easy to pack and lit...

Creamy taste and cool smoke...No bite ofcourse...Nicotine level is low...Smoke slowly and feel light Virginia sweetness...

This tobacco is great for a late fall day. It has the aroma of smoke and woodiness without having the overwhelming taste of latakia. I wish that the blend did not have that ketchup smell when opening the tin. A day or so on a newspaper takes care of it. You do have to be a bit careful when smoking it can get a bit hot. The tobacco does have a bit of sweetness to it and does blend well with MacBaren Honey and Chocolate.

I was more disappointed in this blend than any other I can think of. It has a wonderful name, description and label.

It tasted like it had a strange topping. I could not put my finger on it.

For a lightly aromatic english, go with Deep Hollow.

I found a 50g tin of this which was six years old. The tin aroma was a strange combination of the McCleland's acidic additive and a vanilla (or some aromatic sweetner) casing. Bizarre, I think. Sweet and sour additives? None of these "flavorings" are mentioned on the tin, which leads one to believe that this is a natural virginia blend, which it is not.

The room note is that of a mildly sweetened aromatic. It would be nice for the non-smoking crowd.

A good quality tobacco with a mild taste and nice burning qualities, but I don't like sweetend aromatics and wouldn't have purchased it had I known what it was. After smoking my third bowl of this, I tossed it in the trash because I simply had no use for it.

If you like aromatics, this might be a good choice.

I recently opened a tin of this that had been cellared for 3 years. I was expecting something similar to Hal o' the Wynd, but was suprised and pleased. This tobacco doesn't have the sweet taste that I normally associate with matured Virginias, but rather a deep, layered flavour. I didn't see any stems in the blend as mentioned in a review below, but it does smoke hot, hotter than most VA blends I have encountered.

If you like matured Virginias and other of McClelland?s matured VA blends, you will probably enjoy Virginia Woods. This is a nice mild to medium smoke that is sweet and flavorful in the classic VA sense. It has excellent burning qualities although you may want to air it out a bit. I experienced no bite. In short, I found Virginia Woods to be an ?easy smoke? that will satisfy without having to give it undue attention. I especially enjoyed it when DGT?ed overnight.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 9.5 out of 10.

A beautiful name for a tobacco. Nice label.

My tin is three years old. Upon opening I detect only the faintest trace of the infamous McClelland aroma.

The moisture level is perfect. Packs great. Lights very easily, producing voluminous clouds of pale grey smoke. There is a citrus like tang to the aroma. The smoke has very little body. The flavor is grassy, dry, and bright, with hints of lemon. The flavor is quite thin. The smoke is very consistent. The blend burns cool and dry.

I could see this as a blend to puff on while reading, or otherwise distracted, or perhaps as a warm weather smoke for those who don't like burley. Nothing here to bring me back.