McClelland Virginia Woods

As a McClelland Virginia lover, I expected this to be wonderful. BIG disappointment. I found this to have a cigarette-like quality, with a cloying, almost-MacBarenish note that gave me a headache and made me vaguely nauseated. Well, guess I'll just have to be satisfied with the other 8 Mc VAs that I love!

With the exception of the flavors mentioned above, this has very little flavor. There is a winey note that doesn't go away, and while it could potentially meld well with other stronger flavors, here it just stands alone.

This my first blend in the McClelland line, and I must say I am disappointed. For a Dane like me, the vinegar smell is very strange, and something I do not fancy at all. The tobacco is beautiful in the tin, but there are so many stems in it. I had to go through the whole tin and remove them.

As Eulenburg said, the moisture-level (artificial I believe) is too high, and even when dried out, this tobacco is almost incendiary. There is some weird topping added; very discreet, and very foul. I am sure this does not go for all McClellands blends, and it has not scared me from trying more of them. The leaf is of very high quality, but it burns like a sunny day in hell. Nicotine content is too low for me also.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

I have been blessed with a 10 year aged sample of this weed. It makes for a truly smooth, quiet and "woodsy" smoke. Perhaps due to age, this comes off as being one of the nicest straight VA smoke experiences I have had. There is sweet and sour notes through the entire first 3rd of the bowl. After that the tobacco flavor kicks up and a hint of spice (very perique like) enters the smoke. At points I agree with those who list this blend as mildly topped, at other points I think I am tasting just the trademark McClelland aging process. By the end of the bowl a bit of refinement is lost and the taste is very cigar like - musky woodsy and spicey. While I still rarely reach for straight VA tobacco - this one is certainly at the top of the heap.

This is a good virginia blend that does not realy stand out to me but does not realy lack in a bad way either. I feel it is a good middle of the road virginia blend. I will say that this does get alot better with aging. Worth a try.

This is another foray into the unchartered territory of Virginia blends for me and I have to say that this is another pleasant surprise. Upon opening the tin, yes there is that famous "catsup" odor which I find pleasant. Medium to long red, lemon, and brown leaf abounds. packing is easy, lighting is easy. The name "Virgina Woods" is appropiate because that is exactly what I think of when smoking this blend. It is deliciously woodsy with those sweet virginia undertones. All in all this is a good medium to full strength blend that you can smoke all day. I did find that it works better for me in smaller pipes. Enjoy... 4 out of 5 points.

Not a bad tobacco, the tin aroma is the usual McClelland aroma, the cut is rather coarse with some stem.

I found when packing the pipe I had to remove some of the tree limbs, other than that it packed very well. The tobacco was not too hard to lite which did surprize me it was such a coarse cut of tobacco.

This was not a harsh tongue biting tobacco and somked very smoothly. I dected no wheezing or gurgling and the tobacco did take on a sweetness as it neared the bottom of the bowl.

This will join my occasional tobacco shelf.

Smoke it slow, enjoy it longer

It's both smooth and rich as stated in the decription. I enjoy the flavor and aroma. Virginia Woods tastes a little like 5100, but I taste a stoved VA as well. There is a another tobacco besides VA in this blend, maybe an unflavored cavendish. Whatever it is, it's a nice touch. There is lots of high sugar content VA present, but it doesn't burn the tongue; that might be due to the cavendish.

I recommend this blend, but I also recommend that you let it dry quite a bit before smoking. For some reason, Virginia Woods comes loaded with PG. I pour out all of the 100g tin on a magazine and let it dry for 36 hours. After that, it's really a nice blend.

The name is so right, because the tobacco is comprised of so many stems I nearly sent it back to the manufactuer to ask,"what the hell". I mean really, its like somebody sat down to strip the leaves and put the stems in this can. The tobacco that is present here is ribbon red virginia,and maybe some burley there too.It does have some broken black stoved cake Va also. The taste (if you can find one) is bland and you'll burn your tounge so bad you'll be looking for the number to the Shriner's burn center in Galveston,Texas!

Bit of a sad review to type; my two ounces or so in a jar is the last of my McClelland Virginias. I have some Nording Fox Hound and some Oriental Mixtures left. Put off reviewing it, and finally decided I don't have too much to say. Different cut than those broken flakes, McClelland "vinegar" is there, but less so, and there may be a slight, mild topping. It's great, anyway, and enough has been said by others. I will miss McClelland Virginias when this is gone.

All for now, but I'm sure I will update with random thoughts as I finish my sad last jar, like how the bowl I'm smoking right now as I type is giving me wonderful, complex sweetness even from tiny sips on the dregs...