McCranie's Black Angus

(2.00)
Dark, cool-smoking Latakia, Stoved Virginia, Perique blend that is unique in body with a little Burley. Has already become a hit although not for the bland at heart.

Details

Brand McCranie's
Blended By  
Manufactured By  
Blend Type Virginia Based
Contents Burley, Latakia, Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.00 / 4
1

0

5

2

Reviews

Please login to post a review.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2006 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
This is really nothing more than a Virginia/Perique blend with a smidgen of Latakia tossed in for good measure.

For those of you who have smoked Rattray's Seven Reserve, this sure tastes like the same thing with a medium dose of Perique added.

Black Angus is probably going to be a nice regular for those who enjoy lighter Virginia/Perique/Latakia fare.

One strange thing I noticed about this Black Angus, it doesn't have any horns.
3 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 19, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The Virginias are grassy sweet with a very mild fruit, citrus, earth notes. The burley is a minor player, and is often MIA, adding a light nuttiness. The Cyprian latakia is smoky and woodsy when it shows up, and is obviously lightly added. The perique level changes as you go along, sometimes very peppery, sometimes just there. Has a slightly more than mild nic-hit. Burns at a reasonable pace and fairly cool as it leaves little moisture in the bowl. Needs an average number of relights. Doesn't bite. Has an okay after taste. One star is probably too harsh a rating, but the inconsistency of when and where in the smoke you get the various flavors, which are routine to begin with, makes it difficult to recommend it in a crowded VaPer market.

-JimInks
2 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 21, 2006 Mild to Medium Strong Full Tolerable
After reading the other reviews I'm not even sure what I've been smoking here IS actually Black Angus (which was printed on the bag sent in lieu of some Balkan Supreme...but how many-mix ups can there be in a single order?)

What I've got here is a version of Edward's Buccaneer with some perique added. The look and feel are completely black cavendish: black and moist to the touch. It smells like your typical topped cavendish but with a peppery undetone. No latakia whatsoever. When lit it sizzles, and requires an enormous number of re-lights; it's goopy and forms a crust rather than an ash.I occasionally indulge in Balkans and lighter mixtures, but usually smoke aromatics. Even so, I found this to be foul, rancid and nauseating; no excuse for blending something like this. Looking over the McCranie's catalog I'm starting to thing this is some mislabled Black Lace.

If anyone has any insight to this, please let me know so that I can post this review in the right place. As for now: I have to review what they sent me.
1 person found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 24, 2005 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Have to say right out of the chute - this blend does not taste anything at all like a Black Angus Porterhouse, or even a London Broil. Bought 2 oz. of this blend, have smoked about half, and have to agree with others there is a lot less Latakia and a bit more Perique than the press blurb would lead one to believe. In fact, the Latakia is VERY humble in this blend. This IS a nice blend BUT... Ya gotta like Perique! My preference is for Perique as more of a condiment but Black Angus uses it as more than that - without letting it get carried away, though I've usually experienced an initial stampede of it at first light. The only VA/Perique blends I keep are what I've bought just to try. But if I were going to smoke very much VA/Perique, Black Angus would likely be my "stout" blend of choice.... and the reasons are the balance of the blend and the notable quality of the tobaccos used. FWIW, Black Angus has done especially nicely (for me) in two smallish meerschaums.

Tiger
1 person found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 09, 2005 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Tolerable
Im growing weary of the downright misleading blend descriptions by some blenders. This blend does not overpower anything, there is much, much less Latakia than the description would lead one to believe. There's more Perique than anything. The Latakia that is in this blend is very thin tasting and you have to like perique to enjoy this. I prefer Perique to be used as a condimental, but Black Angus uses it as the meat and potatoes. If you like perique with just a hint of Latakia you will love this schtuff.
0 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 05, 2004 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable
A quality blend, with a bag aroma of Virgina tang with a back note of latakia that follows over to the smoke. I have a 7oz bag of this a it will be a while before I consume it all. I was looking for something with a little more latakia note but as I said it is a quality blend worthy of your attention if you like this type of light english blend
0 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 07, 2004 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong
I must agree that this is a Perique blend, with just a whisper of Latakia in the background for the condiment this time (roll reversal at it's best, however). It is, however, obviously made with a quality Virginia that can play foil to the Perique that makes such a strong statement.

When dabbling with blends that are liberal with the Perique, I don't think it's too over-cautious to advertise it as "not for the bland at heart". Indeed, one must have made friends with the sweet/sour leaf prior to enjoying this offering.

As stated above, I believe it is the quality of the Virginia that in this case keeps the entire mixture from spinning into a thin, stringy Perique overload. Black Angus, despite being named after a bovine, maintains a poise and balance not necessarily thought of as a bull in a pipe shop. Being a true fan of Perique (although never tempted to smoke it straight ala Alister Crawley) I *really* like this a lot.

Anyone who has been slowly searching for more and more Perique in their mixtures owes it to themselves to explore this interesting blend. I think it transcends the English or Virginia camps and stands alone as it's own Periqe blend. And as a bonna fide lover of the St. James leaf, I'm all too happy to smoke this regularly.
0 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 27, 2004 Mild None Detected Medium Tolerable
The "star" rating, in this case, doesn't tell the whole story.... Please read on...

Black Angus is (I believe) a house blend only available through McCranie's. I bought it because of the description - "...although not for the bland at heart". The description listed Latakia first. This led me to believe that I had a potent Latakia blend in my hands. Sadly, this wasn't the case. What it is, is a Virginia/Perique blend with the slightest hint of Latakia.

The pouch aroma is mostly Virginia with a hint of spiciness and a trace of Latakia. The tobac is cube cut and gravity loads nicely.

The first touch of flame brings out a burst of Perique. After tamping and re-lighting, the Perique gets under control and we settle into a mild VA/Perique blend. Every now and again there is a hint of Latakia, but it is quickly shoved into the background by the Perique.

Near the bottom of the bowl, the VA came on stronger, with perhaps a hint of Burley. Or should I say, the Perique faded. The sweet VA - bitter Burley made for an interesting finish.

Angus took more re-lights than I am used to. There was a bit more dottle as well.

Had I reviewed this blend after the first bowl, I would have not been very kind to it at all. Not that it is bad - just that it isn't at all what I expected. I smoked about an ounce of it before I wrote this.

If you're into VA/Perique and want to try Latakia without it getting too bold on you, Black Angus might be just the ticket.

The 'warning' "not for the bland at heart" is pretty much unwarranted, IMHO. What this is, is a very well done Virginia/Perique blend. Once I got used to that idea, and forgot about Latakia, I began to like it. Well enough to buy it again? I doubt it. I'm not big on this type of a blend. And it's certainly nothing against McCranie's. They make my personal favorite - Hellsgate. And when it comes to customer service, these guys are tops! They really know how to take care of their customers. I enjoy ordering from them.
0 people found this review helpful.
Please login to upvote this review.

target="_blank"