McCranie's McArris

Surprised there hasn’t been a review of McArris from McCranie’s on this esteemed benchmark website since 2011, four years ago since the time of writing this one here. McArris is a superbly soft and mellow blend of exquisite subtly, elegance, and sophistication; characteristics, these days, that are rare in the culture of bombast, loud-mouthed self-promotion, and extreme-this and extreme-that. Simple pleasures are indeed the best, and McArris is as unadorned as it is dependable. Been smoking pipes and tobaccos all over the world since 1981, and this blend since 2004. Tending to favour Balkan’s, English/Scottish, and Virginia’s most of the time, but picked up another two-ounce bag of McArris yesterday and oh-how-I’ve-missed-you. Perfect low moisture level, ready to pack and light now. No detectable artificial anything. Just wonderful occasional whiffs of caramel fragrance, touches of sweet mature Virginias and understated Burleys. Little to no gurgle, comparable to the high-quality non-aromatics I usually smoke. A little Burley bitterness on the re-lights which is par for Burley and not unlike the hops in your pint of IPA. So fine and reliable a friendly mixture from a true world-class tobacconist deserves a recent review and accolade. McCranie’s is no commonplace “stockist”, but instead “artists” in all things tobacco, staffed by erudite old-school Carolina gentlemen; they know their stuff and don’t make you feel like a dumb-ass if you don’t. If you adulterate your beer with fruit, and spoil your coffee with dumps of tacky flavoured syrups, or enjoy horrible brown-sugared marshmallow-ed sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving, then you’ll have to look elsewhere for your gloopy vulgar fix. But if you appreciate fine brandy over cheap tequila, or Connecticut shade rather than Maduro, then try McArris simplicity for some peaceful quiet relaxation. The ‘aromatic’ for pipers that don’t smoke aromatics. Can you say cognoscenti?