McCranie's Old Master

The Virginia is a little grassy and sweet with a touch of citrus, and very slight sharpness. Though it is a minor player, it contrasts nicely with the burley. The burley is the star; nutty with a touch of molasses and some cocoa. They say there is no topping here, but I disagree because there’s no known burley with this much cocoa taste, which is rich with being powerful. I get a vanilla note which either comes from the topping or a pinch of coumarin. Has a mild nic-hit. No chance of bite is present. No harsh or cigarette notes at all. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a smooth, mildly creamy, consistent flavor. Needs few relights, and leaves just a little moisture in the bowl. Has a decent after taste. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

I'm not a big burley smoker. I've always found them rather bland, until now. I opened the zip lock bag it came in and put my nose to the tobacco, chocolate and vanilla came to mind, but just a hint, not like a aromatic blend. Packed easily and stayed lit well. So smooth and no bite. This would be my first recomendation to a new pipe smoker. Before I knew it the bowl was done and I wanted more. Whenever I want a change from my Latakia english type blends, I will have this by my side.

Smooth, really. If this is not cased then it must be some Deertongue but just enough to sweeten in the background. Way less than C & D's Crooner. This is by far the best uncomplicated burley I have tried. I'm not an all day smoker but I can do a bowl in the am and more later. If you like burley this is a gimme. Happy camper here.

Update:11/20/10 okokok enough with the deertongue. Still like but less frequent.

I bought an estate briar and the seller threw in a 2 oz baggie of this. How cool is that??? Toffee-brown ribbon cut with a rather noticeable aroma of chocolate in the bag. Easy to load and it took to the match very well, giving off large plumes of smoke.

This seemed a bit to0 moist and a bit too chocolatey to be "unflavored" as is claimed. I think McCranie's sources some of their blends from McClellands and I believe this is one. McClellands "unflavored" burleys seem a bit flavored to me as well, and I think this is their X-10. But no matter, this is no aromatic. The burley and bright tobacco taste is at the forefront. The casing is mild enough to be noticeable but is not intrusive. Seems like an excellent tobacco to break in a briar, and I picked up two recently (odd for a dedicated meerschaum guy!). I found no complexity here, as is the case for many burley blends, but the flavor was consistent up and down the bowl and didn't get bitter or harsh... which sometimes does occur with burley. So if you enjoy a little extra flavoring in your burley but still want a natural smoke, this one should be on your short list.

In a word, pleasant. There's the obvious nuttiness of the burley but also just the right hint of vanilla or deertongue in the background. It can be enjoyed as an all-day smoke while going about your business, but also has enough subtlety to be quietly savored on the back porch. Nice room note, easy to keep lit, little to no bite. Use it either as a mainstay or for when you want to a change- up from English or aromatic blends.

Another gift from Clarkus. Indeed an exquisite tobacco offering to the nose the typical dark chocolate note of the Burley (underlined with a light cocoa/vanilla flavoring) and delighting the mouth with an unbelievable mellowness and a pleasant nuttiness. Besides it smokes quite cool leaving a pleasant room note.

Thanks to Clarkus and applause to the blender of Mc Cranie's.

Drink suggestion: a chestnut beer.

Without repeating what has already been said, this is my favorite burley blend. I've been a burley smoker for years only recently venturing into VA's and I find this to be an extremely fine tasting blend. It burns well, smells good and tastes great. While I intend to continue my venture into VA's I will certainly want a burley to go to and this will be it.

Update: Middleton's Sugar Barrel blows the doors off this one. I'm leaving my recommendation at three stars because it is a decent burley.

Folks seem to love this! Well, I will give it three stars, then. Actually, it was one of the first pipe tobaccos I tried, and I moved on from it. I can't think of anything negative to say about it; apart from the fact that it just didn't turn my crank, resound with me, whatever. Supposed to be a great tobacco for the beginner, but the first tobacco I loved was Stokkebye Bullseye Flake. No accounting for taste! Old Master is mild and pleasant, perhaps too much so.

The one arrives in bulk..

Upon opening the bag I am greeted with a wonderfull aroma. The bags' content, is a mostly brown mix of burley & I guess VA. My sample was neither overly moist or PG'ed..

Packing & Lighting: This blend is an easy 3 step pack & lighting is a breeze. The leaf takes to flame straight away.

Smoking: This is an excellent burley! Smooth, cool, nutty, sweet. There is no way that this isn't cased. Its too sweet to be straight. Not that the sweetness is a problem mind you..Its great and doesn't distract at all. FWIW I can't detect any VA's here..and I could care less..This is a great blend.

Finish: Finishes up to a nice, dry, ash. You won't be finding any huge clumps of dottle left over.

Folks this could easily be an all day smoke..never hard on your palate..just a nice sweet & nutty taste. Give it a try..you won't regret it! 3 of 4 nice blend McCranie's!

I tend to choose which tobacco to smoke based on the pipe and the mood I may be in at the time. Sometimes, I want a stronger taste or maybe a bit of "pepper" from a blend with perique in it. What had been missing for me was a blend that was relatively mild, had little casing, but had taste and good room note. Based on the reviews read here, I decided to try Old Master, and found that it was a perfect fit. Unlike some fairly mild blends, OM has sufficient taste to keep things interesting. It is neither sweet or sour, but has a distinctive taste that is unlike the other blends I smoke. It seems perfect for a beginning smoker due to a lack of tongue bite, easy loading into any pipe, and good burning qualities. A person might get bored with OM after a while, but I now find myself smoking Old Master about 50% of the time. More experienced pipe smokers will likely enjoy OM whenever they want a smoke that isn't overpowering or highly aromatic.