McCranie's Old Master

There's a lot of "no's" with this tobacco that add up to one big yes. No bite, no re-light, no topping, no dottle, and no sour pipe. It burns slowly, evenly, and completely to a fine ash.

The smoke is light and full bodied. The taste: nutty and vaguely sweet. It's also one very consistent smoke. I'm new to Burley, so I have to figure that's it. Most VA's and aromatics I've had seem to taste differently in different pipes. Not OM; I've packed it in a Peterson, a Don Carlos, a beater, and a corn cob; with the same wonderful results. (Sitting here, about to light the THIRD bowl of it today!) Really didn't think anything could be this good.

One last note: I kind of get that McClelland "vinegar" aftertaste with Old Master. Has anyone else had this experience? But far from being a negative it's a huge personal plus and the reson I pay through the nose for 221b Honeydew. It makes it more than a smoke, it's a snack in a bowl.

I readily join the chorus of praise for this fine blend of quality tobaccos. The sweetness of Virginia Brights has it's sharpness mediated effectively by the Burley's rich and full nutty flavor. Here is a smoke for any time and place. As the smoke progresses, it continues to develop into increasingly greater levels of enjoyment, not unlike the prelude of a sunrise. From fine ingredients come fine products and this is no exception. I can think of other Burley blends that have achieved far less with more tobaccos used. Simple, yet high in quality, these leaves combine to give a most unusually satisfying smoke. Slow burning and heavy with dark oils, it yeilds an excellent reward for the Burley/Virginia pipester.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a Flying Dragon by Gezer

This blend is possibly THE choice for the unaltered burley smoker. Perhaps HOW is the master of burlies, but they would do well to research how the McCranies came up with this one. I alternated smoking OM with (HOW's) "Union Leader" and detected no flavorings with OM while UL's light honey topping became more apparent.

Granted, OM could have less moisture, but, this is far from a "problem".

OM is definitely worth whatever effort it takes to get it: start driving to Charlotte or place your order now.

Now here is an absolutely fantastic Burley blend. Creamy and nutty with just a hint of vanilla. Yummy stuff!

This is a fantastic Burley blend. As others have noted, it is creamy, nutty and has the most vague whisper of vanilla. At the proper humidity, this burns extrodinarily mild and all the way down the bowl. So far, I've smoked this in three different pipes, and it really did not matter, I could not force this to be bad in any way.

After about half the pipe, I noticed that I was enjoying the tobacco so much, that I was really heating the whole works up by aggressive puffing. Not a hint of a bite or change in flavor, however. This really behaves.

In a world of tobacco complexities, O.M. is like a ice cold glass of milk or iced tea. It is just a pure, refreshing, honest flavor. Whether you smoke VA, English, or topped blends, I highly recommend Old Master. This is obviously an outstanding grade of Burley and is, in my opinion, the benchmark of Burley tobacco.