McLintock Black Magic

Upon opening, this is a rather ordinary if quite pleasant aroma. It is a coarse cut Cavendish tobacco in the main which packed and lit fairly easily, and it stayed lit. It is really a very mild and not particularly flavourful tobacco with less than subtle vanilla and citrus added flavours which like the tin note is certainly far from unpleasant and actually not too sweet. But it is almost completely unmemorable.

The most memorable aspect is that it did tend to burn quite hot with a little bite towards the end. And coinciding with the bite starting the taste began to get a little less pleasant. Maybe not surprisingly it was quite wet and sticky at the end.

For such a mild tobacco the room note was really quite a strong Cavendish (and key word for today) not unpleasant.

Unfortunately, not unpleasant is just not what I’m looking for. I can’t really recommend it and won’t be buying again but there is worse out there.

McLintock - Black Magic.

Another re-write of an early review. Note: based on a fresh tin.

The blend has a far higher proportion of black Cavendish than any other leaf. The smell from the tin is strongly aromatic, mainly involving a floral/perfumey/sharp flavour. The blend includes some really coarse pieces, of which most are the lighter Virginia, the Cavendish is made more of ribbons. The tin isn't air-sealed shut, there's only a piece of sticky tape wrapped around the lip to prevent the top coming off. Moisture's great.

To be fair, the smoke from Black Magic is cool, but not icy, like some blends heavy with lots of black Cavendish. The burn from it can lean more towards fast if it's not sipped with ease. I get no tongue bite and the smokes consistency is thick. Now, the important part, the flavour: there's a definite floral note, this is the leading attribute. The other additions meld together to form a sweet and spicy base, but aren't as strong as the florals. Of the tobaccos I get far more of the vanilla black Cavendish than I do Virginia; this calms the florals. I don't find the taste as sharp as the tin-note, floral yes, but more flavour and less piquancy.

The room-note's a little too much, and the nicotine's very mild; suits me!

Years back I gave this four stars, but after sampling a lot more blends I can only give it two.

Somewhat recommended.

Black Magic is a bit of a misnomer - the tobacco is neither particularly black,nor particularly magic - just pleasant. In appearance the blend is a good mixture of light and dark tobaccos, but with a predominance of very dark cavendish. It is certainly aromatic, but quite dry, which in my experience means of fairly decent quality - not gloopy at all. In the tin it is very aromatic, slightly sweet but really indefinable, and this aroma is translated well in the taste. Ribbon-cut,it packs well and lights easily.The taste is mild and sweet, but it lacks a bit of body for my taste and the after taste can be a bit sharp and cloying. There is very little bite unless you puff it too hard and then the typical aromatic bite makes it's presence felt, but it's never a huge problem. The room note is very pleasant and drew complmentary comments from my wife. All in all a pleasant if not outstanding smoke, easy to live with but lacking any outstanding characteristics. Aromatic gurus will like it,heavy virginia smokers will not love it so much, but a quality aromatic all the same - just not one that I would reach for every day.