McClelland Top Hat

(3.00)
The original piper's choice blend of premium matured and stoved Virginias liberally seasoned with the finest Louisiana Perique, was created by pipe collector Steve Stein. He describes it well: "Its wonderful after meals and as an evening aperitif for the seasoned Virginia-Perique pipe smoker. A complex, bold blend for the sophisticated palate"
Notes: Released at the 2014 IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas, NV

Details

Brand McClelland
Series Piper's Choice
Blended By Steve Stein
Manufactured By McClelland
Blend Type Virginia/Perique
Contents Perique, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50g Tin
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.00 / 4
1

5

1

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 18, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium Very Pleasant
The red and stoved Virginias are very tangy and ripe dark fruity with the barest hint of grass, some earth and sugar, and a little fermented sweetness from the stoved Va. The perique is a noticeable background player, offering more raisins and figs than spice, though that spice is an important nuance that seems a little more obvious as you go along. The familiar McClelland vinegar note mostly disappears after a few puffs. There’s a slight woodiness present, too. It’s not as bold as the description claims, but it has enough strength to please with a mild nic-hit. The sweetness mitigates the strength enough that it could almost be an all day smoke for the experienced smoker who likes sweet VaPers. It may be a good place for a new VaPer smoker who has a sweet tooth to start. No chance of bite or harshness. Produces lots of smoke, burns cool, clean, and even at a reasonable pace with a mostly consistent flavor. Needs few relights, and leaves very little moisture in the bowl. Has a very pleasant after taste. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 30, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant
Kind of a choppy cut of walnut brown to black, with a moderate nose of McClellands rich Virginia aroma and a healthy amount of perique. I found the perique much fruitier in the nose and more spicy in the taste, which is interesting. I actually had to rub this out a bit or I got pieces stuck in my pipe's draft hole. Drying it out helps the flavor develop, as per usual.

The creator states that this is for the seasoned VaPer smoker, and he's telling it straight. A rich, bordering on heavily spiced perique flavor (which is weird because my tastebuds are sometimes slow to pick up perique) coupled with the mildly sweet and wonderfully tangy Virginias, this is probably not the best choice for a morning smoke, nor for the perique newbie. Not as bold and rich as my reference VaPer, GL Pease's Telegraph Hill, this also misses a bit from my lighter reference, said Pease's Stratford. There's something keeping this one from greatness in my book, and I haven't quite figured out what it is yet. Again, I don't think I have this one's full measure, even though I did not find it terribly complex. I think perhaps (for my taste, anyway) a bit more weight from those benchmark McClelland Virginias and a bit less perique would have done the job. But there are other blends to suit that purpose. Try this one if you enjoy your VaPer tilted decidedly toward the Per side.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 30, 2015 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Normally I smoke aromatics and cigars - depending on my mood. Top Hat was my first adventure into VaPer's. This fits nicely in the middle for a smoking experience. It has a pleasant enough room note to smoke inside. Great natural tobacco flavor, lights and burns well. Definitely will be trying more VaPer's based on this experience
PurchasedFrom: Pipes and Cigars.com
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 19, 2017 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Wonderful rich, plumy, fruity, sweet tin aroma. Perfect moisture out of the tin. Lights easily with a sweet taste. The sweetness diminishes and the perique makes an appearance and stays there as a peppery spice vs. a plummy fruity taste. No bite but it did get a little harsh if pushed too fast or hot.

A nice change of pace from the Red Virginia based VaPers.
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 05, 2015 Mild None Detected Medium Unnoticeable
Soft, naturally sweet Virginias pump out loads of zesty citrus tang while a fruity Perique carries the bottom end very nicely. Good body. Can be boring if smoked in a deep bowled pipe because the flavor doesn't ever change -- but is that bad?
Pipe Used: no-name meerschaum
PurchasedFrom: SmokingPipes.com
Age When Smoked: 1 year
1 person found this review helpful.
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