Tobaccos Rattray - Brown Clunee (British Collection)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2013-01-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The plum, raisins and pepper from the earthy, woody perique is lightly noted as is the nutty, slightly floral, earthy, woody Kentucky. The Virginia dominates the flavor; hay-like, grassy, with a mild tart and tangy citrus and a small amount of tangy dark fruit, some wood and earth. The strength is is the center of mild to medium, while the taste is a step past that mark. The nic-hit is a couple of rungs past the mild threshold. It burns slightly fast, and may nip at your tongue, and possibly get harsh if you are a fast puffer. Has a mildly inconsistent flavor as the perique waxes and wanes at times. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. An all day smoke with a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note.

-JimInks

36 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2004-05-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Virginia and Kentucky with a smidgen of Perique - man, is this stuff ever good!

Upon opening the tin, I got the definite impression that I was in a barn filled with fresh hay. The taste is also somewhat grassy and sweet - but in a rather pleasant way.

I love this one!

36 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	L'Italiano (233)	2018-01-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Brown Clunee, Old Gowrie and Hal O’ The Wynd are three very similar blends, with the same characteristics. Not so for Marlin Flake that is completely another mixture. Here I want to speak about the differences among these three excellent blends, from the point of view of Brown Clunee. First of all, they all have the same ingredients (Virginia, Kentucky, Perique) without any casing. But there are also a lot of differences:

HOTW is the strongest of the three, less delicate than the others. OG is the sweetest, it is almost a straight Virginia or at least it has the same characteristics. Brown Clunee is the most spicy, the most peppery. HOTW has more Kentucky and less Virginia compared to OG. BC is really similar to HOTW, but it has less Kentucky and more Perique. Perique is really leading. On the contrary, in OG Virginia and also Kentucky are leading, but Perique is really a “bit player”. To sum up on the basis of the amount of the different tobaccos, we can follow this order: Virginia content: OG – BC – HOTW. Kentucky content: HOTW – OG – BC. Perique content: BC – HOTW – OG.

Finally, OG is a Virginia based mixture. Similarly HOTW is a Virginia based mixture but it could also be considered a Perique mixture and also a Virginia/Kentucky mixture (it is the most balanced). BC is certainly and without any doubt a Perique mixture, a Va/Per with just a touch of Kentucky. Three excellent blends, but in this case my favorite (the kind of the three I prefer) is Brown Clunee. For all these reasons, in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 10 and four complete stars.

Similar Blends: Hal O' The Wynd and Old Gowrie.

34 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2015-02-25		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This has been a very pleasant smoke, but not especially remarkable. The Kentucky makes itself known with some earthiness early. I got a little plum perique in the last half of the bowl. Mostly this is a good mildly sweet stoved Virginia with some condimental tobacco to keep it from being too boring. The taste is more on the dark, heavy end of the Virginia spectrum. As an odd observation, I noted just a whiff of soap on first light, and it disappeared.

It was an easy smoke and was a cool burning blend for me. I doubt many people whould think of this as a contender for an "all-day" blend, but I could see it working in that mode.

This is a solid 3 stars and if this was all I had I would smoke a lot of it and not feel sorry for myself. Given the price, I am unlikely to buy more.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-08-03		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Brown Clunee was the first straight virginia I ever smoked - waaaay back around 1984 or so. It was good enough then that I began smoking straight virginias almost exclusively, and it has a special place in my heart as a result.

After years of smoking other, more developed virginias and Vapers, this one is best reminisced about rather than smoked. I found its sweet/sour taste offputting and bland in comparison to its stablemates Hal O' The Wynd, Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie, as well as other blends from different blending houses. Aging does not seem to serve this blend well, either, as a 14 year old version added a bit of of a soapy taste - kind of like sucking on a dryer sheet. I am mixing this with straight perique to see if I can spice it up a bit and tame that sourness.

Not recommended for my own smoking but somewhat recommended for those who like a very mild smoke and one that has no pretensions of depth or complexity. Good for those starting out on virginias as a teaser to show them what lies ahead.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (203)	2016-01-02		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

If you like Old Gowrie, Hal o' the Wynd or Marlin Flake (notwithstanding the cavendish tobacco therewith), you will probably like Brown Clunee as well. I'd say there is more Perique here than in the others, and this gives the whole mixture a tangy or zesty note to it. The subdued sweetness seems to come from the Virginia tobacco whereas the Kentucky leaf has a somewhat roasted (nuts) flavour that rounds the whole thing up. As for the presentation, it is just this broken flake you are so used to if you are familiar with this particular range. Also, it will improve if you let it sit in a jar for a couple of weeks. There is nothing special about the room or tin note for that particular matter, but I find it quite pleasing to retro inhale the smoke or pass it through my nose. In true honesty, I don't like it as much as the aforementioned, but to deny it a four solid stars would be falling far from the truth.

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-05-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Rattray - Brown Clunee.

A medium brown, not too moist, ribbon. The aroma's mainly Virginia but there's a vinegary touch of Perique, too.

It lights easily and gives a stable burn and a fairly cool smoke. The flavour's leading character's the Virginia, with the Kentucky and Perique offering a definite seasoning. The Kentucky gives nuts without taking over with a fire-cured flavour. If I force it too much I get a bit of a bite, so I tend to sip at it.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: pleasant.

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Butz Coquin

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smoke King

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Kiilerich (120)	2004-06-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Unnoticeable

This is one of the most anonymous blends i've ever tried. Upon opening the tin i smelled fresh hay, and cigarette tobacco. It packs easily and burns fast. For me, it is almost impossible not to puff away like a panicked WW2 soldier with a filterless Player cigarette in his mouth. Where's the beef i say? Not in this blend.

Too light, too fast, too little of everything. However, the quality of the leaf is, as always with Rattray's, outstanding.

So if you prefer a light, bright, pure virginia-blend similar to Blackjack and Capstan Mild, give this one a go.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eulenburg (193)	2004-05-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Another simple, subtle RATTRAY virginia. This is a degree less stoved than OLD GOWRIE, and perhaps for that very reason some may find it even more kaleidoscopic. An indispensable classic from old Perth.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DenizBeck (323)	2017-12-31		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Truly a companion to Old Gowrie. Clunee is the "sweet brother" of Gowrie that is less spicy.

The tin aroma is great, somewhat fruity-sweet, little spicy and fermented. Dark, broken flakes are waiting in the 100g tin to be admired and stuffed - but in forehand they need some drying time, just as Gowrie does!

Having Brown Clunee in the pipe is wonderful! A cotton-candy like sweetness is always present, though never too much. A gentle fruitiness is giving this bled a foundation for the sweetness to shine and only mild spice is giving this blend its backbone. Whilst Gowrie has some nice, zesty spice to it, Gowrie is rather sweetish with little spice. The Kentucky sports some minor boldness as well as some tart nutty tones that harmonize excellently with the fruity-sweetness.

Just as Gowrie and Hal o the wynd, this has around 6mg of added flavouring on 1000mg of tobacco, as the additive list reveals. Just some minor addition, but all of them have around 40-50mg of sugar added to enhance the sweetness.

What can I say more? I love it! Gowrie and Clunee are one of my Go-To Va/Per/Ky blends, whilst Gowrie is more Perique-forward and Clunee rather Vrginia-forward with more Ketucky to it. Also Clunee shares a few similarites with the famous Motzek Stang, which is plus for me too! 3,5-stars, as I find Old Gowrie to be a bit ahead of this blend!

Pipe Used: Clays, Cobs, Briars

Similar Blends: A sweeter, less spicy companion to, Rattray - Old Gowrie (British Collection), some similarities to, Motzek - (Curly) Strang.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2012-03-31		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Not having tried any Rattray's before, I bought this one just to try something completely out of my comfort zone. The size of the tin too was something of a change, so I gave it a try.

The aroma on opening was nothing special, a little leafy and oaky. The packing and lighting, despite it being broken flake as observed by previous reviews, is easy enough, much like a good ready rubbed. The smoke, though, doesn't thrill. I find it a little reminiscent of Condor Ready Rubbed, not in a bad way, but not as good as the original. It's a little like the girl next door who looks a little like Natalie Portman, a bonny enough lass, but won't be replacing the aforementioned starlet in Black Swan 2. The last third, however, does strangely, but pleasantly, add a hint of cream and become mellower. The room note at point of smoking is okay, nothing to write home about, though does have a habit of popping up hours later in far pleasanter fashion, pleasantly reminiscent of that left by Gold Block. The tongue bite does kick in early but fades quickly, and after a few smokes, doesn't rear it's ugly head again. The major downside to this is the hacky, awful taste left in the mouth, not sure I can pin it down exactly, but it's like leaves, happy to smell them, wouldn't want to taste them though.

On the whole, not a bad smoke actually, just not too thrilling really. There is a certain blandness to this that is quickly overawed by that hacky mouth taste. That creamyness in the last third though, is a plus. Also, a 100 gram tin is just way too much, I now find myself smoking it just to get my moneys worth. Would I buy it again? Not in a 100g packet, but maybe in 25g or 50g rounds instead. On the whole I think two and a half stars would be fair.

Update 20/05/2014

Had a couple of more 100g tins of this stuff, the first bought out of nostalgia and the second out of desire, and I have to say I've changed my opinion entirely of this. Gone is the bland roughness I found first time around and arrived is a slightly sweet, slightly watery spice with all the hints of the earth a tobacco can provide. It serves me very well as an early evening, after dinner smoke but can be enjoyed throughout the day. I'm so glad I tried it again, so much so that I'm close to dedicating a pipe to it and keeping some in for good measure.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Noorrmm (192)	2004-05-12		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Appearance: Fairly uniform dark brown broken flake. Very little variation in color. Slightly too moist right from the can.

Aroma: Great aroma of stoved Virginia, hints of chocolate and raisins.

Packing: Can be packed as is into medium or large bowls, or rubbed out for smaller pipes. Lighting:

Initial flavor: Starts very mild, slowly increases in flavor to a medium level of intensity. Good sweetness from the Va. leaf, and some depth added by the stoving process.

Mid-bowl: Straightforward simple Virginia flavor. Lighter than its cousins Hal O' the Wynde and Marlin Flake, with nice layering of tastes. Not as complex as other members of the family, but this one could be the "all-day smoke". Can be enjoyed with morning coffee, and continued through the day. Maybe too light for the evening, when I enjoy a more full bodied blend. Burns cool and dry at any reasonable smoking pace.

Finish: Well behaved right down to the end. Leaves a clean gray ash.

Summary: An excellent mild to medium Virginia, strongly recommended for the novice or the veteran.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2011-09-26		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My major issue with this tobacco is that it lacks depth that I am seeking. The Kentucky doesn't add the body that I'm looking for. The quality of the tobacco is good and it ages well and there is a small amount of sweetness that I do enjoy. I just don't know if its worth the cost of cellaring tins when there are so many other brands in this niche. This blend is worth a taste if you are a fan of similar blends, but for me, I'm on to new ventures.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spirit pipe (2)	2015-02-22		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

The sweetest and easy tobacco Rattary's family. BROWN CLUNEE is my tobacco every day over again for its easy taste predominance brown and dark stoved red Virginia. ( just little bit Kentucky perique) exceptionally easy and gentle to the mouth and tongue and nose time after time. Brown Clunee,lights easily and burns well. Cake clean dry (pipe bowl)...Confort,stability,and simplicity of Brown Clunee never disappoint year after year.For taste old Gowrie is a little better or clearer but the smoked is too strong for my mouth to smoke all day, old Gowrie always be my second choice.

Pipe Used: 4 savinelli bing's favorite (rotation)

Similar Blends: Old vintage (Kentucky Virginia perique) Rattary's family.Hal o' the wynd,Old Gowrie,Marlin Flake., May be a distant ghost (mixture Scottish blend M.B).

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	krg1000 (183)	2014-01-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This, for me, seems to be right in between Old Gowree and Hal O' The Wynd as far as strength goes. The components come together nicely to form a good solid smoking experience. I had no issue with tongue bite at any time throughout the bowl. This blend might need to be dried out somewhat before smoking, but for me, it was quite fine right out of the tin. YMMV on this point. This lights easily and stays lit with no further thought necessary. It burns down to a nice ash and has just enough nicotine to satisfy. Recommended.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2016-08-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First half of the bowl is very earthy with a very mild sweetness and just a touch of smoke and spice. As the bowl progresses the sweetness builds to mild and a mild note of oat bread creeps in adding a little complexity. Gets a little spicier toward the end. Not a blend that I'll be seeking out, but if you love earthiness you may really like this one. It's very down to earth, so to speak.

Mild to medium in body and taste. No added flavorings detected. Burns very well.

Pipe Used: MM Little Devil Cutty, Little Devil Acorn, Marcus

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cajomu (80)	2015-09-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

As others have noted, quality tobacco but not as flavorful as its great aroma would suggest. Wonderful dark aromas (raisins, burnt caramel). Mostly earth tone flavors (hay, leather, peat, etc.). Not very sweet for a Virginia, but that is probably explained by the predominance of Kentucky (burley?) tobacco. Needs a bit of drying out but, once accomplished, lights easily and burns clean.

It's not a bad "Virginia" by any means, it's just that there are a lot of better ones out there for the money.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: ~ 2 years old

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	McKNooB (35)	2013-06-08		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Recommended if you're into the Kentucky Periquie Virginia combo and you don't want too much flavour. For me, a nice go to blend when you've head 'nuff Northwoods or Countryside. Not crazy about the tin note and the room note is vague but pleasant.

For some reason, this one gets better and better the deeper into the bowl it gets. A little moist upon opening (which blend is perfectly ready for deployment upon opening?).

It'll be in the regular rotation and the dryer it gets the more I find myself reaching for it. Not quite Cellar or Bayou and thats ok because I don't think its meant to be. Took some coaxing to get lit and required a couple of extra burns and thats ok with me. Again, less fuss after drying out some.

I did catch a wisp of that citrus flavour the first few bowls but I agree with reviews below, the flavour is certainly flatter than most.

I still like a lot though. The War Department says she has other favourites.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (162)	2020-07-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

It is always funny reading other reviews that guess at the percentages of any given blend.. I think we all perceive things so differently... I see this as the most Kentucky forward of the 'holy trinity '.. it reminds me of a slightly more refined version of g l pease cumberland.. and it is pretty darn tasty.. there is a fullness to the smoke but it never goes over the edge.. it feels like a strong medium in the nic range I also attribute that to the Kentucky.. you can feel it but it is polite.. nice little bit of perique in the flavor and retrohale.. the Virginia is there but not nearly as sweet as OG or HOTW..it is just a nice quality smoke.. I do pick up on a 'soapiness' that other people mentioned.. it is really odd.. cause I cant tell if it is coming from the leaf itself or some kind of additive.. whatever it is it tastes oddly 'natural'.. I dont mind it..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-08-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

Smoke it slow and whispy and you will be rewarded with a semi-sweet, spicy and toasty smoke.

Puff too hard and it will get bitter and nip your tongue.

Setting : Pre-dawn hour with strong black coffee while reading tobacco reviews.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HabaneroHardy (403)	2020-09-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Unnoticeable

I won’t say Rattray’s pipe tobacco is hard to get but not many are carried where I frequent and saw quite a few blends carried online so I bought some that I have never tried this being one of them. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with a nice sweet ‘stewed plum’ smell for want of comparison. This is a medium dark broken flake they say and loaded quite well in my Bones Poker. I thought at one point I detected some wisps of floral but really hard to say. The next day I switched over to a Mark Twain Cob with filter and this smokes smooth and mellow, not much Perique detected. This went well with my Clausthaler Dry Hop NA and could definitely be an all-day smoke. Not really more I can add except a good solid blend.

Pipe Used: Briar, Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: online

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (43)	2019-07-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Opening the tin, the note is of hay, bread and a touch of treacle, not necessarily in that order. A broken flake, VA forward, but some dark notes in there: Perique I can make out, the KY not. Stuffing and lighting are easy for medium-sized bowls.

The flavour is sweet, with bread and spice notes. The smoke is unremarkable (in a good way). Very little maintenance needed, and the leaf burns down to almost nothing. The flavour remains steady throughout the bowl.

While this is a pleasant smoke, and flavourful, and generally well-behaved, it is not really outstanding. Sort of an all-day smoke for me.

Pipe Used: db Mayflower, BC Cobra

Age When Smoked: New tin through 2 years

Purchased From: DanPipe

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Greekpipesmoker (201)	2017-07-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Another remarkable blend from Rattray's!this is a milder version of old Gowrie and a cousin of HOTW.Once you open the tin a grassy,spicy and vinegary flavour comes out.the blend moisture is high and the broken flakes can fill your bowl easily even if not rubbed.needs some drying time but do not overdry it because the taste flatens.while smoking it is a real pleasure.virginias are dominant offering grass,citruses and some dark fruits.the other compoments offer some spices and sour notes in a supporting role.the flavours are very clear and combine each other very well.the nicotine level is almost medium,the room note pleasant and needs some relights.burns slow and medium hot.definitelly an all day smoke and a must try one! lots of you may consider:why to try all thre blends(OG,HOTH,BC)? The similarities are a lot i agree but they differ in some points wich makes every single one special.

Age When Smoked: Dried out for 30 mins.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	H Gillman (39)	2016-01-15		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice sweet fresh hay note from the jar. Even cut and good humidity. As others have noted, this one is on the mild side. I enjoy it well after supper. It burns well and inhales smoothly. Perique is way off in the background but it is there. Not as much vitamin "N" as I like but a fine smoke nonetheless.

Pipe Used: Several cobs and Pete's

Age When Smoked: 2 years jarred

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2004-12-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

12-02-2004 Another great one from Ratray's

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Not quite as rich as Marlin Flake or Old Gowrie, mostly broken, almost fully rubbed out flake.

Packing and Lighting: Easy to pack, a little moist upon opening tin. After a couple of weeks, it dries sufficiently to loght easily.

Initial Flavor: Pure, light VA with high notes immediately the focus.

Mid-Bowl: Not much change, high flavor notes recede a little.

Bottom of Bowl: Nice, round, mellow VA flavor with the typical sweetness.

Overall: This is very good "entry level" VA blend. It is easy to puff away on without much needed focus to get flavor and keep tongue-bite away. Leaves a fine grey dusting on bowl when done. Unfortunately, I have been spoiled by Marlin Flake, so this one won't be in my rotation. I will, however highly recommend to those beginning to tread the water of VA's.

Rating: 4 out of 5 points

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2004-08-31		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Not a bad red-brown Virginia in ready rubbed form, although with a very delicate taste. It does not bite, and has a nice fruity natural flavour. Smell in the tin is of pears and dried fruit, very good. The taste is similar, but in a much more subdued way. I still prefer the strength and sweetness of Hal O' The Wynd and Marlin Flake, or McClelland's equivalent products (which are a bit more sour and bitey, though). Right after opening it is a bit too moist for my taste. Not very complex or deep, but easy-smoking. A bit reminiscent in taste of (but lighter than) Full Virginia Flake by Gawith.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-02-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a rubbed out Virginia flake with colors ranging from very light to dark brown. The tin aroma is a combination of dark raisin, prune, faint chocolate notes and the vegetal fragrance of dried sweet clover, the barn-smell of good Virginia tobacco. Clearly, some sweeteners have been added to provide a distinctive flavor. The tobacco arrives a bit on the moist side. As a regular Virginia flake smoker, I am inclined to let Virginias dry a bit, but I decide to take a chance. Because of the moistness I am careful not to pack too tight. It takes a charring light, a tamp and a relight to get it going. I am somewhat surprised that the tobacco burns well despite the moisture content. The smoke starts out with that familiar Virginia tingle on the tongue that warns of a bite lurking. But I am a naturally slow puffer and sip the smoke along. The taste is a naturally sweet Virginia flavor. The draw appears to be just right and delivers plenty of smoke. It is not overly sweet; I taste no raisins, no prunes, and no chocolate, just Virginia tobacco that has had its natural sweetness lightly enhanced. On the one hand, I am somewhat disappointed because there is no unique flavor as promised by the tin fragrance(I was hoping for a Three Nuns experience). On the other hand, I am pleased by the straightforward taste of Virginia. The hint of a bite subsides about a fourth of the way down the bowl, and the flavors remain consistent throughout. This is a good smoke for a Virginia flake lover. It is reminiscent of SG Best Brown, the undisputed king of Virginia flakes, but just a bit too sweet and lacking the depth of tobacco flavor. This is comparable to some of the McClelland Virginia flakes, a little sweeter, a little kinder to the tongue, and without the vinegary tin aroma. All in all a clever treatment of Virginia tobacco. I do not think I will include it in my regular rotation, but will keep it on hand for a change of pace. I recommend it highly to the Virginia flake smoker. Paddy

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2002-07-05		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Brown Clunee is a tobacco with a very peculiar flavour. It?s depth and complexity do not reveal immediately (unlike, say, Gawith?s FVF or BBF). Rather, they evolve slowly, following different directions: sometimes taking a natural sweet turn, others a spicy?almost peppery?path, then switching to a kind of dry raisin taste. In the end, there is also a slight flavour of roasted chestnuts. The point is, that it is all natural tasting tobacco. There is no topping, no casing.

A broken flake of high grade Virginias (I think some of it honey-dew processed), Brown Clunee is a mild tobacco only in appearance. Easy to pack, I usually find my self needing two lights to really get it going. Smoked slowly, tongue bite can be avoided.

This tobacco is so rewarding for me, that I keep a medium sized Brebbia Dublin devoted to this blend alone.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tillmanj (73)	2001-04-26		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

A sweet virginia scent, with a dark, slightly sour, smell that, along with the uniform darkness of the ribbons, tells we that this blend was aged, probably in pressed cakes.

Upon lighting, I discovered this to be a very mild virginia blend. That means that caution must be exercised to keep my greedy self from puffing too hard and turning my tongue into something resembling fried chicken.

The first third of the bowl is mostly uneventful, but with a slight deepening of the virginia flavors.

The second third sees the virginias start to really come alive, and by the two-thirds mark, it has developed into a fuller, richer smoke.

The ending of the bowl is very pleasant, with the tobacco quietly going out, leaving only stark white ash, and a mild nicotine buzz to remember it by.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2020-08-27		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Rattray’s being Rattray’s (after all…), I persisted with Brown Clunee until I found “the right pipe” for it. In case anyone cares, it’s a small, thin-walled poker, about a #4, that I usually reserve for the strong, rank Burley-forward blends I’ve favored for the past few years. The following review is based on smoking BC in this pipe.

Short ribbons ‘n bits range from medium red-brown to medium-dark brown. Tin note is sweet, soft brown bread, very slightly yeasty, with molasses and treacle. It’s easy to load, light and smoke down, and there’s plenty of smoke. I get the most flavor and the best aromas, and the best overall balance smoking Brown Clunee from the preferred pipe, and I can pull harder with this pipe without muddying things up, FWIW. I get stoved red VAs, maybe some earthy brown, slightly bready, with some yeast and very faint dark fruit way down there. The Perique seems to be well-aged; in any case it’s soft for its ilk, and deeper than usual, adding more roasting and baking spice than white pepper and paprika, and a low figgy/dates taste, also some aged dessert wine. The DFK is pretty faint, limited to lowering the overall smoke a notch in terms of “frequency” and adding a slight smoked nuts taste, along with thickening the body of the smoke somewhat. I find the lot to be quite fragrant and excellent on the snork. Strength is mild to medium. Tastes are medium. Room note is OK. Aftertaste is a trailing off of the best of the smoke.

I like all 3 of Rattray’s VA/DFK/Per blends, including Brown Clunee. That it is the mildest of the 3 might tip it, one way or the other, for some smokers. For me, the delicious aromas require still air to fully enjoy. Withal, it’s quality tobacco, ready to smoke, as usual for Rattray’s, and I’m glad I stuck with it. 4 stars.

Pipe Used: dedicated #4 briar preferred

Age When Smoked: from undated tin

Similar Blends: compare/contrast to Rattrays' Old Gowrie and/or Hal o' the Wynd.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (225)	2020-06-06		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Unnoticeable

Love the smell of this from the tin ! Brown Clunee is more of Virginia forward blend . Lightly sweet and bready . Fruity and tangy ,hay and grass . The perique -Virginia meld gives some plum notes . Kentucky adding some nut and toast and spice . This is truly an all day smoke to me . Full flavored but not strong tasting ,very smooth almost buttery . Where Old Gowrie has brighter Virginias, Brown Clunee has brown Virginias. . I like this better than OG as it is less grassy . No bite whatsoever. 4 stars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheAromaticDan (10)	2019-12-18		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

You're greeted with a ready-rubbed/broken flake mixture, mainly dark brown interspersed with light brown, even yellowish specks. I don't know the production date of my tin but the flakes had a light sugary sparkle to it which left my mouth watering. The tin note is a perplexing one. It smells quite strongly of stewed prunes or plums cooked in rum. There's a hint of liquorice present. Spicy, peppery undertone, quite sweet otherwise. The longer you smell it, the more you are able to smell the grassy Virginias present in the bouquet. It reminds me a bit of Dunhill's Royal Yacht both in presentation and in smell.

The tobacco was perfectly smokable right out of the tin. Took to the light immediately and required two relights. I noticed that it tended to smoke very hot if puffed absentmindedly. I just set it down for a few minutes and continued smoking.

It's quite pleasant to smoke, lots of dense creamy white smoke. Not too mild and not too strong in taste. I neither noticed nicotine nor a tingle from the Perique. If someone told me that this blend was a straight VA I'd definitely believe them.

Recommended if you fancy a non-offensive (in the best way!) daily smoke.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: n.a.

Purchased From: Pfeifen Fischer, 1120 Vienna

Similar Blends: Peterson - Royal Yacht.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2018-09-21		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

I received a sample in a recent TinSociety.com box.

Bag/Tin Note/Appearance: Nice mix of darker tobaccos, tobacco on the drier side and consisting of ribbons. Smell seemed to be led by the Virginia (Hay) with a little smoke/spice.

Pack/Light: Easy to pack with your favorite method. Lit from first match without a char even.

Smoke: First few puffs had combo of sweetness and a little spice. Not picking up much of the expected perique and I'd think this a VA/KY "Vaccy?" more than a VaPer. Last quarter of the bowl had a little bit of sourness that developed. Not bad but an extra contrast to my tastes at least.

Smoked through to white/grey without any trouble but also nothing in the smoke to get me excited to a 4-star level.

Summary: Solid smoke from Rattray's but not really a show-stopper for me. I'd not go out of my way to buy it but its an enjoyable smoke.

Pipe Used: Canadians

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: TinSociety.com Box

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2018-09-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Basically a matured Va with a slight anonymous flavouring additive that is barely there. I can't taste perique or DFK in this.

It's a straightforward, very mild smoke that is trouble free and burns without attention. Jakob K's earlier review seems on the mark to me, tho I wouldn't be quite as harsh. Yes, it is quality leaf. It is sweet and mild but rather one dimensional. Would be ok as an everyday tobacco if price isn't an important factor. Somewhere between 2 and 3 for me, but I'm going to mark it as 3 because it fills a niche.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-10-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This ready rubbed or broken flake is of a medium to dark brown colour, and the relatively small pieces of tobacco feel rather moist.

The tin note is dominated by a grassy, haylike Virgina scent that is complimented by a subliminal honey sweetness.

In order to fill my pipe I like to make small balls of tobacco, which I use to stuff the bowl rather loosely. After the charring light I level out the ashes before applying the true light.

Besides the typical tangy sweetness of the Virginias, there are also some citrussy notes and once again a disinct honey aftertaste, which makes me wonder if there's a topping. If you don't pay enough attention, this tobacco will tend to burn rather hotly. So don't draw too eagerly on your pipe, and tamp down the ashes regularily. Fortunately, this will not impair taste or sting your tongue.

The room note is sweetish and rather pleasant.

Pipe Used: Vauen Cup 1

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: www.cigarworld.de

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sirchud68 (60)	2015-02-16		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

Perhaps the mildest of the Rattray's tobaccos I've tried to date. I'm still exploring my tin but find BC a bit too mild for my tastes. It has a wonderful tin aroma and burns well. I wish I would have discovered this blend during my first foray into Virginias. As it stands, I believe this to be a fine tobacco that I will cellar, maybe add some perique, or even some Latakia. I'm much fonder of Old Gowrie but certainly recommend this blend to anyone looking for a quality Virginia that's light enough to smoke all day. I will update as I work my way through the tins I have of Brown Clunee.

Update: I have been experimenting adding different amounts of perique to this blend and have been very satisfied with the results. Good, quality tobacco that blends well with others.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2012-10-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I found Brown Clunee rather bland, especially compared to the other great Virginias from Rattray's. I could agree with others that this is akin to HOTW light, it lacks the heft and complexity of HOTW as well as the nicotine hit. Not much else to say, it isn't really remarkable in any way, just a basic flat Virginia flavor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2012-05-08		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant

Objective: Nicely rubbed out tobacco. Moderate moisture content. Good amount of tobacco for the price. Mild to moderate amount of smoke yielded after some drying time, not a good thing for me since I like to a good deal of smoke.

Subjective: This was a very mild tasting tobacco, almost flat. The perique was barely noticeable. The weed packed well and stayed lit with just a few relights. The aroma was that of hay and to some extent a little nutty. I prefer stronger blends, but am glad I got to try this one. HOTW would be my choice of a VaPer from this line.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2011-08-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

Edit: I was a bit harsh with this one. More than half-way down the 100g tin, it's grown on me and there's definitely a nice sweetness in the smoke. Don't expect a VA with body, but this is a quality tobacco in its own category (light VA).

---------

Disappointing. Has basically the same tin aroma as Hal of the Wynd, but the similarities end there. Lacks body, flavour, depth and complexity. Almost becomes a chore to smoke. I hoped it might be a decent morning Virginia, but it isn't. Golden Glow by Samuel Gawith or Golden Sliced by Orlik are far better examples of a Virginia-based tobacco that is both mild in nicotine and flavourful.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-02-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another nice blend from Rattrays. "Lighter" in all departments than Marlin or Old Gowrie and thus an easier puff away smoke. Needs a biggish bowl and I pack it without rubbing out. Easy to light provided it has been well aired and one match light possible. Here comes my permanent objection to the practice of Rattrays: this blend as well, has way too much humectants, it can be actually moist even if it is open for a year! I don't get tongue bite from it, but then I smoke Virginias all the time so probably have my way to tackle this. As for the Perique, there must be very little in there, its probably the "strength" one feels toward the end of the bowl.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-02-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a beautiful smoke that needs some preparation in order to bring out it's wonderful qualities. I loaded a bowl directly from a freshly opened tin and paid the consequences with a taste that was one dimensional and bland. Then I took enough for a bowl and rubbed it out and left it to dry for half an hour. The difference was amazing. The flavor was nuanced and delicious. The virginia was in the forground with the burley there for support and coolness. The perique peaked out with frequent little bursts of subdued spiciness. This is a beauty that can only get better and better. Light nicotine and almost no aftertaste. 3 stars for now, but who knows. Love those Rattray virginias. Intoxicating in the tin. Delicious in the bowl.

Update: I've found that the flavor is best rubbed out , dried out and packed loosely. I love the way this tobacco burns: just smoldering, without large plumes of smoke. Providing the tastiest experience I've ever had from a predominately virginia blend. This is a 4 star blend and one of my top 5. I love puffing on this while at my computer. I find it calming. What a gem for those of us who still believe that less is more. Update Nov. 2015: The tin aroma is better than ever and the cut is now a ribbon, when before it was only partially rubbed out. Tastes better then ever.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Denevei (58)	2011-01-08		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Brown Clunee comes in ready-rubbed form, though there are going to be some larger pieces of broken flake in the tin. In appearance, the tobacco is a fairly uniform medium brown color, with a slightly acetic aroma usual for a Rattray Virginia, and only a slight bit high on moisture content. I found that with about 20 minutes of drying time the tobacco could be rubbed out a bit more, and had reached a very satisfactory moisture level. The charring light reveals the excellent quality of the blend. Once lit, the flavor is light and relatively mild – especially when one is used to Hal O'The Wynd – but also very satisfying. Though not as sweet as some Virginia blends, the flavor is rich, a surprise given the description of “mild” for this tobacco. Easy puffing is advised early in the bowl to guard against bite, but otherwise, this is a tobacco to sip and savor, like a fine whiskey. By mid-bowl the flavor deepens a bit. The level of sweetness rises even though the likelihood of tongue bite seems, to my palate, to lessen. The complexity of flavor also increases, with a creamy undertone to match the sweet overtone, both going with a fine, earthy Virginia flavor. Toward the last third of the bowl a lot of nuance develops, making this a tobacco worth savoring to the very bottom. The taste becomes a mingling of fresh grass, raisins, and creamy hints of vanilla. The original sweetness remains, and the level of nicotine asserts itself at this point; some smokers may experience a bit of nicotine head at the end of the smoke. I would recommend Brown Clunee enthusiastically to those new to Virginia tobaccos, and happily to those who have already discovered the pleasures of Virginias.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RMBittner (66)	2010-11-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My tin -- from 2003 -- had six years of age on it when I tried it. (I'm just delinquent in writing it up here.)

For me, this was a fine soft Virginia, with distinctive lemony/citrus undertones. It seems to be weighted strength-wise (i.e., nicotine-wise) between Old Gowrie and Hal o' the Wynd (to keep things in the Rattray family). Hal o' the Wynd has a distinctive sweetness and a just-as-much-as-I-want nicotine level, but could I distinguish Brown Clunee from Old Gowrie in a blind tasting? I don't know. Brown Clunee might be softer, rounder, smoother; it might be more nuanced. (I know how vague all of this sounds.)

What I do know for sure, though, is that it's a highly enjoyable smoking experience.

NOTE: I'm extremely sensitive to perique (in a bad way). If there is perique in this blend -- and I'm not sure there is -- it is present in near-microscopic quantities.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Duke (41)	2010-05-04		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

On Sunday I fretted over what I may smoke for my morning hike. See, on Saturday I smoked, all day, Brown Clunee in a Vollmer & Nilsson Apple with delight. When the BC is dry to my liking in this light-weight, open-draw pipe I enjoyed what is nothing less than pure tobacco pleasure. I know that Sunday is a day of rest but not for the BC and V&N. I again hit a cadence, a rhythm, with this tobacco and pipe much like yesterday. The afternoon brought a round golf with more BC in the V&N. The evening included a lecture and more of the same tobacco pleasure. Brown Clunee is a fine blend that I can smoke all day. A blend of Virginian, Perique and Burly (Ky) in varying degrees. The flavor strengthens throughout the bowl and never fatigues my palate. The side stream and room note have a sweet spicy note that pleases me. And it has enough nicotine to satisfy. I certainly enjoy the other Rattray Virginians; Brown Clunee just works best for and with me- day in and day out.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2010-02-20		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I tried this tobacco after hearing a little bit about its namesake. Brown Clunee was named in 1952, after Rosemary Clooney had a torrid love affair with Sidney Poitier, resulting in a child being born that would be George Clooney's half brother in 1948. His name was Samuel L. Jackson. Charles Rattray, being Sidney Poitier's cousin, and one of the only ones privy to the truth about his and Miss Clooney's love child, jokingly called the young Samuel Jackson the only 'Brown Clooney'. This eventually led Mr. Rattray to name his tobacco after Jackson in 1952, changing the name slightly to avoid suspicion, to 'Brown Clunee'.

Unfortunately, I have to say that when Charles Rattray first blended Brown Clunee, he must not have had an inkling of a notion of what Samuel L. Jackson would be like as an adult. His hardline acting style, often associated with tough heroes or cold-hearted villans, is not found here at all. Instead, Brown Clunee is a mild tobacco that offers little taste unless coaxed along. When right out of the tin, this tobacco smokes best, with a mild golden Virginia taste that eventually evolves into a citrus taste, with a mild taste of orange peel or lemon juice slowly grazing over the tongue. When smoked slowly and deliberately, this will last the entire bowl and be very enjoyable. However, when the tobacco is dried out, it loses this interesting citrus taste and becomes a quite boring, bland tobacco. Because of its difficulty to coax flavour, this blend can only deserve 3/5 stars, or 2 stars. Needless to say, if Charles Rattray had seen into the future, he would've made 'Brown Clunee' a nicotine-heavy, dark dark virginia blend with plenty of punch as a tribute to Jackson, but alas, hindsight is always 20/20.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2009-07-22		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening the tin B.C. has the tipical smell of Va: dried fruits and dried Medicago Sativa, it smoke easy with a smooth flavour, the taste is naturally sweet with a slight bitter note that probably derives from Ky leaf. I can't detect any Perique as K&K declear on official website. Nothing bad about this blend but.... for me is boring.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-30		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I am normally a burley fan but I was given some of this blend in a trade. I also tend to be a fast smoker but this morning I was in no hurry, I brought out my rusticated bent Italian pipe that is on of my best pipes and I don't smoke it daily as it is a real showpiece. But I knew it was dry and had no shadow in it. So I filled the bowl, sat out in the gorgeous day we are having an along with tea, I spent two hours savoring this blend. All I can say is WOW! It is a virginia so I made sure and sipped it slowly and it gave me a mellow, sweet, delicious smoke and really made my morning. It was great with black tea. It had the fresh cut hay aroma, and it had a lot of flavor so I never wanted to puff fast at all. I could see this could be a tonque biter, but it never did for me and I smoked a very large bowl of it at one sitting, burning all the way down to a fine white ash. I will want more of this one and that is saying a lot for me. Simply put, it was not complex but was delicious and I am already wanting to return to it for more. Three star because I had to relight several times. Really should be a three and a half.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-07-19		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Quality Virginia, I tend to smoke this before lunch. Sometimes I smoke it FOR lunch. To me this Rattray isn't as complex as others and could be described accurately as monodimensional. I find it builds a bit more nicotine towards the end of the smoke than Old Gowrie.

Do Clunees come in other colors than Brown? What the hell is a Clunee? For that matter, what the hell is a "Gowrie"? Let's all lobby Rattray for some nice young Gowrie.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2004-08-30		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is another excellent experience as I work my way through Rattray's Va line. Not as musty as Old Gowrie, not as strong as Hal o' the Wind, not as sharp as Marlin Flake, this blend stands alone on its own delicious merits. If you've been smoking nothing but 1792 flake or Penzance, than sure this baccy might seem a little light in the loafers. But when smoked slowly and deliberately, there are many pleasant surprises in store. The flavor is all rich Va with quite alot of sweetness. This doesn't translate into bite however, although there is some spice involved. The room note is spectacular for a straight Va and I even got a compliment from my wife. It may not be near as impressive as HOTW or MF but just the same It fits the bill for a nice, light Va that would be a great all dayer. By the way the cut of this tobacco is extraordinary and perfect for packing right out of the can. With a nice strong cup of Peruvian Organic, its just what the doctor ordered.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Quiggifur (99)	2023-02-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Very green and grassy, significant sweetness. Slight floral perfume, maybe lilac or similar. Easily enough here to keep me from getting bored. Not quite a 4, but it's close

Mid bowl I'm getting a little more of the perique, a slight fleeting fetid note and some tart fruit.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DeathMetal.org (231)	2023-02-26		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Summary: a Virginia-forward Perique blend given depth with dark fired Kentucky Burley.

Mixing Virginia and Perique directly tends to result in an overly sweet flavor in which the Perique emerges over time, but this blend staunches the sweetness with dark fired Kentucky Burley that slows the burn and gives a rich smoky, chocolate-molasses flavor that melds with the tang of the Perique and lets the Virginia find its place in a supporting role. In that, this blend reverses the typical Va/Bur/Per formula where the Virginia dominates, and instead becomes a Perique-dominated blend with the Virginia and Burley in balance. Mild and with a pleasant enough room note, this ready rubbed blend is easy to toss in a pipe for all-day smoking.

Similar Blends: Savinelli - Doblone d'Oro, Mac Baren - Three Nuns, Mac Baren - Amphora Burley Blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	raybrown55 (46)	2022-11-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As for me, this is not as good as its cousins, Old Gowrie, Hal o' the wynd and Marlin Flake. I get mainly the kentucky and the perique, and very little of the sweetness often associated with the virginias. So all is dark, dark and dark, with little to no nuances. You expect something else while puffing, but you reach the end of the bowl and nothing happens. Luckily mixed 50/50 with Red Rapparaee it makes a good English...

UPDATE APRIL 2023 Having jarred it for some months, the experience changed substantially, now I feel the nuances I had expected, it resembles to me Marlin Flake and I'm smoking it with satisfaction, but I think that a tabacco has to be ready at the moment I buy it, so my rating remains unchanged...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MM (12)	2022-06-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

It is hard to compare this Virginia mixture to any other Virginia tobacco, with the exception of its sibling Hal O' The Wynd. Perhaps this uniqueness comes from the Kentucky and Perique. It is tangy and citrus with subtle sweetness. High quality leaf, creamy when puffed moderately, burns clean to white ash and leaves a pleasant after taste. A lovely summer treat.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	hrhf (38)	2021-03-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This review is a work in progress. I acquired several Rattray’s blends in late March 2021, and I decided Brown Clunee would be the first I sampled, because several reviewers I trust mentioned that this blend is the lighter of the ones I have.

It only made sense to begin with the lighter one. I should probably add, before going any further, that this is to be my first ever encounter with Rattray’s blends.

Initial impressions were that this is a fairly non-descript blend. Some blends wow you from the get-go. Some of those fade down the stretch, while others continue to be a strong, positive experience every time.

Brown Clunee is none of those. The first bowl seemed fairly pedestrian. Each successive bowl gave me a little more insight into what I’m dealing with.

And what I’m dealing with here is a pleasant, nuanced blend. I think the reason it didn’t wow me initially is because it’s so well-blended, and because it really does develop over the course of the bowl. The bowl I finish is definitely different from the one I started. And, I admit, I haven’t really messed with a lot of nuance and complexity thus far as a pipe smoker.

What I end up with is a deep, rich, stewed fruit melange. There’s a little spice in there still.

The Virginia definitely holds everything together splendidly as the bowl evolves from the initial earthiness into the rich spectrum of flavors. As the sugars of the Virginia caramelize somewhere around the midway point, that’s also where the perique steps up a bit.

I really look forward to comparing this solid offering with Hal and Gowrie. They’re the two Rattray’s blends that, along with Marlin Flake, get all the glory. But all three have the same components.

It’s going to be interesting to see how I feel about them. Because, with maybe half a tin to go, Brown Clunee is proving to be a tough act to follow.

Work in progress... to be continued. Apologies to those who’ve stumbled on this work in progress. I’m mildly feverish, dealing with the after effects of my second Pfizer Covid vaccine. I promise to clean this review up once I’m back to 100%

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New stock

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Martini (17)	2021-02-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a honest Virginia Perique. The Kentucky is not really visible. It is quite mild and could be smoked all the day. The nicotine is between mild and medium. It is a plain and evenly smoking tobacco. Not many taste nuances, but still pleasant. I would reccommend it to a bigenner. It is not overwelming, but I would buy and smoke it gladly again.

Pipe Used: Castello, Caminetto, Ser Jacopo

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: Tabaccheria Guzzi - Gorgonzola

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Briar Piper (89)	2018-11-19		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Extra Strong

One of the more memorable blends, brown clunee is one of the few perique blends that doesn't taste like dirt to me. Has a very noxious room note, which drives people away in droves. So, smoke it outside only. The room note however does not detract from the taste, which is very pleasant. This has all the aromas and flavors of autumn, burning leaves, crisp smoke etc. Not quite a virginia taste, this is very earthy like a burley, but is neither bitter nor strong. This blend is phenominal in a cob.

Pipe Used: Cob, meer, basket briar

Similar Blends: Orlik golden sliced.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-12-13		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Appearance is a medium brown broken flake. Tin smells akin to a quality fruited cake with slight grassy notes. Tastes lightly sweet with light bakery notes.

Brown Clunee is the all-day Hal O' the Wynd. Old Gowrie lacks the grassy and bakery flavours of HOTW, but Brown Clunee has them, albeit much more lightly. Very nice, and a favourite when I want something milder. Brown Clunee does not bite. I much prefer this to Old Gowrie. All Rattray's, like fine wine, benefit from some airing.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2011-05-29		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

With Brown Clunee, I finally found a Rattray's that I love.

BC is in between Old Gowrie and Hal O' The wynd both in terms of strenght and richness/taste.

The tin aroma makes it a lot closer to HOTW, it is also similar in taste, but not as harsh as I found HOTW to be.

The perique was quite present starting at half bowl, perking things up, marking a nice combinaison with the sweetness of the matured Vas ans spiciness of the DFK.

An excellent offering from Rattray's, I will regularly stick to that one.

If you are a fan of VA/Per with some Kentcuky, you must try this wonderful partially rubbed - out flake. It is simply delicious!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2011-03-30		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Just popped open a new tin of BC. The tin has a faint scent of that McClelland's vinegar. I removed a bowl full from the tin and set aside to air. In about 5 minutes the vinegar was gone but the tobacco still felt damp, I allowed about 20 minutes before I loaded a pot. My initial light gave off a nice Virginia scent as I began to sloooow sip the BC. Even with this technique I felt all along that I was in for some tongue bite. The first 1/4 bowl was a nice sweet Virginia with the feeling of an increasing bite. Then the tobacco smoothed out , the bite was gone and the sweet Virginia was the main player. The Kentucky must be adding significant spice even while slow sipping. This tobacco required concentration although it remained lit trough the whole pipe. It was only near the last 1/4 of the bowl that could I distinguish any Perique and that was minimal. BC is very one dimensional, I hope that some additional cellaring will develop this tobacco because I think it has real potential. I like Marlin flake better, only because I don't remember it smoking as hot.

Updated 2/2/12- Well I've had this cellared for almost a year and it still bites bad. I tried it with and without moisture, in various pipes and sipped slow. I can only get to 4 puffs, it has got to be my chemistry. This is unsmokable to me

Updated 2/14/12 Well hating to throw out tobacco , I decided to home stove this . I placed this in a mason jar and stoved it in the convection oven at 175 degrees for 2 hours. Hey , I got to 10 puffs before it bit. I'll be giving this away! Got to be my chemistry

Updated 4/22/12 Did I mention how I hate to throw out tobacco ? I just Re-Stoved this at 195 degrees for an additional 2 hours. I think this has helped but not cured my bite problem. The first 1/4 bowl is fine, but the second quarter is hard on my tongue, and the last half is fine. The taste is good , sweet bread. I think I could smoke this once a day but I'll probably just give it away

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-12-18		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I tried BC as an alternative to Hal of the Wynd which is one of my favorites but sometimes has too much nicotine for me. BC is a little bit spicier and less sweet than Hal. BC is very good but lacks the same sweet balanced complexity of Hal. It is an excellent example of a brown flake.

3.5 stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	eamonclever (48)	2009-06-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I´m used to take it with me when going to the pitch. I load a large bent bowl and off we go. There is no hurry and so I sit there for nearly two hours puffing my pipe and enjoying myself. What else should I ask for? I still have it with me when I´m travelling although I only have one pipe reserved for this tobacco.I smoked it more often before I got to know Gawiths brown flakes. Easy to use, good taste, unprecious simply good but not my top notch at the moment. Might change again. Good quality tobacco, good starter for virginia lovers, to get to know the secrets of slow smoking, because it is a bit sweeter than the other big Rattrays.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2009-05-13		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Rattray's Brown Clunee is a sweet and mild Virginia presented in a broken flake. If you are looking for a big nicotine hit, such as delivered by its stronger brother Hal O' The Wynd, look elsewhere. This may have some honey added but I wouldn't swear to it. I can't really taste anything artificial so it doesn't really matter.

Now manufactured in Germany, I find this little changed from when Rattray actually manufactured this in the late sixties. Some have remarked that this may be a "starter" Virginia and that may be true; but I have stayed with it all these years. If you have the luxury of an well aged tin of this flavorful treat then you will have truly found your reward. This is in my Golden Circle and remains a delight.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2008-04-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

April 2008 update:

I guess by my smoking habits and what's aging in the cellar, this fine flake has lost to Samuel Gawith's Best Brown Flake. The pace at which I need to smoke this so as not to be tongue-bitten does not deliver enough flavor for me. I have to add Perique to increase the flavor.

March 2005: There is not much to compare this to, except the heavier-bodied Best Brown Flake by Samuel Gawith (a "Hall of Fame" flake). Brown Clunee is overall darker and more naturally flavorful than the recently unsmokable Dunhill Light Flake and Orlick's Golden Sliced.

There is a tang in the tin aroma dissimilar to McClelland flakes. Which "tanginess" I like more will require several dozen more tins and years of intense experimentation. But, hey, somebody has to make the sacrifice.

BC is a lively, sweet smoke, but substantial, almost rich. It has more finesse than Briar Fox (which is good, but can get sooty at times and is cased).

Like most flake blends, I enjoy this in larger pipes, preferably pot shaped (wide mouthed, shallow bowls). BC burns cleanly to a medium gray ash. It leaves the pipe dry and clean.

Brown Clunee, Old Gowrie and Hal O' the Wynd are morning, afternoon and evening smokes respectively and with obvious generalization, though some might prefer the nicotine hit of HOTW earlier in the day. All can bite at the provocation of poor technique and failure to reduce the moisture to just above the crumble state. All three are delicious examples of its genre.

Why the darker stoved Marlin Flake pierces like a cornered porcupine, while these lighter offerings with more sugar can be managed to ecstasy, is a mystery.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-09-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I think the Rattray family of blends are among the best on the market today because they are largely subtle and require some technical expertise on the smoker's part to extract their greatness. It's fun and fairly easy to find the sweet spot of each Rattray blend and as a group, they all burn remarkably well - they definitely burn better than most of the popular boutique blends that are often reviewed on this site and that's an important attribute to consider if you are a beginning pipe smoker.

Brown Clunee is a mild, ready rubbed VA flake that's easy on the tongue and perfect for anyone seeking a mild, easy burning, all natural VA blend.

I let it dry out before I smoke it - I take a large clump out of the tin and spread it out to dry for at least a day - after that, it's perfect. You can either rub it out further or just load the thick strands right in your pipe - either way works great.

BC has superb burning qualities (after the dry out period) so be careful to puff slowly, although personally, it's never bit me even after some moderately agressive puffing.

This is not a complex blend, but it is a great blend - perfect for the warmer summer months. Within the genre of mild VA blends, Brown Clunee easily earns Four stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-06-11		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Delicious, delicious blend. I don't think it's as tasteless as people are making it out to be. This has a good deal of flavor, though yes, it is somewhat one-dimensional. But what a dimension! I love this stuff at any time of day. Brown Clunee, Old Gowrie, and Hal o' the Wynd are blends I will always have on hand. I reach for them more than anything else.

This tobacco is like Hal o' the Wynd in flavor, but with the mellowness of Old Gowrie.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2007-03-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

What a marvellous tobacco! This is a really pleasant all-day smoke, never tiring, naturally sweet (I smell prevalently prunes), cool, round and creamy, with hints of pepperiness here and there. No kind of bite to the tongue, it caresses my palate and is a true pleasure to the nose. Extremely easy to fill into the pipe, which remains always fresh, and leaves a medium grey dry ash. I agree that it comes quite moist, so I left the 100grms can unsealed for almost a month, now it's ready for my daily use. A lighter cousin of HOTW, which I'm prepared to visit soon. Highly recommended!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2006-12-05		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The sample I tried was a bit moist, but it packed easily and lit very well. It had no hint of tongue bite, but I puff pretty gently.

The flavor of this tobacco is mild,sweet, and smooth, yet it has a hint of spice in the background. This grows a bit stronger near the bottom of the bowl. This is excellent tobacco, and I recommend it highly.

I get so many different taste impressions from this tobacco, it is amazing. Raisins, nuts, licorice, and of course, sweet Virginia. If you take your time and go slowly, they will reveal themselves to you. My favorite mild Virginia.

I like to smoke this in a large Canadian billiard. This allows the flavor to intensify. Simply scrumptious.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lochinvar (78)	2006-01-17		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

Rattray's Virginias are very unique, to me anyway, very much unlike anything you will find from McClelland, Astley or the Lake District crowd. They are very fresh, vibrant and, if mishandled, harsh. Of the line this is the least in strength and character and fills in the notch of the everyday all day Virginia. I often fill a bowl with this if I am walking, hunting or working and cant pay proper attention to a more subtle blend. All in all a good blend if you're focusing on other things.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Warwick (37)	2005-10-29		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

An honest, unpretentious VA. There is a slight woodiness, alongside the faint raisiny sweetness that appears now and then. The overall flavor is otherwise somewhat gentle and reliable (i.e., there are no great surprises throughout the bowl), and I find it tends to bite only if I puff too hard in order to try to extract more flavor from it - which is to say: the flavor is appealing and satisfying if not strong. But Brown Clunee is not the heartiness of Marlin Flakes or the unique richness of Old Gowrie. Instead, it deserves to be smoked slowly and lightly, which is pretty easy given its good burn qualities right out of the tin.

Good on its own, I also find this works well also for blending (such as mixing 50/50 with SG's potent Brown Rope #4).

As a low-strength, easy-smoking VA, this would be a good "beginner " VA, as other reviewers suggested, but I think alot of its virtues would be appreciated best by a more experienced VA fan.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-04-03		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

As a fan of Virginia Flakes I give this one a big thumbs up! For the first smoke of the day or an all-day smoke for lovers of this type of tobac it is exceptional. Some softening agent added which is no impediment to a fine, steady smoke. For those of you who find Flake tobacs a hassle, give this one a try. Highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-11-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Brown Clunee left me with the impression of "why would you buy this again when you could get HOTW instead." The tin aroma has the typical prune-fig smell common to Rattray blends, but no casing is detected. Upon smoking, the flavor is smooth on the tongue, cool, easy, with a rounder, softer feel than HOTW. Still, there is nothing of any great interest here, and nothing that would pull me back to buy another tin.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-05-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

Brown Clunee is a tobacco I have heard a lot about, but only recently tried. It definitely has a following. I have been smoking BC for a few days now, in different sized pipes. Bowl size doesn't seem to matter much with htis one.

The tin aroma is very nice, and like most Va's it reminds me of a freshly mown field. It puts me in a slower-paced state of mind, and helps me to relax. So from the opening, BC has something good going for it.

On the initial bowl, I thought, "Where's the flavor?", but I had been smoking Penzance and Abingdon for the last few days. Once I re-programmed myself, I was ready to start smoking BC for real.

The initial light-up brings forth a very light and airy, slightly sweet flavor. By mid-bowl, the flavor has gathered itself and becomes darker, sweeter, yet with a hint of bitter undertone. The flavor never becomes anything approaching bold, but it is definitely a solid Va taste. Nuances are VERY subtle, but they happened consistently and in different pipes. Otherwise I would have thought them not even there. Sweetness and a natural 'grassy' flavor combine to give a hint of spice, sometimes a fruity raisin-like flavor.

BC burned well, and left the pipe dry. Note that I did dry it some. Also, I found that it stayed lit better when rubbed out just a bit more than the way it comes.

One odd thing - when smoked with coffee, it seemed to me that the coffee overpowered the flavor and detracted from the experience. However, when smoked later in the day with Coke, the two seemed to complement each other nicely. (I warned you it was odd...)

Smoked outdoors, BC fades - I prefer it indoors. It has such a light room note that you can smoke inside without fear of the family assaulting you with cans of Lysol.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2001-06-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This is a smooth and delicate Virginia, medium brown in colour, flecked with lighter-colored bits. Opening the tin, the tobacco has been rubbed out from a flake into decent sized strips, with small, tinder-like, mini-strips available here and there. The tobacco is moist and springy, moist without being terribly wet. The smell within the tin is a dark, hearty, raisin-y sweetness. The smell was so good, I wanted to just sniff it for a while (or better yet chew on it). As I mentioned, it comes ready rubbed, which I have found makes it very easy to pack, and (as someone else wisely noted in a review of a ribbon-cut tobacco, Dark Birdseye, I believe) easy to overpack. For smoking, I chose a no-name billiard I use for experimenting with new Virginias. I packed it loosely, reserving some of the tinder-type strips for the top. The charring light took a few attempts to take, perhaps in part because of the moistness I mentioned earlier. This tobacco would probably beneift from some drying, but was not too troubling to smoke as is. Upon lighting up, one is greeted with an easy sweetness from the Viriginias; the usual caution against puffing too quickly applies. The first third of the bowl is all mellow Virginia sweetness, not aggressive or cloying, merely present, like a warm piece of toast off a loaf of good warm bread. There is just the slightest hint of complexity lurking away in the distance, but nothing one could put one's finger on directly. Most of all, it is just the middle-note of sweet Virginia, the smoke a greyish-white. As the bowl develops into the second third (gosh I hate phrasing it that way), I begin to detect some of the nicotine creeping out more explicitly -- nothing overwhelmingly assertive, but a definite presence. At this point, I set the bowl down and let it extinguish to DGT . Upon relight the next morning, there is that pleasant sweetness again, this time accompanied with the hint of sourness, not unpleasant in the slightest, and acting as a foil to some of the sweeter elements. It is possible this is another development of some of the complexity I mentioned earlier. It doesn't develop any further, but continues to provide a quite enjoyable taste. This continues for the remainder of the bowl, which produced a fluffy, greyish-white ash and no discernible moisture. Overall, a very pleasant Virgina that smokes smoothly and burns nicely. I would have no qualms about recommending it to those who enjoy the lighter Virginias, or as an entree for novices to the world of ready-rubbed tobaccos.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Torsten (4)	2023-02-24		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The basic taste of Brown Clunee is that of an excellent pure Virginia tobacco. In this sense it reminds me of Ashton Gold Rush or Amphora Virginia. The powerful aroma added by the Kentucky makes this a truly exceptional mixture. Its taste is a very good combination of the purity of a natural but moderately spicy Virginia with a decent pinch of smokiness from the Kentucky. I didn´t experience any tongue bite, harshness or acidity. Full recommendation

Pipe Used: Various briar with 20mm diameter

Age When Smoked: New plus/minus 4 weeks

Purchased From: Pfeifen Shop Online

Similar Blends: Ashton Gold Rush, Amphora Virginia.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (563)	2023-02-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Tin note of dried Rasins, spices, and ripe plums. Tobacco is dark brown, brown and tan Broken Flake. Moisture content is ok, some may need to dry it a bit. Large pieces may also need to be rubbed out. Burns slow with few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is mild to medium and mostly consistent, with notes of toasted bread, Rasin, wood, spice, nuts, leather, dry hay, rich earth, floral, mildly acidic, mildly spicy, citrus, creamy, herbal, orange peel/zest, tangy savory, a fermented slightly sour vegetation background note, and a very peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Kentucky and Perique supporting. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2016 Northern Briars Premier Rox Cut #4 Prince

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2007-09-28		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am rewriting my review as I have decided this is the best of what I keep. It starts ot clean, fresh, light and slowly reveals itself one layer at a time. It progresses to a spicey VA like a stoved, aged variety. In a large pipe it will progress furthur to compete with the likes of Dark Star. It is not difficult, or fickle, opening the tin has little effects on the taste, The 'Proffessor sates it best on http://www.pipes.priss.org, or is it http://www.priss.pipes.org? ah, heres what he wrote and be sure to check out his site, there's a man who has smoked quite a bit!! Brown Clunee BROWN CLUNEE Body: 6/10 Nicotine Strength: 7/10 Flavour Depth: 8/10 Flavour?sweetness: 6/10 Flavour?fruitiness: 4/10 Flavour?floweriness: 3/10 Flavour?smokiness: 2/10 Flavour?mustiness: 2/10 Flavour?nuttiness: 1/10 Bite: 6/10 Room Aroma: Sweet-musty This comes as dark, reddish-brown, broken flake with a few nearly black patches. Much of it has been pulled-apart to the point that you might think of it as ribbon-cut rather than as broken flake. The scent in the tin is a complex mélange of light and rich. I smell some of that sour, wine-like aroma that many aged red Virginias offer, notes of cinnamon and spice, and the faintly sweet and grassy wafting of a flowering meadow. As I light up, my nose says that some of the sidestream smoke smells simply like good, clean, no-frills tobacco. It comes off as fresh-tasting and a little sharp, but as quite neutral. Nothing is jumping out to wow me?yet. Hmmm... a nice, light, natural sweetness is definitely attracting my attention though. Very subtle... I do like this. After another five or ten minutes of gentle puffing, I'm finding this almost as spicy as it is sweet. The spiciness whispers to me that puffing with any amount of vigour would be an error, so I puff onward carefully, but deliberately. Another ten minutes or so and it seems spicier than sweet. In fact, I'd now say that this is downright rich-tasting, though I could not have said that at first. Somewhere around the half-way mark, I start to taste the flavour equivalent of that complex range of scents that I smelled in the tin. This didn't strike me as a strong tobacco at first, but I've suddenly attained that wonderful zone of relaxation that only pipe smoking can provide. What a fine evolution to complex flavour this has been! In the lower depths of the bowl, the flavour is unexpectedly dense and a little woodsy even. It's much smoother as well, though it still has a distinct drying effect on the palate. Puffed as slow as possible, it keeps improving. Brown Clunee occupies a special place for me. I love its taste and it has provided a few of the most memorable smokes I've ever had. I like it enough to have carried it in my pouch from time to time, but it never satisfies as well as when I sit down at home to properly appreciate the singular experience it offers. It burns well to a fine, light-grey ash, but the broken-flake cut keeps it from burning hot. If you're not used to smoking Virginias, you might find that this bites (I can't smoke this too often), but it's such a rewarding tobacco that it's well worth exploring. Smoking this leaves an aroma that is fairly plain and a little sweet and musty. '01

Ps: As this is really drying on the palate-it is fantastic with tea. It is 'the lemon' in my tea so to speak.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-10-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

SPICY, STEAK SAUCE

Fantastic Virginia, starts mild and easy- builds to a rich almost spicy sweet. Deserves a home in your cellar. Almost meaty spicyness,smooth.Cant smoke it daily.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-08-07		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A little sweeter and yeastier than Old Gowerie or HOTW.. Overall a very good tobacco, but I miss the sharper flavors of the other Rattray virginias.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-08-01		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I'm very surprised at the one star ratings given by the knowledgeable reviewers listed here. Perhaps they experience what happenned to me.

I packed Brown Clunee into a favorite VA pipe and found what can best be described as "unremarkable." I experienced the same results with two other pipes. And then...I found a smoke equal to Rattray's Hol o' the Wind, Marlin Flake and Old Gowrie.

This one deserves your attention if you like Virginia's.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-07-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Herbs, grass, spices, butterscotch notes. Hints of flowers and toffee. Try this with Cragganmore 12.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-05-28		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A sweet that evolves through the bowl to a strong spicy VA. A good pick.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2006-01-13		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Unlike its brother DF, Brown Clunee leaves me with a much more enjoyable smoking experience, a 180 turn. This tobacco is also a bit on the moist side out the tin but, lights easily and smokes all the way to the bottom leaving a nice ash. Though very light, it has a fruity undertone that makes it very pleasant and does pick up strength nearing the end of the bowl. A morning smoke, it doesnot require your full attention except to enjoy the nuances of this subtle tobak. Though not complex, it reminds me of early morning at high altitude over the Pacific Rim. A quiet and very peaceful flight! A few tins cellared for future morning flights into the stratosphere!!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2004-07-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

The quality of the tobacco in this blend is very high as ia all of the Rattrays blends. This is what I think of when I think of a light virginia blend. It smokes cool, even and consistant. The flavor is mildly sweet and tangy and does not vary alot through out the bowl. Even though this blend does not have alot of complexity it does not loose my attention and is much appreciated when I am in the mood for a light virginia blend. Highly recommended for virginia lovers.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-07-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This has always been dependable, middle-of-the road flake for me. It is not too demanding. It is very cool, somewhat sweet, and always makes for a pleasant, satisfying smoke. This would make a good starters blend for the Virginia flake novice.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2003-01-02		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

New Years Day, the Rose parade on TV, cup of good hot coffee, and a chance to fill a bowl with Brown Clunee. This red/red-brown RR (broken flake)VA. is one that I've smoked off and on for some time now, and it's a VA that always seems to please. This being a Honeydew blend, I chose to err w/caution on the flavor rating because if it's there, it's nearly non-existant. More than likely it's just a good natural VA sweetness that one tastes when smoking this tobak. Some may choose to rub-out the tobacco a bit more, I just pull at the pieces a bit. Packs well, lights easily enough, sweet yet slightly sharp at the get-go. Bit of a citrus note here and there, and the sharpness fades after about 1/3 of the bowl to a smooth yet slightly spicey smoke. No bite, just the VA tang that we all know will be there to some degree. Got a wee bit o' woodsiness now, very pleasant. Reminds me a little of the character of McConnell Scottish Flake. Maybe a tad sweeter. Burning very evenly all the way down to pale grey ash and leaving the pipe dry. I had no moisture problems w/this tobak, one cleaner about 1/2 way down. I've had this tin for awhile, and I feel it's mellowed w/age; I seem to remember a bit more sharpness before, but even newly opened I still say it's a rather mellow smoke. I've got a few tins that have been set aside for about 5 years, it should be interesting to see how they've aged. I wish I'd had the chance to smoke some of the older Rattray's tobaccos (blended "by" Charles Rattray not "for" Charles Rattray) as I understand they were near to Euphoria, whereas mine have the James B. Russell label on the bottom. All-in-all a good VA tobak w/an honest tobacco taste. Works for me.

Belated a bit, but none-the-less HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you!!! Let's make this a great year, and as Mauri Tombari would say, "Mellow puff and dry ashes," and may God bless..................

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