Rattray Brown Clunee

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.