Rattray Brown Clunee

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.