McClelland No. X-90 American Cavendish Burley

The nutty, earthy, mildly woody, molasses sweet Kentucky burley also sports a touch of chocolate as the main component. The citrusy grassy Virginia is faintly noted. The strength is just past the center of mild to medium, and the taste is a step past that level. The nic-hit is a little more than mild. Won’t bite or get harsh, but does have a hint of roughness at times. It might need a moment or two of dry time, but it burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and needs just more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke, and is a good burley blend to use as a mixer.

-JimInks

McClelland X90 Burley is a ribbon of medium and light Browns with a fairly neutral jar note of faint and nondescript sweet. The tobacco is springy and packs well. Moisture content is just right. The charring and true lights bring a mild, soft sweetness with a hint of basswood and a touch of molasses that asserts as the bowl progresses. Once past the lighting stage, there is a distinct toastiness along with flavors of molasses, a light parchment bordering on cardboard, and a hint of salt.

This blend reminds me somewhat of Pipeworks & Wilke's Nut Brown Burley, though Nut Brown is smoother smoking and more flavorful. While Nut Brown will nip a bit if pushed, X90 will bite hard. For that, only two stars as a stand-alone blend. But I'm sure this would be a good mixer for the home blender. Burns very well, cool and dry, with nary a relight. Room note is slightly sweet, toasty and, well, pipey.

Predominate flavor is of a toasty Black Cav with a mild vanilla flavor. Virginias are hard to discern. There is an underlying note here that makes this mildly unpleasant to me and it's a dusty, almost stale flavor. It's very mild, but noticeable, especially in the first half of the bowl. I can't recommend this. There are much better similar smokes out there at a better price.

Mild to medium in body and flavor. Burns well.

This sweet aromatic is topped with enough chocolate additives to get your fingers sticky when nabing a pinch. I gotta admit it though, the wafting Cocoa Puffs aroma gets your mouth watering. So grab your spoon (er. lighter) and dig in.

I prefer a bit more beef to my ribbon cuts and was not overly happy to be packing fish flakes into a bowl. I find wafer-flat cuts to burn inconsistently and quickly, and they always feel cheap to me. X90 begins with a soft, drier, lightly sweet smoke that is pleasant to puff. It became a little unassuming and bitter midway and it fell out of favor with me by bowl's end.

I would conclude that it smells fantastic, but the taste is less so. It did begin to grow on me, by the end of the bag, and I can say it was ultimately OK.

McClelland - No. X90 American Cavendish Burley.

I can't see any twigs or clumps in my pouch, it's a blend made of medium size, medium brown, ribbons. There's a minor sweetness to the unlit aroma. The moisture's good.

If I'm honest any Virginia flavour eludes me completely, the smoke to me tastes simple: sweet, nutty, rustic, Burley. I'd be inclined to say a very mild, sweet, topping's been used: caramel or honey maybe? X90 gives a cool smoke but can burn a bit fast. I get no tongue bite.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

X90? I quite like it as a change of pace. Recommended:

Three stars.