McClelland Balkan Beauty

Unfortunately, nothing like a company going out of business to make their blends even more popular than they were. Alas, such seems to be the case of McClelland. This is the third one I was able to sample a few weeks ago at the pipe club I attend. It smoked very well, smooth and balanced. This one had a sweeter profile, taste to it. As stated previously from other reviews of McClelland, I only had a couple of bowls and really can’t do a proper review but since my memory ain’t what it used to be I wanted to annotate that I at least had the fortune of trying some of these blends that are no longer in production. Thanks to the guys from the pipe club for bringing these in for us to try. This tin was dated 2016.

Structurally speaking, I would recommend smoking this blend as slowly as possibly. Because the components are derived from spun-out cakes, the residual density of the leaf suggests that the blend ought to be smoked at a pace more consistent with that for a rubbed-out cake or flake than for a conventional English, which can be smoked more aggressively. I consider this imperative because the more subtle characteristics of this blend are quickly lost if it is smoked at an unforgiving pace.

The blend is dry, and occasionally salty on the tongue. This dryness does not abate further down the bowl.

Just as McClelland are known for their unique Virginias, their other tobaccos have unique and distinguishing characteristics of their own. The Orientals featured, for example, are typical McClelland--rather than being light, papery and floral like most Orientals on the market, McClelland Orientals are richer and oilier, with flavors of bitter-olive. The Latakia, too, has an underlying rich sweetness, which is a McClelland trademark.

Upon opening the tin note was strongly of vinegar and smoke, quite suggestive of barbecue sauce. After several days of "breathing" the tin note becomes more subtle, the vinegar ceding to the soft smokiness and floral aromas of the leaf.

This blend is an interesting, and perhaps "more authentic" Balkan, in the sense that it does not exaggerate by the addition of Latakia. Rather, the Virginias, Orientals and Latakia are very well proportioned, with the Latakia furnishing a smokey undertone that begins to build significantly only around the three-quarters-bowl. The Virginias and Orientals are rich and flavorful, but not necessarily delicate, and so the blend gives the impression, again, of being a somewhat "more authentic" grass-roots blend. These tend toward harshness if the blend is smoked over-impetuously. There is also a pleasant astringency and bitterness that builds toward the end, perhaps from the Orientals.

This is an interesting blend and I wish I could compare it with a blend composed of the same, un-caked components.

I wouldn't call this an all-day blend, in the sense that it ought to be smoked gently and savored. Other Balkan blends, in ribbon format, render up their qualities more freely and less fastidiously, and thus are a more flexible all-day smoke.

Looking for an Oriental/Latakia forward blend that's easy on the N? This might be for you. Lat-lovers will likely think this tipping towards the earthy-olive Orientals; those that rarely smoke Latakia blends will think it's Lat-forward but not overwhelmingly so. I would say it the Latakia is just foremost, reinforced by the Orientals, with the VAs giving some structure and sweetness.

As the tin description highlights, this definitely has the virtues of a very well aged blend. The blend elements are melded together very harmoniously into a more unified smoking experience, not a blend of varying complexity. The cut is among McClelland's finer cuts for it's blends. A medium to full english style with a refined edge and somewhat less in nicotine than a medium blend so, still satisfying in that regard. In picking apart the blend and burning these individual elements I was surprised that the Latikia has more rounded, sweet character than is typical with this leaf. The Virginias are mid-brown ready rubbed with smooth sweetness almost verging on a brown sugar character that slightly dominates the taste of the blend followed by the fuller Latikia character. The Orientals seem rather subdued and lean towards a more underlying harmony with the Virginias. This is perhaps a little disappointing for me being a fan of orientals and wonder that a stronger variety would have been better choice well, to my liking anyways. But, this blend is not flat in the way I perceive strict blends of Virginia and Latakia only. Along the way smoking this it did eventually remind me of Murray's production of Dunhill's 965 without the more prominent brown sugar flavor of the brown cavendish base. It's very much a blend in that style that echoes that classic tobacco.

Very nice Balkan -- the usual McClelland quality -- extremely smooth, smokable, needs no rubbing, with an oriental sourness I like.

The only reason I rated 3 not 4 stars is purely subjective -- I was smoking the last dregs of Compton's Balkan around the same time, and it was better mostly because the flavor was more exquisite to my taste (sweeter, perhaps, or more that non-sour oriental flavor of of McClelland's Grand Orientals).