McClelland Venture Forth
(3.40)
This wonderful, ripe, delicately sweet Virginia ribbon is seasoned liberally with top-grade, smoky Latakia from Cyprus, mildy spicy Oriental leaf from Greece and Turkey, and pungent Perique from Louisiana...a world of flavor for the adventurous pipe smoker.
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Series | United Pipe Clubs of America |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | English |
| Contents | Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Perique, Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 50g Tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 10, 2015 | Mild | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
Black to dark brown chunky ribbons with a tin note of latakia smoke and a sort of buttery essence underlying a spicy aroma. Quite enticing. It came moist and was better dry but not too crispy. I also had to rub it out just a bit to keep larger chunks of tobacco from blocking the pipe's draft bore.
I think British Woods or Three Oaks is about as close as McClellands comes to a huge latakia bomb in the GLP domain, so when I read "rich with latakia and perique" on the tin I was a bit taken aback. Then I read on the tin's reverse "Virginia ribbon seasoned liberally with latakia, orientals and perique" and I thought "Ok, that's more along the lines of what I expected". And that's what it is... a Virginia-forward blend seasoned condimentally (if not exactly liberally) with the other leaves. I'm wondering if McClellands Virginias are just too uniformly excellent to ever be superseded by anything else in a McC blend. The latakia was very noticeable, of course, but it didn't obliterate the VA's. The perique was most noticeable in the snork and lent a nice very light spice while the orientals were more in the nose than in the taste. But I did get the impression this blend would have been less complete without them. Overall the presentation was sweet and savory with a mellow spice down beneath the forefront. This struck me as a latakia mixture for straight Virginia enthusiasts. McClellands produces the finest Virginia blends anywhere, for my money. And this lat blend is undeniably McClellands, as in "Virginia with... some other things". It's on the rich side of taste but not heavy. This blend could even be smoked by aromatic lovers, as it's totally bite-free and smooth but with more character than any aromatic. Yet, it's complex enough to satisfy a long-term pipe fan. This blend is nothing short of excellent, and while it won't work for folks that like mostly lat in their mixtures, it's a stupendously flavorful mild-medium English in the McClellands realm. I get excited by so few McClellands latakia blends; meet one of the few.
I think British Woods or Three Oaks is about as close as McClellands comes to a huge latakia bomb in the GLP domain, so when I read "rich with latakia and perique" on the tin I was a bit taken aback. Then I read on the tin's reverse "Virginia ribbon seasoned liberally with latakia, orientals and perique" and I thought "Ok, that's more along the lines of what I expected". And that's what it is... a Virginia-forward blend seasoned condimentally (if not exactly liberally) with the other leaves. I'm wondering if McClellands Virginias are just too uniformly excellent to ever be superseded by anything else in a McC blend. The latakia was very noticeable, of course, but it didn't obliterate the VA's. The perique was most noticeable in the snork and lent a nice very light spice while the orientals were more in the nose than in the taste. But I did get the impression this blend would have been less complete without them. Overall the presentation was sweet and savory with a mellow spice down beneath the forefront. This struck me as a latakia mixture for straight Virginia enthusiasts. McClellands produces the finest Virginia blends anywhere, for my money. And this lat blend is undeniably McClellands, as in "Virginia with... some other things". It's on the rich side of taste but not heavy. This blend could even be smoked by aromatic lovers, as it's totally bite-free and smooth but with more character than any aromatic. Yet, it's complex enough to satisfy a long-term pipe fan. This blend is nothing short of excellent, and while it won't work for folks that like mostly lat in their mixtures, it's a stupendously flavorful mild-medium English in the McClellands realm. I get excited by so few McClellands latakia blends; meet one of the few.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2016 | Mild | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I happened upon this on my last visit to the local B&M I frequent and decided to give it a go. Boy, am I glad I did. The components of this blend come together nicely. The Virginias used are of the usual McC quality, along with the other components used. I would say it is similar to some of the Frog Morton series, but amped up somewhat on the taste department. Right out of the tin, it is on the moist side. But a little drying time cures that real quick. This smokes down to a nice fine ash at the bottom of the pipe. The nicotine is the only thing that some may find a bit short of the mark on. I would put it on the low side of the middle of the road. But that is a minor fault and I may well be quibbling over nothing. Overall this is a highly recommended blend well worth the price of admission.
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