Tobaccos McClelland - Old Dog (Ashton Revival)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	O'Confrère (40)	2014-01-23		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Opening a tin of McClelland's Old Dog is always a treat. The aroma never fails to make this smoker smile. Smokey, leathery latakia bolstered by a subtle and promising sweetness, it is strangely familiar and very inviting. It never fails to relax. It does, however, arrive a bit moist in the tin. Reducing the water content to about 13 or 14% by removing the lid of the tin for a day or two and shaking the tobacco occasionally seems to do the trick. At this reduced moisture level it takes beautifully to the match, burns comfortably and will not bite. The first sips are delicious, velvety and rich with soft, deep latakia and pleasing fruitiness. As the pipe progresses (about the middle third) savory orientals emerge spicily as the virginias develop a toastiness balancing and enhancing the initial flavors. Exhale through the nose to experience the smoothly exotic elements of the orientals. From here to the bottom of the bowl flavors weave in and out deliciously. Smoke slowly for the full benefit.

Was wrong to be concerned about the black cavendish in this mixture. It is employed beautifully and never overshadows (nor oversweetens) the other constituents in this well balanced blend, which is an excellent take on a very special variety of English mixtures.

Nicotine? Yes, a bit, but never a threat.

Easily approachable, richly satisfying and very relaxing, Old Dog is a wonderful and trusty companion. Highly recommended (to the novice as well as the afficionado).

This tin is from 2010.

Pipe Used: Several. All reserved for untopped Latakia blends.

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2015-05-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Smoky, spicy, sweet & sour, woody, fruity, and toasty. If this one doesn't hold your attention you may have Attention Deficit Disorder. A wonderful and complex smoke that I really enjoy. Another great McEnglish.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in flavor. Burns great. I like to dry it a bit, but will burn well straight from the tin.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman, Diplomat Apple, Mark Twain

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2010-08-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I was hesitant to give this weed a try because I really don't like any Cavendish in an English mixture. The end result is that it does make OD an English on the sweet side, athough by no means is it an aromatic. McClelland makes it all work and I really enjoy it. In some ways I find this similar to Fred Hanna's new McClelland mixture "Legends." Although not as complex, I think those that find Legends great will really enjoy this mixture as well. I find that when I "sip" OD I really get the full range of flavor and sweetness. This is one occasion that the tin description really nails it. This is not an everyday smoke for me, but I will definitely store a few tins. Recommended!

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-09-28		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Basic black and brown with ribbons and chunks and a tin aroma of muted latakia. My nose could not detect the orientals nor the Virginia - it was like sniffing dried out latakia. Kind of bizarre. Made me wonder if this was a lat bomb and just what a lat bomb from McClellands might taste like.

It took me two tins to get any kind of a bead on this blend and I have no real idea why. It came overly moist and needed a bit of drying time to hold a light but I'm used to that. At the match, latakia takes over, which made sense to me since that's all I could smell. Very shortly the orientals added their fragrant sweet/sour pungency, with the Virginia adding depth and the Cavendish providing just an iota of extra sweetness. Some kind of topping to the Cavendish, which is no surprise. The flavors melded nicely. This blend made me think about what is meant when we say "complex". If it means the blend changes presentations down the bowl, then saying this is a complex blend is like saying termites are annoying. It never seemed to stay in one place for long. Even bowl to bowl reacted differently. I'd sometimes get this absolutely delicious creamy sweet hazelnut coffee flavor which would morph into a sourish piquancy and then to a robust cheese-like tartness. There were times within a single bowl where this was one of the finest tobaccos I've ever smoked, and times where I was completely turned off. But I was never bored. This is one unique tobacco. Complexity abounds, which is one of this blend's strengths while also being its weakness. Full English? Not really. This one almost needs its own category. Try it if you're convinced you know what an English tastes like. Two tins later and I'm still not sure.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2011-10-16		Medium	None Detected	Full	Very Pleasant

As full an English in strength and taste as there is on the market today, this Old Dog will hunt!

It compares favorably to the revival of Celebrated Sovereign but is not quite as soft due to the Cyrprian rather than the Syrian Latakia. I also think the heavier on the Virginia and lighter on the spice approach is what makes this one stronger. You'll find a whisper of leathery taste with some sweet spicy undertones as you work your way down the bowl.

Yummy stuff!

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demetri (113)	2011-03-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

If I appear today to be posting overly high ratings (with one exception) it is because I rarely post negative reviews of those blends I try which are of a type I do not normally enjoy. There is little point in my stating I don't like so-and-so aromatic when I find so few enjoyable for me. Negatives on Latakia-containing English blends or VaPers I would not hesitate posting however.

This blend is a "blend-I-don't-think-I-like-very much". At least that was my first thought when I lit it up at the B&M. I had never tasted such a sweet English.I smoked this "blend-I-don't-think-I-like-very much" the rest of my drive into work and then lingered before going in to finish the bowl. Six hours later for lunch I loaded up another bowl of this "blend-I-don't-think-I-like-very much". I finished it at afternoon break.

On way home I smoked yet another bowl of this "blend-I-don't-think-I-like-very much" and when I got home I loaded a fresh pipe for yet another smoke of this "blend-I-don't-think-I-like-very much".

Four days later my tin was empty. I can almost not wait to get back to the B&M for another 2- 3 tins of this "blend-I-don't-think-I-like-very much".

My favorite McClelland to date.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2017-12-10		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The grassy, very citrusy, lightly fermented flue cured Virginias also sport a touch of dark fruit and wood as they form the base of the blend, though they are not the star component. The smoky, woody, lightly musty, rather sweet Cyprian latakia competes with the mildly spicy, woody, buttery sweet, dry, earthy, lightly floral Xanthis, and occasionally, one is a little more noticeable than the other. The unsweetened black cavendish provides some brown sugar to tame any potential rough edges. The strength is a step closer to medium than it is to mild. The taste level is medium. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness even when pushed. Burns cool and clean and a little slow with a complex, nuanced, though inconsistent smoky, spicy sweet flavor. May need some dry time. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. Has a pleasantly sweet camp fire after taste that lightly lingers. Not quite an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable.

-JimInks

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Big (321)	2012-08-23		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

This starts very smooth with subtle flavors of Orientals balanced with Latakia, however, it is very low in nicotine and bold flavor. Hence, I find myself puffing harder than normal to get some extra kick , this gets the pipe hot and brings on tongue bite. I feel the Cavendish muttles the flavors as you get past the first 1/3 of the pipe. If you are not a puffer and a lazy sipper you can make this tobacco work for you.

Update 8/31/12 I've been smoking this off and on for about a week now and I'm getting to really find this special. Just don't push it and it will deliver a ,smoky, flavorful taste, with a hint of sweetness. This is very smooth and I find it great for the end of the day when my tongue has had enough. I know , a 180 degrees from my first review , very nice to have around. I think I like this better than Black Mallory (that has the same types of tobaccos), because it is smoother with very little spice. This also seems to have a touch of cocoa, much like some of Fred Hanna's blends, Wilderness, legends , some similarities. I'm giving this 3-1/2 stars !

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	schram (2)	2014-03-18		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

As a new piper, used to cigars, this is an early favorite. I tried a few different English house blends from my B&M, told em I liked the smokiness of the Latakia in their "925", and that I enjoyed the sweetness their "Pimlico", which they called an English, but said is a borderline aromatic. I figure it had a ton Cavendish in it, without any sort of flavoring.

They suggested Old Dog would be a split between the two, and another house blend, "Regimental Standard".

I love Old Dog, at the very least, a fantastic smoke for someone who wants to get started smoking pipe tobacco.

Smells great out of the tin, sweet, smoky, almost fruity, kind of incense like, but when smoked, tastes more to the smoky side. To new inexperience palette very intriguing and fun to smoke. Exactly what I wanted.

Pipe Used: Briar - Brigham 2-Dot

Age When Smoked: Just Opened

Purchased From: 4noggins

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2018-03-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

McClelland - Old Dog (Ashton Revival).

The blend's 50/50 black and brown, pretty coarse, and of a good hydration. There's no ketchup in the tin-note, strange but true! Lighting up Old Dog couldn't be simpler.

The smoke, without doubt, has some heady flavours: sharp Cyprian, and odoriferous Orientals. But these two are kept in check by the fruity-sweet Virginia and the viscous black Cavendish. The Latakia and black Cav' also make for an exceptionally cool smoking experience, too. I can't fault the burn, a bowl can be smoked with hardly any relights, just the occasional tamp.

Nicotine: mild for a blend labelled English. Room-note: I quite like.

Old Dog? A very good smoke, highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Fat Bob

Age When Smoked: Tin stamped 2017, but opened fresh.

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	porshcigar (44)	2013-12-31		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice Latakia mixture that delivers a rich and dark taste. This blend lights well, stays lit, and burns cool to the bottom of the bowl. And, like a good Old Dog, it does not bite.

Pipe Used: blasted billiard

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-04-06		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very good mild to medium all-day English blend, slightly sweet, very smooth and cool-burning, with considerable underlying support, and occasional dominance, by McClelland's trademark virginias and some notable oriental content other than the latakia. Ultimately, it is overshadowed for me by the outstanding Three Oaks blends, Mr. Hanna's amazing blends such as Wilderness and Legends, and a few of Mcclelland's other, slightly fuller or more unique English and balkan mixtures. Nonetheless, a flavorful and well-crafted medium English that is tasty, great-smoking and easy to get along with, right out of the tin.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2017-09-21		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

I've had this in rotation for a while now, and feel like I have smoked enough to share my thoughts.

Tin Note: Smells rich and smokey. The Latakia is definitely present.

Preparation: The tobacco is somewhat inconsistently cut, and I found a lot of stems in my tin. It was also so moist that I could form a clump and it would stay formed indefinitely. I've left the tin open for 2 days now, and it still has a sticky moistness to it that can only be from some type of added humectant. I have experienced this with every tinned McClelland blend I've tried, and it has always been troublesome. It packs ok, if not a little unevenly due to the variety of different cut sizes.

Light/Flavor: Takes light easily. First taste is pure silky Latakia, which slowly transitions into the lightest background oriental. Latakia definitely dominates, not really allowing the Oriental tang to come through. I detect no sweetness at all, despite their being Black Cavendish and Virginia in the mix. I find the smoke to be entirely one dimensional, Latakia, and it seems out of balance. If there was a tad more sweetness or a touch more Oriental, this would be a fantastic all day English; however, it's lack of balance makes it fall short, and I find that I feel cheated at bowl's end.

This, and all tinned McClelland blends, seem to leave a little moisture and dottle in every pipe I've tried. Even my trusty Nording Classic gets a little swampy, and I have to break out the pipe cleaners(something I almost never do anymore with my usual blends).

Summary: All in all, this smoke wasn't satisfying for me due to the aforementioned lack of balance. I have experimented by blending this 2:1 with straight Virginia, and it is an infinitely better smoke. I never tried the original Aston blend, so I can not comment on how close this is to the Original. This reminded me very much of regular Frog Morton, but maybe a little more Latakia forward. If you hate sweetness in your smoke, enjoy primarily Latakia, this could be an all day smoke, but I find I need more complexity in a blend and so this one was not for me.

Pipe Used: Nording Classic, Dr. Grabow Grand Duke

Age When Smoked: Fresh, 3 Months

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Frog Morton.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mattle (4)	2015-10-01		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

finally finished a tin of dunhill emp and opened this old dog bought from japan, (cos cant find nothing in hongkong other than ordinary big brands..). a bit wet from the tin, aroma is subtly sweet and not as much latakia as expected compared with emp, and even a bit musty. bigger chunks and cuts than most other baccy, but light easy in my corncob. very very cool smoke after first lights, subtle latakia, very sweet tho, for me. not fruity or candy sweet but kinda like sweetness from some plants used in cooking. middle of the bowl the latakia started to come out, but i still havn't got the tastebud for oriental as others reviewers said, soft smokiness and spicy, creamy all the way, even a hint of chocolate i am not sure if it were ghosts in my corncob, which i had smoked some borkum mixture with. sweet virgina (i guess they are) turned toasty with faint reminder of latakia and spiciness at bottom of bowl, mostly ashes left. i find it the best smoke i have had compared with others, flavored or not, house blends or brands, but my gf finds the room note pungent tho. my only odd feeling is i find a hint of ammonia-like smell from bowl whilst burning (again, could be ghosts). will try it on other pipes next time.

UPDATE: thanks for other reviewers, the sweetness resembles cinnamon, very very cinnamon, starting to grow on me. love this, altho takes some drying time, but worth it!

Pipe Used: corncob

Age When Smoked: half year

Purchased From: japan

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigFlakes88 (1)	2015-03-29		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

Had a bowl of this today and really enjoyed it!!! A friend gave me a little bag to try out. At first light, The latakia proudly stands out. And the orientals are present as well. It burned great throughout the bowl. Did not cause any bite or burn to my mouth. I smoked it out of my Wizard MM cob. A cool short smoke that had me wanting more the whole time! Not overpowering in the N department. Would be a great english to start with for beginners!

Pipe Used: Wizard Corn Cob MM

Purchased From: friend

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joeray (61)	2014-07-12		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a nice English blend for my daily smoke. Not overwhalming taste, easy to enjoy, and nice start for daily smoke. The sweetness is clear and sharp, with smokey floral and herbal taste almost similar with the Dunhill My Mixture 965 but less complexity. With a proper packing and slow smoking, the light is easy to keep and without tendency to bite my tongue. Slow burn, great smokes, medium strength, medium taste, and with my Stanwell 11 Black Diamond, I'm enjoying an hour pleasant smoke. The taste is not full nor strong, but it it quite pleasant, I love the sweetness of this blend.

Pipe Used: Stanwell 11 Black Diamond

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: Almost similar with Dunhill MM 965.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	jwr0201 (4)	2020-09-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This blend has aged and mellowed magnificently. New tins proved to be very good, however, time has been kind to this Revival tobacco and made an even better treat. The latakia seemed to have mellowed a bit, but still has a definite presence. The Virginias have become more bold and added some subtle measure of sweetness. Unfortunately, this is my last and best tin. IMHO, this blend is the epitome of what a Scottish pipe tobacco is meant to be. McClelland surely did this right!

Pipe Used: Grabow Rhodesian

Age When Smoked: 6 years

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2020-02-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

I have asked myself why I write reviews for things that are no longer in production. I then went back looking for reviews on the original Ashton Celebrated Sovereign and realized why. Tins come around even after long out of production and someone may want to know what others thought way back when... This is one of McClelland's best English blends in my opinion. Many are too mild for me to get excited about but Blue Mountain, Balkan Beauty, 3 Oaks Cyprian and Syrian are in my favorite blends, this one may have just cracked that list. Tin note is sweet with Latakia in the lead. Some sourness from the Cavendish and Orientals. Very inviting tin note. The flavor is sweet, creamy, earthy with some woodiness to the profile. It is very complex and you can tease out certain flavors from each leaf as the bowl develops. The VA is there but for a McClelland, it is hard to pick out. For me this fit best in a cob. Richer flavor for some reason. Great in a briar too, but the MM General really liked this one. Another great smoke that I am both happy and annoyed that I tried.

Pipe Used: Briar’s and cob’s

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RoundTwo (38)	2017-12-19		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I smoked this tin faster than any tin of tobacco to date. The black Cavendish has no discernible flavoring but it is included and I don't see any problem with that. The components are perfectly blended. Mostly a Latakia forward taste but there are pockets of Virginia that stand forward of the other tobaccos from time to time. The tin says it is English on the label so in my book it is English, and my favorite one so far.

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: Iwan Ries

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mustache drip (6)	2017-04-10		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Very Pleasant

As far as english blends go this one is on a mild side. Smokes cool and burns well. In the tasting department you get smooth leather and smokiness from latakia, slight sugary sweetnes from black cavendish and incense type aroma. Retrohaling this one is simply heaveny as it doesnt burn your sinuses. No nicotine detected. Mellow english that can very well be an all day smoke.

Pipe Used: savinelli churchwarden

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipes and cigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Autumn joy (47)	2015-03-20		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mcclelland old dog is just a great English blend. The Latakia is well balanced with the mild spice you get from the xanthis. I would say the xanthis gives like a cinnamon spice as opposed to peppery. I was really impressed with this blend and would recommend to English lovers.

Pipe Used: Bent dublin

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	smoke'a'bowl (3)	2013-03-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I really have enjoyed this the few times I've had it. The tobacco itself is full and enjoyable. On top of that, there is an herbal note, I guess from the Xanthis, that I find compelling. This is a very nice, relaxing smoke that, as the tin says, is perfect for "pondering the meaning of life". I can't recommend it enough.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2012-10-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Edit 6/18/2018

I reviewed this one at a time when I had only been smoking for a year. Coming from Cigarettes I really needed nicotine and this one did not give me enough. Over the years, nicotine has become a lesser concern though still appreciated. Of the things I have learned is Turkish/oriental/latakia just does not have much nicotine, so one should never expect it in a blend that uses any as a base or large percentage.

So in comparing apples to apples, I would still hold this blend at three stars. this is a nice tangy edgy smoke with a good oriental presence. The latakia is also there lending those campfire notes and is well situated in a condimental role. The Virginia is awesome, because it is a McClelland product. It has enough sweetness, but never overpowers the other two elements leaving you with little doubt that what you are smoking is a Balkan mixture. The Cavendish, I believe is a Virginia Cavendish. At least that is my guess. It mellows the blend a bit, but is not perceptible on its own, at least to me anyway.

So the end result is the same as was before in that I am holding it at three stars and for my tastes I prefer my Balkans to be a bit more on the creamy side and less edgy, but I enjoyed the tin I just finished and the side stream is lovely.

Original Review 10-22-2012

This did not do much for me. I think the low nic content is my biggest gripe on this. I realize that probably most pipe smokers require less nicotine than I as McClelland blends are very popular and all seem to be too light on the nic for me.

If you are one of the I can't stand ketchup McC haters, you should be happy with this one as it, at least to my nose, contains no such aroma. It actually smells incredible in the tin.

I did enjoy the taste of this, but for this type of profile, I prefer what Rattray's offers. YMMV

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-01-31		Very Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This tastes like Frog Morton, but with a bit more wow factor. Tasty and smokey flavour, it is really very nice... but like every Mc Clelland blend I have tried, very weak in nicotine. If this was Stronger I would buy more. For what it is, it's done very well, not for me though.

If you don't like nicotine, but like english blends, buy it. If you need a bit of oomph to your smoke, give it a miss.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-06-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

If you believe in "Love @ First sight", then you must believe in "Love @ First light". The tin aroma is OUT STANDING, it's a smoke for the seasoned English smokers, and a must try for the non-English, imagine this, Im setting on my front porch just 2 days into summer, the day was 90 plus degrees, now it has cooled a bit, very warm, but comfortable. My front porch has a very nice setting,"Shabby shiek rockers and table, ferns all around, and tree frogs singing and fire flys are dancing, hang in there, Im trying to get my review a proper perspective. The smoke is dence and true English, this has such a wonderfull fragrant, exotic and enticing aroma "My wife dident even mind", if room note was for the smoker only, I would go with very pleasent. The tin moisture was perfect, and easy to smoke straight from the can, NOW,...Smoke this in a meerchum or a good brier, DO NOT WAST THIS BLEND IN A CHEAP PIPE, " personly I would dedicate one for this,..By this time your wondering where Im getting too and when will I end,.. OK, this was so rich and zesty, spicy and tasty that I found a bent pipe to be the best, so when sipping slowly, the smoke enters the nose with delight, I rolled sipped and frenched, with some easy inhaling" only a few times", bottom line, this is a clasic 10 star in my book, and as almost always it's a McClelland, please get some soon, I thought tudor castle was great and still is, but to be fair, the two are different, yet they are in my top list of Mclellands, and Old dog made the summit, Happy Jack, a very happy Jack

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-06-28		Mild	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Let me start by saying that this was the first tobacco I ever bought. I was foolish in the extreme, buying it mostly for the packaging(I'm a dog lover) and because it was compared to Frogmorton. Frogmorton was highly recommended for a beginners tobacco by all the sources I had checked. On opening the tin the Latakia was all I could smell and it was so moist that it was hard to light and made me hate it and reconsider whether I wanted to smoke a pipe. However I had tried cigars and I knew that the more pungent tobaccos were prized by more advanced smokers. Also I like scotch and at first I hated it for its pungency, but forced myself to acquire the taste. I realized I had just picked to heavy of a tobacco for a beginner and bought some lighter Virginia's to work my way up. So now for the review: although I don't love this stuff I do like and respect it for what it is. I prefer my Virginia's, but I would never be without a solid English blend like Old Dog to break up the monotany of simpler, milder blends. The smell of the tin is very similar to american "dip" smokeless tobacco, which I have since found out contains alot of smoked tobacco, like Latakia. The taste however is very smooth and pleasant, and the room note is pleasant as well(my mom likes it and she hates anything that has an acquired taste). As I prefer milder tasting tobaccos my tin has had a while to age because I only smoke it when I want a change of pace. This said it has aged nicely. I don't know if I will buy it again because I want to try other English/Latakia blends, and since I only smoke them to break up the others I don't go through them very fast. If it ends up being the one I like best it will be added into my permanant rotation. Almost forgot, its so smooth I can inhale it. Its not for that though.

Update; 10/19/2013: After having had some time to gain experience with smoking I have realized that I was not properly drying my tobaccos before smoking. I had a 1-2 month period when I didn't smoke my pipe and came back to find that all my tins seemed too dry, but having read that beginners often don't dry there tobacco enough because they think its too much I tried smoking them as they were. What a difference! My pipe finally stays lit now,I get much less tongue bite, and the aging improved my tobaccos a lot. I now find I really like my one English blend (old dog) and don't much care for more Va's anymore so I am ordering more English blends right now. I like this one a lot and may buy another tin to age long-term. I tried mixing equal parts of this with some McC vanilla ice and it was excellent too.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-29		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Its almost as fully flavored as cuban cigar, but it can be more full bodied. You can't go wrong though, i found aging it and putting a warm wet rolled tissue as a humidor improves tase. It is naturally flavorful which is hard to come by nowadays yet a mild enough smoke to be a relaxer.

Nobody has rated this review yet.