Tobaccos McClelland - Townsman Cavendish Blue

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2017-04-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Mahogany brown ribbons that are incredibly soft to the touch and "puffy". The bag nose is of a very light maple and a whole lotta burley chocolate. This stuff is notable for its soft feel but is probably no softer than the average aromatic goop - it's just that goopers are so wet that you don't notice. This one feels very dry on the fingers. I didn't smoke an entire bag but got about 2.5 oz from a friend and finished it.

And it smokes very dry in the bowl. I'd guess this is mostly burley and Maryland with just a spot of Virginia. As Maryland is hard for me to pick out in a blend due to its bland character (it does provide good burn rate) mostly what I taste is burley with a very light casing that does indeed taste like maple. It's presence is noticed up and down the bowl but it doesn't intrude on the tobacco taste. I wish it were a little heavier! Comparing this to McClellands own Town Topic, this is more lightly flavored and the tobacco taste comes through. And therein lies the problem. The tobacco is far from the finest burley available. Granted, McClellands isn't known for their love of burley leaf, but this stuff doesn't taste top drawer to me. I think it's reasonable to believe that less than stellar leaf is great for blenders to use for their aromatics (not all tobacco suitable for purchase can be outstanding and there are uses for mid-quality leaf) and this blend solidifies that belief. So I wish they had used a bit more casing. Then again I have a problem with the PG that most U.S blenders use on their heavily gooped blends. As a result, I'd like to taste this blend with a better grade of leaf. So it goes. ;) Anyway, this one is hard to recommend except to those who enjoy heavily cased blends that might like to see what's underneath with a less-flavored tobacco. I was disappointed in this one.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Laserboy (16)	2014-08-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Unfortunately for Townsman Cavendish Blue, it very naturally begs comparison with Cornell & Diehl's Autumn Evening (AE) and comes up short by that measure. So, to be fair, I begin by trying to pretend that AE isn't out there.

Townsman Cavendish Blue has a very "fluffy" feel out of the jar: The tobacco is cut in long, broad ribbons that make it almost impossible to pack too tightly--go ahead and stomp it into a big-bowled pipe. There will be plenty of air gaps to allow for a burn that may even be too swift. A very pleasant, but mild, maple flavor dominates the smoke, with a generous burley background. This blend can bite, but only if abused. The nicotine level is moderate, so it's a good blend to choose if you'll be smoking multiple bowls back-to-back. The room note is quite nice. All together, it's a very social tobacco: Pleasant and unchallenging to both the smoker and his/her guests. As such, I am comfortable giving this a 3-star rating.

As stated above, it is rough luck for the townsman that Autumn Evening is out there! AE is everything the townsman is but ramped up. I don't want to turn this into a review of Autumn Evening (which I have already reviewed), so I'll keep the comparison very brief. I currently have open jars of both of these and find that I only reach for the townsman when I think that AE's nicotine content (which is significantly higher than townsman's) might be too much for whatever I have planned next. But Townsman Cavendish Blue is a fine tobacco that, taken on its own merits, deserves some attention.

Similar Blends: Cornell & Diehl - Autumn Evening.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Eonwe (22)	2008-02-18		Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Bravo...Bravo!!!!...McClelland has pulled an english smoker into the world of aromatics. I have always associated aromatic caviandish blends with "drugstore" blends...meaning; good smell, stale taste, and zero nicotine. Townsman does indeed smell great in the 8oz bag I have...while a wee bit moist, the tobacco packed easy, and smoked even, dry and cool to the bottom...and though this wont give you a nicotine blast, it does have a certain kick if smoked before breakfast. I was surprised that the taste wasnt over powered with Maple, due to the smell...but the maple seemed to drift in and out, and lessen throughout the bowl...I was also very surprised with a nice taste of Virginia late in the smoke. this tobacco smokes great in pipes of any size, I smoke it in my big carved meer, and the room note is a very inviting aroma in my opinion. I dont think I'll ever be an aromatic smoker, but when I do, this is what I'll smoke. cheers!!!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RyinMD (27)	2015-09-05		Extremely Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I had been eyeing the packages for the Townsman Cavendish blends for quite some time. I do like a lighter blend in an extra large bowl, and the reviews for these blends did say they were light in character. I decided on Blue because I like maple. I found this blend too wan for my taste. I agree with the other comparisons to Autumn Evening from this site. Townsman Cavendish Blue suffers by comparison. The maple flavoring isn't as maple-y, and the tobacco don't have as much of a flavor either. I found myself puffing harder and more frequently, which left a bit of a burn. There's nothing particularly bad about this blend, but there's nothing grabbing me by the taste buds either. I will probably use up what's left from my purchase in one of my all-day-sucker-sized large pipes. Even extra light blends have something by the bottom of those bowls.

Pipe Used: Chacom

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2010-03-08		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I have been fortunate enough to have managed a swap with a kindly gent in the States.

I still feel I got the better of the deal. I traded some truly ghastly Petersons University Flake for several ounces of this gorgeous tobacco.

Gorgeous it is too. The aroma is sweet and unquestionably rich maple. The tobacco is equally rich, dark, ready rubbed, soft and moist. It's unlike any of the blends I've tried in the UK. Got a totally different feel to it.

It's doesn't need drying out, either. You just want to cram your bowl full of it and light up time and time again. It's certainly very moorish. The maple taste remains throughout the bowl.

Leaves very little debris ; the bowl/stem can get a bit syrupy though and needs a damn good clean afterwards.

Don't know what I'll do when this runs out. Can't get it in the Uk. What a swiz.

Edit ; this blend keeps really well. Months later I still have 50g, although I now find it a bit sickly.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sailorjack (57)	2008-12-19		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I'll make this review short. Didn't care for this one. The quality of the tobaccos seemed lacking. The maple flavoring seemed almost undetectable to me. It's harsh and burns the ol' flapper quite a bit. I cut it with a goodly amount of McClelland's VBC that made it much more tolerable.

Thanks but No Thanks on this one!

UPDATE: 12/19/08

They say time heals all wounds and in many instances it also improves pipe tobacco. This is indeed the case with this blend. After searing my tongue several times I put this away for awhile. On a whimsy I decided to give it another go. The bite and harshness are gone and this has become at least fairly smokeable. It hasn't transformed into a wonder blend but I will happily smoke the rest. That being said I wouldn't purchase it again. There are too many others I enjoy much more. I am raising my rating to 2**

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-09-30		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco smells awesome out of the pouch, smokes great,easy to pack,no tongue bite, burns to a nice white ash, wonderful aroma,can burn hot.Tends to leave my mouth a tad to dry for me.People love the smell they say it's like maple syrup and pancakes.There may be better blends out ther but this is worth a puff.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-11		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I love this tobacco. It smokes a little hotter than a lot of aromatics. I think it would make for a great transition to more robust tobaccos. I really don't pick up a strong maple flavor that others have. I highly recommend it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-08-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This has a delightful, nutty maple aroma in the bag. Unfortunately, it doesn't taste as good as it smells.

Not bad by any means, but not on par with C&D's Autumn Evening which has a better maple flavor and uses better leaf.

1/2

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-04-04		Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I almost never smoke full aromatics but when I do this is one that I reach for with gusto! I LOVE MAPLE! This is a very MAPLE tasting tobacco. It is not nauseatingly sweet but pleasantly rich and creamy, like a maple candy. I have smoked C&D's Autumn Evening and I feel this is better suited to my tastes although others may disagree. Autumn Evening is a Red Virginia with a casing. This to me equals HOT! Not terribly so but still hot. TCB is Burley and Virginia with a sweeter casing. This makes all the difference to me. A real crowd pleaser on the room note. It is also very delicious in the bowl. Never hot,always sweet ,and so satisfying for the calorie conscious like myself. A full endorsement here for the maple lovers of the world. ============ UPDATE===============4/04/07 It loses a lot of flavor after being open for a time. 2 stars now.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-09-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Not bad for a McClelland aromatic. Although a bit pricier than it is actually worth, this blend comprised mostly of burley with a light maple topping is an overall decent smoke. It smokes cool and without the goop of many aromatics in it's class.

If you are looking for a lightly flavored maple blend, this would probably suit your needs. It has more of a tobacco taste than maple, which stays pretty much in the background throughout the smoke. If you're wanting a strong maple flavoring you will most likely be disappointed.

This product would probably sell quite well in bulk, but for $20.00 per 8 ounce bag, it really is overpriced. One could get Vermont Maple Cavendish from Wilke for that price.

I probably won't buy any more when this bag is gone.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-07		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

A mild light brown blend that is about 50% Maryland,45% Burley and 5 % Virginia. (my guess anyway). The flavouring is Maple. In the bag it smells great. In the pipe it packs well, lights well and stays lit. The taste is nice and it tastes like maple. The "N" factor is low. Those around you will compliment you with "makes me hungry for pancakes". I mixed a little Carter Hall in and brought the "N" up to my liking. Good by it's self or as a mixer.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	final_id (37)	2009-02-15		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Only mild Cavendish bite. Wonderful room note. Easy smoke, gentle, nice on everyone around including myself. A.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	strongirish (249)	2009-01-24		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

First off, I did not taste maple in this blend. I tasted vanilla but not overpowering and not unpleasant at all. However, it needs to be smoked rather slow or it will bite you. As hot as it smokes though, it is not a harsh bite, more like when one smokes young virginias to fast and I think this has some virginias in it besides the burley. The room note is very nice but again, I did not get maple but vanilla. I stayed lit pretty well, only had to relight once on my first bowl but I was taking it very slow. This is rather surprising as it is fairly wet in the pouch. It did burn down to the bottom of the pipe leaving a grey ash. It started out very tasteful about to the halfway point and then I got more of the burley nuttiness. All in all, I can smoke this and enjoy it but their are better aromatics out there.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-12-01		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I like this stuff. Its different. It has a very smooth buttery maple aroma, and flavor The maple is not overpowering like the "Town Topic". More a light back taste. A little moister than you might first think, so let it sit a moment or burns a little warm and moist. The room is very mild and fragrant. Overall a light smooth mild aromatic. Kinda syrapy burn though! Good after breakfast or in mixed company! Give it a try!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-04-10		Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

If you want pancakes and sausage, just order it in a restaurant. It might make you say 'must we be total non-pipe smokers?' A gloppy, goopy mess ala McClelland aromatics. The C & D Autumn Evening is a better rendition of the Vermont sap variety - provided, of course, Mr. Tarler hasn't turned it into a fiery latakia blend by this time. Vermont Maple from Wilke is better, too, if you can withstand the tongue bite.

One of five stars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2006-04-07		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

I don?t want it. You can have it. It?s too sweet for me.

A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored.

I rate this tobacco 5.5 out of 10.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2006-03-05		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a subtle well done aromatic, with a very pleasant and lightly sweet aroma. It smelled very good in the pouch and tasted of light maple. Many aromatics overdo it, this tobacco gets it right. The maple casing is present throughout the whole bowl and stayed pleasant to the end.

I would recommend this to all aromatic smokers and anyone for that matter who enjoys a dessert bowl now and again.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2005-10-04		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a very pleasant, relaxing Cavendish cut Burley/Virginia. The maple casing is well done, and the quality of the underlying tobacco is decent as well. If you are looking for a straightforward, sweet, simple blend, this will do nicely.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Although over the past 5 or 6 years I have gradually found myself smoking more unflavored blends, I still on ocassion will get a craving for something like Solani 369 or one of the many excellent aromatic blends from McClelland.

From the very beginning I could not find any real fault with any of the characteristics of this blend. The aroma upon opening the package left little doubt it was Maple flavored to a point that I feared it would be just another "overcased" goopy blend, but to my surprise, although the Maple flavoring was clearly apparent from the first puff to the bottom of the bowl, it was not in the least overpowering and allowed the flavors of the ruff cut Burley and Virginias to come through. It burned to a light gray ash and required only one re-light.

Although I've only smoked about 1/2 of the 8 oz. pkg, I find myself smoking at least a couple of bowls a day. And before I forget it, I should also mention that the price is very reasonable as well. Looks like McClelland has another winner with Townsman Blue.

F. Prefect

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-09-09		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Being a Canadian, I have a penchant for anything maple and this lovely smoke gives me a satisfying grin every time. I could just smell it in the jar and that would almost be enough. It lights easily, burns completely, has a room note that is fabulous, and is not fussy with whatever pipes it gets stuffed into. The cut looks a bit like fish food (ribbony, broken) but don't let that deter you. It is nutty and mapley and retains it's goodness all the way through. Smoke it slow, relax.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-06-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

If a maple flavored tobacco is what you seek this is it. I have tried every maple blend out there and the thing that sets this apart from all others is that along with actually tasting maple you also taste the toasty sweet nuttiness of the VA and Burley tobaccos. Loads easy, burns clean, cool, dry, even and makes a great all day smoke.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-25		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

I bought a Don Carlos pipe specifically to be burned in with cavendish tobaccos, leaving the others I own for the English blends. Basically, I broke the pipe in with this blend. I find this to be a wonderful smoke. Townsmen blue burns all the way down, and the maple flavor and aroma are excellent.

I notice as a pipe smoker I don't find myself drawn to any one blend or genre. Sometimes I'm in the mood for aromatics, other times English, you name it. However, this particular blend is rapidly becoming a staple for me. It seems I'm always in the mood to smoke this down, especially late at night before bed.

I give the nod to most of the McClelland tobaccos, and this is no exception. Nice one.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-03-26		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice Maple flavored Aromatic. Perfect moisture content, easy to load, burns evenly and without any sizzling noises. Non-goopy as well. The flavor starts strong and fades fairly quickly which is good in my opinion and you are left with a fine Burley/Virginia that only sours slightly toward the end. So smoke it almost to the end and toss the dottle. Recommended.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-11-12		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

A most warming and inviting aroma. This tobacco, made up of small portions of Virginia leaf and larger portions of white Burley,with just enough Maryland leaf to keep it lit well,and balanced. This is a most incredible aromatic,and I absolutely love the smell. Mild,easy to light,and just down right friendly. A few ladies have told me this smells wonderfull. Good job McClelland.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	nnnwarner (1)	2004-09-06		Mild to Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

i love this stuff. it tastes good and others around you absolutely love the room note. this is one i keep with me for smoking around others. the flavor is obviously maple, which is a wonderful flavor. my wife says it smells as if i am smoking pancakes. the base tobacco is really good. the one downside to this tobacco is the fact it doesn't come in tins, i would really prefer them to the 8 oz. bags it comes in. i have yet to try their new town topic (i think that is the maple one) and autumn evening by pease. i am interested in seeing how they stand up to each other. i think that i will stock up and this so that i can have it after tobacco becomes illegal!

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2003-11-20		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I smoke this every night before bed in a huge Meer Calabash that my father gave me. It has a huge bowl to get the fires really going. This blend is medium to dark brown. With a wonderfull maple syrup scent. It tastes exactley like a nice stack of pancakes. Buttery burly + sweet virginia + maple syrup. Would be excellent for breakfast, but too much nicotene for my newbie stomach in the morning. Everyone loves the smell and i love smoking it before bed.There must be a comfort factor with this blend, b/c i find i go to sleep faster after a bowl.

If you love pancakes and the smell of vermont maple in autumn, this blend is for you too my friend. Excellent quality through and through.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-05-06		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I hate aromatics and I generally dislike cased tobaccos, but I absolutely love this stuff.

McClelland has created an old-school cavendish, with burley and VA soaked in maple syrup (or rum, or brandy, in the Silver and Black versions); the result is pure joy. Upon lighting up, one is struck by a HUGE, sweet hit of maple flavor. Very quickly this is joined by the nutty/green taste of the burley. By halfway through the bowl, the maple has receded somewhat, and the Virginia emerges, toasty like burnt caramel, with a glorious smokey nose.

The burley and VA are first-rate. Even staunch nonsmokers go nuts for the smell of this stuff. And on top of all that it's about the most bite-free tobaccos I've ever encountered. What more could you ask for in a smoke?

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2001-03-26		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Tolerable

This is one of McClelland's Townsman Cavendish blends - maple, to be more accurate. All of these Townsman blend are pretty good for an aromatic. Opening of the bag reveals the smell of maple sugar without much reference to tobacco smell. The tobacco is pretty moist, and doesn't dry much being exposed to the air, which of course leads me to believe it is treated with something. The blend packs easily and lights with ease. The maple tobacco is true to its flavour - it is maple. As expected with a moist tobacco, this tobacco will tend to produce some tongue steaming without too much effort. The blend burns cleaner than many aromatic blends, and really is a pleasant tobacco if you venture into aromatics.

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