Tobacco Review: McClelland Frog Morton

Ah yes! I remember when Frog Morton first hit the market. At the time, tinned tobacco was not the market it is today and most pipe smokers enjoyed bulk blends from the local tobacco shop. The Internet was still a novelty, although I was hard at work writing the first Just For Him website. Back then you could enter "pipe tobacco" into your Netscape Gold browser and only get three results!

Of course Frog Morton gets its name from a village in Tolkien's The Lord of the Ring Trilogy. The Pipe Rack has a great write-up about this:

The name Frog Morton comes to us from the works of JRR Tolkein Frogmorton: A village in the Eastfarthing of the Shire. It stood on the East Road, between the Three-farthing Stone (fourteen miles to the west) and the Brandywine Bridge (twenty-two miles to the east). Immediately to the north of the village, the stream known as the Water broke into two, creating a wide watery region - this feature seems to have given Frogmorton its name, which means 'frog marsh'. Until the War of the Ring, the village seems to have been most notable for its inn, the Floating Log. During the brief time when Saruman took over the Shire, though, it became the home of the First Eastfarthing Troop of Shirriffs, and it was here that the returning Ring-bearers were 'arrested' on their journey back to Hobbiton.

Manufacturer's Description:

It took Frog Morton four years to perfect this unique blend which is full and yet mild. It is his proudest achievement. MSRP: $9.50 50gm tin; $14.50 100gm tin.

Review
The tobacco is mostly dark cavendish cuts with lighter brown and red ribbons and flakes. One can certainly notice the wonderful, sour latakia aromas as one opens the tin. Sometimes, I get a slight vinegar at the initial opening but not always. The tobacco takes to the flame well and is not too moist. At once one enjoys that mouth-watering response to the malty-sour latakia while the Virginias provide sweet undertones that capture the attention of the smoker throughout the entire bowl. This blend burns well to a light, fluffy grey ash in the heel of the bowl with little or no relights.

I love this blend! It is a great medium-bodied English smoke that serves best as an all-day tobacco for the experienced latakia lover; although it may be a little light for evening contemplation. This blend will also serve well for a new English smoker looking to try a latakia treat.

Rating: 4.5 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: McClelland Premium Aromatic "Easy Street"

I remember when the first McClelland Premium Aromatics rolled onto the retail market. To me, they seemed a little too similar to the (now defunct) Nording Huntsman series (even the packaging was similar). Still, the Easy Street came about as a later edition to the series.

Manufacturer's Description:

Cool as the coolest jazz, soft as velvet nights, rich and creamy. A whisper of English Walnut perfects this elegant Black Cavendish. MSRP: $8.50 50gm tin.

Review
One can certainly smell the walnut as the tin opens to a dark, black, irregular cavendish cut. Due to the heavy casing, the leaf is oily though not particularly moist. I chose to pack it a little looser than normal (as I do with all black cavendish smokes) and I had no difficulty getting it to light. To my pallet, the flavor is sweet with an essence of walnut - especially the slightly bitter outer cover of the nut. The ash is gray, fine, and heavy and this blend buns well to the bottom of the heel. Although each pipe-full tended to get hot about halfway through the bowl, over all it is a smooth, sweeter smoke with distinct walnut and vanilla flavors.

This is a good, steady, richer black cavendish aromatic that is, perhaps, nothing too special. I was hoping for something like C&D Autumn Evening only with walnut (rather than maple) flavors. If you like Lane BCA, then you should give it a try.

Rating: 3 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob

Tobacco Review: McClelland Navy Cavendish

Over the years, I have grown to respect Mike and Mary (the owners of McClelland) and I have enjoyed their blends. When I was a tobacconist at Just For Him, they were very kind to me and would spend a lot of time with me describing their blends and discussing the gossip de jour in the tobacco world. I love Arcadia and still think that the now defunct X-40 was one of the best burley flakes I have ever smoked.

Manufacturer's Description of Navy Cavendish

With this tobacco, we reintroduce the smoker to the traditional Navy Cavendish aged naturally with dark Jamaican rum to enhance its sweetness and aroma. 50 gm or 100 gm SRP: $15.95 (100 gm)

Review:
When one opens the tin, one is confronted by a sweet rum aroma and sometimes the tell-tale ketchup smell of some McClelland Virginias. The tobacco is dark brown or black with lighter cuts mottled throughout the broken flakes. I do not rub-out my flakes so I clump the pieces together and slide them into the chamber. One certainly experiences a rum sweetness upon the initial light that does fade over time. As the bowl proceeds, one gets more of the Virginia sweetness with an accompanying spice that is also pleasant. The room note is sweeter than a pure Virginia alone as the tobacco burns into a medium gray loose ash. Even with the loose ash, I only had to relight once near the heel of the smoke.

I have smoked several tins of Navy Cavendish and unfortunately this blend seems to change from tin to tin. Some have an inexplicable 'ketchup' smell and others do not. Still, it is a regular in my rotation and overall I continue to enjoy it.

Rating: 3.5 Puffs out of 5

-Safari Bob