Sunday, May 17, 2020

REVISITING KANSAS CITY

A number of the McClelland tobaccos still have avid fans, despite the company shutting it's doors over two years ago. Not surprisingly, the Frog Morton range continue to excite the minds and fevered glands of Hobbits.
I shan't say anything negative about them and that; the world apparently needs Hobbits, damn their perverted souls, and they make good filler for compost heaps. Them and their hairy legs.
Nope. Nothing negative.
Disgusting freaks.
Sod them.

Virginia No. 24, Saint James Woods, and Dominican Glory (containing cigar leaf) also have adherents. As well as the old 5100, which many smokers sorely miss.

By far the sanest people, and unfortunately a distinct minority, are the people who liked Wilderness, Legends, and Syrian Three Oaks. I myself love all three, but was especially fond of Syrian Three Oaks. Of which thanks heavens I still have a few months worth.

A fairly complete listing: HERE


MCCLELLANDS

McClelland Virginia No. 24
Deep chestnut Virginias pressed with a smidgeon of Turkish leaf. Rather subtle, and rather good. Woodsy, hay, herbals, and wild things.
A very decent tobacco, which I remember fondly.
Quite a nice product.

Saint James Woods
A rich and satisfying smoke, composed of a fair amount of black and red. Nicely mottled. What makes it sing is the addition of Perique.
The word that comes to mind is 'creamy'.
Rather good.

Dominican Glory
Cigar leaf pressed with Virginia and matured. Floral, vegetative, variegated ribbon cut. The addition of cigar leaf may have been a somewhat pointless exercise, as such tobacco fades in intensity with only very little age in the blend; after one or two years it is hardly noticeable, other than a dry mouth feel in the smoke. Still, this is a fun tobacco and I wish I had stockpiled a few dozen tins of it before the end.
Very decent.

No.5100 Red Cake
A fruity mild Virginia that had an appeal to older smokers. Not as sweet as some Virginias, more depth than most. This was a "house blend" at many tobacconists. One of the people locally who misses it enormously is the biggest penny-pinching cheap bastard in modern specialty medicine, whom I haven't seen since early 2018 when he was panicking, his world had come to an end, what to do, what to do?



THREE "GUEST" BLENDS FOR MCCLELLANDS
The following products were manufactured by MCC, but not invented by them. And some of the leaf they used had to be purchased from other manufacturers. All three mixtures were masterpieces.

Legends
Medium English, exceptional.
A desert island tobacco.
Blend by Fred Hanna.

Syrian Three Oaks
English-Balkan, medium-full, truly extraordinary.
One of my all-time favourites.
Blend byTad Gage.

Wilderness
Medium English, veering slightly toward mild. A stellar blend.
Complexity, subtlety, and depth.
Blend by Fred Hanna.



In addition to once again emphasizing that every one of the Frog Morton blends appealed to callow youths and peasants who read "The Lord Of The Rings", or all seven books in the Harry Potter trilogy, about whom nothing bad can be said, I should mention ONE other McClelland tobacco:

Honeydew (McClelland’s 221B Series)
A subtly sweet, fragrant flake tobacco in the Irish tradition

"The sweet, fragrant Honeydew was all gone by the time Susan Cushing offered the container to Sherlock Holmes, but he was undoubtedly familiar with this fine Irish flake’s gratifying flavor, pleasing aroma and gentleness on the palate."


Despite my better nature, I am fond of this bizarre product. Along with others in the 221B range, based more or less on the drecky novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It's a tobacco for Hello Kitty and manga heroines.
But remarkably well made and actually quite smokeable.
With a topping that doesn't dominate.
Quality Virginias.


I tried to inveigle the boys of the local pipe club into smoking this once, but they just looked at me funny and backed away. Chickens.




TOBACCO INDEX


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