McClelland Oriental Mixture No. 14

Distinguished without distinction. Not having a wide experience with English I can't say this was one of my favorites. Still, I enjoyed it and would consider keeping a small tin foe rotation.

McClelland has a fine reputation for producing quality pipe tobacco, and in short I would call Oriental No. 14 a sophisticated blend that requires careful tending to appreciate and enjoy. Straight out of the tin, it was a bit too tangy for me. After 48 hours with the lid ajar, stirring the mixture every 12 hours (humidity in my home is about 55%) it improved to my taste. I describe this tobacco as dark and chunky, with varying lengths of cut and some apparent broken flake. I prefer to rub this in a ball between my hands to soften and loosen it a bit before packing. There are fine flavors and aromas with this tobacco that you will just need to experience. I don't think my subjective preferences will help. I've pretty well grown up in my ability to keep a pipe lit, but this one, much as I have experienced with other McClelland blends, requires close attention to keep lit without constant relights and without over puffing. I found this gave me only a little tongue irritation, only very little. I would recommend this for someone who wants to learn to improve their pipe smoking skills. Of course, Pipes and Cigars provided outstanding service and delivery.