This No.22 was part of the “Matured Virginias” collection. The matured five, all together with the five “Oriental”, were the very first blends manufactured by the company. They are diverse North Carolina -middle and eastern belt- selected grades, the same stuff that made McClelland famous and as the legend tells, where tobacco was first flue-cured in 1838. The term “matured” points to a cured leaf, pressed and heated to age and shape as a cake, cut into slices and irregularly broken.
This tin was marked in 2012 so the scents and flavors have melted over time. But each type comes pristine: sweetness of fresh and matured fruit, caramelized sugar, resin, baked dough; very close, sourness like curd, ferments, smokiness, ancient vinegars, peat and grass; also, the right amount of bitterness as pure chocolate, grapefruit or the leaf of the tea; and lastly, spiciness recalling pepper or ginger and why not, cayenne or chipotle.
As the ember do its job it loses a little bit of freshness but never disappear its character and, of course, never gets harsh. At the end, the bright grey ash appears more or less clean, but it is more me losing the focus on my puffing than any lack on the properties of the tobacco itself. I tasted it with any kind of pipe shapes and bowl capacities and the weed never disappointed.
So, the conclusion is that this tobacco is ranging the excellence: complex, subtle, full of nuances. It has only just one flaw: no longer in production. But there is no reason for self-pity or nostalgia: we can still enjoy many other amazing Virginias as BBF. No.22 is more like a classic building drawn with clean lines, clear perspectives, BBF is different: whoever imagined it didn't care about blind spots or impossible angles, he wanted us to walk around and get the whole picture.
Appendix: (three interesting links about McClelland Tobacco Company)
- Mary McNeil about the history of the company (sorry didn't find the original): https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/…lelland.539985/
- Mary McNeil, Seleting Pipe Tobacco: https://web.archive.org/web/2012011113…697/feature.htm
- Chuck Stanyon, For love of the leaf: https://sopipes.com/index.php?title=For_love_of_the_leaf
Gruß!
Louis
