ironally rie sakla) mix MID-OCTOBER 1993 PERSONAL RESERVE Since 1989 Levin Pipes has been supplying one of the world’s most premium & diverse lines of tobaccos, The Personal Reserve Series. In addition to this series, we have created over a dozen Limited Ale- serve tobaccos, including Sophisticate, Nocturne, Mountain Syrian La- takia, Old Havana, Extra Matured Virginia, and Extra Matured English. The response to our tobaccos has been so encouraging, we plan ‘on expanding our role in premium tobaccos, adding new permanent products as well as increasing the frequency of the Limited Reserve Series. We have been fortunate to be able to inventory reasonably large quantities of our tinned preducts, and as we come to the end of the year with its inevitable price & tax increase, we are able to offer our current inventories at present pricing levels prior to the 1994 increase. This is a great opportunity to stock your tobacco cellars, as quality tobacco will never be more available or less expensive than it is taday. And, of course, all of our tinned products age wonderfully over time, in- creasing the complexily, softening the smoke and adding this new & mysterious dimensions only time can produce. In this special offering, which expires on November 1, 1993, we have suspended all posiage & handling charges for orders of 8 cans or more. For those of you who have tried the products, its a great chance to Stock Up on your favorites. For those of you who haven't, what are you waiting for? We are including a copy of some of the reviews which have been done on The Personal Reserve Series to help you in your selections. 100 gram tines, $9.40 each, 50 gram tins $5.95 each Louin Pipes Iolernetional 1 Boor 503 Wit Hite Conpphary, VT 05000 CL ome (902) 580-2706 Fac: (802) 5 LARPRODUCT REVIEW McClelland Personal Reserve Tobaccos By Theodore Gage, and Michael Zicha Publisher, The Compleat Smoker Magazine (Dark Star & Bombay Extra) ‘Well, I haven't been smoking a pipe for 50 years, so when I judge a tobacco, | can't compare it to all the blends that are no longer available, or to the “old” versivns of classic blends, Perhaps it's just as well since | can make my judgements based on what's currently available and not what | remember from twenty years ago. There are some fine tobaccos out there, and in my opinion, some of the best English tobaccos now available are found in MoCielland's Personal Reserve series. No casing, no glycerine, no preservatives, just the subtle and complex taste of fine tobacco. Who could ask for more? I hope | don't offend anyone who likes cased or aromatic tobaccos.. but I really think English (uncased, unflavored) tobaccos are where it's al. These blends give you the chance to taste pure tobacco, which has so many subtle and complex flavors thal nothing else is necessary. Being an experimenter, I've tried all the Personal Reserve tobacco’s and find them consistently good and interesting. When | was presented with the opportunity to provide a review, | welcomed the chance to do my best. I love variety, so | smoke a lot of different blends and types of tobaccos. While | dont smoke Personal Reserve tobaccos exclusively, they have become a mainstay in my repertoire because they cover a lot of bases. | believe McClelland is one of the finest purveyors of bulk tobaccos around, and | use their tobaccos to make my ‘own heavy English blends. From my experience with the magazine, | know that McClelland prides itself on quality and consistency. The company is also persnikety about ensuring that the final blended tinned product has sufficient time to age and meld flavors before it's sold. Also appealing is the fact that these blends are distinctly different from any other blends in the reqular McClelland Line. Rather than mimic existing blends, the Personal Reserve Series presents blends that are, for the most part, unlike anything currently available on the market (not that I've tried every tinned and bulk blend out there, but | have tried many). The tins are attractive and the tight-fitting plastic lids do a good job of keeping the tobacco moist down to the last bowlful. This is particularly important to someone like me, who rotates between nine or ten different blends. ‘The Personal Reserve Series. In general 'd say the overall character of the blends in this series is dark, rich and complex. Whether Virginia or Oriental, the mixtures are generally dark in color and taste well-aged. They are not as “bright” as. Many mixtures, such as Dunhill's Early Moming or even Three Nuns. This is particulary true with the Virginia blends, which employ a lot of dark red and stoved bblack Virginia,One of the best Virginia mixtures |'ve ever tasted is Blackwoods Flake. I'l admit fight now that, given my druthers, | favor oriental (predominated by Turkish and Latakia). But when | feel like a Virginia based blend, the cake pressed Blackwood is my favorite. It comes as a flake, with the pressed slices still quite evident. | don't know why, but slices tum me on. | love the texture and the ability to rub them out as much or as little at | want. Because of the pressed cake quality, they stay moister than fine cut, ribbon or mixtures when carried around in a tobacco pouch. And when you smoke to the bottom of the bowl, as you should, you seldom get little pieces af tobacco in your mouth It's delightfully sweet, almost sugary taste comes from the red Virginia, and gains a dark color and slightly spicy character from the black stoved Virginia. The blend burns quite evenly and is remarkably bite tree for a Virginia even when smoked all day. But before you light up, inhale the intriguing fragrance right out of the tin. dont think it tastes or smokes as good as the flake. I'd recommend the flake over the ribbon. When you open a tin of St. James Woods, there's a distinct aroma | can only equate to that of balsamic vinegar, very pungent and pleasing. This cake cut mixture is dominated by the red and black stoved Virginia, but the peppy flavor of the Perique is definately present. When smoked there is a presence a bit like Cumin, the spice used frequently to enliven Mexican food. I! has a strong, but appealing aftertaste. St. James Woods has a much darker, more mystetious taste than Virginia-Perique mixtures like Three Nuns or MeBaren's Royal Twist, both of which | like very much. The tobacco tends to smoke “juicer” than most of the Personal Reserve blends. requiring a bjt more swabbing with the pipe cleaner to avoid acrid moisture. It has a little more tongue bite than Blackwoods. 'like the taste of Virginia, but I had to leam how to smoke Virginia blends without getting the “green queasies.. Although | have virtually overcome this problem, the heavy smoke of St. James ‘Woods occasionally overpowers me. But i's a great smoke and an ideal blend to add “spice” to a Virginia lovers inventory of regular blends. It also comes in a cut ribbon, Virginia Woods, the original Personal Reserve tobacco, is very sweet and ‘mellow Virginia blend with an intriguing combination of red and black stoved, plus some unusual leaves like wide bright and lemon. The lemon Virginia adds a particulary appealing a citrusy top note, very much like lemunt juice brightens many dishes, It Is almost bitetree, with a very clear flavor. It is probably the lightest and brightest of the Personal Reserve Virginia biends. Dark Star interested me greatly since I'm a regular Blackwoods Flake smoker. Dark Star is black (stoved) Virginia in a medium flake form. By its name one could correctly conclude that this is the darkest of the blends. Its aroma before smoking can be described as natural, mellow, subtle, and deep. it doesn't have that certain Sharpness that are characteristic of some other Virginia blends. Like other dark flake Virginia blends, it requires a bit more effort to rub-out, pack, and light. Dark Star is ‘another geod choice for the food processor method of preparing tobacco. What is surprising is how well it smokes once it's lil! It burs easily and evenly. Its taste is