McClelland Royal Cajun Series

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Dutch

Dutch

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Any of the brothers or sisters tried this series from McClelland? I noticed that it has been around almost 10 years now, but after a search, I couldn't find any discussion concerning it here on BoB.

I was expecting a Perique laced blend, but was intrigued to find that the "Cajun" reference was to Cajun Black which is a derivative of Virginia. Grown in Kentucky, stalk cut and hung over slow smoking hardwood slabs using a 5 step process, that encompasses 2 or 3 weeks. Then it is Perique style pressed and fermented in oak barrels.

So have any of the three in this series found a place in your regular rotation? I am intrigued by the descriptions of these three blends, especially considering that McClelland has more space in my cellar than most of the other companies put together.
 
On one of my insane TAD runs I grabbed all three, based on a tin Juanmedusa sent me, "Ebony"


It is my favorite of the three in the series, but the others are good too... I was interested in the "Periquing" of the VA's.

Sorry, mad scientist/wizard out here, gonna try that.

Anyway, yah, the Dark, and Special are fine, just kind of light (like, lite)... To me...
 
One man's trash blah blah blah....

I didn't like any of the series at all.. A month or so after it came out I actually sent half a tin to Carlos to see what he thought because I wasn't sure if it was a bad tin or something. Lol.
 
A friend gifted me with a tin of the Ebony last November. I remember liking the tin note and just about everything else but I found the Perique a little to peppery for my taste. I like my Perique in small doses and leaning toward the sweet side. Had it not been for the Perique this would have been a great blend. As it stands it is a good blend that I'd give 3 out of 4 stars. :)

AJ
 
I bought a couple tins of Cajun Special back in 09. Found it pretty light in the flavor department, but maybe I was looking for more of what the hype promised. Not a bad smoke, but not a standout for me. I stored the second tin.
The others I haven't tried.
 
I was at a B&M near my home town and found a very well aged tin of the Ebony. I thought it was good but not great.

The flavor was reminiscent of one of their more sturdy stoved VA blends with a bit more in the way of spice.
 
That sounds really intriguing. The Gawiths use fire-cured VA leaf in a lot of their blends, but I don't think it is fermented a la Perique. Does anyone know how Perique is usually cured prior to fermentation?
 
Thomas Tkach":oz9kuw4k said:
That sounds really intriguing. The Gawiths use fire-cured VA leaf in a lot of their blends, but I don't think it is fermented a la Perique. Does anyone know how Perique is usually cured prior to fermentation?
Click to expand...
The ORIGINAL St. James Perique is merely air dried . Here's how it's described on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perique

and here's an article  from  Pipes Magazine:

http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/the-mystique-of-perique/

Google is our friend !! :twisted: :twisted:
 
Like Ozark I enjoy the Ebony the best. While not in my regular rotation I like to keep a couple tins in my cellar for a change up. Here's the insert that came with one of my tins.
Scan.jpg
 
I believe I tried the Ebony, 5 or 6 years ago.

Different, enjoyable. But a bit too hard for me to manage (i.e. requiring patience) in both dring, preparation, lighting up and smoking (too many relights).

I did not buy again.
 
Thanks for your thoughts on the series guys. I suppose I will give these 3 a try in a new cob.

Who knows, with the variety of differences in smokers palate's, one or more just might fall into my regular rotation.
 
Been smoking the "special" version and I got to say that I quite like it. It's niche for me but I like it. I wouldn't have it as my one daily bowl but as a non biting mellow smoke before or after another bowl it's quite nice. I like the flavor though it's mild on the tongue. I get more through the nose or at the back of the throat when clenching. It's not as monumental as one might hope based on the novelty of leaf and process but if you put that out of mind it smokes great. All that said, I don't normally have sequential pipes quickly so the niche this is filling for me probably won't warrant repeat purchase. But if I do come into it again I'll know what to do. Smoke it.

Ps, the Ebony seems to stand out a bit listening to you guys. Perhaps that will be my next go.
 
Had a bowl of this yesterday and mixed in a little 5 Brothers because I didn't have much time. I knew it wasn't going to be the most harmonious blend but I wanted to kick the strength up a bit. What's shocking was that it was as if I was smoking 5b with a pinch of Cajun instead of the other way around. The burley flavor completely dominated and let me know just how mild the Cajun is. A bit unexpected really.
 
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