Trial by Fire
Fall 2007
Trial by Fire: PCCA
Tad Gage and Joe Harb
The Pipe Collectors Club of America (PCCA) blends reviewed below are
available through www.pipeguy.net, Robert C. Hamlin, PCCA, P.O. Box 5179,
Woodbridge, VA 22194-5179; telephone: 703.795.3664 (recorder only).
When P&T told us that we had the delectable assignment of trying the newly
released yet classic blends from the PCCA, I teetered on the brink of ecstatic.
The reason, I’m almost embarrassed to say, is that I missed out on these blends
the first time they were introduced by the PCCA’s Bob Hamlin, and by the time I
got around to paying them serious attention, poof! They were gone.
Normally this would be cause enough for regret. However, over the years I’ve had
to endure the conversation of friends who stockpiled tins of these blends. OK,
it would be exaggerating to call it sheer agony, but listening to the updates of
how beautifully the blends were aging and how wonderful they were even right out
of the tin was a little painful. They’re very difficult to find, which speaks
volumes about how reluctant people are to part with these tins.
When these blends were originally available, I managed to have a few bowls of
each—just enough to know my friends weren’t using the opportunity to yank my
chain about missing out. So imagine my delight when P&T said that it not only
had the new blends but also had aged samples of the original blends, which it
was sending along for comparison with the newly released product.
Before I launch into the products, let me get the overview out of the way. The
new blends are identical to the old, with the same labels and packaging, and all
are blended for the PCCA by McClelland. When I talk about how well the older
blends have aged, keep in mind that the new blends employ leaf that has been
aged for several years before tinning, and then aged at least another year in
its tins before release. So anything you buy today is no youngster that just
fell off the tobacco stalk. And of course, these blends are pure tobacco,
containing no aromatic flavorings.
Because McClelland has for two decades date-stamped each tin of tobacco it
produces, it’s easy to tell the year a product was tinned. Based on popular
opinion, and on my vague memory of the original blends, Hamlin and the new line
of PCCA tobaccos hits a home run yet again. Let’s see how the new iterations
fare and how they compare with their aged brethren. —Tad Gage
Aurora
Gage: This a sensual treat before ever packing or lighting your pipe. It’s a
mottled gold and brown medium-cut ribbon. You’ll find the occasional small chunk
of pressed Virginia flake. The medium ribbon-cut mixture makes for easy packing
using any number of techniques. The aroma of Aurora definitely carries the
raspberry barbecue tang typical of the dark-stoved Virginia tobaccos perfected
by McClelland.
One of my favorite tobaccos is Blackwoods Flake, a McClelland blend consisting
of only dark-stoved Virginia, crushed under pressure into intense blocks, then
sliced. I preface my next observation with this comment because you should
understand just how much I love this tangy-
tasting product. Aurora incorporates some lighter yet fully aged Virginias into
this mixture, which softens some of the tang and makes for a very complex aroma
and flavor. There are subtle undertones of vanilla, nutmeg and a hint of
cinnamon—if you can pause long enough to really inhale the aroma before rushing
to find a pipe to fill. Aurora is a great way to go if you find the dark-stoved
flakes simply too intense.
The mixture is perfectly humidified right out of the tin—no drying needed unless
you like very dry tobacco. I wouldn’t recommend drying it out, however, because
the sample I treated this way burned too hot, and much of the sweet, subtle
flavor was lost. You must sip and savor this tobacco. Don’t rush through it or
you’ll really miss something.
I’ve been told by several tobacco devotees whose opinions I truly respect that
Aurora is one of the finest Virginia blends they’ve ever smoked. Fresh from the
newly minted tin, I can’t argue with the assessment. How is this stuff going to
age? Well, my job just got easier, because I have some 1994 Aurora to check out.
This is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.
I’ll tell you, there is a definite bite to the sinuses when lighting up the old
stuff. I won’t spend your time telling you about the wonderful, barbecue-sauce
nose. Nor will I bore you with details about how the entire blend has darkened
to a more even deep brown, reflecting the marrying of the tobaccos.
Once you get past the initial “shazaam” of the first light, the tobacco settles
down to a mellow Virginia rhapsody that is nothing short of amazing. Aging
definitely blends the flavors, but let me tell you, smoking the new Aurora right
out of the tin is just as spectacular as smoking the 13-year-old stuff.
Take that as good news, friends. You can buy the new Aurora with reckless
abandon and enjoy the same exquisite taste experience right away. The room aroma
of both samples, by the way, earns major kudos. My room aroma consultant (Cyndi,
my wife) said it smells like fresh-baked cinnamon buns. That’s an encouraging
comment for those who are trying to sneak a smoke in the house. The room aroma
is described as being as pleasing as Captain Black, only way better. And the
aroma dissipates quickly—another plus for those with less tolerant significant
others. The same holds true for the new Aurora—party bonus.
Bottom line: this is a tobacco that will change with age, but it is so good out
of the can that you shouldn’t deprive yourself. Buy it and smoke it right now.
Harb: Matured red Virginias are combined with black-stoved lemon Virginias in
Aurora to give a richly sweet, mellow and naturally aromatic blend. It is
presented as a fine cut of thin ribbons, with the darker tobaccos more prominent
than the mahogany-brown leaf. The aroma in the tin is sweet and mellow with a
toasted fruitiness. The moisture level is suitable for immediate packing, or it
can be dried a bit if desired. At the match, the smoke is sweet and velvet
smooth, with a moderate flavor level. Once stoked, a nice tangy spiciness
develops. This is an excellent blend to introduce the richness and smoothness of
the red Virginias to the new pipe smoker, and the stoved Virginias add a depth
of flavor that matches very well with the red Virginia and gives the blend good
balance. Along with the current production, I had a tin of Aurora for comparison
that has aged since 1994. The tobaccos were noticeably darker in tone, with an
earthy aroma underneath the fruitiness of the tobacco. During the charring
light, this sample was not as sweet as the current production, but the flavor
level was a notch deeper with the added maturing of the red Virginias, and there
was more spiciness to the smoke. The sweetness and fruitiness, reminiscent of
stewed plums, emerged once there were sufficient numbers of embers going, and
the blend smoked very smoothly. I enjoyed this blend in the past and am pleased
to have it back. I prefer it when newly tinned, but you can’t go wrong having
some of this tobacco in a well-stocked cellar for the special maturing it goes
through with age.
Beacon
Gage: Large, chunky slices of dark, matured Virginia slices characterize this
blend’s visual appearance. The nose is very fruity, indicating the unmistakable
presence of stoved Virginia. The fruit and balsamic vinegar aroma, however,
isn’t as assertive as with some blends created by McClelland.
Being a very dense sliced tobacco, the PCCA’s Beacon is somewhat more moist and
tougher to light than the other PCCA mixtures. There are broken bits and strips,
which aid lighting, but the whole slices predominate. Those who like to pack
their slices directly into the pipe without any rubbing out at all are invited
to do so. This technique does offer the pleasure of hitting specific flavor
pockets, adding to the complexity of the smoke.
I found, however, that I like this tobacco best when I completely and thoroughly
rubbed it out, without leaving any bits or chunks. I thought it burned smoother
and easier this way. You could allow this tobacco to dry a bit, but you have to
monitor it carefully because it can turn dry quickly depending on external
humidity levels. My experience was that fully rubbing it out made drying
unnecessary.
As a smoke, I could only call it pure pleasure. The flecks of lighter flue-cured
Virginia add a noticeable lemony tenor and some raw sugar sweetness. Its
relatively minimal presence, however, didn’t generate the heat and tongue burn
associated with flue-cured leaf. There isn’t as much fruit or berry taste in the
smoking as the aroma hints. Instead, it offers up rich, deep flavors of
chocolate and molasses owing to the stoved leaf.
Here’s a preview of how it will age, based on my 2001 sample. The same fruity
aroma dominates the in-tin nose with the same interesting mix of broken slices
and some ribbony pieces. The bright flue-cured Virginias darkened as the
tobaccos married, so the coloring of the mix is much more uniform.
As for smoking, the blend has also taken on a more uniform character. Gone is
the brightness of the lighter Virginia tobaccos. It is not nearly as sweet, and
I missed that sugary character. There are undertones of a cuminlike spice and a
leathery quality sensed in your sinuses. Although this highly aged version is
rich and delicious, I missed the variety of bright and deep flavors in the newly
issued Beacon. While you can certainly cellar this blend with great success, I’d
recommend that you try the new Beacon right out of the tin. If you like it, you
shouldn’t be shy about adding it to your regular rotation right away.
Harb: The matured Virginia used in this blend is first aged for an extended
period then spiced with Louisiana Perique and presented in a partially broken
flake. The aroma emanating from the freshly opened tin was slightly tart and
sweet, with the mellow fruity aroma of quality matured and aged Virginia
tobacco. The flakes are composed of Bright Virginia, light tan and
mahogany-colored Virginia, and aged brown Virginia. After rubbing out, I
detected a faint underlying hint of the aroma of hay. That is not a bad thing,
as it is the type of blend I like to smoke in a meerschaum pipe. Still, I first
tried it in a briar. The flavors that emerged in the first puffs were the
sweetness and mild tartness of the matured Virginia. The smoke was rich, mellow
and smooth at the start. The Perique soon added a light tingle of pepper spice
on the tongue. As I progressed down the bowl, the Perique added more spiciness
and depth to the Virginias. The component tobaccos in this blend are very well
balanced and work very nicely together. In a meerschaum pipe, packed very
loosely, the Perique in the blend added a bit more spiciness but still stayed in
the background of the sweet and rich Virginias and didn’t disappoint.
Virginia/Perique blends come in a wide variety of styles, but this is one of the
most balanced blends I’ve enjoyed in a while. Six years of aging makes this
already fine blend even more exceptional. After this period, the aroma of hay
was barely noticeable under the more mellow Virginias, but I still went right to
a meerschaum for the first taste. The aging also made the Virginias a distinctly
darker brown color, and the smoke was even more mellow, smooth and rich in plum
pudding flavor. Even the Perique was more in focus throughout the bowl. The
PCCA’s Beacon deserves a trial and stands a good chance of making its way into
your cellar if you can hold off and let some of it age. Try hard to let it get
at least four years of age, even though six years may be even better.
Calumet
Gage: This tribute to America’s first pipe puffers is, as described, soothing.
If you didn’t know, a Calumet was the name given by the French to the “peace
pipes” smoked by Native Americans. The PCCA doesn’t offer much description of
the contents other than Latakia, which is most certainly present. The nose and a
visual inspection says there’s a whole lot more. I’ll wager there is a bit of
mildly flue-cured Virginia, a bit of fruity stoved Virginia and more than a dash
of Oriental leaf.
Calumet is a very “soft” blend, with loads of subtleties that remind me a bit of
McClelland’s limited-edition Rose of Latakia. The presence of Latakia is
apparent, but I certainly couldn’t call it a powerful Latakia blend. The wide
ribbon cut packs easily and burns evenly to the proverbial white ash. It’s
ridiculously easy to puff, owing to the tobaccos, the medium cut and the fact
that the tobacco is slightly dry right out of the tin. Since you don’t have to
work hard to keep it lit, the element of relaxation and ease is enhanced.
When smoked, it’s nothing but smooth pleasure. This is probably one of the best
heavy Latakia blends McClelland has ever produced (I know, I know, there’s Frog
Morton and so many more). What I particularly enjoyed with this mixture is how
free of heat and tongue bite it was. Of course, Latakia is notoriously cool, but
even so, some heavy blends still require careful puffing. I stoked up this blend
to a ferocious heat level, as I always do when sampling baccy, to approximate
the absolute worst of hard puffing and wind outdoors. I could not make this
overheat or burn my tongue (and you thought being a tobacco reviewer was easy!).
So for all you Latakia lovers who have to take it outside for any numbers of
reasons, this hearty blend should treat you right even if a tornado is swirling
a hundred yards away.
Harb: The tin aroma of this Latakia blend is sweet, with a pungent tartness and
faint smokiness. The composition is mostly dark tobaccos with medium-brown
ribbons cut fine but thicker than a shag. Once lit, the character was of a
sweet, spicy, medium-flavored Oriental blend with the Latakia in the background.
I tried this blend in small- to large-bowl pipes to try to discern the Latakia
more, but I only noted a spiciness on the tongue and palate, with very little of
the characteristic flavor of Latakia in each of them. With two years of aging in
the tin before release, Calumet smoked smooth and cool as described and is a
good blend for gentle and peaceful puffing in the evening. Smokers expecting
more Latakia character may be disappointed, but there are plenty of other blends
to sate their Latakia demands, and Calumet should attract those who want an
Oriental blend spiced with, but not dominated by, Latakia.
Cyprian Star
Gage: Stop the presses. Or start them, as the case may be. This pressed and
sliced ribbony flake is simply sweet and delicious. It is a very heavy Latakia
blend, as evidenced by the initial aroma. Not overwhelming, but redolent with
Latakia, balanced by sweet Virginia that is not a powerful balsamic scent of
stoved flake but rather a light resonance that reminds me of bing cherry
preserves.
The blend delivers a lot of Latakia punch, but its soft and fruity character
really reminds me of the plumlike Syrian Latakia blends of the past that I have
greatly enjoyed. This is a tobacco you can smoke until the cows come home and
then some. It burns evenly down to a light ash and leaves no residual aroma in
the bowl. So if you aren’t too fussy about dedicating certain types of tobacco
blends to specific pipes, and you’re a bit reluctant to smoke Virginia tobaccos
in the same pipe as a Latakia blend, this is a great choice. If you like
meerschaum pipes, this is a particularly good choice because the neutrality of
the meerschaum lets all the complexity of this tobacco come through.
As much as I love Latakia, I find Cyprian Latakia to be generally a bit harsh
and dry on the palate. I believe I like other Latakia blends from this PCCA line
a bit better, but you may have a different opinion. I recently struck up a
dialogue with a longtime Balkan smoker who has been very disappointed with
several new Balkan blends he has tried and is about ready to give up the pipe as
a result. This is a blend I will recommend to him, with the guarantee that he
will find all the great character of the old blends he loved so well.
Harb: After developing a taste for Latakia a few years ago, I had an itch to try
all levels of English blends, but after a while the itch to explore this type
began to ebb as I focused on other types I preferred more. Cyprian Star was one
of those blends I just never got around to trying during that period, and after
trying it for review here, I regret not exploring this blend earlier. This is a
blend that features matured orange, lemon and red Virginias that are stoved with
Latakia. The PCCA says this is a “can’t be done blend, because you can’t stove
Latakia without getting mold.” They prove this wrong with Cyprian Star.
The aroma in the tin has an acrid tang of matured Virginias with a citrus note
and a smoky note, with depth added by the matured red Virginia. The majority of
the blend is dark brown to black small chunks interspersed with mahogany-colored
thin ribbons. Once stoked, the Latakia gives the blend a spicy flavoring just
above the background of the Virginias. It is smooth and well balanced, with a
light flavor level at the start. Toward mid-bowl, the Latakia character becomes
more prominent but does not dominate the Virginias, even at the end. Don’t smoke
this one too hard expecting flavor that is not there just because it contains
Latakia. Smokers looking for a light English blend with the richness of matured
Virginias will want to have Cyprian Star in their rotation, with backup in the
cellar.
Dulcet
Gage: A complex and slightly fruity, lemony aroma greets your nose when you open
Dulcet. There is a bit of the balsamic vinegar aroma of McClelland’s stoved
Virginia tobacco, but it is not nearly as powerful as in other blends with more
stoved Virginia. If you’re not fond of some of the powerfully fruity McClelland
stoved Virginia blends, Dulcet offers the chance to enjoy this resonance in an
understated way.
It has the perfect moisture content right out of the tin—almost slightly dry and
certainly drier than the intensely pressed flakes. Unless you like your tobacco
bone dry, keep this mixture tightly covered and consume only small amounts at a
time. The ribbon cut doesn’t stay moist for long.
You can taste the bright lemony tang of the flue-cured Virginias contrasting
quite markedly with the deeper flavors of the stoved Virginia tobacco and what
looks and tastes like some really fine reddish-gold Maryland leaf (although not
mentioned by the maker). Because it’s a relatively fine-cut ribbon, it is best
suited to some of your smaller (Dunhill Group 5 or less) pipes. It burns too
quickly in a very large bowl. If you only smoke huge pipes, this mixture
probably won’t work well for you. The good news is it’s a power-packed,
flavorful smoke if you want to enjoy a quickie in a smaller bowl.
If there is a tobacco you want to purchase and cellar for future consumption,
this is it. There is a slight sharpness and bite that was present throughout the
smoke of the newly tinned product. An earthy dryness—a bit like a really good
pressed and heat-cured Burley (like Orlik’s Dark Ken-
tucky Slices)—was a trifle overpowering. Let me tell you: give this mixture
about three years to age, and you’ll have something entirely ethereal.
Here’s what you have to look forward to: The dramatic colors present in the new
Dulcet have disappeared in the 1992 tinning. You don’t even need to smoke the
blend to know how much marrying of the tobacco has occurred—you can simply
observe. Gone are the flecks of bright leaf, and the golden-brown ribbons have
turned to deep brown, nearly matching the coloring of the dark-stoved Virginia
ribbon-cut flake. Gone is any fruity aroma, replaced by a soft but complex aroma
that, oddly enough, hints at Perique. You’ll have to work hard to identify any
individual flavors—the tobacco has settled into an even and delectable mixture
with few highs and lows. The changes caused by cellaring this tobacco are some
of the most dramatic I’ve ever encountered in any blend.
It’s amazing how much this tobacco changed, even in a vacuum-sealed tin.
Removing your new Dulcet to a tightly closed but non-vacuum-sealed Ball jar
(allowing the tobacco and the various aerobic and anaerobic organisms to do
their thing) may accelerate the process that occurred in this 1992 blend.
Aging has given this mixture a very different character than new Dulcet, because
the bright and deep tones are gone. A bit of patience rewards you with something
reminiscent of the changes that take place in a fine red wine. Old Dulcet is
slightly dusky, tasting of mellow maturity. Buy a tin to smoke and a bunch of
tins to cellar. As a wine critic might say, “Enjoy it now, but it should turn
into a powerhouse over the next decade.” What a treat to have an instant preview
of what this new blend will become.
Harb: Dulcet is a mixture of stoved Virginia, Bright Virginia and matured
Eastern Belt Virginia. The dark-stoved Virginia is the most noticeable aroma in
the tin, combined with a sweet fruitiness from the matured leaf. The blend is
composed of thin, short ribbons of Bright Virginia and matured mahogany-colored
leaf interspersed within very fine shag and small chunks of black leaf. It
packed well in a medium-sized bowl but should also pack nicely in a smaller
bowl. The first wisps were sweet and very mellow, with the flavor of the stoved
Virginia developing over a citrus note. This is a blend that is light in flavor,
with good depth coming from the stoved leaf, and the flavor built during the
bowl. A gentle, slow sip of the smoke is advised to allow the flavor of each of
the component tobaccos to come through.
A sample of this blend that had aged in the tin since 1992 had an earthy aroma,
with more from the stoved tobacco than the 2006 issue, and a faint hint of
fermentation. The first wisps from this sample had a fruity note and more
richness and depth, and it was overall smoother, sweeter and more mellow than
the recent issue. As I progressed through the bowl, the flavors developed better
and were more robust (but still light) than with the current issue. This blend
is a must try, either newly tinned, aged a few years or both.
Jubilee
Gage: A visual feast of tobaccos ranging from pitch-black Perique and Latakia to
the bright gold and smooth tan of Oriental and aged Virginia leaf, Jubilee’s tin
aroma straddles the line between a full-bodied British blend and something
softer. You can definitely see and smell the Turkish, but it isn’t as powerfully
pungent as blends that incorporate more Turkish leaf. The Latakia is obviously a
component but has been used discreetly.
This is not a powerhouse British blend. The Latakia quietly suggests its
presence but never asserts itself. I love Latakia but find myself increasingly
drawn to blends that don’t taste like they backed up the Latakia dump truck just
before blending the mixture. It’s said that one’s palate becomes less sensitive
as we grow older. Thankfully, so far mine seems to be going the opposite
direction. I seek out pipe tobacco mixtures that make you come halfway to them,
rather than launching a full frontal assault with one particular type of leaf.
In smoking this easy-to-light medium-cut mixture, the Latakia was more
pronounced than the initial visual or olfactory inspection would lead you to
believe. I’m pleased that Jubilee doesn’t contain a speck more Latakia, because
you can still taste the hint of peppery Perique and the smooth Turkish. More
Latakia would probably overpower these subtle condiments. The matured Virginia
tobaccos add sweetness and balance yet aren’t pronounced. They’re content to
remain in the background.
Jubilee is even better in the retinning than it was originally. I hope Mike
McNeil of McClelland would agree with me that the reason is because McClelland
has, in the ensuing years, obtained some very fine sources for Turkish leaf.
Those sources aren’t very consistent, and the company has been wise enough to
purchase sufficient quantities for years of tinning. It also doesn’t hurt to
have this fine leaf sitting around aging while it waits to be entombed in a tin.
This blend incorporates some of the most subtle-tasting Oriental leaf pipe
smokers have been privileged to enjoy since perhaps the early 1970s.
Harb: The PCCA describes Jubilee as a complex mix of bright, high-sugar Virginia
tobacco with matured aged Virginia, rare Orientals and a touch of Perique and
Latakia. The blend is composed of mostly medium-tan ribbons, scattered light-
and mahogany-brown ribbons and flecks of black tobacco. The moisture content in
the tin is not overly moist or too dry, and the aroma is sweet, with a smokiness
and pungency from the Orientals. The first wisps from the charring light were
sweet, with a slight harshness on the palate that smoothed quickly. Once the
bowl was fully lit, the Orientals added a prominent spiciness to the sweetness
of the Virginias. I think the Latakia and Perique contributed to the complexity
and depth of the blend without adding prominently to the overall flavor. In a
meerschaum pipe, the blend was primarily sweet, with a spicy kick. In a
larger-bowled pipe with thick walls, the blend started off sweet and settled
into a medium English blend, with the Cavendish holding the Orientals down but
succumbing to the Latakia toward the end. I think some smokers will want to
smoke this blend in several different types and sizes of pipes and enjoy the
variations that may be revealed.
Winter 2006-2007
Gage: This Latakia-laden mixture of medium-cut ribbon is smooth and rich, with a
generous amount of varietal Macedonian (Oriental) leaf. If there is any Virginia
in the blend, its presence is minimal. Like many classic British blends, there
is very little sweetness in this dry, earthy smoke. It burns easily and smokes
very cool, so it’s an excellent choice if you want a big bowl and don’t want to
nurse it to avoid tongue burn.
The quality of the Latakia is very high—definitely Cyprian rather than the
fruitier Syrian, but without the bitterness you find with some blends
incorporating Cyprian Latakia. Over-
all, the mixture reflects careful aging, so it’s ready to smoke the moment you
purchase it. Being a new blend, I had no older sample with which to compare it,
but I imagine this will age nicely. I’m not sure it will change a great deal,
but if anything, it will probably mellow even more. That’s almost not fair to
say, because it’s already mellow and needs no further aging. It’s a bit
reminiscent of the long-discontinued Balkan Sobranie No. 759, although somewhat
lighter. It’s a great blend with a variety of fine Oriental leaf seldom found
these days.
Harb: This blend is described as a gentle blend of Macedonian leaf, Syrian
Latakia, matured Virginia, and a hint of Perique. The tin aroma is smoky and
pungent, with a sweetness below the stronger aromas. The composition was a mix
of medium-brown and black nuggets, with the black leaf predominating. The
tobacco in the tin was more moist than I like, so I set some out to dry a bit,
then loaded the first sampling in a medium-sized bowl. At the match, the smoke
was lightly smoky and smooth, but there wasn’t as much sweetness from the
Virginias or the Macedonian components as I expected. The flavors continued to
develop toward the middle of the bowl, with a deep flavor that lingered on the
tongue. In a meerschaum, the Oriental leaf was brighter and zesty and mixed well
with the Syrian Latakia. Overall, I would classify this blend as a soft, smooth
English/Balkan with a medium flavor level and a complexity contributed mostly by
the Latakia, with depth added by the Oriental leaf, and with the Virginia in the
background. The Perique was only a hint, helping to spice the blend but not
standing out. It is a gentle and smooth blend, but flavor is not sacrificed. It
would be a good change of pace if you want some relief from those English blends
that feature the stronger flavor
Used with Permission © Copyright 2007 Pipe & Tobacco Magazine
