pipes

Legendary Saxon Cigar Carrier

Legendary Saxon 1For a while I’ve been seeing these great looking leather cigar carriers from Legendary Saxon and was considering picking one up. They were kind enough to contact me and I chose their Premium Oil Tanned Leather 3 Finger Carrier in a tan color. (In addition to the cigar carrier they make loads of other great leather products.) From there the creation progress began. Total production time was only a couple of days and then was shipped.

The packaged was shipped USPS Priority and arrived quickly. I opened the package and was immediately met by the smell of rich leather. I think I stood there just smelling it for about ten minuets, it was… amazing. After getting over that I decided to take it for a spin since I was headed out that evening anyway. I quickly loaded the carrier with three sticks in the main pouch and tossed a lighter and cutter into the small front pocket. The leather feels heavy but soft in the hands but the way it is stitched together I felt confident that my cigars would be protected well. I wrapped the ties around it and off I went. When I reached my destination I opened it up and as expected my cigars were in perfect condition. As I sat there smoking I began wondering where the idea for it came from. I’ve seen leather carriers before but nothing like the looks of this one. So to find out I asked. I had the pleasure of speaking with Scott and this is what he had to say:IMG_1347

“I got into leather working in fall of 2013 as an art therapy for combat stress from Afghanistan and Iraq. I was hand sewing everything and just giving stuff away to my friends and family. Someone suggested I try to sell it, and I very skeptically put something online and it sold. As it started to grow I invested in an industrial sewing machine. I’ve since expanded and have my college friend Philip as a business partner. I do all the leather selection, ordering, designing, cutting and tooling. I also do all of our digital brand management. Philip does all the sewing, finances, packing and shipping. Our shop is very small and is his garage. I can’t tell you how many leather samples I have ordered from different wholesalers and tanneries in order to find just the right leather I like. My design philosophy is simple. I design the types of things that I would like to have myself. The rustic and rugged nature of my cuts, incorporating the asymmetric edges and natural flows of the hide, the original cattle brands and barbed wire scars, comes from how I see myself as a combat veteran. Scarred yet resilient. I look for the absolute best quality leather, combined with a IMG_1352unique rugged luxury look, in order to tell my story.  My satisfaction comes from customers loving their cuts, and from knowing that my cuts support the customer’s lifestyle aesthetic.”

I’ve had this carrier no for about two months and it has taken over as my everyday carrier this thing goes everywhere with me and has started many conversations due to its uniqueness. The leather continues to hold up well and any bumps or bruises that it acquires only gives it more character. If anybody is in need of a one of a kind custom made cigar carrier I highly recommend making the small investment in one from Legendary Saxon. At $55.00 it’s truly a steal.

 

Website: www.legendarysaxon.com

Cost: $55.00

Rating: 5 out of 5 pints.

McClelland Tobacco Company’s Blackwoods Flake

McClelland1Blackwoods Flake… This is a very interesting smoke, it is complex but at the same time it is simple… I know, I know oxymoron. Here’s what I mean you can taste all sorts of things as you smoke it, but by the end of the smoke and the aftertaste is straight up creamy butter (and it is great!)

Ok so opening the tin up it is the standard ketchupMcClelland2 vinegar smell of this brand. The first light was of hay and nuts. The second light was even better it was a buttery nut kind of taste. I sat back and started my relaxing session. This entailed some reading, and stopping here and there to get taste of what the smoke was like. By ten minutes in I was experiencing pecans and butter; it reminded me my childhood and my love for roasted pecans.

Half way through it was like having a bowl of nuts, stone fruits, and raisins it was just continuing to get better and better as time progressed on. The baccy does tend to smoke a little hot but this is because of the sugar content, if you go slowly it won’t bite at all. I also noticed that the slower you went the more complex the smoke was. The last bit of the smoke was reminiscent of dates and cream; it was a really nice way to finish off the smoke. I did end up with a little bit of tongue bite but it wasn’t too serious at all. I think everyone who like Virginia based tobaccos should try this.

McClelland3

Pipe used- Old School pipes Oval Shanked stubby Billiard

Tobacco age- 2 months

Notes

Tin- Standard ketchup vinegar

Room note- mild

Nicotine- low to low medium

I give this smoke a 4.5 pints of 5.

Website: McClellandTobacco.com

 

Reviewed by- @scottishruffian13

McClelland Tobacco Company’s Beacon

Beacon1I bought a tin of beacon on a recommendation from @themanredbeard. I have been looking to try more Virginia blends since I am mostly an English blend smoker. Upon opening the tin my nose was met with this smell of ketchup and vinegar (this is a common thing with McClelland Beacon2Virginias). I was worried that that I wouldn’t like this tobacco based on the smell. Let me tell you something do not ignore this blend because of the smell.

Beacon3As I packed the first bowl, I used my Peterson XL12 with a P-Lip stem (I rubbed the flake out and then gravity filled the pipe); after it was filled I started with a false light, when I lit the pipe I was greeted with a sweet sugary taste, slightly tangy like a BBQ sauce. I then proceeded and lit the pipe; man I just knew this was going to be a great smoke. The baccy stayed sweet and smoked very cool all the way to the half way point. When I hit the halfway point the flavor profile shifted some and was now a sweet lemony hay taste. To say the least it was glorious. There was some spice from the perique but it was a nice light spice not too hard on the mouth.

Beacon4Judah said this blend will make your mouth water and at the half way point it did just that I couldn’t stop it was just so good. There was no tongue bite for me. As I came upon the end the spice disappeared and it was full on Virginias it was amazing. There was a small amount of bite at the very end but I think that was because my cadence picked up and I was puffing a little quicker than I usually do.

All in all I smoked half a tin over the weekend and I am now a lover of this blend. I will say if you are a fast smoker you may burn your tongue. I did notice on the third bowl it was a little bitey for me but it was still enjoyable

 

Reviewed by- @scottishruffian13

Blend Type- Virginia / Perique ( VaPer)

Contents- Virginia and Perique

Topping(flavoring)- None

Strength- Medium

Tin Note- Ketchup Vinegar smell

Room Note- Pleasant to bearable, 6 out of 10 on my wife’s smell scale (She lets me know if it stinks)

Cut- Broken Flake

Website: McclellandTobacco.com

Rating: 4.5 pints out of 5.

The cheapest place I found to get this blend was at P&C here is a link to buy it, http://www.pipesandcigars.com/pipe-tobacco/68301/mcclelland-beacon/#p-119156

I hope you enjoyed the review!

Lance- @scottishruffian13

Lance