Pipe Tobacco Review: Frog Morton Cellar by McClelland

• 50 gram tin 
• $15.49
• Purchased at Burns Tobacconist

Background

It’s time again for a diversion from cigars and some exploration into what I’ve been putting in my pipe and smoking lately. Today, I’ll be looking at one of the Frog Morton blends…Frog Morton’s Cellar Pipe Tobacco.

The Frog Morton collection of pipe tobaccos is made by the McClelland Tobacco Company, a maker of premium pipe tobaccos since 1977. As near as I can tell, the name “Frog Morton” comes from the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, as the town of Frogmorton is located in the Eastfarthing section of the Shire. The other Frog Morton blends are part of the McClelland “Craftsbury Series” but have gained a life and following so large as to justify a separate page on their website. I hope to bring you a look at other Frog Morton blends in the near future.

Frog Morton’s Cellar is on a page all it’s own, as it sort of straddles the space between all natural and aromatic pipe tobaccos. Cellar is a “mellow, fragrant Stave-Aged Latakia Blend enhanced with stave cubes cut from barrels used to mature and flavor Frog Morton’s Own special whiskeys.” It is available in both 50 gram and 100 gram tins.

Notes

The tobacco had a mix of dark and light leaf, I’m guessing Latakia and either Virginia or Burley…or both. The aroma of Latakia was heavy, but was followed closely by a sweeter Virginia note along with a touch of oak and vanilla.

Despite the heavy Latakia on the aroma, when lit the Frog Morton Cellar had a very well-balanced flavor with sweeter flavors coming into focus quickly on the heels of the smokier Latakia.

There was a slight hint of whiskey in the mix, mostly in the form of vanilla and oak that came through when I sniffed the tobacco in the tin. It wasn’t quite enough to make me think of this tobacco as an aromatic, but it was definitely there.

As I continued, I got some black pepper notes up front along with almost a honey sweetness on the finish.

At one point during the burn, my wife stepped out onto the front porch and remarked at house nice the aroma was. Based on that (she doesn’t like all pipe tobacco aromas), I would say the room note of the Cellar is very nice.

A customer once told me that the Frog Morton Cellar was hard to come by. I don’t recall that it’s ever been back-ordered when we try to get it at the shop, but I will say that it does move quickly once it’s in stock. And I know why…this is really a great pipe smoking experience. It’s lighter than other English Oriental blends like Dunhill’s Night Cap, while having a better balance overall and a flavor that just doesn’t get boring.