Readers who appreciate the genius of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will immediately recognize the allusion to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Black Shag was Holmes' favorite pipe tobacco, whereas Watson favored the milder Arcadia mixture. In honor of the sagacious sleuth and his highly esteemed associate, the good folks at the McClelland Tobacco Company have developed two blends representing the preferences of the finest detective team the world has ever known. It is unlikely that the McClelland people had the cast and blast crowd in mind when they came up with these concoctions, but hunters and fishermen ought to seriously consider buying a tin of each.
BLACK SHAG is definitely not for the faint of heart. Although the specific formulation appears to be a trade secret, it hardly requires the analytical prowess of Sherlock Holmes to figure out that this stuff is laced with copious amounts of Latakia. The blend is quite forceful in terms of taste and smell, provoking either commendation or condemnation upon the first few puffs. Demanding a certain gloominess of spirit for its fullest enjoyment, Black Shag is a stormy weather tobacco perfectly suited to the psychological moodiness inspired by a severe thunderstorm. On the darkest and dreariest of days I love to light up a bowlful; no smoke at the time could be more appropriate or satisfying.
ARCADIA is more reserved, less obtrusive. It contains just enough Latakia and Perique (to be perfectly honest, I am guessing at these components) to make its presence known, but not so much as to render the aroma rude and obnoxious. You might even get away with burning a pipeful in your living room. I did, and I am still married. I wish I could accurately line out the ingredients in this blend but they too seem to be a trade secret, like those of Black Shag. Nevertheless, the tobacco is marked by an unusual aromatic sweetness which, surprisingly, finds no counterpart in how it tastes. Distinguished, rather, by a somewhat woodsy flavor, Arcadia would be ideal for the pleasure of contemplative puffing on the way home from a long day of bird hunting or trout fishing. This is a smooth smoke worthy of recognition and recommendation.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
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�copyright 2000, Perry Fuller
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