Royal Cajun Dark

Royal Cajun Dark is the dark member of the three-blend series McClelland built around a component it calls Cajun Black. Cajun Black is made from Virginia-seed leaf grown in Kentucky, smoked and then barrel-pressed and fermented as with Perique. Dark is made by combining five separate red and stoved Virginia leaves with a generous amount of Cajun Black.

The tin note carries a Perique-like, woody, and smoky character, with the brand's familiar tanginess also present. In the smoke, woody, smoky, spicy, and herbal layers interweave; a tangy-citrus sharpness balances the Virginia sweetness. Body is medium. Suited to smokers wanting to try a fermented leaf different from the usual Virginia-Perique axis. McClelland stopped production in 2018.