McClelland No. 2050 Oriental Cavendish Mix

(2.35)
This is an unusual mixture, because it contains no Latakia, yet still has the round, rich flavor one would expect from this style of tobacco. Liberal quantities of Orientals and a special Virginia Cavendish made with Eastern Belt Carolina leaf combine with Black Cavendish to make this a tobacco that will satisfy a great variety of tastes.

Details

Brand McClelland
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By  
Blend Type Oriental
Contents Black Cavendish, Cavendish, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

Strength
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.35 / 4
7

9

15

9

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 40 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 23, 2010 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
Satisfying, anytime smoke. Good with a morning cup of coffee. This would be an excellent "crossover" blend for an aromatic smoker wanting to switch to "English" or an English smoker wanting something to enjoy in mixed company. The lack of latakia means a pleasant, not cloying, room note and a smoothe, less spicy palate. It seems very moist in the bag, but burns nicely with few re-lights. No bite at all. The last few puffs, if you smoke all the way to the bottom, can be a little harsh, and you will scorch your briar, as I did, if you are not careful - but otherwise, a solid three-stars.
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 18, 2015 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
The Virginias are grassy with some tart and tangy citrus, and touches of earth, bread, floralness, and wood.The Eastern Carolina leaf offers tart and tangy citrus with a drop of honey and some grass. The liberal amount of black cavendish provides sugary vanilla, and often tones down the woody, smoky, earthy, herbal, vegetative, light spice from the Oriental/Turkish. The strength is mild, and the taste is in the center of mild to medium. Has very little nicotine. Won't bite or get harsh, and has few rough moments. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a consistent, uncomplicated flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a decent after taste that slightly lingers. The room note is pleasant. An all day smoke.

-JimInks
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 19, 2008 Very Mild Very Mild Mild Very Pleasant
UPDATE 12/30/14

After smoking this for a few years at a rate of about 4 oz per year, I've come to the conclusion that this rates a 4th star. Not because it's a classic or even in my top 30 tobaccos but because it accomplishes what few aromatics have...it provides a sweet aromatic taste and smells great in the room but it also has a nice oriental tobacco flavor that melds perfectly with the cavendish. This elevates it from Gooper status (a Gooper being a cavendish-based, all aroma no flavor blend that slurps as you smoke it and leaves puddles of nasty gunk in the bowl IF you are lucky and don't slurp it into your mouth and that leaves its horrible traces in your pipe forever!) to aromatic status (a blend that focuses on tobacco flavor while adding a non-tobacco flavoring. This is a Gooper without the goop and would be perfect for those that want a nice room note and also for those that want tobacco flavor. Well done, McClellands!

MINOR UPDATE 3/13/09

I smoked a bowl of this tonight and noticed something new. I finished and left the room for about half an hour. Upon returning, the remnants of the room aroma (still very noticeable) was decidedly Oriental rather than black cavendish aromatic in nature. Oh, and the oriental becomes more noticeable in the taste with a bit of drying out before smoking. Like many of the finest blends, it changes its character somewhat with some drying. Less "cased" aromatic and more oriental aromatic. Enjoy!

ORIGINAL REVIEW 12/19/08

The emphasis on the blend is "cavendish". It is an aromatic. Thankfully, it uses high quality leaf and is low in casing so it's not the goopy, wet smoke that aromatics often are. The oriental comes through as a wisp at various times but it is mostly the black cavendish that comes through, made lighter tasting by the virginia.

This is an aromatic for people who don't like aromatics. Light and lightly sweet, nice room and pouch aroma. Not high on flavor or terribly interesting as a nice VaPer would be, this tobacco is what it is and ain't what it ain't. This will certainly not be my all day smoke but it is probably the best quality aromatic I have ever smoked, and will be a continual if occasional companion.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 11, 2008 Mild Medium Medium Pleasant
I concur with Toytruck's review of 07/16/2008. My take on 2050 is that it is a "flavored" blend -- and probably only the Cavendish component at that -- but it is a far cry from cheap drugstore brands that reek of chemicals. Snob that I am (or sophisticate that I try to be), I never intentionally buy a flavored or "cased" tobacco; but on occasion I do blunder into them. So it was with 2050, and I think it is a really nice smoke: cool, dry, and tasty. For me it delivers tastes from the dark side: deep prune / raisin / fig; and something that suggests a high-end semi-sweet extra dark chocolate (semi-bitter might be more descriptive.) I think I've experienced a similar dark taste like this in something called Chinese Bead Molasses. Well, despite the flavoring (I resist using the words "casing sauce" for this blend), there's no mistake: you're smoking tobacco, not chemicals.

Though my supply is moister than I prefer, it is in no way sticky; and there are no packing, lighting, or burning issues. For me this is just a little bitey because I'm an eager puffer when I get something this tasty. It gives a mild nicotine hit and burns cleanly to the bottom leaving a whitish ash. No goop, no gurgle, no dottle; and your next bowl of burley will evict any flavor ghost that lingers in the bowl. I tried this in various briars, which were OK, but I highly recommend smoking this in a clay -- heavenly!

Reserve this guilty pleasure for those occasions when your usual tobacco genre seems to stop working. This provides a delightful change of pace for the tired palate. Quality stuff.
6 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 11, 2014 Mild Very Mild Mild Pleasant
A pleasant all day smoke, this tobacco may not be for the die hard English lover. However, it is precisely what McClelland's intended it to be. A mildly sweet, and somewhat nutty, all day smoke with a touch of Eastern spice, and complete lack of bite. This is a very forgiving tobacco. There is little or no "cloy" to the component, it lights and burns with ease, and it makes for a marvelously cool and dry option for when one is multi-tasking and cannot attend to one's pipe as readily as if they were in sitting in their leather chair sipping a cup of tea (or scotch if you prefer). There seem to be some who do not like the blend. As for myself, this also is not really my style of preference for tobacco. But remember, we are talking about preference, not blend quality. Also, I believe we all have found that our tastes, over the years, will change. Thankfully we have a great multitude of blends to choose from, and we have what is IMO the best tobacco house in the world, right there in Kansas city. If you don't like this blend, So be it; that is the beauty of McClelland blends. One can always opt for a slightly different angle on the blend, and if you believe a touch of Latakia would add to this blend, then try 2045, or if you want a bit more Latakia, go for the 2040. If you prefer a more traditional English or simply want a lot more Latakia, you could try the 5110, or 5125. And those are just the bulks. There are many tin variations to choose from as well.

McClelland's doesn't miss much. They don't simply blunder along tossing in varied tobaccos and suddenly come up with something by accident. If a smoker had a preference for something different, they offer adjustments to a great many foundations of blends, for the smoker's enjoyment.
Pipe Used: BBB billiard,Cob,Radice billiard,Upshallbilliard
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 4 yrs
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 16, 2008 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
After reading the other reviews it seems that many are reviewing this tobacco for what it is not rather than what it is. It is not a latakia blend and should not be downgraded for that. It is a mildly flavored oriental blend. It has a sweet flavor and aroma with hints of vanilla. I had received this a while back as part of a sampler package and avoided it because of many of the reviews. That was my loss. One evening a couple of weeks ago I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised. This is not a drug store aromatic that leaves an artificial taste in your mouth. It is quality tobacco with a lightly sweet flavoring which does not overpower the taste of the oriental tobaccos. It also leaves a very nice aroma in the room that is most noticeable when you leave the room and return. I am leaning more toward this for an in-the-house smoke due to its very pleasing smell. This is not my favorite tobacco. (That would be McClelland's 2040 Cyprian Blend.) But it is a nice change of pace for a sweeter flavor and a pleasant aroma.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 24, 2002 Mild Very Strong Medium to Full Very Pleasant
I thought that I'd try a good aromatic in the hot weather. When my wife commented that it smelled great in the pouch and then in room aroma, I suspected trouble. Usually I'm smoking for my pleasure and not others acceptance of the smell. Although a nicely prepared mix ~ 50% red/brown VAs and Orientals and 50% black, the black cavendish or others in this blend are just too sweet for me and overpower the smoke from start to finish. However, those that prefer a stronger aromatic might enjoy this cool smoke without a hint of bite. Many black cavendish blends have tended to smoke wet for me but this one was fine. Dedicate a pipe to this blend since the flavors are imparted, linger and influence many subsequent smokes. I return to my norm of VA flakes and natural tobacco taste.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 04, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
Been a while since I have submitted a review...But, after smoking this off and on for the last year, I felt that it was time to add my own 2 cents...To me this is one of those classic 'desert island' tobaccos...Not marooned alone, but let's say marooned with a group divided equally of those who smoke non aromatics, aromatics and those who despise the weed altogether...This would be the choice to satisfy all...For the aromatic smokers this is a slightly sweet blend which most would find very pleasant...for the non aro smoker, this contains enough pure tobacco taste to satisfy especially with the virginias playing very nicely with the very tasty orientals (pity that there is no latakia, but remember that we want to satisy the greater number for the greater good)...And for the non smokers, the aroma is heavenly in case they wander too closely to a smoker...Being of the non aromatic persuasion, this is one great all day smoke which satisfys and at the same time gives no offence to any...would I buy it again?...Most definately...Would I reccomment to any and all?...Most definately...Four stars.
Pipe Used: various
PurchasedFrom: smoking pipes
Age When Smoked: fresh
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 13, 2015 Mild Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
This one keeps me hovering between 2 stars and 3. I kinda like it, but it's lacking depth. It has some depth, but not quite enough. It came wet and after sitting out for over 8 hours it was still mildly damp. That's as dry as it gets. The Black Cav imparts a vanilla note that mixes very pleasantly with the spice from the Orientals. I'm not convinced that all of the spice is natural. There seems to be some kind of spice in the casing. The Orientals also add a mild sour note that's contrasted by the sweetness from, I assume, both types of Cavendish. I get very little flavor from the Virginias. It's an odd blend. I've never smoked anything like it. I think due to the lack of depth it's closer to 2 stars than 3. If it had more I could easily give it that 3rd.

Mild in body. Mild to medium in flavor. Burns well in spite of the dampness. No bite, no harshness. A bit of a strange blend, but worth a try. It may suit your taste.
Pipe Used: MM Diplomat 5th Ave, MM Mark Twain
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh bulk
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 01, 2014 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Full Pleasant
Picked some of this up at the recommendation of my tobacconist (they call it "Orient Express". I'm a VA smoker, mostly. But this one caught my eye because of how unique it is. IT IS DELICIOUS. Don't understand the negative reviews here. There is a deep Cavendish flavor. but the Orientals add a really nice dimension to the sweet flavors of the Cavendish. This is a very unique blend that might be confusing to some. But I definitely appreciate it for what it is. Solid 3 stars.
Pipe Used: Rattray's Craggy Root
PurchasedFrom: Beehive Cigars, Salt Lake City, UT
Age When Smoked: unknown
2 people found this review helpful.
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