McClelland - Bulk No.2035 Dark Navy Flake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 56 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Smoke_Ring	05/02/2013	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
McCelland Bulk No. 2035 - Dark Navy Flake [full cake cut] Star Rating = 3 Pouch Note = 6 Room Note = 7 Flavor = 8 Bite = 8 Burn = 6 After Taste = 7 Raw Score = 42 Rated Percentage = 70% Comment = Smooth, * Ketchup Pouch Note, Good Flavor, lots of BTU's needed to ignite, a little After Taste * Foot Note: McClelland famous "Ketchup" aroma and / or taste comes from the natural fermentation of unstoved / non flue curded Virginias that are aged in cakes.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Mr. Big	04/15/2013	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Very similar to "Dark Star", I like it and I like the price. I agree with reviewer, "DK 03/22/2012 ", it's got to be dryed , but I also agree with reviewer, "scottyspipesebay 06/23/2012" don't overdue the microwave or prep, when it's right, it's 4 stars
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II Stormy II	12/03/2012	Medium	None detected	Mild	Unnoticeable
(personal preference is dark/aged tobaccos in flakes or kakes in a large chamber pipe) Very enjoyable smoke. I love the darker McClelland blends, so this is a personal favorite of mine. I use either cube cut (1/4") gravity packed or vertical unbroken flake allowing room for expansion. I rarely dry my flakes out like most people and find this blend to be a very pleasurable smoke using either of the aforementioned loading methods (without any drying). Takes a few charring lights to get started with both methods. Great blend and a nice cool smoke. I would have given a 4 star rating but it is not my absolute favorite.
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scottyspipesebay	06/23/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild	Tolerable
Bulk No.2035 Dark Navy Flake: Great raw note: sweet with figs, apricot and fresh cut mahogany, and yes, white vinegar. The room note is...undefined. Bland. No character, just smoky...something. Regardless, I love good Black Cavs, so for now, it is worth experimenting with. It's slightly sweet and even, with a nice woody nose, so I like that. I've read quite a few authors struggling with the prep. Suggestion: Do not microwave this. It is a mistreatment of fine tobacco, and defeat the entire effort that the blender intended for the smoker. You will only serve to change the character of the cake, not to mention the flavor. If for some reason you're in a big rush; use a good pair of sharp scissors and do a cube cutting; lay the cubes onto a paper towel for about a little while, then do a finger rubbing, and if it starts to crumble, it's ready to smoke. Drop the cubes in and light them up as is. Better yet, do the right thing and leave it alone. Let the cake dry for a good while on your tabletop. You'll know when it's ready because it will break up naturally. DON'T RUB THE HELL OUT OF IT. Pull it apart from the sides. As with all Virginias, the sugars will burn too quickly and you'll get tounge bite because the sugar converts to acid. The less you work it, the better the result on the palate. I used to mush, smash and over rub flakes and cakes in an attempt to create and meld. NO. When preparing and blending, let chemistry do the work. Of course this is not always the case, but as a general rule, I have found that prep and blending is a fine art of adjustment, and should never be a forceful thing. Try it as a blending agent. Play around with it as I have. Light VA's, Turkish, other Cavs, Lats, Orientals. It's best in smaller amounts as a mellowing cutter. Added to strong ropes/twist it works well, too. As a stand alone, it's a bit one dimensional.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
DK	03/22/2012	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A stoved virginia that hasn't been dried out is going to tend towards being a pain to keep lit. Dark Star, Black Virginia, Dark Fragrant, etc... all those cause issues unless they're fully dried. The more matches you use, the more the inherent subtle flavors become dulled and turn harsh. So the secret is in drying this out prior to loading. I tried and tried with Dark Star but could scarcely seem to get it right... but when it was right, it was excellent. However, my battle with Dark Star kept me from trying this one for a few years. On a pipe forum, I was told to microwave this for 10 seconds. Good advice. Being me, I experimented with cook times and 10 seconds was perfect. It dried out the blend but didn't sweat out the flavor. From that point, I got nothing but a nice, spicy, mildly sweet and complex blend with highly nuanced flavors, similar to what I get from Royal Cajun Ebony. Not much nicotine here, either. I can't compare this to Dark Star since it's been so long since I smoked it but I have heard that this is DS without the additional aging. But I ordered some more of both of these for further experimentation. At any rate, if you dry this out, rub it out fully and take your time with it, allowing it to smolder but not burn, you'll be rewarded with a mixture of spicy and sweet and sort of a creamed coffee taste. Very nice! Not a world beater but definitely worth a shot if you prepare it properly.
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Kilmarnock Piper	11/30/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I'm pretty sure McCranie's New Bedford is this bulk blend rebranded, and this was my review. I'm going to revisit it in the next couple days, and will add any new thoughts. Wavered a bit between two and three stars while smoking this, and smoked three bowls on different days before reviewing it. It does look a lot like the picture of McClelland 2035; dark, thin flakes in varying degrees of falling apart. I have been in McCranie's several times, being originally from Charlotte, and though they do a lot of blending, I don't believe they press their own flakes. It is a small shop in the middle of a shopping center parking lot. They have done rebranded McClellands in the past. This is tasty, but my main problem with it is that it gives me some bite when I puff it hard, as I tend to do with these mellow stoved Virginias. It is not as forgiving as Dark Star or Esoterica Stonehaven (though I believe that one is a VABUR). I liked it better at the end of the bowl, when I could get the flavor I needed from smaller sips. This blend left some unsmokeable dottle at the very end, but that is not too much of a problem. Reasonably priced. Yeah, not bad. Like easier to break up, cleaner burning Dark Star, but I think Dark Star is better. This may be easier to smoke than Dark Star, but it is easier to overdo it. I don't know-I do prefer the lighter Virginias.
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Dr. Scott	07/05/2011	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
The expert at Ye Old B & M says this is Dark Star without the aging. I've never had the pleasure of Dark Star, so I approach this flake without preconceptions. I tried this several times over the summer, in different pipes with different degrees of rubbing or drying. Pros: inexpensive, slow burning, and a very pleasant room note. Cons: Extremely difficult to prepare, requiring extensive rubbing and drying to make it smokeable. Tastes overcooked or burnt, with no depth or complexity. Burns hot and can bite badly. Produces a lot of condensation which is very bitter. Not very sweet for a Virginia flake. Bottom line: good tobacco, like good wine or beer, is seldom cheap. Spend a little more for McClelland's Blackwoods Flake and don't waste your time or money on this inferior bulk product.
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yinyang	05/31/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
After having a shall we say, interesting, experience with a tin of Dark Star, I decided to grab a quarter pound of 2035 for comparison. Similar, very similar. DS has the edge in sweetness and spice, but 2035 is cheaper, and doesn't have copious amounts of vinegar to its nose. I gave Dark Star three stars here already, mainly due to the difficulty I had in figuring it out. Four ounces later with Dark Navy Flake and I'm still learning the best way to prepare and enjoy these damnable flakes. Normally my ADD personality would chalk these up as a waste of time, but when either one is 'on', boy howdy, they are a delight! I'm of a mind that with more experience, DS and DNF will both become familiar friends of mine. At last I hope so. Three stars...hopefully with a fourth to be added soon.
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rramstad	05/19/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This review is based on limited tasting. I do find the blender description accurate. There is a zesty flavor in there, but mostly it tastes of very high quality stoved Virginia. I do get a bit of spiciness, and a bit of mouth fatigue from it, but on the whole, it's minor. I used a small hand held grinder to break up the flakes, which seemed to work well. I also let it dry out quite a bit initially before using the grinder. I am trying all of the bulk McClelland offerings to see if I like any of them other than 5100 and 2015, and so far, this is one of the best of the other Virginia blends. I can't give it four stars because it isn't Union Square, or Old Gowrie.
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John Offerdahl	01/08/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
Some say that this is a bulk version of Dark Star. I personally can tell some differences, though there are a LOT of similarities as well. Both are dark, stoved Virginias. Both have a wonderful spiciness to them. The flakes of 2035 are much thicker and heavier than those of Dark Star, and more difficult to rub out. 2035 will drastically benefit from a few months of aging, and a few years will really make it special, while Dark Star, though it ages well, also smokes like a dream from a new can. 2035 is a pretty moist tobacco, and as I mentioned the flakes are thick. I generally allow them a little time to dry a bit, but unlike Dark Star, which I find rubs relatively easily, I like to use sharp scissors to cut the 2035 flakes into little cubes, and THEN rub them a bit. Packing this tobacco is also a little tricky. For me, it seems best to sort of crumble it into a bowl, pack very gently, then crumble a bit more in. You don’t want to pack this stuff at all tightly! Not a lot fluffs up on the charring light, and it might take a couple of extra matches to really get a good burn going. But it’s worth the trouble. The flavor of the tobacco is a little thin right at first, but very quickly rounds out, with a strong, rich overtone and a couple of different undertones; one that is nicely spicy and one that reminds me of raisins. As I said with Dark Star, though, the raisin taste works! 2035 burns slowly, and I’ve yet to experience bite from it. Sold in bulk, it goes for a good price, making it an extraordinary value. At that price, I’d highly recommend buying at least a pound, some Ball jars, and storing most of it for aging. And, by the way, I really love this tobacco mixed half and half with 5115.
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sirchud68	12/14/2010	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Good Lord! Beef jerky anyone? Talk about a thick, pungent flake. This stuff just mesmerizes me. I love to stare at it in my Mason jar. I've just tried my first bowl of 2035 and must truly reserve judgment till I've smoked the entire jar. I will say that I'm mainly an English smoker but have a hankerin' for change from time to time. This sort of reminds me of Peterson's Irish oak, though it's been awhile since I've smoked that and it might just be my imagination. It sure smells like a McClelland's tobacco. As of right now I'll say I'm liking it. Update: O.K., I've mainly been smoking Englishes this winter. Hell, that's all I've really been smoking for the last year. So when our shop started carrying other McClelland blends other then the Frogs, I had to try. I wasn't sure about 2035 at first but after going through my jar over the last couple of weeks and letting my mouth adjust, I have to say " oh yeah, I remember how great tobaccos are other then the English ones." This stuff is sweet in that wonderfully natural way. A solid, mild Navy flake that I recommend completely. Enjoy!
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Meisterlowin	02/01/2010	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
I've smoked this flake off and on over the years and consistently enjoyed it. It's just a nice smoke that never disappoints. Not terribly complex but it sure goes well with a cup of strong black coffee.
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doc'spipe	01/22/2010	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Like a nice "B movie." A lightly stoved, dark-flaked Virginia, unlike the picture above. Sweet-smelling in the pouch and I never detected the ketchup smell. My bulk sample was on the drier side which was a good thing as DNF took to the match readily with a minimum of re-lights. A mildly pungent, mildly Virginia-sweet smoke. I didn't detect any casing or top note with this one. Although never a regular in my rotation - nor in my Virginia line-up - whenever the mood did strike, I was never disappointed. It seemed to go best in a smaller-bowled pipe. An "old reliable" 3 star smoke.
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Pipe-billed Grebe	02/28/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
Update: I hereby repent me of the cardinal sin of Greenhorn Reviewers: reviewing a blend on only one bowl. For penance I will smoke three bowls of Deacon's Downfall and five bowls of Presbyterian. I was just so impressed with that first bowl... DNF can indeed be briney and boring, but it can also be as wonderful as I claimed below (I've also noticed notes of licorice and wood). Like the sea itself, unpredictable; beautiful and treacherous in turns. I suppose this is the lack of refinement as compared to Dark Star noted by other more knowledgeable reviewers. Still, recommended as I certainly think it worth the $2/oz I paid for it. Original review follows: I spotted Dark Navy Flake in a jar at my local B&M, looking and smelling like thin strips of leather soaked in tar. My experience with flakes, limited though it may be, was enough to assure me that this is not a bad thing by any means. I bought me some and rubbed some out and stuffed it in a trusty I-talian billiard, my patience being insufficient to await a drying-out period. It took a few passes with the ol' Prometheus to get her going, but once that flame was enkindled, blow me down, maties. Ain't nothing wrong with this salty sea lass a little drying wouldn't fix. Rich, sweet, spicy, cool; notes of molasses and spice (cinnamon maybe); good good good all the way down. I've had several more favorably reviewed tabacs that left me high and dry, whereas DNF had me sailing the savory seas. I will definitely buy some more to age in jars. If this is Dark Star's lesser little sister, as intimated by prior reviewers, I am afraid to try Dark Star lest I smoke myself into the poorhouse/early grave.
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bryantm3	02/21/2009	Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Tolerable
Got this from a fresh bag at my local tobacconist. Wet, it tastes like ketchup all the way down the bowl, even moreso than other McClelland blends. It smells like ketchup to everyone else, too. After two days of drying, it tastes like ketchup, but there is a note of a very mild burley virginia blend underneath it. If you smoke it slowly and nurse it, it's not terrible, but whatever natural tobacco taste is there, it's entirely overshadowed by the pungent taste of the vinegar that they add to it. If you can get this stuff to work for you, more power to you, but this has got to be the most briny tasting McClelland blend I've tried. They've got some good stuff out there like 5100, but this isn't one of them.
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PipenGuitar	01/17/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
If you puff on this just right (modest pipe "sipping"), you get a wonderful sweetness that I haven't experienced with any other tobacco. I let it dry out for about one and half - two hours. For me, smoking this in a larger pipe oddly, 2035 tastes better.
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Fly ticky	01/15/2009	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Extra Full	Very Pleasant
This is my every day smoke.It floats my boat.It does take some drying but not more than about four hrs.On a scale of one to ten I give it a nine.Been puffen on it for two yrs.or so.Soon time to order another five lbs.Ok thats my two cents.
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Tin Man	12/28/2008	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium
Mclelland 2035 dark navy flake. I use a sort of fold and roll method to fill the pipe ( a cob) so the flake is sort of an endwise bundle in the pipe, and rough up the top to light. This takes some effort, and the smoke is on the pale side early bowl. I believe I have to relight three or four times at first. Once I hit mid bowl, though, it starts to burn quite well. The flavor is light, but engaging, obviously virginia. Pale sweetness, midrange spicy tobacco, with walnut and citrus notes. Lingering aftertaste I don?t much care for is the only negative. This is an excellent pick for driving or working outside.
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al1	09/15/2008	Mild	None detected	Mild	Tolerable
This is good stuff. I agree that it is very much like dark star. Not quite as sweet or flavorful though. Probablly this aged a few years would equal dark star. Pouch/tin aroma is dead on exactly that of southern VA sweet homemade pickles my granny taught me to make. With Sauers pickling spice (smell those cloves!). Vinegar, sweet and spicy all at once and damn good. Oooooh this is twangy smelling stuff. If you never smelled that type of pickle maybe you think I am crazy- I would not blame you, but if you are from southeast Va I bet you know what I mean. I would buy this again when it is gone and age some too. I like dark star too but this is real close to it and the bulk price is good although I noticed the prices just went up a bit recently. I like to mix some of this in with bright virginias to "round the edges" sometimes. This is not an everyday or all day smoke for me but it is nice to have it on hand for when the mood strikes. Put a small pinch in a bowl of #27 mc va and you have a real treat.
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Jeremy	06/12/2008	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a bit hard to prepare, either folding or rubbing out, and a challenge to get lit. However, once lit it smokes beautifully, down to a nice ash. The smell is incredible out of the jar. The middle 1/3 of the pipe is the best, I think, but the taste is good throughout the bowl. I find it has its best taste when I don't rub it out, but pack my bowl by folding the flakes up. I am not sure why that is. This is a very nice smoke, I recommend if you like VA or flakes or both, get yourself some of this and try it both rubbed out and folded. It's a treat.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 56 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >