Room note: Reminded me of incense in a catholic church. Took me back to my youngest years at Our Lady of Peace. Not the best smell, but not bad at all. It's not an aromatic so what would I expect anyhow.

Burn: It burned nice in the smaller bowl of this pipe. Yeah I could have picked a better pipe to use. But hey, so many factors play a part in enjoying tobacco I decided to grab the first clean pipe and run from there.

Texture: It's a relatively budget conscious bulk tobacco. Don't set your expectations for a fine tin type. Pick the stems and such and get on with it.

Moisture: If you bought this at your local shop as I did, your at their mercy. They don't keep it where you want. They keep it where they want. Mine happened to be a little too moist. I dried it up a bit, just a bit.

Taste: I didn't get alot of complexity. What I did get was a smooth, nice lasting taste. Since this wasn't billed to me as a power house, I didn't expect one. It delivered enough for me to be pleased. It was consistent.

Final note: Yes I'm buying it again. Try this for yourself. Give it a fair shake. Don't compare it to things it's not supposed to be. I do believe that switching tobaccos in a single pipe is not the best way to enjoy anything. You don't after all use your bowl from the mornings cereal for chicken noodle soup without washing it.

The prolific Pipestud, in reviewing this blend, described the Latakia as "coarse." I know not if that was a reference to its physical properties or smoking qualities, but it is an accurate description of the former. My bag contained at least one stem that was a full inch long. It's also sickeningly moist straight out of the bag, and after almost four days' worth of drying time (both by pressing in layers of paper towels and air-drying), it still has more moisture content than I care for. It may well require some time in the oven to cook off any remaining excess moisture.

Sure, there are some pieces of Virginia and Oriental in this stuff. I'm pretty sure there are, anyway. When smoked, it's a very one-dimensional blend; all I taste is Latakia. It's also one of the hottest Latakia blends I've smoked, if not the hottest, and I have to puff like the Cannonball Express to keep it lit. Smokers who like a tobacco with a high nicotine content will want to look elsewhere; I found myself drawing the smoke deep into my lungs in attempt to extract any nicotine from it at all. The room note is just a guess, but my neighbors don't complain about the smell...one day, I hope to find a blend whose room note will elicit neighborly complaints.

If you have to have some Latakia about two or three hours (or longer) ago, and this is the only blend available on very short notice, give it a whirl. It might also be good to add in small amounts to liven up another blend. Otherwise, there are better Latakia blends out there.

Update, 6 October 2012: My sample is quite dry now. However, unless it's attributable to smoking outside in the wind, I have no explanation for its increased reluctance to stay lit. I also discovered an additional three large stems, which I consider absolutely unacceptable. This blend is still okay if you need to immediately quell a craving for Latakia, and it's the only such blend available, but think twice about it even then. Otherwise, I can no longer in good conscience recommend it. I've downgraded my rating to one star, and though I'll finish it, I won't be buying any more.

5110 is no exception. The description is full of promise but it is short on delivery. Don't get me wrong, these are all very good component tobaccos here. They just don't sing. For some reason McClelland just doesn't have the knack of making blends with any real strength of character. They are all very light in flavor and nicotine. The burn characteristics are usually not great either. This blend is no exception there.

In an effort to say something good about 5110, I would have to say that it smells nice in the bag. Yep, that's it. I wish I could say more. I was born and raised in KC and would love to smoke McClelland more, but just don't like their style. They get close with this one, but just need to amp it up about three or four notches, as they need to do with most of their blends, and not just the bulks either.

Another great tobacco for the light body lovers out there. Hell, if you like light body tobaccos, McClelland has you covered. Try any of them, you'll probably like most of them. Cheers!

The cut is "rough cut" with ribbons of various diameters, interspersed with larger rough cuts of folded leaf. The overall color is on the very dark side. Some of this is attributed to the Latakia, of course, but some of it is, I imagine, due to the Stoved Virginias. I like this type of rough cut, which is similar to GLP Westminster and to Spilmans as well. It packs by the gravitation method, with a final thumb push-down, very easily, and due to its uneven cut, the various components release or explode their presence unpredictably in the bowl. That is, after charring, the first half of the bowl, one detects Latakia, then the Virginias, then the Orientals in no particular order. I like this quality since its kind of unpredictable and give the smoke some degree of excitement. The second half of the bowl smokes more smoothly, and the three tobaccos blend nicely into a uniform taste.

It smokes very easily, meaning it is a "one-match" smoke. Re- lighting is rare if ever. I have gone through the better part of a pound now, over the past month, and can say that I highly recommend this blend for English lovers. The Virginias really provide a sweet base, such that the Latakia and Orientals do not compete. Here, in Dark English, there is a nice base of stoved virginias, which lends a deep sweetness to the dense smoke. The Latakia is added with a heavy hand, so its presence is palpable in the full. This then is a blend for Latakia lovers, but who also appreciate the presence of Virginias that attenuates somewhat the presence of Latakia. This does not mean it is weak on the Latakia front. Rather, that the Virginias balance, and prevent the Latakia from taking over fully. It is there, but it is reigned in somewhat by the Virginias. The Orientals provide the spiciness reminiscent of a bazzar in Old Jerusalem, with vendors hawking their wares, in the dank alcoves with rugs hanging from the walls, as sweet mint tea is continuously poured to the customers. Really exotic in scope.

Similar blends to McClellands Dark English Full include, as mentioned, Spilmans, but also Gawith Hoggarth & Co. Balkan Mixture Bulk, Balkan Sasieni and Cornell & Diehl Star of the East Bulk. If you like any of these blends, I think you will appreciate McClellands Dark English Full. Highly recommended.

This has a very nice flavor to it; a bit on the mild side, not as complex and full as Mac Baren vintage Syrian. It has a sweet smokey note to it that has a cleam finish to my palate and has a pretty nice aroma. Many people state how women don't like the smell but I have had no complaint yet(give it time right fellas;LOL!) It packs well, lights well; weather dried out or fresh from the pouch and has a cool dry smoke. Some have complained about tongue bite but I have never had that. It's a refreshing change from the aeromatics my twin brother enjoys and has a very, VERY faint trace of sweet mint; it might just be my palate getting confused.

I would recommend this for seasoned and even new smokers looking for a medium English blend.

The va's in 5110 have a bit of sweetness to them, but the rest of the blends sweetness may come from some kind of casing. I found the Virginia's to be way to hot to be enjoyable. What latakia there is, and there isn't a ton, was just unrefined and harsh. The orientals are present, but they aren't the highest quality, and they take a back role as well.

As far as packing goes, well, that can be a challenge. The "ribbon" comes in a variety of shapes, including sticks, thorns, needles and chunks. This can make for a very frustrating lighting experience and smoke half-way down the bowl. Oh, and it's wet. So I had to let it dry for at least an hour before lighting, otherwise it wouldn't stay lit...

So why did I give it a 2 and not a 1? Well, because if you take the time to sort through all those sticks and thistles, and pack your pipe right, and smoke really really slow, you get an OK smoke. It's not something I want to smoke regularly, but I'll finish my 2 oz sample rather than throw it away (I don't think I'll finish my 1.5 oz sample of Altadis Fox & Hound though...).