McClelland - Bulk No.2000 Fragrant Matured Cake pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 29 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Smoke_Ring	05/02/2013	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable
McClelland Bulk No. 2000 - Fragrant Matured Cake [small cake cut] Star Rating = 4 Pouch Note = 8 Room Note = 8 Flavor = 8 Bite = 8 Burn = 8 After Taste = 8 Raw Score = 48 Rated Percentage = 80% Comment = Smooth, Mild, great full Flavor, bowl burned a long time
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Gus Tation	02/17/2013	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
This blend was a little bitey. It was also cased with a maple/vanilla essence of which I disliked the flavor. The smoke volume was wispy and it burned hot. Not much to like here, but I favor natural tobaccos mostly. I always smell aromatic type blends and hope I might find one that tastes as good as it smells, its a fun game I play with myself and maybe someday I'll win. Grin. May you find Christ's love and peace all my brothers and sisters of the leaf.
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derlict311	12/07/2012	Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant
For semi-aromatics, FMC has a sweet aroma while delivering a fantastic red Virginia taste. The best of both worlds. I have been going through this stuff rather quickly, as of late. I've concluded that the more I smoke it the more I like it. The bonus is I can smoke it anywhere and people will ask question about the glorious smell of vanilla. I think it's a diamond in the rough for those looking for a GREAT aromatic that will please both smoker and those lucky enough to be in the same room. Easy on the puffing, though. As with any of the McClelland virginias, if you get after it too much you'll know why this it's meant to be a "cool smoke".
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DK	02/19/2012	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
Based on a sample of about an ounce, perhaps a bit less. This came pretty dry in the bag, which is how I prefer my McC broken flakes. The flakes were mostly very dark brown which look "overlaid" on the lighter brown rather than co-mingled. A result of the casing, perhaps? The flavor was vanilla on top of sweet virginia, just as the description leads me to believe. It is a sweet and zesty flavor, very refreshing. This flavor lasts throughout the entire bowl. Whereas most traditional American aromatics flavoring burns away early, this is more of a crossover blend. Crossovers are, to me, mostly misses, but this one hits the mark squarely. Nice room note, sweetened flavor but a dry, cool smoke that never gets murky or ashy. This reminds me of Tordenskjold Virginia Slices without the perique. As a result, it loses a little depth but this blend isn't about depth or complexity - it's about providing the aromatic smoker with a more flavorful and drier smoke. I generally prefer a bit more tobacco taste in my blends and this will be an occasional smoke for me. 3 stars for my taste but I'm giving this 4 because it perfectly meets its "design" goals. This is one of the finest crossover blends I've ever smoked, and will be near the top of my list when I want something sweetened and/or good while with other people.
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Capt	12/22/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
A sweet, less tangy broken flake from McClelland. Easy to pack and light, a perfect all day Va that will never bite. I enjoy it as much in the morning as I do at night. Noticable chocolate cream notes, Burns slow and easy. Perfect aroma to smoke in the car on the morning commute or a road trip. Update: After smoking almost a pound of this, I have found a new favorite aromatic!! Solid 4 stars!
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Sangreel	11/10/2011	Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
I mix this with some #5100 red cake and it is a very fine smoke. Alone it can be very strong in my view and mixing with McC 5100 seems to lighten the power of #2000 alone. This is my undiluted go to smoke on those mornings that I just can't get the peepers to open. All in all, a good smoke.
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rramstad	05/18/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This review is based on fairly limited tasting. I don't find this blend cloyingly sweet, but it is definitely sweeter than most Virginias, it doesn't have that crisp light flavor of a blonde VA, or the darker spicy flavors of a red VA. It burns reasonably well, and the cut is nice and easy to work with. I didn't get any goop, and tossed out a fairly normal amount of dottle at the end of the bowl for a broken flake. I do get some bite from this -- tongue, roof of mouth and behind my bottom front teeth. I prefer more natural tasting Virginias, and the bite is a turn off too. I'm sure there are people out there who like this blend, there's a nice gingerbread type of thing going on part way down the bowl, but overall I just find the blend a bit too harsh and sweet for my tastes. There are certainly other blends from McClelland that I like better, in the bulk realm, 5115 and 2010 are both better choices.
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imago	02/20/2011	Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
Update 04/24/11: I am changing my review of this tobacco to two stars. The flavour and aroma remain top-notch; however, the tongue bite is simply too much to bear. Original Review: I had considered (and always postponed) ordering this tobacco due to a fear of having my hopes dashed after trying it. However, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a small 2 oz sample to try. I found the tobacco to be a mildly sweet and fragrant broken flake composed of dark and some lighter Virginias. I packed a small MM Legend (my favourite pipe for these types of blends) and lit up. My surprise was double-sided: I was rewarded with what my mouth and nose told me was the nearest thing to a bulk equivalent of McClelland's Deep Hollow that I had yet come across; however, the tongue bite was ferocious! I had never experienced tongue bite of this magnitude with anything McClelland produces. However, after a period of allowing the sample to dry somewhat, the tobacco smoked much smoother and sweeter. I plan to order much more of this tobacco and cellar it to find out if perhaps aging it will blunt the blistering effects of the tobacco. Were it not for the horrible tongue bite, I would without hesitation give this tobacco four stars. I'm really hoping that it mellows and softens a bit with age. Oddly enough, I detected no hint of McClelland's trademark ketchup or vinegar aroma at all.
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Rivermont Rebel	11/02/2010	Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant
Purchased as Poplar Forest from Mr. Johns in Lynchburg. My second tobacco try. I thoroughly enjoy this blend and it is currently my go to. I would recommend, as others also have, that you dry what you're planning to smoke in the near future out for a day or so. A very pleasurable smoke, I find the flavors to be very natural and tasty. Would strongly say give this a try.
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Love Latakia	09/06/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I enjoy this blend a lot. The taste is plesant and it smokes well. I must admit that I had to learn to sip it, as I found it will bite if you get carried away with it. I enjoy it in smaller size bowls. Is part of part of my rotation for sure.
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Tallman	04/05/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
As a fairly new pipe smoker, I am still looking for that daily, "go-to" blend...this tobacco was recommended by the guys at my local tobacco shop as the next step after my favorite, their house blend cavendish. The better half likes the smell of this in the pouch and in the room. I find myself opening my pouch just to savor the aroma when I can't have a bowl.. Although my tastes are certainly not as refined as some of my esteemed pipe-smoking brethren, I really like this one. As another reviewer says, dry it overnight and it will burn much better. Out of the pouch it's tough for me to keep lit in my Ser Jacopo poker. If you like aromatics, try this one for a change...
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al1	12/20/2008	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant
I like this a lot. It reminds me of Mc honeydew although not quite as dark and not quite exactly the same flavor. It seems like a lighter version (in color) without the mollases, the flavor is very simillar. The tin aroma is close to the same. Sweet and almost tropical. Needs a little drying out to avoid a wet dottle- after drying overnight I got a sweet smoke and a dry finish all the way to the heel. Smokes pretty smooth and sweet. Could easily be an all day smoke. A good mild flavorful smoke with mainly a vanilla to hazelnut flavor. Great with morning or anytime coffee. I found this flake to have no bite as long as dried some first and you can actually puff down on this some. I normally sip but this one I enjoy to puff on. I guess I would have to classify this as a crossover blend. Although it is not at all like a goopy aromatic, it has enough flavoring to accentuate the tobacco not mask it. Pretty well done. Smokes good as delivered but I would think aging would not hurt. I really like the flavor of heavy english blends and va flakes but am finding myself able to enjoy the light ones quite a bit. The flavors are not in your face as much but they are more subtle and pleasent. I reccomend you try this if you like flakes but miss aromatics occasionally. Pretty good stuff. Reccomended to anyone, but especially to newbies to flakes looking for a better smoke than aromatics- it's not gonna scare you off. Update: I am enjoying this stuff- This earned a good rating. It has a light vanilla taste and goes so good with the tobacco base. You must try this if you want a flavored tobacco that is not what you would consider aromatic. It smells good too despite what I just said. My friends tell me it smells like toasty vanilla a lot like a coffe shop. For reference though I never get many complaints except the girlfriend does not like latakia I know. My other friends that latakia smells like incense though when I'm smoking it so I guess it's a personal thing there. But this fine va blend should not offend anyone, it's rare one smells like it tastes but this is it.
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Max1a	06/17/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I must agree with Elkabong, I too add Perique to this tobacco and find that simple addition tweaks this blend just enough to make it noteworthy. A friend of mine added some cheap Smokers Pride natural, which is a straight, lightly cased burley. I tried it and can honestly say that it reminded me of an old time quality OTC pouch tobacco (I can't really say which one) but it was quite nice for puffing around the shop. While not a true aromatic, it is topped with a maple or fruit-like flavoring which tends to fade quickly if left open to the air for a length of time. You then have a nice sweetened Virginia flavor to the smoke. Again, the Perique is the secret here!
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Past Master	06/10/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I purchase this in Houston under the name "Bristol Slices," and I enjoy it from time to time. I understand that local tobacconists feel that they must change the name of the bulk tobaccos they carry, so that customers will feel forced to return to their shop to buy more. But, for the better, more knowledgeable customers, it is simply frustrating to buy "Bristol Slices," only to find out later that it is really something else. This practice only encourages me to buy online, rather than support a local tobacconist who is essentially lying to me about the tobaccos he sells me. To date, the 18 reviews on this blend are all over the place. Three give it a one- star, but four give it a four star. Eleven reviewers are about split between two and three stars. I find nothing to complain about this blend, and much to recommend it. If it were a single-malt Scotch, I'd liken it to a good dark Highland whisky.
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student	10/19/2007	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
As a self touted aromatic with a sweet aroma(Their words, not mine),this falls short. Perhaps some time might help it along but I tend to doubt it. To me any aromatic must meet two criteria. It must taste good to me and smell good to others. Blend 2000 doesn't reach either of these. As a crossover blend, it also fails. The Virginias are good leaves but the artifical flavoring keeps them from being reaching their potential. I only bought a two oz sampler and I'm glad I did. Less to throw away after three bowls. I will never buy this again. There are just to many good crossover blends and aromatics to waste time and money on this. Of course, this is just MHO.
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speckchaser	02/20/2007	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
First imprerssions can be wrong especially on tobacco.Very first light was somewhat disappointing as an aromatic fan I expected a little more sweetness,usually derived from the topping.All i got was a was a tobacco that would not stay lit. TWO WEEKS LATER: After letting some dry though I was treated to a well balanced blend of pure virginias.May not be an allday smoke for me yet,but is the first stepping stone to broadening my tobacco horizons. Burns well in a medium size bowl with little goop accumalation at the bottom.Flavor is slitely peppery for me.Aroma well the significant other didnt complain so its tolerable. Definitely a must try for ex cigarette smokers
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obxemt	12/03/2006	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
(NOTE: PURCHASED AS SHARON'S CROSSING) This is a fine quality clean-burning aromatic, and among the most aromatic pipe tobaccos that I have smoked. The quality of the tobacco is superior and almost wasted to turn it into an aromatic, but for what it is, it is great! It is emphatically not a straight VA, so if that is what you are looking for don't stop here (RR, Christmas Cheer '05 or My Reserve would be my reccommendations). It is not especially sweet or flavored in the bowl, but the room note and aroma is strongly sweet and will get positive comments. 2000 reminds me of 221b Honeydew in genre, though Honeydew has far more tobacco taste and aroma and is not what I would call a true aromatic. This is. I hanker for an aromatic only occasionally and at home I have some self-blended vanilla and hazelnut aromatics, but 2000 may well replace those. Even when intentioanlly smoked fast, there is no bite however it does turn a little sour.
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VAman	08/05/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
2000 is a great flake, more mild than my usual poison, it has a coffee vanilla hazelnut, whiff to it and is an excellant all day va. perfect for someone new to flake.
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Elkabong	07/22/2006	Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I, too, couldn't see the point in this tobacco, for a long time -- until my good friend and fellow pipe club member, Ned, suggested that I try mixing perique into the blend. I mix about ten per cent. perique with 2000. Some might find that too heavy, but it seems to cut the flavoring back a notch, balances things out, and turns it into a polite and relaxing change of pace smoke. I appreciate the fact that it stays lit more consistently for me than, say, 2010 does. 2010 is one of my favorites, which I smoke as is or mixed with perique, but I have to relight frequently. I guess I don't have the patience to dry tobacco out ahead of time. 2000 takes some presence of mind to get well started, but, once accomplished, I don't have to think about it anymore. McClelland is one of my favorite companies, and I'm glad I found a way to spend more money with them! Excellent value.
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romaso	06/21/2006	Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant
This is a good quality tobacco that has been strongly sweetened. It serves it's purpose of introducing strong-aromatic smokers to the flavor of good tobacco. From here I'd suggest you try their 5100 Red Cake, which is a sweet, dark Virginia which will give you more tobacco flavor.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 29 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >