McClelland No. 2010 Classic Virginia

(3.15)
This is a blend of Eastern and Middle Belt lemon, orange, and orange-red Virginias. A sweet, smooth, and zesty smoke.

Details

Brand McClelland
Blended By McClelland Tobacco Company
Manufactured By McClelland Tobacco Company
Blend Type Straight Virginia
Contents Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Broken Flake
Packaging Bulk
Country United States
Production No longer in production

Profile

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

Average Rating

3.15 / 4
28

33

11

3

Reviews

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Displaying 11 - 20 of 27 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 09, 2010 Mild None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Nice light smoke with a decent amount of flavor. No casing detected and the vinegary smell is mild and doesn't transfer into the smoke. Zesty, tangy yet smooth and slightly sweet, to be enjoyed slowly as it tends to bite with fast puffing.

Virginia lover
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 18, 2009 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild Pleasant
when I bought a pound of this about a year ago I smoked some and jarred the rest...14th June 2008 as it happened. My initial thoughts were that this was a rather ragged, sharp and hot smoke and I was a bit dissappointed to be honest. However a couple of days ago I opened a jar (I mature my tobacco in small 4 ounce jars which I find much better than 8 ounce)and the scent had grown deeper, richer and far more rounded in that year of maturation. Now it still demands gentle smoking and concentration but the rewards are a rich sweet taste...very very very pleasant. You can tell the absence of red virginia but the lemon and orange are truly delightful. This with at least a year on it is highly recommended.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 02, 2008 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
Just a few words to add to previous reviews. The trick with this one is to age it for a year at least. At this point it is transformed from something rather bland into a sweet, tasty and truly enjoyable flake in the McClelland tradition. Wonderful stuff!
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 05, 2003 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
This is my first experience with 2010. I have previously smoked a tin of McClelland #22, to which 2010 is often and favorably compared. I enjoyed #22 very much and on the strength of that experience purchased a pound of 2010.

Virginias and Virginia/Perique blends are my personal favorite tobacco genre. 2010 yeilds an excellent smoking experience and with the price is now one of my top two, alongside 2015.

There is not the Perique component. And the Lemon Virginia adds a lightness that 2015 does not possess. It arrived a little more moist than I prefer, but that is easily remedied. I have found no stems or stem shards. It is a quality tobacco. One or two matches gets me through a full bowl.

It burns well, tastes good on my palate and I find the scent of natural tobacco smoke that it produces pleasant to my nose. I have had little problem with "gurgle" despite the moisture level.

It is a Virginia and I have to smoke it slowly, or it will begin to warm my tongue. This is also similar to the new Bufflehead Virginia Ruddy Duck. I also smoke Stokebyes Luxury Navy Flake and enjoy it. But I naturally gravitate to 2015 and now 2010.

With three sons in college I have to watch my dollars and so rarely purchase tinned tobaccos. And I see little need to. My 5# of 2015 only gets better with age. I expect the same will be true of 2010. This is a winner for me and I intend to buy more when this pound is exhausted. When the kids are on their own, perhaps I will be more adventuresome and indulge in more tinned varieties. Aaahh, the possibilities!
2 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 16, 2020 Mild None Detected Mild Tolerable
Luckily I came back into pipe smoking before McC shut their doors. When the announcement became official, I ordered a couple of their bulk blends to jar up as a cost-effective means to have some to enjoy in years to go.

This week I was working on organizing my cellar and I found my jar of 2010 Classic Virginia. The lid opened with a nice pop and I instantly smelled the wonderful (to me) McC signature jar note. I decided to treat myself to some to smoke this week in my rotation and transferred that to a smaller jar for smoking before sealing the large one back up into storage.

I smoked this in several of my 320/author shaped pipes over the last few days as i find this a great combination.

Like most of their flakes this one is broken, but can still benefit from a little bit of shredding or cubing in my opinion before loading. The moisture content was good, did not require drying out. It does require some effort to get lit and get going, but once lit it stays going and requires minimal relights.

I found it to be a sweet smoke with lots of high/mid notes. It's not very complex, which to me makes it a nice smoke while working from home. The flavor is consistent throughout the bowls. No tongue bite and the slow burn makes me want to slow my smoking rhythm down to sips.

The Nicotine to me is very mild. The room note according to the wife is better than that campfire crap (aka Latakia).

I'm glad I grabbed some of this when I did as I feel it will only continue to improve with age and I look forward to doling it out in small doses for years to come.
Pipe Used: sav 320, fat authors
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 2 years
1 person found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 13, 2018 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
2010 was one of the very first McClelland Virginia flake tobaccos I ever smoked back in the Spring of 2016 when I took up pipe smoking successfully due to the help I was afforded by online forums.

I never did buy much 2010; only 1/2 pound but the lid puffed up in that lone jar, indicating some serious fermentation going on.
PurchasedFrom: Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked: Fresh
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 10, 2015 Very Mild None Detected Very Mild Pleasant
Had to let us try out for 24 hours but it was well worth the wait. This is an incredibly sweet Virginia and only gets better deeper into the bowl.
Pipe Used: MM cob / EA Carey magic inch
PurchasedFrom: Smoking pipes
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 20, 2009 Medium None Detected Medium Tolerable to Strong
This is my every day smoke...the flakes prevent it from drying out as quick. I love the way it stinks. Crumble it up...stuff it in...toast it...take a long sip of hot coffee and fire that bad boy up.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 01, 2005 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant
I'm working my way through a quarter pound of this delightful, straightforward Virginia and enjoying every puff. For me, a straight V is something I like for a couple or three bowls a week, mainly when I'm relaxing in front of the TV in the evening. 2010 fills that need perfectly.

I like to take a generous pinch of the broken flake and rub it out vigorously and thoroughly until it's literally in ribbons and load it into my big 30-year old Ben Wade freehand. A two-match lightup, and I'm good for nearly an hour of pure enjoyment.

In the pouch, the aroma is not ketchupy like some of the other McC blends, more herbal and citrus-y. On first light, it's quite mild, but with a fine assortment of flavors. A little spicy, a little zesty, a little herbal. By about a third of the way through the taste becomes more robust, the flavor more uniform, but also just a little ashy. I particularly like it's very low tendancy to bite. It finishes softly, leaving me looking forward to my next round.

I highly recommend it, especially to those beginners who have not yet savored the delicate flavors of a pure Virginia.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 26, 2004 Medium to Strong None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong
A straight up virginia flake, and damned good at it. It's called a classic virginia; I'm not sure in regards to what, but I like to picture some of the founding fathers taking up a pipe to smoke something not a whole lot different than this. And hey, I'm a Libertarian, so I can tell you those guys knew their stuff. 😉

Virginias were of course the first type of tobacco, and if you ask me, McClelland has successfully made them the best. This is a no-nonsense rich, meaty smoke with no crap to get in the way of the excellent tobacco. Doesn't bite as much as some virginias I've seen, even other McC blends, but of course it still bites a bit (not as much as my friend's fire hot sauce: take it like a MAN!). I seem to favor the lemon virginias a little more, but this and Nightcap bulk are turning into my staple smokes. Unless I see something I really want to try, I might never buy a tin again! Four stars.
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