McClelland No. 2020 Matured Cake

I base this review on a one year old sample from my cellar. I like to dry this blend out quite dry, almost crispy. Upon lighting, it can be a bit harsh on the tongue, like a Cuban cigar - and then just like a Cuban cigar, after a few puffs it settles down to a rich, creamy smoke. For me, this is somewhat similar to Sam Gawith Chocolate Flake minus the faint chocolate aroma. The flavors of the Orientals are rich and spicy, but not "plummy" like I find Red Raparee to be. The nicotine level is satisfying, and the room note is wonderful. I had to leave my smoking den (garage) for about ten minutes, and upon my return I was enchanted with the woodsy, spicy aroma. I honestly am a newbie in the English/Oriental blends, but if Latakia was listed in the blend I would believe it. I cannot detect the Virginias under the condimental leaf, but again I am new to this catagory. Age does wonders for the 2000 bulk blend series, and I have 4 lbs in the cellar with plans to buy more. I think this blend likes a very heavy thick walled briar, enjoyed with gentle puffs. I am a new reviewer, and feel guilty that I assign so many 4 star reccomendations, but here is another one. Just remember to age it and dry it. Isn't pipe smoking the neatest hobby ever?

Another bulk tobacco, another winner! This medium broken flake is fine for every moment, it delivers a good amount of flavour considering its strenght. Packing and lighting are easy if you rub it an air it a little. The smoke proceeds without a particular evolution in taste but it keeps it consistent throughout the bowl. The format and the perfect moisture guarantee a long, dry and cool smoke, and it seems to smoke better in larger bowls, such as pots. For its price, it is a real bargain.

I think this is one of McClelland's best blends, bulk or tinned. In 2020, you have a niced pressed blend that isn't dominated by any of the component parts. I like blends with a bit of a zip and there is a slight edge to 2020. I don't know if it's sourness or just a piquant note. Either way, it adds to my smoking experience.

Folks have already pointed out the great price point for this bulk blend and they are right. You can buy a pound of it, put some back and smoke the rest. Unlike the supple pressed tobaccos from G&H, 2020 is rougher and a bit more challenging to prepare for the pack. A mild inconvenience in the scheme of things.

I recommend this blend.

Since my initial review, I have probably gone through another three pounds of 2020 and it's a consistent performer. I love the tangy virginias with the oriental kicker. It is still highly recommended.

A slightly strong but pure and straight Oriental/Virginia blend.

Rich, nutty and somewhat earthy in taste. The oriental really comes out big in this blend.

Unlike the above/prior reveiws, I preferred the 2nd half better. The top caught me by surpise with a tangy/sour beginning. By mid bowl and beyond, the tang and sourness subsides and the earthy, nutty and richness slowly takes over.

Nice and unique change of pace.

normally, when i review a tobacco here, i have two rules; never judge a blend by one pipeful and never read the other reviews before writing your own. i do both of these things because it often takes several pipefuls to develop a taste for the subtle differences in various tobaccos and because something i smoked, ate, or drank before trying it may have affected my perceptions. i don't read the other reviews because i don't want them affecting my opinion of the blend. i have to admit i broke my second rule this time and read the other reviews on #2020. i did this because normally mcclelland blends have been among my favorites and this one was pushing all the wrong buttons for me. was there something that i had missed? apparently not, because there is a wide disparity of opinion on this one. #2020 is a flake tobacco and i tried breaking it up in both fine and course pieces before smoking. in all cases, i found it to be harsh and biting, with poor burn and a lot of re-lights. this held true in several different pipes(another thing i do with all blends); it seemed to be particularly harsh in my bent peterson. read the other reviews and you will find others who really enjoyed #2020. i hope they are right and i am wrong, because mcclelland is one of my favorite blenders. they really make an effort to put out good tobaccos at working people's prices. in the end, however, i have to give my own honest opinion. when this 4 ounces is gone, i will not be re-stocking. 1 lonely star.

Unlike several of the other reviewers, I found this blend a bit underwhelming. I just didn't find the flavor very interesting, especially overt the course of a long smoke. I think the Latakia balance may be a bit off. The blend smokes cooler than many others in the McClelland bulk series, but there's not much going on here, and this stuff can bite if you push it. Life is short and this tobacco is just a little dull for me to keep it on hand.

Tin Aroma: nutty and rich, this is Latakia at it;s best. Not overpowering or cloying, but rich and full, nonetheless.

Physical Charististics: uniformly dark, and a rather mixed cut. Packs easily, due to the mixture of sizes in the cut.

First Light: Lights easily, and burns nicely. No trouble keeping this lit.

Notes: There seems to be very little latakia here, mostly orientals and virginias. However, the latakia that is present lends too much sour taste, and not enough smokiness for my taste. The sourness at least could probably be remedied with cellaring for a few years. As the bowl moves on, the sour/sweet interplay becomes more interesting, and the overall taste begins to develop somewhere inbetween the two extremes.

Pouch Aroma: I can smell Latakia, but it's less smoky than usual and more leathery/nutty. This is overlaid on a dark sweetish base and overall has a slightly dusty, dry aroma. My guess: mostly stoved red and orange Virginia, with a generous helping of Orientals and Latakia used as a condiment rather than a major flavor note. Yum.

Appearance: The tobacco is composed of broken flakes of fair thickness, probably 60% dark brown and black, 30% medium brown and 10% orange and yellow.

Packing and Lighting: I've rubbed it out slightly but left in a considerable number of big chunks to slow the burn. I not packing too tightly because I'm smoking it in a Ser Jacopo Maxima pencil shank stacked billiard; I find deep pipes to smoke better for me this way. It lights well and easily so long as I take the time to allow the tobacco to warm up and dry as I puff slowly.

The initial smoke is slightly sour and sharp but this quickly gives way to a nice burst of Latakia flavor underlaid by some caramelly VA notes. It's still got a slightly sour, acidic note to it which makes for an interesting combination of flavors. It'll be better when everything integrates a bit more, and would probably be quite pleasant with a few years on it.

Exposition: OK, five minutes or so have passed; now that things have settled down a tad and the flavors have melded a bit I can pay more attention to the melange rather than the earlier competing flavors. The smokiness has subsided to a nice level just beneath the caramel sweetness and the acidity has dropped off to the point that it serves as a sidekick to the other two dominant tobacco flavors. This is nice! It's complex enough to keep my interest but not something that I feel compelled to smoke in a quiet, dimly-lit room to minimize distractions.

The Story: I hate to sound repetitious, so I'll just say that the flavors have remained completely steady through the whole middle of the bowl. This is one of the steadiest tobaccos I've ever smoked; this is both a pro and a con. I like some change during the bowl to keep my interest, but I don't necessarily like to feel like I've loaded a different tobacco in the bottom 1/4. This is good, but definitely not a "treat" tobacco. Rather, it's good for smoking while working or listening to music - good enough to satisfy but not distracting. One really enjoyable aspect is the room aroma: the smokiness and the sweetness are VERY well balanced and leave a wonderful smell in the air and on my clothes and hair.

Denouement: The tail end of the bowl has turned just a bit sour and "swampy", but that might be either me smoking a bit too fast or the effect of a tall, narrow bowl. Still, it wasn't unpleasant so much as it's a welcome diversion and an indication that the end is near. The bowl walls were left clean and while there was a tiny bit of dottle left, it was nothing like my aromatics used to leave.

The room aroma is very nice, and I have to say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. I have something similar on my tobacco shelf and I'm waiting to see if it's what I think it is.

Pros: Good clean burn, nice room aroma, simple but enjoyable flavor.

Cons: Had a tendency to bite a little, smoked a bit wet toward the bottom and wasn't as interesting as I would have liked re: flavor changes as the bowl progressed.

I also smoked this in a Parker 831 Canadian, sort of a Gr. 4 size with a more "normal" bowl geometry. The moisture problem (and thus the dottle) was solved by this, but otherwise the experience was nearly identical. Definitely good, but not overwhelmingly so.

To note, I was gifted a sample of this and was very thankful to try it due to McClelland's absence from pipe tobacco. I was initially greeted by what I now recognize as that sweet, musty, tangy MC Virginia taste that I now try to find in other pipe tobacco. At the top of the bowl, I almost thought this was a straight VA, since I didn't look anything up before lighting the bowl. Then I started getting some slight background notes of wood and orange juice from the orientals and some occasional puffs of smoky campfire from the latakia, and then I realized this was an English.

The sample I received was dry and rubbed out, so the bowl did get relatively hot on me and I had to set it down several times. Toward the middle of the bowl, the orientals started to get a bit bitey and started to irritate my nasal passages as even the best orientals tend to do. I started think that this reminded me somewhat of SQ - Squadron Leader and GLP - Maltese Falcon and what I imagine Star of the East Gold might taste like (though I haven't tried the gold version yet), though noticeably sweeter. After a while, the sweet virginias slowly started to vanish and all I could taste was oriental and a rare bit of latakia. I think if the virginias would have held throughout the bowl I would have enjoyed this a lot more, as even though I like orientals, they can bother my nose at times.

That being said, this was a rather complex blend and I was happy to try it.