McClelland No. 2020 Matured Cake

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.

Revised review 5/20/2016- I've really given this blend more than its fair shot, and it now has over 5 years in a Mason jar. The flavor is good ,although a little monochromatic ,but,,,,, it just bites me bad every time I smoke it. I won't buy again.