McClelland No. 2025 English Cavendish

This blend has been good but not great. I have tried it in different bowl types - pot, tall/narrow, etc. looking for a magic combo, and it has eluded me. I smoked it rubbed out.

I will have no problem finishing the 4 oz or so I got. It is soft and fairly mild in terms of strength and flavor. There is a sour, tangy, spicy quality to the orientals. The cavendish processing and the Virginia give it a mellow, slightly sweet taste. It ought to work better than it does for me, but this is a 2.5. I will smoke up what I have with no regrets, but I am not likely to buy more. It is pleasant and a good smoke. It just does not punch enough buttons at this price point.

FWIW, I claim there is no black cavendish in this blend.

Edit: I have experimented with different pipes, etc. with this blend because I expected to like it more than I have. I have had the best luck with completely rubbing it out - to the point that there are no more hunks of flake. Prepared ths way in a tapered bowl sees to give the best smoke.

Just to say that I have been lucky enough to get 1oz of this tobacco before McCleland closed down for business. Shame. The Oriental leaf really sticks out in this presentation. It is slightly sour, but with a very noticeable spicy profile at the same time. Also, the virginia leaf feels properly aged and is good quality, and the inclusion of unsweetened black cavendish, I dare to say, rounds everything up thickening the smoking experience. That is to say these flakes are quite Oriental forward, but the lack of Latakia is not missed. The slightly sweet notes do come from the virginia leaf it contains whereas the Cavendish sort of adds a creamy dimension fulfilling that vacuum the exclusion of Latakia might leave behind. As an overall statement, I'd say the whole package is quite solid, consistent and properly thought out, though I am not overtly excited, so a rating of 3 stars seems appropriate.

This is a good smoke. The sour note of the Xanthi plays off the sweet note of the Virginias and the combined spice of all the components gives it a fine nose tingle. Not the most complex of blends, but it holds my interest to the end.

Mild to medium in both flavor and body. Needs a little drying time. Burns well. Smokes smooth.

...this "English Cavendish is a pleasant, rather light, broken, small flake tobacco made with lemon Brazilian and orange Middle Belt leaf seasoned with enough Xanthi to be satisfying throughout the day without becoming tiresome to the smoker"... straight from McClelland and I couldn't agree more...

I've smoked this off & on since the late '70's and it is indeed one of my "go to" tobaccos...fairly straight-forward as a tobacco and not overly complex...yet interesting enough that I've never become bored with it.

If a Virginia flake is what you enjoy...this is worth a try to keep things interesting...an all day smoke for me, I enjoy it whenever, especially in the morning with hot tea...and at night with a fine single malt...

Appearance: Mostly medium red, orange and brown, with traces of dark and light leaf. Small flakes of moderate thickness, mostly broken (common to most bulk blends).

Aroma: Sweet yeasty aroma of matured Virginia, trace of vinegar to let you know it?s a McClelland blend. The tand dissipates with a little airing out.

Packing: In larger pipes, folding the larger pieces into a roll works fine. For smaller pipes, I need to rub the flakes out. Fairly typical flake in this regard.

Lighting: Takes a charring light well. A few puffs, some tamping and a relight has it going at a good pace.

Initial flavor: Lots of taste right from the start. All the elements I expect in a McC Va. are there. Good mixture of high and low notes, with a little spicy and nutty note from the Xanthi. Good layering of tastes at the top of the bowl.

Mid-bowl: Continues to delight the palate with a range of flavors, The Oriental is subtle but noticeable. Stays cool at the right pace, stays lit well, and smokes dry.

Finish: A bit more strength at the end, but not objectionable. Clean gray ash, no soggy mess.

Summary: A real delight, comparable to many tinned blends at much higher prices. I should cellar a pound or two for a year (or more) to see how well it ages. I suspect it will be extraordinary.

of the three popular McClelland bulk blends..dark navy flake, 2015 and this.....this is probably the least successful. However that doesnt mean its not good. Its just a bit less balanced and the flavor is less consistent. But its got quality virginia (its mcclelland after all) and the oriental is pretty mild and in the background. Its the poor man's version of Pebblecut in a sense. I like it but its not something I smoke nearly as often as 2015 or dark navy flake.

I really enjoy this Va/oriental flake. After consistently smoking pure Va or Burley flakes the last few weeks, this blend is a welcoming and refreshing change. Probably not something I will smoke every day, but when I reach for it needing a change of pace, it won't let me down!

Broken flake rubs out good and stays lit pretty well. There is only a subtle hint of anykind of cavendish and it's barely detectable at all. There's better tobaccos out there but this one wasn't bad.

This is very excellent McCelland. An extremely harmonious blended broken flake of oriental and virginias. What makes this blend cavendish I have no idea. I think this is even better than the brown tin counterpart. A little of that vinegar tang in pouch aroma with light natural virginia sweetness, light spicy, nutty and a little "funky" oriental character that is wonderful!

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