McClelland No. 2030 #1 Grade Balkan

I've mostly smoked McC's blends that are found in tins before trying this. My sample had the usual trash to be groomed, which I've found not to be uncommon with this brand. My portion of the bulk it came from was a little dry. Nice multi-hue color presentation with a pleasant fragrance that announces the begining of a fine smoking experience. Burning this blend of leaves to the bottom of the bowl is refreshingly understated without the heavy presence of others that are more robust. The yeild of flavors is subtle and refined in nature, requiring more participation of the smoker. Even tho it's not stellar, it is of an enduring character, not to be missed by anyone who enjoys Balkan blends or those desiring diversion from some of the English heavy weights.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a Gezer Flying Dragon

The term "balkan" seems to be very generic, and I would echo the overall sentiment that this blend is somewhat underrated considering what it is. I find it delightful, having smoked it off and on for a number of years. It's a balkan for everyday, one that can be smoked anytime, anywhere, and be thoroughly enjoyed. It burns cool and even, it's never harsh or biting, it's modestly priced, with a high level of quality and an abundance of flavor. Like some of the other McC bulk blends, it contains some annoying stems and twigs, but you didn't have to shell out $5 plus for a small tin of it either.

2030 is a proletarian blend that scores high in my book. Nothing fancy, just consistently good.

This is tilted toward the black and browns, with little highlights. Nice, inviting unlit aroma.

No technical complaints. Cool, kind of soft flavors of an exotic sort, particularly Oriental and easy going Latakia (Cyprian). Clouds of smoke come easily with little effort.

Easy to smoke all day without mouth fatigue or pain.

At times, an oily or sooty coating hits my tongue towards the last third of a bowl.

Nice for the price. Ready to smoke when you receive your bulk bag, but softens with age. Many tobacconists stock McClelland bulks, so you can sample this before committing to large quantities.

Accept it for what it is and spare the comparisons to boutique blends or brands lost to antiquity. Decent, unchallenging, and a very good dollar to pleasure ratio- typicaly with most McC bulks.

Definitely Deja Vu. I have encountered this in nearly every independent B&M ever visited. It is a medium English/Oriental tobacco using several varieties of Oriental leaf, Cyprian Latakia and a base of undistinguished Virginias. The flavor is very generic, not particularly complex, and does not develop throughout the bowl. A ggod value for the price, but not beguiling enough to repeat soon.

The problem with this blend is that there are too many excellent Balkan blends out there. This blend is actually good though. My 2 oz. came from Uptowns and was at the perfect moisture. In the bag, the aroma is reminiscent of the McClelland tang that you either love or hate (I happen to love it)with the latakia and oriental quite fragrant as well. Leaf appearance is of a mostly dark medium ribbon cut. Packing and lighting are easy. At the top of the bowl you have to set your pace slowly due to the brightness of the virginia in this. If you don't, your tongue will suffer. Flavor is of a good middle-weight balkan. Flavor-wise, this reminds me a lot of "British Woods", but not quite as complex. Mid to bottom of the bowl you get a mild increase in fullness but when your done, you really are not wowed in any way. I suppose due to its low cost that this is a great buy, but as for me, I prefer to smoke less and get higher quality leaf. I will recommend this though, especially to those curious to expand into the world of "Balkans". Rating: 3 out of 5 points. Enjoy....

#1 Grade Balkan is a not-so-special bulk from the McClelland shop. My sample appeared in fine shape, not the sticks, etc.that others have noticed, and at a good moisture level- a rarity from McC. It was purchased at a local tobacconist's shop and was prepackaged in a cheap ziplock, so a good deal of drying might well have already taken place as it collected dust on the shelf. (This was a few years ago, and I now refuse to buy prepackaged bulks unless I know the store turns over a lot of that tobacco).

Nothing offends about this mixture, and as it was one of the first bulk english/balkans I had tried, I thought quite highly of it. Since then I have found many better blends in bulk (like 695) and soon I left #1 Grade behind.

Seeing a review in this venue recently I decided to revisit my aged-in-glass-jar sample. The nose was really good, w/o that trademark McClelland's tang. The tobacco was still at a good moisture level, so I packed up one of my better english/balkan briars and lit 'er up. I must admit that I had smoked a bowl of Durbar about an hour before (in a different pipe) so my tastebuds were still somewhat calibrated to that blend.

Well #1GB is not Durbar or, for that matter, of the quality of other McC blends like British Woods or Oriental #14 or even the Frogs. While I enjoyed the bowl, it seemed to be missing that special something to make it stand out, the taste falling well short of the tin aroma, ending in a slight bitterness, but w/o the smokiness. There are so many good English/Balkans out there that, to be interesting, the product needs to have something unique to offer. #1GB falls short.

I may pick up another couple of ounces at some point, 'cause the price is right and my original sample may have been stale. But then again, I may not...

Some years ago, when cost dictated, I began to smoke bulk 2030 in large quantities. As time passed, I became somewhat more monetarily advanced and began to play with expensive imports and the like. Recently, a fellow piper pulled out a bag of 2030 for us to enjoy during an evening's visit. I rather enjoyed it, all over again. Not terribly complex or strong, but very woodsy with smoke you can chew on, resulting in smoke rings of copious size... Between the two of us, we now have about 7 pounds put away, perfect for those Calgary winters when nought but tea, tobacco and tales will suffice.

2030 comes in bulk packaging. Mine was vacuum packed.

It came so moist, that the vacuum packing mashed it to the point where I do not know what style the cut was intended to be. The pouch aroma is that of a freshly opened box of dried prunes. I?m no stranger to prunes, so I can vouch for the accuracy of this statement. I didn?t know whether to eat it, chew it, or smoke it. I still don?t know if this is really 2030, or if I received something else in error. I broke off a few chunks. Half filling a pipe of little consequence - I feared the prune smell would attached itself, ruining a better pipe ? I readied to take this for a tentative run. It was hard to light, but I can say it wasn?t bad. I did note a mineral taste toward the end of the bowl. It did speak of better things to come.

After two days of drying, I tried a full bowl. It was too hard to keep lit long enough to discern anything meaningful. I decided to wait 2 more days, hoping it would dry out so I could rub it out to a proper size.

On the next try, although far too moist, I was able to get it going. I realized the previous mineral taste was merely an emanation of the prune smell coming through in the smoke.

In short, after more then a week of drying, I got something smokable, but I don't enjoy it.

A rather ordinary Balkan without much to separate it from the field. Like most of the McClelland bulks it is not as refined in terms of the cut of the tobacco or the number of stems and hard pieces compared to McClelland's tinned mixtures.

This is a medium Balkan that could only be recommended if cost was a factor.