McClelland No. 2030 #1 Grade Balkan

A very nice and well balanced meat and potatoes Balkan. Not overly complex nor deep. The nice part is when air dried for awhile you can pick out the different tobaccos, whereas others tend to become a vat of chilli.

I prefer to add 3 oz. of McClelland's Blending Latakia to 16 oz. of this blend. Thus making it fuller and a tad smoother. I quite enjoy this a bit more when compared to some of McClelland's tinned blends.

For the cost-conscious Balkan smoker, this would be a fine 'turn to' blend. Nothing really exciting here.

The latakia takes a backseat to the orientals, which, for me (belonging to the Sykes school of Latakia being a condiment tobacco), is a good thing.

For my unrefined palate the virginias are MIA.

Criticisms aside, a good dependable smoke.

Purchased 8 oz of this a few weeks back. The pouch aroma seems kind of flat and lacking that smoky latakia aroma I thought it would contain. When loading the pipe, I noticed several times the number of stems and undesired tobacco bits that this 8oz contained. This is something I never encountered with McClelland, they are usually on top of the QC

The Base Va tastes sweet and toasty without any bite. I really enjoy this component! The Orientals are much more forward than the Latakia, but stay throughout the entire bowl. The Turkish also seems a bit subdued, usually a Balkan blend with Turkish leaves a clean almost minty finish on the palate. It is almost non-existent.

All in all a good mild mannered Balkan that will get your day started.

Excellent blend! Sweet, pungent, a bit of tang, and a wonderful over-all aroma. Good all day Balkan blend. Nothing too complex...but it's good! Just doesn't excite me or keep me interested. I would recommend it, but won't remain as one of my regulars.

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.

#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.