McClelland No. 2035 Dark Navy Flake

Update: I hereby repent me of the cardinal sin of Greenhorn Reviewers: reviewing a blend on only one bowl. For penance I will smoke three bowls of Deacon's Downfall and five bowls of Presbyterian. I was just so impressed with that first bowl... DNF can indeed be briney and boring, but it can also be as wonderful as I claimed below (I've also noticed notes of licorice and wood). Like the sea itself, unpredictable; beautiful and treacherous in turns. I suppose this is the lack of refinement as compared to Dark Star noted by other more knowledgeable reviewers. Still, recommended as I certainly think it worth the $2/oz I paid for it. Original review follows:

I spotted Dark Navy Flake in a jar at my local B&M, looking and smelling like thin strips of leather soaked in tar. My experience with flakes, limited though it may be, was enough to assure me that this is not a bad thing by any means. I bought me some and rubbed some out and stuffed it in a trusty I-talian billiard, my patience being insufficient to await a drying-out period. It took a few passes with the ol' Prometheus to get her going, but once that flame was enkindled, blow me down, maties. Ain't nothing wrong with this salty sea lass a little drying wouldn't fix.

Rich, sweet, spicy, cool; notes of molasses and spice (cinnamon maybe); good good good all the way down. I've had several more favorably reviewed tabacs that left me high and dry, whereas DNF had me sailing the savory seas. I will definitely buy some more to age in jars. If this is Dark Star's lesser little sister, as intimated by prior reviewers, I am afraid to try Dark Star lest I smoke myself into the poorhouse/early grave.

Appearance: Small flakes, quite thick and leathery. Very dark brown, almost black, with a few lighter specks evident.

Aroma: Rich stoved Virginia aroma, with a trace of the McClelland ?vinegar? present initially.

Packing: Very difficult to rub out as it feels like a cross between leather and beef jerky. Maybe it?s supposed to be chewed? The best compromise for me was to just break it up into small irregular pieces. It was way too thick to attempt a ?sausage? style packing.

Lighting: Even when somewhat dried, it was very slow to light: sometimes requiring three matches to get a good coal on top.

Initial flavor: Oddly enough, the initial flavor was all high notes. There was no initial depth of flavor (middle and low notes), onlythe sharp tingly sensations that I associate with lemon Va. This persists for several minutes

Mid-bowl: It does settle down to a more satisfactory range of flavors, with fairly good interplay of layers. There is finally some of the depth and richness I expect in a Va. The tobacco burns cool and dry (mostly), but there is always a brightness or sharpness noticeable. The ash is a typical gray color.

Finish: I am usually unable to smoke this all the way to the heel, leaving some some dottle to get rid of. Mostly, it just won?t stay lit as moisture and tar accumulate in the heel.

Summary: Similar to Dark Star, but not as refined or well aged. Even at bulk prices, not a good value.

Nothing close to my idea of either a navy flake or a dark virginia pressed tobacco. After a lot of work getting the wet and adhesive product to light, I seemed only to taste hot air. No discernible tobacco flavor either good or bad. Strange and disappointing, especially since the name and appearance promise nothing to this flake lover but rich satisfaction. Sadly not. The only real taste came at the last 1/8th and then it was quite bitter and dottle-like. BTW, tried at least ten bowls at different times before this review to see if perhaps my tongue was just having a "bad hair day". Others obviously like it, but few tobaccos meet with unanimous support or denigration.

This is good stuff. I agree that it is very much like dark star. Not quite as sweet or flavorful though. Probablly this aged a few years would equal dark star.

Pouch/tin aroma is dead on exactly that of southern VA sweet homemade pickles my granny taught me to make. With Sauers pickling spice (smell those cloves!). Vinegar, sweet and spicy all at once and damn good. Oooooh this is twangy smelling stuff. If you never smelled that type of pickle maybe you think I am crazy- I would not blame you, but if you are from southeast Va I bet you know what I mean.

I would buy this again when it is gone and age some too. I like dark star too but this is real close to it and the bulk price is good although I noticed the prices just went up a bit recently.

I like to mix some of this in with bright virginias to "round the edges" sometimes. This is not an everyday or all day smoke for me but it is nice to have it on hand for when the mood strikes. Put a small pinch in a bowl of #27 mc va and you have a real treat.

McClelland?s Dark Navy Flake (No. 2035) is a bulk, dark stoved Virginia flake similar in many respects to McClelland?s Dark Star but not nearly as refined.

The pouch aroma is very pleasing with a dark, natural tobacco odor. This odor is reminiscent to the smell of Worcestershire sauce. Dark Navy Flake is said to begin as a bright Eastern Belt Lemmon leaf and cutter grade tobaccos. This flake is dark black in color, with only slight hints of lighter brown shades showing through on some of the flakes.

The cut of Dark Navy Flake is a medium long flake cut and is rather thick. This tobacco is quite stubborn to rub out, and packing also takes certain effort. The moisture of Dark Navy Flake seems to be at the root of this blend?s downfalls. The flakes are deceptively moist and the excess moisture becomes apparent upon rubbing out and smoking. An extensive amount of drying is necessary for this tobacco blend.

Dark Navy Flake tends to resist being lit and its burn is medium slow and somewhat uneven. The ash appears as a mixture of a gray/black ash and dottle. The excess moisture limits the ability of Dark Navy Flake from burning to the bottom of the bowl. An unfortunate amount of tar or resin usually accumulates at the bottom of the bowl. The room note is enjoyable and has a pungent, dark, and true tobacco quality.

The flavor of Dark Navy Flake is rich, naturally sweet, and has very slight hints of spice and tang. Although this blend?s taste is enjoyable, it is not as complex as many other stoved Virginia flakes. The bite of Dark Navy Flake can be substantial at times. Again, this can be attributed to the ever-present excessive moisture. A medium smoke is given off by this tobacco.

Dark Navy Flake, simply stated, is a younger and less refined version of its counterpart Dark Star. The price difference between the bulk blend Dark Navy Flake and the premium tinned Dark Star blend is not enough to outweigh the negative characteristics of Dark Navy Flake. Aging, correctly done, would probably transform Dark Navy Flake from a mediocre tobacco into a great tobacco.

The tin note is like a smoky fruit.

The flavor is similar, it is a slightly smoky, fermented fruited. It was mild based on my expectations for something so dark in appearance.

A lot of this blend is squarely medium. Since they closed up, I wouldn't try too hard to seek this out, but if you can try someone without a premium, go for it.

You can view my video review of this blend here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1s29OJXR3oA

I don't have a favourite type of tobacco as such, but if I were asked to choose one tobacco, a Desert Island blend, it would probably be a dark stoved Va. But it wouldn't be this. That honour would go to Rattray's Black Va.

Not that 2035 is in any way an inferior tobacco. It is great stuff. It has dark, rich, sweet, dried fruit aromas. It burns easier than Dark Star, tho not as well as RBV.

It doesn't bite. It lasts an age in the bowl. It is light on nicotine so can be an all day tobacco without any ill effects. What it does have is a mild casing that does not appeal to me. It isn't intrusive and I could probably over time come to overlook it, but it is there (which is why I believe this is called a Navy Flake) and it is enough to take a 4 star blend (which is what its sibling Dark Star is) down a mark.

Added a about a dozen 1oz samples of various McClelland bulk blends to my last tobacco order looking for another good bulk to add to my cellar. Dark Navy Flake immediately caught my eye, heavy duty dark rich flakes! I love these things! The only mistake I made was not reading the other reviews before I started on this one. I rubbed it out and let it dry for a half an hour, we all know what happened. I went to the source and read some reviews and found that some folks were nuking this stuff, wholly crap. I was a little put off by the micro-wave so I rubbed out some more and let it dry for eight hours, it was actually a little crispy. I still had to use a couple of pipe cleaners even after the eight-hour dry. I hate to admit it but the micro wave for ten seconds is the way to go, makes this flake burn perfectly and well worth the prep. time and effort. I will be buying more of this flake, I don’t see it as an everyday smoke but it is a good one, 3.5 stars.

McClelland 2035 takes the deep, tangy dark fruit flavors I associate with stoved Virginias to new heights, well, actually depths. To my taste buds and nose the flavor is what I imagine one would get from making unsweetened preserves out of what is leftover from pressing berries or dark fruit for wine. The deep tang of this blend is simply that strong.

The strength in terms of nicotine content is very mild. The taste is medium. I doubt this could be provoked to bite. Rubbed out/picked apart and packed loosely this tobacco burns well, with no more relights than my typical high number. For me this is too deeply tangy and uni-dimensional to be an all-day smoke, but I do recommend keeping some on hand. It is an excellent tobacco for smoking outside on a breezy day.