McClelland No. 2050 Oriental Cavendish Mix

For those looking for a mild everyday Tobacco I believe ths is it.Not as cloying as some of the other aromatics that McClelland produces but a simple blend that can be smoked all day.There is a slight sweetness that complments the Virginias from Black Cavendish.The Orientals are not in your face but weaves in and out as you go through a bowl. The blend did appear a little wet at first but a few hours of drying time eliminated that.Did not burn hot in any size bowl that I tried,however the larger bowls produced a little bit more residual juiceso have a pipe cleaner standingby. The aroma was aromatic almost like an Asian ginger.The main sniffers,my wife and two daughters did not complain of the aroma,so it passed the in the house test.

Why McClelleand calls this an Oriental mixture is beyond me. The pouch aroma is decidely that of an aromatic, neither particularly light nor heavy. Part of the aroma is vanilla, the rest eludes me. The flavor is a hybrid, Virginia with some milder Oriental (Basma or Smyrna perhaps) and a goodly dose of flavoring. Whether the addition is cased into the Cavendish, or addded as a topping is beyond my capability to determine, nor do I care to persue it. For me, not worth finishing the trial package.

On the plus side, for those looking for an upgrade from drugstore aromatics, this would be a good choice, as it burns cleanly, fairly dry and cool. The pipe remains clean, and very little aroma lingers.

This is truly an "unusual mixture" in that it is sold as a non-aromatic Oriental blend, but it is clearly a flavored mixture. In fact, it happens to be my personal favorite blend in the aromatic category.

In the tin, there are distinct aromas of clove, vanilla and sugary sweetness (presumably from the Cavendish). It smells delicious. Because it is a bulk tobacco, the moisture level varies. However, I have had no trouble drying it down as needed.

In the bowl, it tastes less spicy than in smells. The flavor somewhat light and sweet, with the Orientals coming through. The room note and sidestream smell fantastic. I find the overall impression to be kind of like a less aggressive Indonesian kretek cigarette. Comparing pipe tobacco to cigarettes is usually a bad thing, but in this case I mean it in a good way.

On a few occasions I did find it to be kind of sticky in the bowl, but I often find Orientals to be oily and sticky on their own, so that's not a knock against the top dressing.

One of the many McClelland blends that I didn't buy enough of while it was still available.

Well.... are you an OTC smoker? Do you like nutty Burley based Cavendish or Prince Albert, Carter Hall style of American tobaccos ? Then I think you will like this blend. I personally find this a mild aromatic with maybe some chocolate, vanilla flavorings that overpower the Orientals but..... done well, no bite or goop. It's pleasant but not really my type. I Don't really want to bash this blend as many smokers would love this and at bulk prices.

This is an interesting pipe tobacco that fills a gap in the market - an English style without any Latakia. For those who detest the smell or taste of Latakia, or for those who like Latakia but are aware that other people might not find the smell tolerable, this tobacco is a godsend. It has all the qualities of an English, but without Latakia.

I bought a 2oz sample because I was interested to try out such a tobacco. I'm one of those who find myself feeling a little self conscious smoking Latakia near other people, and this is particularly so in nearby coffee shops that have a smoking lounge or terrace where I'd like to be able to enjoy a meaningful smoke but without disturbing others with the pungent Latakia smell. I also wouldn't ever smoke Latakia in my home, but do occasionally smoke an aromatic indoors. Something a little stronger and more interesting would be welcome.

Having said all of this, I'm a little lukewarm about this McClelland blend. Yes, it has a slightly spicey Englishness but without much depth. There's a small amount of creaminess towards the end from the virginias, and a reasonably pleasant creamy aftertaste as well. But I didn't feel that I wanted to rush out and order this tobacco. That feeling might develop as I get near to the end of my current 2oz bag, but at the moment I'm thinking "hey, this is okay" rather than "wow, this is wonderful".

This is a perfectly okay smoke that fills a niche. The quality is good. For these reasons it deserves at least three stars. I do, however, feel that it lacks depth. I like the slightly spicey flavors, but miss the deep creaminess that is evident in some proper English blends. However proper English blends contain Latakia, which this blends deliberately avoids. So although it's not perfect and could do with more depth (IMHO) it is pretty much a fait d'accompli that if you want an English style but without the Latakia smells, this is just about the only tobacco that fits the bill.

I don't like sweetened black Cavendish for the most part, and in this particular blend, it sticks out like a sore thumb. The other components seem nice, but the Cavendish overwhelms them and makes it a sticky vanilla mess. It does not bite, though, and so for that, and the quality of the other components, I'll give it two stars. Tends to be very wet in the bag, takes a long time to dry out, and IMHO isn't smokeable without drying.

Update: Once it (finally) dries out a bit, it isn't as goopy, and the vanilla is still strong without being totally outrageous. Frankly to me, a weird blend, with the spicy nature of the orientals being almost entirely masked by the sweet Cavendish.

I bought this in bulk back in April and it's been waiting on me to get back to it. I don't have much to add to the reviews of my esteemed fellow puffers...this is a good smoke! I enjoyed it from top of bowl to bottom. Burns clean, no goop...it's not my every day choice, but I will smoke it more often than I have previously!

I like the way this blend reminds me of Frog Morton Across the Pond. It's not as flavorful or as English-y but it's good enough to try. I don't think it's anywhere near as bad a drug store blend. Those leave horrible, horrible things in your pipe. This blend didn't leave much; just a bit of excess moisture. I suppose if one would smoke this out of a freshly opened bulk bag then perhaps it would leave some gunk. My 2 ounces came from an opened and almost empty bag which probably helped dry out the blend a bit.

This here blend is one that I could live with if I was stuck with only this one for the rest of my life! It has everything an all day smoke should have- long lasting flavor with out the bite or heavy odor, good burning and easily acquired. Many pipe shops carry this and put their own label on it so if interested ask for it by the mfg. number.