McClelland No. 5115 Old World Classic Cake

This is a nice virginia that is slightly sweet. Most of the taste is citrus, closer to the lemony side. Which is not at all unpleasant. It is actually a nice change of pace from virginias in general. I will say that if puffed to fast it will sting you fairly hard!

McCelland Bulk No. 5115 - Old World Classic

Star Rating = 3

Rating Scores - 10 is the Best and 0 is the Worst

Pouch Note = 7

Room Note = 8

Flavor = 8

Bite = 8

Burn = 9

After Taste = 8

Raw Score = 48

Rated Percentage = 80%

Comment = Smooth, Mild, Mellow, good Flavor, * Ketchup Pouch Note, white ash Burn, nice smoke, this is the best of the McCelland 5000 series blends

* Foot Note: McClelland famous "Ketchup" aroma and / or taste comes from the natural fermentation of unstoved / non flue curded Virginias that are aged in cakes.

This is a medium flavor intensity brown flake, with decent burn and good construction overall. Mostly caramel and vanilla types of flavors, but not too brash. A bit hard on the mouth. Seems to be a flake version of 2000, and also shares some similarities to 2010. I liked the bowls I smoked, but need to smoke more of it to form a final opinion. I still think 5100 and 2015 are the stand outs in the bulk McClelland VA range, but this one and 2035 are both interesting, as is 2010.

This is basically the same mild flake tobacco used in 2010 on which they added fruits cocktail syrup, the resulting aroma is sweet, fruity with less ketchup smell, overall the fruits syrup casing is really well done.

This smoke will please those who prefer mild Virginia cased with natural fruity aroma. Decent summer smoke .

Mildly sweetened, smooth and tasty, 5115 is a real winner at a bulk price.

If you enjoy a mild virginia flake with just a bit of a sweet topping, you'll probably like this one. 5115 compares favorably to many other tinned products of the genre, and at a much better price.

I'll keep some of this one around for mild virginia cravings.

A McClelland Bulk Gem.

* * * *

I have aged it,dried it,sipped it slow,and smoked it fast. I cannot smoke this without searing my tongue. I love 2015,PSLNF,Old Gowrie, many other Va's/vap. But this stuff is a tongue shredder.

I will give this three stars for now even though my first encounter was not very memorable. This blend went rather quickly into the closet. I will update this review after the next encounter. I much preferred 2015, 2045, 2030 to 5115. My favorite McClelland is British Woods.

7/26/2005

My pouch of this blend is dry to the point of being almost brittle. I can no longer detect any flavoring or scent at all. No bite but quite sharp on the tongue as most straight Virginias seem to be. A nice and potent smoke at this point although not at all complex. Still prefer 2015 and the 22, 24, 27 Virginias although this is ready-rubbed and easier to light. Burns cleanly with minimal attention.

I love McClelland's Virginias, and I am not averse to cased tobaccos, but for some reason none of McC's cased VAs do much for me. The flavor of 5115 is that of 2010 (their basic straight VA bulk flake) with a light fruit topping. To my mind, the fruit does nothing to enhance the experience, and only succeeds in making me wish I was smoking straight 2010 instead.

Not as heinous as #2000 (Fragrant Matured Cake), nor as tasty as their Townsman Cavendish line, this is at best an occasional change-of-pace smoke for me. But if you're the type who appreciates a high-quality VA but absolutely _must_ have some kind of topping, this might be right up your alley. (My guess is the topping won't be strong enough for you, though.)

Not much to add to the previous reviews. Experienced VA smokers will glean all they need to know from them.

But for the inexperienced or first time VA smoker one word of advice: BEWARE. This tobacco will bite with a captital B. My initial case of tongue bite with this blend stands in mute testament. Yes, I can be a bit overzealous in my consumption of VA's.

As with most VA's this blend requires patience and a slow technique. It is the only way to experience the nuance of the blend and to preserve your tongue.