McClelland No. 5120 Fragrant Virginia Blend

Due to reviews that I had already seen, I was a bit hesitant to try 5120. I have been in search of the nearest bulk equivalent to "Deep Hollow" for some time and had been pointed in the direction of 5120. After finally sampling some, I can tell you: this ain't "Deep Hollow". Whereas "DH" is, in my opinion, reminiscent of warm vanilla, I detect more of a fruity topping here. Whether this stuff (as well as "DH") is actually topped or cased, or if the fragrant aroma is due to the blending and aging processeses, I can't say for sure.

Despite being disappointed that I hadn't finally found the bulk version of one of my favourite tinned tobaccos, I can say that 5120 is quite good. I received a one-pound order of it, and the moisture content was perfect. After the initial charring light, one light was sufficient to take me to the bottom of the bowl. It is quite mild as far as the true tobacco aroma and flavour are concerned, and the topping is never overwhelming. I noticed that the second half of the bowl seemed to promise a deeper, richer tobacco experience than did the top half, although the fruitiness had evaporated by this point. What was left behind in the room was a warm, rich, slightly sweet aroma that many people associate with pipe smoking.

I would recommend this tobacco without hesitation. I am somewhat disappointed that I didn't find "Deep Hollow In A Bag", but I refuse not to judge this blend on its own merits. It's no Rattray or Dunhill blend (I find most Dunhills to be overrated), but it's a winner in my book anyway.

09.11.2005

After aging what's left of my 5120, I find that the sharpness of the fruity essence has dissipated somewhat and that the tobacco itself promises a richer, deeper flavour and aroma. I don't think I've ever known of a tobacco to benefit so much from being left alone for several months.

I received a sample of this from Tobacco Direct.com along with my bulk order of 5100. I chucked it off to the side and kind of forgot about it for a week or so. I found it in my tobacco drawer and thought I would take it to work, where aeromatics are appreciated by my co-workers. I just finished another bowl of it and had several co-workers comment that it smelled really good and why don't I smoke it more often (they don't care for my full latakia weed).

I have to say, I don't find this to be an aeromatic (though I thought it would be from the name "fragrant"). I actually really enjoy it as a sweet treat and a departure from my regular blends. I may even order some in bulk to keep on hand. Good quality virginia and natural sweetness, plus a pleasing room note for the folks around you. Not a bad combination at all.

This is a very fragrant mixture of several different virginias in a fine ribbon cut. Components are red, dark stoved, and a sprinkling of golden that add up to a lovely mixture. At first glance this tobacco appears to be your atypical goopy aromatic; extremely moist and reeking of a fruity essence aroma, but that's where it's similarity basically ends.

After 20 minutes with a bowl's worth of tobacco on a paper towel, it had finally dried out enough to be smokeable. At first light, the room filled with an aroma that I liked very much, but my six year son had no real opinion on other than it smelled good and didn't stink [a good sign!]. I found it to burn quite well at this point, despite it's original problem of being overly moist.

While the fruity essence is very evident upon lighting, it did fade considerably until about a third of the way in when it resurfaced again and began to play off the richness of the red virginias. This part of the smoke was good; a constant flux of sweet, then tart, then rich, and then sometimes all of the above, albeit a little mild for my taste.

The best part of the bowl is the latter third. By this time the dark stoved tobaccos kicked it and what a wonderful flavor that lended itself to what had been going on in the middle third. This didn't last long however, as the moisture problem mentioned earlier began to take its toll and the constant relights necessary to keep it going made it a less enjoyable experience than it could have been. Left was a small unburnt dottle, but fortunately no goop which leads me to believe this tobacco merely suffers from excess moisture.

Summary: This tobacco has great potential as a "crowd pleaser" and reminded me of some of the finer points of the McClelland's aromatics without the goopy oily mess that they are known for. The leaf is of good quality, but on the negative side; I am mystified as to why McClelland feels it's necessary to add this much moisture to a bulk blend before packing...it's ridiculous!

One great thing about this blend though, is that it has absolutely no bite whatsoever!...nada! As such I think this is a great tobacco for new pipe smokers or as an introduction to viginias. I don't think there's much here for the veteran, unless your looking for something nice to smoke in a social setting, or a lighter sweet morning smoke.

Bottom line: a mild and flavorful tobacco of a complex nature that needs a hell of a lot of drying time.

Jar note of spices, mild steak sauce, and mild stewed fruit. Tobacco is a mix of what appears to be 50/50 Stoved Virginia broken flake and Red Virginia Ribbon. The black and brown tobacco is moist but needs no drying. Burns slow with few relights once lit. The strength is mild to medium (it picks up some strength at the halfway point) and nic is mild. No flavoring detected. Taste is mild to medium and complex, with notes of mildly tart dark fruit, very earthy, wood, spiced bread, tangy lemon, sweet stewed fruit, mildly spicy, a sweet grass background note, and retro is smooth and gets a little peppery toward the halfway point. Stoved Virginia is leading with Red Matured Virginias supporting. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is great.

An unpleasant casing detracts from an otherwise inoffensive Virginia blend.

This review is based on a small sample. I liked what flavor I got, but in general, did not find this particular tobacco very flavorful. The stoved nature of the Virginias does help balance the blend and it's not as fatiguing to smoke as some of the other McClelland bulk VA, but that said, there's not much taste to the tobacco, and with that in mind, I can't really get enthusiastic about it. I will update this review if I change my opinion... I may need to try it in a wider range of briars.

I didn't get any tongue bite, but did find the back of my throat getting dry with a bit of a tickle on one large bowl smoked in a pot. It came rather moist in the pouch and required a good bit of drying to achieve a reasonable moisture level.

I liked this for what it was a good quality blend of virginias. It loaded up pretty easy and smoked like a charm all the way to the bottom of the bowl. It did not have the most flavor of other virginia blends I have tried, and that is why I would not rush out and buy more but would not turn down any offerings of this blend.

The pouch aroma of this chunk/ribbon-cut mixture is typically earthy, fermented McClelland character.

Seemingly a mix of 5100 and 5105, the flavor is a mellow, even keeled, red and stoved virginia blend without the nuance of equivalent tinned mixtures.

5120 is a stable, companionable choice for those looking for a quality bulk blend.

Chamber Gauge: Medium

A fine virginia,that brings a little spice to the palate.This is a wonderful blend in my opinion for aromatic smokers to expand their horizons.Taste can be a little monochromatic,however for a change of pace a wonderful tangy burst of flavor is emitted.Billowy clouds of smoke develop after some drying time,came a little moist when purchased.Also makes a wonderful blending tobacco to bring a little extra kick from the stoving to milder tobaccos.