Tobaccos McClelland - No. 2000 Fragrant Matured Cake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3023)	2016-06-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Several Virginias were used in the processing of this broken flake, and the tobaccos offer a little citrus, lemon, and grass, some tangy dark fruit and stewed dark fruit with earth, and an ever present mild spice. The nougat is more obvious than I have encountered in many other blends, and is well complimented by a mild but rich sweet vanilla and cream. The nic-hit is just past the mild mark. The broken flakes tend to be a little dry in bulk, but there’s not much need to hydrate them. There’s not a lot of complexity present, but there’s enough between the harmonious marriage of toppings and tobaccos to hold your interest. Burns a little slow as flakes tend to do, but it’s a clean, moderately cool smoking with a zesty, tangy sweet consistent flavor that never weakens or gets harsh. It does need a slow puffing cadence because of the inherent spice note and a tendency to get a little hot - not harsh - on the tongue when smoked beyond a moderate rate. Requires some relights and I suggest loosely packing your bowl with it. Takes a little effort to burn it to ash, but it can be done much of the time. Doesn’t leave that much moisture in the bowl. The after taste pleasantly lingers. Not an overwhelming product in terms of strength, but it’s filling enough that you may find it’s not quite an all day smoke. Experienced smokers may differ.

-JimInks

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-02-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Based on a sample of about an ounce, perhaps a bit less. This came pretty dry in the bag, which is how I prefer my McC broken flakes. The flakes were mostly very dark brown which look "overlaid" on the lighter brown rather than co-mingled. A result of the casing, perhaps?

The flavor was vanilla on top of sweet virginia, just as the description leads me to believe. It is a sweet and zesty flavor, very refreshing. This flavor lasts throughout the entire bowl. Whereas most traditional American aromatics flavoring burns away early, this is more of a crossover blend. Crossovers are, to me, mostly misses, but this one hits the mark squarely. Nice room note, sweetened flavor but a dry, cool smoke that never gets murky or ashy. This reminds me of Tordenskjold Virginia Slices without the perique. As a result, it loses a little depth but this blend isn't about depth or complexity - it's about providing the aromatic smoker with a more flavorful and drier smoke.

I generally prefer a bit more tobacco taste in my blends and this will be an occasional smoke for me. 3 stars for my taste but I'm giving this 4 because it perfectly meets its "design" goals. This is one of the finest crossover blends I've ever smoked, and will be near the top of my list when I want something sweetened and/or good while with other people.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2015-01-08		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A recent jaunt into the world of McClelland bulk blends has opened my eyes, wallet and palate to some flavorful, high quality and affordable mixtures.

Fragrant Matured Cake is one that I have been enjoying quite a bit. The flavor has a delicate vanilla, coconut and clove taste and the smoke is somewhat sweet. At a slow sip it's gentle and creamy, when puffed more aggressively there's a touch of spice and a tasty bittersweet edginess tingles the senses. It's just as sweet as most quality aromatics only with more tobacco flavor and without any bite or chemical like off-flavors.

Like most McClelland broken flakes it comes overly moist, firmly pressed and requires a thorough rubbing out and a good amount of dry time. All of this of course is well worth the effort. From top to bottom, this is a very enjoyable tobacco with a fine flavoring that perfectly enhances with the naturally-sweet Virginia.

Fragrant Matured Cake produces a pleasant room note that my wife continually compliments. An outstanding bulk blend that seems to only get better with age and it's also a great value.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: 3 years

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-07-13		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a very fine tobacco consisting of Virginias,burley and flue cured Virginia cavendish. Natural Sweetness of the Virginia,natural chocolate tastes of burley and the headiness of the flue cured along with a top note of Vanilla and fruit essence ie.(coconut) make this broken flake a real winner! The room note is suttle, though comforting and sweet warm fruity. The taste is caramel and toffee with a slight coconut playing through at times. With all these smells and flavors it still tastes of very fine tobacco. This is wonderful pipe tobacco, really wonderful.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-02-17		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I swore off aromatics about 15 years ago and it almost put me off the pipe completely. I was saved by a tin of EMP. I enjoy VAs from time to time, but I was ready for something different (and so was my wife). She asked if I could smoke something that had a good aroma and that tasted good to me. After trying serveral different "quality" aromatics, 2000 has found a place in my daily arsonal.

The flavor is steady throughout the entire smoke. There is no question that it consists of quality, matured VA and just enough casing to create a pleasant room note. I think it is an excellent mix of tobacco and flavor additive.

There is no goop and it doesn't "own" the pipe like many aromatics can. This blend was recommended by a friend who referred to it as a change-of-pace smoke. This may sound strange, but this blend allows me to enjoy my Latakia blends more as it clears the pallete, so to speak.

The flavor is not complex by any means, but I find it satisfying, nonetheless. I can only assume that it will age well as most VAs tend to do. I think this blend is worth a visit.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2016-08-08		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

McClelland - No. 2000 Fragrant Matured Cake.

This is exactly what I want from an aromatic blend! It's not sour or bitter from too much sharp fruit, but richly flavoured.

The broken flakes are on the chunkier side, some need a further rubbing. The pouch-note's pretty sweet, but also there's a slightly rustic character: sweet, rustic, and nutty, that'll be the nougat! The smoke I get is one of the finest aromatics I've had, it's absolutely delicious.

I get very little tobacco flavour, there's only a slight Virginia note, the flavour's mostly aromatic. The initial added taste that comes through is the nougat: sweet, a little sticky, and quite nutty. This works perfectly with the vanilla cream that's just behind it. After the burn's established itself, I notice a fondant flavour coming through: this isn't too much, but compliments the profile nicely. To me, the flavour stays quite constant throughout, from reading other reviews I'd expected some more tobacco to enter the smoke at some point but it seems steadfastly aromatic throughout. Despite the fairly sweet topping, it doesn't bite any, and the temperature of the smoke sits in the middle.

The nicotine's a little below medium, and the room-note's absolutely divine.

A very high class aromatic:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Eric Nording Freehand

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-02-17		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This blend was a little bitey. It was also cased with a maple/vanilla essence of which I disliked the flavor. The smoke volume was wispy and it burned hot. Not much to like here, but I favor natural tobaccos mostly. I always smell aromatic type blends and hope I might find one that tastes as good as it smells, its a fun game I play with myself and maybe someday I'll win. Grin.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2011-12-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A sweet, less tangy broken flake from McClelland. Easy to pack and light, a perfect all day Va that will never bite. I enjoy it as much in the morning as I do at night. Noticable chocolate cream notes, Burns slow and easy. Perfect aroma to smoke in the car on the morning commute or a road trip.

Update: After smoking almost a pound of this, I have found a new favorite aromatic!! Solid 4 stars!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pinko (52)	2016-07-14		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

No. 2000 has a pretty strong Lane 1Q flavor that smells nice enough in the bulk bag but doesn't translate very well to a straight Virginia flake. Without some burley to carry the flavor, it is always going to contribute less than a normal aromatic.

They probably had to sauce it fairly heavily to to get that flavor, which turns this stuff into napalm if you even dream of puffing too fast. Maybe this is why crossover English blends work and crossover pure Virginias don't. It just seems like a bad idea in general.

McClelland does a much better job with normal VA broken flake than with this confused crossover, it is best to stick with those.

Age When Smoked: fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2015-10-20		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant

MAJOR TIP!!!! Do Not Pack This One Tight!!!,, use loose gravity fill. packing tight will make this one smoke hot and wet!!!!

WOW!! been smoking this for a few months and just ordered a pound of this. I'd give it 5 stars if I could. Aromatic quality is so slight it can be ignored and smoked as a straight VA. Also, it's a crowd pleaser,, even non-smokers smile at this one :)

The name says it all, and a classic VA done just the way I like it. Somehow the folks at McClelland must have a palate very similar to mine because I like virtually every blend of theirs I try to varying degrees.

This VA has all the class of their Christmas Cheer series of which I am a huge fan. If you like CC, you'll like this. I can detect a very slight aromatic quality to this blend. It smokes most like a classic VA flake to me. I like aromatics as well, and have smoked many of them for years.

For my palate the aromatic topping here is very faint, but pleasant and I also detect the VA depth and creaminess with the classic VA light citrus tang. No bite. If you make this one bite, you've really accomplished something.

Compared side by side to McC 2010 VA, this blend gets 4 stars. I will buy a pound in the near future, plus, it's a cheaper and more readily available alternative to Christmas Cheer. Worth a serious look to all you VA lovers.

Also, I have found myself mixing this blend into some of my aromatics to give them a bit of VA tang and kick. It has worked well so far and it's fun to experiment. Part of the joy of The Pipe. :)

Pipe Used: Dedicated Wessex straight Dublin, Just for my VAs

Age When Smoked: When shipped, immediate

Purchased From: PipesAndCigars.com

Similar Blends: McC 2010, McC Christmas Cheer.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	al1 (58)	2008-12-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I like this a lot. It reminds me of Mc honeydew although not quite as dark and not quite exactly the same flavor. It seems like a lighter version (in color) without the mollases, the flavor is very simillar. The tin aroma is close to the same. Sweet and almost tropical.

Needs a little drying out to avoid a wet dottle- after drying overnight I got a sweet smoke and a dry finish all the way to the heel. Smokes pretty smooth and sweet. Could easily be an all day smoke.

A good mild flavorful smoke with mainly a vanilla to hazelnut flavor. Great with morning or anytime coffee. I found this flake to have no bite as long as dried some first and you can actually puff down on this some. I normally sip but this one I enjoy to puff on.

I guess I would have to classify this as a crossover blend. Although it is not at all like a goopy aromatic, it has enough flavoring to accentuate the tobacco not mask it. Pretty well done. Smokes good as delivered but I would think aging would not hurt.

I really like the flavor of heavy english blends and va flakes but am finding myself able to enjoy the light ones quite a bit. The flavors are not in your face as much but they are more subtle and pleasent.

I reccomend you try this if you like flakes but miss aromatics occasionally. Pretty good stuff. Reccomended to anyone, but especially to newbies to flakes looking for a better smoke than aromatics- it's not gonna scare you off.

Update: I am enjoying this stuff- This earned a good rating.

It has a light vanilla taste and goes so good with the tobacco base. You must try this if you want a flavored tobacco that is not what you would consider aromatic. It smells good too despite what I just said. My friends tell me it smells like toasty vanilla a lot like a coffe shop. For reference though I never get many complaints except the girlfriend does not like latakia I know. My other friends that latakia smells like incense though when I'm smoking it so I guess it's a personal thing there. But this fine va blend should not offend anyone, it's rare one smells like it tastes but this is it.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Frosty (29)	2008-03-16		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I have many pounds of this in the cellar, and I have been smoking a one year old sample. I like this tobacco in a deep straight walled bowl, with very thick walls. I think it smells and tastes rather like an almondine, maple flavoring, with an underlying deep Virginia flavor. I have devoted a pipe to this blend alone, which probably enhances the flavor for the better. (devoting a specific pipe to a specific blend is a wonderful justification to keep buying additional pipes, by the way). I think this blend benefits from aging, and drying out as well. The fragrance and flavor reminds me of Christmas, and Mrs. Frosty loves the room note, which she says smells like chocolate. This stuff can bite if not aged and dried. I rub out the 1/3 bottom of the bowl quite thoroughly, as this is the only way to get it to burn all the way to the heel. Nicotine is medium I suppose, no buzz but satisfying to me. A quality aromatic, nothing at all like the goopy stuff at the drugstores. I really like it. Just remember to dry it or it will bite.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-08-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

2000 is a great flake, more mild than my usual poison, it has a coffee vanilla hazelnut, whiff to it and is an excellant all day va. perfect for someone new to flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	McQueen (41)	2018-11-24		Mild	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

This is a fantastic broken flake with a nice very light casing that lasts throughout the bowl. I have cellared a bunch of this to see how it ages. Highly recommended

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2018-02-20		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I was intrigued immediately by the "Fragrant Matured Cake" name and decided I needed some. First off, the "tin" note is glorious. Some have suggested nougat, some cream, even some vanilla, and I would say, "yes". It's difficult to pinpoint, actually, but it makes for a creamy experience.

The Virginias offer a sweeping array of the spectrum, hitting most of the lemon-grassy notes while still providing a bit of zesty, tangy, mustiness. The topping was really consistent through the smoke, and was never overpowering, per se, but I did find myself wanting more of the tobacco's taste. However, this blend is deemed a crossover, and for a crossover, it is purely fantastic. This comes in a broken flake that can be easy to rub out if need be, and did come a little moist, so dry it some. Another benefit of drying this blend is because if tried to smoke wet, it will jump up and bite your tongue pretty fiercely, which I most certainly was not a fan of. However, with some dry time, and a slower cadence, this is a well behaved Virginia. The nicotine level is pretty much straight between mild and medium, I did notice the nicotine a bit more than some of their other blends, such as 5100 and 2010.

Overall, this is a perfect crossover for someone who is looking for the bridge between Aromatics and Virginas. It will give you the tasty Virginias and the sweetness of a casing/topping with minimal wetness, comparably. For the Virginia smokers out there, this will serve as a nice treat, a desert smoke, if you will.

Pipe Used: Briar

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2016-01-22		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

May as well start with the elephant in the room: McClelland 2000 is fairly heavily topped with some sweet flavoring, and it wants to burn much hotter than anything else in the 2000 series of bulk tobaccos because of this. This is one of the very few straight VA tobaccos that I recommend a short and wide pipe for, just to keep the temps down. Forget the benefits of deep stoving, heat control is much more important here if you're going to smoke it straight. I don't any more, except to remind myself of the flavor when I'm going to blend it.

The topping is consistent throughout, although it'll get quite ashy on relight sometimes. This makes it useful as a blender for good quality unflavored Cavendish, nothing about the flavoring is offensive when it's laid over some sweet black leaf. I would start with a balanced mix of No. 2000 and black Cavendish and then add maybe 20% of P&C's excellent white cube cut Burley for depth, everything gets very pleasant fast when this is blended for cool burning.

The leaf is excellent - it's McClelland after all. I never get any acetic acid smell, so folks who are turned off by that can try this without worries.

Two stars - it's a fine, if niche, aromatic blender.

Pipe Used: basket pipes

Age When Smoked: fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2015-12-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

McClelland 2010 is one of my current favorites, and 2015 takes up no small space in the cellar, and I love good aromatics. So a natural fit, right? Except that this stuff doesn't know what it wants to be when it grows up. The aromatic doesn't hold throughout, and the Virginia flavor is lacking.

McClelland 2000 has the same problem that Pease's The Virginia Cream does - it's trying too hard to be everything to everyone. Maybe I'm just not cut out for crossovers.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Room Note Professor (44)	2013-12-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It took a while and then struck me. .. Tastewise this is simply a stronger and much fuller version of the famous 1Q/BCA mixture. Virginias with a light dressing of coconut, vanilla and caramel. Unfortunately, like for some others here, it bit me so badly (roof of mouth) that I had to give it away. I suspect this is due to individual mouth chemistry, so by all means give it a try!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DavidP (25)	2013-07-11		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Amazing aroma in the bag but as with many aromatics the flavor doesn't hold up when smoked - it has a pleasant maple/vanilla sweetness but none of the intensity of the aroma.

The flakes came a bit too wet but after some drying they smoke fine. As with most flakes I rub them out beforehand.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoke_Ring (158)	2013-05-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable

McClelland Bulk No. 2000 - Fragrant Matured Cake [small cake cut]

Star Rating = 4

Pouch Note = 8

Room Note = 8

Flavor = 8

Bite = 8

Burn = 8

After Taste = 8

Raw Score = 48

Rated Percentage = 80%

Comment = Smooth, Mild, great full Flavor, bowl burned a long time

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Past Master (20)	2008-06-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I purchase this in Houston under the name "Bristol Slices," and I enjoy it from time to time.

I understand that local tobacconists feel that they must change the name of the bulk tobaccos they carry, so that customers will feel forced to return to their shop to buy more. But, for the better, more knowledgeable customers, it is simply frustrating to buy "Bristol Slices," only to find out later that it is really something else. This practice only encourages me to buy online, rather than support a local tobacconist who is essentially lying to me about the tobaccos he sells me.

To date, the 18 reviews on this blend are all over the place. Three give it a one- star, but four give it a four star. Eleven reviewers are about split between two and three stars. I find nothing to complain about this blend, and much to recommend it. If it were a single-malt Scotch, I'd liken it to a good dark Highland whisky.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-10-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a self touted aromatic with a sweet aroma(Their words, not mine),this falls short. Perhaps some time might help it along but I tend to doubt it. To me any aromatic must meet two criteria. It must taste good to me and smell good to others. Blend 2000 doesn't reach either of these. As a crossover blend, it also fails. The Virginias are good leaves but the artifical flavoring keeps them from being reaching their potential. I only bought a two oz sampler and I'm glad I did. Less to throw away after three bowls. I will never buy this again. There are just to many good crossover blends and aromatics to waste time and money on this. Of course, this is just MHO.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	romaso (45)	2006-06-21		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This is a good quality tobacco that has been strongly sweetened. It serves it's purpose of introducing strong-aromatic smokers to the flavor of good tobacco. From here I'd suggest you try their 5100 Red Cake, which is a sweet, dark Virginia which will give you more tobacco flavor.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (632)	2018-11-20		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I finally got to trying a sample of this a friend sent me about four years ago. Overall, I was left with the impression that it wasn't bad. It is a bit of an oddball as it is kind of a straight Virginia and kind of an aromatic. If I had to decisively state which side of things it falls, I would choose the latter.

As to the appearance of the leaf, it looks like a typical broken flake Virginia that would be produced by McClelland. It would not surprise me if the base of this is the classic Virginia #2010 as it is very similar. the major difference between these two closely numbered bulks is in the smell and taste of the two.

As to the smell, where 2010 has the typical (ketchup) McClelland Virginia aroma, the 2000 smells more like the topping. The topping is one of the common caramel/nougat/bakery type scents. It is not overwhelming in smell or taste, but its presence is certainly felt in both.

This will perform the same as any other MC Virginia broken flake, meaning it will be a bitch to light if you don't allow it to dry a bit. Ditto that to the rubbing and packing as the MC flake chunks start out like thick chunks of rubber when moist. Even these problems disappear after the bowl finally does take light. Then you will enjoy a good treat, particularly if this topping meets your fancy. This is a bite free experience that will provide both a nice topping and great Virginia flavor.

What I liked about this blend was the fact the topping never overwhelmed the Virginia which, like all MC Virginias, is stellar. What I didn't like was the topping. YMMV To me this type of topping just suits a burley base more than a Virginia base. I tend to like fruit and citrus toppings more with Virginia.

I am still giving this three stars, because I did enjoy smoking through it, but if I were to have an aching for this type of blend, I would order a tin of SG Firedance Flake instead of this one.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MrGoGoDanbo (4)	2017-09-02		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

From the multiple bowls I smoked of this the dry time varied from 15min to up to an hour. No reason really except thats when I got to it.

The bag note was sugary syrup sweet. If you've ever smelled simple syrup that is what I'd equate this smell too. I also got a hint of buttered popcorn. Sounds weird I know, but that's what I got lingering in the background.

It comes as a flake but I rubbed it out.

After the initial light and tamp it took about two more goes before it stayed lit. I am a slow smoker so I did end up having to relight just a few times, but that doesn't bother me.

Definitely a mild tobacco. I had read that this blend is bite-y but I didn't find that to be true in my case. At a nice leisurely smoke I think you can escape the bite.

Flavor was sweet and slightly tart but as the smoke continue the tartness came out more and more. I also got a floral note on the retro hale. Even further into the bowl you get this really great lingering sugar taste in your mouth. I found this to pair well with a black cup of coffee.

Room note was sweet tobacco.

The smoke was thin but with the draw it felt chewy in my mouth which is something I like. I don't necessarily care if there are big clouds of smoke but I do look for the mouth feel of the smoke.

Thought I'd give this a shot after shying away from Aromatics. I wouldn't compare this to Lane 1Q but I'd say it is a nice step up from it. I'd return to this blend if I found I was craving something along this line.

Pipe Used: GBD 6660

Age When Smoked: N/A

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2014-03-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

After smoking a 1/2 lb of this in various different pipes, I thought I would give a review.

Smoking Pipes accurately describes the tobacco as such.

This light, soft sweet cake is designed to appeal to many smokers of Matured Virginias who have been unable to endure aromatics but who would prefer a tobacco that smells sweeter in the room, as well as smokers of traditional aromatic cavendishes that would like a cooler dryer smoking tobacco. It is an excellent smoke for those who prefer Virginias over Burleys, and who enjoy a mild topping and a nice room note. It has a nice maple like flavor. I would not call it a full blown aromatic. However, neither is it a "Full Virginia Flake" For those who "do not usually smoke aros..." you may just want to stay away.

Tin note: It smells somewhat sweet, but certainly not over powering like Molte Dolce, or Odyssey. It simply has a nice light sweet fragrance to it. It's not too wet, but a little drying out makes it easier to pack.

Packing: I find it somewhat difficult to pack. It's not a ribbon or a flake, it's a cake. I had many trial and error bowels with this. I like to dry it out a bit, and then try to break it up in my fingers as I pack the bowl.

It's nicotine content is mild to medium. More than a Lane 1Q, much less than 1792 flake. The first 1/4 of the bowl can be little light on smoke, and a very little bitey on the tongue. But this soon dissipates, and therafter the tobacco burns nice all of the way to the bottom. Because its made from Virginia tobacco, you feel it on your tongue, in a good way. If you like PS Luxury twist flake, you will like this.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peppino (74)	2013-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

What a pleasant bag aroma and a very good quality Virginia for being in bulk though the price was high for a bulk tobacco. The price didn't bother me once I saw the quality of the leaf. It's more of a broken flake than say #24 Virginia, if it were me I'd tin this stuff! At the char light in a Ascorti KS Billiard I could taste the casing applied and it was nice, not to sweet but pleasant. It lit very easily and has a nice side stream aroma. Though you can taste the flavoring during the smoke, the finish of the puff has that great Virginia flavor on the back end. The flavoring seems to hold it's own most of the way through the bowl. Near the end it has a little less sweetness from the casing and more Virginia flavors. Overall it's a great transitional tobacco for someone who is used to straight aromatics. The nicotine level is fine and won't over power you. I tend to smoke Latakia's, VaPer's and straight Virginia's. I find this to be a very pleasant go to tobacco for a nice change of pace. It has a white/ grayish ash, very clean smoking no wetness at the heal at all. Enjoyed it very much, it burned cool and to me it had no bite, unlike some Virginia's can get a little hot if puffed to hard. Those of you looking to try something out of the heavily cased blends to see what Virginia's are about. I think this one would be a good place to start just remember to draw slower when smoking Virginia's! Excellent!!!!!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	derlict311 (71)	2012-12-07		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

For semi-aromatics, FMC has a sweet aroma while delivering a fantastic red Virginia taste. The best of both worlds. I have been going through this stuff rather quickly, as of late. I've concluded that the more I smoke it the more I like it. The bonus is I can smoke it anywhere and people will ask question about the glorious smell of vanilla. I think it's a diamond in the rough for those looking for a GREAT aromatic that will please both smoker and those lucky enough to be in the same room. Easy on the puffing, though. As with any of the McClelland virginias, if you get after it too much you'll know why this it's meant to be a "cool smoke".

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-11-10		Strong	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

I mix this with some #5100 red cake and it is a very fine smoke. Alone it can be very strong in my view and mixing with McC 5100 seems to lighten the power of #2000 alone. This is my undiluted go to smoke on those mornings that I just can't get the peepers to open. All in all, a good smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-05-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This review is based on fairly limited tasting.

I don't find this blend cloyingly sweet, but it is definitely sweeter than most Virginias, it doesn't have that crisp light flavor of a blonde VA, or the darker spicy flavors of a red VA.

It burns reasonably well, and the cut is nice and easy to work with. I didn't get any goop, and tossed out a fairly normal amount of dottle at the end of the bowl for a broken flake.

I do get some bite from this -- tongue, roof of mouth and behind my bottom front teeth.

I prefer more natural tasting Virginias, and the bite is a turn off too.

I'm sure there are people out there who like this blend, there's a nice gingerbread type of thing going on part way down the bowl, but overall I just find the blend a bit too harsh and sweet for my tastes. There are certainly other blends from McClelland that I like better, in the bulk realm, 5115 and 2010 are both better choices.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-02-20		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Update 04/24/11: I am changing my review of this tobacco to two stars. The flavour and aroma remain top-notch; however, the tongue bite is simply too much to bear.

Original Review: I had considered (and always postponed) ordering this tobacco due to a fear of having my hopes dashed after trying it. However, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a small 2 oz sample to try.

I found the tobacco to be a mildly sweet and fragrant broken flake composed of dark and some lighter Virginias. I packed a small MM Legend (my favourite pipe for these types of blends) and lit up. My surprise was double-sided: I was rewarded with what my mouth and nose told me was the nearest thing to a bulk equivalent of McClelland's Deep Hollow that I had yet come across; however, the tongue bite was ferocious! I had never experienced tongue bite of this magnitude with anything McClelland produces. However, after a period of allowing the sample to dry somewhat, the tobacco smoked much smoother and sweeter. I plan to order much more of this tobacco and cellar it to find out if perhaps aging it will blunt the blistering effects of the tobacco.

Were it not for the horrible tongue bite, I would without hesitation give this tobacco four stars. I'm really hoping that it mellows and softens a bit with age.

Oddly enough, I detected no hint of McClelland's trademark ketchup or vinegar aroma at all.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Max1a (38)	2008-06-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I must agree with Elkabong, I too add Perique to this tobacco and find that simple addition tweaks this blend just enough to make it noteworthy. A friend of mine added some cheap Smokers Pride natural, which is a straight, lightly cased burley. I tried it and can honestly say that it reminded me of an old time quality OTC pouch tobacco (I can't really say which one) but it was quite nice for puffing around the shop. While not a true aromatic, it is topped with a maple or fruit-like flavoring which tends to fade quickly if left open to the air for a length of time. You then have a nice sweetened Virginia flavor to the smoke. Again, the Perique is the secret here!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-08-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

McClelland 2000 fits my smoking patterns perfectly. Normally I keep about a dozen tobaccos going at a time, ranging from full English blends to lighter fare like the Sails.

Out of consideration for my darling wife, I don't smoke the English blends or straight Virginias in the house, because she tends to complain about them. But I do get a bit tired of a steady diet of Sail yellow or Mac Baren Vanilla Cream, and McClelland 2000 has the marked and not-to-be-underestimated advantage of not offending my dear one.

No, it's not Hal o' the Wynd. But it's good quality leaf and it satisfies me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-08-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

An aromatic tobacco that smells good in the bag,smells good in the smoke,and tastes like...an aromatic. This is good at first light,but mid way down becomes bland, bitter,and loses it's aroma. The tobacco which makes up this blend is tobacco,but thats all I can tell you. What kind? Not sure,the aromatic agent covers it up. I would really like to love this but cannot.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2004-05-29		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This blend is extremely pleasant, in a vanilla ice cream sort of way. Most of the time I want some toppings and nuts on my sundae, but once in awhile a scoop of plain old vanilla ice cream is just the ticket. This tobacco is much the same way. It is a nice Va with a discrete "old-timey" sort of casing that makes me think of the old men smoking pipes over coffee down at the grain elevator when I was a kid. On the other hand, after about one bowl worth of reminiscing, I get very bored. It can nip a tad too. This would make a very traditional all dayer.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paddy (127)	2003-03-04		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is McClelland's bulk Virginia 2010 with the addition of a light aromatic flavoring. I smoke McClelland #5100 and #2035 regularly; I smoke a lot of #2015 and #2010. But in this case the flavoring spoils the Virginia flavor. You can taste the Virginia, but the additive gets in the way. McClelland recommends the blend as a crossover from aromatics to Virginias, and this might be just the ticket for the aromatic lover. I can enjoy it as a change of pace, but it will not be in my regular rotation. Paddy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-11-11		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

First off, I want to take just a few lines to say to any/all Veterans be you a fellow reviewer and pipe smoker or an Average Joe who just happens to be reading this, whatever.....Thank you for your sacrifices and your part in making this the free Nation that it is today. And for those who paid the Ultimate Price to secure that Freedom, I offer this symbol of a moment of silence, and may God bless...................................... To the review. McC. #2000 is a good VA. flake that can be purchased most anywhere. McCranies sells it as "Sharon Crossing", Old Va. Tobacco Co. (Virginia) has it as "Old Va. Flake". The color is deep brown w/some lighter shades mixed in. It breaks up easily enough and packs well. There is a bit of moisture, but it doesn't seem to effect the burn that much. You may have to do a bit more re-lighting than usual. The VA flavor appears readily w/that typical tang and a bit of spiciness like a mild salsa. A little bitey at first, there is a natural, mellow taste that is pleasant and cool w/an underlying sweetness that remains through most of the bowl. A few gurgles occurred, but a coupla cleaners is all that I used. Not a complex tobak w/flavor shifts here and there during the bowl, this is a good utility smoke as well as a good mixer w/other blends or starting from scratch to make your own exclusive mixture. Does get a wee bit harsh near the end of the bowl, but still burns clean to mottled ash. I keep some around and used to smoke it quite regularly, but my tastes have changed and hey, there's a lotta good tobaccos out there. Still, I feel this is a good smoke and a good value since it's a bulk blend that's easy to get. IMO this makes for a good "doing something" VA. tobacco where I don't have to sit and concentrate on the myriad of flavors. Sometimes simple is best. Hey, works for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-11-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

File under "AROMATIC". This may be an unpopular review, because some people really enjoy #2000. I really wanted to love this, since there are so many other tobaccos in the McClelland 2000 series that are regular favorites. This tobacco arrives wet and sticky from the manufacturer, probably because it is meant to be sold from the bulk jars at tobacco shops. I gradually increased the drying times until I reached 48 hours, when I decided that the PG content wouldn't allow it to dry further no matter how long I left it out. The bag aroma is nice, vanilla and other flavors are evident, and the blend is obviously sweetened,. Although there are some casings here, I'd have to agree with McClelland that this is somewhere between an aromatic and a Virginia blend, but closer to an aromatic. It is easy to pack, burned well, and was surprisingly cool. Slight bite on lighting. There is no immediate rush of flavors, just a sweet, mild smokiness in a blah, middle-of-the-road kind of way. Completely lacks a top range, bass range is indistinct and faint, but okay. The main activity is in the mid-range, with a butterscotch-like creamy tone and sweetness. In conclusion, I don't dislike this tobacco, I am merely indifferent to it. It smokes mildly, consistently and easily, but there is no complexity or strong "pro" factors. My recc is "possibly recommended" because people who are seeking this type of tobacco would probably enjoy this. For me, though, I'll put this in my blending cabinet, where it might someday serve to calm a hot, biting blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2002-01-17		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a pretty flake with no particular purpose for being. It burns slowly and smokes forever but there is nothing to the blend that will make you long for its reappearance. It's simply a well-constructed boring American product. The Boston Pops of tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2001-09-13		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I prefer this one from the others in their 2000 series since it doesn't have the latakia or perique that some contain. However, some might characterize my preference in taste and aroma as flat but to me, this is a pleasant and natural blend. Very moist upon receipt but partially rubbed out and once you master the packing this will burn without a relight for hours. Mild on the tongue, I enjoy this as an early AM smoke but also have used it as my all day smoke in various size bowls.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-11-02		Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Purchased as Poplar Forest from Mr. Johns in Lynchburg.

My second tobacco try. I thoroughly enjoy this blend and it is currently my go to. I would recommend, as others also have, that you dry what you're planning to smoke in the near future out for a day or so. A very pleasurable smoke, I find the flavors to be very natural and tasty. Would strongly say give this a try.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-09-06		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I enjoy this blend a lot. The taste is plesant and it smokes well. I must admit that I had to learn to sip it, as I found it will bite if you get carried away with it. I enjoy it in smaller size bowls. Is part of part of my rotation for sure.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-04-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

As a fairly new pipe smoker, I am still looking for that daily, "go-to" blend...this tobacco was recommended by the guys at my local tobacco shop as the next step after my favorite, their house blend cavendish. The better half likes the smell of this in the pouch and in the room. I find myself opening my pouch just to savor the aroma when I can't have a bowl.. Although my tastes are certainly not as refined as some of my esteemed pipe-smoking brethren, I really like this one. As another reviewer says, dry it overnight and it will burn much better. Out of the pouch it's tough for me to keep lit in my Ser Jacopo poker. If you like aromatics, try this one for a change...

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-07-10		Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I'm sure that under this maple/vanilla casing there is a decent VA flake...It might be "Classic Va" from the same organization. It smells of maple in the bag and smells and tastes of maple and vanilla in the bowl. This blend didn't do it for me.

If you're a fan of the smell of maple/vanilla types of tobaccos, then you may like this. I found it not as offensive as the typically cased cavendish that abounds, but still this is not for me due to a lack of tobacco flavor.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-02-20		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

First imprerssions can be wrong especially on tobacco.Very first light was somewhat disappointing as an aromatic fan I expected a little more sweetness,usually derived from the topping.All i got was a was a tobacco that would not stay lit.

TWO WEEKS LATER: After letting some dry though I was treated to a well balanced blend of pure virginias.May not be an allday smoke for me yet,but is the first stepping stone to broadening my tobacco horizons. Burns well in a medium size bowl with little goop accumalation at the bottom.Flavor is slitely peppery for me.Aroma well the significant other didnt complain so its tolerable. Definitely a must try for ex cigarette smokers

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-12-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

(NOTE: PURCHASED AS SHARON'S CROSSING)

This is a fine quality clean-burning aromatic, and among the most aromatic pipe tobaccos that I have smoked. The quality of the tobacco is superior and almost wasted to turn it into an aromatic, but for what it is, it is great!

It is emphatically not a straight VA, so if that is what you are looking for don't stop here (RR, Christmas Cheer '05 or My Reserve would be my reccommendations). It is not especially sweet or flavored in the bowl, but the room note and aroma is strongly sweet and will get positive comments.

2000 reminds me of 221b Honeydew in genre, though Honeydew has far more tobacco taste and aroma and is not what I would call a true aromatic. This is.

I hanker for an aromatic only occasionally and at home I have some self-blended vanilla and hazelnut aromatics, but 2000 may well replace those. Even when intentioanlly smoked fast, there is no bite however it does turn a little sour.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-07-22		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I, too, couldn't see the point in this tobacco, for a long time -- until my good friend and fellow pipe club member, Ned, suggested that I try mixing perique into the blend. I mix about ten per cent. perique with 2000. Some might find that too heavy, but it seems to cut the flavoring back a notch, balances things out, and turns it into a polite and relaxing change of pace smoke.

I appreciate the fact that it stays lit more consistently for me than, say, 2010 does. 2010 is one of my favorites, which I smoke as is or mixed with perique, but I have to relight frequently. I guess I don't have the patience to dry tobacco out ahead of time. 2000 takes some presence of mind to get well started, but, once accomplished, I don't have to think about it anymore.

McClelland is one of my favorite companies, and I'm glad I found a way to spend more money with them! Excellent value.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2005-06-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A reasonable good virginia cake that tastes good and provides a nice room note. Rubs out easily but is a bit moist when fresh. Leaving the bag open for a day or two helps. Smokers of non-aromatic blends will probably not like it. However, for an aromatic, there are far worse blends available.

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