McC's 2015

After almost 40 years of being a strictly English/Balkan smoker, I've been switching to the sweet flavors of Virginia's almost exclusivly over the past two years. I've found that my fav Va's are those blend/mixtures based on Red Va's and have been enjoying Orlik's Golden Sliced with it's addition of Perique. I'm not a big fan of Perique all that much but mixed in with a good base of red, red/orange Va's it's a nice mix. With this in mind, I've been thinking of trying some of McC's Bulk 2015 which is a red, red/orange Va w/Perique and sounds from what I've read to be VERY SIMILAR to the Golden Sliced. I'd like to get some imppressions from those of you who have or do smoke this blend/mixture here. I don't need a "...smoke this instead" comments and I'm aware of the "ketchup thing" with McC's so that's a given as I'm aware they use it in EVERYTHING they blend ( I like ketchup, put it on my cereal, pankakes, in my coffee so that's settled ) Would appreciate some folks honest straight up thoughts about this blend/mixture

Well Michael, 2015 is my most favorite VaPer right now. However, the stuff I'm smoking has also had 15% Perique added to it by the trader I got it from and it's also very well aged.

I have this several times/week and would smoke it every night if I wasn't concerned I'd burn out on it. It's that good for me at least.

Actually, I haven't yet had it "au natural" so can't comment on that. However, the description from McC says-

This tobacco is made from rich, orange and Red Virginias to which enough St. James Perique has been added to create a refreshing smoke.

So I'd have to say that the p-weed already plays a significant part in this. Of course I could be wrong too. If you have an aversion to Perique, maybe that tells you something.

I'd happily send you a sample of the blend I have, but the Perique is right up front - just the way I personally happen to like it.

So all this rambling prolly doesn't help much. Perhaps others that have had the "regular" 2015 can chime in.




Cheers,

RR

I have some with no added perique.

I would be happy to send you some.

Sweet like 2010 to me. Not as sweet as 2000. I have 6 pounds of it put back.

I have some and I like it a good bit, very nice flavor the whole way through

2015 reminds me more of St. James Flake than OGS. All three are fine smokes though so you know you can't really go wrong.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I wen't back and searched for 2015 and seems more BoB's smoked it last year at this time than do now. But there were more McC fans here then and McC's 'bacs are sort of "out of style" here now. Guess we have fewer "ketchup" lovers Either way I think I'll give it a try again next month ( I remember trying it a few years ago but I've come to not be as much out of sorts with a little Perique now Again, thanks bro's

I like it, I prefer Escudo, but I keep half a pound of 2015 on hand at any given time.

I like to cut it back with with an equal part of 2010. I have had 4 bowls of this in the last two days. I enjoy it on a sinfull level. It also gives me the worst breath I have ever had. Good stuff!

Andy

Recent experience with this stuff: very slight ketchup scent here, if any; it smells when unlit more like a barn to me. You know, with livestock in it? Tastes horrible when overhydrated, which was the case with mine. I dried it out quite a bit, and was pleasantly surprised. Very rich plain tobacco taste. Can't seem to detect much perique--the "kick" just isn't there, but I definitely like it enough to buy more. I can see it being a staple tobacco, like LBF without the sweetness, but with more Moxie. That's my take. Glad I didn't toss it, which was my first impulse. Smoking it right now in a nice Stanwell billiard I forgot I had.

I recently posted something similar, but here goes...

#2015 has been my favorite, and also go-to, for the past decade.  I prefer it with as little age as possible.  Newly blended, it is nuanced with grass, earth, and molasses/chocolate.  The grassy and earthy undertones quickly dissipate, as in within 6-8 months, which is why I prefer it without age.  I really enjoy those notes and am sorry to see them leave.  The molasses and chocolate notes are in less of a hurry to drop to the wayside, but they do significantly mellow with time.  Even without these complexities, plenty of hints and flavor remain in the long term. I would  have to agree that it performs best in that mid to mid-low range moisture level.  I think you can say that for many McClelland blends.  I know I feel the same way about #2035 as well.  Having said that, it's not a finicky tobacco.  It has a rather large sweet spot.

Still my #1 go-to VaPer of all time.

I've had it mit and mit-out the extra 15% p-weed, and frankly there isn't any appreciable difference (!) that I can discern. It's all good stuff, and I never seem to tire of it.

Guess I could say it could be a desert island island bowl.




Cheers,

RR

I've probably smoked a small child's weight of 2015 over the years. I like it fresh, though I do not pick out the nuances Zeno has, I like it aged which changes the perique from a plum/pepper to an all out plum/raisin. The VAs to me are outstanding (expect no less from McC) from the get go and just develop a richness and sweetness as it ages. IMHO, 6 to 8 months in a sealed jar is optimal.

My favorite way to prep it is to take a full bowls worth and putting it in a custard dish. Take a pair of scissors and cut it holding the scissors vertical. Kinda cutting it in a cube fashion. Gravity load, light tamp & smoke. I've already committed myself to getting 10+ pounds during any big McC sale.

FYI… You've mentioned switching to VAs and enjoying the reds. The Mind Meld series from Russ and McC has the only straight orange VA that I know of. I've been meaning to smoke some 5100 next to it to do a red/orange comaprrison.

It's my favorite VaPer just beating Escuda by a hair because I find 2015 a bit sweeter.

AJ

ajn27511 wrote:

It's my favorite VaPer just beating Escuda by a hair because I find 2015 a bit sweeter.

AJ

I haven't tried 2015, but I love Escudo. I'll have to get around to trying it one of these days.

eklektos44 wrote:

ajn27511 wrote:

It's my favorite VaPer just beating Escuda by a hair because I find 2015 a bit sweeter.

AJ

I haven't tried 2015, but I love Escudo. I'll have to get around to trying it one of these days.

I'd bet you'll like it. Even those that prefer Escudo seem to like 2015 pretty good.

AJ

I ordered a LB of #2015 this summer, and I'm just now getting to it. I have to say I'm disappointed. My last batch was either from 2011 or 2013, and this is not the same tobacco. Doesn't look similar. Doesn't smell similar. This new batch isn't a bad tobacco, but if the older batch was a 10, this is a 5. Has anyone else noticed a difference in the last few years?

I noticed a change. But that is to be expected I suppose, seeing how different crops do different things to blends. And age does things as well. I am going through that with Marlin Flake right now. Decided to divide and jar up a couple of tins. Each tin was slightly different from each other. Likewise was given samples from three sources, and each of those were different from each other and what I purchased. Go fig.

Zeno, I never smoked any of the older batches of 2015, but I bought 8 ounces late last year, smoked an ounce of it and decided that I had to put the rest away to revisit at a much later time.

What I experienced was a decent tasting Vaper but it had very little depth to it and by MCClelland's standards it was rather underwhelming. IMHO, it wasn't close to being on par with anything that they put in tins - Beacon, Beacon Extra, St. James Woods, etc...

I've been smoking #2015 for a long time. A very long time. If you check my search history, I've been outspoken about preferring freshly blended #2015 over aged #2015. What it gains, it loses in earthy, grassy tones, which I happen to love about this tobacco. I can age it, but I would rather not have to do so, particularly because I so look forward to it when not aged. I have no choice with this batch. I'm going to have to age it, because it isn't cutting it in its newer state. In the past, #2015 could be crude, but it was never simple. It was always complex and strongly nuanced. This new batch is simple and pretty much blah.