McClelland Christmas Cheer 2008

This 2008 version is very nice. Good moisture for tin but needs some drying to smoke properly and get the full taste. Mine arrived just how I would like it. In all fairness it is august and this was just tinned last month for this christmas, I just had to see how it was in case I want more before it is all gone this year. I do want more. So that means it is very good stuff. I don't waste time with mediocre blends.

A very rich red va blend. This is top quality tobacco. A little on the strong side in terms of red va flavor but very nice and it will mellow as it ages I'm sure.

I know I will have to get a couple more tins to hold on to for a few years.

I find at least 2-3 years of aging on these makes a lot of difference. More time is better if you can get enough or wait that long.

This is naturally sweet with a decent amount of twang. The tin aroma is a little more mellow and fruity than other mc va's but the (notorious to some) smell is there a little. Not offensive to me in any case, I think all mc va's smell fine. Very straight forward and high quality. Very good leaf and this is the sugary va type that will age very well.

I reccomend this to lovers of sweet rich red va.

Very high quality. Reserved for when I have time to sit and savor this one.

I suspect this is what dark star would be like before all the stoving, Mmmm this is good. Get it while it lasts. I'm ordering more ASAP.

I was very tempted to give this one star and trash it...just so I can buy more without competition from the ladies and gentlemen on this forum. Alas, the truth will out.

This one is shaping up to give the 1992 vintage a strong run for its money. Half a tin has gone up in smoke already.

Wonderful broken flake that rubs out into a coarse textured, chunky ribbon. Too moist out of the tin and needs a bit of air. Tin aroma is divine and again reminds me of the '92.

Right now the red virginias dominate with a sweet spiciness and some sharpness. The balance of the blend is very muted in a sweet, mellow manner. Very well behaved.

Lights easily, stays lit. Comes into its own quickly balancing exquisite sweetness, tangy brights and spicy mid-range. Mid bowl is mostly sweet with pastry and caramel flavors underlying true virginia tobacco flavor.

End game is a pleasure...pure deep virginia that makes its exit gracefully and quietly with no resistance.

THIS IS THE WORST TOBACCO I'VE EVER HAD! DO NOT BUY ANY! SAVE YOUR MONEY AND PUT IT INTO A CD OR SOME MUTUAL FUNDS. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! CAVEAT EMPTOR. E PLURIBUS UNUM. CARPE DIEM!

(Bear...put me down for another 30 tins and charge it to Pipestud's account.)

Nice looking reddish brown broken flakes that as usual came overly moist. I've always gotten the best results from a flake that is very dry and this one was no exception. The usual tangy pungent tin aroma one expects from McClellands and that usually delivers a superior smoke. Based on 2 oz.

Trying not to compare the subsequent years CC's to the classic '05 version, this one falls short anyway. Like the '07, it's very balanced between the usual red and orange-red VA attributes. It tasted a bit like the '07 as well but was a bit mellower and less tangy. As with all the CC's I've tried, a natural tasting smoke with no frilly flavors added - naturally sweet but leaned more toward the tanginess or red VA's. Red VA's have a different kind of sweetness for me than lemons... sort of a light apple butter sweetness as compared to a more sugary sweetness in lemon VA's. This orange-red VA was somewhere between but retained a nice sense of tang. Not a barn burner like the '05 and '06, but a very nice smoke indeed. Properly dried out, it burned very well, leaving only a fine grey ash. Probably a 3.5 star blend but to me does not deserve a 4th star.

This one reminded me of some earlier crops, which wasn't the first time I thought that. The vinegar/ketchup smell barely appeared in the taste of the tobacco, and vanished before much time passed. The Virginias were dried, ripe dark fruit sweet, a bit tangy with some earth and grass. At times, I got some spice notes, but not very strongly. The actual taste of tobacco was sublimated by the fermented sweetness, though I thought it a little less sweet than some other years. Has a mild nic-hit. No chance of bite or harshness. Burned a little slow with some moisture, unless dried first, which I don't do. Needs relights, leaves some moisture in the bowl. An all day smoke with a sweet after taste and room note. More of a two and a half star offering.

-JimInks

Well, some months ago I was fortunately gifted with well more than half of 100gr tin of this, from a friend pipster who's not accustomed to smoke Virginias. I tried to refuse his incautious gift, trying to explain him what the hell he was doing but, thanks to the Heaven … unable to convince him to come back on his steps, then I offered him my sincerest thanks. OK, being on the other side of the pond, I guess it will take some long time to get some other of the nice Virginias by McClelland, and decided myself to share this lucky chance with another friend (no, it's not to better deserve Paradise when it will be my time…), and still kept some bowls for me.

I think my words of review would exactly be the ones by Davie Jones so, better you read just here below. Nice weed indeed. To me it's quite singular because of the spicy tinge of the smoke, which none of the Virginia sold in the European side offers.

Hope I'll cross some further, eventually…

McClelland virginia tobacco is a thing of the past. I looked in my suitcase of aging tobacco because I am sure I have a tin or two of McClelland in there. I have two of these and a 100g tin of St James Woods, both purchased in 2008. I opened this tin and found the vinegar smell made my mouth water. This tobacco is simple, sweet, a bit like sourdough bread with balsamic vinegar and oil. I am glad I still have some. Should last me a while as I only smoke about 3 grams of tobacco a year and have lots of good stuff aging from a purchase 10 years ago just before I got married.

This is the first and only vintage of Christmas Cheer that I have tried and it’s a good one indeed. I have to hand it to McClelland, they have a very unique way with straight Virginia. This version of Christmas Cheer is no different. The tin note is sweet and spicy and the aroma rings of their hallmark deep-fermented, high sugar Virginia.

When smoked it has a wonderful warm tone, it’s fairly sweet and some complexities develop with flavorful hints of holiday spices. From charring light to finish this is a fairly uncomplicated smoke. It’s smooth & mild, yet full of flavor and quite enjoyable. This mixture would be an excellent candidate for any piper looking to segue into the world of VA Flakes for the first time.

Altogether I prefer the flavor, complexities and the slightly warmer tone of Blackwoods Flake, but this is still a top notch McClelland offering. Judging from this 5 year old version, I imagine that Christmas Cheer, regardless of vintage, ages quite nicely.

I've 'sampled' (as the packaging suggests one treats this) each Christmas Cheer edition since about 1999. They all seem to share that pungent, slightly fermented sweet-and-tangy scent on opening the tin (not like any catchup I've ever had, don't know who started that dang "catchup" business...), and they all have that moist, broken pressed flake presentation and fortunately, all of that is present in the 2008 The main difference for me in 2008's edition is that the bite of years previous was gone; this one is smooth and sweeter than many of the others. A large-bowled pipe, mixture well rubbed out, and not too tightly packed was the winning combo for me but you can enjoy this in whatever you've got handy. It doesn't seem to evolve/change much smoking down the bowl to the heel (perhaps getting a bit fuller- flavored near the heel?), but this is not an issue for me. An enjoyable smoke for sure.

With only two exceptions Christmas Cheer has never even slightly disappointed. This year is great. After trying this at the last pipe club meeting I am off to cellar a bunch of this stuff. After only few years this stuff is going to be like gold. The flavors are matched very well, but not as bright as some of the past. McClelland seems to be moving away from the super sweet Virginias. I really like the almost smokey taste in this one. No tongue bite no thermal nuclear meltdown in the pipe. As most all have already said this one is destined to be a classic.

Tin Aroma: Typical McClelland ketchup/vinegar smell, but really rich and smokey.

Appearance: Broken pressed flake, dark brown with hints of lighter tobacco pressed between the darker flakes.

Moisture: Out of the tin it was too moist, but I laid a pipeful on a paper towel for about 2 hours and it was perfect (our apartment is very dry due to the New England winter weather and having the heat on).

Packing: I cut the flake into cubes and gravity filled the bowl about 3/4 of the way then rubbed out some flakes and packed on top to light.

Lighting/Smoking: Lit fine, went out a few times but always re-lit with no issue. Tobacco was a nice rich VA blend, with a nice sweetness left on the palate. I tried to smoke it as slow as possible, as I could feel a bit of bite when puffed harder. A lot of subtle characteristics (mostly different sweet /spicy notes) with this but I think I am going to give this a week or so since opening and see if it changes. This blend should age very well, and I have another tin that I will leave unopened for a few years at least.

Room note was hard to gauge, but my girlfriend, who was on the couch next to me, said it did not bother her at all, and wasn't bad.

Definitely recommended if you are a VA fan.