McClelland - 2008 Holiday Spirit pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco
Dr. Scott	12/06/2011	Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Strong
Mine was the 2011 version, but I think the recipe is the same from year to year. Tastes and smells like burnt pecan pie. Did they case it with Karo syrup? My wife hated the smell of this one. Only for the diehard aromatic lovers.
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Capt	07/16/2011	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
If you can find this, buy it. I bought a few tins and I am down to my last one. Something in the topping gives this a musty odor, maybe the cocoa or pecan. However, it doesn't transfer over to the smoke. Burns clean and cool, leaving a dry bowl and a happy palate. I have paired this with a hot buttered rum, with good results.
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Briar Mike	01/07/2010	Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
My first aromatic, very pleasing smoke, love the tin note and room aroma. My wife wants me to get more, and I won't mind doing so. A nice change of pace.
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Kissphantom05	12/21/2009	Very Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant
When I opened the tin I was almost overwhelmed by the smell of rum. This was not bad, however, because I like rum! It was a tad moist, but I could not wait to try it so I skipped letting it dry and packed it and lit her up. The flavor I was hit with was amazing. There was absolutely no tongue bite and no gurgling even straight out of the tin. Its aroma reminded me somewhat of Lane Limited BCA and also of Blue Note. The room note is among the most pleasant that I have experienced so far. Although it lacks the smell of cinnamon and holly, it makes up with the remnants of a freshly baked pecan pie! I am thinking of ordering more of this before it is gone! Cheers.
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Big bad Jon	11/11/2009	Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant
I did not like this blend very much, it was like a Christmas party gone wrong! Too much rum, chocolate and pecan pie. The blend was very wet and seemed to linger in my pipe for several bowls. It did not bite my tongue, which surprised me as wet as it was. The manufactures of pipe cleaners must love this blend because I sure went through them smoking the few bowls I had. If you are a die hard aromatic smoker, you might like this one, otherwise I would stay away.
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Hopkins1	11/08/2009	Very Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
I really enjoyed this Aromatic. I feel that when rating aromatics, they of course have their own category. This should not be compared to cool smoking English blends. Being an aromatic, it can smoke a bit hot, but that is natural. The casing is something very sweet, and nutty. The rum tops it off to produce a very fragrant and pleasing aroma to those around. I think if you are searching for an AMAZING holiday aromatic, this is it. Pick up the 2008 or the 2009 as I am sure by the tin description they are nearly the same.
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k_pip_k	10/20/2009	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant
I don't have much to say about this blend. It didn't strike me as spectacular or even just mildly enjoyable. It is a very so-so blend. The fragrance from opening the tin is rich with coco and vanilla. The room note is pleasant as well, as indicated by my wife and kids. But the taste comes off flat. There is no taste to speak of. I can sort of assume that the sensitivity on my tongue has been worn off. So someone with a more discerning palate may taste the nuances of this blend. I couldn't. The only reason I would smoke this is to provide pleasure to others with the pleasant room note. I would not make this my daily or occasional go to blend. K
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rhapsodyofmetal	08/30/2009	Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
Excellent blend. I love these niche tobaccos. It truly does remind you of a fragrant Christmas air...
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PipeRanger	06/23/2009	Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
I'm not a big aromatic smoker, but I recieved a tin of '08 Holiday Spirit from a good friend as a christmas gift. I really enjoy smoking it, and I wish I had more pipes dedicated to aromatics so I could smoke it more often. It's a good mixture of Burley,Virginia, and Cavendish with wonderful tin notes of Caramel. The room note is great, and even the most up-tight non-smoker would enjoy it. It smokes great, although I have to be carefull when I pack it because of the broken flakes. I've yet to get any tongue bite from it, and it smokes to a fine dark grey ash. On a different note, I reached into my pipe bag to load some up, and realized I only had enough for about 2/3 of a bowl. Rooting around I found some Dubliner from Ted's Pipe Shoppe in Tulsa, a strong English blend, and mixed a little in. It smoked great and took the edge off of the Latakia. I think I'll try it again.
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Big Nick	05/22/2009	Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Great blend, mild and tastey. They should make this one of thier regular blends so that it is always available, although here it is May 22/09 and it is still fairly easy to get. Very nice combination of flavors, Burley, Virginias and Cavendish with Rum, Pecan and Cocoa. All of the flavors are present at one time or another wafting in and out creating an aromatic bonanza. My taste buds would say that the pecan is more of an almond/amaretto type flavor than pecan, but hey, close enough. The first half of the bowl seems to be more dominated by the (lets just say) Rum and Nuts. Then the Cocoa works its way in. Great aromatic smoke ! One thing has always struck me as odd. Why do some people think a blend like this is only good around the Holiday's. I understand that many flavors and fragrances remind us of certain holiday's, but good is good. When I BBQ a steak in the winter, its good. When I eat turkey in the summer, its good. When I smoke a bowl of 2008 Holiday Spirit in May, hold on to your shorts now, oh my God, its still good ! Don't practice self deprivation, get some while you still can !!!
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kyscco15	04/20/2009	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant
I find that this is a wonderful blend, with subtle notes of nut and rum. Very Christmasy; definately not a year-round smoke. Still really enjoyable.
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Morgoth	03/05/2009	Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Full	Very Pleasant
A tad past Christmas...lol...nonetheless...a standing ovation for McClelland Holiday Spirit 2008. The tin aroma is exquisite...the smoke is mild pecan with an essence of cocoa...as professed by the manufacturer. Little-to-no rum flavour...which is just fine. This blend is on par or superior to those of Pipeworks & Wilke...well done! No false promises by McClelland here. If you want to dabble in the occasional aromatic...or more so, if you are a regular aromatic connoisseur...try this, there will be no disappointment. Flavourful, cool...no moisture or dottle...smokes to a fine white ash. I hope that Holiday Spirit 2008 has an agreeable shelf life in my weed-cellar...because forgoing this before its availability passes me by would be a grave disappointment. A companion infusion: a cappuccino with just a tad of Tia Maria...drop in a bean to crunch when the libation is done. UPDATE 05/01/10 I found that this does not cellar well...losing most of its flavor. If you have it...smoke it.
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cigarman43035	01/27/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
All I have to say about this blend is DELICIOUS! I cant get the stuff to bite and there is very little moisture left in the bowl when finished!
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PipenGuitar	12/18/2008	Extremely Mild	Strong	Mild	Pleasant
RUM RUM RUM! That's the main smell I got opening the tin. Fine by me...I'd dry it out a bit just because it's so damn moist. I find that drying it out for an hour prior to smoking will help lessen the syrupy texture that was accumulating in my mouth. I found that a corn cob pipe was best for maintaining a cool(er) smoke.
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Society of the Briar	12/11/2008	Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant
From the moment I opened the tin, I knew it would be a guilty pleasure. Strong and sweet caramel-like aromas from the combined efforts of the intensely aromatic cocoa/rum/pecan casing. I'm sure this is likely a bit too heavily cased/topped for some, but for an aromatic this stuff is like candy and the casing is still mild enough for a pleasant though light tobacco taste to shine through. If you're going to be smoking around others, particularly in a bar/pub, if you don't get compliments from this one then you're doing something wrong. I know I did, get compliments that is. ;) The first few puffs are fine, but the sweetness really comes through about mid-bowl with a chocolatey almost coffee liquer kind of thing going on. Definitely low on the nicotine content, which I honestly don't mind. Sure it smokes a bit wet and can get hot, so make sure you've a pipe cleaner or two on hand and go easy on the steam-puffing. Ultimately, I can't do much better than the description on the tin itself: "This smooth blend of Burley, Virgina and Cavendish tobaccos is flavored with dark rum, pecan and cocoa. It brings a warm glow to the coldest winter day. The aroma of a favorite holiday confection wafts from the bowl bringing pipe smoking contentment."
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thedstnguishdgntlmn	12/07/2008	Mild	Strong	Very Mild	Very Pleasant
I judge all respective tobaccos on their individual merits. I never compare English blends to Aromatic Blends or Virginia Flakes to Burley Flakes. So with that in mind, take this review for what it is worth. This is a rather bland and disappointing blend. EXACT DESCRIPTION: A mixture consisting of both Best of Show & Tastemaster in one tin. That is it. VERY McClelland aromatic flavor- which means not easily defined. It is sweet and harmless. I would skip it. For true aromatics go to Pipeworks at Wilke.
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BigBear	12/07/2008	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
As far as an aromatic is concerned this is a good blend and the taste reflects caramel and rum. Perfect for the holidays but I don't think I would smoke much of it at other times of the year. The flavor seems to die close to the bottom of the bowl and loses a lot of character. I found it to be a bit of a hot smoke and had to really watch myself to keep it smoldering at the right temperature to avoid the tongue bite. I would not invest in a large portion of this blend but I do think it is appropriate for this time of year.
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco