As far as taste this is not your ordinary va. I find it good to mix things up but not a daily smoke. Smooth and nutty. Not bitey at all. Not that flavorful either but a good solid smoke.

I find the tin aroma and taste nothing like #27 as others mentioned. Much more mellow and unpronounced in both smell and taste.

Good, interesting and worth the money. Will smoke it once and a while. Just not as much as the others I smoke everyday in this series. I like the 27 and 22 the most.

update: I am finding myself coming back to this blend more and more often. It is very good and smooth. A little hard to get lit but worth the effort. Fast becoming a regular for me.

I like this stuff but I must say that even though I Highly Recommend it, I like the #27 a bit more. This seems to have a drier taste in the mouth. I will continue to sample this an update my review as the tobacco "breaths".

I'm smoking it in a Savinelli - Bing's Favorite - which is long stemmed, long shanked - slight bent billiard with a medium bowl. The pipe has been dedicated to this blend. My personal observation; one must dedicate a pipe to this blend or similar blends to really enjoy it. To the best of my senses, there is no topping at all. This particular smoke is very nuanced and I reserve the time to sit and enjoy it without distraction. The subtle amount of Drama in the blend provides an occasional incense-like waft every so often through this very nutty-woodsy smoke.

This is a very satisfying tobacco with a nice nicotine level. Unlike so many other VAs, this never gets hum-drum. It always leaves me wanting more when I am finished with a bowl. There is no signal in flavor to detect the bottom of the bowl - it smokes wonderfully from char light to final ash. This is a smoke of choice before a meal - since it leaves the taste buds stimulated. It is NOT my choice just after a meal, for I feel it requires a fresh palate to enjoy the complexities of this fine blend, My pipe-packing method of choice is to lightly rub and then gently screw the wad into the pipe.

My tastes run the spectrum of unflavored blends including many VA/Oriental, Latakia-heavy Oriental blends and very lightly cased Cavendish cut VA blends. However this unflavored VA flake is in a class by itself and is a regular treat and deserves it's own pipe.

Cheers, VC

More forgiving than Dark Star and even #27, this tobacco surely will win over even the most "dainty tongued" pipesters who shy away from Virginia blends due to the heat. It is also (nicotine wise) a headier brew than #27, and I do appreciate that drug.

McClelland's #24 is, simply stated, regal in flavor and behavior. It rubs out and stays lit easily. Puff slowly in order to savor the varying waves of Virginia flavor.

Hey McClelland's, you done good with this one!

You Cannot Go Wrong With McClelland!!!

I use CUPOJOES.com Its half as much as the local shop. -sorry pipeshop!

BETTER PICK: MCCLELLAND CHRISTMAS CHEER 05' OR 06

I love the flakes, easy to rub out and easy to pack. I found that it took a couple more matches to get going well, but that was a minor inconvience. The first puff provided me with what I suspected: smooth, mellow VA flavor. Not tangy or sour but sweet. As I was enjoying an incredible VA experience I began to notice the Drama, which added a nice smokiness and spice to the flavor. If puffed slowly, this tobacco has no bite. The entire experience was a treat. To top it off, it has a great aroma that is friendly to the smoker and to friends.

Goes well after a bowl of Frog Morton or On The Town,

Well, firstly I'm a new pipe smoker. Have only been at it a few months and have been thoroughly enjoying it. I'm a big fan (as are many if not most fledgling pipesmokers) of mild aromatics.

Anyway, I decided to take a foray into a non-aromatic and thought a Virginia would be nice. So yesterday I went out and purchased McClelland's Virginia No. 24 for my first try. Bought a new pipe as well.

I was truly, truly put off (NOTE: this is all subjective. Many people love this tobacco and love Virginias. Tastes vary. I recognize my experience is unique and in no way is my review meant to put down any of my fellow briarfolk who love this or any other Virginias). Here are the details:

TIN AROMA: This was the first thing that put me off, and to me tin aroma is really important. It's just how I am. If I can't get beyond it, I'm not going to like it. Although I had read about the typical "ketchupy" tin aroma of McClelland tobaccos, I was really unprepared for the pungency. It smelled of an unfinished glass of really cheap red wine that had been left to sit for a week, whereby all the flavorful characteristics had evaporated and all that was left was the odor of vinegarized fermented grape.

APPEARANCE: The thick flakes actually looked rather nice, slightly difficult to rub but not too bad.

LIGHTING: Took forever to light. I killed several matches. Maybe it was my packing.

FLAVOR: This is the second thing that put me off. Firstly, the flavor was very mild, smooth and buttery, and it exhibited characteristics of grass and hay. But then the flavor quickly became unpleasurable to me. Not bad, just unpleasurable. I totally did not care for the aftertaste it left me.

BITE: No noticeable tongue bite.

ROOM NOTE: This is the third thing that put me off. The room note was mild. Imagine the smell of a freshly mowed lawn. We all love it. Now imagine setting fire to that freshly mowed lawn. That's what the aroma was like to me. Totally didn't care for it. And after all was done and smoked, the aroma lingered and lingered and lingered. It was annoying. In fact, I recall sensing the slightest reminiscense of cat urine.

Overall, I recognize that my new pipe palate may not be ready for non-aromatics. Perhaps one day down the road when I feel I am ready, I will try again. Until then, my Virginia No. 24 will be put away unattended and ignored.

******************************************** *Update* January 2006.After returning for another visit to this wonderful blend,I've raised it's level from three,to four stars.

Now,Very Highly Recommended!

This is about the fullest and richest VA I've had. Very wonderful almost creamy flavor. Love it.

Con: bites like a son-of-a-gun to get it going. Relights are ok but that first light after false is a killer. Worth it, as you can see my rating. I'll try to take it easy, but, that warm, sweet "nectar" taste is very tempting!

Anyway, I agree with RCUSElder and others--if you can find this tobacco with some age on it, pick it up. I know I will be adding some to my cellar so that a few years from now I can smoke some more of this stuff.

I have **no** experience with unaged Virginia 24. But I will be trying some soon.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Nice 1" squares of flake that are mostly dark brown. Due to the age, there are alot sugar crystals on the flakes. The familiar MC tang is subdued and that is typical of aged tins. The aroma reminds one of red VA and hay, delicious!

Packing and Lighting: I had a lot of fun while reviewing this blend and settled on rolling a "burrito" of flakes lengthwise and stuffing it in my pipes. The age also made lighting relatively easy, 3-4 lights.

Initial Flavor: yumm! Red Va is prominent with the matured and golden leaves as support.

Mid-Bowl: This is delightful mid-strength VA with a nice roundness and sweetness. The turkish really adds a nice flavor.

Bottom of Bowl: This is over too quickly. There is a slight increase in strength, DGT works awesome with this blend. This is definitely an all-day blend.

Overall: If you are looking for a tasty all day VA blend, age a few tins and enjoy. This blend has grown on me lately and I have upgraded from 3 stars to 4. A delicious VA with turkish added! Yummmmm!