McClelland Christmas Cheer 2000

The vinegar/ketchup smell does appear in the taste of the tobacco, though it's much lesser than it smells. The Virginias are very ripe and dried dark fruit sweet, rather tangy with some earth, and hints of spice that remind me of the kind you get in eggnog without the eggnog flavor. The actual taste of tobacco is sublimated by the fermented sweetness. The nic-hit is mild. Burns a little slow with some moisture, unless you dry it some first, which I don't really recommend. Not a dull or harsh spot to be found, though there's a slight sharpness here and there. No bite either. Leaves moisture in the bowl, but no dottle and needs some relights. Has a consistent flavor all the way through, and a pleasant after taste, and can be an all day smoke. Two and a half stars.

-JimInks

I know its a little early for Christmas but I just couldn’t wait any longer to give this one a try. This is actually the first Christmas Cheer I’ve had and if this is any indication of how the others are I’ll be hunting for more.

The tin note is incredible, definitely some of that distinct McClelland smell but no doubt the 19 years has mellowed it out quite a bit. Not a ton of ketchup, just a nice sweet smell. To me this blend has some similarities of 5100. Some hints of dark fruit and a little spice/earth. Not harsh in any way, just a very naturally sweet Virginia with a great aftertaste. This could easily be a daily smoke for me.

If you haven’t tried this blend you owe it to yourself especially if you’re a Virginia lover. A very special treat.

I place McClelland's 2000 Christmas Cheer in the same group as PCCA's Millenium. Orange/Red VA's just don't get any better than these.

A soft, round VA with plenty of tang - not weak mind you - and possesing that light sweet creaminess of a premium VA.

A broken flake that does burn better when fully rubbed out.

I have tried many a straight VA and VA dominant blend (being a huge VA fan myself).

This blend - for my tatstes and opinion - I confidently declare,,,

The perfect VA!!!!!

Love it!!!

Merry Christmas all.

I fear this is a repeat of Sceny's review back in '02, so this does not change much over the years; however, it did not turn very "dark" at the end of the bowl which is a plus in my book.

This is a very refined pressed/broken flake blend of sweet red Virginia that has mellowed well in the tin. (Purchase date 10/02) The sugar content is low enough not to cause an undo amount of tongue bite. CC 2000 is a pure delight to smoke on particularly cool days. I can smoke this bowl after bowl and find all kinds of sweet citric notes with volumes of smoke that I just want to waft into the nostrils to tickle my senses. If you can find a tin of this delightful mixture, enjoy!

Packing is easy, just crumble some in a pinch and stuff it into the pipe. Of course leave some spring to it, but if you don?t, no fear because upon lighting it springs up and with a couple firm lights it burns right to the bottom with a fine grey ash.

Looks like all the other CC's in the tin but this one has a HUGE fermented tin aroma that translates to ketchup or vinegar to some folks. If you don't like that smell, stay far away from this one. Or just dry it out to diminish the aroma and augment the flavors.

As always, I smoked a bowl of this at tin moisture and, as always, it was ok but not great. Properly dried out, this one was interesting in that it was one of the smoothest and cleanest smoking of all the CC's. There was the usual hit of tanginess from the orange/red and an occasional light spiciness and fruitiness but overall this was remarkable for its lack of complexity and it's seamless, top-to-bottom, single bolt of cloth flavor. Smooth! Very little in this tobacco called attention to itself. It was like the Velvet (OTC tobacco) of the Virginia world but with higher quality leaf. This is a sit back and relax while reading a book tobacco. You won't miss a word because of pondering the tobacco. And that was it's downfall for me. Don't get me wrong - this is still a 4 star blend, but it's not something I'd smoke a lot of, even if I had a lot of it to smoke. No jump factor. No heavy complexity, although it had a lot of depth. It just wasn't exciting enough for me. But of all the CC's I've smoked (and I still have 3 to go), this one was one of the most different from the pack. For those that think they all taste alike, try this one if you can find some.

Was just gifted a generous sample of the 2000 vintage from a friend. This vintage is 17 years old this year.

The Virginias have just aged so well. There's nothing at all negative about this tobacco. Sweet and tangy, toasty from age and mellowed substantially smoother than this varietal is when fresh. Not much more you can really say in terms of flavor. It's the ultimate Virginia smoke and it makes my mouth water from the richness.

Well, I just couldn't help myself fellas. Maybe I'm in the Christmas spirit early. I was going to save my McClelland's Christmas Cheer 2000 for the next millennium, but my body is telling me I am not going to make it. So, I busted out my only tin of Christmas Cheer and this was it.

Sure tastes a lot like Christmas Cheer 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005. Well, it is a little mellower due to the aging, but the light and naturally sweet tasty is pretty much the same.

I like it. An early Merry Christmas to me.

Well, the long wait is over: after more than 12 months of anticipation, on December 25th at 11:30 am, I cracked open my first tin of Year 2000 Christmas Cheer. What could be better than smoking well-aged Virginia tobacco, on Christmas day, in my new Tinsky Christmas 2001 pipe?? Very little, indeed: the wait was well worth it. This is, hands down, the finest Virginia flake I have ever smoked. The aroma on popping the lid is heavenly. It is immediately obvious that this is a McClelland Virginia, but the most delicious such I have ever smelled. There are sharp, tangy, and sweet notes, all overlaid with that classic vinegar aroma. Unlike some other McClelland flakes, however, it remains fairly mellow in tone, with round, mature undertones balancing everything perfectly. I could just sit and inhale this all day. The flake is partially broken but still mostly whole, medium in length and average in cut width. The tobacco?s color is mainly mottled dark brown, with a few stripes of lighter leaf providing a visually pleasing contrast. The moisture level is medium to somewhat high, making the flake soft but not sticky. A fan of C&D or GLPease tobaccos may wish to rub this out and let it sit prior to smoking. The flake does rub out easily, making packing via this method not overly difficult. I, however, prefer to smoke the flake as-is, the extra effort in loading a bowl being well worth it for me. As a straight flake, lighting is initially challenging, requiring (at least in my case) several matches and repeated strong puffing. Once lit, however, the tobacco burns very well, requiring a minimum of relights, straight to the bottom. The first 1/3 of a bowl is as varied as the tin aroma: bright, sweet, and complex. The sweetness is dominant, but so well blended that I almost forget it?s there at times. The smoke is overall much smoother than that of most VA flakes, totally bite-free and with only hints of sharpness. The overall effect is ?brown?, about as far from boring and one-dimensional as possible. There is a bit of moisture at the start, but a pipe cleaner or two is all that is required to clear it up. Into the second third, the disparate flavors continue to meld and interact, eddies of higher and lower notes mixing together in near-perfect harmony. The blend has become deeper in taste, though still staying far away from English/Latakia darkness; and the sharper tones have completely mellowed into the overall flavor. I have noticed no further moisture, and the smoke is still remarkably bite-free. If you have problems with McClelland Virginia blends attacking your tongue, I certainly recommend you try this. In the final third, the flavor has become darker yet. The wonderful complexity remains, smooth and balanced on the palate, the subtle interplay of notes requiring the smoker?s full attention to appreciate. It is a surprisingly satisfying smoke, rich enough for after dinner yet smooth enough for an all-day blend. This is an obviously high-quality, fully mature tobacco, with none of the usual McClelland problems. It smokes clean, dry and good straight to the bottom of the bowl. Overall, what more can I say? This is the best McClelland Virginia flake I have ever had the pleasure to smoke. I am very glad I waited to try it; the benefits of aging are readily apparent here. I highly recommend this, and am sorry only in that I stocked but two tins when it was available.

KETCHUP!!! hahaha, wow, McClellands always has a bit of a ketchup smell to the tobacco, but man is this one strong.

Nice broken flake that rubs out quit easily.

It lights after 2 times and I'm smoking away. The taste is very mild at first, but after a bit of a tamp 1/4 bowl down it gets heavier and quit on the nicotiny side of things.

slow smoking is the key and I press on. It's good. I love the fact that this is some serious stuff as a Christmas blend. Nowadays you get all those flowery/Fruity Christmas blends. Okay also, but this stuff is potent.

It is quit good and I love this. As it is a 100g tin, I will smoke this on occasion. It would not be my everyday smoke.