McClelland Christmas Cheer 2002

I took a vacation day this Friday to give myself a four-day weekend with Memorial Day coming up. I decided to go through some of my samples and came across this I got about a month ago. I have about two small bowl samples of this from my pipe club. This was manufactured in September of 2001. Eighteen years, how time flies. This is not so much a review as it is bragging rights that I got to try another McClelland blend especially since they ceased their operation. As with just about everything they blended this is top quality leaf and smoked exceptionally smooth. Also, if you want to try different blends and have a pipe club in your local area you should check it out.

I have tried just about every Christmas Cheer that McClelland's has offered and this 2002 version was typically sweet and airy. Not a nicotine buster as far as matured Virginia cakes go, but I did enjoy going through the tin. I smoked Christmas Cheer 2002 mostly in the evenings. It didn't produce enough kick to get my day started.

Typical of McClelland's Christmas Cheer tobaccos, this one was at a good moisture level and smoked clean and dry.

I got a half ounce sample of this and smoked it and enjoyed it.

My sample had the characteristic McAroma, which unlike some other blends, I did get a little of this in the smoke. But mostly the taste was woody, earthy, fruity, and deep, with that sort of tangy red Virginia taste permeating. It isn't a particularly complex blend, but there are surprising layers given the single leaf involved.

It burned well when rubbed out, which is my standard method with flakes. Recommended if you can get your hands on it, but there are better blends in the same subgenre.

Honesty the tin note was almost indistiguishable to me other then the mild tobacco aroma.

First light- this took a bit to get lit for me, particularly since it felt like it was very low humidity for a "pressed" style. When I first lit the bowl up, my nostrils were assulted by something very acrid that almost made me sneeze, but it disappeared pretty quickly. as I started to smoke this this it really mellowed into a nicely favorful tobbaco with a real undercurrent of spicyness. I find myself being very careful to smoke this very slowly as that spicyness comes up to bite my nose if I puff too heavily on it.

Mid Bowl- Something really sweet starts to rear it's head at this point, the spicy undercurrent didn't go away, but the bowl just sweetened to the point that I looked up from what I was reading and thought "Wow, where did that come from?". As a smoke through this I am thinking to myself that this would be a great compliment to hard cider...or any cidar probably, but why not go hard if you can.

End- The sweetness of the mid bowl starts to receed near the end of the bowl, and is replaced with some of the spicyness again, and a hint of grassyness. it also starts to sour a bit, but not terribly much. I find I have to light it a couple times near the end but it finished with a nice grey powder.

All in all this is a very interesting blend, very complex to me, but not probably one that would make it into my rotation. The spicy note really plays havok with my nose, and causes my sinuses some issues. If it wasn't for that I could really see settling in with this some cider on a nice autumn night.

Age must make all the difference with this blend because I found it quite enjoyable. However, I didn't open the tin and smoke it until December 2004.

Not too wet, the flakes have the aroma of raisins when the tin is opened. Once rubbed out, the tobacco lit easily and stayed lit.

Nice sweet virginia flavor. I found it quite enjoyable and hope the tin lasts me awhile.

Typically McClelland from the get-go, with the typical sour and fruity smell in the tin! It's actually drier than the other flakes fron this brand, and maybe slightly less "stinky" (but I like that smell!). Too bad that it can't minimally be compared to Virginia 27 or Blackwoods Flake... I let my tin age 8 months before opening it, and it still bites the tonge and has a surprising mildness of taste. A bit "watery", not very fruity, a bit bitter and grassy. After letting the tin open for a week (with the lid on!), the taste improves a lot: it hasn't become so good as to challenge the two above mentioned champions, but it becomes tasty and lively. Alternately sour and sweet, spicy and not too bitey. So, I suggest to let this tobacco breathe, because it can become a good delicate smoke, much better than in a new tin! It's not bad at all, just a bit dull and green at times especially when freshly opened : maybe the other 2 tins I have in my cellar will take benefit from aging, so I'll eventually upgrade my review 10 years from now... and in the meantime I'll keep enjoying the other traditional McClelland offerings, which are lots better even without aging and breathing.

2010 Update: Well, time to open a tin I have cellared for some years... and I sense some improvement. Now the flavour is richer, more enjoyable. It still is quite dry in taste, but much more enjoyable.

A very nice, sweet and leathery flake. I bought a 100 gram tin from McCranies that was dated 7/20/02. Today is 7/31/04. I believe that the age may have played a good part in my liking this flake. It was not rough and bitey, but rather smooth and once fully rubbed, required very little relights. I really like this as its a single leaf, not a blend and it shows what a great virginia can taste like alone. Gotta try these each year! (i bought a tin off e-bay from 1997 so ill see how that year was shortly)

This one's a dud. McClelland's Xmas Cheer is a yearly ritual for me, but the 2002 disappoints. With the enormous amount of leaf available to McC, I would have hoped for a better selection. It's not bad, per se, but rather pedestrian and indistinguished. Still, it's a decent smoke, and lovers of natural, unflavored VAs may enjoy its straightforward presentation.

Hopefully, the above opinion will be forgotten (or, better still, proven wrong) in years to come, as I have nevertheless chosen to retain several tins for cellaring. Xmas Cheer has always, in previous vintages, shown itself to be tailor made for long term storage. Perhaps in 2012.......

Purchased a tin as a xmas gift for my brother. The tin looked festive, so I figured it would be some sort of "Christmas" flavored aromatic. What could be better for a seasoned "aromatic smoker"? Not this tobacco, so I ended up taking it back with me, as he honestly told me that it?s not his style. I, on the other hand, have recently graduated from the bulk aromatics to the pure tobaccos such as this lovely ?orange leaf pressed Virginia Flake? from the 1996 South Carolina Border Belt Crop. Upon opening the tin, I immediately noticed the earthy Ketchup-like aroma that others claim McClelland tobaccos are famous (or infamous) for. An interesting looking tobacco that simply needs to be rubbed out before smoking. I had my fist bowl Christmas morning and enjoyed it instantly. It?s now been 5 days since I opened the tin and I must say, that this is a wonderful smoke. I have had a bowl everyday since Christmas. The flavor is very mild and clean tasting. A very mellow smoking experience for the true tobacco purist. If you enjoy a Virginia flake with a subtle natural sweetness, this is worth trying. Buy a Tin to enjoy and cellar one for next year. Highly recommended.