McClelland Christmas Cheer 2004

I look forward to Christmas Cheer each holidy. It doesn't really vary much from year to year except that i would say that 2004 is a bit stronger than the previous one's. Tin aroma is like Russion Tea minus the cloves. Cinimin, apple, and tea are the main complements on top of a good virginia. I smoke this stuff on a regular basis. Even though it's seasonal, there's even Christmas Cheer to go year round.

I feel a little guilty posting a review of this since the tins are so limited in availability and so expensive, but I smoke it and enjoy it, so for posterity here goes. At first blush this is like all Christmas Cheer offerings, a straight VA broken flake with little processing to my knowledge in the traditional sense (such as steam pressing i.e. SG FVF). For years my local pipe shop was loaded to the gills with McClelland and often little else, so while their offerings have never been among my favorites, they were unavoidable if you were hankering for something new and buying local. For me a little Christmas Cheer goes a long way, I am still smoking from a tin of 1998 that has been open and jarred for more than a decade. It can be somewhat monotone and hard to smoke, frankly, so while I have several other tins of CC I never cracked another open and stuck to my two or three bowls per year routine.

For me this year, however, was another level of flavor and enjoyment, and it is not going to last ten years now that it is open. I purchased the tin somewhere around 2004-2005 and did not open it until 2019, so it had ten years on it when they released it, and I put another fifteen on it in my cellar. That may sound extreme but these types of VA’s are almost limitless in their aging potential and only get better the longer you wait. Well, this 26-year-old VA is now amazing, just beautiful in every respect. The tin aroma has that twangy McClelland vibe, but in addition this one has deep tones of spiced plum with cinnamon and nutmeg. It is mouthwatering.

It is a broken flake that looks like old dark brown shoe leather. I rub it out about 50-75% more than it already is in its broken tin form, and pack it loosely in small, narrow bowled pipe. A little goes a long way, and the bowl I smoked last night lasted for more than an hour in a pipe whose chamber is below the second knuckle of my pinkie and no bigger around. I find it best dried out so that it is still flexible but not moist to the touch. It takes a bit of effort to get it going but once it is started after a few false lights it will burn readily with minimal (maybe 4-5 over the course of an hour) relights. I find that the best flavor is preserved by letting it go out and then relighting as opposed to puffing and lighting constantly to keep it lit, and that also controls the heat overall. When puffed gently this does not bite (but it will if you overdo it) and all of that rich sweet spice is what you taste – sweet VA’s with tones of Christmas spices, like a fruitcake. This is very consistent from top to bottom but gets a little richer as you move down the bowl.

For reasons stated above I do not have a number of years to compare this to yet because I never cracked my other tins of CC. I find it much more complex, spicier, and better in every way than the 1998 offering. Is it worth north of $100 if you do not already own a tin? Only you can say, but I would offer this guidance. If you are a fan of McClelland style VA’s, and the CC offerings in particular, then I would say that this is essential. If not then I would not kill myself hunting a tin down, but certainly if you can find a tin for a reasonable price or if you get it as a gift (I gave two of mine from various years to good friends, so maybe you will get lucky in the future too) then it is well worth cracking it open. You could also let it sit for another twenty years. Mine has not even begun to sugar up yet so it will only get better. A final tip would be not to leave it in the tin after it is open under any circumstances. That plastic lid does not hold the moisture and it will dry out, and once that happens you lose the magic with this one. Immediately put it in glass with an airtight seal after you crack the tin (canning jars are really the only option for foolproof safe storage) and it should last a good long time.

This is the only Christmas cheer I have smoked so far. I am lucky enough to have various years cellared so I'm sure to review more when I do decide to pop those tins.

First of all let me just say from my experience I find mcclelland Broken flake blends a little difficult to deal with. I have found that ample drying and fully rubbed out seems to burn best. If left in their broken clumps they require tons of relights.

This being almost ten years old I wasn't sure what to expect. Truth be told I don't have that much experience with aged tobacco. When I popped the tin I was greeted with the classic ketchup smell. The tobacco was still fairly damp. I smoked several bowls fresh from the tin and it was to damp to deal with plus I did not really rub it out all the way. I decided to allow the remainder of my tin to "air out" for a day then rub it out and put it in a mason jar.

Now when I smoke this I completely rub out a bowls worth and allow to dry 10-15 minutes. From the initial light I was greeted with a very delicate but sweet Virginia flavor. That flavor is very consistent throughout the bowl. I find gentle sipping seems to bring out the best of this blend. I get sweet grassy flavors with a light citrus taste here and there. This is a rather pleasent tobacco to smoke. It suits me well in the morning with my coffee. The wife thinks the room note is ok.

I have DGT this and it does gain a little deeper flavor but not too much. Overall this is a good smoke. I would reccomend it. I only gave it three stars because for me it's not strong enough, but I don't think it's supposed to be. It is overall a great smoke but can be a bit of a bitch to work with and keep burning.

I finally got up the nerve to open my tin. What awaited me was the very faint smell of vinegar and mildly sweet yet earthy Virginia flakes. Great I thought, the moisture content was good, and things seemed to be aligning them selves well after a good rub out and light packing I went to light and wait, where is the flavor??? This has to be the mildest straight Virginia I have ever tried. I was hoping for something a bit stronger in the nicotine department too. The flavors were not bad, but just lacking in strength. If there was a way to concentrate the flavors this one would be a winner. It burns extremely well and exhibits no tongue bite. I guess this is a good first pipe of the day Virginia.

I believe that this VA has not been given enough credit for its composition. I agree with POUNDER's review, in that the beauty of this blend lies in its potential. Although this tobacco is already ten years in the making, there is still so much unmetabolized sugar remaining, that this VA will age to perfection. I really can't get over the amount of sugar that must have originally been present in this leaf but, this is what allows most VA to age so well. Stock up on this one boys, the future of this blend is bound to be legendary.

This stuff burns the mouth and tastes like No. 27 and The Navy cavendish had a kid that couldn't live up to his poor parents name! So why the high rating ? Because I believe in this flake. I have utter faith that given a few years of aging this stuff will be remarkable. Opening a new tin right now and tasting it is an exercise in what is to come. Greg Pease is one of the most esteemed blenders in America today. His only problem is his typically American trait of impatience. All of his wonderfully blended tobaccos are sent out to the consumer far to young. If you taste a Pease blend that is absolutely no good, simply put the remainder in a mason jar and wait a year. The transformation is amazing. Now this is a problem that the McNeills have never shown us before and I hope this doesn't become a habit. How many smokers around the world have been informed that Mr. Pease is one of Americas best only to pop the top and taste an unsmokeable tobacco that is merely lacking age? Do you think they will ever buy anymore, much less take these American tobaccos as seriously? Hopefully so, but I still think that all of these young blends would sell better and make a much more favorable impression if they were sold when they are mature and ready. Perhaps they were just in a rush to find a special leaf for this years Christmas blend and had to release it. But don't you think they would have been better served by keeping it in good aging conditions and releasing it as next years blend? At the very least they could put a note with the tin description with the advice to open and put in jars for aging awhile before partaking. I think the public would appreciate this and would end up buying more. Oh well, enough rambling- go ahead and stock up on this stuff- just be more patient with it than its blenders- and in time I think you will have a heavenly smoke!

A one dimensional smoke that is nothing special in any way. Small, thick flakes that are mediocre tasting at best. The only thing this blend offers is some tongue bite.