McClelland Christmas Cheer 2004

I have enjoyed many of the McClelland's Christmas Cheer tobaccos of years past. My 2004 vintage tin had aged a bit in my "cellar", and being in the mood for a pressed Virginia Flake, I grabbed it.

Well, one reviewer here claimed to know how best to smoke this flake to make it shine brightly. So, I gave it a try. I used a well broken in pipe, I rubbed the flakes out somewhat, and let the 'baccy sit for 20 minutes to dry just a little bit. Finally, I gravity fed the leaf into the pipe without much tamping down. Out came the Carona Old Boy and I set fire to the leaf which promptly released all kinds of wonderful flavors onto my tongue.

This one burned just a tad warm so, I smoked slowly. It is long on flavor and light on strength.

It's hard for a Texan to enjoy Christmas in July (Predicted high today in my neighborhood is 102 degrees), but Cheer '04 did the trick!

A great, great flake. I got the last tin at my tobacconist this past December '06 and I'm only a few short bowls away from never tasting it again here nearing the end of February 07. It will be sorely missed. If you like McConnell's Scottish Cake you'll love this stuff. I don't know why I'm even bothering to review it any more as I imagine most of the tins are sold out by now.

There's a solid flavor throughout, very woodsy and sweet, reminiscent of a campfire. I'm not too poetic when it comes to describing flavors sometimes, but I know that this is one of the best flakes I've had in my pipe, for whatever it's worth.

This is my favourite of the Christmas Cheers thru '05. It is a very sweet, almost tart and perhaps sharp Virginia. Brassy is a word I sometimes use. Grampa oftened complained if a tobacco was too "bright". I think possibly the terms are for the same concept. But everyone I ask thinks bright is a different thing than the next guy seems to think. Well, brassy is to me the ability to find that bit of bite, a sharp dose of tangy, that is your tongue warning you of a Va that would bite if you let it. And I think this is a bit brassy. A little brass is a good thing. I smoked this mildly and evenly and often. I smoked the first three tins of my original four tins without even realizing the risk. But I got back to town and got some more. I don't know what there is to not like in Christmas Cheer 2004. The stuff was ten yrs old before you ever got any - but age it if you like. If I have any left by the time '06 comes out it will be a miracle. If you have any left in ten years or so look me up.

I wish to respond to a few of the above reviews, as I've found that there is an art to preparing this flake before enjoying it's true bounty. Not that any of you are wrong, boys (at least, I think you're boys/men, not too many female pipe tobacco reviewers out there, seemingly ... ). Taste is such a personal thing; whether you enjoy the finest Balkan, or ground up hay soaked w/ cheap bourbon, is up the individual. That being said ...

First off, select a pipe that cools/softens the flavor -- it would seem that any Ashton or the right Dunhill would do the trick, to name a few possibilities. Or a long clay (Xmas Cheer was great in my new clay Dutch clay, bought here in NY at the historical Keene's Chophouse). Then, rub it out somewhat carefully/thoroughly, and let it sit for 20 minutes to dry just a little bit if you have a freshly-opened tin (unless you are in a very humid room/space--if so, skip that part). Finally, gravity feed without much tamping down. Gentle tamping can happen later once the blend is cooking right.

Smoke this baby easy & slow and she'll reward you big-time. Some of that magical VA 'toastiness' that I've come to look forward to is in there, as well as some fruitiness and spiciness; and after a somewhat harsh beginning, Xmas Cheer '04, like all the others I've tried in this series, rewards your patience and care.

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.