McClelland Christmas Cheer 2005

A very nice Virginia. Relax & take it slow when enjoying a bowl of this. You'll be rewarded from this very unique complex flake! I think it would bite if hit too hard. I wish I had baught an extra tin or two.

You need to be setting down in your favorite chair the lights low and quite all around to pickup all the flavors in this offering from McC. The flavors run from sweet and zesty then creamy back to zesty then just sweeet and other that I can not describe but feel. There is alot going on here and slow puffing is required because it can bite if pushed to hard. I found it smoked the best just rub out a little and on the dry side. I would put 2005 at the top of the Christmas Cheer line.

Seems awfully complex in taste and scent for this to be a single kind of tobacco from a single crop; and also is there not some sort of very light casing used here to produce this holiday melange scent?

As VA flakes go, CC'05 is relatively decent all round, and does indeed seem to have been imbued with Christmas spirit. Construction is sturdy flakes that seem to crumble more than rub out. CC '05 can be a bit bitey but not dramatically more so than any other VA; as always, puff patiently.

This is the first time I have tried Christmas Cheer. I have been buying tins since 2003 and putting them back. This year I decided to get an extra tin and try it out. I am glad I did, but I have to say that if you arent careful, your tongue will pay the price. It was a nice tobacco. No special flavoring added. I rubbed it out and let it dry a bit before I smoked any. The things I like best about it was that it burned clean all the way to the bottom, produced good hearty volumes of smoke and once it caught and took off, I never had to relight which for some reason tends to be a problem for me. If I could have kept from having my tongue singed, I would have given it 4 stars. I hope that aging it will take care of that problem. Good experience!

I like Virginia tobacco. I like McClellands. I love the Christmas Cheer offerings. The Christmas Cheer selections are given as designed to feature a single crop. So this year we get Middle Belt flue cured 1997. How wonderful, I can now say a bit about what I think of "Orange Middle Belt" Va. This is pretty nice too; the cut is great, the colour is great, and the flavour is fantastic. I personally don't pay much attention to room note; it usually smells like tobacco. I also don't do much tin-sniffing. But taste is another matter - and this is one fine tobacco. It is a very smooth mild and extremely friendly version - but it is Virginia. So I won't promise that tongue-bitten nonVirgina sorts will be converted but this one isn't all that brassy. If you like Virginia, and especially if you already know you like McClellands, then I feel comfortable in predicting you will enjoy this immensely.

I have been smoking pipes for four years. I have smoked the same blend for the period of time never trying anything new. I received a sample of this years Christmas Cheer, and I had to try it.

I rubbed the flakes, leaving only little clumps. Tamp lightly, but enough that it will stay burning. Burns wonderfully, no tounge bite, absolutely wonderful.

Bought one can, however, I will have buy more and cellar them. I can only imagine how wonderful this will taste in about five years.

For my first time at trying a Virginia blend, and not an aromatic, I can't wait to try more.

Let me start by saying that I find a little of everything I like in this tobacco. A little pungency, medium to full body, and straight-forward. The flakes are broken up a little and are dark brown and black. The tin has the famous/infamous McClelland ketchup aroma. I find it best to fully rub out, let sit for 1/2 to 1 hour, pack a little on the loose side, and smoke away. Absolutely no tongue bite no matter how hard it is smoked. As far as the flavor is concerned, this stuff is absolutely sublime. It is highly recomended and is unique unto itself. I will be buying a couple more tins to stow away for a later time. Do yourself a favor and enjoy a can for the holidays.....I will be thoroughly enjoying mine.