McClelland 2008 Holiday Spirit

When I first transitioned from cigars to pipes, I started with English blends and it wasn’t until several years later that I tried my first boutique aromatic. I guess they say you never forget your first time and mine was with a tin of 2008 Holiday Spirit. I used to smoke it only in a churchwarden and it was wonderful. It started a Christmas morning tradition of a cup of coffee and an aromatic while opening presents with the family. I digress…..Anyway, while looking for something for the most recent Christmas; I opened a tin of Holiday Spirit that I had stashed away. It was still good, although I have found other aromatics more to my liking in the years gone by. There is just the right combination of rum, and cocoa sweetness that I remembered. I didn’t get much of the pecan however. As an aromatic, it is difficult to tell if aging helped to improve this blend, but it didn’t seem to hurt it either. There was no bitterness that I sometimes find with aromatic blends as the bowl progressed, just a deepening sweet rum flavor. There was no goop in the bowl either. While it didn’t make this past Christmas morning, and I don’t know if it was produced in 2013, it was a nice change of pace and a fond memory of when the kids were younger.

From the moment I opened the tin, I knew it would be a guilty pleasure. Strong and sweet caramel-like aromas from the combined efforts of the intensely aromatic cocoa/rum/pecan casing. I'm sure this is likely a bit too heavily cased/topped for some, but for an aromatic this stuff is like candy and the casing is still mild enough for a pleasant though light tobacco taste to shine through. If you're going to be smoking around others, particularly in a bar/pub, if you don't get compliments from this one then you're doing something wrong. I know I did, get compliments that is. 😉 The first few puffs are fine, but the sweetness really comes through about mid-bowl with a chocolatey almost coffee liquer kind of thing going on. Definitely low on the nicotine content, which I honestly don't mind. Sure it smokes a bit wet and can get hot, so make sure you've a pipe cleaner or two on hand and go easy on the steam-puffing. Ultimately, I can't do much better than the description on the tin itself:

"This smooth blend of Burley, Virgina and Cavendish tobaccos is flavored with dark rum, pecan and cocoa. It brings a warm glow to the coldest winter day. The aroma of a favorite holiday confection wafts from the bowl bringing pipe smoking contentment."

The Virginia is slightly grassy, and there's a minor nuttiness from the burley. The black cavendish adds a very mild vanilla note and there's a touch of honey from the gold cavendish. The toppings are not strong, and the rum loses a little of its impact after the half way point. The pecan is more noticeable then, being a little less obvious in the first half of the smoke. The cocoa notes are also very mild. The tobaccos and toppings complimentary meld fairly well together, and as pleasant as it is to smoke - decent burn rate, little moisture in the bowl and no dottle, silky smooth with no bite or harshness - it lacks depth of flavor to be any more than a work about all day mixture. If you like mild aromatics, this may suit you, but if you want a deeper tasting one, it may not satisfy you. Has little nicotine. Two and a half stars.

Apparently, this blend is the same every year, so my reviews for the other versions are the same as this one. I can't tell any differences.

-JimInks

A tad past Christmas...lol...nonetheless...a standing ovation for McClelland Holiday Spirit 2008. The tin aroma is exquisite...the smoke is mild pecan with an essence of cocoa...as professed by the manufacturer. Little-to-no rum flavour...which is just fine. This blend is on par or superior to those of Pipeworks & Wilke...well done!

No false promises by McClelland here. If you want to dabble in the occasional aromatic...or more so, if you are a regular aromatic connoisseur...try this, there will be no disappointment. Flavourful, cool...no moisture or dottle...smokes to a fine white ash.

I hope that Holiday Spirit 2008 has an agreeable shelf life in my weed-cellar...because forgoing this before its availability passes me by would be a grave disappointment.

A companion infusion: a cappuccino with just a tad of Tia Maria...drop in a bean to crunch when the libation is done.

UPDATE 05/01/10 I found that this does not cellar well...losing most of its flavor. If you have it...smoke it.

Not too long ago I cracked my only tin of 2008 Holiday Spirit as I was in the mood for some sweetness. I was not disappointed. A typical McClelland's enhanced offering that still tasted like tobacco, yet delivered the advertised goods. The only nuance of flavor I could not detect was the cocoa, which is why I opened the tin in the first place. It still pleased.

Pipestud

When I opened the tin I was almost overwhelmed by the smell of rum. This was not bad, however, because I like rum! It was a tad moist, but I could not wait to try it so I skipped letting it dry and packed it and lit her up. The flavor I was hit with was amazing. There was absolutely no tongue bite and no gurgling even straight out of the tin. Its aroma reminded me somewhat of Lane Limited BCA and also of Blue Note.

The room note is among the most pleasant that I have experienced so far. Although it lacks the smell of cinnamon and holly, it makes up with the remnants of a freshly baked pecan pie! I am thinking of ordering more of this before it is gone! Cheers.

Well, no ketchup. That's a good thing in this case. The tin smells of chemicals. It smokes like a fancy drugstore blend, but without bite. I was taken aback by the large shards of leaf....but marched forward. I get a bit of spice, maybe cinnamon, but the rum and cocoa are absent. Did 9-10 years of age not do this a favor? Nothing wrong with this tin of tobacco, but I personally may be beyond it. It could benefit from an hour or two of open drying, but smokes clean and cool.....a testament to the quality of the base leaf. Burley is the fore note, cavendish, and then any va. I'd probably enjoy it more if the Va came to the fore.....

If you can find this, buy it. I bought a few tins and I am down to my last one.

Something in the topping gives this a musty odor, maybe the cocoa or pecan. However, it doesn't transfer over to the smoke. Burns clean and cool, leaving a dry bowl and a happy palate.

I have paired this with a hot buttered rum, with good results.

I did not like this blend very much, it was like a Christmas party gone wrong! Too much rum, chocolate and pecan pie. The blend was very wet and seemed to linger in my pipe for several bowls. It did not bite my tongue, which surprised me as wet as it was. The manufactures of pipe cleaners must love this blend because I sure went through them smoking the few bowls I had. If you are a die hard aromatic smoker, you might like this one, otherwise I would stay away.

The tobacco I'm reviewing is the 2009 Edition which has the same tin description as the 2008 Edition. So I wonder if there is any difference in the two years?

I've had a few bowls of Holiday Spirit and can say it is a great smoke. The best part of this smoke for me is the smell while I'm smoking. There is a nice spice aroma and that aroma lingers for awhile after the smoke. Over all its a smooth, great tasting smoke, but smoke slowly to avoid tongue bite. Also use a pipe dedicated to aromatics. I will purchase a few more tins to cellar for when the mood hits me.