Tobaccos McClelland - Christmas Cheer 2009

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-14		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I grab a tin from this gratefully appreciated annual series each and every year. A reliably fine, quality straight-up Virginia pressed flake tabak.

The 2009 edition smokes a bit sweeter than in years past, even with a bit of drying (in my case, sitting in my Rotator pouch for several days). A wee tad goopy for a natural, unsauced blend due probably to the sugar content, not a bad thing as it's all naturally occurring.

The flavor does develop down the bowl, getting richer and more intriguingly complex as you get to the heel; a slightly herbal intro moves into territories of toastiness, caramel, coffee and probably other things I've run out of words for. Also, leave time for this one, it's not a quick bowl; small to medium bowlfuls have lasted me close to a full hour (though admittedly I'm a pretty gentle puffer). -PEACEPIPE

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3050)	2014-07-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Once you get past the vinegar smell, which is mildly noticeable in the taste of the tobacco, you get a very tangy ripe, dark fruity, slightly sugary sweet straight Virginia blend with some earth and grass. Burns well when dried just a little, though I recommend not drying it. Burns slow when you don't with a cool, rather consistent flavor from start to finish. Needs some relights and leaves a little moisture in the bowl. No bite or harshness. Has a mild nic-hit. Thought it lacks some complexity, it's a very flavorful all day smoke with a sweet after taste and room note.

-JimInks

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-11-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Christmas 2009 was a very sad time in our family, the kind that stings the heart. This year my wife and I are going the extra mile to make Christmas 2010 alive with joy and happyness. So, I had 4 large 100g " Christmas Cheer 2009 stored away, normly I would wait @ minimun 2 years or more, but I just wanted to smoke these tins up and rid my self of any reminder of last years Christmas,... Mmmm, Good decision. When I opened the tin to allow it some time to breath and dry I was taken back by the wonderfull aroma,. Sweet and pure. It took only 2 days before this got in a bowl and an Eric Nording did justice to this flake. I rubbed and folded, filled to a good spring without it being too tight or loose, 09 is behind me, and this 2009 cheer has to be the very best Iv had, O yea, its Virgina baby sweet and done to perfection, bravo, a masterpiece indeed, 4 stars, happy jack, and happy holidays to all my brothers of the pipe.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-11-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I rubbed this one out very well. I packed it kind of loosely and charred the top. I did not get to puffing on this bowl with any force, just smoked it real casually. It is a sublime smoke! It has a deep somewhat sweet, nutty butterscotch flavor to it, but it's just a hint of that flavor. It's earthy and wonderful. This is the most complex Virginia that I've yet sampled. My tin is a year old at the time of this writing, yet I think that probably makes a difference with this blend based off of what I have read in other reviews of this annual project. At any rate, I am a very satisfied customer. Please treat yourselves to this tobacco if possible.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	sportspipe (5)	2009-11-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This will be my first review here so bare with me.

Let me start by saying that I love this stuff and have been smoking it anualy since 2005 whenever the holiday seasons begin to descend upon us. As with the majority of McClelland Va's, this is a high quality tobacco possessing excellent smoking qualities and flavor. I have smoked other Va and do enjoy them. However, McClelland seems to treat their offerings in such a way that hits my pallate in all the right places giving me that naturally sweet, smokey note that a good Va should grant it's owner. There's not a great deal of unique notes I can add to this review that haven't been already said by others. I will say though, that I reveived a small surprise with this year's vintage. In about the last 1/4 of the bowl, the aroma changed from a sweet, somewhat fruity note which is common with this tobacco, to a subdutle hint of vanilla/caramel which is something I've not experienced in the last few production years.

All in all a very good tobacco that should be ejoyed slowly in a relaxed atmospere.

Happy Holidays!

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-11-11		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This years Christmas Cheer crop seems very similar to the 2004. It is very wet in the tin and has a rather profound ketchup smell that does diminish when drying out. I only mention the ketchup smell (which it is assumed that all McClelland have to some degree) because it is the strongest I can remember for a while. The tobacco once dried is very enjoyable and does not bite in the least. The broken flakes do a very good job rubbed out or just shoved into a pipe, its personal preference here gents. The taste is a bit less sweet than in years past, but is rather a grassy, earthy and almost immature flavor. The room note and strength are pretty consistent with what I have come to expect with this seasonal favorite. I think all this blend needs is to be aged for a few years.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Nickpimpslap (6)	2020-07-07		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Got back in to pipe smoking recently after a 12+ year absence, and broke back into my big jar of Christmas Cheer. Imagine my surprise when my local pipe shop told me McClelland is gone! My jar is a much more closely-guarded treasure now.

Needs smoked slowly and gently, but is truly a sublime, comforting experience.

Pipe Used: Bones Straight Cauldron

Age When Smoked: 12 yr

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-02-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I was looking forward to trying CC2009, since few years of age makes such a big difference in how a virginia flake tastes. It's typical McClelland--ketchup smell in tin (which I love), needed a few weeks to breathe a bit, etc. However, I'm most of the way through the tin and the taste hasn't really impressed me. It's not exactly bad, but it's kinda monochromatic. It also has a flavour-to-heat ratio that I usually associate with "green" virginia, a quality that persists in freshly cleaned bowls of various sizes. I like Dark Star, Blackwoods Flake, and some of the McClelland bulk tobaccos quite a bit, but this one doesn't quite do it for me. Still, it's the thought that counts. A single vintage, well-aged, limited production Christmas flake is a darn good idea.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

You can imagine my surprise when I found a can of this stuff under the tree on Christmas morning--with my name on it no less. I've always been a wee bit leary of gimmicky pipe tobacoo (so-called special editions which are usually factory seconds in a pretty can), so I partly suspected this blend might make me feel a bit like Clark W. Griswold when Cousin Eddie shows up at the door. I kinda thought it would be hard to get rid of if you know what I mean. But of course that was when I had no idea what was in store upon opening the tin. Wonderful aroma...I wish I could smell that opening aroma again. Sugarplums? No. Gingerbread? Not exactly. Balsam fir? Keep guessing. Catsup--a wonderful, vinegary catsup kind of smell that filled my nostrils and stirred my imagination (talk about a fish and chips craving...) Anyway, smoking this stuff was of course the best part. Go slowly--Christmas only comes once a year. Don't hurry this one and you will be rewarded. My only complaint is that Santa didn't bring nearly enough 2009 Christmas Cheer for me. Shame on you, Mr. Claus. I hope you have more foresight next year, because this tobacco is special.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-10-28		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I finally decided to try something other than Presbyterian Mixture (my ol' reliable) and other aromatics that I prefer. So, I bought a tin of Christmas Cheer 2009. Upon opening the tin, I was surely enough greeted with a ketchup smell that was intriguing. If McClelland made ketchup that smelled that good, I would buy it!

I decided to rub out a few bowls worth and store in the original container and mason jar the rest for later. I packed a Kaywoodie slow smoking apple full and let the pipe sit out for about two hours. I then took it with me to the sporting clay range for an afternoon jaunt. It was a very nice smoke and a great introduction to Virginia. Delightfully spicy and definitely a hint of the Season to come.

I love the smell that it leaves behind in the pipe. My father, who is not a smoker, described the room note as what he imagines "Santa's" shop to smell like..........

Merry Christmas 2009 folks.....in a few months.....

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pip (80)	2020-09-22		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This Christmas Cheer is from the 2009 vintage and has quite a bit of age on it. The tin note is typical of McClelland Virginians. In addition to the slight ketchup smell it also has a nice tangy sweet and earthy grassy aroma. I've never been a fan of the McClelland cut of tobacco I've always had trouble drying it out and keeping it lit but, that just goes with the territory. Once you get it going, however it is a very pleasant smoke indeed. I don't find it to be overly complex in fact it's quite monochromatic but, in a very good way it's very sweet consistent Virginia flavor from top to bottom I get more sweet than tang. No harshness at all and no bite to be found. If pure unadulterated Virginia flavor is what you're after Christmas Cheer is the ticket.

Age When Smoked: 11 Years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2012-10-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

All Christmas Cheer I've tried are pretty similar, and I really hope the rest of them are too. After 3 years in the cellar, every pipe of these sweet red Virginias were a pleasure to smoke from top to bottom, and I wish I had bought more tins for years to come.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peppino (74)	2011-03-16		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A nice virginia (I usually smoke 1792 or #24) when puffing virginia's. It starts out a bit hot to me but settles down about 1/4 of the way through. It really starts to smoke well at the 1/2 way point with a little peppery taste but no biting just a rich flavor all the way to the end. Smokes down to a white powder with no moisture. As all virginia's to me it smokes best in a wide bowled pipe like a pot shape or something with a similar bowl style as well in a meershaum. Glad I opened it up!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-03-07		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

This is a special tobacco. Very mild nicotine, good taste, grassy aroma. But, I am updating my reveiw to medium/strong nicotine. It really hits me hard. Maybe I'll try a smaller bore pipe.

I went down to virginia, seeking shelter from the storm....

But seriously I will be trying bulk virginias and kentuckys to see if anything is like this or better.

Ketchup, Ketchup, Life is fowing like ketchup on....

Four stars for sure. McClellands is great.

If you drink green tea with a few drops of lemon it greatly negates the effects of smoking. Good for your lungs and for your health in general.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Latakia (70)	2010-12-18		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I am normally partial to latakia-infused blends but every Chritsmas, I get a can of thee XMAS blend andd save it for the following season. One year aged, this tobacco is fantastic. Very sweeet. It does have that ketchup scent when opeeniing the tin but the smoke is really a nicee change from latakia. I like to match Christmas memories with the pipe tobacco that went with the season. This year it is XMAS Blend 2009 and the recently returned to the market Dunhill 965. A perfect combination...a daily pipe or two of each and Christmas 2010 has the potential for great memories.

This tobacco is rich with sugary VA andd that makes it agee so nicely. Absolutely no tongue bite as I have experienced with some VAs. Burned well and left the bowl with a nice little cake. Already got the 2010 and looks like this is a yearly ritual

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-10-13		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Like many VA flakes/broken flakes, if you don't prep it right, you'll miss the flavour and risk burning your tongue. Prepping it right for me was drying it out slightly, rubbing it out almost fully, packing somewhat lightly and gently sipping. With a little care, it comes alive and changes as it burns down to a grey white ash.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-03-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Most McCelland virginias need to mellow in a closed, unsealed tin for months before they're any good, and Christmas Cheer 09 is no exception: I bought and opened a tin of it before Christmas and it's only now starting to be smokable. Medium strength, with a sweet, sharp edge. A vanilla note does emerge near the end of the bowl, but it's a naturally occurring flavor, not a casing or topping. The McClelland ketchup smell is present in abundance here. I find it compliments a stoved virginia but in Christmas Cheer it's a bit too much. I can't taste it in the smoke, but I can taste it in my pipe afterward.

I like Christmas Cheer 2009 and will finish my tin, but I don't think I'll buy any more of it. There are other McClelland products I like better, like No. 21, 2015, Blackwoods Flake, and Dark Star, and better broken flake virginias on the market (Old Gowrie) as well.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brother Of The Leaf (8)	2010-02-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Out of all the McClelland 'Christmas Cheer' blends I've only tried the '06 and '09, so my knowledge on this collection fairly limited. Therefore, I cannot compare to many other of the blends, but in comparison to the '06 it's not quite as good. The '09 blend is extremely sweet, something I welcome in my tobacco. This tobacco is a blast of figs and dates in your nostrils, and a mouthful of lemon pie and a bit of mint while smoking. However, it does bite the tongue a tiny bit. I would highly recommend this tobacco!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-27		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Much more mild than I had expected but not disappointed in my purchase. When you first open the tin, you can really detect a fig/molasses scent but that seems to dissipate during smoking. I was under the impression that the taste would linger a bit longer on the pallet but it did not. It is definitely a smoke for the cold weather and I would encourage anyone in the holiday spirit to grab a tin each year it is produced. The room note is more than the taste but the taste is good. These two combinations translates into everyone enjoying this tobacco during the Christmas season.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2010-01-15		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Santa put some of this in my stocking this year, and I was expecting a "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" tobacco, instead was treated to a balanced blend of a very nice Virginia's. I'll savor mine all year long. The tin description says it all. Can't wait to try next years blend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fly ticky (26)	2009-12-21		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Extra Full	Very Pleasant

Good evening Gentalmen This is a winner to say the least. A very good selection of fine tobacco.It does need sone dry time so ya dont steam your tongue.I liked it so much that I ordered three more tins to cellar or smoke.I cannot belive it will get much better with aging but its worth a try.It is the best of the best,If you like virgian tobacco that is.Very good from start to finnish.What a room note ,Marvelous Well thats all Men Good day.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipe pirate (6)	2009-12-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

good smoke but may attack the tongue if smoked too fast.That is sometimes the way virginias can get because of the natural sugar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-11-08		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A pretty nice Virginia blend. I think most folks try this thinking it is a Christmas aromatic, and they are surprised and somewhat put off by the strong Virginia flake.

Can be a bit wet in the tin, so needs some drying, but all together its a really pleasant tobacco. Sweet, nutty, and cool smoking.

3 stars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-10-19		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A pleasant Virginia flake

Strong ketchup smell to tin and very moist

once I rubbed it out and let it sit out for an hour it was a very nice mild sweet smoke. Could stand to be stored away for a while to age.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2009-10-17		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I enjoyed this blend. Good, sweet, Virginias as advertised. I detected a little spice in the tin aroma when I opened it, I did not find that to be present in the smoke. I'm not yet experienced enough to know, but I THINK that some of the bulk McC Virginias would fill THIS void for me, and at a little lower price. Good tobacco, just pricey!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	USA_Traveller (7)	2009-10-02		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Fresh from the can, this is a nicely balanced Virginia, an above average example of this annual mainstay of the McClelland line.

Upon opening the tin, the McClelland "ketchup" scent is there. But as I have never found this to be present in the smoke, and as it slowly dissipates as the tin is cellared, I can't object.

The presentation is the typical "broken flake": motley brown with a light sprinkle of white crystals,indicating perhaps a higher than typical sugar content.

Straight from the tin I find it too wet to enjoy, but rubbing it out and allowing it to try for an hour or so really improves the level of humidity, and the frustration of keeping a flake tobacco lit. Pack it a bit looser than some, as this year's offering is a springy leaf that expands as it heats up (more so than some other Virginia flakes).

Christmas Cheer is an appropriate name for this blend -- it is meant to be savored and enjoyed as one relaxes with the holiday season approaching. The 2009 offering seems to be tastier than most recent years, with that nice overtone of fresh dried hay and other scents of a beautiful fall day. As smooth as this is when it is new, this year's vintage should definitely improve with aging. I recommend buying as much as you can afford (before taxes raise the price again!) and cellaring for as long as you can (after you have opened that first tin to try some!)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flaminbill' (57)	2009-09-07		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nothing new here. It is splendid as usual. McClelland along with Rattray have become my "go-to" Virginia blends.

1 person found this review helpful.