McClelland Christmas Cheer 2009
(3.48)
Handblended, premium pressed Virginia flake tobaccos. A fine vintage, naturally sweet, in limited quantity. This 2009 blend is made with a special selection of beautiful, sugary, deep orange South Carolina Border Belt flue-cured Virginia from the 2003 crop.
Details
Brand | McClelland |
Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
Contents | Virginia |
Flavoring | |
Cut | Flake |
Packaging | 100 grams tin |
Country | United States |
Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant to Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
3.48 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 27 Reviews
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 07, 2009 | 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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14, 2010 | 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
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
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 2014 | 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
-JimInks
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2010 | 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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 04, 2010 | 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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 2009 | 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!
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!
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2009 | 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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 07, 2020 | 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.
Needs smoked slowly and gently, but is truly a sublime, comforting experience.
Pipe Used:
Bones Straight Cauldron
PurchasedFrom:
Smokingpipes
Age When Smoked:
12 yr
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 03, 2010 | 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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 19, 2010 | 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.
Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2009 | 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.....
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.....