McClelland Christmas Cheer 2013

Ok let's get started I am unsure of rating this tobacco as it is in a class of it's own. Let me say it's got a great flavor and it really satisfies.I smoked half a tin so far and it is marvelous.I am now back to my regular blend because I would like to age slash save some for later.What can be said

Being a green horn to pipe smoking, I'm still new to everything but I have been a cigar smoker for a while. From the moment I opened the can I could smell a hint of raisins, fig, a little hay smell as well. Reading through the forums prior I decided to let a bowl sit out for about an hour before smoking it. From the false light it tasted quite well rounded with a wonderful play on each portion of the tounge. Definatly sweet, almost like a cranberry orange coffee cake with a side rustic hint of oaken barrel. with progression it only got better! I really enjoy this smoke and I'm looking forward to my next bowl of it! Four stars!

This is another fine addition to the CC series. As with the rest in the line, it is a very good weed used in making this fine vintage. Like the rest this also should age very well with it getting better with age. Recommended.

This is a great flake Virginia, Tin note somewhat "Ketchupy" but this is typical with McClelland Virginia flakes. The flavor is nice and tangy with a bit of spice. reminds me a bit of Dunhill's Royal yacht but without the "Punch". Smoke is cool and long lasting. all in all a great mix, go buy some before it runs out!!!

I only got 1 tin and wish I got more. I just might order up a few more for storage.

Had a long week. The thing that saved me was the McCelland Christmas Cheer 2013. Can't believe I've held on to this tin that long. Through good times and bad. Well when I popped the tin instantly got the mature fermentation smell. I let it set in a jar for a week before smoking. Lightly rubbed out and loaded my Peterson Sherlock Silver Apple. This a truly a great tobacco that none can copy. It's so unique in taste and smell. A straight smoking Virginia. Not a blend but, just one unique strain of Orange flue-cured Virginia from the 2009 crop near Rocky Mount, North Carolina. All I can say is that it just a pure smoke. There is nothing but clean taste. Will be smoking this bowl by bowl. No weeks worth at a time.

I am not a dedicated VA smoker, I probably smoke va and va/per's only slightly more than I smoke aros so maybe, *maybe* two, three times a month.

I had never had a McClelland tobacco and when I started, a certain online retailer had tins of this particular blend on sale, I decided to pick up a tin and hold onto it.

Come Christmas 2014, I decided to crack it open and I am absolutely amazed. Here it is in March and I'm still enjoying small bowlfuls of this incredible tobacco. I can't really compare it to any other virginias that I've had, it's a whole other flavor and compared to many other virginias that I've had, it has a thickness, a real richness that I've never found before. Rich and mildly sweet smoke, a smoky/sugary smell in the tin, and a room note that is phenomenal.

So yeah, I absolutely love this, and have already started looking at McClelland blends to add to my longterm storage.

I had finished my tin of CC 2013 a while ago and had not added my thoughts on it. I guess my thoughts are not too different than my thoughts on the the 2012 CC which I found to be fantastic thus necessitating my purchase of the 2013 and now the 2014. I have been buying two tins each year. One to smoke and one to cellar.

I have also been trying to buy some of the older editions which have been going for a lot of money on ebay as of recent. I did happen to snag a few tins of the 2009 at a reasonable price and plan to smoke that in 5 years. The demand for these old tins signal what you are getting when you buy a tin of Christmas Cheer. You are getting the finest Virginia produced by a company known for its great Virginias.

Of Course if you are one of those who thinks, Eww, Ketchup, then please avoid this blend as it has that in spades. Also, if you are looking for cinnamon and fruit cakes, this is not that kind of Christmas blend. The only thing Christmassy about this blend is the santa in the insert, the color, the name and the fact that it comes once a year.

It is excellent.

I have the pleasure this Christmas Eve of 2022 of smoking some of this fine tobacco gifted to me by a friend. Writing this more as a journal entry as no doubt you’re familiar with Christmas Cheer. Rubbed out fully, a few lights to get her started but once lit and tended to she burned well.

Thick chunks of broken flakes, still fairly moist and soft, some dusting going on, and of course translucent crystals. The ketchup tangy vinegar fermentation smell of McClellands Virginia tobacco is apparent.

The taste is tart, sweet, hay, bread, fermentation. Reminds of me of a lemon tart. The citrus sour lemon with the semi sweet bready crust. Smooth. No grassy harshness on the retrohale. It’s rich in flavor but milder in mouth feel. Nic hit appears fine for me in the morning with coffee, medium at most. An absolute treat of a pure Virginia and in my few years of pipe smoking experience Virginias don’t get better than this.

Are these old canisters of McClelland tobacco worth the price these days? Is a bottle of 15 or 20 whiskey worth it to you? If you got the dough to smoke why not. It’s as fine as you’ll get.

Dear McClelland, I'm sorry for taking you for granted all these years. You made many of my favorite blends, and yet I never seemed to give you the praise you deserved while you were with us.

Your 2013 Vintage Christmas Cheer was opened that same Christmas Eve, and was lovely. And then I tossed it in my cellar only to forget it existed. Now that you're gone, I scoured my entire house/garage for any of your lovely tins. And there I found the 2013 Christmas tin, now with over 4 years of age.

Smoking it in my Peterson Meerschaum right now is an absolute delight- lightly tangy and sweet, no bite, no spice. Baked sweet pastries glazed with sugar cane syrup and a touch of creamy marshmallow. I am going to savor every last flake.

Ah but isn't that life? You never know when something or someone is going to disappear forever. Enjoy it while you have it and be grateful for the experience. I will never forget you.