McClelland Christmas Cheer 2014

I have great regard for McClelland's tobaccos which are usually of high quality. So I had high hopes for this Christmas Cheer. Nice packaging and presentation with a wonderful deep grassy hay aroma in the tin. Smell reminded me of Escudo.

However the smoking experience was a disappointment. No taste. Unlike Escudo which has that same deep grassy hay small in the taste, this Christmas Cheer is tasteless and a rather plain uninteresting smoke. Half way through the pipe some tastes and smells start to appear but they are very subdued.

I didn't enjoy this tobacco which is a surprise given that it's a McClellan edition.

I should add that I don't usually like pure virginia anyway, most of which just remind me of cigarettes. I imagine if I keep searching I'll find one that gives that deep grassy wet hay smell in the taste and smoke smell, but this Christmas Cheer doesn't achieve that. Escudo comes close, but this one doesn't.

Edit: I tried smoking this one again, intrigued by the fact that all these Christmas Cheer issues seem to get high votes and are highly regarded. I loaded my pipe straight with the flakes (no rubbing or anything) then I smoked it slowly. New to virginias, I didn't realise that they have to be smoked very slowly to get the full range of tastes. Smoke too quickly and many of them become just tasteless and hot. So I took this one very slowly. And I mean VERY slowly, just sipping the pipe once the stuff was fully lit. Using this slow technique I got a different result - I could taste and enjoy the subtle flavors of fermented hay and horse manure. I'm looking forward to trying this one again now that I've found the proper technique.

Smoking these 2009 Red Virginias in 2020. When I first tried 2014’s Christmas Cheer the sugar content seemed extremely high and prone to biting the tongue. 11 years of age have treated this tobacco very well. It’s sweet, but balanced with tangy fruit notes and a mild spice. The smoke is very smooth with no bite or rough edges throughout the bowl. The vinegar (ketchup) aroma in the tin that I used to despise is still present but no longer distracting. I’ve always loved the room note of Christmas Cheer. I’ll be sad to finish the tin, but can live with C&D’s Carolina Red Flake as a superior replacement.

A very nice blend with a years age! I received this one year ago and only smoked it occasionally over the year, but, not for the last several months. Now for the Holiday Season I am one again enjoying the wonderful flavors of this blend. With the age it seems sweeter than when first opened. The broken flake has dried some but still has a lot of flexibility to it. Separates easily and rubs out to a nice loose semi-ribbon and crumble. Lights evenly, stays lit, takes a soft tamp and continues to burn well with a sipping draw. Not hot and without any bite at all. I look forward to cellaring some of this for next year but, not before enjoying it through the holidays this year first.

I've smoked half the tin and saving the rest for winter. This is a great straight forward Virginia. Smokes to a nice clean white ash. Saving my 2013 for 2018. Hoping to get 2015 before it's all good. These are great tobacco. Need to get at least 2 tins. One to try and one to cellar.

This stuff is excellent. It's tangy and spicy red virginia. Reviewers have been saying that it's not very sweet but I disagree. I don't know what they're used to smoking but I think it tastes sweet. All I smoke are virginias so I'm an easy sell but I think most pipers would absolutely love this tobacco.

I won't go into the tin moisture level. You can figure that out on your own.

It's great that McClelland makes this single leaf, single origin blend. The tin insert says that they usually blend different leaf to maintain consistency. With Christmas Cheer however they use one leaf type from one farm/area. It's like a single malt scotch! Very cool. Each year should be different and unique. '14 is my first and I look forward to buying some each year. Happy Holidays!

Another excellent blend from McClelland. I've gone through four tins of this blend and I'm working on one right now. I have one cellared for smoking after five years of aging. I'll buy another tin to smoke through the holidays along with a tin of an older year which is my tradition.