McClelland Christmas Cheer 2015
(3.64)
Handblended, premium pressed Virginia flake pipe tobaccos. A fine vintage, naturally sweet, in limited quantity.
Notes: From tin insert: We are proud to offer our 2015 Christmas Cheer pipe tobacco, an exceptionally fine vintage tobacco, hand blended and aged in pressed cakes to develop natural mellowness. This 2015 blend is made with a special selection of rich, ripe, flue-cured Virginia from an outstanding 2011 Old-Belt crop. Superb leaf picked at peak ripeness, it is naturally sweet, rich in oils. It should age with distinction. Each buying season, we look for tobaccos of exceptionally quality and distinctive character. In various combinations, their flavors, aromas, textures contribute to the overall excellence of all our products.
The leaves of different crops and regions are combined to maintain consistency from year to year.
With Christmas Cheer pipe tobacco, we treat our discriminating customers to the singular pleasure of a tasting of the very finest in tobaccos of a particular vintage, not worrying about maintaining the flavor and appearance of this product into future years but actually striving instead to present the unique character of a single crop and area.
That's what Christmas Cheer pipe tobacco is all about. Happy sampling!
Details
| Brand | McClelland |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Broken 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
Tolerable
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.64 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant |
This is definitely the Ghost of Christmas Future. It was good fresh, but lacking the magic that age will work on this obviously magnificent selection of McClelland VAs. Sample it now and jar it if you must (I absolutely had to), but you're better off letting it do its thing in the tin for 5-20 years and "unwrapping" it at a future date. If you want something amazing fresh out of the tin, get some Blackwoods Flake. 🙂
P.S. I fully intend on revisiting this review in 10 years and upgrading it to 4 stars.
P.S. I fully intend on revisiting this review in 10 years and upgrading it to 4 stars.
Pipe Used:
Meerschaum
PurchasedFrom:
pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
Fresh
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 18, 2015 | Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
This is a good smoke. I smoked it fresh out of a newly purchased tin. No sign of wetness nor dryness noticed. As a matter of fact, I am smoking it now as I pen this review.
The "Ketchup" aroma is mildly present in the tin note but not in a negative way. It was easy to break up, rub out and load. It keeps going without the need to re-light. It has a mildly sweet flavour though, every now and again as 'Mr Big' observed in his review below, some slight nutty bitterness cropped up in mid-bowl that seemed like a flavour derived from coffee beans. Not sure what it is, but it is subtle enough that it does not ruin the smoke.
Simultaneously, it assumes a spicy dimension and regains its sweetness as the smoke progresses. Then more spicyness and more as if a tinge of Perique was added to the blend. The spicy taste then merges into a certain delightful creaminess that gives way to a pepper-ishness that really catches my attention.
Yet with the complexities ongoing in the bowl, the tobacco stays cool. I like this guy and would easily rate it four stars but for the fact that I need to smoke many more straight Virginias to be able to definitively compare it with other Brands/blends. I will thus settle for three stars for now.
The "Ketchup" aroma is mildly present in the tin note but not in a negative way. It was easy to break up, rub out and load. It keeps going without the need to re-light. It has a mildly sweet flavour though, every now and again as 'Mr Big' observed in his review below, some slight nutty bitterness cropped up in mid-bowl that seemed like a flavour derived from coffee beans. Not sure what it is, but it is subtle enough that it does not ruin the smoke.
Simultaneously, it assumes a spicy dimension and regains its sweetness as the smoke progresses. Then more spicyness and more as if a tinge of Perique was added to the blend. The spicy taste then merges into a certain delightful creaminess that gives way to a pepper-ishness that really catches my attention.
Yet with the complexities ongoing in the bowl, the tobacco stays cool. I like this guy and would easily rate it four stars but for the fact that I need to smoke many more straight Virginias to be able to definitively compare it with other Brands/blends. I will thus settle for three stars for now.
Pipe Used:
Stanwell Gilt-edged Smooth Black 15
PurchasedFrom:
smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 11, 2015 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a good smoke. One issue I have is with the fresh tin ( 9 months old), it was dryer than other years. The flakes were hard to rub out, almost as bad as "Dark Star" ! I advise smokers to rub out the entire tin upon opening or this will become a real chore when dryer.
The blend is malty in taste with a little spice, No McVinigar, and not a lot of sweetness. No bite, flavorful, but mostly base notes, there is a backgtound bitterness similar to the "Grapefruit" note of GLP's Laurel Heights., It has just the right "N" for me, which is on the higher side of medium. I didn't care for this year as much as last, as it's not as tangy or sweet.
The blend is malty in taste with a little spice, No McVinigar, and not a lot of sweetness. No bite, flavorful, but mostly base notes, there is a backgtound bitterness similar to the "Grapefruit" note of GLP's Laurel Heights., It has just the right "N" for me, which is on the higher side of medium. I didn't care for this year as much as last, as it's not as tangy or sweet.
Pipe Used:
cob and maple
Age When Smoked:
9 months old, 1 month open
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