With the holiday season rapidly approaching, you're probably already thinking about what you're going to smoke by the fire with a tasty cup of eggnog or a mug of hot cocoa. I know I am. But with the sheer variety of seasonal tobaccos out there, it can be difficult task. It was for me, at least. So it seemed there was only one thing to do: try them all and find out! Here's a quick look at some of my experiences.

Peterson's Holiday Season 2014

Peterson's Christmas tobacco is always a big hit around here. In fact, among some it's the most anticipated limited edition blend of the year. Naturally then, we were all rather excited when these tins came in a few weeks ago. Upon opening Holiday Season 2014, the tin note was fairly strong: a mix of chocolate and vanilla notes with a slight raisiny undertone and fine, quality tobacco. With an initial light came a nice sweetness, yet the topping wasn't nearly as strong. The initial taste was just that of rich Virginias and sweet Cavendish, with complementing hints of chocolate and vanilla.

A little way down the bowl, I began to notice the Burley in two ways: 1) my tongue wasn't experiencing any discomfort and 2) there were faint nutty notes popping up here and there. It was a nice contrast to the raisiny Va's that began to develop in complexity as well. After about midway through the bowl, the flavor more or less remained the same, with all the above complexities still popping up here and there.

The burn was smooth, with no relights needed. The room note, upon reentering the room, reminded me of fresh baked white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, which conveniently enough my mother only makes around the holidays. The aroma and flavor profile, indeed, evoke a fair bit of nostalgia for me personally. The strength was medium to mild, with a full flavor and a decent amount of nicotine. Overall, it's just a perfect blend for the holidays.

McClelland's Christmas Cheer 2014

McClelland has a long standing tradition of creating holiday-themed blends, with the first Christmas Cheer released in 1992 to mark the brand's 15th anniversary. With over twenty years of experience, it's hard to find a hardcore critic of this seasonal tobacco. And for good reason. It's simply a must-have for those cold winter months.

The tin note was sweet with noticeable raisiny tones, slightly spicy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The broken flakes were fairly moist, but required no drying time once rubbed out. Just judging by the tin aroma and the color of the flakes, it's not hard to tell we're dealing with some quality Va's here. The initial light was pleasantly sweet, with no grassy notes: just a robust raisin/plum flavor.

A couple of quick puffs later, the high sugar content is quite obvious. As such, this is a tobacco that should be sipped slowly, rather than puffed heavily, to coax out the most flavor and save your tongue some discomfort. A few minutes of slow sipping, and I had complete control over the blend — which led to a really complex flavor profile for just a pure Virginia. It was consistent all the way down, still with those subtle hints of raisins and plums, with a slight spiced cider note popping up here and there all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

Much like the flavor, the the burn was even and smooth, with no relights needed. No topping in sight, there's nothing but quality Va's here. The aroma, upon reentering the room, was faint, barely noticeable, yet slightly sweet. Overall, it's just a great, medium strength Virginia blend with a full flavor that could easily be an all day smoke. If you like straight Va's, this is definitely one to put on your "to try" list.

McClelland's Holiday Spirit 2014

If you're stocking up blends for the holidays, it's always nice to have one true aromatic blend around. While I tend to stick mainly to Va's and Virginia-Perique blends, I do enjoy a quality aromatic from time to time, and Holiday Spirit, for me, just fit the bill. The tin note was slightly overwhelming at first but calmed down after a few minutes out in the open: a sort of caramel apple scent with hints of chocolate.

The initial light was very sweet, with the black Cavendish really taking the stage. A few puffs later, though, you start to really hone in on the Virginias and Burley as well. The flavor develops into, to my buds at least, a candied pecan-like taste with hints of spiced rum and chocolate. It's surprisingly not overwhelming though; much like eating candied pecans while sipping a Hot Toddy.

The smoke is smooth, and it burns evenly, with little to no bite — meaning you can puff this one pretty generously. The flavor is consistent, though about halfway through the bowl those chocolate notes become more prominent it seems. Surprisingly, I found this blend to have a good bit of body and strength. I'm not sure I'd call it "full-bodied," but it definitely has enough to hold my interest. I doubt I'd want to smoke this one all day, but for a nice, seasonal desert tobacco, Holiday Spirit more than does the trick.

Cornell & Diehl's We Three Kings

I tried C&D's 2014 holiday blend for the first time a while back when it was first released, and I have to admit, I was a fan from the start. As I mentioned before, I enjoy pure Va's and Virginia-Perique blends, but there's just something about quality orientals, especially around the holidays, that peaks my interest. The tin note was quite pleasant, with a mix of raisiny Va's paired with slight hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.

That's just what I got out of the initial light as well, with a little bit a spiciness from the Orientals and a fair bit of sweetness from the red and bright Va's as well serving as a backup of sorts. The burn is even and smooth, with no discernible bite. The spice and vanilla toppings are actually fairly subtle compared to some other holiday blends and serve to complement the natural tobacco taste, rather than flavor it.

Further into the bowl, I noticed some discernible creamy notes: almost snowcream-like in some cases, other times more like a cinnamon-topped cappuccino, others still like freshly baked pumpernickel. If you haven't guessed by now, this is a pretty complex blend. The flavor profile seems to constantly be changing, with the subtle topping serving more as a reference point for the mind to nostalgically cling to, relating one tobacco to this, another component to that.

The strength is fairly mild for my taste, but there's still enough body there to keep me smoking through the whole bowl (I might just want to pack another afterwards). The flavor is full though, and the room note, delightful: a mix of quality tobacco and baked bread. Just based on my experience, I can easily imagine myself smoking this one late on Christmas day, winding down after tons of food and drink.

And there you have it: four reviews of four different holiday-themed tobaccos. Which one did I enjoy the most? Well that's hard to say, as each seem to have their time and place in the season's festivities and rituals. Honestly, I'll probably have a tin of each open come this holiday season to suit whichever fancy strikes me. Have a favorite of your own though? Feel free to share it below in the comments section!