McClelland - Grand Orientals: Drama Reserve pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 37 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >
Passion	05/16/2013	Mild	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
The sweetest and most refreshing oriental I've tried. A blend with Drama leaf included always makes for a fun smoke. This one is a keeper and the best in the grand oriental lineup!
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Blue Bayou	03/23/2013	Mild	None detected	Mild	Pleasant
A laid back, shaggy cut, sweet mild blend. Great as an all day smoke, no bite. Mellow, smooth and tasty.
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nikos977	01/02/2013	Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

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Splat	11/26/2012	Very Mild	None detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is my first Oriental. I have only been a pipe smoker for about 5 months, usually smoking every day. I usually smoke aros like Lane's 1Q and BCA or Orlick's Golden Sliced red, and some English: MM965 and Nightcap, and dabble in local store offerings of all types. Drama Reserve is touted as being one of the best Orientals. I've had about 7 slow bowls of this so far and though it is very smooth, it's like smoking air. Very little body, some good lightly sweet bacco flavor with light nico content. I don't get any of the spicyness or tangyness that others have noted. Definitely want to smoke this slow. Update 12/1/12: OK, switched to a bigger bowl, Savinelli 606KS and it's definitely better in a bigger bowl for me. Now the world of taste is opening up and very, very good. As I said, this should be savored slowly. After the laste puff I'm left with a very clean palette. I just may be ordering more of this or one of its brethren down the road.
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Tumbaki	10/21/2012	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
After sompling several grand orientals I discovered this blend.. What a discovery! Sampled in several well smoked pipes which caused me to order a new No. 3 Shell which will be dedicated to this blend. Best sipped slowely like a fine cognac. It deserves not to be rushed. Treat it thus and you will not be disappointed. Will be one of my favourited as lomg as it is available. Kudos!
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Hurrian	04/22/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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Pipe-arazzo	02/07/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This stuff is unique. You're not gonna get anything that is exactly like it. And it's pleasant. The burn is relatively quick, and perhaps a bit hot, but not too bad. I definitely needs some drying. My first smoke out of the tin tasted like sweet and sour sauce, but drying fixed that. And the nicotene was a bit low for my tastes, but that was just a matter of getting used to it. So what does it taste like? Sweet, but with a kind of smooth bitterness. Slightly earthy. Metalic. Tart. I know that sounds weird but I liked it. I'll be trying som #24 later in the year, which as you may know also has drama, but which (I think) features the virginia more.
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DrT999	01/21/2012	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Nice tangy oriental mixture. Anyone who likes the category should give this a try -- not overly complex to my tastes, but solid, and the olive oil aftertaste is pleasant.
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Mr. Big	10/15/2011	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant
This is a fine blend and a nice change of pace. It is very fragrant , with just the right amount of spice and sweetness. While I like this , I prefer Smyrna more. Unlike Smyrna, the Virginias do not lead the show (and I love McCVV), the Drama tobaccos are more out front. I do find Drama intriguing and I think this would be the better choice for "public smoking" updated 11/4/12- I've really grown to like this, the best of the Grand Orientals. It has a background taste of cocoa and clove. A sweet and sour taste. If you push it, it will get hot and bitter ( as I found with Smyrna also). I've decided to add this to my favorites.
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Peppino	08/13/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
If you like Drama get yourself some #24. I think you'll enjoy it in the Virginia. Drama has a wonderful sweetness that is like heaven to me. The aroma is like vanilla to my daughter(my official aroma tester)and a sweetness that is pleasant. It burns to a nice gray ash and dry smoke. This is my 1st Grand Oriental, so this is a good start I hope the other's are just as good as this! When dealing with McClelland I'm very rarely disappointed. Good job! IMHO it smokes best in a larger pipe. In a smaller pipe it really starts to purr and it's over, a group 4 or larger should do it.
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Darth Vader	08/05/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Spicy. Nice. Good for mixing with a nice flake.
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Katharsis	05/19/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Review pending when I've sampled more tobaccos.
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SteelCowboy	04/12/2011	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I have to admit that the comparisons to olive oil made me slow to try this blend even though I have smoked the majority of the Grand Oriental line and enjoyed most of them. I find that Drama has a richness to it that is lacking in some of the other Grand Orientals. There is an underlying Virginia sweetness but its slight and not as sweet as Samsun or Smyrna. As with the other Grand Oriental blends, Drama is best sipped slowly in order to get all of the subtle flavors that this wonderful blend has to offer. I do like olive oil very much and did find an underlying taste of it, but in a good way. I think its that taste that makes the blend rich. I nice change of pace from the heavier English blends I often smoke. Highly recommended.
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Dr. Scott	04/09/2011	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant
Perhaps my favorite Oriental blend. Really special. Mild enough for an every day smoke, it begs to be saved for special occasions, or a leisurely weekend afternoon. A true classic, Drama Reserve is right up there with Presbyterian and Penzance.
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Tom Servo	03/29/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
The tin aroma is true McClelland Virginia, but the ketchup is now sweet & sour sauce. The Oriental, led by the Drama, provides the tangy notes on top of the sweet Virginia, as well as that additional odd sweetness Drama and some other Turkish leaves have. It also adds spice and oily herb-like aromas, floral whispers, thin sour citrus-ish odors, faint hints of clove, ocean air, Worcestershire sauce, dark chocolate, malt, and curing hay. Just the tin aroma is frickin’ amazing. Ribbon cut - easy packing, even burn, careful not to let it get too hot. Cool and easy. Virginia sweetness, another interesting blend of Oriental leaf. Common in many blends, Drama spotlighted like this, is a cool experience. This series is a great idea. This is my second “Grand Orientals” blend. (My first was the Samsun, my favorite so far.) Very easy smoking’ stuff. Complex in the Orientals, simple sweet Virginia background. I did catch the whole olive oil taste, and less of the salty sea air notes I get from most Oriental-heavy blends. The room note is a little too cigarette-like for me. Very interesting and appealing. You can imagine yourself on some Mediterranean dock, your clay pipe filled with this stuff, waiting to set sail for adventure across the dark blue waters. (I think that was a Popeye cartoon!)
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Unsal	11/17/2010	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
An excellent tobacco. Highly Recommended.
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Bike Pipes	06/07/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Well, after a long series of four star ratings for this blend, I'm going to have to break the trend and rate this tobacco three stars. Executive Summary: An overall smooth smoke with an indescribable oily tongue note; however, due to its extreme delicateness this tobacco tends to require too much concentration. Review: The base tobacco of this blend is very familiar in taste to McClelland's #5100 Red Cake, somewhat sweet and slightly tangy, but there is an added note of the orientals that delivers a very nice dimension to the smoke. The only real downside (for me at least) is that you really have to pay attention to the bowl, the forgiveness of this blend is practically nil. If you puff at just the right rate, you'll get a wonderful oily tasting, multi-dimensional smoke, puff a bit (and I mean a tiny bit) too much and it becomes a one-dimensional Virginia tongue stinger. Conclusion: This is a "should try" blend, but be warned, to really enjoy what this blend has to offer you need to dedicate all of your attention to the smoking experience - if you do, you'll be aptly rewarded.
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Billy777	05/31/2010	Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
The Nicole Kidman of tobaccos, elegant, cool, and sexy. You have to sip gently though, drawing heavily only results in tongue bite.
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hufflepuff	05/11/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
A deliciously delicate blend with subtle characteristics that showcase the fine Drama leaf. This is a satisfying blend and should be savored to let the intricacies wash over your palate. Don't try to smoke it too quickly or you'll miss a lot of what it has to offer. The Drama adds a slightly oily sort of richness to the blend that's hard to describe but is very satisfying and unique, especially when combined with the beautifully supporting virginias found here. Top notch!
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Marshall Law	05/09/2010	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
So much good tobacco and so little time! Yet another entry in the Grand Orientals line-up, and a grand slam, at that. An intriguing, light, savory Turkish blend with tasty, slightly spicy orientals, a tiny hint of mild pepperiness, and most appealing...the wonderful, periodic, welcome assertion of mellow, smooth, oily-sweet olive, as you burn down the bowl. The classic rich Turkish flavor stays with you pleasantly for a bit after your smoke. This is a smooth experience that starts off mild, nutty, and leafy, then builds to a more dense, slightly spicier and richer taste, but keeps returning to its olive-tinged mellowness throughout multiple, delicate transitions along the bowl. Mid-bowl is simply delicious. Never harsh, imbalanced or bitter, right to the end, and nothing dominates or overpowers. A consummate harmonious blend. The lighter you sip, the more subtle nuances can be drawn out and explored over and over. This is yet another cool-burning, long-burning, relaxing and rewarding smoke. Highest quality, right up there with Samsun although not as full, and slightly less spicy than Smyrna or Katerini, but no less tasty, and certainly more unique. Three stars. UPDATE: The truly unique subtleties and nuances of this mild, tasty blend are sufficently appealing as to cause me to question my order of preference of the excellent Grand Orientals series. After extensive exploration in various bowl sizes, I find myself reaching for Drama more often than even Samsun...McClelland's incredible virginias provide unstoppable flavor and ideal pairing for the delicate and intriguing Drama leaf. Four and a half stars? Indeed.
Showing reviews 1 through 20 of 37 reviews of this tobacco NEXT >