McClelland Drama Reserve

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.

I'm fond of Orientals in the blends in which I've tasted them- love me some Balkan blends, so preconceptions may have thrown me off here. Tin note has some fruitiness, perhaps some salty arid notes, but sweet.

I had difficulty in many pipes keeping this lit throughout the entirely of the bowl in several pipes. Taking into account the tin age, this was unexpected and at times (soaking in hot tub times when said bowl would inevitably go out) frustrating.

Taste-wise it took some getting used too, a subtly of flavors that for me required smaller bowls and sipping to appreciate. I liked very much how the sweetness of this blend-rounded out nicely by the good Virginias - had an almost imperceptible saltiness to it, more mid bowl on...

It did best for me in a newer apple briar, lost some of its depth in meers-or perhaps it just matched well with the briar taste. Can't give this a 4 if for no other reason than because of its questionable burn characteristics.

This blend is highly recommend if you want to dial in your ability to taste Drama. It's delicious and subtle, and although I can't say I get an overt "olive oil" aroma, it definitely has a characteristic oiliness that I find common in Oriental tobacco.

Like many of the Grand Oriental series, this tobacco rewards the slow smoker. Anything fast and hot will render a pretty light and lifeless smoke. This isn't to say it tastes bad, and I did enjoy more than a few absent minded bowls of this. However, it feels like a waste to smoke it this way.

There is a nice development throughout the bowl, which I attribute to the excellent underlying Virginias in this blend.

To me, some of the other Grand Orientals (e.g. Classic Samsun) give a stronger "wow, interesting and unique" effect, but I enjoyed every bowl.

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.

CAVEAT: A friend sent me a sample of this blend, so I had only two bowlful with which to try it.

I liked it well enough, but prefer its older brother, McClelland No. 24. I just didn't get enough flavor. Smoked it while driving; perhaps a slow smoke in the living room would have allowed me to focus a bit more and to enjoy it more, too.

Here's some Wikipedia info about the growing region. Note that Drama is produced in the Macedonian area of Greece.

"The Rhodopes are a mountain range in Southeastern Europe, with over 83% of its area in southern Bulgaria and the remainder in Greece. Its highest peak, Golyam Perelik, is the seventh highest Bulgarian mountain."

So gentle, sweet and friendly. Like a friend who is so kind and considerate that you feel unworthy around them - but you can't get very real, and you know it's your problem, not your friend's.

This blend was surprisingly good. Mostly because I had no idea what was in here. Olive oil would be used quite a lot in this review if I were to go in depth. In the taste and even the room note. It pairs well with the sweet virginia and makes it slightly complex. It's a smoke that won't be the same twice, which makes it a keeper.

The strength seemed mild and it smoked very very cool.

McClelland's Drama Reserve is a blend of ribbon-cut Virginias with Drama leaf added to the mix. Upon opening the tin you can smell the spice immediately. Due to the cut it packs easily and burns well. It is a bit moist out of the tin but a few minutes of drying time brings it to a better moisture level for smoking.

The flavor at first light is a slightly sweet spiciness. It is not a peppery spice like that of Perique but a more exotic one like saffron. As the bowl progresses the sweetness increases slightly and the spice moves to the background playing a supporting role to the VAs. Towards the end of the bowl there is a good base of sweetness with the spice coming through now and then. The blend gets more full at the end but it never gets harsh.

Drama Reserve is a cool-burning blend that leaves the pipe and palate clean. If pushed it can bite but that is a given considering the ingredients. Not a blend to be puffed like a locomotive but slowly sipped and savored like a fine wine.

This was my first venture into Oriental tobaccos and I must say this one blew me away. What a strange, wonderful blend. Interesting floral bouquet of flavors and aromas. Smokes incredibly cool and produces silky, oily, smooth smoke. Being inexperienced in oriental tobacco I can't really pick out which leaf is delivering which flavors but I can pick out a sweet, light, sugary virginia. Along with that is the earthy and sweet orientals. The earthy, sweetness is what really gets me with this one. It gives it a unique olive oil flavor and quality to it that is very pleasant. A very interesting blend. Good for tossing your palate a curve ball every now and then. Definitely one of those blends that makes out pipe smoking hobby so interesting.