McClelland Dominican Glory

the cut of this is long ribbons of red virginia mix with long strands of black leaves, and some bright virginia, my tin is stamp 041203 which means is 7 years old at the time of this review, it's easy to packed somewhat easy to light, the smell from the tin is of ketchup according to my wife, I don't mind at all, the flavor i got was very monochromatic, this is a very sweet virginia with the cigar leave weaving in and out but never taking center stage, the flavor never seems to varied smoke either slow or fast, it does seem to bite a little but only if pushed; there's nothing wrong with this blend but it just never seem to grab me. Maybe a little orientals or latakia may bring this mixture to another level.

IMHO this blend is under-rated. Not a complex smoke, but the cigar leaf is tasty and mild. If you like cigar tobacco, it is great for an AM bowl with your coffee. The VA is only slightly appreciated towards the bottom of the bowl. It lights easily and remains lit without much fuss... although I had to pack it a bit tight. It burns well to the bottom with not much left over but a grey ash,and no "gurgling". I look forward to trying the Dominican Glory Maduro next, as I would prefer a stronger cigar leaf presence, and since it is rated higher than the Dominican Glory (plain), I suspect I will also enjoy it.

This is a very impressive blend with a pre-light aroma that is just phenomenal. I found the taste to be mild, smooth, and enjoyable.

I love a good cigar and I bought thinking that I would get a cigar taste in my pipe. Well, it wasn't there. That is not to say that I dislike this tobacco. This is a smooth, interesting, mild tobacco. It lights easily, stays lit, and has a nice smell. But if your expecting the taste of a cigar, this isn't it.

The only McClelland tobacco that I had smoked before this one was Christmas Cheer 2006 and I did not notice that McClelland Ketchup smell. When I opened this one... WOW... now I know what everyone means.

I recommend this tobacco for blending with other blends to cut their strength, such as Gawith's 1792. I usually start with a 50/50 cut. I smoke cigars, but seldom catch the taste of cigar leaf in this blend. Although the tin I am using was aged 5 years or better, I cannot smoke this blend by itself. It burns too hot. I've tried it in numerous well seasoned pipes and it starts out well with a nutty taste, but heats up without much effort and starts biting the tongue.

Great Stuff!!!!!!!! I have to agree. If you enjoy a good cheap mild cigar and drugstore pipe tobaccos this blend is your blend. This has the best of both worlds Cigars & Pipe Tobacco. " A mild blend with a pleasing aroma. If you like the smell of Tobacconist shops that is. This combination can not be beat.

When you get a Tin Open replace the plastic cap and start to smoke it in a week or two. This blend get much better and richer after opening. I like to add a pinch of Deer Tongue to it. There is a little aroma of sweet Virgina leaf and little sweet cigar smoke aroma. Man is this a ALL AMERICAN CLASSIC PIPE SMOKE. This is buy far the best cigar blend on the market. If you go back and forth between Cigars and a pipes this is also your blend. This blend is much milder and smoother then GL.Pease Robusto. which I find very harsh with to much oriental leaf in their blends as always. Redd

06/12/2005 If you crave a cigar smell and flavor in the bowl of a pipe here it is...If you want the smell and taste of a good cigar this is not it! Also it is cut like an American Aromatic which makes it burn way too fast. Might be o.k. if it came in a broken flake. 3/23/2006 I keep revisiting this blend hoping to make friends with it. Hasn't happened. I have lowered this rating to one star. Still looking for that blend with a bit of cigar flavor. This blend tastes like it has some paper ground up with it.

If one were to look at the can of Dominican Glory on the shelf at their local B&M they would just think it was a smaller can of Christmas Cheer also distributed by McClelland. But, this blend is something different all together. Upon opening the tin one is greeted with the usual McClelland ?ketchup? aroma. The odor surrounds your sense of smell and taste. However, if you transfer the contents of Dominican Glory from the tin to a jar, leave the jar open for about 1-3 hours, replace the lid and leave it, the ?ketchup? odor will not be near as strong. At first this seems to be a very pleasant blend, and if one were to inhale, it doesn?t choke even choke you as some latakia?s will. The tobacco lights without a problem and one never should have a problem keeping it lit. At about the middle of the bowl you really begin to get sick of this blend. The aroma it gives off is almost unnoticeable and there really isn?t any flavor in the whole bowl. One good thing about the blend is that if you want to really puff on your pipe, try Dominican Glory, because it almost never gets hot, and this reviewer never really noticed any tongue bight. For a person that smokes a cigar as well as a pipe this would be a good choice for them. If you are a cigar smoker, and want to look like a pipe smoker, go for it!! This is a tobacco that will not be in a rotation of mine at all. Five or six tins will be bought and left to age, perhaps a bowl once every 2 or 3 months; but, no more than that.

If this tobacco was aimed at cigar smokers that like mild dominican cigars - it's a hit ! Better than any crappy tinned cigar. However, I can't imagine a seasoned pipe smoker (whether he enjoys cigars or not) being impressed with this tobacco.

There's not enough to it to recommend. It's like a train that never gets to the station. I have tried this a number of times with the intention of finding out what I'm missing (and I often am happy that I bite my tongue-no pun intended and reserve judgement) but this is not an interesting tobacco IMO. It appears to be very mature wrapper leaf that doesn't have anything the complements it for depth. Of course my palate runs to stronger tobaccos so that's just my opinion.

Cheers, VC