D & R Tobacco Ramback Gold

(3.20)
A superior blend of the finest quality flue-cured and Turkish tobaccos has been selected, cured and blended for your enjoyment.
Notes: Ramback Regular is rich in wonderful, fragrant Izmir, one of the best known Turkish tobaccos for a slightly sweet and exotic flavor. Ramback Gold utilizes the same flavorful Izmir as Ramback Regular, but adds bright flue-cured leaf for a lighter, sweeter flavor.

Details

Brand D & R Tobacco
Series Ramback
Blended By Mark Ryan
Manufactured By Daughters & Ryan
Blend Type Oriental
Contents Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 1.42 ounce tin, 16 ounce bag
Country United States
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.20 / 4
5

9

0

1

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 15 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 14, 2011 Mild None Detected Medium Tolerable
I had wanted to try D&R tobaccos for some time, but if you check the descriptions, they don't really say much about the tobacco. I hate taking that leap of faith, having been burned so many times in the past, and it's strange, actually. Isn't this Ryan guy the same that puts out Acadian Perique? Shouldn't he know that the pipe community relies heavily on tin descriptions in the absence of solid reviews? I at least want to know what components are in a blend, every pipe tobacco tin should say at least that, down to the specific Orientals, if possible (but not probable).

Always curious, I ordered Picayune and Ramback and shortly thereafter found an old P&T magazine in a smoke shop. Turning immediately to Trial by Fire, I pulled up the tobacco reviews for the particular issue of Summer 2010. I was surprised to find Gage and Harb go through a few D&R blends, including Ramback. Harb describes the blend as consisting of 100 percent Turkish tobaccos. I have never heard of a tobacco like that--are there really no Virginias here?! And then I had to wait a week for the answer.

Peel the tin cover back and you will get a strong olfactory bombardment of mustiness and trace hints of cigar leaf, with a visual comprising a variety of blond, orange, red and olive green colors. Turkish tobaccos, in my experience, have this kind of twinkle to them, similar to a Lakeland flake or a well aged blend, but a bit less pronounced when put up to a light, and Ramback is similarly affected. The leaf is very dry, more so than C&D tobaccos, which I have found to be amongst the least humid.

Many have remarked of D&R's past configuration as a RYO cigarette company of specialty tobaccos, all of which processed in a thin shag. This blend is more akin to a ribbon cut, and certainly looks like pipe tobacco out of the tin. When lit, the flavor has that prominent Oriental spiciness to it, very pronounced. Having a good portion of blending Smyrna on hand, and having smoked the stuff straight on occasion, I can compare the two at a basic level. Smoking straight Smyrna is somewhat off putting, both in odor and spice, which quickly overwhelm the senses with their pungent properties--to me, completely devoid of sweetness. D&R seems tamer, however, leading one to believe there is at least a modicum of added Virginia, probably bright leaf, muting the concentration and elevating the sugar level. Either that or these Orientals are tamer than some of the harder stuff in the rarer varietals. There's always a strength tradeoff with Orientals. They are very light in nicotine, and for those craving rough smokes, appreciation may be difficult though worthy if one is seeking exploration.

In his review of Rambak, Gage suggests the tobacco be employed primarily as a blender to even out other mixes. That's a bit of an insult in my opinion, as Ramback stands exceedingly well on its own. In summary, this is a fine tobacco to have on hand when you crave Turkish leaf and a spicy smoke. My God, if I had cigarettes like this, I never would have quit!
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 24, 2017 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
The flue cured Virginia provides citrus and grass as a supporting player to the Izmir, and adds a mild sweet and smoothing quality to the blend. The Izmir is woody, earthy, toasty, slightly floral and spicy with a few sweet and sour notes. The strength level falls a tad shy of medium, though the taste is medium. The nic-hit is a tad past the mild to medium mark, but seems to get a little stronger by the last quarter of the experience. Won’t bite or get harsh. Burns cool, clean and a little fast with a very consistent, sweet and savory flavor. Hardly leaves any dampness in the bowl, and requires few relights. Has a pleasant after taste that slightly lingers. Not quite an all day smoke, but it’s certainly repeatable, and veteran smokers who are Izmir fiends may well consider it to be an all day smoke. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2017 Medium None Detected Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
I really enjoyed my adventure with the Ramback tobaccos and mostly because I received full flavor and strength, although Ramback Gold eased back on the throttle a bit in both categories. Not an in your face type of smoke but if you enjoy strength in moderate doses, and a really nice Oriental/Virginia presentation (the Virginia here is not sweet but sturdy), then this will be a surprising delight.
8 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 13, 2020 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Unnoticeable
If you like smoking cigarette tobacco in your pipe then this one is not bad. I bought it along with my pound bag of Picayune which I heard was no longer in production. The tin note is a faint grassy hay smell and the ribbon on this one is a little wider than your typical regular cut. This has an all-natural taste with not much nicotine at least that I could detect. Apparently, many moons D&R was predominantly into RYO tobacco and the tax man got greedy and a lot of their blends were relabeled as pipe tobacco. Pipe tobacco two stars, RYO three. Still not bad in a cob. Tin dated 8/26/20.
Pipe Used: Corn Cob
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 27, 2015 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
I had seen the adds for Daughters & Ryan tobaccos for some time in the P&C catalog. I ordered three, one-once samples at low bulk-rate prices, and was pleasantly surprised by this one in particular. This is nice and light, yet hits many of the flavor notes I personally look for (I'm a huge fan of English and Balkan blends). Nice and spicey, but understated and simple. good for the morning commute with a nice travel mug full of strong coffee. This is definitely going into my regular rotation.
PurchasedFrom: pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked: new
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 16, 2015 Medium Medium Medium Tolerable
I bought a couple of ounces of this in bulk. I am a cigar and pipe smoker. Veteran cigar and somewhat of a noob to pipes (but an OCD noob and somewhat informed). I have purchased tins of blends considered Oriental i.e. McClelland Grand Orientals - Classic Samsun and McClelland Grand Orientals - Drama Reserve and having enjoyed those (keep in mind I am typically an aro guy-Dansk Black probably my #1) figured I would try Ramback Reg AND Ramback Gold. In a word? CRUNCHY. More words? Super dry. Arid. Desert. Thirsty.

NOTE: I entered "Medium" in filling in the blanks, truth is I have no idea. I'll be composting this stuff.

I contacted my vendor (they're nice folks so I will omit the name-they were nice enough about it-only mildly condescending) and they said:

"The condition of the Daughters & Ryan Tobacco is typical for that brand. They tend to ship their tobacco very dry because so many of their customers use it in RYO cigarettes. If you prefer the tobacco with more moisture, you can add moisture to it. Just take a damp paper towel..." Then do us all a favor, huh? LABEL IT AS RYO and schmucks like me won't be ordering it! OK, I have vented. Thank you. I needed that.
Age When Smoked: Fresh, new
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 03, 2018 Medium None Detected Full Tolerable
I recently invested in 2 oz each of the three Ramback blends. And a couple oz of Picayune, too. All four of the blends need the same preface: This is a Pipe Smoker's cigarette tobacco. A cigarette tobacco worthy of the sophisticated, nuanced, and demanding palate of a Pipe Smoker. I used to smoke Camel straights, then switched to a pipe. After sampling all four blends in a pipe, I followed my curiosity and picked up some papers. Wow. They really came alive for me. These tobaccos almost need two reviews, as the difference in experience between pipe and rolled can be that significant.

This is a delightful blend, both in a pipe and rolled. As noted, this does come relatively dry, but don't let the dryness and the milder tin note that accompanies that fool you. This is a flavorful blend, bringing some of the best of what the Orientals encompass. The Izmir takes center stage and brings a wonderful floral and woody profile, with a coating of incense, and all wrapped up in a buttery undertone. Sour aspects are almost unnoticeable but do show up (and intensify when rolled), which is okay for this blend, as it works as is. The Flue Cured rounds out the bottom of the profile, easily accessed more fully if the cadence is sped up a tad, which will unlock a rich sweetness and just a touch of fruit, along with the breadiness it manages to share throughout.

If you are still coping with the loss of McClelland and their Oriental blends (Oh, No. 24, why did you have to go?), give this a try. You might just really enjoy it, as I did. And if you enjoy it in a pipe, don't be afraid to try it rolled. No need to inhale, just smoke it like a pipe. It is a different experience and quite enjoyable.

All three of the Ramback blends are true dual purpose (Pipe and RYO) and perform quite well at it. Well done, Mr. Ryan. Comparing this to Ramback Balkan, as they both have Virginia leaf, to sum up the overall difference in a sentence - the Gold is more floral and spice with the Va presenting bread, and the Balkan is more earthy and sour with the Va emphasizing and adding tang and fruit.

The Ram is Back, and He is Fleeced in Gold ...

5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 17, 2011 Mild None Detected Medium Tolerable
First of all, the obvious question- is this really a pipe tobacco? The packaging says in several places in large, cautionary block print "THIS PRODUCT INTENDED FOR USE AS PIPE TOBACCO ONLY." It even has little pipe icons blazoned all over. If you don't remember such stern instructions on your last Dunhill tin, there's a reason- Ramback Gold started out as a roll-your-own cigarette blend. From what I can tell, in response to the recent cigarette tax hikes they changed the cut from fine shag to coarse shag and rebranded it a pipe tobacco, with a wink and a nudge to retailers to put it with their "dual-use" tobaccos. That said, pipers shouldn't dismiss this blend out of hand, as it really is a fine tobacco. It would seem to be a blend of yenidje and izmir turkish leaf, and indeed it is reminiscent of old-time camel or balkan sobranie cigarettes (a nice pipe tie-in). The flavor is incredibly mild on the way in, its most notable characteristic a pleasant natural tobacco taste, with a bit of a zingy "green" note. On the way out, the flavor is a bit stronger, spicy and floral. The room note is decidedly cigarette-like, however. Also, contrary to what might expect, the nicotine level is exceptionally low. In my opinion, this is an enjoyable occasional smoke, preferably in a well-used cob pipe, also perhaps preferably outdoors. It also has exciting possibilities as a blender; I could see it being very useful in adding dimension to other tobaccos or spicing up an otherwise flat virginia or even a black cavendish. And, of course, for those pipers who are into that sort of thing, it also does very well in those little paper tubes. 🙂
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 18, 2020 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant
You might think the combination of Izmir and just gold leaf gotta be boring and somewhat unidimensional, that perhaps the addition of other oriental tobaccos would enhance the formula, or even Latakia, but why go try to fix something that is not broken in the first place? I like this tobacco. A lot. In its simplicity, it is spot on. The Virginia leaf adds sweetness and a beautiful tang, whereas the Izmir leaf brings a velvety and sour note to the equation difficult to miss. Yes, it is not as complex as Ramback Balkan, but quite good in its own right. The beginning is more gold than oriental, whereas the end is more oriental than gold. That is to say the smoke quality will get better and better as you progress through every quarter of your bowl. Not even at the very end of it I was able to find a dull moment. My bag came a little bit too dry, but even though I have thoroughly enjoyed every smoke, based on my experience, all D&R tobaccos smoke best when properly hydrated. No let-downs or downsides, so 4 stars.
4 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 09, 2020 Mild None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
A 60:40 mix of Ramback Turkish and a bright flue-cured Virginia. Very high quality all natural blend which is very mild but with a nice old-world Turkish flavor and a hint of bright Virginia sweetness. Occasionally I will use a bit of this in a blend when I wish to use some of their great Turkish as well as a touch of light Virginia to something. Mostly though this is clearly best for MYO/tubes, as it is the classic base blend of the Turkish/Egyptian cigarettes of old. Some Ramback Balkan goes amazingly with this, giving a little more complexity and creaminess.
Pipe Used: Peterson Ashford and also tubes
PurchasedFrom: Daughters & Ryan
4 people found this review helpful.
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