Rattray Black Mallory

(3.15)
The basic tobaccos are broadly akin to those of Red Rapparee. Carefully apportioning of the quantities of seasoning leaf brings about a dark full bodied mixture. A notable tobacco.

Details

Brand Rattray
Series British Collection
Blended By Rattray's
Manufactured By Kohlhase & Kopp
Blend Type Scottish
Contents Black Cavendish, Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Ribbon
Packaging 50 grams tin, 100 grams tin
Country Germany
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

3.15 / 4
62

60

25

7

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 154 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 29, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Tolerable
A full bodied English that offers a slight sweetness along with the smoky, woody, earthy, musty, floral qualities you'd expect from Cyprian Latakia. The Virginias provide earth, some grass, mild tart and tangy citrus with a touch of tangy darker fruit, wood and bread. They are the ground base for the other players in the mixture. The Orientals offer earth, wood, vegetation, some floral and herbal notes, spice and a few dry, sour notes. They are not quite supporting players. The sugary black cavendish is a condiment, and doesn't conflict with what smokers generally look for in English blends. The strength is medium, while the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. The nic-hit is a slot short of medium. Won't bite or get harsh, and barely any rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a very consistent, fairly smooth, mildly sweet and more savory well balanced flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering, pleasant sweet campfire after taste, and stronger room note. Not an all day smoke, but it is repeatable.

Update 10-2-2020: Having smoked the 1950s production, it is apparent that the earlier mixture is similar in many ways, but the Syrian Latakia (not Cyprian) is a little more potent than the later versions I have smoked. And the Orientals were tad more pronounced, too.

-JimInks
54 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 21, 2002 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Pleasant
If I could smoke just one Latakia infested blend for the rest of my life the choice would be Rattray's Black Mallory. And not the original Made in Scotland version either. The Perth made variety is not sweet enough. The current Kolhasse & Kopp version is, to me, sweeter and more flavorful, and because it has all the right components for aging, the older the better. This is Rattray's best English blend. More refined an laid back than its companion blend, Red Rapparee, it contains a hint of sweetness and changes character as the bowl is smoked. If Latakia overwhelms you in large doses, then Black Mallory may be for you. Not real strong but full of flavor. And the smell right out of the tin is heavenly.
50 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 03, 2006 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Strong
Delicious accompaniment to the Red Raparee. Fuller, darker tobaccos overall with a generous dose of Latakia. The tin aroma is not dominated by Latakia, but is decidedly smokier than the RR. Lots of earthy, fermented smells from the orientals too.

It lights with ease, and burns just as well, evenly and fairly slow, right to the bottom. The flavour is full, spicy, with a pleasant smokiness well backed up by the orientals. The flavour gets richer toward the bottom of the bowl, and the smell is wonderful, especiallly when smoking out of doors in the crisp winter air.

Where RR is a smoke for the autumn, this is a tobacco well suited to winter, the cold air brings out the best flavor and aroma. I can't think of many things more pleasurable than smoking this while walking home from the pub through the snow covered Hertfordshire countryside. Strongly recommended to lovers of Latakia.

*****Update 2023*****

A little update to this review I wrote many years ago. I still love this stuff, although it\'s second in my affections to it\'s spicier brother the Red Raparee. What I appreciate now is that this blend is really carried by the black Cavendish: plush, soft and creamy. With the Latakia, the effect is something like a well toasted marshmallow done over a campfire.
40 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 23, 2009 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
The first word that comes to mind when I smoke this is "luxurious". I can picture the royalty in Scotland smoking this stuff, before breakfast and after, as they lounge in their smoking rooms.

Dark black with streaks of chocolate brown, this is the heavier companion to Red Rapparee in the sense that the tobaccos are the same. However, the quantities of each are different, and the result is a heavier, richer smoke with fewer subtleties than RR. It smokes cool and sweet and has a hearty flavor that goes well after dinner... or after a big lunch. This is one tobacco that demands a relaxed state in order to appreciate its robustness. No limp wrists in this blend. Since Dunhill 965 has made itself scarce in the U.S, this will take its place in my rotation, next to Red Rap. Very sensuous tobacco with great rich flavor.

If you like full flavor and depth, this is one you can't afford to miss. The K&K version may be different than the older one, but it stands on its own.
29 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 11, 2014 Mild to Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
This blend is tasty, mellow and balanced. I find it to be a little milder than I think some of the reviewers do. The black cavendish keeps it from being harsh, and I can pick up the smoky latakia, the sweet Virginia and the spicy orientals in about that order of dominance. It works well, although for my palate, I would like a little more body.

This one is easy to recommend if you are interested in a smooth and somewhat refined English flavor profile. I found this to be an easy smoke. It did not burn hot, and it was easy to keep lit.

Cost per ounce is somewhat high if you pay attention to these things, but it might be worth having some around.
20 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 29, 2002 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Strong
Appearance: Mostly dark, some ribbons and some random pieces.

Aroma: Very full Latakia aroma with goodly amounts of darker Va, and black Cavendish (unsweetened). Some Turkish in the background.

Packing: Seemed to pack best in larger pipes, with a light touch needed.

Lighting: Took flame readily when not overpacked

Initial flavor: Very big, rich and mellow. The Cavendish led the parade with its smooth nutty taste, the Latakia lent it a smokiness that was just right..

Mid-bowl: No single flavor dominated the mixture, but all of them weighed in to form a nicely layered, complex, undemanding smoke. Cool at all times, can be enjoyed alone or with any beverage of your choice.

Finish: No surprises at the end, just a bit more Latakia presence.

Summary: This was one of my favorites in the pre-Danish days, I smoked it almost every evening. I?m really happy that it?s been restored so close to the original.
20 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 01, 2014 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Strong
Oooooooooh yes, this is good.

Deep, dark, murky and rich, with glorious depth of flavour and complexity. The initial plume that came out of the bowl reminded me of the Samovar which I am a huge fan of, and the tinge of sweet from the Black Cavendish made this seem slightly decadent.

The bowl got warmer and some of the Orientals mixed with the VA's, and the Latakia took a bit of a back seat, and the VA is high quality and offers a nice accompaniment to the Black Cavendish.

The smoke billowed, it took almost no work, and I sat and enjoyed for almost an hour.

Sublime, a true gent of a smoke, high recommended.
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 31, 2014 Medium None Detected Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I really like this blend. It's got a little something special to it that makes it stand out for me. The Latakia and the fine Orientals lead the way in nice balance. Next is the Black Cav followed by the mildly sweet Virginias. It's the way the Black Cav fits in that makes this special for me. It's interaction with the Latakia creates a wonderful flavor. I just love it. It's really weird that this same Black Cav is the reason I didn't care for Marlin Flake. I guess it just fits better here. Medium bodied with medium to full flavors. 4 stars.
Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 26, 2005 Mild None Detected Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I first tried Rattray as a high school sophomore. I worked on a loading dock next to a Tinder Box, where I would trade damaged cheese & sausages for undamaged tins & pouches of tobacco. Because I was a devout Norse Gold, heavy aromatic smoker, I did not appreciate the subtleties of Rattray, Dunhill or the newly arrived McClelland's that were all the rage among my older pipe smoking buddies. I didn't appreciate Rattray probably because I hadn't developed a palate or tobacco vocabulary wide enough to appreciate it. As a middle aged man traveling about Scotland, I was not given the opportunity to sample the Rattray products, as the venerable shop in the charming town of Perth had since closed. The gracious host at my inn told me that Charles Rattray had died & had no one to pass his 'wee' shop on to. 'A wee, little shop, it was' as he put it. Sorry to say, Black Mallory, though of refined quality, doesn't send chills up & down my spine. It's subtle enough, but it's rather bland & unimaginative. Also, depending upon humidity or room temperature, you have to fight like the Dickens to keep this stuff lit. It's simply not worth the frustration. It's a bit too light on the Latakia and lacks the full-bodied character & aggressiveness of Dunhill's Aperitif & London Mixture. Since I have no basis of comparison to the old Rattray blends, I can't speak about it. As for how it stands now, Black Mallory charms but in an unmemorable sort of way.

Three of five stars
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 09, 2014 Mild to Medium None Detected Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
Nice tin note. The smokiness of the Latakia seems to be the predomininant aroma, which I absolutely love. Nice dark ribbons with the odd light ribbon strewn here and there. Moisture is perfect right out of the can. Very nice and mellow smoke with no re-light. Wonderful flavour when rolled around the mouth and slowly exhaled from the nose. You taste and smell the beauty of this blend. A nice evening smoke worth trying.

***2015-07-31 Update***

One year in a mason jar with only a few openings for a smoke found that this is one of those tobaccos that mellows and gets better with age. A wonderful smoke.
Pipe Used: Several Peterson's
PurchasedFrom: Jades smokers corner
Age When Smoked: New 100g tin
11 people found this review helpful.
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