McCranie's - Red Ribbon (2000) pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco
chgo.piper	08/16/2012	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Not enough taste for me. If I were to smoke anything on this order, it would be McClelland's blending virginia.
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hiplainsdrifter	08/13/2012	Medium to Strong	None detected	Very Full	Pleasant
Wow. This tobacco is... I am speechless. Huge tin note, dominated by a sweet vinegar aroma. I would imagine the vinegar smell dissapates with age. Room note is really good, I have had compliments from friends who are non-smokers and hate smoking in general. Taste is massive, sweet dried cherry or cranberry notes. A little tongue bite if you really lay the hammer down but totally manageable. Hands down the best tobacco I have smoked, at least for my tastes. The only thing I have tried that is even comparable is Macbaren HH Mature VA, although I like Red Ribbon a lot more. I really love the fact that this phenomenal smoke is not a blend, rather one variety of VA from one crop. Wow.
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russ	02/27/2012	Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
I have been through multiple tins of the 1983---Once again the 2000 does not disappoint. If I were sent to a deserted island, and had ONLY one choice of tobaccos----with the exception of pipe choices---wait a minute---I would smoke this stuff in snything I could make into a pipe---thats how much I like it it. One of the best plain, straight up tobaccos a man could put in a pipe------------simply the best. I love this stuff. Its by far one of the best tobaccos I have ever put in a pipe. McCranies Red Ribbon, or their flake---folks it doesn't get any better than this.
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SteelCowboy	10/15/2011	Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a soft one with loads of taste and produces clouds of wonderful smoke. It smokes best nice and dry. I am not normally a fan of straight Red Virginia's. This may be the one that changes all that! Nuff said!
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GlSal	08/15/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

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SirLoirn	06/27/2011	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Tin: Nice reddish-brown, long ribbon, with a very sweet raisin bread scent. The bottom of the tin is stamped 2008. It feels supple but not moist. Packing & Burning: Easy. A medim bowl lasts a long time. Burns to a fine ash all the way to the bottom of a bowl. Taste & Aroma: Monochromatic to start, RR is mellow, smooth, and sweet. Around mid-bowl, it develops a rich deep, sweet pastry taste. At the botom of the bowl, it is an even deeper, somewhat stoved, marshmellow flavor. Overall: A pleasing all-day, indoor smoke. A little light on taste, so 3.6 stars.
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jpeek345	06/19/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is a high quality square cut Virginia. It lasts very well. It is optimum for blends that call for a flavorful basic Virginia. I bought assorted brands and varieties of tobaccos primarily from L.J. Perettis -and this one from McRanies home store- all at around the same time. All were stored at my home in the same conditions. It is time to replace all of the tobaccos but McRanies. It still smokes flavorful and fresh.
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John Offerdahl	01/08/2011	Mild to Medium	None detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
There are two versions of McCranie’s 1996 Virginia available, a flake and a ribbon. When I first began smoking the two blends I preferred the flake, but have come to more appreciate the Ribbon. It's the most popular of the tinned blends sold at McCranie's, and for good reason. Among McCranie's regulars who are Virginia smokers, once they try this blend they rarely smoke anything else. I certainly have no plans of my own tobacco shelf ever going without it. When you pop open a tin of Red Ribbon you are treated to a wonderful, enticing Virginia sweet aroma. There are darker and lighter ribbons of tobacco, but I've yet to find a stem or poorly cut leaf. This is a quality tobacco. It's slightly on the moist side, and might need a slight drying before smoking, depending upon personal preference. I like to open the tin and let it air for an hour or two before smoking it. The tobacco lights easily, and smokes smooth from the first puff. As you get deeper into the bowl the complexities and subtleties of the blend really become pronounced. As a new product, it's not yet had time to age in the tin, but I feel certain that time will treat Red Ribbon well, allowing it to age like a fine wine. Like the Red Flake, there is a creamy, vanilla-like taste to the smoke which is what I seek. Red Ribbon is a Virginia lover's pleasure. I asked Todd McCranie what his favorite blend is and he replied, without hesitation, that this is it. I then asked him what he smokes when he runs out of Red Ribbon, to which he replied, with a smile, that he never runs out.
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Dubinthedam	03/10/2010	Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I loved this..what a nice surprise, soft, fruity, sweet with a little ketchup, quality leaf. Super easy to smoke Red Virgina, my tin was gone in a week.
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Stan	12/07/2009	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This is an excellent red ribbon vintage. Tastes sort of like a cherry blend without the cherries. Sweeter and milder than its flake brother. Not as robust as the 1983 vintage but still worthy of the red ribbon label.
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vaperfavour	10/27/2009	Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I dont know what it is with me but i swear this is cased and sauced.nothing like the 83 crop. maybe age will help with this but to my tastes this is an aromatic. smoked three tins so far, maybe the ribbons in my tins were right next to the sprayers. some have said this is their best crop yet. no, not even close.
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hillbillypalate	06/30/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
I had an opportunity to smoke couple of bowls of RR 2000. I must say this is a great Virginia for a daily smoke. It has a very sweet flavor I detect they have kind of Honey Sauce or some whiskey put in here. Some Virginias after a dozen bowls it gets boring but this blend is very consistent you can smoke it all the time and always enjoy it. If not properly smoke it has that Bite tendency that you know its there waiting for that snap must be that red Virginia. This Blend is really sings when smoked on a Size 6 and up bowl to get its full Flavor. I tried it in a Medium size Jt Cooke and it was great but when Loading this Baby in a XL Upshall It was like being in heaven.
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Korndog	05/23/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium	Tolerable
This tobacco has a very nice natural cherry note to it along with a twang reminiscent of licking a battery. I rather enjoy the balance and find this one of the best smokes around. Very pure tobacco experience with bonus points for unique flavor nuances. It will bite if you are aggressive, but behaves well otherwise. Dynamite.
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pipewhisperer	05/09/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I purchased 2 dozen tins of this tobacco at Chicago based on Tad Gage's review in P&T. Risky? No chance! I can add nothing to his comments, other than I believe he's 100% correct: this may well be the best batch ever. Having smoked the '83 and '96 batches, the 2000 edition stands very tall with them. Smooth, rich red VA taste, bite-free; this will be a cellar star. My big problem is determining whether or not to order more. I simply can not run out of this Red Ribbon.
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Big bad Jon	04/18/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I will sadly admit that I have never had any of the earlier Red Ribbon tobaccos. But what I have tasted here is reason to search to find some. I will admit that this has an uncanny resemblance to McClelland 5100. It does seem to have a bit more flavor that the McClelland but the resemblances are uncanny. Personally I like this blend but would rather save the money and buy 5100.
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oldsouth	04/17/2009	Medium	None detected	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant
This is McCranie's best Red Ribbon to date. It is by far, one of the best Virginia tobaccos I've ever smoked. If you like Virginia tobacco, you'll be hard pressed to find any better. Red Ribbon 2000 will be what you judge other Virginias by.This tobacco is good for your early first pipe of the day or your last in the evening. I find it a taste that I crave! I've had the good fortune of knowing the McCranie's for many years,and I feel they have a well educated palate when it comes to Virginia tobacco. Many bowls of various Virginia tobacco was smoked and evaluated before claiming this particular small 2000 crop allotment their own. The past tinnings seem to have disappeared rather quickly. Try it before it's gone, you will find it very pleasing.
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Pipestud	04/17/2009	Mild	None detected	Mild	Very Pleasant
I was wondering when the 2000 version of the McCranie's famous Red Ribbon would be available for review. I am most certainly a fan of the '83 and '96 versions and was interested to try the latest. This is certainly the mildest of the three. Not as sweet as the '96 version and lacking the strength of both of its predecessors, this one reminded me of McClelland's 5100 and a few of the McClelland's Christmas Cheer vintages. Easy to pack and light, RR 2000 will appeal to those who enjoy lighter fare. I prefer a little more strength and flavor... But, the quality of the leaf and flavor of the Virginias employed is certainly in keeping with this famous series.
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco