McCranie's Red Ribbon, vintage 2000

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.

This pure deeply rich, fermented red Virginia offers a fair amount of tangy ripe dark fruit, wood, earth, sugar, a few bread notes, and a hint of spice. Has a vinegar essence that quickly vanishes. Not much complexity present, which is a hallmark of these Red Ribbon blends, and of red Virginia in particular. No chance of bite or harshness. The strength is just short of the center of mild to medium, and the taste is in that center. The nic-hit is rather mild. Burns cool, clean and even at a reasonable pace with a very consistent, smoothly soft, sweet flavor. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. An all day smoke. For some reason, it seemed a little mellower, and a shade sweeter than the vintage 2000 flake version. Also not quite as deep in taste as some other years. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

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!

Composed of a pleasing mixture of springy mahogany, chestnut, and dark brown ribbon of a small and delicate sort, McCraine's Red Ribbon 2000 has a pleasantly sweet and tangy tin nose. An initially rather sharp note of acetic acid mellows into light molasses as the tin is allowed to breathe.

Tinned rather moist, the springiness of the short broken ribbon, even when well dried, requires a bit of patience in packing, lighting, and tamping. When treated with care, however, it burns very well.

Light in body, in the pipe Red Ribbon begins with a bright, clean tobacco core accompanied by notes of citrus and leather. The finish is tangy. As the bowl develops, the flavors coalesce into a delicate mélange of fresh sawn wood, candied fruit, and lemon zest weaving in and out of an overall quite mellow Virginia flavor profile. Its nuances are very easy to miss, making it more of an occasional companion for times of contemplation rather than a dependable old chum for times of mindless puffing. Very clean burning, the springy ribbons result in a fine salt-and-pepper ash. To this reviewer tongue bite was never once an issue.

Red Ribbon is a refined tobacco which bears a striking resemblance to McClelland Bulk No. 5100 ('Red Cake'), which while not being crop specific is certainly a close relative both in terms of origin(s) and most certainly in terms of preparation. While considerably more expensive than 5100, McCraine?s Red Ribbon 2000 is a safe 'buy one for now, and a whole lot more for later' type of Virginia preparation. There is little reason to doubt that this limited vintage will not develop substantially in the tin, and I for one look forward to dusting off more than a few many years down the road.

This is a Virginia tobacco. Virginia, Virginia, Virginia. If you don't like what a red VA flake brings to the table (natural sweetness but a nice robust flavor) then look elsewhere. If you are someone who loves a "pure" tobacco with no casing, no artificial flavor, and nothing but the leaf from the harvest then keep reading!

A little backstory: I am still a "novice" pipesmoker. Even though I've been smoking off-and-on (3-5 bowls/week) for 2 years, I still don't have the cadence of the hobby down yet. Sometimes my bowls are too light, sometimes I don't tamp enough, sometimes I smoke too hot. Therefore, I can easily think that a tobacco is crap when in reality it's my fault because I've not mastered all the facets of the routine yet.

HOWEVER, Red Ribbon by McCranie's is one of the very few blends (even though this is, as stated, not a blend of anything more than VA ribbon cut, a tin, and a lid) that I have loved every second of from the false light to the heel. I've gone through an entire tin in 3 weeks (which is a lot for me), and... just wow. I don't know if luck makes me smoke this tobacco correctly, but it's simply incredible. It's a fresh, clean, but strong flavor. It's sweet, sometimes a little fruity, but tasty. It'll bite if you smoke it too fast, but just slow down and you'll be rewarded.

McC's Red Ribbon is now my Go To Virginia blend. Pairing it with me Go To English (Kramer's Father Dempsey) means that if I'm ever stranded on a desert island I'll know what to bring with me.

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.

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.

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.

This review is based on a recently purchased tin of Prime 2000 Red Virginia that was processed in 2008. I've never smelled or tasted any tobacco like this, including other Virginias, so, I'm unable to pass on a comparitive analysis. From my limited experience, I'll have to submit that the aroma and taste is foreign to me & this is the first, straight Red Virginia I've ever sampled. I don't notice a casing when sniffing, handling or smoking & the flavor is that of pure, quality tobacco.

This Red Ribbon seems to burn just a wee bit faster than some of the dark VAs I've sampled, but smokes cool & mild with minimal harshness or bite. The aroma & flavor is appealing & I taste nothing more than a unique, tobacco flavor. This is a great first Red VA smoking experience for me. This stuff is definately worthy of a VA connoisseur's attention & will most certainly improve with age, as most VA blends do. I purchased three tins each of ribbon & flake for my cellar. Therefore, IMHO, McCranie's Red Ribbon merits four ****s!!

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

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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.