McCranie's Red Ribbon, vintage 2000

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is a prior review around 2010 based on a recently purchased tin of Prime 2000 Red Virginia that was processed in 2008 & purchased around 2009. 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 in that time period, 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. It is very mild with a semi-sweet, tangy, earthy flavor. I don't notice a casing when sniffing, handling or smoking & I assume the flavor is that of pure, quality Red VA.

This Red Ribbon seems to burn just a wee bit faster than other VAs I've sampled, but smokes cool & mild with minimal harshness or palate discomfort. The aroma & flavor is appealing & I taste nothing more than a unique, tobacco flavor. This was a 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 of this particular version of Red Ribbon for my cellar. I sold the other two as I found it lacking in strength... too mild to suit my taste preference.

From my experience reading thousands of reviews on this sight, I've discovered that many pipers prefer milder blends & I'm just the opposite. Since I don't inhale & prefer to keep my lungs free of "asphalt," I prefer stronger blends that absorb into the membranes rather than pave my lungs with tar & possibly come down with COPD or lung cancer. I can't highly recommend this Red Ribbon which for some odd reason, commands a premium. My advice... fuhgetaboutit & save your nickels & dimes for C & D's Small Batch, Carolina Red Flake.

This is a prior review around 2010 based on a recently purchased tin of Prime 2000 Red Virginia that was processed in 2008 & purchased around 2009. 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. It is very mild with a semi-sweet, tangy, earthy flavor. I don't notice a casing when sniffing, handling or smoking & the flavor is that of pure, quality Red VA.

This Red Ribbon seems to burn just a wee bit faster than other 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 of this particular version of Red Ribbon for my cellar. I sold the other two as I found it to be a bit wimpy in Vitamin N. Therefore, IMHO, McCranie's Red Ribbon merits about three stars.

I think this is a McC product sold as a McCranies blend. It is actually very nice. Soft, gentle sweetness wrapped in a woodsy flavor. Very easy burn and it didn't have too much of the "ketchup" you find with McC VA blends. This is a nice blend to have around, let it age, have a bowl from time to time, put it back, age some more and so on. Nice.

Smoke in peace.

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.