McCranie's Red Flake, vintage 2000

The red Virginia is richly tangy dark fruit sweet with some earth, wood, sugar, light bread, and a small touch of spice. Not much complexity, but that's the way red Va.s are. I did notice a little vinegar at the start, but it disappeared after just a few puffs. A tad less sweet than some other years. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is just past the center of mild to medium. No chance of bite or harshness present. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace for a flake with a consistently smooth flavor, with just a little moisture at the finish. Needs a few relights. Has a very pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

This compares favorably to the new 2000 Red Ribbon in a "natural" sweet taste (red wine), but is more robust (red pepper).

It is indeeed sharp out of the tin and needs a couple of months drying time in my opinion, and then it is smoother and comparable to the older vintages of Red Flakes. It is still stronger than the Red Ribbon version but worth the waiting time to try.

Sort of a Christmas blend, though not labelled as such.

As time marches on, so do the vintages of Red Ribbon and Flake. Recommend to red Virginia and straight Virginia flake fans.

Not long ago I smoked the 2008 crop red ribbon and red flake and then followed up with the older, 2000 edition. This one has more nicotine content and is not quite as sweet as the 2008, but certainly sweeter (in that natural,Red leaf way), than the 83 crop which was a more down to earth and very deep tobacco that I believe to be one of the best single crop reds I ever smoked. This 2000 variety is exceptional, too. And, of course, this flake form burns more slowly than the RR.

Pipestud

Dark brown to mahogany broken flakes streaked with a chestnut hue, as with its ribbon cut brother McCraine's Red Flake 2000 has a pleasantly sweet and tangy tin nose. An initial note of acetic acid mellows into light molasses as the tin is allowed to breathe. Tinned moderately moist, for this reviewer the broken flakes are best enjoyed with all but the lightest of rubbing, although as with all Virginia flakes experimenting with a variety of preparations is always good practice.

A bit firmer in body than the ribbon cut offering of this fine single-year vintage, in the pipe Red Flake begins with a bright, clean tobacco core accompanied by notes of citrus and leather. The finish is tangy and possesses a bit more zest than the ribbon cut version. As the bowl develops, however, the overall flavor profile draws close to that of Red Ribbon: fresh sawn wood, candied fruit, and lemon zest – although deeper and more intense with less in the way of subtlety. Unlike the ribbon cut it does, for this reviewer at least, possesses a tendency to bite, and thus is often best approached through gentle sipping. It is very clean burning, and an all around excellent example of what Red Virginia is all about.

A standout among the generally quite excellent McClelland Virginia flakes, Red Flake 2000 is a refined tobacco which should do very well in the tin for years to come. In this reviewer's opinion it is well worth cellaring, especially given that like its predecessors it will only be easily available for a limited period of time.

One of the better Red Flake's on the market IMHO. I love it best fully dried and smoked in a bash. Pay a little extra to find a tin, It will be worth it!

Tin: 1 x 1/2 x 1/16" pieces, with some of these broken into smaller pieces. Like Red Ribbon, reddish-brown, soft and pliable, with a scent lighter than RR, and not as sweet. Tin date on bottom: 2008.

Packing & Burning: The flake was rubbed in the fingers fairly well to brake RF up into smaller pieces and then it was stuffed into the pipe with a fair amount of force. The draw of the pipe was not impeded and it burned well enough.

Taste & Aroma: Distinctly different from RR, RF is darker, richer, and more mature. RF does not have nearly the predominating sweet taste the RR has.

Room Note: Pleasant to tolerable, for a pipe smoker.

Overall: RF is better than RR. Deeper, darker, and not as sweet as RR. Being a little bitey, RF can wear on the tongue, if smoked hard. An all-day, sometimes indoor smoke. 3.7 stars.

I'd agree with most of what's been posted here, the blend is zesty, can nip if puffed to fast, but has a nice balance of sweet red VA flavor & pressed fullness. I like it best in a .750" (19mm) bore, and one that's a neutral smoker. Like Old Gowrie, or Hal O Wind, pop the lid & let it rest in the tin for a month. Rub out fully & dry to suit, i prefer it when pinched, it won't clump. I'll update with further experimentation 3.5 stars

This one was much more Ketchupy than the ribbon version and disappointed as a result. Very similar to many vinegary McCleeland blend so no real stand out feature in this one.