D & R Tobacco Ramback Gold

You might think the combination of Izmir and just gold leaf gotta be boring and somewhat unidimensional, that perhaps the addition of other oriental tobaccos would enhance the formula, or even Latakia, but why go try to fix something that is not broken in the first place? I like this tobacco. A lot. In its simplicity, it is spot on. The Virginia leaf adds sweetness and a beautiful tang, whereas the Izmir leaf brings a velvety and sour note to the equation difficult to miss. Yes, it is not as complex as Ramback Balkan, but quite good in its own right. The beginning is more gold than oriental, whereas the end is more oriental than gold. That is to say the smoke quality will get better and better as you progress through every quarter of your bowl. Not even at the very end of it I was able to find a dull moment. My bag came a little bit too dry, but even though I have thoroughly enjoyed every smoke, based on my experience, all D&R tobaccos smoke best when properly hydrated. No let-downs or downsides, so 4 stars.

A 60:40 mix of Ramback Turkish and a bright flue-cured Virginia. Very high quality all natural blend which is very mild but with a nice old-world Turkish flavor and a hint of bright Virginia sweetness. Occasionally I will use a bit of this in a blend when I wish to use some of their great Turkish as well as a touch of light Virginia to something. Mostly though this is clearly best for MYO/tubes, as it is the classic base blend of the Turkish/Egyptian cigarettes of old. Some Ramback Balkan goes amazingly with this, giving a little more complexity and creaminess.

Ah, pure smoking delight, Ramback Gold is good enough for a sultan but priced for us paupers. The smoke tastes like rubber and roses, like old books, country fields, leather and cream, and it will satisfy all day or with a single bowl. It doesn’t bite too bad, can burn a little hot, but the taste and quality of the leaf is really something else for a tobacco that costs less than 2 dollars an ounce.

I truly love the taste and strength of the Turkish leaf, and the flavor of this blend is overwhelmed by the fragrant and musky spice of Izmir. The only problem is, Turkish tobacco gives me a headache if I smoke it alone - this blend has just enough of that Bright Virginia candy sweetness smokers of Wind Sail might recognize, making the heavy Izmir flavor more palatable. I will actually blend this 50/50 with Wind Sail, as my daily smoke on occasions, but I keep a tin of pure Ramback Gold on my bedside table. For a good, clean, and tasty smoke, it doesn’t get much better. Now, I have only smoked it out of cobs and briars, but it’s just cigarette tobacco, that’s what I’ve heard. That’s a lie, but somehow it feels like I must implore you to believe it - cosmic balance and all. Maybe I just like seeing it in stock. On second thought, there’s better cigarette tobacco out there.

I’ve bought Ramback Gold a few times over the last 5 years or so, but I’ve only had it in bulk prior to recently buying it in a 16 oz bag. My past impression of it was that it was a pretty blah and slightly bland tobacco, but now that I have a fresh bag I can finally taste what people have been saying about this one.

In bulk this, as well as pretty much every other D&R tobacco, comes dryer than Death Valley in August, which I think has a tendency of diminishing the potential of what, in my experience, has been some fairly top notch tobacco when received at a more optimal moisture (fresher). Some state that this is a “dual purpose” tobacco that is emblazoned with warnings about it only being used as in pipes, which one can easily interpret as a “wink wink nudge nudge” tax dodge. In the past, this tobacco, and many other D&R offerings, may have been primarily marketed as RYO tobaccos, but that shouldn’t dissuade you from stuffing it in your favorite pipe. This is, IMO, one of the greatest and truest old-timey “dual purpose” tobaccos.

When smoked in a pipe, Ramback Gold immediately lets you know that it’s a fairly high quality Turkish blend that’s had some of its rougher edges smoothed out by the addition of some top quality bright Virginia. The Turkish in Ramback Gold tastes of a balance of a more floral “Oriental” spicy Izmir with a bit of nutty Samsun (not quite the musty/earthy of Smyrna). The VA isn’t overly sweet, but adds a lightness and a slight sweetness to the taste. The result is a cool and dry smoke with a piquant sharpness that comes from the Turkish used, with a VA sweetness that balances out the blend on the whole and takes it to all day smoke territory.

Stuffed into a “paper pipe” it has a strength of flavor that is sure not to tire even the most distinguished palates, without overpowering. Notes are similar to smoking in a pipe, but obviously a bit more cigarette-y. It reminds me of pre-fire-safe Camel, but with the quality and flavor cranked up to 11. There’s a medium floral/woody/nutty (not ashy) finish that is satisfying, without lingering too long. If you’re accustomed to smoking random bags of questionable “Turkish pipe tobacco” this stuff will blow your mind.

It’s sort of on the chunkier side of a true ribbon-cut, with some some bits and pieces mixed in, but if it’s received and kept at optimal moisture it burns slow no matter how you burn it; it requires zero relights in a pipe and takes your cigarette smoking time past American Spirit territory, even when stuffed conservatively.

3.25 stars as a pipe tobacco, 4 stars as a “paper pipe” tobacco.