McCranie's Red Ribbon, vintage 1996

The deep rich red Virginia offers a lot of tangy dark fruit (slightly fermented), wood, earth, sugar, a few bread notes, and a hint of spice and vinegar. That last aspect doesn’t last very long at all. The strength is in the middle of mild to medium, and the taste is a step closer to medium. The nic-hit is a slot behind the strength level. No chance of bite or harshness, and has no rough edges. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a moderately smooth and soft, very consistent flavor from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires slightly more than an average number of relights. Has a pleasantly lingering after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke. A tad richer than some other years.

-JimInks

At the light: enticing fruitiness balanced by fine tannins, with slight earthiness, light to medium body. Soft and delicious.

Middle third: develops richness, more depth. Fruitiness modulates, becoming darker, but is still very present. What was earthiness emerges now as nuttiness, toastiness. The tannins, the well embedded tanginess, harmonize beautifully with the richness, balancing the whole.

Last third: herbal elements emerge and a certain earthiness returns (hints of underbrush or forest floor), leaning toward the woodsy. The original fruitiness is there, but darker still. The smooth nuttiness continues, balanced now by increased spiciness, yet the smoke is exceptionally creamy!

Nicotine? Subtle. As Tennyson wrote in another context: "There is sweet music here that softer falls than petals from blown roses on the grass."

Harvested in 1996, tinned in 2005, and savored today, 2013, this is one of the most delicious tobaccoes I have ever had the great good fortune to enjoy!

After the opening of the tin, very dark threads appear, almost black and others of a brown color. The flavor is of dark fruits with quite a few sweet and sometimes spicy notes. If they told me this contains perique I would believe it, but no, it's just virginia. Its characteristics are perfect for me, since it is smooth but tasty at the same time. The retronasal exhalation is delicious. Another thing that pleases me about this tobacco is that it burns slowly, providing a longer than average smoke, so I can load it in smaller pipes and the tin lasts longer, which is important at the moment, since it is no longer factory.

Like the user “O'Confrère”, this is one of the best tobaccos I have been lucky enough to smoke. I'll cry for him when it's over...

Picked up a few tins at the Chicago show years ago. Fresh tin was good, but not spectacular. Well, I just cracked open a tin that was stamped 2003 on the bottom. Thought I screwed up as it was blah. Then I dried it a bit as it was quite moist. WOW! Tangy and sweet. I need to cellar more tobaccos. I am beginning to understand...