McCranie's Red Ribbon, vintage 2008

I finally popped a tin of my McCranie's 2008 Red Ribbon a few months ago. Not at all like the original, although I am not sure it was meant to be. And by the way, this is not McClelland's 5100 as some have indicated. This leaf is from a single crop in 2008 and 5100 combines crops of the same red Virginia. Still, I do admit the taste was very similar, and like 5100, developed some sweet depth the farther down the bowl one smokes. Not much strength though, and I perked mine up by cutting it with some strong Burley and finished up the tin that way.

Pipestud

This pure deeply rich, fermented red Virginia offers a fair amount of tangy ripe dark fruit, wood, earth, sugar, a few bread notes, light tart and tangy citrus, and a hint of spice. Has a vinegar essence that quickly vanishes. Won't bite or get harsh, and has no dull moments. The strength is in the middle of mild to medium, and the taste is a step closer to medium. The nic-hit is a rung behind the strength level. Burns cool, clean and even at a reasonable pace with a consistent smooth, creamy sweet flavor that translates to the short lived, pleasant after taste. Leaves just a little moisture at the finish, and requires an average number of relights. An all day smoke that has a nice room note.

-JimInks

I was gifted a tin of this and Wow, this is really nice. I found a wonderful sweet grassy/earthy aroma from the tin and after letting it dry a little it loaded just fine, took the match well and remained lit just about to the end. I personally don't think a little dottle in the bottom of the bowl is a problem at all. This was mostly singular in flavor, but it burned so cooly, and with just a bit of tang on the tongue, even a tickle was produced through nasal exhalation. Mediumish bodied and mediumish in flavor, this made for a burning of 25 minutes with pure delight, and yes it burned quickly for me. I must try their flakes now. Very nice ribbon. TYLFYG

Pipestud is absolutely correct in that If you contact Todd and ask about the contents he will tell you that RR and Red Flake contain red Virginias from a specific crop like Christmas Cheer unlike 5100 which contains tobacco from several crops. This is what makes RR special in my book, the taste is extremely rich and although monochromatic will change in toastyness as you get further down the bowl. Tin note is classic McClelland vinegar, ketchup, Red Man chewing tobacco etc. and makes me salivate, a true sign of the deliciousness that awaits 🙂 I have always much preferred the Red Ribbon and Red Flake over the regular McClelland red Virginia offerings since the aging and top shelf crops make them a very special smoke I reserve for Holidays and am willing to pay a little more for the McCranie Virginia's. If you haven't had the pleasure of trying either the 2008 or other years offerings I suggest you hunt some down on Ebay or from the McCranie's store, you'll be in for a treat! I consider the Red Ribbon and Red Flake tins to be a connoisseur's delight much like a bottle of red wine, the older the better (if you have enough willpower to keep yourself from opening a cellared tin)...

Everything a Virginia should be. Mild, sweet, complex as the bowl burns down. This is a single crop tobacco taken from fields near where I live. McClelland makes this for McCrannies and there is none like it. There are similar tobaccos to this but not quite. If you have never had the pleasure of enjoying a good Va. This is it.

As I'm no fan of straight Virginias, I smoke them from time to time just to remind myself why I prefer English, Balkans and Orientals. But I enjoyed this. Heavy-duty appearance of Lady N, yet didn't knock me as flat as Ed Burak's Scottish Ribbon used to, when I used to think I'd need CPR after a bowl of his SR.

Unbelievable. Been aging since 2012 not as good for my taste as red flake but I smoked all that up. Still is fantastic compared to many others. Smoked it earlier this evening. Now taking a break with Pete’s Beard from BriarWorks.

I was gifted a tin of this wonderful stuff by a good friend. It is a straight-forward Virginia with an absolutely brilliant flavor. Upon opening the tin, I was greeted with the vinegar/ketchup smell that dark VA's possess. It had a hint of nuttiness to it as well which I enjoyed and found different than most other VA's. It comes in a semi-broken flake, which is at just the right moisture right out of the tin. It rubs out easily with no fuss. I grabbed one of my dedicated straight VA pipes - a Tim Thorpe tomato with a Cumberland stem - and packed a bowl. Since I rubbed it out well, I used the three-step packing method and it packed easily.

Lighting only took 3 tries (counting one false light) and I was off and running. The flavor is superb with this blend, offering up nothing more than a straight VA flavor. It is a monochromatic smoke, but it's a GOOD monochromatic smoke. I don't tire of the flavor like many other flakes. It has a sweet, full-bodied flavor with earthier notes. It is a great change from the citrus/hay/grass taste of other flakes, and certainly more filling. It has a decent amount of Vitamin N as well, because I can actually feel it without inhaling. To me, this is like a good dark lager beer or red ale. I highly recommend any and all VA smokers to try this blend. It is a great change of pace!

I first had this when in the McCranie's shop in Charlotte. You can tell that this blend was made at McClelland's. It has that distinctive aroma, but not as powerful as the McClelland blends.

This is a sweet and spicy smoke. The sweetness of the Virginias really come through and the spiciness while faint, is present. As stated before, this isn't a complex smoke. But in this case, it is a good thing. The mouth-feel gives me sort of the sensation that a cinnamon hard candy does after finishing it. I am almost through my second tin of this blend and am thankful I have one more in the cellar. I will be buying more to age. I can only imagine this getting even better with some years on it.

This is wonderful smooth, sweet, red Virginia. Great stuff. But let me give you a tip. This is actually McClelland #5100 tinned by McClelland and branded as McCranies for them. Save yourself a bunch of money and get the 5100. I have smoked the McCranies 1996 Red Ribbon with a second following bowl of 5100 and the only difference is that the 18 year old McCrannies was a little smoother which you would expect from an aged tobacco.