Tobaccos McCranie's - Red Ribbon, vintage 2008

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-24		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Very Pleasant

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

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3047)	2014-11-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

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

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bluesmoke (75)	2014-12-06		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

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

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-05-13		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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)...

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Oldbelt (10)	2015-10-04		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

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.

Pipe Used: Ascorti

Age When Smoked: 6

Purchased From: McCrannies

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lawyertodd (36)	2015-05-09		Extremely Strong	Very Strong	Very Full	Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Who can remember? I have too many.

Purchased From: McCranie's

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Oldtimer (3)	2020-08-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Full	Very Pleasant

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.

Pipe Used: Jacobo

Age When Smoked: 8years

Purchased From: SmokingPiprd

Similar Blends: Red Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pryhosm (248)	2019-04-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is from a 2012 tin of MRR 2008. This is the best Red VA blend I have ever had, and that is saying something. McC's 5100, McC's Blakeney's Best, C&D Small Batch, etc. are some stellar blends but there is something about this one that puts it firmly out in front. Tin note is classic McClelland VA with rich earthy notes, you can smell the tang. The flavor of this blend is top notch. This is one of the more complex straight VA blends out there and I will say that the complexity seems to be best observed in a small bowl. I have a preference in general for Meer's, clay's and cob's with VA flakes, but this one is just as good in a small bowled Briar, my group 3 Dunhill Zulu is my go to pipe with this one. Earthy, tangy, rich, slightly spicy as the bowl progresses are the best descriptors. Past the halfway point you start to get bready/toasty flavors and even some creaminess. The aftertaste from this is blend is stellar. I put the pipe down as often as I can to savor that flavor. There is a mineral like taste as well as a sweet and slightly tangy flavor that lingers for a few minutes after the smoke ends prolonging the experience. A must for Red VA lovers if you can get your hands on some

Pipe Used: Briar's, meerschaum, clay's and cob's

Age When Smoked: 7 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2015-08-15		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

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!

Pipe Used: Tim Thorpe tomato

Age When Smoked: Several months

Purchased From: Gifted by a friend

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Riff Raff (5)	2014-12-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

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.

Pipe Used: Mastro de Paja, MM Cob, Tinskey

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: McCranies

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Puff..puff..puff (5)	2014-10-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

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.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 18 years

Purchased From: EBay

Similar Blends: mcClelland 5100.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2021-08-12		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I have smoked Red Ribbon at the Chicago Show, including some of the 1983 version, which was heavenly. It was from these moments (usually a few sheets to the wind while smoking) I decided to put a few tins in the cellar. both happen to be this vintage.

Well, I finally got to popping a tin that had about 6 years in my cellar. Upon popping the tin you are greeted with the unmistakable aroma of McClelland red Virginia. I think it is a dead ringer for ketchup, some say vinegar, vinegar is in ketchup, tom-ay-to/tom-ah-to. As for the appearance, the name of the tobacco says it all.

It is a great representation of red virginia, and how I miss that nowadays. Nice tart sweetness that carries through to the end of the bowl. No problems with this from light up either.

This is not 5100 as some insist. I finished up the last of my 5100 about a year ago. The last jar of 5100 I smoked had about 3 years of age on it. So why do I mention this; well I actually preferred the 3 year aged 5100 to this 6 year aged Red Ribbon. If only I knew this back when 5100 was as common as houseflies, and nearly as cheap.

With that said, this is great, but I have had better red virginia blends. All of them were made by McClelland. Three stars.

Age When Smoked: 6yrs

Purchased From: McCranie's

Similar Blends: McClelland red Virginias.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30171)	2018-05-09		Mild	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Love it fresh or with age best straight virginia blend, peerless by far. When I run out of this it will be like loosing a good friend. Sugary, sharp, tangy, bowl progresses all the way to the bottom of the bowl making me want to pack another as soon as it goes out. Clean finish with a great flavor left on the palate.

Pipe Used: Castello sea rocks, cobs, various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh and aged

Purchased From: Mccranies

Similar Blends: Peerless by far, similar to christmas cheer alone..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	porshcigar (44)	2022-06-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A great blend and maybe the greatest Viginia blend ever made. Burns well and cool and delivers great taste throughout the entire bowl. Buy this blend if you can find it.

Age When Smoked: 14 years

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