McCranie's Red Ribbon, vintage 1983

I had the chance to receive one tin of the 96 crop as a gift from a friend. This must rank among the top straight VAs. The vinegar aroma present at the opening of the tin dissapears once Red Ribbon starts burning inside the bowl. Rich, mellow - but not sweet, with a variety of flavors coming at you in waves, RR delivers a very satisfying smoke. It coats the pipe , so dedication is mandatory.

One of the more dominating spices in Ketchup is cloves.

As with all McClelland/McCranie-blends I have tried, the same ketchup aroma emerges from the tin. At first, when I tried Christmas Cheer from McClelland, I thought they had scented the blend with cloves - since cloves and oranges is very much "Christmas-like"... Hmm, I really do not know if it is real ketchup aroma they use, (of course not) but the tomato/vinegar/clove-smell is present in both Dark Star, Virginia Woods, X-mas Cheer and Red Ribbon.

Another weird thing with these American blends is, (I am not used to american tobacco, since I am a Dane, and primarily smoke English and other European blends. It is only possible for us to buy these blends on the web.) that the leaf seems overly poured with artificial humectants. The tobacco looks as if it has been dipped into a deep fryer.

All that said, this is actually a surprise, because I despised VA woods, frowned at Christmas Cheer, and accepted Dark Star. This one is actually quite okay. The leaf is high quality, with no stems. The Vinegar aroma almost disappears through the bowl, and I think I will finish my tin. It bites like any MacBaren blend, but that is okay; if you smoke this one slow and carefully it will not hurt that much.

What's with that crazy Heinz aroma anyway? The Pease blends does not do that. Will I ever meet a McClelland/McCranie blend without that particular kind of casing/moisture agent??

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

The "Red Ribbon" I got is/was of the 1996 crop and, with all respects to the earlier versions, the stuff I have is positively top-flight! Cannot add anything new to what others have so accurately penned. Will just say if you like Virginias, or Red Virginias, or Technicolor Virginias, or pipes, or smoking or winning lottery tickets, you will be delighted with McCranie's Red Ribbon. It's THAT good. For real.

Tiger

I am probably the world's biggest fan of McClelland's 5100. It is, in fact, my default mixture of choice. With that being said, this "Red Ribbon" is probably among the best tobacco I've ever tried. True, it is not horribly complex, but, if you want a simple, straightforward, sweet Virginia, try this.

Wow! This is what red virginia should be! This tobacco produces plenty of rich smoke with nice tobacco flavor along with some sweetness common to red virginias. This is one of my favorite tinned blends. One word of caution, it can bite if pushed too hard. This tobacco definitely deserves a slow, even, smoking pace. Such a smoking pace will reveal many layers of flavor.

I was a bit disappointed with the '96 McCranies Red. It is only slightly better than McClellands' 5100 Red Va. I guess plain Virginnias are just a little too one note for me. A very fine quality tobacco however. I suppose if one had the patience the '96 version would be pretty great in another 5 to 10 years of careful storage.

Well, I finally got to this one, thanks to a fellow Pipester who generously donated a sample for reviewing.

Disclaimer: This review is based on a 1 oz. sample and it is a mixture of the early crop with the later 96' crop.

Appearance: Red Ribbon, of course!

Tin Aroma: Nice mellow and tangy VA.

Packing: Easy, used standard packing method.

Lighting: Easy, but begs for DGT and got it!

Initial Flavor: Tangy Red VA, not bitey at all.

Mid-Bowl: Tanginess mellows and a richer VA flavor breaks through.

Bottom of Bowl: A slight build up of strength and it is over with a light grey, powdery ash left over.

Overall: This is a delicious single crop blend that I will smoke on occasion, but is monchromatic and is not very full. The flavor is on the upper registers of the spectrum, but will not bite. I did find it boring if smoked back to back, but wonderful when smoked on special ocassions. It is a blend that does lend itself to aging, and I will cellaring a few tins for future enjoyment.

Rating: 4 out of 5 points...

18th-Oct-2003. RED RIBBON. Smooth rich and delicious. Lighting is very easy giving a great smoke all the way to the bottom of the bowl. One of the best Virginias I have ever tried,and did not even bite my tongue. Nothing negative about this tobacco at all. Leaves a very clean ash and no goop! Totally enjoyable and a definite winner. Highly recommended. 10 out of 10.

I never had a tin of the 1983 crop. My tin is the current offering from the 1996 (or 1999?) crop and it is one fine tobacco. A sweet and very mellow Virginia that will not disappoint you if ?sipped? gently and the flavor intensifies towards the bottom of the bowl. It was a little too moist out of the tin for my liking; you might wish to air it out a bit.

I rate this tobacco 9.9 out of 10.