McCranie's Red Ribbon, vintage 1983
(3.60)
This beautifully aged red Virginia is brimming with the rich mellow flavor only nature can provide. It is a special allotment of a 1983 crop North Carolina leaf that we have secured for our discriminating pipe smokers. Available in flake or fully rubbed.
Details
| Brand | McCranie's |
| Blended By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Manufactured By | McClelland Tobacco Company |
| Blend Type | Straight Virginia |
| Contents | Virginia |
| Flavoring | |
| Cut | Ready Rubbed |
| Packaging | 50 grams tin |
| Country | United States |
| Production | No longer in production |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.60 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 11 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 06, 2005 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Medium | Very Pleasant |
This is one of the finest pure Virginias I've ever had the pleasure of putting into my pipes.
I first tried this tobacco in 1999, and have since cellared about 20 tins. It should be almost sinful to smoke in five to ten years! The way straight virginia tobacco ages, I imagine this will blow me away due to its quality.
The only bad news is that as of today (4/20/02) the McCranie boys say they'll run out of this special 1983 crop in less than a year. Gotta go now and order some more!
**********(4/1/03) UPDATE**********
Seeing johnnyflake's recently posted review reminded me to pass on the fact that the McCranie's have decided on a new '96 crop of Virginia to carry on the Red Ribbon and Red Flake tradition. The '83 crop Red Flake has been sold out for some time, and the Red Ribbon is going to suffer the same fate in a few months. If you want to order some of the original (and soon to be lamented) Red Ribbon before its all gone, you better do so ASAP.
**********5/6/05**********
Well, the original 1983 Crop is all gone. Thankfully, I still have have a dozen tins. I will ration them carefully because I just tried the new Red Ribbon from the 1996 crop, and it is not even close (IMO) to the original. Still, it is quite good and I will cellar some tins for aging. The '96 version is much lighter in flavor than the original and lacks the variance of flavors as the bowl is consumed. It does burn well and is stem free - which I appreciate.
I first tried this tobacco in 1999, and have since cellared about 20 tins. It should be almost sinful to smoke in five to ten years! The way straight virginia tobacco ages, I imagine this will blow me away due to its quality.
The only bad news is that as of today (4/20/02) the McCranie boys say they'll run out of this special 1983 crop in less than a year. Gotta go now and order some more!
**********(4/1/03) UPDATE**********
Seeing johnnyflake's recently posted review reminded me to pass on the fact that the McCranie's have decided on a new '96 crop of Virginia to carry on the Red Ribbon and Red Flake tradition. The '83 crop Red Flake has been sold out for some time, and the Red Ribbon is going to suffer the same fate in a few months. If you want to order some of the original (and soon to be lamented) Red Ribbon before its all gone, you better do so ASAP.
**********5/6/05**********
Well, the original 1983 Crop is all gone. Thankfully, I still have have a dozen tins. I will ration them carefully because I just tried the new Red Ribbon from the 1996 crop, and it is not even close (IMO) to the original. Still, it is quite good and I will cellar some tins for aging. The '96 version is much lighter in flavor than the original and lacks the variance of flavors as the bowl is consumed. It does burn well and is stem free - which I appreciate.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 13, 2008 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Tin: Reddish-brown to tan ribbon cut, with a McClelland sweet raisin smell; labelled "1996 crop North Carolina leaf." The bottom of the tin is stamped 2005.
Packing & Burning: Packs easily. There is incomplete combustion in the bottom of the bowl due to moisture. There is no tongue bite, but what I call inner lip scour. Left to dry on a plate for 3 hours, it is fairly dry, which seemed to limit lip scour. Although, moisture still develops in the pipe. 2 stars.
Taste & Aroma: This is one of the best, meaning mildest and smoothest Virginia's. I've smoked some sharp, tangy VA's, and RR is nothing like that. 4 stars.
Around mid-bowl, it does develop a cinnamon apple strudel taste. The taste is mildly sweet and the aroma is that of toasted marshmellows.
Room Note: A pleasant faint caramel aroma. 4 stars.
Overall: An all-day smoke. 4 stars. 3.5 stars for a VA.
Packing & Burning: Packs easily. There is incomplete combustion in the bottom of the bowl due to moisture. There is no tongue bite, but what I call inner lip scour. Left to dry on a plate for 3 hours, it is fairly dry, which seemed to limit lip scour. Although, moisture still develops in the pipe. 2 stars.
Taste & Aroma: This is one of the best, meaning mildest and smoothest Virginia's. I've smoked some sharp, tangy VA's, and RR is nothing like that. 4 stars.
Around mid-bowl, it does develop a cinnamon apple strudel taste. The taste is mildly sweet and the aroma is that of toasted marshmellows.
Room Note: A pleasant faint caramel aroma. 4 stars.
Overall: An all-day smoke. 4 stars. 3.5 stars for a VA.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 16, 2007 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is probably the finest virginia I have ever smoked. It's from the '96 crop and tinned in 2003. I've cellered 20 tins of this beauty and occasionally wonder what I'll do when it's all gone. It is mild to medium in strength and is naturally sweet, burning to a fine white ash. I personally find this blend a little light, so I add 20% of McCranie's Red Flake, which I rub out completely. The flake is medium to full and has a lot of tang which I don't enjoy in full measure. The flake is more multifaceted and has layers of flavor which the ribbon lacks. But blending the flake with the ribbon on an 80-20 basis seems to add that little extra that the ribbon lacks on it's own. I don't know how much of this blend McCranie's has left, but replacing it will be a hard act to follow. Let's hope they're up to the task.
October 16,2007:
A great Red Virginia. But I've discovered that Red Virginias are just too sharp for my palette. Even 4 years of aging can't mellow this mixture to suit my taste.
October 16,2007:
A great Red Virginia. But I've discovered that Red Virginias are just too sharp for my palette. Even 4 years of aging can't mellow this mixture to suit my taste.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 2006 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
For those who want a tad milder smoke than McCraine's Red flake.this is it, A consistant burn without a bite, If you havent tried McCranies Red Virginias give your self a treat with their 2 versions. It ages well. smokes consistant to the bottom of the bowl. I like to mix red Ribbon and Red Flake one to one this makes it easy to load and stay lit well. Yum, Yum it is a very good mix of red Virginias and Mixed together, I refer to it as McCraines Crack, and NO, I don't smoke the other kind of crack, But It is my opinion the best Va's. out there. bar none, a solid three stars hoo-boy
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 28, 2006 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Very Pleasant |
This is a smooth cool smoking virginia. The tin I have is from the 1996 crop. It is like drinking a cool glass of water, refreshing without leaving a heavy slavor on your palatte. if you can get some of this you should. Even better head over to McCranies in North Carolina, It is a real pipe shop.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 26, 2005 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
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
Tiger
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 06, 2004 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 02, 2004 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Tolerable |
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...
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...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 07, 2002 | Medium | None Detected | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I've always liked the flavor of virginias, but always had a tonguebite problem, probably because I'm so used to smoking cooler burning latakia mixtures. I probably smoke too fast for most virginias. A friend of mine loves McClelland's Virginia #22 and I tried it several times, but the tonguebite was too much for me. Now to the McCranies Red Ribbon- Great naturally sweet virginia taste, cool burning and no tonguebite, none! Full flavored, packs and lights well and the room aroma is pleasant. What's not to love?
The tin I tried was from the 1983 batch of tobacco. I understand the McCranies will soon run out of this batch.
If you have a tonguebite problem, I suggest you give this a try, but please wait until I have cleaned out their 1983 vintage. Available on McCranies website.
The tin I tried was from the 1983 batch of tobacco. I understand the McCranies will soon run out of this batch.
If you have a tonguebite problem, I suggest you give this a try, but please wait until I have cleaned out their 1983 vintage. Available on McCranies website.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 08, 2011 | Mild | None Detected | Medium to Full | Tolerable |
This one seems to be pure red virginia mostly, my tin was sealed in 0499, it was a little moist for me, but the aromas coming out of the tin was delicious, it easy to pack and easy to light, the flavor is a mixture of sugar and sometimes molasses with a little bit of a spice in a nutmeg kinda way. In the nicotine department is very mild for my taste, this tobacco falls in the single note category but a very good one indeed. If you happen to stumble on a tin at a moderate price treat yourself if you are a virginia smoker.
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