Rattray 7 Reserve

The opened tin begrudgingly gives up the subtle aromas of this tobacco. Sweet and sour, cereal and hay scents, from the rich, warm Virginia. Small doses of Latakia and Orientals balance nicely. Fermented notes, rum cake, hard cider, dried figs, graham crackers, sweet smoke, fresh tar, and dark, dusty notes. The light, but complex, aroma of this stuff is very nice.

Don't over pack the bowl and it will light and burn great.

In the mouth, 7 Reserve delivers very tasty Oriental / Virginia flavors. Fresh , sweet, salty, flinty (almost metallic) notes, faint molasses and leather. Very faint sweet floral note - like honeysuckle. Occasional hints of powdered cocoa. A fairly easy smoke, fast puffing WILL get you burned, but not too much of a problem to control. Gets fuller and better as the bowl burns down.

Quality tobacco, delicious blending, and a consistently rich, even smoke, make 7 Reserve a pleasant pipe-full anytime of day. Straightforward but not boring. Damned enjoyable & definitely recommended.

3 ½ Stars.

This is a nice,smooth,easy going english blend.when you crack the tin you get a balanced smell between orientals,latakia and virginias.the moisture level is a bit higher than expected,so some dryind time might be needed.packs easily,lights ok and might need some relights.while smoking the flavours are really smooth,balanced between woods ,leather,spices ,dark fruits ,citruces and some sweet notes.burns normal and cool.the nicotine level is mild to medium.burns to total ash without any dumpness.almost tolerable room note.never bit me.indeed it is a milder version of red rapparee.can be an all day smoke.i recommend it as a light english blend.

Unlike 3 Noggins and Red Lion the unsweetened BC isn't overdone here. The other components are able to break through it's bland taste to a certain extent. Enough so for me to enjoy this one. The Orientals are a bit toned down from Red Rap but they still lead the way here. The Lat is very light lending just a hint of smoke. The Virginias add a very welcome sweetness. Not a great smoke for my taste, but a pretty nice one.

Mild to medium in body and taste. No added flavorings detected. Burns very well.

I grow weary of reviewers who don't smoke a tobacco on its own merits. If you want Pirate Kake, Penzance, or Nightcap, this is NOT it.

However, if you have enough tastebuds left to enjoy a well behaved, tasty, top quality mild English blend, then pick up a tin and give it a whirl. This would make a fine introduction to Latakia, and is an excellent hot weather English.

This loses a star because it is just too wet in the tin. For the premium price that is paid, one gets far too little tobacco, and far too much water.

Hmmm... The first things I tasted in this blend is it's similarity to Red Rapparee. I think it's an excellent tin description. Similar virginia/oriental English blend but softer and easier to smoke. Red Rapparee and Black Mallory are great complex blends but can smoke hot/harsh. This blend has a character similar to Red Rapparee but is softer smoking and a little more focused on sweet tasting virginias.

I really like this blend and will probably smoke two tins a year, which is quite a bit for me given the other tobaccos I smoke.

As far as smoking it all day, I think that would scorch your tounge seriously! (So would Red Rapparee for that matter)

I first experienced this blend from a tin which I had cellared for 7 years and found it excellent. The taste was smooth and mellow with a perfect blend of sweetness and spice. Light definitely, but well rounded and satisfying. Think a hearty cup of Lifeboat tea as opposed to an espresso!

Subsequently I tried a tin with less age and was disappointed. It was not bad, but lacked the smoothness and amiability of my first sample. A tin with about 3 years age fell in between those two.

I am cellaring more of this and hope to find out if the blend has changed or if the additional aging is the key.

While I can't determine if the aging is the factor or if there has been a change in the blend, I am currently puffing delightedly on some 10 year old 7 Reserve.

I would love to try some of the original Rattray's production to see how it compares with the current German product.

I finally had the opportunity to smoke a tin of the original Rattray's production and was a bit surprised. Despite considerable age this did not impress me as much as the German version. There was a little more complexity but it seemed the component tobaccos did not harmonize as well.

A quality mild-medium english blend. Virginia is not as sweet as with Squadron Leader, so that remains my Number 1 tobacco in this category. That being said, this is a solid choice and I'd reccomend giving it a try if you're a fan of mild-medium English mixtures.

Earthy, musky, grassy and smoky 7 Reserve is better than Red Rapparee even if it is not a real Scottish mixture but rather a classic English mixture. Of course a Latakia mixture. Easy to smoke, plain, simple, tasty, enjoyable and palatable. I think this blend is ideal for Latakia lovers. In my personal system rating (from 1 to 10) my score is 8/9 and 3 stars.

This is the only Rattray's tobacco I've smoked so far. A friend once told me that Rattray's "english" mixtures had a sweet taste, due to the cavendish in it. It was particularly evident in this one, as it tasted like an english mixture, but with a heavy sweet note that can let the smoker who is used to traditional english mixtures somehow unsatisfied. If I'm not wrong, it is probably a good example of what we call a scottish blend (english+cavendish).

It's not bad, in fact it's good, and definitely of good quality, but for my taste it's too sweet. However, I will try Red Rapparee and Black Mallory before making my mind about this type of blends from Rattray. I would only recommend this blend to someone who really likes sweet cavendish, but also english blends, and who would like to try the mixing of the two.