Rattray 7 Reserve

Just prior to writing this review, I pondered the point of recommendations. To remain consistent with my other reviews, my recommendation is for how I liked it, but I'm not sure that's fair. I think tobaccos should be judged on their own merits and how well they do what they set out to do.

This is a blend for the oriental/latakia beginner or for the smoker who wants a light, airy blend for all day. In that, this blend succeeds admirably. Yes, I find it dull and bland but not nearly as wimpy as Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, a blend close to this in lineage. The blend is just too lacking in personality, with its wisp of latakia and muted orientals. As with EMP, none of the component tobaccos really asserts itself here. And I think that's the point.

I do not particularly care for this but for beginners and "all-day" smokers, this just might be the ticket. For those folks, this earns 4 stars. For me, two is more than enough.

7 Reserve is, quite simply, a mild English blend suitable for all day puffing as the descriptive states. Personally, I do not find much similarity at all between 7 Reserve and Red Rapparee, which is much stronger and frankly, a little harsh according to my taste buds.

I like more strength than 7 Reserve offers (and, more flavor,) but I certainly would suggest this tobacco to anyone who enjoys Latakia in small doses.

One final thought, I smoked some 10 year old 7 Reserve a few months ago and then some from a fresh tin a few weeks ago. I noticed a tremendous amount of difference in the moisture content. The recent vintage was practically dripping wet while the moisture content was perfect in the older stuff.

First thing when I lit up, the comments I most heard from friends around me was something akin to "God I thought my Granddad had come back from the grave!" which I took as an extreme complement as I gravitate towards the old style blends. I can very highly recommend Rattray 7 Reserve to anyone who desirers a no nonsense, old fashioned, pleasant, middle of the road smoke without too much orientalsLatakia that make you feel like you've just put out a forest fire in British Columbia! Rattray 7 Reserve hits that perfect spot that satisfies but doesn't overwhelm the senses or offend others in the room around you. Soft notes of ripened damson and other late autumnal flavours emanate from the tin when first opened. It can be a hot August day and I will still think of the first time I tried 7 Reserve. For me when I partake of a bowl (or two) of Reserve 7 I am transported back to a rainy evening in late October. I would recommend this blend most highly to anyone curious about "English" blends especially if moving from aromatic blends as they is still plenty to keep you interested. Perhaps you will be like me and have to pass on the 50g tins and just order the 100g tins from your online tobacconist.

Positioned as an all-day Red Rapparee, this is an oriental-forward blend that lives up to its billing.

I haven't yet tried a Rattray's English/Scottish (or, for that matter, Virginia) blend that I haven't enjoyed, and this offering continues that trend. While I enjoy orientals, Red Rapparee steps just one toe over the "harshness" line for me, making it a much less frequent choice in my rotation. 7 Reserve offers a similar balance of flavors, but takes a couple of steps back, making it a smoother and, for me, slightly richer (and more rewarding) smoke.

If you like orientals (including latakia) and aren't prejudiced against (unflavored) cavendish, 7 Reserve is a winner.

My tin had only two years of age on it, so I'm guessing it wasn't much different than what you'd get fresh today.

The dry, mildly buttery sweet, mildly sour, woody, earthy, Orientals take a little of the lead over the smoky, woody, musty sweet Cyprian latakia. The grassy/hay-like, citrusy Virginia also has a touch of dark fruit, and has a fermented quality to it as it competes with the latakia for the secondary spot. The brown sugary black cavendish works to smooth out the blend, and is mostly a condiment. The strength level just passes being mild while the taste is a little closer to the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has few rough notes. Burns slightly warm and clean at a moderate pace with a fairly consistent, well balanced flavor from start to finish. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and needs an average number of relights. Has a short lived, pleasant after taste. It’s designed to be an all day smoke, but it suffers from lack of depth even in the genre of mild English blends.

-JimInks

Appearance: A mostly light and medium mixture, with a small amount of dark leaf present. The cut is mixed ribbon and random pieces.

Aroma: Lots of Virginia base, with a moderate amount of Turkish and just a little Latakia The aroma seems to be primarily that of Virgnias, with a smaller amount of condiments.

Packing: Packs easily in most pipes, group 3 and up.

Lighting: Lights easily, this seems to be true of most Rattray Oriental blends today.

Initial flavor: The Va comes across first, but not too assertively. The Turkish adds a fair amount of flavor soon after, and the Latakia stays slightly in the background..

Mid-bowl: A classic Mild English/Oriental blend. I would classify it as considerably milder than medium (3.5 or 4 on a scale of 10,), but a gentle beguiling flavor. No gurgles noted. The Va, Turkish and Latakia continue to be the key players.

Finish: Well behaved right to the end, leaves a gray ash and nothing else.

Summary: Considerably lighter than Red Raparee, somewhat lighter than #3 Noggins. Also somewhat heavier than Dunhill Sd. Mild. A very good first pipe, or an all-day smoke in warm and/or humid weather.

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 the first Rattray's tobacco I'm smoking. Took over a year for me to gather a courage to open this tin. Nice ribbon cut, mostly light but with some dark pieces in the mix. The tin aroma is an interesting one, I smell mostly tar like scent with some hay aroma.

Packs very easily. I used standard 3 layer method.

Lighting is not a problem. But the pipe goes out very frequently. Smokes quite hot. Don't know what's the reason behind it, maybe cavendish or the packing is too loose. Moisture level seems just right. Even when puffing slowly, this tobacco just burns hot.

To me this feels like kind of a bland english mixture. Virginias are somewhat subdued, orientals are there but more in the background. They come out a bit after half of the bowl is finished. Overally the taste is a bit ash-like. Room note is somewhat tolerable.

Wouldn't call this an all day smoke, but it would work for an introduction to a novice english tobacco smoker. Of course you cannot rate objectively by smoking just one tin so take this review with a grain of salt.

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.