Rattray Dark Fragrant

Of all the Rattray offerings this is at the bottom of the list, at least in my book. This is the only Rattray offering I have ever tried that has gone foul. It combines weak, stringy flavor with harshness and essence of pipe funk. No matter what I smoked this in I found it to be without charm, and I gave it a chance in almost every VA dedicated pipe I own and a few Latakia ones, so strong was my dismay at a Rattray letdown. Were I stuck on a desert island, this would be better than nothing, but would most definitely not be my first, fiftieth, nor five-hundredth choice.

Well I'm definitely going to stay away from Rattray for a while. I like their Vapers, but the other VA mixtures just miss the spot for me. This was quite bland and aside from a little whimper from the perique, not impressed one bit. HOTW is their flagship and I'll stick with that blend.

Smoke in peace

Meh.

First: either my tin is mislabeled, the components have changed since 2005 (my tin) or the top description is wrong. My bottom label reads "Black Virginia Blend W/Perique". I suppose Virginia tobacco can be cavendish processed, but usually once that is done, it is identified as such. Orientals? huh.. none detected in taste or by label.

It's not BAD, just boring. The most interesting aspect of it is the unique ability of self-extinguishing, sort of like Indiana cigarettes. I can smoke most blends to the bottom with 1 or 2 lights, not this.

Taste-wise, yeah, probably cavendish. Drug store blend fullness and depth Chop it finer, you get Borkum Riff. Perique? No. My mouth and throat prickle at its presence. Too bad, because I like the taste of perique. I would have endured the prickle for a taste of it.

Rattray's offers some truly fine VA blends, and it was probably why I bought this to begin with. This is bowlshit. I'm putting the remaining 50g in my kitchen to extinguish grease fires.

This review comes after smoking the better part of a 100 gram tin that has been in my cellar for almost 3 years. So, I know that the tobacco has been aged properly.

The tobacco is beautiful to look at and the tin aroma is delicious. Sadly, that is where the positives end. There was almost no flavor to be found, tat is, if you can keep it lit. Yes, I know, it is fired, but I have smoked many fired tobaccos in my day and find that this one is just downright unburnable most of the time. Not to mention the tongue bite when you do manage to set fire to it.

Not worth the effort in my humble opinion. Stay away unless light tobaccos make you light headed. Then, this may be your answer.

If I could by this tobacco by the pipefull, I'd buy about one a year. A tasty tobacco that just does not come up to the standards of other stoved tobaccos such as Dark Star, McClelland's 2035, McClelland's 5120 and my all time favorite: Stonehaven.

All of Rattray's non stoved Virginia tobaccos are excellent. I suggest they leave the stoving to others.