Rattray Red Rapparee

Upon the first light, the spicy orientals were immediately noticeable. The smoke was lovely and thick and the flavours were instantly at the forefront - the flavours being a mild oriental spice, deep and sweet virginias and a hint of leathery, smoky latakia. The latakia was very well balanced against the spicy sweetness of the prevailing tobacco strains. The ash was a clean, white dust and the smoke itself was thick and flavourful. It did not bite (despite smoking fervently), but left a pleasant tingling spice upon the tongue. This is a very good blend, fairly strong in nicotine and a very delicate balance of flavours.

This one was recommended to me by Sol Cigar shop in Oslo. I happened to be in the city for one day and the store was recommended to me by a fellow member of the Norwegian pipe smoker community.

This tobacco is quite Nice, especially If you like English and Scotish blends. The flavours are distinct and pleasant, the aroma is one my wife noted as quite pleasant (no Wonder as I tend towards English blends) The tobacco burns Nice and cool. All in all, a very good tobacco to enjoy with coffee or cognac

Another sample from my local tobacco specialist, offering an expected dark and bright leaves and delivering woody, spicy, and grassy notes. It is of perfect moisture, packs really well, and lights simply.

Once lit, it stays lit, and delivers sweet Latakia-woodiness, whilst the Virginia offers sweet and grass like notes. The orientals too dances on the palate with spicy notes, prevalent with pink peppers. The two former bring the most distinctive notes to the smoke, which is is of a slightly more than medium body.

All in all, it’s a good smoke, offering a fine introduction to Latakia.

UPDATE

Reading the other reviews now, the woodiness seems to be prevalent in Orientals as well, (proving my novice), but meaning the tobaccos intermingle well with each other.

Medium-strength E.M., with a full note of incense (must smoke slowly and as cold as possible to appreciate), spicy at the beginning, earthy and more smoky during the second half, and a little leathery at the end (nicotine is, for the most part, in the last third). One of my preferred E.M., and without a great amount of nicotine.

Being relatively new to the world of pipes, I wanted to start with a blend that I smoke a lot of and this is as good a place as any....

Out of the tin, this tobacco needs a few minutes to dry as it seems to steam quite a bit if I don't....

I reach for this one when I am looking for a medium bodied English that I don't have to think about... delicately spicy with touches of the Orientals shining through here and there...

My wife isn't a big fan of the aroma on this one but I find it to be quite pleasant ... nothing offensive at all...

Delicate tan, black, brown, and olive short cut ribbon with a pleasantly fragrant tin nose of pungent orientals and smoky latakia with just a hint of sweet virginias.

According to the blender (Kohlhase & Kopp) of the tin on which this review is based, Red Rapparee is:

"A classic blend of spicy latakia, distinctive cuts of virginia, dark cavendish, and a healthy dose of orientals" (Klassischer Blend aus würzigem Latakia, unterschiedlich geschnittenen Virginatabaken, dunklem Cavendish und einem deutlichen Anteil Orient).

Quite wet in the tin (recent production), but dries quickly due to the fine cut. Packs and lights like a dream, immediately revealing a spicy top note which persists alongside a range of tangy, almost sour, flavors which meld nicely with the bright tasting virginias. Although it does make its presence known from time to time, the latakia clearly plays second fiddle here. The cavendish does seem to add some texture to the blend, but not much else.

Red Rapparee is, by my estimation, a fine oriental blend which deserves careful and measured consideration. It does have a tendency to bite, although this perhaps due to the youth of this particular sample. Should improve with age.

For me Red Raparee is an excellent example for an Oriental blend, I use this blend as my benchmark for a Full Oriental. In my mind Rattrays uses a ribbon cut with this blend, it does not appear to me to be a broken flake. I have found that the bulk and tin versions to be nearly identical, with the bulk delivered a little dryer. The blend is consistent from one tin to the next. I smoke one pipe full of this daily, usually mid-day, occasionally as a first smoke of the day on a clear pallet. On opening a tin, I find this tobacco to have a light aroma, to me it mostly smells like tobacco. It is a blend of lighter colored Virginias and Orientals ribbons; I find no dark tobacco in this blend. My guess is that the Oriental is a Turkish tobacco. I do enjoy Latakia blends but find no Latakia component in this blend. Red Raparee comes well mixed and I have found no stalks, stems, or other unwanted items so far. As little as three months of aging makes a difference with this blend, it just gets better with time, the Oriental mellows and the smoke is more pleasurable. Currently I have a mix of tins and bulk, about five pounds. I use this tobacco in a medium sized bowl that has been dedicated to Red Raparee. My Raparee pipe has had a couple years of daily use with this blend and has taken on a signature of Red Raparee enhancing each smoke.

Loading Red Raparee is easy; light up is likewise very easy due to the cut. I gently tamp throughout the smoke. An Oriental for me has tartness. Other Oriental blends that I smoke have a mild or less noticeable tartness with the Virginia playing more of a role in the blend. This blend is tart unlike the others, the percentage of Oriental is either higher or the leaf is exceptional in this respect. Some smokers may think that Raparee is giving them a sharp bite and I would imagine that not everyone would enjoy this tobacco. After lightup and a few minutes of gentle puffing, this blend settles down. For me the Orientals are the main player, quite powerful, and stay in the spotlight until nearly the end of the smoke when the Virginia kicks in a little for a wonderful finish. I personally do not get a big hit of nicotine from this blend. This blend produces what my wife calls a neutral room aroma compared to some of the other blends that I smoke. In my experience Red Raparee burns down to a fine powdery light gray ash. Recommended for those smokers who enjoy a predominately Oriental smoke.

10-07-04 This review is based on a 2 year old tin

Appearance and tin aroma: Medium cut ribbon, lotsa light leaf, a smidgin of dark latakia. Smells delightfully oriental.

Packing and Lighting: easy, moisture was perfect out of tin, although I like to let the tin degas thoroughly before smoking.

Initial Flavor: Surprise! I was warned that this was a heady blend, but it is a delightful medium oriental blend.

Mid-Bowl: Nice, round mellow flavor. The orientals in this are delicious.

Bottom of Bowl: A slight build up in strength, occaisonal sweet notes pop in and out. Ash is grey and dry.

Overall: This is a nice change of pace blend for me. I much prefer it over Black Mallory due to that blend being boring IMO. This blend was not as rich and strong as many of my fellow pipesters warned me about, but is a complex, mid-strength blend.I had no poblem with tongue bite with this one. It may be due to the fact that my tin had a few years on it.I will be sure to keep a few tins in the cellar for those times a want a nice oriental blend.

Rating: 4 out 5 points.

Ok, how do you approach to reviewing a legendary tobacco? With reverence, but also with the will not to lose one's objectivity. The tin appearance and smell clearly scream "English blend", with the fine cut, pungent smell and brownish/reddish/dotted black look typical of some Dunhill tobaccos. Yes, the comparison is not far-fetched: I found several similarities between Red Rapparee and Dunhill's Standard Mixture Medium. Of the two I have a slight preference towards Rattray's blend, which I find a bit less sweet and more balanced between virginias and Latakia. It lights well, burns well (a bit too fast and hot if you don't take some care) and leaves a very fine light ash which doesn't encrust the pipe. Flavor remains very distinct throughout the whole bow. If it didn't tend to burn my tongue more than some other of my favorite English blends, it would be a very nice all-day smoke. A very good tobacco, maybe less personal and distinctive than some other blends, but of very respectable quality.

2012 Update: After several years, I must say that this tobacco has remained the same... although my tastes have got more refined. Yes, I think that there are SEVERAL better English blends around, and Red Rapparee probably has a bit too much cavendish for my taste, making it seem a bit flat and dull at times while with a certain peculiar fullness of body and "roughness" in the back of the palate. Anyway, it still is the best Rattray mixture with orientals together with Black Mallory: all their other ones are insipid stuff. And it still is very decent and enjoyable, if you like the style and take care to dry it a little bit before smoking.