Rattray Red Rapparee

This is actually a re-review. In the old one, which really isn't important enough to leave intact, I remarked upon it as being flat and unexciting and I lamented its lack of complexity. I'm unsure as to why - perhaps I simply had the misfortune of getting a bad tin, perhaps something has changed in the recipe, maybe I should've tried it in other pipes, or perhaps my preferences has changed since then. All, or a few of those statements may be true - I know for a fact that I these days do like englishes, and in particular those leaning heavilly on oriental components, as for the rest, I can only speculate.

So, in short, coming back to this blend leaves me with quite a different impression.

For the sake of this review I decided to get a new 50g tin (rather than using an old one I have cellared), and when opening it there is a nice, sweet and slightly pungent fruity aroma. Not much evidence of latakia in the tin-note, instead it seems more to carry the cavendish component. Either that, or there may be some sort of topping present - or maybe it's just the usual sugar thing, either way it doesn't appear to make its way through to the smoke.

I did not pick up on the latakia whatsoever while smoking the earlier tin, that I can recall, but while smoking this new one it's clearly evident to me, and it lends a shade of creamy earthiness to the blend. There is also a vast array of tanginess going on here, intermingling with rather peculiar sweet notes that doesn't really strike me as VA-hay or grassiness, but something else - perhaps attributed to some of the oriental components. The turkish is also very much present in RRR and to me registers as a "high" note on the taste spectrum, a little bit like a minty note - different than the turkish I find in London Mixture, Standard Mixture or Scottish Flake (one that to my surprise beat me over the head with turkish and deep, bassy red VA notes). It also has a rather airy body, and I do wish there would've been a little more substance to it. That's just a personal thing, I guess, and not necessarily something bad. Otherwise there is a nice interplay of sweet, dry herbal, earthy and some mildly astringent flavours and plenty of complexity to discover - it's one of those blends that I tend to find different nuances in every time I smoke it (which is rare, and also pretty fun).

So, with this in mind, I am changing my rating up to "recommended", or three stars, if you will. This is a nice blend, but not perfect as to be deserving of four stars, simply because it is a little like others have remarked upon - it isn't the easiest tobacco to smoke, and it is a little sharp on the tongue, especially during charring, and it can easilly turn a little flat if you don't puff very gently on it, But on the other hand, pipe tobaccos are usually best when just gently puffed, right? Especially those that tend to be a little more complex. It's also quite evident that this blend contains tobaccos that are pretty green when tinned - I'm unsure exactly how long you should wait before opening, but about a month, as I did, is clearly not enough. I think alot of the sharpness can be attributed to the red VA's young age. By my estimation at least 6-12 months would be a minimum before this opens up and starts showing what it's really about. There is also something to be said about airing it; do take care to air it, if it's fresh. For me it becomes pretty good when aired for 30-45 minutes, almost to the point of becoming crisp to the touch is just about right. I also like to pack RRR a little tighter than I do with other blends - not much, just a little bit.

It burns very well, not unusually fast, but at a slow and steady pace, and as advertised, it really does leave a fine grey ash with nearly no dottle. Now, I'm old enough to know that this doesn't really mean anything, it's simply a myth of virtue. But I suppose it's nice to know you're not "wasting" much of the tobacco.

This is also an excellent blend to pair with spirits. If you are so inclined, do try it. For me it has almost come to the point of beating a fine cigar to go with the cognac. I've never had much luck with pipe smoking and drinking before, but with RRR, it's really good. It's also a good way of slowing down the pace - let it smolder along while you swirl the snifter and savour the taste and aroma and then return to the pipe, taking a gentle puff and watching the condensation slowly rise is a beautiful thing. Not only does it add another dimension to the smoke, but it also works to counteract some of the sharpness of the tobacco while enhancing other flavours.

As for the room note. I'm usually not very sensitive to the aroma of tobaccos, but RRR really doesn't smell very good. Perhaps it's an acquired taste, but I'll put it down as "tolerable". While I don't flee from the room after smoking, I do take care to air it out properly directly after smoking RRR... and I have sympathy for significant others dreading the sight of the green tin for this very reason.

So, in conclusion, I do recommend Rattray's Red Rapparee. And if you happen to dislike it at first, don't do what I did and dismiss it completely. Let it sit for a while, go against your instinct and buy another tin and let it age, or try it in another pipe and see if that changes anything - use a large pipe (group 4, or there-abouts), and if possible, dedicate a single pipe to it, at least as long as the tin lasts. Chances are you'll discover a new, and perhaps unexpected favourite this way, just as I did.

One evening, at the Beer Academy in Chalandri, Desperado, brought this smoke in order to try it. After so many beers and sausages, whatever we had to taste, it would look good.

So I bought two tins of 50 gr in order to be sure. Virginia, Oriental and 100% a very distinctive dose of Latakia which offers an extra sweet flavor in the mixture. It fills in, the bowl easily, it turns on difficult, it burns very slowly, dry till the end. Nice, very nice I would say.

But it didn?t give me this extra feel in order to place him among my top smokes or at least among those that I will definitely buy again. Of course I have one more tin which when I will smoke it too, I may change my mind. The perfume around, very neutral.

An uncle of mine gave me a tin of this for my birthday in June. He gives me a hard time because when we go fishing I always bring along a pouch of Borkum Riff or some other drug store brand because when I'm fishing I'm to preoccupied to actually think about what I'm smoking. When I want to sit and actually enjoy and explore a smoke I wait till I'm at home after work when I can unwind and get lost with no interruptions. Anyways 4 months later I finally opened the tin. The aroma was interesting kind of a musty, slightly fruity smell. Is there latakia in this? This is my first journey into the land of Oriental/Virginia blends. I'm a big fan of OG but I haven't tried any oriental blends, that I know of anyways. I like latakia in moderation and try to stay away from heavy latakia blends because I can't taste anything other than that. So I loaded up my Dublin and gave it a whirl. The first thing I tasted after lighting was the latakia and it was quickly replaced by the orientals and the virginias. The trio played tag in my mouth halfway through the bowl then mellowed into a alightly sweet virgina oriental mix. I was honestly amazed by this stuff and very thankful to my uncle for introducing me to it. I like to smoke this blend when I'm relaxing with a nice scotch and good book.

we have a winner this month, this is a tobacco i'd probably never try if it was not our clubs tobacco of the month. it says its a medium english on the back of the tin, (i shy away from heavy english blends) i don't know why, to me it's an oriental blend. can't lie this stuff smells awfull, the mix of latakia even tho it's very minimal and the sour smell of the orientals just doesn't work for, smells a lot like presbyterian mixture to me. thankfully this stuff tastes pretty damn good. red rapparee (RR) is oriental dominated, you only smell the latakia in the tin and taste it for the first few minutes of the bowl, the virginia's peek through mid bowl and give off a ever so slightly sweet hay taste to go along with the tart and smoky, (not lat smoky) orientals. RR, burns very cool and dry, you cant make this stuff steam up no matter how hard you try, it stays lit as well, i need very few relights for this blend. i think RR smokes best in smaller bowls, it does pack a punch and can overwhelm your palate if you plan on smoking something else later. 3 outta 4 stars

tip; if your like me and not a fan of the tin aroma, leave it out in the open for a few hours, cuts the smell in half.

Somewhat in the genre of London Mixture, Durbar, Presbyterian being an Oriental/Virginia mixture with emphasis on Oriental. This may or may not have Latakia in some measure, but I find it to be very subtle, if there at all. I find I can smoke it in hot/humid weather, where Latakia blends leave me flat.

After trying the "trinity" from Rattray (HOTW-OG-MF) I decided to go off of the Va. reservation. While this is a high quality blend, it has not tempted me to give up my love affair with OG HOTW etc. I guess my taste at this time do not appriciate the wonderful world of Orientals as much as in the past. Not a "throw away" so I will revisit this one from time to time, but for now it will be an occasional treat. Rate * *

UPDATE: blast it, another blend that pales somewhat compared to the real stuff. well, i'll return to my cellared tins in a couple years... END UPDATE

as i'm getting more into orientals/balkans/englishes, new wonderful vistas open. for me, red rapparee has been a revelation.

tin aroma: matured, fermented virginia, earthy fragrant orientals and probably the faintest whiff of latakia.(edit: quite a bit of latakia, i now believe)

perfect moisture level, easy to light. and the taste/aroma! this is splendid! sweet and tangy virginia, spicy orientals that really sing, and again perhaps a smidgen latakia. lots and lots of nuances weaving in and out. burns steadily to a dry ash without any problems. i don't see it as more than medium strength, though.

i love hal o' the wynd, and i believe it's the basis of this one - but the whole is a lot more than just it's components. true tobacco synergy.

i never tasted it in it's perth days, and only vaguely remember it from one macconnell era tin long ago. neither have i, as paddy, tried a vintage tin. but, i believe that this version of red rapparee may be splendid for aging as well as for immediate smoking.

This stuff is weird. Taste-wise, it could be a cousin of Penzance, except it's powered (to change the metaphor) by a 4 cylinder red virginia engine rather than a 6 cylinder latakia one. The orientals are rich and floral. There might be the barest hint of latakia in the mix, or it could just be my imagination. At first it seems like the virginias are all but undetectable, but then (as usual) halfway through the bowl they sing. I will have to disagree with many of the reviews on this page and say that I think I can detect a light floral casing besides the orientals (of course I could be wrong, but like Greg Pease said, virtually all blends are cased with something). I would also call RRR ribbon cut, rather than broken flake. I bought the 100 gram tin and I've been picking stems out of it constantly. It burns well with an hour or two's drying time.

I am surprised to read reviewers' complaints about this blend's pungency and rough edges. I started smoking mine right out of the tin, and I find it quite smooth and mellow. I like it during the day when I'm in the mood for something a little different from my usual regimen of virginia flakes, or at night when my addled taste buds aren't quite up for going nine rounds with Penzance. All in all, a nice, solid smoke. Right now I can see myself trying out something different when my RRR runs out, but I will probably miss it badly when it's gone.

Illinois has recently outlawed smoking in bars, so the room-note is based on the reactions of only two people (i) my wife, who loves the scent of RR even in the house, and (ii) a vehemently anti-smoking friend of my sister, whom, at the very moment she exclaimed "what is that [exquisite] smell", was railing against cigarette smoking. The tavern patrons over the last year that I smoked all expressed appreciation. Anyway, such is life. Red Rapparee is the quintessence of an English blend--or Scottish blend, I don't care. It is spicy, smoky and sweet, in that order. I enjoy Old Gowrie, but this blend does not emphasize the "Rattray Virginia" taste of that or similiar blends. Buy a few cans before the anti-freedom persons sell us all out. The cut is rather finer than GLPease or McClelland, which causes the tobacco to stay lit better, IMO. (Though I do like Abingdon and 2035.) If I was not hell-bent on finding *the* *perfect* pipe tobacco, this would probably be it. I give K&K four stars for this exquisite tobacco, and God help them if they discombobulate it.