Rattray Red Rapparee

Like the exclamation written by astronomer Jerry Ehman after receiving a truly unique radio signal from deep space on August 15, 1977. This one is "Wow!". I was able to smoke some of this great blend dated Aug 2020 this evening with my Café Mocha and found this blend to be excellent. Something my jaded taste buds could really enjoy. This is considered Scottish due to the Cavendish but most upon tasting it would think “English” I would assume like I did. Nor did I notice a red tinge to the cuts of tobacco as described, mostly black, brown, and light brown. This one has the taste of other blends I have smoked but cannot name them off the top of my head. Though my description may be lacking this is one that I appreciate being able to try as it was a nice sample from a fellow piper. After 187 reviews I can see its popularity.

Great looking blend in the tin. Lots of thick chunks and some springy ribbons. Arrived a touch moist for me so about half an hour of dry time was needed. Aromas of Latakia, sweet Orientals and earthy Virginia's. This smells and looks great. The pack is easy and the light is taken well. Initial flavors are silky smooth Latakia and oriental notes. The Virginia's are tart and present throughout the bowl. The Latakia is truly a background player . The Orientals and Latakia work in perfect harmony maintaining a smooth silky smoke. The burn rate is slow and even, until a fine ash is all that is left. This can be an all day smoke but I prefer to save it for when I have time to thoroughly enjoy it.

On my latest Pipe Club meeting a fellow-member offered us one of his treasures: a RED RAPPAREE of 1974. He carefully kept the tin sealed and cellared for 42 years! Of course, this old-timer is appreciably different from a new one. Pleasant tin note and perfect moisture.

RR is a mild English Mixture. Ageing obviously mellowed the blend. No peaks, no rough edges, just like a soft pillow. Well balanced, not digging deep though, but still offering a complex aroma palette. Each tobacco can easily be identified. Latakia plays a reserved role, accompanying the mild-spicy, rounded-off Orientals. All outstandingly harmonious. The natural tobacco-sweetness has become really delicious through ageing. And there is also this quaint, hidden, kind of soury, outmoded taste, so typical to real vintage blends. What a wonderful experience!

I returned to pipe smoking about a year ago, after a 40 year layoff.

I was therefore smoking new tobaccos in brand new pipes. As a result my voyage of rediscovery was a compromised one. While I waited for the cake to build up, I made a few decisions on pipe types and shapes. Churchwardens weren't for me, neither were corncobs. I haven't tried meerschaums yet but I am a convinced fan of 9mm filters. Matches are my preferred form of ignition, I have a Zippo but only use it on the rare occasions when I smoke outdoors.

Regarding tobaccos I quickly rejected aromatics, then blends without latakia and eventually settled on Scottish mixtures i.e. the classic latakia/virginia/oriental with the addition of English type cavendish. I also bought a cheap pasta press and made discs of pressed tobacco form each new 50g tin I purchased. Pressed hard over 4 or 5 days the 4 ingredients above meld as the cell structures break down. A bit of warmth helps the process so I leave the press near the central heating boiler. I keep the discs in Mason jars. I am now smoking tobacco that is at least 6 months old and pressed into hard discs which I crumble out before each smoke. Compared with straight from the tin the difference is as chalk and cheese. The flavour is vastly improved, tongue bite is non existent and one light is often enough to see me to the end of the bowl. I cannot recommend this process highly enough.

I can now rank my favourite Scottish mixtures as follows:-

1. Red Rapparee 2. Tree Mixture 3. Old Dublin 4. Black Mallory

In reality I only purchase the first two, and 90% of my smoking is of Red Rapparee.

RR is beautifully balanced with just enough of each component, without any one ingredient predominating. The nic hit is low (I don't inhale but I felt the nicotine from MM 965 for instance, as I did from Erinmore Mixture) and it is just a really good tobacco. I raise a glass to Charles Rattray, a blender who knew exactly what he was doing.

Well..If I was allowed only one pipe tobacco, Red Rapparee would be it. I think the secret in this mix is the Black Cavendish because it mellows out the Latakia and Orientals. So if you are looking for an EM that isn't so strong on the Latakia-Oriental side with a natural sweet background, this could be for you too. This my personal opinion because I'm a newbie

What a treat! I can't think of anything bad to say about the tobaccos or how they've been blended. Red virginias that I have smoked have ranged from brightish and sweet to darker and richer. I love 'em all - the reds here are smack dab in the middle, which is perfect for this medium english and add a nice fruitiness that weaves its way through the smoke and complements the cavendish. I'm a big fan of orientals, so the fact that they are forward in the mix and of excellent quality is also a huge plus. The latakia is used more as a condiment, which lets the other tobaccos shine and shine they do. I think both latakia lovers and those who aren't fans can appreciate this blend.

Refined and smooth as silk to my palate. Just a little bit rich, but subtly so. I can smoke this all day.

Room note is pretty decent for an english. Well, the sidestream is incredible, and I get positive comments about its smell from nonsmokers, anyway; but then again most people I run into love the smell of pipe smoke in general, so...

As an aside, the effect of humidity and elevation doesn't seem to be discussed much, but as I found out recently, Red Rapparee tastes even more amazing at 8,500 feet in the high alpine. Crisp, like biting into a red delicious apple.

Every so often a tobacco comes across my pipe that it's love at first puff. Many tins later the love affair remains. I find it "somewhat" like Early Morning Pipe. I generally smoke this fine blend as the first pipe of the day. It's smooth and creamy with beautiful Orientals setting the tone. Red Rapparee is slightly sweet and somewhat complex. I enjoy it most in a smaller bowl. Highly recommended!

One of the first blends I've ever smoked was the EMP. Though on revisits to EMP, I found it to be a lacking alot of flavour, compared to heavier, more full body blends.

The red raparee is a step up from the EMP, providing much fuller tasting notes. It's sweetness translates more into aftertastes of floral essences for me. A solid, solid 4 stars. Must be my new favourite blend

Red Rapparee is a medium brown mixture with a share of dark, almost black tobaccos. It's a fine ribbon cut that feels rather soft, but not too moist.

The tin note is dominated by the smokiness of the Cypriotic Latakia it contains.

In order to fill my pipe I like to make small balls of tobacco, which I use to stuff the bowl rather loosely. After the charring light I level out the ashes before applying the true light.

To me this is a typical English blend. As far as taste is concerned, the peat fire smokiness of the Latakia and the floral spiciness of the Orientals are in the forefront with a distinct tangy sweetness of the Virginias and the Black Cavendish always in the background, which make Red Rapparee a mellow smoke. The tobacco dosn't require much attention, however, it should be enjoyed with leisure. As long as you smoke it coolly, there's no tongue bite whatsoever. It burns down evenly. leaving some greying, dry ash.

In spite of a certain sweetness from the Virginias and the Black Cavendish, the room note is quite fumy.