Rattray Red Rapparee

To date, RR is my favorite of Rattrays blend,(though havent tried HOTW yet). A nice mild-medium mixture, soft ribbon cut,though a touch moist out the tin. Wonderful fragrance upon opening and packs well. For me the taste of the orientals shine when not too dry. It is a tobak that seems to DGT`s well too as I smoke this many times on long trips in the car and sometimes have frequent relights during the journey.The Va`s and oriental are well blended together providing a very satisfying smoke that does not have too many highs and lows. A nice flavor alway down to touchdown! Many times not realizing you have smoked all the tobacco remaining untill dumping of the light grey ash. Will have some in the hangar for future trips!

Medium English blend at its best, Red Rapparee is a true classic, in the line of Dunhill Standard and Balkan Sobranie O.S.M. This one is more turkish-oriented than the other two, but nice balanced. A fine all-day smoke.

Rattray's Red Raparee is a tobacco with multiple personalities, and one that may make a poor first impression (as it did with me). After reading the posted reviews, I decided this one was worth a try. When I opened the fresh tin, I began to wonder if I'd made a mistake. The tin aroma had a distinctively unpleasant smoky sourness to it, and the tobacco itself was damp and greasy. The first smoke wasn't all that impressive either; it had a somewhat bitter undertone, was reluctant to stay lit and tended to bite a little too much. I thought maybe some drying out might help, and it did. Now that the tobacco is on the dry side, it burns smoothly and rarely needs a relight. The sour smell in the tin, the bite and the bitter taste are gone too; this is a pleasant, easy-smoking mixture. I like it better with each pipeful; it's a nice relaxing smoke. The choice of pipe seems to take on extra importance with R.R. too; I prefer it in a full-bent Peterson Emerald. This is becoming one of my favorites, and is definitely worth a try-- but let it dry out a little first!

Mostly light and medium brown ribbon mixture with a spattering of black from Latakia, Red Rapparee from Rattray's is a dream-blend for the lover of Oriental leaf. It provides medium complexity and quite a bit of richness.

Latakia plays third fiddle and that only softly. Spicey and floral-scented Turkish leaf leads the orchestra, with some stout Viginia leaf second in-line providing flavor. The Turkish tobacco is truly mouth-watering.

Having smoked this for a year now, I conclude for myself that RR is best as the last pipe of the day. My tastebuds are overwhelmed by the Turkish tobacco after a medium or larger size bowl.

This blend really did nothing for me in a pipe smaller than a group 4, and it did too much in a group 6 or larger.

The initial moisture content of this blend subdues its excellent burning qualities and taste.

This is edgey stuff that can burn one mercilessly if puffed carelessly, and even with thoughtful care, my tongue is ready for a night's rest. Nonetheless, not too much on the market compares with RR for Oriental leaf lovers.

This is a fairly stout english blend. If you do not like a fair wallop of latakia I would probably avoid this. Even though the latakia content seems high, I do not think that it overwhelms the blend- it just sits towards the front. This does not smoke smooth but it is not harsh either. It does smoke fairly cool as I experienced no bite or excess heat from this blend. This is a quality english blend that I like to smoke when in the mood for a fairly heavy english blend. I would consider this better than average but not superior in its genre. Recomended to the latakia lover. Worth a try.

I must admit that Rattray's Red Raparee was the tobacco that made me fall in love with English mixtures, so I hold this first crush close to my heart. I was also relieved to find other Englishes that did not bite the hell out of my tongue and mouth!

To me, the bitey red virginias are what sets this blend apart from other English blends. It is not that the VAs jump out at you, but rather that they meld with the other flavors (including a healthy dose of orientals) in a unique way. This is a fairly harsh smoke for an English blend, in contrast to its more refined brother Black Mallory. But the harshness is managable with careful smoking and the reward is a unique tangy experience.

I have since "graduated" to more latakia-laden blends, but I keep coming back to the RR for it's special character. I should also add that my current tin is about 3 years old and it seems to have mellowed somewhat during that time, though it has lost some of the edge that I appreciate.

I used this tobacco as a first smoke in a new CAO meerschaum a few nights ago and it was a thoroughly rewarding experience. Where the cigar analogy comes in, I will never understand. Cigars and pipes, though I love them both, are quite different experiences.

I tried one can of Red Raparree a long time ago in my college days at a time when I almost exclusively smoked Balkan Sobranie or Crown Achievement. My recollection was that I liked the flavor, but that there was too much bite from the Virginias for me. My recollection was that the tobacco itself was somewhat lighter in color than most English or Scottish mixtures. So, XX years have passed and I tried it again and liked it much better. RR does have a unique tang to it that sets it apart from run of the mill strong Latakia blends. I wonder though if now that it is blended by C&K if it is different than the original. My recent try of Rattrays Accountants Mixture told me that some of these changes were not good at all. The current production of RR is darker than my memory of that previous try.

That all being said I now like RR, but only as a change of pace. I cannot think of any well known tobacco to compare it to. Suffice it to say that RR is a very good English/Scottish mixture with a somewhat spicier than usual flavor and good burning qualities once it is dried out a little.

Although I normally prefer Va flakes, this expertly prepared blend offers an interesting change of pace. However, I find it much too intense for all day or even multi-pipe smoking. After dinner, it's a joy but I use a small bowl pipe for a short smoke. It's too strong for my tastes > 10-15 minutes. Most don't enjoy the room aroma of the Latakia and orientals so this is an outdoors smoke. The taste is a different matter; a nice balance of consistent flavor in an English blend without any bite. The ribbon cut and moisture content make it easy to pack, light and keep lit even with slow puffing that really brings out the flavors.

Rattray's Red Rapparee has a tin note that is sweet, dark fermented fruits, wood, and hay. The smoke has some nuance to it. There are tart and tangy dark fruit notes from the red VA a little hay as well. The Orientals offer a little spice, slightly sour, with notes of wood, a little herbal in places. The lat. has the expected campfire smokiness and earth, The cav. is sugary, and I get some notes of brown sugar, which likely comes from here. There may be a little sugar in a topping too. The strength is mild to med. with the nic hit at the upper end of this. The taste is solidly med. A good lat blend 3 stars.