Rattray's Red Rapparee

[wharfrathoss]

fired up a bowl tonite in a cob from an oz i got the other day-had let it set out for about a 1/2hr, sprung back when pinched together-the main flavors i got were spice & an earthy smokiness-would consider it full bodied-don't know the specifics on the blend, check: http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend_...LPHA=R&TID=961
if you're curious-i'm just starting again after a 15yr+ absence, so bear w/my newbieness-i enjoyed it, the old lady didn't mind the smell (an important factor in this house!) so i'll pick up more next time i'm at the shop

[IHT]

thanks for the review, i just got some in a trade a few months back. can't wait to try it, i love all other Rattrays blends.

[smokehouse]

I just cracked my first tin of this last week. Nice Oriental blend. Its got a lot of Oriental flavor and no bite. If your looking for a good Oriental to try I recommend this one.

[DubintheDam]

Just finishing a tin of this off, it's a topper, I opened a tin of EMP (also oriental) at the same time, that tin is still full, I find RR sweeter and more complex than EMP.

[ultramag]

I've been looking at trying some orientals. How heavy is the latakia in this blend?

[hagen]

Originally Posted by ultramag

I've been looking at trying some orientals. How heavy is the latakia in this blend?

extremely light!

[Slow Triathlete]

I just put a 100 gram tin of this up for trade. I've discovered that Latakia and Orientals just aren't for me.

[Mad Hatter]

This seems to be a blend of mostly sweet red VAs and orientals, with maybe a touch of latakia. Its as good as Hal o' but the orientals add a little more character to it. This was so easy to pack and light I could have done it in my sleep. The room note was pretty nice too. Thanks to Smokehouse

[pistol]

Man, I love this stuff, has anyone bought it in bulk? If so, how was it?

[Mister Moo]

Finally tried it and I'm baffled by the love. Hardly the english blend that's posted on the label; I find other orientals suit me better. Yes, it's easy to fill and easy to smoke and perfect to smoke from the can (or after a little open resting period). I am going to try harder and move this stuff out of my preferred english briars and try it in a meer and some less latakia polluted smaller bowls.

[NeverBend]

Hi Folks,

I mentioned in my intro post that my all-time favorite tobacco (I wish that I had created the blend) was Red Raparee - when it was just right. This was during the time when C.E. McConnell was making the Rattrays' blends.

Unfortunately opening the can of Red Raparee at the precise time was a crap shoot. Ken McConnell cautioned that every batch was going to have subtle differences, especially in the quality and sweetness of the Carolinas. Add to this that there was sometimes a mold problem with Rattray blends (Marlin Flake significantly - flakes hold more moisture) but Raparee was susceptible to mold (perique) as well.

I discovered the Red Raparee Special (if you will) by accident when I opened a dusty can in the store. That tin remains the finest tobacco that I've ever smoked (pipe or cigar). My brother helped me finish the can that day.

None of the other tins were as old and they weren't as good. In the special tin the perique had caused some fermentation before it became moldy or completely dry. The tobacco was tackier more than moist. I say other tins because we opened all our other stock (@8 tins) in the hope that we'd find another special.

I realized what had probably made the tin so special so we ordered 36 tins (we sold perhaps 12 a year) to age. We tried to be scientific but found no rhyme or reason to understand the solution.

Evey few weeks we'd open another tin and be disappointed but it was still excellent tobacco. When we did find a tin that was special we'd call Hollco-Rhor immediately and order severl dozen more tins (hoping to get the same lot). The special tins had to be smoked immediately because their decreased moisture content caused it to become stale quickly and its' qualities faded quickly if not exposed to air.

We tried heating the cans (wow was that a mess), putting pinpoint holes in the can with a dremel (went stale before it worked), shaking and turning them on a schedule and even subjected them to rapid changes in temperature. Strictly luck of the draw.

If I had to guess we opened 200 cans and got 5 specials. A customer pointed out how ridiculous we looked ripping open tins with (usually) great disappointment. Oddly, there was no middle ground. If it wasn't a special tin it was ordinary - as if Red Raparee was ever ordinary. The others we just messed up.

I tried the German made Red Raparee several years ago and it was a good effort but it lacked the polish and nuance of the English manufacture. Seeing this thread brought a smile to my face.

Regards and good smoking,

Pete

[StufnPuf]

This confuses me a bit...who makes red raparee now? It sounds like a blend I like since EMP is my favorite so far but Im looking for something more complex

[Mister Moo]

So I moved the RedRap out of an english pipe and started an oriental-only dedicated briar. The world changed dramatically. It appears the latakia influence of my english pipes killed the orientals in the RedRap. I give it a 3-star MooReview. It's quite good from the right pipe, no doubt.

[IHT]

Originally Posted by StufnPuf

This confuses me a bit...who makes red raparee now?

the same ppl that make the Robert McConnell and other stuff now, which is the German company of Kohlhasse & Kopp (if my spelling is correct).

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by IHT

the same ppl that make the Robert McConnell and other stuff now, which is the German company of Kohlhasse & Kopp (if my spelling is correct).

Scottish firm developed an oriental tobacco stamped with an "English Blend" label and an Irish name they sold, now owned and blended by Germans for Americans. Seriously.