McCranie's Red Ribbon, Vintage 2008

McCranie's Pipe Shop is a long-established tobacconist in Charlotte, North Carolina; the shop's tinned tobacco line began with red Virginia leaf from a single harvest set aside exclusively for it. This leaf is rested and pressed; the name ribbon cut refers to the presentation in which the pressed block is rubbed out into ribbons. Records indicate the year on the tin (2008) marks the leaf's harvest/packing year, and batches stamped with other years circulate under the same name. Being unflavored, single-varietal Virginia, the tobacco's taste comes from the leaf's own sugar: a bready, creamy base with a sweet depth that deepens with age. The shop no longer continues this line; what's on the market are older batches.