Tobaccos D & R Tobacco - Ramback Regular (Ramback)

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3050)	2015-05-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Strong

The Turkish is choice: fairly woody, earthy, and toasty, slightly floral and spicy, with a few sweet and sour notes. There are no toppings, and the cut is closer to shag than ribbon. Dry as are all the D&R blends, it burns quickly, and can be harsh if you puff fast. Not very nuanced as it is a straight Turkish, and not an all day smoke, but it does well in small to medium doses. The nic-hit is mild to medium. Won’t bite. Burns clean, leaves no moisture in the bowl and hardly needs a relight. It reminds me a little of smoking a Camel cigarette in your pipe, and if you like that, you’ll like this. Would make a good mixer, too.

-JimInks

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2011-10-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

From my favorite online tobacconist I placed an order which included Rimboche SJ. When I opened the package I found they had instead sent me a tin of RAMBACK the blend that rams you back™. No prob, I like turkish too.

The tin note smells like a freshly cracked pack of Camels and is also faintly ketchupy. The leaf inside is various shades of golden brown and very dry. This is neither a leathery nor minty oriental but rather a delicately sweet, "kitchen spice" type oriental. I find the taste to be reminiscent of McClelland's Yenidje Supreme but somehow bolder. This blend has a brother called Ramback Gold who admits to having a percentage of virginia -- this Ramback claims to have none, yet occasionally I catch that creamy hay like virginia taste. Also I consistantly find some measure of that back of the mouth spice a la perique but the liner note still claims 100% turkish, and there is no dark leaf present in the tin. There does seem to be a detectable amount of vitamin N here. Seems like a good price-to-value ratio. IMO this would make a good all day tobacc, which is exactly what I plan to do with it.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2017-02-17		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I really enjoyed my adventure with the Ramback tobaccos and mostly because I received full flavor and strength, and Ramback regular sure delivers in both categories. Izmir leaf has always had a sort of cinnamon spice effect on my palate, and I like the combination. The Izmir here is rather forceful though and a slow puffing cadence was need for me to fully appreciate what Ramback has to offer. Not an in your face type of smoke but you know you've had a bowl of tobacco once the fire goes out.

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PeterD (91)	2013-05-10		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very nice Turkish blend that will most likely replace S. Gwaith Turkish Blend, since it will be discontinued. I quite enjoy smoking straight Turkish and have so for more than 40 years.

Because it can burn hot, I keep the moisture level a little higher and that seems to make this tobacco "rounder' and more flavorful.

Aroma is pleasant with a fairly natural tobacco taste and while not a complex blend...there are a variety of "nuances", I experience.

Smoked in a group 4 or larger pipe and a worthy tobacco for those who enjoy a straight Oriental.

...a pipe is to be savored...

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cat Jockey (21)	2018-11-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I recently invested in 2 oz each of the three Ramback blends. And a couple oz of Picayune, too. All four of the blends need the same preface: This is a Pipe Smoker's cigarette tobacco. A cigarette tobacco worthy of the sophisticated, nuanced, and demanding palate of a Pipe Smoker. I used to smoke Camel straights, then switched to a pipe. After sampling all four blends in a pipe, I followed my curiosity and picked up some papers. Wow. They really came alive for me. These tobaccos almost need two reviews, as the difference in experience between pipe and rolled can be that significant.

Preface said, to sum the experience up in two words - sour flower. In one word - delicious. The sourness and floral qualities of the Izmir, along with a touch of spice and earth, are what instantly hit my palate, in full, delicious force. There are the elements of a bit of wood, along with a touch of buttery sweetness to be found on the bottom end, but they play second fiddle to the floral, sour, and spicey/incensey earth aspects. As far as the moisture content, well, I care as little that this is relatively dry as I care that the Black XX Twist (And SG in general) on my shelf is relatively wet. It is how it works best and didn't bother me as much as some others.

If you enjoy this in a pipe, you might even enjoy it more rolled into a cigarette, as did I. With the money you save on the tobacco (I got 2 oz for $4.16), you can pick up a cheap Zig Zag cigarette hand roller and some papers to have on hand for the occasions that you feel like doing something different or you only have 10 minutes for a smoke. There is no need to inhale, just smoke it like a pipe or a mini-cigar. Smoking it rolled in paper mimics the differences one can detect between smoking a tall, smaller diameter bowl and a short, larger diameter bowl. It is a different experience rolled than in a pipe. A very enjoyable one, in which some of the flavors really intensify.

This truly is a dual purpose tobacco (Pipe and RYO), and performs very well in both arenas. I'm not into blending, but if you are, I agree with others concerning this tobacco being a great addition to your shelf to liven up something else, as it brings a very consistent, full Oriental flavor. Turkish at its best.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	zwolanek (21)	2012-03-09		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a 100% oriental blend. It can burn hot, so watch out.

The cut borders on shag. It burns exceedingly well with no dottle. "Ramback" is so named because it can ram you back, and the nicotine content is noticeable so plan ahead.

I smoked about 2/3rds of a tin and decided that it was just too much. Orientals make super condiments, and I just love Balkan blends. My favorite is Russ Ouelette's Mount Marcy. But this may be too much of a good thing. So I'm going to use the balance as blending tobacco.

Yes, I plan to buy another couple tins, and probably will smoke it from time to time - especially if I have to work late. But I plan generally to add it to weaker blends to add sparkle and zip.

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SteelCowboy (685)	2016-06-05		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

My thoughts on Ramback Regular are almost identical to JimInks. The moisture content is pipe ready. Due to the cut, it should be packed smoked with care. It has a woody flavor and was a bit sweeter than I had expected. There are no harsh spots and it’s monochromatic. It could easily be a “set it and forget it” type of all-day smoke for some although I would likely opt to use this as an additive to other blends. As a similar blend, I do prefer Stokkebye’s Turkish Export to this blend. Ramback isn’t quite a three star blend for me, especially in the later stages of the bowl, but it closer to three than two so three it is.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2082)	2016-08-27		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

D & R Tobacco - Ramback Regular (Ramback).

Before I even got to smoke a bowl I met an obstacle, the damn ring-pull broke off the tin when trying to open it; kitchen utensils to the recue! After that problem's been overcome another rears its head: it's too dry.

The smoke has a few of the subtle Latakia traits, the woody/earthy ones. And although it's not a dazzling smoke, it's quite good. The only negative with the way Ramback smokes is due to the hydration: it burns fast. Other than that it's a nice tasting smoke: there's a slight buttery quality to it. Tongue bite eludes me throughout the whole pipe, whether sucked or sipped.

The nicotine's perfectly medium, and the room-note's quite pleasant.

For flavour alone this scores well, but on the whole I can't give it a full result. Even though it has a good taste the negative points are too bad, and as few as they are, reduce it to two stars; they just spoil it.

Somewhat recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson Silver Spigot XL02

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2015-08-01		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

If you're into Turkish baccy's you owe yourself this one. It came a bit dry, and burned somewhat quickly, but never mind, fire up another bowl. My Ramback came in bulk form, a tin, I assume, would be less dry. This smoke is perfect for me, low on nic, mild, yet very tasty and exquisitely toasty (if this is a RYO I've no problem with that—other than burning faster than I'm used to, this blend, for me at least, worked very well in my pipe). Simply excellent!

Pipe Used: Alexander Zavvos Prince

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TurkishLover (2)	2014-11-09		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

As another reviewer alluded to, this tobacco reminds me of opening a pack of vintage Camels. Opening the bag of Ramback there is no discernible top note, just the smell of good honest quality leaf. Injected into a 'paper pipe' this stuff comes alive. A delicious and exotic spice flavor is evident from the very get go. Inhaling it gives a wonderful floral bouquet of flavor not unlike cascade hops used in beer. The exhale contains both of these flavors and a very earthy darker tobacco flavor. There is a very slight hint of sweetness that lingers on the pallet for awhile. Edited to note extreme difficulties in getting this blend to burn. Others have noted similar difficulty. I feel that warrants a reduction in total score.

Pipe Used: Paper Pipe

Age When Smoked: 24

Purchased From: Directly from Mark Ryan

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2019-08-22		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The cut is a chopped slightly irregular narrow ribbon. It arrives dry, and given experience with other D&R smokes I have been smoking it packed a little firmly in various pots. I have not hydrated it any and doubt I will try that. It is a good smoke as delivered.

There is a subtle spicy thing going on in the taste. It has a sour edge when puffed and presents as a slightly fuller "earthy" when sipped. In general, this is a good Oriental and a pleasant smoke. It is not what I would call hearty, and the flavor is not especially complex. It burned a little quickly and was not a challenge to keep lit or smoke to the bottom of the bowl. I found the strength to be mild->med.

This is a pleasant smoke, and I find it easy to repeat. It is something you should try if you like Orientals.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gcb (2)	2015-07-25		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Very Mild	Tolerable

i got 3.5 ounces of this sitting around. everytime my good tobacco run out i take this out and try again. why do i keep doing this? this is horrible.

it came in a plastic container with transparent plastic sealed on top. and from day one it was dry as hell. i tried to smoke a few as they came. i tried to humidify it with a wet paper towel 6 hours before smoking. i tried to spray a little water and let it overnight. nothing makes it better. honestly, dry is the least worse. i think.

for me it is strong and flavourles. smokes exactly like a cigarette, but without any of the convenience.

i do smoke with a 9mm filter, and slowly, and i still get that tongue bite feeling. maybe it's because i have to relight it every draw. meh. will probably use what i have left (the whole thing) to make hamster beds.

it shows TM next to ramback on the can... the tin smell is actually nice. a faint apple like sweetness. nothing like that on the draw taste.

Pipe Used: veuven classic

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30194)	2012-07-01		Medium	None Detected	Full	Tolerable

A pretty good 100% turkish blend. Second best in the Ramback line behind Ramback Balkan, but certainly not a blend I would turn away from if offered.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2020-12-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This is an excellent, quality blend. You know how with some blends you have to give them time to dry out? Not this one. It is ready right out of the simple, unassuming tin. If you know this is an Oriental, you should already expect a flavor similar to a cigarette. I don’t mind this. It does produce a vague floral scent, which is nice. Seems low on nicotine. This blend burns well to ash, but it burns quickly. It causes little to no bite, which means I tend to puff it quickly. This means, for me, that I have to enjoy it in a larger pipe with a deep bowl. It also means it will crumble if you leave it in a pouch for a few days. This tiny flaw isn’t enough to drop the fourth star for me. I have yet to encounter an “all-day blend” (I envy your job if you can smoke a pipe all day). But this one come as close to it as possible. One of the best Orientals out there. Highly recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2021-01-27		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Strong

Back in my days of cigarette smoking (1990s) I was a big fan of Camel cigarettes. They were always advertised (Joe Camel anyone) as being made with Turkish tobacco.

I picked up a bag of Ramback Gold trying to recreate the experience which I had back then. The lead in this blend to me are the orientals which give it a spicy smoke. The tobacco is dryer than normal (similar to the other D&R blends I've tried) which I believe is to make it suitable for RYO cigs. I find that a few breathes into the bowl before lighting gives it enough moisture to burn a little slower. Produces a decent amount of moisture while smoking, I use a few pipe cleaners during a bowl to keep it down.

If sipped slowly, its a very spicy treat. The ribbon cut means that it will burn well in most bowl shapes and it seems to really do well in my radiators and cobs.

Pipe Used: Radiator Pipes, Canadians

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mgzinia (1)	2020-07-02		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This is, to me, a staple for blending. It is awesome if you like Turkish. But, DON'T smoke it straight, and, find a " wetter" blend to mix it with. I would suggest a lighter Virginia, maybe with some Maryland , but even then 20%max in that blend would be more than adequate. I do like to mix blends,and love Turkish, so I easily give this 5 stars. Will add for those of us who smoke RYO, the act of inhaling smoke usually diminishes the taste experience, but NOT with this. In pipe blending,I give it five stars, but for RYO, I would assert that it is crucial to an American blend, and can dress up /tone down even $9/pound stuff.

Pipe Used:

Age When Smoked: Tobacco is I'm guessing, about a year old

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: For similar blends? , Izmir Turkish whole leaf. , There ARE others out there in a tin, but, I wouldn't pay the asking price..., D & R Tobacco - Ramback Regular (Ramback).

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2019-09-22		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is not a pipe blend I would have chosen but, having received a two ounce sample at out recent show, I got a chance to try it. I have smoked straight Turkish before on rare occasions and was never impressed nor satisfied with the smoke. Monochromatic and limited in range, I always thought of it as a blending tobacco and have used it as such. So, I took down a nice big pipe and had a go. The top third seemed confused as to what it was trying to do and the smoke was somewhat thin and cigarette-like; more a Euro-cigarette than domestic. However, going into the middle third things got better and more flavorful. At this point, the blend smoked more pipe tobacco like than cigarette like and I was happier. In the bottom third it strengthened and went back to a cigarette-like profile that reminded me of an old unfiltered Camel from the 1950's. One down side is how it can roughen the tongue if pulled on too hard. This is unfortunate, as I found the tobacco more flavorful if heated up. Pulling on it harder is the classic way of heating a blend up but, here, it could lead to trouble. All in all, an interesting smoke that I am using in blending successfully and can recommend Ramback at three stars.

Pipe Used: David Jones paneled rocker-2004 NASPC yearpipe

Age When Smoked: unknown but not recent

Purchased From: a former pipe smoker

Similar Blends: Well, nothing other than another Turkish..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bassrep (25)	2015-01-28		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

I bought a couple of ounces of this in bulk. I am a cigar and pipe smoker. Veteran cigar and somewhat of a noob to pipes (but an OCD noob and somewhat informed). I have purchased tins of blends considered Oriental i.e. McClelland Grand Orientals - Classic Samsun and McClelland Grand Orientals - Drama Reserve and having enjoyed those (keep in mind I am typically an aro guy-Dansk Black probably my #1) figured I would try Ramback Reg AND Ramback Gold. In a word? CRUNCHY. More words? Super dry. Arid. Desert. Thirsty.

NOTE: I entered "Medium" in filling in the blanks, truth is I have no idea. I'll be composting this stuff.

I contacted my vendor (they're nice folks so I will omit the name-they were nice enough about it-only mildly condescending) and they said:

"The condition of the Daughters & Ryan Tobacco is typical for that brand. They tend to ship their tobacco very dry because so many of their customers use it in RYO cigarettes. If you prefer the tobacco with more moisture, you can add moisture to it. Just take a damp paper towel..." Then do us all a favor, huh? LABEL IT AS RYO and schmucks like me won't be ordering it! OK, I have vented. Thank you. I needed that.

Age When Smoked: Fresh?

Purchased From: Name withheld

Similar Blends: Ramback Gold.

2 people found this review helpful.