5100 vs. Christmas Cheer vs. Red Ribbon

[drrock]

Aside from different names, can anyone explain the differences between these?

 

[leacha]

5100 and Red Ribbon are the same. One is bulk and one is tinned. That information came from a member on another forum who received it from McClelland directly.
Christmas Cheer is exactly as the description says: Christmas Cheer.

 

[planetary]

From everything I've read over the years, 5100 is not the same as RR. They're definitely, and obviously, both red VA, but the crops used to make RR are carefully selected, and to my eye are of a higher grade than what's generally used in 5100. Anecdotal evidence here: more stems in the bulk than in the tin, for example.
Some people find them similar, others different. I imagine (but don't know) that the constituents of the 5100 quietly change more often than RR changes -- and in the case of RR, those changes are declared by a different vintage on the tin.
I like 5100 very much, and have a quantity cellared. But RR is a step up, generally. It may have something to do with how the crops are aged prior to tinning, or the choice and grade of leaf used, or some other combination of factors. 5100 is sweeter and maybe a bit one-dimensional (which can be good, sometimes), while RR is rounder and more supple.
Try them yourself and see what your palette says. That's all that matters at the end of the day.

 

[buroak]

2014 Christmas Cheer is the Single Malt Scotch of red Virginias. McClelland used only red Virginias from a particular harvest in North Caronlina.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Every few years, McCrannies buys a single leaf crop of pure red Virginias and makes Red Ribbon. It's a ribbon cut. Red Cake is a blend of red Virginias blended to get a consistent tasting product for year in year out by McClelland. I believe that it may even have a slight casing, which is only slightly tasted. Christmas Cheer, also a McClelland product, is a different crop of Virginias, blended with all of the same leaf for that particular year of production. McClelland also produces a variety of single leaf crops for club blends and special productions. These are all like wines. Each is slightly different based on the crop, except maybe Red Cake which is blended and cased to produce a consistent product from year to year.
It's like wine, where the nuances are detectable to the trained palate, very subtle.

 

[judcole]

Red Ribbon is a single crop. Each batch has subtle differences. I have smoked tins from a couple of different batches, and they are not the same. I have not smoked 5100, but I know it is blended so that it tastes the same from year to year - just like most other blends. Anyone who says these blends are the same is blowing smoke.

5100 and Red Ribbon are the same. One is bulk and one is tinned. That information came from a member on another forum who received it from McClelland directly.

Yeah, right. I'm the long-lost son of Alfred Dunhill, too. However, if you want to believe this, just knock yourself out. Go buy 5100 - more RR for me.
I've smoked from two different batches of Christmas Cheer, too, (2013 and 2014)and those are not the same. They may be subtle differences, but differences there are.

 

[leacha]

I had a chance to talk to Mike McNeil at the Greater Kansas City Pipe Club meeting last night. I asked him about the tin note that his Va blends have since it is discussed here quite a bit. Mike gave me some answers I thought I would share.
The Red Va that Mike gets is grown to have a much higher sugar content than what other blenders use (on purpose!). The sugar content is so high that it actually starts to ferment after about 3 weeks once Mike has it in his facility.
After it is tinned Mike does not vacuum all the air out of the tins as many blenders do. He leaves a little air to help the fermentation along. The ketchup smell is actually the aromatic byproduct of fermentation. If any of you have cigars and have ever noticed a slight "off" smell as they go through a fermentation cycle it's the same thing.
Mike does indead tin McCranie's Red Ribbon and Flake. It is a tinned version of 5100 Red Cake.
I'm not trying to start some big ass complicated old man pissing contest......ssssooooooo please let's not get this thread locked within the first 24 hours. I just wanted to share what the man behind the curtain had to say.
I hope I have helped

 

[cosmicfolklore]

LOL, then McCrannies, the small pipe shop that buys and has this crop produced for them, is lying to us. I am curious about a few things concerning this one now. I really want to contact McCrannies to find out. But, pop a tin of McCrannies and a jar of Red Ribbon, the two don't even look the same at all. Not at all. Someone saying that they are the same is obviously wrong. They are not even the same cut, RR is a ribbon, while Red cake is course cut.

 

[leacha]

McC can easily take a run of 5100 and give it a different cut for the tinning. All I know is they are both good smokes.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

But, I also taste a slight casing to Red Cake that is not present in Red Ribbon, and McCranies comes in two different styles of processing, flake and ribbon. I am shooting McCranies an email. I am certain Red Cake is a blended cake. This would piss me off extremely if it is true. That would mean the slight casing on Red cake is topped and not cased. I mean, McClelland produces so many blends similar but marketed as being different crops. Why would they just tin up a bulk blend as a single crop?
Sure, I like them all, but I don't like being lied to blatantly. Sure marketing is to mislead to some extent, but this would cross the line into total misrepresentation in my opinion.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I just sent McCrannies an email. If I don't hear anything back by tomorrow, I'm going to give them a call. If this is just a tinned blended bulk by a different company, being sold as a single crop, I will just stop buying any more of it. I can jar the McClelland stuff myself, and I will have felt like a sucker for spending more on the tins.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I just received a reply from Todd at McCrannies. Red Ribbon is not 5100 Red cake. These are two totally different things, as Red Cake is a blend. I will post the full reply on another thread.

 

[planetary]

Thanks, Cosmic! It's nice to tamp down the rumor mill every couple years. I think I'll make a YT video on the topic, since it keeps coming up.

 

[tedswearingen]

It's interesting that Rich Virginia Ribbon hasn't been mentioned yet.
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/3906/mcclelland-cpcc-rich-virginia-ribbon

 

[planetary]

Here's my vid on 5100 vs. Red Ribbon, with a bonus topic entry about CC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmaSr2RWQAU
I'm sure this is old hat to most of you, but it may be helpful to some. Also, I kindof maybe a little want to force the issue among those who challenge this understanding. If you really disagree, I'd love to hear evidence. But I think the account given is really the case, and makes a lot of sense. I'll gladly eat crow if proven wrong.
Anyway, cheers, and thanks again to cosmicfolklore!