Jim's MacBaren Reviews

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JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Sutliff asked me to review eleven of their MacBaren blends. Here's what I thought of them.
Capstan Blue Flake:

This is a little stronger, less sweet, and less cased than its brother in the gold tin. Slight citrus, fig, and a little grass/hay and earthy taste with a nice mild to medium Virginia flavor. It's not a very complex blend, though there are a couple of different Virginias in the mix. It's the kind of Va. flake that does well as an all day smoke. If you want something a little stronger and less sweet than Capstan Gold, or a straight Virginia that's less stronger than Gawith Full Virginia Flake, this will give you what you want. A very comfortable smoke to pack and light with enough nicotine to get your attention without overwhelming your senses.
Capstan Gold Flake:

A moderately sweet and mild easy to rub flake with a little sugar and citrus flavors complimenting the light Virginias. There's a light grass note present. A rather uncomplicated blend that burns well and even. It's comparable to Dunhill Flake, but with more sweetness and a little less citrus. There are several kinds of Virginias in the flake for a mild to medium balance of taste. This is the kind of blend I'd recommend to aromatic smokers who want to delve into straight Virginia blends without sacrificing the range of sweetness they are used to. It also works for the smoker who wants a gentle, sweet flavor without the earthy characteristics darker Virginias provide.
Old Dark Fired:

This is my favorite MacBaren blend. For my tastes, it's a little closer to medium than strong in regard to strength and taste, but I think it depends on how used to strong tobaccos you are. Burleys and Virginias work in darn near perfect harmony, and you can taste both in every single puff. There's a natural sweetness that was enhanced by being steam pressed, slight nuttiness, tart and/or slightly sour and tangy at times, with a light earthiness and smokiness, and the complexity works to its advantage. I didn't really get the fruitiness some have noted, except for maybe a little date note. There may be some flakes that are more complex, but not by a whole lot, and this gives you plenty enough as it is. It always smokes smoothly, and fairly evenly, and is tinned at the perfect moisture level with a decent nic-hit that gets stronger as you smoke along.
There are stronger tobaccos, and I'm glad this is not one of them. I find these burleys work better with the Virginias than other kinds of dark-fired ones; not too strong to knock you off your feet, and certainly not weak. The flavor is dialed to the proper level. Though I like quite a number of other tobaccos, I find myself craving this one at times, and when that happens, not a whole lot else will do.
Navy Flake:

One of the easiest flake blends to rub out without being dry, and one of the easiest burning flakes, too. A slight taste of rum with lots of sweet honey and fruit notes, and an occasional hit of hay and oats. The burley flavor is subdued a little and is more noticeable as you smoke it down. The sweet Virginia and cavendish taste compliments the casing of this blend. There's a very light spice/cinnamon flavor here and there that really helps to make this tobacco interesting to smoke. It's a mild all day smoke with flavor, leaves a very pleasant after taste and has a pleasing room note.
Vanilla Cream Loose Cut:

A creamy vanilla smoke that burns well and isn't so sweet that it overpowers the smoker. I get a little honey and very light fruit taste that adds a very mild balance to the mix. It has some black cavendish as you would expect a vanilla flavored tobacco to have. The Virginias act as a base to tame both the BC and the top note, not to add their normal characteristics. It's a mild all day smoke with not much complexity as by intentional design. I find it more palatable than stronger vanilla flavored blends. People will like to be around you when you smoke it, so expect to be social when you're out and about in public.
Virginia #1:

The first thing that hits you when you smoke this is a honey and sugar taste. After a few puffs, the citrus and grassy/hay flavor you expect from a mild dark gold Virginia broken flake makes itself known, and the honey flavor becomes a little less obvious. There's also a spice note that joins with a hit of toast to offset the sweetness with just enough tang to keep this from being one-dimensional. Not much nicotine involved here, nor is there supposed to be. This tobacco was designed for the all day smoker who just wants a pleasant smoking experience. It's also a nice lighter change of pace for one who prefers stronger, darker Virginias.
Scottish Blend Mixture:

Because it's a complex medium blend aromatic with a variety of flavors, I had to smoke a lot of it before gaging how to describe this one. I didn't mind doing that because the more I smoked it, the more I liked it. Sometimes the Kentucky in the blend is more evident than other times, but no matter how present it is or isn't, it relays a very tasty spice note that contrasts nicely with creamy flavors. I don't know what kind of liquor topping it has, but it's pleasant and compliments the mild sweetness of the blend with a fruit and honey taste. And the cavendish hints of a mild sweet taste that works well with the topping. The burley is choice, with a little nutty mild earthy touch. The Virginia is slightly sweet and woodsy, with perhaps a touch of citrus, and creates a solid base for the other flavors. Occasionally, one bowlful will taste a little different from another, but that's due to how you pack it, and whether or not one component is more present in your pipe than other times. I like that.
Plumcake:

A tasteful mixture with several flavors going on in the smoke. There's just enough latakia to add a slight smokey note. The rum flavoring is very mild, and is a team player with the dried fruit and plum taste. The burley is lightly sweet without the nutty flavor often found in the leaf. The Virginia is mild and lightly sweet, too, and is complimented by the cavendish. Some people claim this tingles your tongue, but I think that's a matter of individual body chemistry and/or poor smoking habits, e.g., puffing like a freight train. I just don't have that problem. It's a mild to medium semi-sweet blend to be savored for full enjoyment.
Dark Twist Roll Cake:

A rich, flavorful easy to pack coin cut mixture with a very slight honey and citrus taste complimented by a fig note or two. A third of the coins have dark spicy cavendish and some don't. Depending on how you rub out the coins or stack them, you can get a variety of flavors as you go down the bowl, or from bowl to bowl if you want that to happen. At times, I've stacked the coins so that every other coin has the spicy cavendish in it. Other times, I've rubbed it out and codger filled the bowl. No matter how I've done it, I've enjoyed it. One of the things I like about this is that the cavendish does not impart any essence of vanilla to disrupt the Virginia base. Btw, this is the same kind of light and mostly dark Virginias I've noticed in some other MacBaren blends like Scottish Mixture, though DTRC blend is fuller in taste and less sweeter, and has a different flavor profile. I really recommend smoking this in a pipe with a wide bowl for the full experience of what this unique mixture is all about.
HH Vintage Syrian:

This is a smooth and creamy latakia dominant blend, well balanced by the other ingredients. The Kentucky is noticeable here and there, and adds a pleasing burley note and a hint of spice that takes a back seat in the latter department to the Oriental and Turkish components. Quality light and dark Virginias give a solid base to the blend, adding the natural sweetness one would expect from them. I am surprised that a Balkan with this much latakia is not a lat-bomb, which works to the favor of my personal taste. Smokey and woodsy, it is like a better, bolder version of Gawith's Squadron Leader without the hay taste, a more pleasing naturally sweet Virginia base, and light spice. The components are well mixed, resulting in a consistent tasting mixture that burns even and cool. One match and you may finish without relighting. Made for smokers who want a semi-complex tasting creamy mild to medium English blend. You friends will smell it and think you've started a campfire in your den.
Three Nuns:

A little personal history is in order for this review. I've smoked Three Nuns since the early 1980s, and when it was no longer sold in the United States (1998), I started buying it from Switzerland. In 2003, Orlik licensed the rights to make Three Nuns from Imperial and when they did, they substituted Kentucky for perique, and did not announce the change. The only way to discover the change was to buy and open a tin, and discover what had happened. In the beginning, I even found some tins with no Kentucky at all.
Both blends had the light sweet and sour notes, but the spice and raisin notes from the perique were replaced by a mild to medium Kentucky flavor. I smoked that version for years, too, though I could never get over the disappointment of the change in the formula. I will say the second version improved greatly when aged, but it wasn't enough to make up for what was lost. I smoked it until June of 2013.
MacBaren licensed the rights to manufacture Three Nuns, and in the summer of 2013, began distributing it to the American market as well as for Europe. I was unhappy to discover they were using the Orlik formulation instead of the VaPer. However, I have now been smoking this new variant, and will relate my thoughts on the subject. There are differences between the new production and Orlik's product. The cut coins are a little bigger and more loosely spun. The Kentucky is generally more spread out in the coin rather than centered. The tobacco was fairly dry out of the tin, unlike previous versions, which had a slight moisture to them. The sour taste that was present in the earlier incarnations is very similar, but toned down a little. The sweetness is very slightly more prominent at times, which possibly comes from how the Kentucky is processed or perhaps there's a very light difference in the topping? This Kentucky is darker, fuller, a little more woodsy, and certainly spicier than what Orlik used, and is superior in every way. In fact, it's the same dark fired Kentucky MacBaren uses in several of their other blends. The Virginia is also darker than what was employed in previously made variants. Essentially, Three Nuns has gone from the original Bell's blend to being a MacBaren product that uses the Orlik recipe with their own tobaccos. The flavor profile is similar, but in a blind taste test, anyone who has smoked any of the previous versions could tell which was which. This is now a full fledged MacBaren product.
How I feel about it now is the main point of this analysis, being that this is a review of the MacBaren Three Nuns. I like it. Very much. It's good fresh out of the tin, and I expect it to age very well if left in these exceptionally sealed tins over the course of time. But smoking it fresh out of the tin will provide you with lots of enticing, satisfying flavors. I spent a fair amount of time comparing this to earlier productions, but judging the MacBaren Three Nuns on own merits - which are considerable - it's most certainly worth your money and time. I'm going to smoke and cellar it.

 

weezell

Lifer
Oct 12, 2011
13,653
49,163
Very good reviews Jim! I have 6 or 7 tins of the ODF that I have stashed away for ageing but have never smoked any of the blend. I see another open tin in the near future thanks to you...

 

batdemon

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 20, 2011
834
0
Well written reviews, as always. Mixture Scottish is one of my all time favorites and you nailed it in your review.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Here's my review of the latest MacBaren blend I have tried.
Roll Cake: One of the spicier MacBaren products on the market, with a very light honey topping. The spice comes from a generous helping of black cavendish which imparts a very slight vanilla flavor, too, though it's not noticeable in every puff, and when you do taste it, it's as soft as a lover's whisper. There is a light sweetness from the gold Virginia which acts more as a base for the black cavendish to play off. The burleys are minor players here, but they add a very mild earthy flavor, and slight sweet tone. This blend has some of the creaminess noted in MacBaren's Scottish Mixture with a lot more spice, and a bit less complexity. Burns slow, but evenly, and consistently. Though I rate it as medium in strength, and light on the nicotine, I would not consider this to be an all day smoke. I consider this to be a real sipping blend due to the spice content, so puff moderately. I find it very compatible with hot tea or coffee as a drink.

 

werdna

Can't Leave
Jun 6, 2013
360
2
I've bookmarked this thread for the future. Love reading your thoughts on MacB blends. I hope you get around to reviewing Golden Extra, a standard in my rotation, and a long time global favorite. Thanks for your work.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
MacBaren HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed:

My thoughts about this blend are similar to what I had to say about the flake version, with a couple of exceptions. While this is easier to pack because it's a ready rubbed tobacco, it seemed to me that the burley was slightly less stronger than it is in the flake version. It may be that the tobacco slightly changed because more of it is exposed to air in the processing of it. The difference is minor, but I did notice it.
Here's my original review of the flake version, which mostly mirrors my view of the ready rubbed:
This is my favorite MacBaren blend. For my tastes, it's a little closer to medium than strong in regard to strength and taste, but I think it depends on how used to strong tobaccos you are. Burleys and Virginias work in darn near perfect harmony, and you can taste both in every single puff. There's a natural sweetness that was enhanced by being steam pressed, slight nuttiness, tart and/or slightly sour and tangy at times, with a light earthiness and smokiness, and the complexity works to its advantage. I didn't really get the fruitiness some have noted, except for maybe a little date note. There may be some flakes that are more complex, but not by a whole lot, and this gives you plenty enough as it is. It always smokes smoothly, and fairly evenly, and is tinned at the perfect moisture level with a decent nic-hit that gets stronger as you smoke along.
There are stronger tobaccos, and I'm glad this is not one of them. I find these burleys work better with the Virginias than other kinds of dark-fired ones; not too strong to knock you off your feet, and certainly not weak. The flavor is dialed to the proper level. Though I like quite a number of other tobaccos, I find myself craving this one at times, and when that happens, not a whole lot else will do.

 

gray4lines

Part of the Furniture Now
Nov 6, 2012
679
2
KY
The more MacBaren blends I try, the more I am impressed with them! Will have to try the Scottish blend... I have 1lb of it!

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Thanks. I was told I would get more MacBaren blends to review in the near future, and of course, will post them here.

 

jservant98

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 19, 2013
208
0
Southern Oregon
Thanks for the reviews Jim, I am curious of how you will review MacBaren Honey and Chocolate. I am smoking it right now. It is not exactly what you would expect especially in the arena of being sweet. 8O

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Jservant98: I will let you know, that is, if it's one I get to review. I have no idea what will be sent and since Honey and Chocolate - which I've never tried - is being discontinued, I might not get that one.

 

petes03

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
6,212
10,653
The Hills of Tennessee
Great reviews Jim! I've had several of those blends, Navy Flake and Roll Cake are favorites of mine, Dark Twist is a decent blend but not really a favorite. I just got a tin of HH Vintage Syrian a few days ago, and though I've only had one or two bowls so far, I can say with confidence that it will soon be near the top of Mac Baren list!

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Petes03: I like the Vintage Syrian blend quite a bit. Smooth and rather creamy for an English.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Here's my review of MacBaren Symphony:
It's mainly burley and black cavendish with a little Virginia. I taste almost no chocolate from the burley, but I do get some of its natural sweetness, and very light nuttiness. The Virginia is a minor player in the drama, unlike the cavendish which makes its presence constantly known, and amplifies the other sweet notes. The light hay notes come from the Virginia. There's a little spice note, too, and the barest hint of honey lurking in the back ground on occasion. It burns well and even for a broken flake, and doesn't need much relighting. No goop or bitterness either. It's a good sipping blend, which I recommend doing considering the amount of burley and cavendish in the mix.
I've smoked both a fresh sample and a thirty-five year old sample. The aging effect is simply amazing. It's much more spicier and sweeter, like the fresh version on steroids. If you can be patient and give this blend some aging time (you don't have to wait 35 years), you'll be rewarded with an even better smoke.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,923
Here's my review of MacBaren Golden Extra:

It's a little nutty with light chocolate notes, and the barest touch of honey. The Virginia acts mainly as a cooling base to contrast and smooth out the burley. Burns well and even, and tastes even better when you sip it and don't puff away like a train. It's kind of light in strength, but it's designed to be that way. A pleasant, uncomplicated mild to medium sweet blend that doesn't tire you out from repeated smokes during the day.

 

ravkesef

Lifer
Aug 10, 2010
2,912
9,179
81
Cheshire, CT
As always, Jim, your reviews are concise, to the point, and thorough. When I read one of your reviews, I know in advance what I'm going to get, and have a fair idea of whether I will like the tobacco or not.

 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
I think Jim has one of the most talented palates in the hobby. Of those tobaccos that I've tasted, he is not only spot-on

in his descriptions, but he picks up nuances that go over my head the first time through. Nice writing too. :clap:

 

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
No kidding, Cortez. Jim's reviews of tobaccos are a true pleasure to read and while I don't care for aromatics I do appreciate good writing. I have Vintage Syrian cellared and have tried Scottish Mixture, Plumcake and Symphony. His comments are dead on.
When somebody can take something as esoteric as this hobby of ours and lay it out so definitively in a workingman's language I'm always grateful.
Trailboss, I loved the Paul Hogan Foster's ad and I do get the humor. But it still pisses me off - just a little bit. Australia makes terrific wines and I'd stack a bottle of Penfolds Grange against some of the best vineyards in France. The majority of the wines we drink in our house are from Australia, Argentina and Chile. They're affordable for every day drinking and wine, in my mind, should be an ever day occurrence.
Fnord

 

petes03

Lifer
Jun 23, 2013
6,212
10,653
The Hills of Tennessee
Jim, I'm always on the lookout for a good Burley. I've had Mac B Burley London, which is pretty good with some age on it. The Golden Extra sounds nice, I think I might have to add a couple of tins to my next TAD!
I really enjoy your Mac Baren reviews! Mac B blends make up a good portion of my rotation and cellar, it's always nice to hear someone else's opinion on them to compare to my own. While I don't think my tastes are quite as developed as yours, I pretty much agree with most all of your reviews.

Keep em' coming Jim!
Dan

 
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