Luxury Bullseye Flake, a Muted Disappointment

[smokeybear]

I am really loving the Mac Baren Roll Cake right now, but i bought this tinned already aged 3 1/2 years i just hope it tastes good fresh but i will be buying more to age for sure.
I believe its a Va/Bur blend and it is heavenly.

 

[phred]

Always fun to read such divergent opinions. For me, LBF was one of those "wow" smokes - but LNF was a "muted disappointment" the first time I tried it. Taking notes on other Va/Per blends to try next...

 

[Perique]

Phred, don't give up on LNF. Let it age. Come back to it. My first bowl of LNF was just "ok". But over time it became one of my favorites.

 

[rmbittner]

Smokeybear:
Not to resurrect a dead thread, but I just smoked a single bowl of MacBaren Roll Cake and was really surprised. For me, it started out with a strong burley presence, then, halfway down the bowl, exploded into sweetness. I couldn't believe how sweet this got. (Due, I'm sure, to the sweetened cavendish.) I did rub out the coins, so that may account for why the "explosion" didn't happen until the midway point.
FWIW, though, I can tell you that while an older version of Roll Cake apparently contained perique (judging from older reviews I've read), if there's any perique at all in the current version -- and SmokingPipes doesn't list it in their tin description -- it is a tiny, tiny pinch. I don't believe it's there at all, and I'm extremely sensitive to perique.
Nonetheless, it's a very interesting and even delicious blend, and I'm glad I've found it.
Bob

 

[smokeybear]

Bob its funny you mentioned it that way as that is the exact experience i have every time while smoking roll cake. its starts off a robust Burley and exactly half way down (every time) the aged Virginia and Cavendish Just EXPLODE!! I figured you would catch this.
However the experience isn't as crazy with a fresh tin, the sample i sent was aged 3-1/2 years so i suggest if you like it you need to get on aging this stuff.
Andrew

 

[phred]

Phred, don't give up on LNF. Let it age. Come back to it. My first bowl of LNF was just "ok". But over time it became one of my favorites.

Funny this thread should pop back up - I've smoked a couple more bowls of cube-cut LNF, and it's definitely an improvement over my first impression. I still prefer LBF, though. :D

 

[rmbittner]

I have to share an update. (That'll teach me to judge a blend from a single bowl...)
After two more bowls of Roll Cake, I'm now convinced that there is a dash of perique in this blend. But it's a tiny quantity, and one I can handle okay. Kinda the "training wheels" version of a blend with perique. But after several bowls, its presence does build up a bit.
That said, I'm still enjoying it. At first light: burley and perique. Then, as I've said, midway down the bowl, the sweet cavendish and -- to a much lesser extent for me -- the Virginias come through. I'm not sure I'd make this a regular smoke, but it is very much worth checking out.
Bob

 

[smokeybear]

ya it isnt a regular for me either i have to be in the mood for it, and in the mood to work through the perique in the beginning. thats when i find its prone to biting the most. the bottom half of the bowl i think it is a reward for a bowl well smoked.