About Mac Baren tobaccos

kaan · Nov 20, 2015

Hi everyone, i just started smoking (trying to smoke!) pipe after i have smoked cigarettes for 15 years. I have bought 2 packs of Mac Barens Bronze and Silver while buying my first 2 pipes. Are those two tobaccos classified as aromatics? I smoked them two and bronze one didn't suit me well (biting my beginner tongue more) and i am curious about their general quality amongst other brands/models and about their classification.
Thanks in advance

Best Regards

Kaan

rblood · Nov 20, 2015

Welcome Kaan, yes these are both aros. Bronze is a Vanilla and Silver is cocoa / fruity to my taste. Mac Baren produces some mighty fine blends and these two certainly have their fans.
Don't smoke enough aros to guide you on where to go next if aros are to your taste, but I can tell you that the Mac Baren HH line (non-aros) are among the best out there (HH Old Dark Fired and HH Bold Kentucky are my personal favorites).
Good luck on the journey, and I am sure several of the good folks here will offer some input on some good aros to try.

deathmetal · Nov 20, 2015

Mac Baren is good quality; whether they're good blends is another question.
I would try something different. Among other things, Burley is less likely to bite than Virginias.
Consider Lane BL/WB for an aro or a delicious powerhouse like Old Joe Krantz.

landofnone · Nov 20, 2015

They are indeed aromatics, aromatics are very moist and they need to be left out to dyed for an hour or less, give or take, solely depends on humid conditions. When tobacco is too moist they can bite you. I can't comment on the quality of the tobacco as i am new to pipe smoking, but i am sure the good members of this forum can can aid you in the right direction.
A warm welcome to Pipe Magazine, You are going to love this place, people here are very helpful, thoughtful and generous.

aldecaker · Nov 20, 2015

I can only relate my one experience with MacBarens. I avoided them for a long time due to their reputation as being very bitey blends. Since I like Navy flakes in general, I gave their version a try anyway. It was indeed very bitey; uncomfortably so. I gave it a fair chance; wet, dry, folded, rubbed out. After all, 3.5 ounces is a fair amount of tobacco to go through. I liked the flavor, but decided it was not worth the unpleasantness. I believe the tobacco quality is good, I just didn't like the way it was prepared. Keep trying different blends, you will come across ones that taste good and don't bite you.
Welcome aboard.

northernneil · Nov 20, 2015

rblood has the right idea. MacBaren's HH line of tobaccos is top notch. I'm personally a huge fan of the Acadian Perique blend.
No experience with their aro's.

mustanggt · Nov 20, 2015

I will not smoke anything outside of the MacBaren HH line. The rest bit like a junkyard dog. If you would like to stay with aros give GL Pease Virginia Cream a try. I don't like aros but this one is very nice. Be cognizant of your cadence and you can minimize bite.

kaan · Nov 20, 2015

Thank you very much for those advises. I am a cigarette smoker and i roll my cigarettes with golden virginia tobacco for years. So i want to start my pipe journey with non aromatic ones and maybe smoke aromatics once in a while. In Turkey we dont have much choice, we can only find pipe tobaccos unillegally from tobacco shops

I ended up buying a can of Petersen and Sorensen's 34th mixture today because my local shop had ran out of stock of other brands. Some Dunhills will arrive soon though.
We are lucky to have the best meerschaum in the world and have chance to experience such exotic things like the waterpipe but dont have a culture about pipe smoking. So will be in touch, here is an absolutely modest and fantastic community, thank you guys.
Kaan

kaan · Nov 20, 2015

By the way, meerschaum's Turkish name is lule tasi (pronounced as liu-leh tashe) which means "puff stone"

mso489 · Nov 20, 2015

Just to second the motions, I had trouble with two or three Mac Barens blends, aromatics that burnt my mouth. Later I tried the MacB's HH blends, non-aromatics. I find them full strength and rich tasting with no bite. They are a whole different experience. In fairness to MacB's, I should say that most aromatics burn me. I guess I'm just sensitive to the fumes of the flavorings. Worst are holiday flavorings like cinnamon, ginger, and pine, but even vanilla and caramel and rum nip some. On the other hand, some fairly strong leaf and blends like C&D Billy Budd and Old Joe Krantz, and Semois variant burley don't bother me at all.

kaan · Nov 20, 2015

That makes us two! I have been smoking pipe with Mac Barens once a day, that i mentioned above and i am pretty sure that i dont overheat the pipes and i let a pipe dry down for a day, as i dont airate those tobaccos, they bite me a lot. I wake up in the middle of the night with a mouth dry like desert, no saliva and my tongue cant slip in through my mouth. I am doing something terribly wrong but i dont know what it is.

peteguy · Nov 20, 2015

Welcome to the forum. I don't smoke McBaren's anything because the few I tried bit the heck out of me as well. I have read lots of great things about the HH line so that may be an option for you. If the Dunhill stuff arrives you should grab that or look for any of the Gawith blends.

newbroom · Nov 20, 2015

Welcome to the forums kaan.

Seems like you have a good idea to smoke a pipe and you may end up like myself and stop using cigarettes.

Your mouth and tongue should adjust as you 'progress' in the use of pipes and pipe tobacco.

Good luck finding some decent pipe tobaccos and learning to best enjoy them!

hawke · Nov 20, 2015

Welcome!

judcole · Nov 20, 2015

Welcome to the forums. MacBaren advises to pack their blends more loosely then you might.
That being said, I concur on the HH series - I currently have 4 - Vintage Syrian, Latakia Flake,Pure Virginia, and ODF - in rotation, as well as some Mixture (Scottish blend). VS is an old fave; LF, a newer one, and PV is very nice indeed. ODF is tasty,but probably won't get a regular spot in my rotation.

Golden Extra is also worth your consideration, and I have enjoyed The Solent Mixture, as well.

skraps · Nov 21, 2015

Welcome to the forum.
I'll echo what Jud said. Obviously their HH line is great, but I have a special place in my heart for Golden Extra. Great flavor, decent kick to it, and a good room note to boot. I personally think that Golden Extra is a great blend for someone transitioning from cigarettes.

jeepnewbie · Nov 21, 2015

Welcome to the forums Kaan. You have been given quite a bit of good advice, good luck on the journey.

kaan · Nov 21, 2015

You all are great, thank you very much for all those advices. I ve wrote down all those brands and will give them a chance if i can find them. Tonight i smoked petersen and sorensen 34th mixture, i smoked half a bowl twice with two of my pipes, no bite and i am happy even though i didnt like that tobacco that much. I had lit it easily and each half bowl gave me 30-40 minutes. Fantastic success for me!!!
Today i have ordered my third pipe, an apple meerschaum by AMP (Altinok), pre coloured with beeswax and i dont want to smoke it with tobaccos that i have in my stash. Will wait for a good one from my local shop. Thank you guys.

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