MacBaren Tobacos

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acadianangler

Lurker
Apr 14, 2014
13
0
Hello all.I just have a question about the cuts of tobacco .Borkum Riff for example i put it right in my pipe.Now the MacBaren scottish mixture is more stringy and longer. Should I cut the tobacco and make smaller? or smoke as is.

Thanks

 

papipeguy

Lifer
Jul 31, 2010
15,778
35
Bethlehem, Pa.
No need to alter it. It is a very nice blend. With ribbon blends I use the twist method to pack. I take a bit in my palm and twist the pipe over it, I've been using this method for a couple of years and it has worked very well with the majority of my blends. Also, smoke the Macbaren blends slowly. That is the key to enjoying them otherwise they can bite you if you are an aggressive smoker. Good luck.

 

settersbrace

Lifer
Mar 20, 2014
1,565
5
I smoke a lot of ribbon cut and I use either the 3 step pack or Hanna's "air pocket" method which is similar to the above suggestion. What you do not want to do is over pack or make your initial fill too tight. In a medium sized bowl for example I'll gravity fill then use my pinky to press or pack to about the half full point. Gravity fill again, pack to 2/3 full, anther pinch to just overfilling and then I kind of twist and pack with my finger. Is it perfect? No, but I get by with few relights and if I take time to dry it to almost crunchy, I smoke down to all white ash in the heel, no wet blob of ribbon cut dottle in my pipes. The air pocket method works best for ME in a larger bowl and it's a fabulous smoking experience if I've done it right. There seems to be very little wiggle room with how tight the plug is formed but I'm fairly inexperienced with it and am still experimenting.

 

saltedplug

Lifer
Aug 20, 2013
5,194
5,097
Most MacBaren blends I've smoked bite, Old Dark Fired and their Navy Flake the exceptions. I wish I could smoke more of their tobaccos as I like their tastes.

 

easterntraveler

Part of the Furniture Now
Dec 29, 2012
805
11
I probably have more MacBaren blends then any other company stock piled. HH Vintage Syrian was my first Latakia and HH Old Dark Fire was my first Virgina.

 

judcole

Lifer
Sep 14, 2011
7,150
32,942
Detroit
Most MacBaren blends I've smoked bite,
MacBaren recommends packing their blends a bit more loosely than you might otherwise.And, of course, watch your technique - sip, sip.
 

mrenglish

Lifer
Dec 25, 2010
2,220
72
Columbus, Ohio
The only regular Mac Baren product I can smoke is their Navy Flake. Everything else and its fried tongue city. Figured its a chemistry thing. The HH blends though, for some reason, offer up no bite at all.

 

ruger414

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 25, 2014
198
0
United States
@thebigragu: Sorry this is a bit late, but I didn't get a chance to smoke last night. Anyways, here's the review:
Upon opening the tin I was hit with a combination of scents I hadn't smelled before. Plumcake is mostly made up of red Virginias, but also has a small amount of Latakia that gives it a unique tin note. Sweet from the rum casing, but with a slight undertone of the smokey/bbq scent of the Latakia.
The tobacco lit wonderfully and I smoked almost half the bowl in a large pipe with out a relight. I smoked this blend in both a large meerschaum and a small bulldog today and I would have to say that I prefer it in the bulldog. I'm not sure if it was because of the briar or that fact that it was a much smaller bowl, but in the bulldog the nuances in flavor were much more present. Like most aromatics, it did not taste how it smelled, but the flavour was not bad. It was a light smoke with a slightly sweet taste from the Rum and a heavy undertone from the Latakia.
While I rarely inhale my tobacco, upon my first smoke of a new blend I like to inhale at least once to see if I can detect any new flavors. With this tobacco: WOW! When I was sipping it tasted pretty good, but on inhaling the flavor of plums and rum came through in the back of my throat and it changed the entire dynamic of the smoke.
The room note was sweet but not sickly sweet like many other aromatics and I found that the Latakia was faint enough to not make it unpleasant for the girlfriend (I always ask her opinion of new smokes hoping that someday I'll find one she isn't repulsed by :| ). She likes this one! More than any of the other tobaccos I smoke at least (they mostly tend to be English blends as I usually avoid aromatics).
Anyways, I hope the review was helpful and as I'm about to send this post I'm breaking out the tin for a third bowl... :puffy:

 

pipejunky

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 16, 2014
210
2
Nice review ruger414 .Once a month I hit J&R'S Cigar and i have fondled a tin of Plumcake trying to make my mine up but left it on the shelf.Next time I'll give it a go, thanks

 

ruger414

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 25, 2014
198
0
United States
Ranger: Thanks! The positive feedback is very much appreciated :puffy:
thebigragu: That sounds really interesting, I'll have to check it out!

 

settersbrace

Lifer
Mar 20, 2014
1,565
5
Ruger14, your review caught me by surprise and it was a pleasant one at that. Reading your take on Plumcake as a confessed English mixture enthusiast leaves me really wanting to give it shot. I actually had a tin in my hand the other day while on a TAD run at my B&M and put it back thinking I really didn't want to be disappointed because it's technically an aromatic. I've got to get past this type of pre-judgement in tobacco selection and your review may have been the nudge I needed. Thanks! ;-)

 
May 3, 2010
6,423
1,461
Las Vegas, NV
I've had Plumcake. Didn't enjoy it at all. The Latakia came through too pronounced for me and I'm not a fan of Latakia. Also, as an aromatic fan the rum casing didn't come through enough for me.
I do like other Mac Baren blends though. I love their Seven Seas line. I've also enjoyed Navy Flake, Club Blend, Vanilla Cream (loose cut and flake), and Black Ambrosia.

 

twangthang

Can't Leave
Sep 15, 2012
358
44
I am not a huge fan of Latvia or aromatics, but I really enjoy Plumcake.

I find the l atakia is very balanced and it is not a sickly sweet aromatic.

one of my go to mild smokes.

 

smeigs

Lifer
Jun 26, 2012
1,049
7
no need to change the tobacco. Scottish blend is a pretty tasty blend and I smoke it often. Your packing method may be a bit different with different cuts of tobacco. But that just takes experience and some trial and error to figure out how to pack different blends. For example, I pack my flakes different then my normal ribbon cut tobaccos. And if you get into any of the "dry" blends such as most of the D&R tobaccos, you will have to pack them different as well due to the fact that they are extremely dry and light. Just leave your blend like it is and smoke it up! Good luck.

 
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