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Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired – Hot Pressed Pipe Tobacco

Kevin Godbee
Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired

PipesMagazine.com has been given the exclusive sneak-peek at the new Mac Baren pipe tobacco that will be introduced at the up-coming Chicagoland Int’l Pipe & Tobacciana Show. Mac Baren traditionally makes their big debut of new tobacco blends at the "Chicago Pipe Show" every year. (This year’s show is May 5 & 6 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL.) For 2012, Mac Baren will be introducing: HH Old Dark Fired – Hot Pressed Pipe Tobacco.

Per Georg Jensen, Mac Baren Product Manager (and all-around Mac Baren Evangelist), tells Pipes Magazine; "’English Tobaccos’ are typically thought of as tobacco blends that contain Latakia. This is not always correct. To us, English Tobaccos are those made using the old-style English production methods. The new HH Old Dark Fired does not contain Latakia, but we consider it an English blend as it is made using the steam press. The tobaccos marry faster and in a completely different way than what we normally produce. In short, they alter the taste. This blend is a heavy/strong tobacco with a lot of vitamin N. The smoking ability is a smooth, round taste without any bite. You can taste the smoke notes from the dark fired Kentucky. This tobacco should satisfy the smokers of heavy English flakes … you really feel the smoke. Old Dark Fired is the first chapter of the new English legacy…"

Product description from the back side label:

Mac Baren HH Old Dark-Fired –

"A bold flake of dark-fired burleys in a well balanced unity with Flue-cured Virginias. This flake is Hot Pressed, meaning that during the pressing, heat is added by steam to the tobaccos which causes the tobacco to intensify the marrying process giving us a bolder tobacco. The robust, earthly flavour of the dark-fired burleys shines through in the taste, and you will experience a deeply satisfying smoke indeed."

Traditionally, when Mac Baren releases their new tobaccos at the Chicago Show, they have the first 500 tins available for sale at their tables. The tins are collector’s items as they are hand-numbered and signed by Per Jensen himself. The Mac Baren tables are usually found at the back, right side of the hall. The photo below is of Frank Blews (of Philips & King, Mac Baren’s U.S. distributor) and Per Jensen at the 2011 Chicago Show where they introduced HH Highland Blend.

 

Kevin Godbee is the Publisher & Editor in Chief of Pipes Magazine. Kevin started smoking pipes and cigars in 1998 and started an online cigar magazine & community site in 2005. (The site was acquired in 2008 and no longer exists.) He launched PipesMagazine.com in 2009, and in less than three years the site has become the largest trafficked pipe smoking related site, and the #1 Source for Pipes and Pipe Tobacco Information.

In the beginning of his career, Kevin worked in the hobby and specialty toy business for 16 years in sales, marketing, advertising and product development for three different manufacturers, and with his own company.

Over the last 10 years working in the online business, he has become an expert in Internet Marketing and SEO. Kevin is a Certified Master Tobacconist (CMT) through Tobacconist University, a member of Cigar Rights of America and is a "Media Member" of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association. In his spare time he sings, plays guitar, cooks, and enjoys all the wonderful places to go and things to do in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg, Florida where he lives in his penthouse bachelor pad. Kevin has been smoking pipes and cigars for 14 years.

 




6 Responses

  • Can’t wait! The HH Mature VA is one of my all time favorite smokes and this one sounds like it will suite my tastes as well.

  • Interesting. Sounds like Mac Baren’s answer to Edgeworth Sliced and other burley-slice type of tobaccos. Awesome!

  • Probably tastes great, but I am betting it will be too high in Vitamin N for this self-professed nic wuss.

  • I just posted this to the MacBaren site:
    =====
    Hi Mr. Jensen,
    I picked up the new HH Old Dark Fired at the Chicago show. Thank you for attending that again this year and a big THANK YOU for such a wonderful offering!
    I am especially susceptible to Burley bite, but my experience with the HH series assured me that there would be none. I post this to confirm that and to say:
    THIS WILL BECOME KNOWN AS A CLASSIC.
    Deep, rich, bold and fully satisfying. This will become a regular for me, and I am sure I won’t be alone. This is not your grandfather’s burley! Your introduction of this as an “english blend” is spot on.
    All the best!
    =====
    Everybody should try this. This is burley for the British Isles. One warning – don’t smoke it on an empty stomach!

  • Old Dark Fired is the best blend I’ve smoked in a long time. I like a good dose of nicotine without being overpowering. One word description of this blend ; Strong. Bold smoky flavor and a good amount of Nicotine in blend that lights easy, stays lit, smokes smooth and has no bite to speak of.
    If I havent made it clear, I quite like it.

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