Mac Baren Original Flake, whose name has likely been changed from “Walnut” to adhere to EU tobacco laws, is part of Mac Baren’s St. Bruno line, which was long-produced by Ogden’s. It is available in a pouch at an OTC. I purchased mine from the very fine shop in Edinborough, The Pipe Shop, but IIRC, it was also sometimes available at supermarkets. I wish I’d bought a whole lot more, since I live in the USA, where this tobacco is not sold at present. As far as I can tell, it is only sold in the UK, which is unfortunate, since UK tobacconists no longer ship to the USA. If I get desperate, though, I’ll enlist the help of a UK-based friend to ship some to me. As a side note, folks in the UK are fortunate to have several excellent blends sold as OTC pouch blends. Like in the USA, most, if not all, are somewhat aromatic, but not in the Captain Black vein. These are aromatic in the British sense, like Condor and St. Bruno.
Like all Mac Baren flakes, it is a beautifully-formed, thin flake which is perfect for foldind and stuffing. Here’s in the USA, I know of no flake tobaccos sold in a pouch, so it was interesting to see how this was packaged. Inside the pouch is a small plastic tray with a foil cover which is adhered to the tray. After an hour of so of drying, the flakes are ready to smoke. I use a fold and stuff method with these, which produces a lengthy, cool smoke. My group 4 Dunhill shell took two flakes, but I triimmed a bit of excess, some of which was then used as kindling on top.
As others have noted, it’s definitely in the St.Bruno family in terms of flavor, but for me, the reduced floral aspects (allegedly from the tobacco and not a topping) make it more to my liking. It’s a delightful smoke with a pleasant room note. If it produces any sort of ghost, it will be short-lived and probably enjoyable. Looking at the reviews on tobaccoreviews.com is perplexing. In particular, Steve Fallon’s description of a cold campfire seems odd. His review is quite old, however. Maybe the Mac Baren version is very different. Never having smoked the Ogden’s version myself, I can only speculate.
