I rewrote my original reviews of the five Mac Baren blends that are now made by STG. Below each one is a review of the current STG versions in this post and the one below it.
Mac Baren Capstan Original Navy Cut:
The bright and more obvious dark Virginias provide plenty of tart and more tangy citrus, earth, wood, grass, sugar, floralness, some darker fruit, earth, wood, mild vegetation, and light spice. Has a very mild sugary citrus casing. The strength is a step below the medium mark, and the taste level is medium. The nic-hit is a step past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh, and has light rough edges. The mildly moist flakes easily break apart to suit your preference. A rather uncomplicated blend that burns cool, clean and smooth with a very consistent flavor at a slow pace. Requires a few relights. Leaves very little dampness in the bowl. Has a very pleasant short lived after taste and room note. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars out of four.
@Jim Amash 2025.
STG Capstan Original Navy Cut:
The Mac Baren Capstan flakes had a few yellow Va. streaks, but this version has a little more of them mixed with the brown Va. The Virginias provide a lot of exceptionally tart citrus, floralness, bitter sour lemon, bread, vegetative grass/hay, acidity, a little sugar, very mild earth and wood, light darker fruit, and spice. The brown Va. tastes more like darkened orange Va. to me now. It offers secondary support to the youthful brighter Va. The citrus is more like one would expect from brighter Virginias than darker Virginias, and has more acrid acidity. The darker fruit notes are only slightly present here as opposed to before. The sugary citrus casing is similar, but not quite the same. It’s a touch less obvious, but that may due the different Virginias instead of less being added. It’s a bit rougher and puffing beyond a moderate pace may result in light harshness due to the bright Virginia. It’s a tad closer to Capstan Gold than it is to the original Blue Navy Cut due to the change in Virginias. I do sense mild echoes of the original flavor at times. The strength is now a slot past medium.. Even though the taste level is a couple of notches stronger, it lacks a little of the depth of the original. The nic-hit is now a rung below medium. Has a very sharp, bitterly sour and sweet, floral, acidic, mildly spicy flavor that extends to the moderately lasting after taste. The sharp, floral room notes are strong. Not an all day smoke. I don’t recommend a big bowl for this blend. The other aspects are the same as the previous version. It should benefit with some age. Two and half stars out of four for this production.
©Jim Amash 2025.
Mac Baren Mixture Scottish Blend:
Sometimes, the spicy, woody, earthy, nutty, floral, barbecue-like Kentucky in the blend is more evident than other times, but no matter how present it is or isn't, it relays that spice note that contrasts nicely with creamy flavors. The bready burley is a little nutty with a mild earthy, woody, sugar, and creamy molasses as a supporting player. The lighter Virginias are mildly tart and tangy citrusy, grassy, bready, sugary, floral, spicy, lightly earthy and woodsy as they create a solid base for the other flavors. In the background is the matured Virginia, which adds a little fermented lightly sugary, tangy dark fruit, bread, sugar, wood, earth, floralness and a pinch of spice. The honey-ish gold cavendish supplies mild tart and tangy citrus, bread, sugar, grass, floralness, and spice. It’s a slot above the condiment line. The sugary, creamy black cavendish helps tame a few of rough edges in a small way. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. The nic-hit just passes that center. The taste level barely touches the medium threshold. Won’t get harsh. Has a few rough notes. Some people experience a little bite, and others don’t. I recommend a moderate smoking cadence. Burns fairly cool and very clean at a reasonable pace with an inconsistent sweet, fruity, nutty, earthy, grassy, spicy, mildly floral, creamy flavor that extends to the pleasant after taste. The room note is pleasant. Requires few relights, and leaves very little dampness in the bowl. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars out of four.
@Jim Amash 2025.
STG Mixture Scottish Blend:
The various Virginias provide some tart and tangy citrus, vegetative grass, bread, honey, sugar, floralness, spice, light spice, earth and wood. The blend is fragrantly floral with a little more honey, sugar, and is mildly fruitier. I believe those aspects come from the Virginias. The earthy, woody, floral, vegetative, spicy, nutty, herbal, lightly sour barbecue-like dark fired Kentucky is a tad more noticeable this time. The burleys supply a modest amount of nuts, earth, wood, and sugary molasses as supporting players. The sugary, creamy black cavendish plays around the same level as before. The fruity, sugary toppings are a little stronger with a light astringency and mild syrup. The tobaccos are a little more toned down in this production as a result of that. This version is more aromatic whereas the older Scottish Blend was close to being a semi-aromatic. There are some flavor aspects of the original present despite the different sourcing of tobaccos and toppings. The strength is a step past the medium threshold. The taste is a couple of notches past that mark. The nic-hit is a slot below medium. It’s sharper, a little more rough, and may tingle the tongue if you puff fast. I did not experience any bite. The mixture is moister this time. It burns cool and slow with an inconsistent sweet, fruity, floral, nutty, spicy, creamy, mildly syrupy, slightly sour, acidic flavor that extends to the lingering after taste. The room note is sharp, sweet and floral, and a little pungent. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a couple more than an average number of relights. May be an all day smoke for some smokers. I don’t recommend more than a medium bowl at best for this one. Will ghost a briar, and possibly a meer in time. Two stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025.
Mac Baren Navy Flake:
The burleys offer plenty of nuts, bread, earth, wood, sugar, light molasses and oats as the lead components. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy. lightly tangy dark fruit, earthy, woody, bready, floral, sugary, stewed fruity, mildly honeyish Va.s are supporting players. The fruity, sugary, earthy, woody black Virginia cavendish is a couple of notches above the condiment line. Mac Baren claimed that only a tiny amount of rum is present, but I think it’s a little stronger than that. They also said that no honey has been added, so that essence apparently comes from the Virginias. I sense a pinch of cinnamon for some reason. The toppings moderately tone down the varietals. The strength and taste levels are medium. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium. Won't bite or get harsh. Has a few light rough notes. The flakes are mildly moist, and are easy to manipulate to suit your preference. Well balanced, it burns cool, clean, and a tad slow with a mostly consistent sweet, fruity, nutty, lightly floral, spicy flavor that extends to the pleasantly lasting after taste and room notes. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Can be an all day smoke. Four stars out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025
STG Navy Flake:
The rough, youthful, astringent bright Virginias in the Virginia mix are highly floral, very sour, and acidic with more tarter citrus. They are the lead components now as a result of the change of the brights. The burleys seem the same though they are supporting players now. The black Virginia cavendish seems to have the same effect, too, and is in the same position as before. The rum topping is a little stronger and not the same one used by Mac Baren. It has light alcohol notes. Unless honey is a topping or casing (which Mac Baren claimed it wasn’t), I assume the honey notes come from the bright Va.s and are lightly more obvious now. The varietals are more toned down as a result of the rum. The version is a little heftier. There are some echoes of the original here despite the changes in sourcing of the tobaccos and toppings. The strength is a step shy of the center of medium to strong. The taste is a notch past that mark. The nic-hit is medium. It’s much harsher and rougher than before. The flakes are mildly moist, and the burn rate is the same as before. The overall flavor is more bitterly sour than fruity sweet, very fragrantly (almost perfume-like) floral, nutty, spicy, and acridly acidic. The after taste and room notes are strong and unpleasant. Leaves little moisture in the bowl. Requires a couple more than an average number of relights. Not an all day smoke. I don’t recommend a big bowl for this one. One star out of four.
©Jim Amash 2025.
