Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia - Turning Over a New Leaf

[brownbilliard]

Early on in my pipe smoking days I vividly remember disliking Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia. This struck me as odd because I really liked all of the other pure Virginia flakes I had smoked up to that point. Regardless - I put it away in a mason jar and proceeded to forget about it for about five years.

Fast forward to this week - I decided to give it another try.... and I loved it! I'm not sure if its because of the aging or because my palette has evolved but now I find it hard to believe I ever disliked it in the first place. Upon further inspection, I noticed that this flake is made up of a wide variety of different Virginia's including the red variety - something I've noticed in many of the blends I tend to dislike. Usually the more red Virginia, the more I dislike the blend. I also noticed that some of these tobacco's are flue cured, something I'm not very familiar with. I'm hoping some of you can help me understand how this process affects the smoking experience.

My main question is - what are some blends you initially disliked and then later discovered you enjoyed or loved? I'm still hesitant to try those red Virginia heavy blends again but now I'm thinking I should just in case I end up liking some of them after all.

 

[macaroni]

. . . I vividly remember disliking Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia . . . .

Fast forward to this week - I decided to give it another try.... and I loved it! . . .

My main question is - what are some blends you initially disliked . . . .

I'm having the same experience with slightly different time lines with my HH pure Va (stored for 2 years not 5, and happily smoking HH Pure Va plus all other VA's for the last 3-4 months! My burley's and Lat's are feeling ignored! LOL

But I can't get enough of that "bready" flavor! My wife even commented about something smelling like baked cinnamon rolls, while I smoked a (non-aro) VA recently
kindly
mik

 

[romaso]

My understanding is that Flue-cured means the tobacco is dried in a heated barn, which dries it more quickly, preserving the natural sugars, and also often keeping the tobacco lighter. Further maturing can darken the leaves as can other processes like stoving (baking) or steaming.

Virginias age very well. I age my favorite blend, Mac Baren Vanilla Cream, and it smooths out the Virginias, which can be a bit harsh when new. My current open batch is 8 years old.

My understanding and experience also says that pressing the blend improves the flavor, maybe by maturing it faster.

Its good to give a sample a fair trial, in different pipes at different times. And a long time ago I was told that if I didn't like a blend to toss it in a jar and try it in a year.

I go back and forth on some blends, mostly dependent on level of sweetness.

The HH Virginia Flake is a great blend.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My understanding is that Flue-cured means the tobacco is dried in a heated barn,

It used to be, but since the corporate take over of tobacco manufacturing they use these compartmental metal appliances all stacked ina warehouse like structure. I guess it could be called a barn, but it’s not the quaint old wooden buildings I think of when I hear or say “barn.”

I’m not sure pressing helps the flavors, but it definitely changes the burn rate. Maybe if they are heat pressed, like the old black McClelland flakes. I still prefer many Virginia ribbons. It’s just easier for me in packing and smoking. I do like flakes, just not as much.

 

[Mr.Mike]

I don't particularly like any blend freshly opened, and find that every blend reaches 90% of it's potential after being open for a few weeks to a month.

 

[chopper]

Aj's VaPer; did not like it fresh. Way too tangy for my tastes. [Red Virginia, Perique and a touch of Green River Cavendish]
After just one bowl I jarred my pound and shoved it to the back of my baccy cupboard.

Tobacco is way too expensive here to waste so I intended to use it as a mixer when my stash got low.
That would have been a terrible waste.

3-4 years later I tried another bowl and the difference is simply remarkable.
Aged Aj's Vaper is now a favourite non-aro. Love the stuff.

Reading tobaccoreviews again I noticed a review that said "Having a hand in the creation of this blend . . . . This blend was made for aging." Indeed.

Not that I think that it needs 3-4 years sitting in a jar. 6-12 months should be sufficient.

It does make me wonder how many have ditched Aj's after trying it fresh?
Tastes change over time AND this delicious blend shows how some tobaccos really can improve with age.
A good lesson why one should not ever ditch a blend . Just jar it and forget. A pleasant surprise may well be waiting down the line . . .

 

[chopper]

Virginias age very well. I age my favorite blend, Mac Baren Vanilla Cream, and it smooths out the Virginias, which can be a bit harsh when new. My current open batch is 8 years old.

My understanding and experience also says that pressing the blend improves the flavor, maybe by maturing it faster.

Its good to give a sample a fair trial, in different pipes at different times. And a long time ago I was told that if I didn't like a blend to toss it in a jar and try it in a year.

Thanks to Jay, a member here [whose been MIA recently] I got a pound each of MacBaren Vanilla Cream Flake and MVC Loose Cut.
When fresh both have a distracting hint of an odd taste that thankfully dissipates after a few months in a jar.
The Flake is all gone but just last night I took a couple of ounces from the Loose Cut jar and am enjoying a bowl with my morning cuppa tea as I now type.

@Mr.Mike yes, I've learnt not to judge a blend from a freshly opened tin or bag.
Some blends taste so much better a week or two after being opened.

 

[anotherbob]

Not really. I've certainly had ones go from not bad to wow. Presbyterian was like that for me. The thing is I've found there isn't a blend that is best straight out of the tin, every one I've tried is best at least a week after opening. The flavors seem washed out when first opened. I think the most extreme example was GlP Cairo which tasted good but I felt dispointed that is was nothing special. It tasted to me like a gourmet Camel cig. The next week it opened up and had lots of great tobacco and this amazing hint of spice bazar that is incredibly enchanting.

 

[Casual]

I’m drying out some 2019 Carolina Red Flake to try tomorrow for this purpose. Wish me luck.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

HH Pure Virginia goes from slightly sweet with some citrus and tart unsaved to sugar cube sweet after 3 years or more. Not sure of how much red virginia content there is. Some it seems but not a ton.

 

[romaso]

It used to be, but since the corporate take over of tobacco manufacturing they use these compartmental metal appliances all stacked ina warehouse like structure. I guess it could be called a barn, but it’s not the quaint old wooden buildings I think of when I hear or say “barn.”

I’m not sure pressing helps the flavors, but it definitely changes the burn rate. Maybe if they are heat pressed, like the old black McClelland flakes. I still prefer many Virginia ribbons. It’s just easier for me in packing and smoking. I do like flakes, just not as much.

I remember someone posting photos of a neighbor with those flue contraptions here, looked kinda like refrigerated trailers.

I think pressing speeds up the maturation process. I think its like tea: green tea is just dried leaves, but black tea is run through rollers (like pressing) which releases enzymes (or some other biology thing) which oxidizes/matures it until it dries.

It also makes it tastier, which is all the science I need!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I remember someone posting photos of a neighbor with those flue contraptions here, looked kinda like refrigerated trailers.

I think pressing speeds up the maturation process. I think its like tea: green tea is just dried leaves, but black tea is run through rollers (like pressing) which releases enzymes (or some other biology thing) which oxidizes/matures it until it dries.

It also makes it tastier, which is all the science I need!

Sure, it does something. I've read some say it's like a fermentation, some say it's breaking the cell walls, so obviously something is happening.

 

[Casual]

I’m drying out some 2019 Carolina Red Flake to try tomorrow for this purpose. Wish me luck.

Nope. Still don’t get this one. Tangy, yes. But I don’t get any sweet. Bizarre.

 

[Bivymack]

Old Joe Krantz took a bowl or three for me to get used to, love the stuff now.

 

[alaskanpiper]

Stokkebye's Luxury blends (Navy Flake and Bullseye Flake in particular). Couldn't understand what all the fuss was about when I tried them fresh. Revisited them after a year in the jar, and the difference was remarkable. I can't think of any blends that changed more dramatically for the better after some jar time than those.

 

[Es0teric]

I don't particularly like any blend freshly opened, and find that every blend reaches 90% of it's potential after being open for a few weeks to a month.

I agree with this statement.