Mac Baren - "St. Bruno" Flake

[deathmetal]

The perfect all-day smoke balances the different characteristics of tobacco, and "St. Bruno" hovers between sweet and dark while keeping natural leaf flavor strong as slightly aided by toppings. The dark Virginia taste dominates, aided by small amounts of dark fired Kentucky Burley, with light Virginias entering the play mostly to naturally sweeten it. On top of this is a combination of floral, citrus and possibly tonquin-like flavorings that meld into dark fired flavor and are absorbed by the sweetened dark Virginia. The result is mellow like molasses and marshmallows melted onto a rich grain, burns smoothly, cool and slowly, which presents the ideal convenient tobacco experience of picking up a packet of "St. Bruno," letting it dry slowly after opening, then folding and stuffing a flake for an hour of contented sipping. If this were priced more reasonably, it would be a daily smoke for me.
Thanks to Pipes Magazine Forum member "misterlowcase" for this sample.
http://www.tobaccoreviews.com/blend/1249#review92702

This one sure is tasty.

 

[pipeanddrum]

Hello Deathmetal,
St. Bruno Flake is one of my favorites and I happen to have a couple of tins for trade or sale. In case you haven't seen my post and have any interest, here's a link:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/wttfs-3-tins-st-bruno-flake-31917
All the best.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Sound appealing , sandly The St Bruno is only available in UK&U.S, and Spain?

 

[mayfair70]

NOOOOO!!!!!! It is terrible. Don't buy it. Nothing to see here. Move along. Shit! :crying:

 

[hawky454]

It's a daily smoke for me... The price has gone down almost $2 since it's re-release in the states. Great stuff but it ain't no Condor... ::

 

[mawnansmiff]

I found St. Bruno to be rather bland and cardboard like...that was until I acquired two pouches dating to 2014.
I opened one up not expecting much but was quite taken by how such little ageing had improved the smoke.
It went from a 4/10 to a 7/10.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[brass]

Greetings all:
Been out due to health reasons for a while. But I opened a pouch of St Bruno shipped to me from UK about a year ago. This tobacco really scratched my itch for a well balanced, robust blend with some contrasting complexities.
I was so impressed with St. Brunos that I had to come back to the community to, if nothing else, give this 9 star blend a hearty "buy" recommendation.
Deathmetal wrote a succinct but thorough and informed review, so I'll just say that St. Bruno's is a deep, satisfying smoke topped with barely enough floral condiments to register consciously. The slight sweet fruitiness doesn't sissify the blend. Not recommended as the first tobacco for newcomers.
Pax

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

I ordered a couple of tins when it became available in the states last year, but haven't reordered. It's not that it's bad. It just didn't grab me for some reason. I remember smoking it in the truck once and asking a friend what it smelled like because it was supposed to be an aromatic. My friend said it smelled like burning wet newspapers. It has tasted like burning wet newspapers ever since he said that.

 

[davidintexas]

Hey it's good to see you back on here Brass. I wondered what had become of you. Hope your health issues are on the up and up and that you'll be back on here regularly. Always enjoyed your posts

 

[mawnansmiff]

"I ordered a couple of tins when it became available in the states last year..."
Ooer Mothernature, I never knew it was still available...even a year ago...in tins. For many years here in Blighty it's only been available in pouches.
Perhaps you have discovered a supplier with some seriously aged stock 8O
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast]

Jay, I think Mac Baren decided to release it in tins last year for the US market only if I'm not mistaken, but someone else may know better? It was the flake though and it was definitely fresh.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I got a feeling St Bruno with Condor green were back in the days Englands 'working mans most popular blends

 

[mawnansmiff]

Paul, St. Bruno and Condor (along with Mellow Virginia) are the most popular OTC blends in the UK and have been for many years.
It makes me chuckle that our American pipesmoking friends bemoan their own OTC blends yet hanker after ours ::
Regards,
Jay.

 

[mikestanley]

Jay, isn't it human nature to want what you can't have and to take for granted that which you can?

MikeS.

 

[mawnansmiff]

"Jay, isn't it human nature to want what you can't have and to take for granted that which you can?"
This of course is very true Mike. However from what I have read about several US OTC blends (Carter Hall, Lane's 1Q, Captain Black etc) I personally don't see anything that would appeal to me.
That said I am very interested in many other US blends that are not regarded as OTC blends and indeed have a largish order pending on several Virginias and VaPers.
Regards,
Jay.

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Yep I'm here with Jay, but to me ordering from the States may be a little hazard business,have been lucky to try out several U.S basic OTC's,what I can say,they do offer a pretty good value for that minor retailing prices they sell, but nothing exeptional,so far the best tasting were PA/CH

 

[toobfreak]

It went from a 4/10 to a 7/10.

Hey Jay, that's what she said last night! :mrgreen:

 

[sablebrush52]

Love St. Bruno. Wish it was as good as it used to be.

 

[toobfreak]

Wish it was as good as it used to be.

She said that last night as well. ::

 

[condorlover1]

St Bruno is an odd one. Some years ago I came across a box of Duty Free St Bruno that had languished in a cupboard for eons and sold it to Sablebrush. Apparently the OTC British St Bruno is the stuff you guys go crazy for which used to show up in most airport Duty Free shops. For a while I used to arrange to bring it into the US for people on this forum until one bad actor who is no long a member stiffed me for quite a lot of the stuff! I had the opportunity to try the US re-release last year at the Chicago Pipe Show and maybe its me but the topping just didn't quite taste and smell as I remember it. I always thought it had a faint vinegar smell to the topping and someone somewhere I think remarked that vinegar was used as a preservative in St. Bruno. In the final analysis people break down into St Bruno or Condor smokers and in my experience there is very little in the way of overlap. I personally have never cared for the stuff although I have known people who swear to me that St Bruno made an excellent plug that was far superior to the Condor plug. It must have been years ago and it is certainly one that I would have loved to try!