Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake

[cavendish]

I found this to be quite damp from the tin so I let it dry for a while after I broke it up and rubbed it out a bit. I packed up my dublin and had a nice creamy smoke. It didn't have very much vanilla flavor but it was very smooth and mellow. The room not kind of tickled the nose with a sour note but it wasn't unpleasant. Wifey didn't appreciate this one too much, but her stinky Number7 in her hand didn't help either lol.
I have several tins of this on order for my cellar. I have smoked this in the past and liked it, but the tin I smoked was aged for quite a while.
I like this flake and really cant say anything bad about it other than it needs more vanilla flavor/room note and it could be a little drier in the tin.

 

[pstlpkr]

It's one of my favorites.

Here's my review from a while back.

I Love Vanilla

 

[hfearly]

Personally, I like the Vanilla Cream Loose cut a lot more than the flake version. Don't let the internet fool you, they have significantly different vanilla toppings.

 

[maduroman]

this one will bite the shit outa you if you smoke it to fast...
it is a great slow smoke.

 

[rmbittner]

I haven't tried the flake version, but I have smoked the ribbon cut version and found that it yielded an okay amount of vanilla. . . but, like most MacBarens (for me), it tended to burn hot and bite if not smoked carefully.
At the time, I smoked this against Dunhill's A2100 (which I would swear, despite some reviewers' opinions, is *not* Lane's 1Q). I found the A2100 to be a much richer smoke, with a more appealing level of vanilla. However, it tended to bite even more than the MacBaren. (One reason, along with the flavor, why I seriously doubt that the Dunhill blend is a rebranding of 1Q, which has never been anything but a very cool smoke for me.)
Bob

 

[lumberjakpipester]

I really enjoy vanilla flake, I think it's one of the best quality aromatic out there. Good quality leaf, with a nice full creamy vanilla topping, Mmmmmmh

 

[cavendish]

I've never been 'bitten' by MacB's blends (knock on wood) I did feel a slight tingling, sting on my tongue this morning when running errands while smoking my MacB's Regular so I just tamped a lil tighter to snuff it out a bit and smoked it slower and that seemed to cured the problem.
Everyone's ph and chemistry is different within our bodies, espically in the mouth. Some ppl get bad bite from MacB and some dont. Just like Captain Black, I tried smoking this again a few months ago and I couldn't even get past the second lighting of the bowl before my mouth felt like I swished with pure rubbing alcohol. Others smoke it for years and never had a problem with it.

MacB's blends I have a soft spot for, espically the Regular and the Royal. I just find them to have the creamy taste and aromas I like. My wife and daughter like the smell of MacB. They didn't favor the Altadis 1M which is fine with me as I didn't like the way it tasted anyway. Alot of ppl comment on my pipe odors at work and alot of them DO NOT like the Dunhill blends or FMOTT but they're cigarette smokers and wouldn't know good tobacco from dried horse apples if they had to choose. A couple guys smoke CB and Old Port Tipped Cigars and they usually stand around me when I'm smoking my pipe and take in all the nice aroma. I should charge admission for the second hand smoke and the nice aromas lmao!

 

[hfearly]

I really enjoy vanilla flake, I think it's one of the best quality aromatic out there. Good quality leaf, with a nice full creamy vanilla topping, Mmmmmmh

Mmmh ... nuh! Pipeworks and Wilke 191, Peterson's Conoisseurs Choice, W.O. Larsen No 50, Solani Green, Peterson Special Reserve, Peterson Holiday Edition, and W.O. Larsen Special Edition 2010,2011,2012 all have much better quality leaf and much higher quality casing than Vanilla Flake.

 

[bigboi]

I really enjoy the Vanilla Cream Flake a lot. The quality that I like is that it isn't over the top in vanilla and I can actually taste the tobacco in it. I have some in my cellar and will always have some on hand. It is a happy light smoke for me and is one of the ones my wife tolerates that I smoke.

 

[hfearly]

The WTF (Wife-Tobacco-Factor) accounts for more than personal preference and taste

 

[cavendish]

I really enjoy the Vanilla Cream Flake a lot. The quality that I like is that it isn't over the top in vanilla and I can actually taste the tobacco in it. I have some in my cellar and will always have some on hand. It is a happy light smoke for me and is one of the ones my wife tolerates that I smoke.

X1

The WTF (Wife-Tobacco-Factor) accounts for more than personal preference and taste

This should be added to the abbreviations list on the right column. Mods in> Ya or Na.. lol

 

[rmbittner]

This should be added to the abbreviations list on the right column. Mods in> Ya or Na.. lol

I'd vote for something more like SOTF (Significant-Other-Tobacco-Factor), since they're not all "wives" and they're not all women.
Let's keep WTF reserved for its original high-minded purpose.
BB

 

[docwatson]

rmbittner said: "I'd vote for something more like SOTF (Significant-Other-Tobacco-Factor), since they're not all "wives" and they're not all women.
Let's keep WTF reserved for its original high-minded purpose."
Well Said. :rofl:

 

[lumberjakpipester]

Mmmh ... nuh! Pipeworks and Wilke 191, Peterson's Conoisseurs Choice, W.O. Larsen No 50, Solani Green, Peterson Special Reserve, Peterson Holiday Edition, and W.O. Larsen Special Edition 2010,2011,2012 all have much better quality leaf and much higher quality casing than Vanilla Flake.

I actually can't stand W.O. Larsen blends. I liked the petersons a bit more, but it's really not my cup of tea either. Strange how tastes vary sooo much from person to person. I think even the blends that most of us will agree are garbage, have their fans, or they wouldn't make them anymore.