Mac Baren makes some pretty good blends and a lot of people really like their tobacco.
I like the taste of quite a few of their blends. But I am one of the people that get bit by all of their blends, so I don't smoke them that often.
Hello Paulo. The only Mac Baren tobacco i've tried is Virginia Flake. Not wildly impressed. I will try a few others before I pass judgement! Many people seem to think that Mac Baren tobaccos tend to bite. In fairness, I can't offer an opinion based on just one of thier products except to say that VF will probably bite unless you smoke slow and easy!!
If you like a Navy flake style, try:
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-tobacco-reviews/mac-baren-navy-flake-pipe-tobacco-review/
If you like Latakia, try:
http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-tobacco-reviews/mac-baren-hh-vintage-syrian-pipe-tobacco-review/
Also, the HH Acadian Perique is excellent.
I really dig the Navy Flake. I'm working my way through Kevin's reviews of their products actually, smoking a tin and comparing my own results. So far, he's been pretty spot-on. Done the navy, mixture, HH syrian, and have a new tin of the Club waiting for me.
The Mac Baren tobaccos I have tried are Va#1 : good smooth va tast, very mild. Didn't notice any bite, I didn't rub the flakes out that may have helped.
Mixture : I really enjoyed this one, several layers of flavor. I did notice that in the beginning the Va's would jump up and threaten to bite. You had to really watch your puffing. About a third of the way into it, the cavendish would kick in and really mellow it out. It was a really good smoke
Wes, smoking Frog Morton in a Carey st. pot / sandblast finish
When I first started smoking a pipe, I tried a few Mac Barens. Of course, I got tongue bite, from some of them. Now, I sip my pipe, instead of chugging, and I've learned to appreciate Mac Baren blends. They are rather pricey, here.
The flavor always reminds me of grapefruit for some reason. Not sure why. It smells like honey and plums in the tin. Room note is sweetish, probably more fruity than nutty. There's a good bit of Virginia in there. I think that either Kevin or Bob did a review of this a while back. http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/pipe-tobacco-reviews/mac-baren-navy-flake-pipe-tobacco-review/#more-2118
Scottish Mixture is much more subdued in flavor, in that you get more tobacco taste, I think.
The Club is somewhere in between the two of them, flavor-wise, I think.
Thanks for posting that link Peter.
I have not tried very many Mac Baren blends. Here are the blends that I have tried: Vanilla Cream Loose Cut – Decent, but lacking in flavor
Bulk Vanilla Chocolate – Did not like it, no flavor at all
All of the blends that I listed were, IMO, good or decent blends except for the Bulk Vanilla Chocolate. That one had no flavor at all to me. All but the Golden Dice bit me to some extent. The Golden Dice was pretty good and I guess that it didn’t bite me because; in my notes I wrote that I would buy it again.
Kevin really likes Mac Baren blends and he doesn’t get bit by any of them. Here are the ones that I know he has tried: Club Blend - Full Review
Mixture Scottish Blend - Full Review
Don’t be afraid to try Mac Baren tobacco just because it bites some people. Other people never get bit by them. It is all about the individual.
I will probably re-visit some of their blends in the future. They have quite a few blends that sound very good.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page on the Plumcake. That is an old thread and there was a technical issue back then that put that error on the page. The page is still there, just down towards the bottom.