Mac Baren's Mixture and Tongue Bite

[Beowoulf]

Hi Folks!

Has anyone else noticed that Mac Baren's Mixture (Scottish Blend) has a terrific bite to it? I've smoked it damp, dry and in between. It leaves my tongue raw. Now, in the same sitting, I can smoke Mac Baren's Golden Extra (Ready Rubbed) and Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish with complete delight. So I don't think it's a problem of steam or puffing too hard and fast. How has your mileage been with Mixture?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

So, are you saying that MacBarens made a tobacco that bites? First I've ever heard of this. JK

Some will be along to agree with you, and some will say that there is no bite... then some will tell you to age it a bit and it won't bite.
I just come to these threads to watch the violence.

 

[ChonkyTonks]

I have not encountered that with this blend. I smoke it slow and low, though, so that might be why. Thanks for the reminder, though. I need to pull that jar out of the back of my cabinet and have a pipe.

 

[hawky454]

I swear, if I’ve had a blend that bites/burns, age just increases the chances of bite, it’s never tamed it. Just my experience.

This is one that I actually really like but it is nippy. Just took time for my mouth to acclimate to it, now it doesn’t nip in the slightest. Although I haven’t smoked it in a long time, when I do, I will have to go through the acclimation process again. The Flake (discontinued, I think), was much more tame.

 

[kg.legat0]

I have read many accounts of Mac Bite with many referring to Mixture specifically ...I am lucky that I can smoke the stuff without an issue, but I believe folks who say it does.

 

[vosBghos]

Only smoke the HH stuff myself all the other barrens bite me

 

[MattRVA]

Hi Folks!

Has anyone else noticed that Mac Baren's Mixture (Scottish Blend) has a terrific bite to it? I've smoked it damp, dry and in between. It leaves my tongue raw. Now, in the same sitting, I can smoke Mac Baren's Golden Extra (Ready Rubbed) and Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish with complete delight. So I don't think it's a problem of steam or puffing too hard and fast. How has your mileage been with Mixture?

I’m the opposite, I can smoke Scottish Mixture but Golden Extra bites me fiercely. Weird, body chemistry I guess…

 

[MCJ]

As others have noted above, I think individual results are a combination of smoking cadence and individual sensitivity/body chemistry. The first issue can be addressed by smoking as slow as you can go (using the breathe method helps; there are several threads and videos on that). The second issue is out of one's control. By way of background, one of the first tobaccos I smoked when I took up pipe smoking was Mac Baren's Virginia No. 1. I hadn't even heard of the breathe method then and puffed too hard and too fast. Talk about tongue bite! Felt like a blowtorch on my tongue. After that experience I really forced myself to slow down and can now smoke that blend without any issue. Never had a similar experience with Scottish Mixture...

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Hi Folks!

Has anyone else noticed that Mac Baren's Mixture (Scottish Blend) has a terrific bite to it? I've smoked it damp, dry and in between. It leaves my tongue raw. Now, in the same sitting, I can smoke Mac Baren's Golden Extra (Ready Rubbed) and Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish with complete delight. So I don't think it's a problem of steam or puffing too hard and fast. How has your mileage been with Mixture?

Back in the 1980s I gave up on most MacBaren blends, including Scottish, but I started giving them another try a few years back. Scottish is now a favorite, I buy it buy the pound bag. The difference? Back then I was an ex cigarette smoker and lots of things bit or burned me I learned to slow down,though, and these days almost nothing is a bite or burn problem.

 

[judcole]

Mac Baren's advises packing some of these blends more loosely. And slow it way down.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Mac Baren's advises packing some of these blends more loosely. And slow it way down.

Compared to the first five or so years that I first sm9ked a pipe, I am packing much looser these days, n9t just MacB. Old saw, "Drier than you think, looser than you think, slower than you think" has a lot of wisdom.

 

[AcesAndEights]

I’ve only tried the 7Seas stuff. It nipped me a bit, especially the red

 

[Peter Turbo]

Harmony/Symphony and Scottish Mixture can be a bit nippy I just smoke those with a filter pipe now and chooch away. I love Scottish Mix.

The HH line Ive never had an issue with in any pipe.

 

[FLDRD]

The HH line Ive never had an issue with in any pipe.

Delicious stuff, those HH blends...

 

[MCJ]

Compared to the first five or so years that I first sm9ked a pipe, I am packing much looser these days, n9t just MacB. Old saw, "Drier than you think, looser than you think, slower than you think" has a lot of wisdom.

Love that Old saw you quoted! Those 3 points (properly dried tobacco, loose pack, and slow smoking) will prevent lots of unnecessary aggravation...

 

[Brendan]

Smoking mixture now for the first time in a couple of years and getting a slight burn on the roof of my mouth, nothing on the tongue though.

Get a similar reaction with Granger also.

I'm hoping I'll adjust to both over time, I'm going to air it out a few times and see if that makes any difference.

@MCJ love your avatar, great looking k9

 

[huntertrw]

To me the ubiquitous "Mac Baren's/tongue-bite" observation seems to be a bit of pipe-smokers' urban myth. It's like saying that all Swedish women are sexy (they are not).

I smoke their Plum Cake, Navy Mixture, and Scottish Blend. If appropriately dry and packed, and smoked slowly, I never have a problem with the "bite."

 

[FLDRD]

Hi Folks!

Has anyone else noticed that Mac Baren's Mixture (Scottish Blend) has a terrific bite to it? I've smoked it damp, dry and in between. It leaves my tongue raw. Now, in the same sitting, I can smoke Mac Baren's Golden Extra (Ready Rubbed) and Smoker's Pride Cherry Cavendish with complete delight. So I don't think it's a problem of steam or puffing too hard and fast. How has your mileage been with Mixture?

No. No bite at all. Zip. Nada. Zero. Zilch. And I think I'm fairly prone to getting some...

Within just the last week or 10 days I have opened my first tin of Mac Baren's Scottish Blend. I found it to be delicious, and went to trying it in several pipes.

Out of about 21 pipes, it has performed excellently in probably 18 or 19, and tasted great as well. I found it to be a little too sweet in a cob, and it tasted "off" in 1 pipe.

The moisture content, packability, combustion qualities, and flavors have been consistently the best of any blend I've opened thus far. I prefer to prepare it fresh from the tin, (fondle it with my fingers until the rub is the right size and dryness) to the point where I can gravity feed my bowls.

I have found the flavor profile(s) to be quite interesting. Unlike many other blends for me, this one seems to have the ability to please me no matter what I've been eating or drinking, whatever my pH level may be that day, the temperature, humidity, breeze, etc. Always a familiar similarity as a foundation, with subtle changes at different sessions in different pipes.

I suppose I must attribute that quality to the fact that it has a base of 35+ different leaf components, and that no matter what is currently going on with me, there's one there that is pleasing to the palate at any given moment in time. At least that's my supposition.

Now that I've waxed poetic about the blend, I'll restate that this is my 1st tin and something could change, but with such excellent results in so many different pipes and scenarios, I think it's a winner. Possibly my "deserted island" blend. We shall see.

Last night's Scottish Mixture in a Peterson Sherlock Holmes sandblasted Hansom:

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

I've found, tastewise this is quite a delightful blend,but every time only after a few bowlfuls out of it I ended up giving those tins away,due to the bitey nature of the blend, in this regard Their Virginia nro 1 is even worse, Mc Barens Symphony-Harmony and their Golden Blend-Extra can also be nippy but on a much lesser degree
Prior to smoke the aforementioned blends I use to leave them air-dry for some 30 minute

 

[boston]

My experience was tongue bite.