MacBaren Navy Flake- The Blue Collar Review

[cuchulain]

(This was originally supposed to be a video review, but the engine of my forklift drowned out all the audio aside from me cussin' about broken straps. Damn camera.)
The tin note on this flake is... interesting. A mixture of rum and slightly rotten fruit. The tobacco is still fairly moist despite having been opened for two weeks. The flakes are all stuck together, I have to peel one off with my pocket knife.
I've seen many people suggest drying out their flakes for a few hours and then rub them out. To me, a flake is a flake and should be smoked as such. Plus when that wind is whipping through the lumberyard it lasts longer. So I peel off the flake, fold it up and stuff it in my MM Legend. (See, I learned my lesson!)
Charring light brings out notes of honey and a bit of the rum comes through on the tongue. Tamp down and true light. Lights up beautifully.
The taste is predominantly burley, with the Cavendish coming through occasionally. The Virginias manifest themselves mostly as the taste of burnt sugar when I absentmindedly puff too hard.
Burned down to white ash without needing any relights. No bite whatsoever. Definitely will be keeping in my rotation.

 

[fadingdaylight]

Thanks for the review, I might have to give this one a try.

 

[lawmax3]

MacBaren blends frequently get a bad rap due to tongue bite issues.

I don't seem to be affected by it as bad as some people.

That being said I love Navy Flake and several other of their blends.

 

[dread]

Nice review. I've been thinking of picking up a couple of tins of this to try out and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it on my next TAD order, thanks for your thoughts!

 

[pipejunky]

I have a bulldog that smokes this superbly whether I rub it out or fold It. Definitely has a unique taste that calls to me at least once a week. Nice review

 

[andystewart]

Great review Cuchulain - thanks! I smoke a lot of Dunhill DNR and I've been thinking of trying this, so well-timed. Definitely will give it a go now!
Andy

 

[Strike Anywhere]

Mac Baren makes some great blends, Navy Flake is one of them. They get a bad rap for tongue bite, but I think it is either people packing too loose, puffing too fast, or a combination of both. I don't get tongue bite from their blends, and I've smoked almost all of them. Some say it's body chemistry, but I don't know if I buy that. I can puff aggressively on their blends, and they will bite me; however, if I puff properly, it's perfect.
@Andy, I think DNR has some perique and MB NF does not, so just keep that in mind if you're looking for a close, inexpensive replacement. If you're looking for something in the same genre but different, this might ring your bell. The burley is a little more noticeable in this blend than some of the other MB line, but in my opinion is used perfectly with the VAs and cavendish.

 

[andystewart]

Cheers TAB - noted and ordered!
Andy

 

[derfargin]

I'm still on the fence with Navy Flake. In my experience the "MacB bite" isn't just a urban legend. I've got a tin, and have gone through about 1/2 of it with multiple pipes in my rotation. I can only think of one smoke I had that I didn't have issues with it. Granted, that smoke was really nice, but to say it wasn't without incident would be a lie. My tongue still felt a little prickly after I was finished, it was just the lesser of all the others. I got another 1/2 of the tin to work through, and I'll change up my technique a bit(there's one I just read of recently to try) so I'll see how the latter half fares.
It's a great flavored tobacco and I'd really like to put it in the rotation, but if this tobacco is more work to smoke than it's worth then I'll have to leave the tins for others to enjoy. There are too many other tobaccos available to try to get THIS relationship to work.
On the other hand I've smoked ODF with no issues at all, so go figure.

 

[james80]

Navy Flake is one of the best MacB blends along with Vanilla Flake and ODF

 

[wilson]

Upon some recommendations that I read on this site last year, I purchased a tin of Mac Baren Navy Flake. I have to say that I did not care for it. I tried rubbing, cube cutting, and fold and stuff and it did not do if for me. Following the advice I give to others, I put it in a jar figuring that I would try it again later. Later became a year, but seeing your review inspired me to try it again. This morning, I took a slice, folded it, and stuffed it in my Country Gentleman. I must say, I quite enjoyed it. Thank you for the inspiration.

 

[judcole]

Navy Flake is one of those blends I like the taste of, but has too much nic for me. There's several other MacB blends that are in my rotation though. ::

 

[saltedplug]

The last few times I smoked this it came off quite bland; haven't been back.

 

[derfargin]

Ok, so I think I've turned a corner. I've been having issue with this one biting, so I changed my technique a little, and I have to say it worked out much better for me. I guess my issue was not slowing down enough. I thought I was crawling before, but now I'm pretty much a bystander to the bowl while it's smoldering.
Having said that, I was able to enjoy this tobacco much more with the last few bowls I've had. I might even consider picking up another tin or two to have on hand. I'm a huge fan of Va/Burs, and the taste of this one, is good in my book. I just didn't care for the mouth thrashing I was getting which is why I was thinking it wasn't going to make the Dean's list.

 

[natibo]

This is what a Navy Flake should be. I love it.

 

[drrock]

How do people think MacBaren Navy Flake will age?

 

[bowler1]

I was not a fan of it myself, but it gets some good reviews

 

[mrsal]

Very nice. I just finished my tin from 1997 (to think i was only 2 years old then!).

 

[derfargin]

I posted earlier in this thread with issues I had and it turns out it was all MY fault. I was puffing too much on it. When slowing down, it really has turned into a smoke thats pleasurable when treated properly.