MacBaren Virginia Number 1

[Aomalley27]

Searching for another Virginia blend to add to my cellar; I figured I’d give MacBaren Va No1 a whirl. (HH Pure Virginia is already housed in ample supply aging away, over 20 lbs of that magnificent Flake).

I was hoping for something similar to HH, as it’s from the same blending house. Upon opening the tin, I pick up cranberry juice.? Odd, as when I open HH Pure Virginia, I get Sweet Tea aroma.

The “ready rubbed” is more broken Flake, and required a thorough rubbing out. (No; not THAT kind of rubbing out. Get your minds out of the gutter?). Strike one for MacBaren.

I am more than familiar with this being a blend that’s attained the nickname “MacBurnin”; but I’ve tried plenty of MacB blends, that I wasn’t put off by the reputation.

Smoking was definitely strike two in my book, unfortunately. It didn’t exhibit any of the sweetness of most virginia’s. I suspect a topping was added, and not for the better. It just tasted cheap. No nuance. No grass or hay. Definitely no sweetness. All I pick up is Acridic sourness. This struck me as odd, so I fired up a different pipe, sadly with the same results.

It’s by no means an awful blend. But when I’ve been accustomed to Sir John’s Flake, HH Pure Virginia, And McClelland no 24; this stuff is just bland, and distasteful.

?I was hoping for an economical Va to add to the stash. This is a pass.

 

[anotherbob]

acrid sourness is almost always the sign that particular VA is being smoked too wet or fast. I find that they typically hold up really well dried to almost mummy dust honestly. I bet if you let it get crispy and made sure to go extra slow you'd find it maybe still not your taste (including who wants a blend that requires a distracting level of attention) but nuanced and not acrid or sour. Almost every VA blend I find I have tried is more specific in what range it sings in then any other type of tobacco.

 

[mikefu]

I really like VA#1 with some age on it. 3 years minimum, and if you can get it over 10 it's really changed for the better. The sharp grassiness mellows into a buttered raisin toast sweet spicy breadiness that really sings, Fresh it's pretty weak, but I do find it to be sweet. It'll also bite furiously if pushed when fresh, but mellows with age on that front as well.

 

[Grangerous]

Wanna try something outside of the box? Winchester from C&D is 50 percent Red Virginia and Unsweetened black Cav. What a delicious blend! Creamy, Sweet almost Cigar-like. Room note great too. Won’t bite. Smooth and Tasty.

 

[Aomalley27]

Wanna try something outside of the box? Winchester from C&D is 50 percent Red Virginia and Unsweetened black Cav. What a delicious blend! Creamy, Sweet almost Cigar-like. Room note great too. Won’t bite. Smooth and Tasty.

I’ve given up on C&D. Between buying (probably 20 of their blends) and trades/gifts (probably around another 50 blends in their catalogue); they just strike out more than hit. The only C&D blends I’ve thoroughly enjoyed were the Chestnuts Roasting Christmas blend (oddly only offered once, sometime around 2010?); and Black Frigate.

 

[dafox]

For nearly fifty years I smoked MacBaren's #1 Virginia. I must admit that in the small town I lived in it was often the only higher quality offering. However, by and large I enjoyed it tremendously. For unknown reasons I have moved away from it the past few years. Still, I often return to it for a blast from the past. Rarely did it bite my tongue. I attribute this to a subtle bit of drying out and smoking it slowly. If you rush this tobacco it will come back to bite you. Just take it easy and enjoy.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I, personally, don't find that age helps it much. My stash of VA #1 is 8 years old. However, I can actually sort of enjoy it in a wide bowled pipe (.90" and wider), not my usual Virginia pipes. YMMV

 

[The Clay King]

I enjoyed it in my clay pipes.

 

[chopper]

Although I do like MB Va #1, I do find that I often enjoy some Va blends more when a little something else is added.
A touch of added Burley often balances a Va blend to suit my tastes.
My latest attempt at micro-blending, by adding just a touch of Perique to Va #1 [around 5%], turned out better than expected.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I smoked a couple of ounces of the number 1 recently, had 3 or 4 years on it. I found it quite nice, a lot of sweetness and no bite.

 

[AJL67]

First bulk i bought, 3lbs and it was def ready rubbed out, might just be a different idea of that that should be. While not as sweet as a Newminster 400, still find it an enjoyable, easy all day smoke, that’s why they say ymmv!

 

[logs]

I had a fantastic aged tin of it a few years back. I thought it was a superb VA. Then I bought a bunch of it in bulk hoping to relive the glory and found it entirely charmless and swimming in vanilla topping.

 

[chopper]

I had a fantastic aged tin of it a few years back. I thought it was a superb VA. Then I bought a bunch of it in bulk hoping to relive the glory and found it entirely charmless and swimming in vanilla topping.

Sounds like you got a bag of mislabeled MB Vanilla Cream.
Virginia #1 has a light honey topping, not vanilla.

 

[craig61a]

While there dozens upon dozens of straight Virginia blends out there, I enjoy Mac Baren Virginia No. 1. Just has the right balance for me. Not that I don’t enjoy other Virginias. I don’t find it to be overly sweet, and any sweetness that is not naturally occurring may be due to some additive used to enhance the stickiness when pressing into flakes.

Good quality tobacco, inexpensive when purchased in bulk.

 

[workman]

I smoked a tin of it a while back. I found to be easy to pack and smoke and I didn't get bitten at all. It was bland and lacking in flavor though. A mild citrus note with a bit of sweetness, entirely from the topping it seemed, and no aftertaste at all. I'd give it a 2 out of 4 rating and I won't buy it again.

 

[brooklynpiper]

Once I smoked through an oz with caution because I had read the horror stories and wanted to see if I could dodge the MacBite with technique.
Thought it was tasty though if I blended it with anything it came out bad.
Wouldn’t recommend it but I thought it was better than its reputation.
What I really didn’t like was MacB’s Scottish mix. That got chucked

 

[PaulTheScandinavian]

Once I smoked through an oz with caution because I had read the horror stories and wanted to see if I could dodge the MacBite with technique.
Thought it was tasty though if I blended it with anything it came out bad.
Wouldn’t recommend it but I thought it was better than its reputation.
What I really didn’t like was MacB’s Scottish mix. That got chucked

Those two blends are bitey as hell