Today I'm starting my day with a blend that I haven't had since last autumn, Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut, in my usual morning cob.
If you're one of those folks who smokes too fast and could use a blend that'll help teach you to slow the heck down and just sip your pipe, this (or Mac Baren Vanilla Flake) would be a very good choice. The volatiles that contain the vanilla flavoring are very sensitive to temperature and if you get the tobacco any hotter than a slow smouldering ember the flavors will quickly turn from tasty natural vanilla and medium brightness Virginia tobaccos to ashy yuck, though thankfully the vanilla comes right back the moment the heat dies down so it's a good teaching tool.
Flavor wise it's a very nice semi-aromatic, where you're getting mostly tobacco flavor but with a little undercurrent of vanilla, and it certainly seems like a more sophisticated take on the classic vanilla aromatic. It's got a pretty pleasing medium nicotine content too, the same as you'd expect from most pure Virginia blends, and it has the rare quality of actually burning down to the "clean white ash" you hear so much about but don't often see. It leaves no sticky residue in the pipe whatsoever.
All in all it's a very pleasant blend, and while I may be a bit of a heathen and prefer Captain Black original as my vanilla aromatic of choice just due to how non-fussy it is and the strong Italian sweet cream coffee creamer vanilla flavor, I'll be the first to admit that Mac Baren's vanilla offerings are the more refined and elegant choice for a vanilla flavored blend.
If you're one of those folks who smokes too fast and could use a blend that'll help teach you to slow the heck down and just sip your pipe, this (or Mac Baren Vanilla Flake) would be a very good choice. The volatiles that contain the vanilla flavoring are very sensitive to temperature and if you get the tobacco any hotter than a slow smouldering ember the flavors will quickly turn from tasty natural vanilla and medium brightness Virginia tobaccos to ashy yuck, though thankfully the vanilla comes right back the moment the heat dies down so it's a good teaching tool.
Flavor wise it's a very nice semi-aromatic, where you're getting mostly tobacco flavor but with a little undercurrent of vanilla, and it certainly seems like a more sophisticated take on the classic vanilla aromatic. It's got a pretty pleasing medium nicotine content too, the same as you'd expect from most pure Virginia blends, and it has the rare quality of actually burning down to the "clean white ash" you hear so much about but don't often see. It leaves no sticky residue in the pipe whatsoever.
All in all it's a very pleasant blend, and while I may be a bit of a heathen and prefer Captain Black original as my vanilla aromatic of choice just due to how non-fussy it is and the strong Italian sweet cream coffee creamer vanilla flavor, I'll be the first to admit that Mac Baren's vanilla offerings are the more refined and elegant choice for a vanilla flavored blend.
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spring errands and yard work before a front comes in later.