Mac Baren Reviews

1. Vanilla Crème Loose Cut
I’m a sucker for vanilla tobacco that isn’t black as night, overtopped Cavendish My favorite blend is a vanilla topped Virginia- and while this does have some nicely prepared Cavendish, it is chock full of bright Virginia goodness. That bit of hay slips out from behind the vanilla bean scent to make for a very enticing aroma. The blend rubs out nicely and doesn’t come too wet. I smoked this in my Venturi 1976 Bicentennial. The very first draw tasted exactly like a mouthful of cotton candy. The vanilla was refreshing and light. Comparing this to a cheap all Cavendish vanilla is like comparing the delicate flavor of snow cream to a tub of vanilla cake icing. The Virginias contribute a honey like sweetness making it quite delightful. This is an easy A

2. Golden Extra
This was an interesting smelling blend that reminded me of hay and damp fence posts. It smelled very mellow and was darker in color due to the proportion of burley to Virginia- the latter being pretty minimal. I smoked it out of a straight, rustic Dr. Grabow Riviera. This was not what I was expecting out of a predominately Burley blend. I found it to be very earthy and interesting. The primary notes were oak, black tea, and a molasses like sweetness. It burned well, but had the propensity to bite if I wasn’t patient. My favorite Burley blends are SPS Kentucky Planter and Velvet- this was similar to neither, but still pretty tasty. I’ll give it a B-

3. Old Dark Fired Flake
I’ve had a couple people ask me lately if I have tried this and someone was kind enough to send a sample along with a cigar MAW package. It actually reminded me a bit of beef jerky when first sniffed. The flue curing has left a nice note on the flake that is similar to fresh leather and campfire. It rubs out easily and yields a surprisingly springy ribbon. I say surprising because the flake felt like it would crumble when I first picked it up. I smoked it in a straight, briar Medico Windsor. This is an interesting blend because it manages to accomplish a mild smokiness without any Latakia. I got some hay and aged wood flavors but was most amazed by the way the smoke reminded me of cigar leaf. It was definitely on the more robust side and the spice was just enough to tickle my nose when retrohaled. I think this is an acquired taste blend- while it burns cool and dry, it is balanced but strong, and the note of something-like cigar leaf will be off-putting to some. This isn’t something I would necessarily want in regular rotation, but I think it would be enjoyable from time to time- particularly in the colder months. I’ll give it a B-

4. HH Highland
Apparently this has been discontinued, which made me wary of smoking it and liking it I used to be quite fond of whiskey, and I like tobacco, so how could this go wrong? This was already a year old when I cracked open the jar. The smell was unique in the way that it clearly had a bit of Latakia, but the whiskey note was quite balanced with it. To some degree it reminded me of Frog Morton’s Cellar, although it smelled sweeter than the McClelland blend. It was rubbed out nicely and felt a little damp when packed. I smoked it in a Gatlinburlier No.79 house pipe. The first notes from this actually reminded me more of amaretto than whiskey. The Virginias are sweet and the single malt flavor did emerge from the Cavendish as I smoked on. It smoked wet but had a very pleasant room note. It finished with the tastes of vanilla and something like nougat. I thought the flavors were excellent but wasn’t impressed with the burn. Supposedly this bites a lot of people but for me it was more a threat of drowning in gurgles. Overall- dry it out first and it’s worth a C.

5. Virginia No. 1
The tin smell with this is fresh, unadulterated, and sweet. The hay notes are mild and as weird as it sounds, it smells a bit like sunshine (yes I did acid in my day )I smoked out of a smooth, straight Dr. Grabow Royalton. In the beginning this had a nice sweet nuttiness that was just like unsalted cashews. It didn’t really mutate much throughout the bowl with a single shift to something that resembled a light lemon meringue. It burned cool, and left a perfect white ash. I’m not generally a straight Virginia kind of guy, but the clover honey sweetness along with the meringue notes were great and I’d give this an A.