Mac Baren Amphora Original Blend

(2.81)
A well-rounded blend, emphasizing the chocolate flavor of burley tobacco. Centuries of tobacco craftsmanship go into Amphora Original blend to bring out the rich chocolately undertones of the finest burley tobaccos, balanced with Orientals, Kentucky, and Virginia leaf. The result is a smooth textured and easy burning blend of rare distinction.
Notes: Made by MacBaren since 2006, the company owns the blend as of 2015.

Details

Brand Mac Baren
Blended By Mac Baren
Manufactured By Mac Baren
Blend Type Burley Based
Contents Burley, Cavendish, Kentucky, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia
Flavoring Cocoa / Chocolate
Cut Ribbon
Packaging pouch weight
Country Denmark
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

2.81 / 4
33

47

28

14

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 122 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 04, 2013 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
The rich chocolate topping is obvious without overwhelming the tobaccos. The burleys have a toasted nuttiness along with earth, wood, and a little molasses, and takes a little more of the lead than the grass, earth, and citrus from the Virginia. In a support role, the Kentucky has a little smoky, nutty, earthy woodiness with a bare hint of spice. The Oriental is lightly floral with a little smoke, earth and wood, plus very minor sour and spice notes as it playfully lingers in the background. The strength is a hair shy of the center of mild to medium, while the taste level is a rung more potent than that. Won’t bite even when puffed fast. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the mild mark. The tobaccos are ribbon cut with a little broken flake. The blend is subtly complex with a very cool, clean and smooth, mostly consistent flavor from start to finish. The only change in flavor I have ever noticed is that the burleys and Kentucky seem to stand out just a little more after the half way point. Has no dull or harsh spots. Requires few relights, and leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Has a nice after taste and pleasant room note. An all day smoke that is very easy on your senses.

If you give it any dry time, you will find the tobacco flavor more noticeable without totally losing the chocolate topping. I dry it, and my review reflects that experience. Fresh and moist, you will find the tobaccos are a little more sublimated by the topping.

As a side note: the 1970s and '80s versions of this blend had a little less chocolate, and a touch more Oriental, and was not quite as sweet as the later productions.

-JimInks
61 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 24, 2014 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
I always had troubles at figuring out what an 'all-day-smoke' tobacco was. After all, one can always smoke whatever he wants whenever it wants. Right?

True, but sometimes you don't have the time or the concentration needed for smoking virginia flakes, or you don't feel in the mood for latakia-induced meditation. Or in general you want to smoke, but you don't know what to smoke. So you linger for a minute on your stash, and you are at risk of picking your favorite blend for a mediocre smoke. Don't do it, keep always a jar of Amphora OB around for situations like this. Don't use expensive tobaccos to fight your nicotine cravings.

It's a natural cavendish (no noticeable flavoring) made from virginias, burley and kentucky, and you can taste all of them! Never monotone, it even provides some evolution during the smoke. It burns quite fast, forcing the smoker to be disciplined, but forgives you go full-steam mode for a while. Smokes great in a cob, giving good 20-minutes smokes if packed lightly.

To me, an 'all-day' tobacco is one you burn when you just want a good, satisfying bowl, but for some reason you don't feel like you want any particular tobacco. AOB is perfect for these moments.
Pipe Used: Many briars, corncob
Age When Smoked: Pouch from the shelves
34 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 14, 2012 Mild to Medium Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
The rich chocolate topping is obvious without overwhelming the tobaccos. The burleys have a toasted nuttiness along with earth, wood, and a little molasses, and takes a little more of the lead than the grass, earth, and citrus from the Virginia. In a support role, the Kentucky has a little smoky, nutty, earthy woodiness with a bare hint of spice. The Oriental is lightly floral with a little smoke, earth and wood, plus very minor sour and spice notes as it playfully lingers in the background. The strength is a hair shy of the center of mild to medium, while the taste level is a rung more potent than that. Won’t bite even when puffed fast. The nic-hit is a couple of steps past the mild mark. The tobaccos are ribbon cut with a little broken flake. The blend is subtly complex with a very cool, clean and smooth, mostly consistent flavor from start to finish. The only change in flavor I have ever noticed is that the burleys and Kentucky seem to stand out just a little more after the half way point. Has no dull or harsh spots. Requires few relights, and leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Has a nice after taste and pleasant room note. An all day smoke that is very easy on your senses.

If you give it any dry time, you will find the tobacco flavor more noticeable without totally losing the chocolate topping. I dry it, and my review reflects that experience. Fresh and moist, you will find the tobaccos are a little more sublimated by the topping.

As a side note: the 1970s and '80s versions of this blend had a little less chocolate, and a touch more Oriental, and was not quite as sweet as the later productions.

-JimInks
30 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 26, 2018 Mild to Medium Very Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I have not smoked this since the 70's when you could buy it in every drug store. My wife got me a pouch, and it is the smoke I remember. It comes in the distinctive "mostly rubbed out" ribbon, and there is an appealing earthy cocoa note to the pouch. It may have come a little more hydrated than I might prefer. That did not stop me from codger scooping out of the pouch, giving it a firm thumb and lighting up.

The smoke is burley forward, and the flavor is a pleasant earthy/nutty with some sweet and hay from the Virginia. The little topping it has presents as slightly sweet and mellow to me. The Kentucky provides a subtle spicy edge, and there is some sour from the Orientals every now and then. I did not get the chocolate others seem to find in the flavor.

It smoked without drama and was not quirky. It took an average number of relights and was easy to sip while doing something else.

Amphora Brown was famously my great-uncle's goto smoke, and I can understand settling on this as an everyday smoke. It is good, and if I could still buy it in every drug store, I would do that from time to time.

This is easy to recommend, but it is really a remnant of another era where people wanted something good that was reliable and available to smoke as they went about their business. These days, most people seem to want a little more of the "wow" factor, since they are banished to the back porch to light up and need to make it a memorable experience.

This is a solid 3 for me.
25 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 27, 2016 Mild to Medium Extremely Mild Mild Pleasant to Tolerable
For over 10 years this used to be my go-to tobacco. In the late '90s, however, Douwe Egebert's--like many other companies--sold its tobacco interests to Imperial Tobacco Company. Unlike other transitions, this one did not go down well. Amphora regular became a lackluster, un-Cavendished melânge of very simple Burleys and Viriginas, ribbon cut, tasteless and rather stale.

Recently I learned that as of 2007, MacBaren is the new producer of the Amphora range. So I bought two 50g. pouches of what is now called Original Blend, in a nice metalic paper wraper, with a new design (more elegant), but with the brown color of old.

This is a considerable improvement on the ITC version, but it yet has match the truly original one. I believe the difference resides in MacBaren's passion for the Burley leaf as the dominant tobacco. This is not at all bad (I'm a big fan of Golden Extra and London Club), but it does change the delictae and complex equilibrium that Amphora regular used to have, i.e., a subtle and elegant balance between the Virginias, Burleys and Kentucky, plus the Oriental leaf (not Latakia).

Due to the way it was processed, I believe there were certain similarities between old Amphora regular and the also bygone Sobranie's Virginia #10. Both had a certain cigar quality, due to the use of cigar leaf in the latter and a Sumatra or Java Vrginia in the former.

In this version I can hardly taste de Orientals and Virginias. The Cavendish process also seems to be different (yielding a slightly harsher smoke), and the cut--though better than the ribbon style of ITC--is loser and tougher.

I am comparing both not out of memory. A friend recently got hold of the Douwe Egbert's Amphora regular, in a a 6 Oz tin, and--after a much needed process of rehydration-- I have been smoking both.

Still: this a good and simple smoke, mild to medium, with basically a natural taste in spite of the otherwise barely perceptible coca/chocalte topping. A good change of pace for English style smokers, and a more refined version of the Virginia-Burley-Kentucky (i.e., the current Three Nuns) out there.
Pipe Used: BBB straight Rhodesian.
PurchasedFrom: Duty Free St. Martens island.
Age When Smoked: 2 years after buying
22 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Apr 16, 2018 Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
I really enjoyed this one which was something I did not really expect. I had expected something very aromatic, but instead was treated to a fantastic Burley based blend that offered many different flavor profiles with each puff.

I picked up my pouch of this a few years ago when it was announced that it would again be available in the USA. I did not know much of the blend and had always assumed it an aromatic. The topping listed is that of Chocolate, which is a topping I tend to despise on tobacco. I am pleased to announce the topping is very light and really just compliments the tobacco flavor.

I felt the burley was the boss of the blend. Virginia was not really detectable in its own right to my tastes and really appears to be along simply to amplify the sweetness of the blend. One thing I enjoyed was the interplay between the Kentucky leaf and the orientals. Dark Fired Kentucky is to Burley what Dark roasted Coffee is to the coffee bean IMO. The Orientals used in the mix offer a slightly sour offset that does play well with all the other elements. The humidity level was about perfect and each bowl smoked effortlessly. I really can't see a scenario where one could get bit by this, even if puffing a bit carelessly.

I was up in the air about whether this should be a 3 or a 4 star blend, but have decided it should be bumped to a 4 because it is unique and defies conventional genre classification. Of blends similarly composed, I can't think of one that is better.
18 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 15, 2011 Medium Extremely Mild Medium Very Pleasant
One of the all-time classic blends that is, unfortunately, now unavailable in the USA. Tubs of the Original Amphora literally flew off the shelves of drug stores and supermarkets around the country. A very tasty Burley blend with lightly flavored quality Cavendish and a touch of Virginia leaf for added flavor. This blend never bit, always packed and stayed lit well, and pleased those who enjoyed quality smokes at a bargain price.

I miss this one!
15 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Mar 24, 2017 Mild to Medium Very Mild Medium Pleasant
A pretty nice Burley smoke. The Burley dominates early until joined by the Kentucky around the 1/4 mark. The chocolate/cocoa topping is light but evident. I can get hints of the Oriental and Virginias in the background. Can't taste the Cav, but I suspect that's what brings the mild sweetness. The only drawback here is the heat and for that I'll deduct one star.

Mild to medium in body. Medium in taste. Flavoring is very mild. Burn is a bit quick.
Pipe Used: MM Dagner Poker, Country Gentleman, Marcus
PurchasedFrom: smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: fresh
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 17, 2011 Mild Mild Mild to Medium Pleasant
On a whim I bought a pouch of this old veteran as I live in the Netherlands and it used to be produced here by Douwe Egberts, but nowadays by Imperial Tobacco. It is very popular among Dutch pipesmokers and I can understand why: a slightly sweet, spicy, mild and well burning cavendish that never offends. Recommended.
11 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 24, 2010 Medium Mild Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
I purchased this blend about two weeks ago, after smoking some really nice aromatics from the folks at J.M. Boswells. The smell in the pouch is somewhat a cross between roasted nuts and chocolate. My first smoke was somewhat jarring, since for the last few months I have been smoking the sweet flavors of the Boswell blends. As a result, I found the taste of this blend to be somewhat unusual. At this point, I thought I made a mistake purchasing this blend. However, the next day I took another smoke and it got better. Then I tried it later that evening, and it was simply magical. What I'm suggesting is that this is a tobacco that grows better with each smoke. The flavor is somewhat enigmatic: a mixture of nuts and definitely rich chocolate. I find it tastes best when smoked slowly; and the taste that remains after smoking is to die for. I highly recommend this blend!
11 people found this review helpful.
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