Mac Baren Black Ambrosia

The Virginia and cavendish offer some toast and honey, sugary tangy citrus, and grass. The unsweetened black cavendish provides some brown sugar. The toppings are lightly applied and hard to define, but I notice a little honey, apricot, berries and caramel with some nuttiness. I also detect a whisper of vanilla. They tone down the tobaccos just a little. The toppings have no chemical or syrupiness, but they do suffer a bit from a lack of richness. The nic-hit is very low. The strength is very mild, and the taste level is mild. Won’t bite or get harsh or bitter. Burns at a moderate pace, cool and clean with a creamy, consistent flavor. Requires few relights. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no goop or dottle. Has a short lived pleasantly sweet after taste and room note. An all day smoke that doesn’t entertain the smoker for long.

-JimInks

What a surprise! One of the few aromatics that I tolerate!

If you are looking for a Black Cavendish that delivers at least some taste and body, and is not exceedingly goopy, you have to try this tobacco.

Smell in the tin reminds of Amphora Black: dried figs and plums, vanilla... Sweet, intense, dark, but not "chemical" or nauseating. Not exceedingly sticky or unctuous, although it is evidently cased. The black cavendish is rich at the touch, but not greasy. The bright Virginia bits are few, but they add a nice contrast to the darkness of the blend.

The correct level of moisture and the lack of excessive goop allows for easy lighting (no flamethrower needed) and a regular, even burn. It burns a bit fast, but nothing to worry about. It doesn't bite the tongue: rather, it has a slightly astringent and mouth/throat drying effect.

Taste is slightly empty and steamy at first, typical for a black cavendish. Soon it gets more intense: while some are complaining that it's very mild and flat, I don't think it's completely true. It has a good presence and acceptable body, and it tastes similar to Amphora Black but better. Taste is not exceedingly sweet: sweetness is there, but it's a dark one like chestnut honey. Slightly toasted and fermented, fragrant, and it still has some nice tobacco taste. I don't know if Burley is present (Mac Baren website says that there is only Virginia and Virginia-based Cavendish), but I seem to taste some of its nutty flavour. Compared to Amphora Black, it is smoother, less aggressive, and won't become too spicy or bitterish if pushed (the Amphora contains orientals and Kentucky, and IMHO of a slightly ashy and cardboardy quality: it seems to me that the leaf used for the MacBaren blend is higher, or at least it was processed better). Only complaint: in some pipes it tends be a bit too "woody" and with slightly excessive notes of black licorice. Biggest fault of all, in all pipes it is very monochromatic and simple from start to finish. In other words, while quite good, it can become boring after a while.

Overall a satisfying aromatic, easily smokable and pleasant. Not as lovely as my favorite natural tobaccos, but not a crappy drugstore blend. Ideal for the times when you want a little sweetness, but many other aromatics have disappointed you because of their absence of tobacco taste and because their wonderful aromas are only experienced by those around you. It must be said, though, that even in Black Ambrosia the taste will still NEVER be as delicious as the tin aroma. And don't forget to smoke it quickly after opening the tin, because after a couple of weeks it tends to lose something in the taste department.

Mac Baren - Black Ambrosia.

The balance of aromatic taste to tobacco taste is just right and there's lots of thick smoke with no bite. Also a pleasant room note. It will suit lovers of Cavendish tobacco as the Cavendish in this is sublime!

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

A quick review for a top blend!

Highly recommended.

(Original review: 04/03/2009 )

I must be perfectly honest: I like this tobacco. I had never tried it before because I thought of it as a kind of Borkum Riff's Black Cavendish or, worse, something called Black Luxury. But my would be daughter in law was kind enough to give me a pouch of this stuff.

Due to the limited choices I'm currently confronted with, I finally decided to give it a try. I've been smoking this for the last couple of weeks, at least two bowls a day. Just a quick note first. In the pouch there is no mention of Burley. The accent is on Virginias, both a golden ripe variety, and a "slowly roasted Cavendished" one. If there's any Burley in this blend it's far hidden somewhere in the background.

As to the blend's structure and taste, well I was absolutely surprised with both. The highly suspicious, though scrumptious, aroma in the pouch (berries, nuts and a touch of caramel and vanilla) DOES NOT transfer onto the actual smoking experience. This is an extremely well behaved, slow burning and somewhat muted aromatic, with a deep toasty undertone and an elusive sweetness that is neither cloying nor syrup like. To my surprise, as well, the leaf is almost dry (there is a certain resemblance to Troost's Special Cavendish, again not as sweet), and it burns steadily all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

There is no way in hell this tobacco will bite you. For a Mac Baren this is quite an achievement. And it will only burn hot if you push it too hard. Yet, like all Virginias--or predominantly Virginian--blends, it should be smoked very slowly in order to allow the silent sweetness of the leaf to reveal itself in all its nuances. In fact the taste is not sweet (in the sense Cube or Original Choice are), but elegantly bitter-sweet, soft, gentle. This is a nice tobacco to work with. It's not distracting, and the aroma--quaint and traditional--seems to be appreciated even by civilized non smokers.

This a mild to medium strength smoke, with a pleasant aroma. Nothing spectacular, yet one of the best Mac Barens I've smoked in a long time. Think of it as an upgraded version of Virginia No 1, with a little bit more of ump, and a more refined denouement. Nice change of pace. Greatly surprised. (That's one for the would be daughter in law!)



Addendum

As to Black Ambrosia containing any other leaf aside form Virginia, I found this in Mac Baren's site (verbatim):

"As the name suggests, Black Ambrosia contains a very high proportion of Modern Mac Baren Cavendish, with only a little loose cut light Virginia added. This blend consists solely of Virginia tobaccos, which is rather rare as the majority of blends contain a little Burley tobacco. But not Black Ambrosia, which is made of 100% Virginia tobacco..."

On the other hand, Mac Baren itself acknowledges the fact that many of its tobaccos--due to their processing techniques and high sugar content---tend to burn hot and affect the tongue.

One of the reasons they have been developing a new range of tobaccos (from Black Ambrosia to Original Choice) is precisely to overcome this particular trend in their products. Read the description of Original Choice, a tobacco which they pride "does not 'smart' on the tongue".

True, the smoking technique has a lot to do with the hot burning/tongue biting issue. But the way a tobacco is processed is not above suspicion, especially when the manufacturer is aware of the fact, and so many reviewers--whom otherwise don't find the same problem in other brands--agree.

Ok , know up front that I enjoy Black Cavendish tobacco .. at least as much as I enjoy all the other styles/genres of pipe tobaccos . There are numerous black cavendish blends I enjoy , but I really , I like this best and am thrilled it's a blend that is offered in bulk . Dont ya just love when great blend is sold in bulk 🙂 Anyway , the flavoring [ whatever it is ] isnt over the top but rather on the mild end . I find it smokes dry in any pipe and the Black Cavendish aroma is crazy nice . I dont knwo if this helps but the flavor is obvious Danish as opposed to an American styled Black Cavendish , like say Lane BCA , which is also good but a different approach , imo . So , if you like/want quality black cavendish ... go toss a 1 oz sample on with your next order where ever you shop and try it . Ya just may love it

I'm giving this one four stars because while it is not my personal cup of tea (I had to keep an eye on the bowl to make sure the stuff was still lit while being consumed), It is a great tobacco for light aromatic fans. Upon opening the tin, you will have a hard time deciding whether to smoke it or eat it. The smell is wonderful. At the match, the smell remains sweet, but frankly, there is very little taste. The casing is unusual in that you don't really know what it is. It reminded me of berries, honey and nuts. Quality leaf all the way and burned very clean and dry right down to the bottom of the bowl, unusual for an aromatic with this much casing. And that's testimony to the experience of this famous blending house.

I am a huge Mac Baren fan for many reason but the number reason is for there high quality in fine tobacco. When it comes to the top dogs of awesome pipe tobacco blends Mac Baren hits it right on the head and for Black Ambrosia I am very impressed if your looking for a good all black cavendish based pipe tobacco. Mac Baren makes modern cavendish and I love the stuff its what makes most of there blends so unique, it has a wonderful fruity undertone that does not rule the mixture and the tangy Virginia tobacco shines in it ever so lightly but you lnow its there. I know burley is used but I am assuming its to help with the burn rate because I do not detect it but Mac Baren says its in there. This blend is very smooth and smokes on the lighter side but as you carry on it has depth to it and will become robust near the end but does not become over powering. I love there liquor toppings they use because when you smoke Black Ambrosia that is also present, I cannot make out what it is and I could not even guess because I know there is actually quite abit they put into there topping but I'm ok with it because the taste is right on the dot. I first purchased this blend because I enjoy there modern cavendish so I wanted to smoke something that they used a majority of that type of tobacco and Black Ambrosia provides that, they purposely made a pipe tobacco that one could savor there Cavendish so that alone is a reason to smoke this of your a fan. Sweet, smooth and tangy this hands down is one of Mac Baren's smoothest blends they make and the bite factor is very low but then again I do not have a bite problem with there tobaccos because if you smoke your pioe like a gentleman the lady that is Mac Baren will dance with you and kiss you right back (catch what I'm sayin) as with most Virginia's or certain types of pipe tobaccos the key is always just take it easy, no rush and enjoy, tounge bite is mostly always 95% caused by the smoker not the tobacco, Mac Baren is not the tounge bite kings there the kings in high quality pipe tobaccos that taste and smoke awesome!!! Even a novice pipe smoker can enjoy these superior blends if you just take it easy and smoke it slow, cool and like a gentleman the tobacco will absolutely behave itself with proper technique and to each there own. I highly recommend this fine pipe tobacco blend and so will those around you because the room note is unique amd smells awesome!!! The nicotine level is moderate as with most Mac Baren products so it will creep up on you but this blend is pretty forgiving and carries little weight in that regard. To find a good deal and purchase a tin of this today, no matter the bogus reviews you have read this blend is one of a kind and taste great, I just simply love the stuff. Thanks for reading my review and God bless you greatly and God bless America (where making it great again) stand up for your smoking rights and support your American tobacco growers.

The tin note is wonderful and when I smoke Black Ambrosia I get a subtle taste similar to fruit cocktail. It smokes dry and cool with no bite or aftertaste. My wife claims it leaves a room note similar to cigarettes so she frowns on me smoking it in the house. Otherwise, I'd keep a tin of it in my regular rotation.

Smoking now.

Dark brown with some light brown pieces and the slight sweet aroma of fruit. My sample bag came pretty dry, as I usually like to smoke aromatics. I assume in the tin it’s wetter and more if the fruit flavor

Taste is very mild. Not very sweet and had a slight fruit note. Little after taste. Maybe some slight Virginia flavors too on the retrohale. I’m generally not an aromatic fan and this is no exception.

I find this tobacco slightly disappointing. It started off okay, but over a two week period the tobacco gradually dried out, and as it dried the flavors gradually disappeared. Initially it had quite a good combination of various tobacco tastes and smells - a bit earthy and dark. Later much of the initial taste became subdued - it still had an earthy taste, but I didn't find it particularly attractive.

Initially it tasted slightly aromatic, burned quite well and left a pleasing clean white ash. No wetness.

What I did notice is that it gives me a feeling of hot tongue and inflamed throat. Strange because I haven't experienced a hot starched throat with any other tobacco. I've smoked it again today and again I got slightly scorched throat.

I don't like this tobacco. It's combination of tastes and flavors seems a little unbalanced, many tastes disappeared with drying, and gave hot tongue and throat.