Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut

(2.89)
This colorful blend consists of loose cut Virginia tobaccos, light brown Burleys, a sweet and soft Modern Cavendish. It is finally mixed with small plugs of flake tobacco. After processing, the tobaccos are gently mixed together and an exceptional vanilla flavor is added. This selection creates an outstanding blend with superior flavor, unique aroma and a distinctive taste experience.
Notes: Introduced in 1999. Due to EU regulations this is now re-named in those countries as "Classic Loose Cut".

Details

Brand Mac Baren
Blended By Mac Baren
Manufactured By Mac Baren
Blend Type Aromatic
Contents Black Cavendish, Burley, Virginia
Flavoring Cream, Vanilla
Cut Ready Rubbed
Packaging 100 grams tin weight, 100 grams pouch weight, bulk
Country Denmark
Production Currently available

Profile

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

Average Rating

2.89 / 4
103

113

63

37

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 316 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 08, 2013 Mild Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
A creamy vanilla smoke that burns at a moderate pace, and isn't so sweet that it overpowers the smoker. I get a little honey and very light fruit taste that adds a very mild balance to the mix. The brown sugary black cavendish is a little more than a condiment. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy, sugary, bready, bright and gold Virginias are the base of the blend. They also provide light tangy darker fruit, earth, wood along with slight honey, floral, spice notes. The nutty, earthy, woody burleys are secondary players. It's a mild all day smoke with not much complexity as by intentional design. Has little nicotine. The strength is mild. The taste level almost reaches the center of mild to medium. Burns cool and clean with a very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves little dampness at the finish. Requires a tad more than an average number of relights. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a very pleasant room note, and lightly lingering after taste. Can be an all day smoke. People will like to be around you when you smoke it, so expect to be social when you're out and about in public.

-JimInks
66 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 01, 2014 Mild Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Loose Cut.

A brilliant vanilla blend.

The note from the tin has more vanilla than the flake version, the breaking of it releases more! It's a touch moist but as it's a fairly heavy aro' that's to be expected.

Like vanilla? Smoke this: there's just enough vanilla to sweeten the smoke without overpowering the tobaccos; unless retro-haled. The hay from the Virginia tames the black Cavendish and reduces any stickiness. The burn's exemplary, going even, steady, and bite-free.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: lovely.

Vanilla Cream Loose Cut? Four stars:

Highly recommended.
Pipe Used: Comoys Elegance
PurchasedFrom: Smoke King
Age When Smoked: New
48 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Oct 29, 2016 Very Mild Medium Medium Very Pleasant
I always like to look at the negative reviews when I am ready to review a tobacco to see what experiences other people had. Many times, and there is no exception here, the qualities that people complain about are due to a lack of smoking experience and/or ignorance. I in no way mean to sound like an elitist, but many, many people simply do not know how to smoke a pipe, and especially virginias. I have been there, so let me tell you how to do it so that you can stop suffering and start enjoying more blends.

The two main complaints about this tobacco are that (1) it is very mild in flavor; and (2) that it produces tongue bite. With respect to the first issue, yes, this is a medium to mild tasting aromatic. Everyone tastes things differently, so some people may not be able to pick up on the subtleties of flavor that this blend offers, but the flavor, albeit medium to mild, is there.

Most likely they are experiencing a poor flavor experience because of the second complaint, which is the tongue bite. Let me state with absolute certainty that if you are smoking this blend at the correct humidity, and not puffing overly hard, that there is no tongue bite. Zero. Both puffing to keep it lit, and tongue bite, happen because people smoke their tobaccos, especially virginias, too moist. DRY IT OUT. DRY IT OUT. DRY IT OUT!!!!! This particular tobacco is not especially moist out of the tin, but I still let it sit spread out in an old milkglass bowl for 30 minutes or more. IF IT STILL FEELS MOIST TO YOUR TOUCH, IT IS FAR, FAR TOO MOIST TO SMOKE!!! I promise that if you let this dry out to the touch before you pack your pipe, you will (1) have no issues keeping it lit once you establish a good char from the false light, and (2) will not experience tongue bite, both because you have removed the excess moisture, and because you no longer have to puff like a madman to keep your overly wet tobacco lit. This is also an excellent test of what your tobacco has been coated with, because cheap blends coated in excess PG will never dry out (at least not within a reasonable period of time, less than an hour).

You do not have to take my word for it, put me to the test. If you have been bit by this tobacco, or any mixture, smoking in your regular way, spread a bowls worth out on a plate or bowl and let it sit for 2 or three times longer than you think is necessary, at least 20 minutes. When you go to smoke it you will find that even though the tobacco feels very dry (a sign of a quality blend not saturated with PG) the ribbons will still have plenty of spring and will not just crumble, meaning that they still have plenty of moisture for smoking purposes. Then literally, put it in your pipe and smoke it! Don't over-pack it, and don't make the packing process too complicated. Just put a pinch in, tap the side of your pipe a few times, and repeat until your within 1/8 inch or so of the top of the bowl. It will take a few false lights to get it going, but once you do you will find that the it burns readily, stays light without heavy puffing, and the bite is gone.

Maybe I am a dummy but it took me years to figure this out. Of course, some blends are going to take far less time to dry out. Any good non-aromatic blend should be ready to go in no more than 5 or ten minutes. And some blends do have a tendency to bite (but this is not one of them). Sometimes it is the condition of the leaf used, such as very sugary virginias, and sometimes there is a casing, such as any high sugar topping, that is going to create some additional bite potential. Regardless, by doing this I assure you that you will have reduced the propensity for tongue bite from whatever you are smoking by 75% or more, with a similar increase in smoking pleasure. If it dries to the point where it crumbles into dust when you rub it between your fingers, you have gone too far. Let my years of trial and error, and ignorance, be to your benefit!

Ok, with that said, on to the real review. This is a lovely mixture of virginias, burley, and the Mac Baren Cavendish, which in my estimation is one of the best available. The tin aroma is wonderful, as many have noted, and smells of vanilla and perhaps a little fruit. It is easy to pack and burns very nicely if you do not pack your pipe too firmly.

When properly dried it takes a flame readily after a few false chars. The vanilla flavor, while never overly strong, is most present in the first half or so of the pipe. This makes sense as it is most likely being stoved/evaporated off as you smoke and draw the heat and smoke down through the unlit tobacco. The blend has a medium-mild flavor profile, and if one can offer a critical note it would be that the blend lacks a little backbone due to the absence of more substantial leaf or any condiment leaf like perique, latakia, or orientals. With that said it is true to type and offers a smooth, creamy, consistent smoke from top to bottom of your bowl. The tobacco flavor and strength (not that this is in any way a strong blend) increase somewhat as you move down the bowl.

Overall I prefer the flake to the loose cut. It seems to have that extra richness which this is missing. Not that this is bad, but the flake is better. This is a solid three star light aromatic, and is a very enjoyable vanilla smoke. For a little more flavor and tobacco richness move to the flake. For ease of use and multiple bowls throughout the day this is fine. This is also very pleasant with a cup of coffee.
Pipe Used: Savinelli Autograph, Kai Nielsen Pot
Age When Smoked: new, less than a week old tin
45 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 18, 2003 Very Mild Mild Mild Very Pleasant
Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream has everything I don't like in a tobacco. It is mild; the nicotine content is low; it has a Vanilla casing; and because it is a Mac Baren's blend, it has to burn hot and bite, right?

I won't purchase another tin and I will not finish this one (it'll be a gift for the tobacco bar at my next pipe club meeting). But, I did not hate the stuff.

My personal thought is that if you are a regular aromatic fancier, then this may become your all-time favorite. It knocks the socks off any vanilla blend I can think of. And I've smoked a bunch of 'em over the years.
21 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 21, 2016 Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Very Pleasant
This is the finest example of an aromatic I've had the pleasure to smoke. Specifically, it excels in two areas where most aromatics utterly fail. First, the flavoring is superb, an exceedingly rich and deep vanilla, somewhat boozy, that is similar to what is often referred to as French vanilla. This is backed up by a cream component that is like a rich custard providing the perfect vehicle to express the vanilla. Second, the blend itself is dominated by various Virginias of the highest quality that contribute to the fine tobacco taste of this blend. Why can't other aromatics follow this template of quality?

As always Mac Baren rules the tobacco world in presentation in terms of the stately tin design and the leaf itself. Lemon and orange Va, a little bit of broken flake, and black Cavendish are present in a nice medley. The tin note is nice but low key vanilla. The match light is pure vanilla followed by deep cream. While these flavors are very rich they aren't very powerful and as such the base tobaccos can shine through. The vanilla subsides steadily through the bowl. The fine Va is present throughout and supported by the very good Cavendish, a mild and tasteful form of this tobacco. Strength is a tad over mild and gains towards the end as does the Cavendish. This smokes very well. While obviously flavored it is done really well and I can't tell if it is cased or simply dressed as the humidity levels are very good.

If you like vanilla this is a smoke that you'll enjoy. Very well done and avoids the pitfalls of most other aromatics.
20 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 23, 2014 Mild Mild to Medium Medium Pleasant
In my first few attempts I was unsuccessful in getting to really understand and enjoy this tobacco. That could be because I am still a beginner. So I thought I will give it one last try and bought a tin. I don't know if it was my packing or the pipe or th fact that tin might have been aged a bit but I really got a burst of flavor without the dreaded MacBITE. Initially it was hard to keep this lit but after quarter of a bowl later and loosening the tobacco a bit in the bowl (packed according to 3 step method), I got the creaminess and the vanilla-fruity flavor. But the smoke was still a bit hot and wet. Halfway down the bowl and after resting the pipe for a few minutes I got the sweet and cool smoke that I was looking for. It lasted all the way till the end of the bowl. After trying a lot of other aros my search is finally over. The high quality of the baccy and the non-chemical casing/flavor are the key features of this tobacco.
Pipe Used: Cob
PurchasedFrom: Woodlands fine cigars and Briar Shoppe Houston
Age When Smoked: New
20 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 27, 2007 Mild Mild Mild Pleasant
I found this one to be pleasant enough but with a slight tendency to burn hot. Not surprising, given the the presence of vanilla; in fact, it's remarkable that this doesn't smoke even hotter.

I favor non-aromatics, but I do like to keep one aromatic open at all times (versus 5 non-aromatics). Given some of the glowing reviews for this, I thought it might work for me. It didn't, really. But it might be more appealing if you love aromatics and are willing to patiently attend to the temperature in the bowl (and on your tongue).

On a side note, I tried a couple of bowlfuls of Dunhill's A21000 (a shag-cut vanilla aromatic) around the same time I was sampling this. Frankly, the A21000 yielded a richer, more appealing flavor, even though it burned even hotter. I guess there's always some kind of a trade-off when it comes to aromatics.(g)
19 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
CTS
Apr 11, 2014 Mild Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
"...an outstanding blend with superior flavor, unique aroma and distinctive taste experience." per the tin. I would describe this as a tasty, well-balanced, vanilla flavored blend, with a base of good Virginia tobaccos. No bite, clean burning. As you progress through a bowl, the vanilla yields a bit to the very good VAs. Highly recommended for vanilla aromatic fans who can also enjoy a very good VA delivery.
Pipe Used: Nording Freehand
PurchasedFrom: CI
Age When Smoked: Tin dated SEPT 2013
18 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 18, 2014 Mild Mild to Medium Mild to Medium Pleasant
This is a tasty blend that smells of vanilla and a little honey in the tin. It appears to be about 1/5 black cavendish. I found it to be slightly moist for my liking but have smoked it as it came from the tin will no ill effects. I tended to use charring light/tamp and relight with this blend, and I think that was a function of the moisture.

When first lit, there is a good bit of vanilla and I can taste the black cavbendish. This settles down quickly, and the smoke is mildly aromatic with a solid golden Virgina foundation. It smoked cool for me, and the Virginia became increasingly dominant as the bowl progressed. The smoke does have a creamy, smooth quality to it that I think is more than the power of suggestion.

I get hints of fruit as well as the vanilla in the flavor. The room note is pleasant. This is a solid 3 on the rating scale. It is probably a 4 if you are looking for a vanilla blend that is subtle and smooth.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
May 04, 2014 Very Mild None Detected Extremely Mild (Flat) Very Pleasant
I'm a big fan of vanilla and Mac baren golden brown , so I thought I would try this, first off the smell when opening the pouch was amazing, possibly the best selling pipe tobacco in my opinion, I was really looking forward to lighting up a bowl, when I finally got a moment to try it that's when the disappointment set in, the smell is still there so great when you have people round, but the taste was to me not appealing at all, no real hint of vanilla and neither a tobacco taste either, it did have a tendency to bite and smoke hot. I managed half a pouch in the coming month but gave it away in the end, as it took away what pipe smoking is all about for me... Good taste and relaxation. This blend was not good for neither, but on a positive the unburned smell was a1
Pipe Used: Meerschaum
PurchasedFrom: Online
Age When Smoked: New
13 people found this review helpful.
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