Mac Baren - Norwood pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco
JustOneforMe	04/26/2012	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant
I have now smoked several Mac Baren offerings and will not review them any further since they are extremely not to my liking. If interested in my thoughts about their line of tobaccos then just see my review on Burley London, it pretty much sums up this vapid weed give or take a slight aromatic difference (vanilla, cherry etc...).
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
doc'spipe	11/28/2011	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I've been wanting to try this for a while now. Upon opening the tin, the moisture level was typical of MacBarens and smokeable right out of the tin. It was very similar in appearance to Burley London Blend (BLB) and Golden Extra (GE), but lighter in color and not as roughly broken as they usually are - meaning there were very short, narrow strands. My tin says "Ready Rubbed," whereas the tin on Mac's website says "Cut Plug." I would have preferred the rougher cut. The tin aroma was not very sweet with an astringency I find with Golden Extra. Lighting was very easy and the several bowls I smoked remained so with only an occasional re-light. It tasted not identical to BLB or GE, but very similar. Norwood is a Burley forward blend for sure. Burley taste-wise it is more like GE than BLB to me - similarly astringent. Slow smoking brings out some cocoa notes, but minimally so. Also very reminiscent of Sail Natural (minus the Latakia). It did not bite but did seem to irritate my hard palate at times - even with sipping at it. It was not bad, but it was not a very sweet Burley, and the smidge of Virginia went unnoticed. Not quite as full-bodied as BLB or GE. All in all, too sour a Burley for an everyday smoke, and as such, not going to be a regular for me. I still can recommend it but with 2.5 stars personally. If I want a good Burley smoke, Aged Burley Flake or Burley Slice is what I normally will reach for.
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Skando	06/22/2011	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
In a hypothetical scale of burley bases blended with Virginias, where Burley Lond Blend stands at the 1st step and Golden Blend at the 2nd, Norwood is the 3rd degree. Just a bit more Virginia, and the same very mild flavouring of the kind o brown sugar. That being said, I felt very comfortable and pleased with this one, but we are talking of very small differences: you may choose undifferently one of the three. I completely agree with Pipe4ever, the best comes from very loose packing. The flavor is mild with musty/nutty tones gradually building toward a more fruity/sweet character. Hardly bits unless smoker very unproperly: it needs good technique just like all the Mac Barens, i.e. slow & short sipping. Norwood does completely satisfy my Burley cravings, but we are not in the masterpiece territory. Three stars
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Steden	03/31/2011	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Norwood is well placed in the mellower side: a mild Burley blend, warmly woodsy-grassy with earthy undertones and a pleasant sweetness enhanced by some Virginia and a light flavouring (both perfectly balanced) with hints of biscuits and flambé meringue. Firmly recommended
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Xeneize	10/28/2010	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Out of all Mac Baren's Burley mixtures, this is the one I enjoy de most, probably because of an extra Virginia content which gives it a sweetness that Burley London Blend, Mixture and Golden Extra (to name a few) lack. After Stonehaven and Aged Burley Flade, this is probably my favorite Burley based blend.
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Alguhan	12/29/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I think Norwood is one of the better tobaccos produced by MacBaren. The cut is something between ready rubbed and broken flakes. Packs well. It burns even and has a mild, pleasent flavor. It may not satisfy the nicotine needs for a Burley lover althought it can be smoked all day. It is not a top shelf tobacco but still a quite nice smoke.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pipe4ever	11/14/2009	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
“Norwood” comes in large broken flakes of burley and Virginia tobacco, the tin aroma is slightly sweet and fruity in the most elegant way, the smoke is mild, half sweet with a pronounced golden flavor, smoking this mixture is very pleasant and soft on the palate, Extremely loose packing is recommended. I find it very enjoyable as for an occasional smoke, actually, my all day smoke is “Mixture” and “Latakia Blend” from the same blender, I may add this one for a change of pace. I would recommend this blend to any Burley smoker.
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The German	07/01/2009	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Another package from Dan Tobacco reached me yesterday, and it contained a tin of Norwood. Thus far, my exploits into the world of Burley-dominated blends had been less than satisfactory; probably mostly because Burley is often used in heavily flavoured blends (and I have this nagging suspicion that the tobacco used in those blends is of inferior quality, anyway -- if not, why flavour it?). So, a blend mostly of Burley with some VA. The tin aroma certainly is very Burley-ish with a strong note of cocoa. The leaf is MacBaren's typical medium wide, roughly-rubbed flake. Easy to stuff and light, and perfectly ready to smoke out of the fresh tin. During the first quarter of the pipe, the taste is very, very mild, but it slowly builds up to a nicely sweet experience with notes of chocolate and cocoa. The room note develops, too, and reaches a dry, airy fragrance that may not be a crowd-pleaser, but is not bad, either. A matter of taste -- I happen to like it. Overall, a good smoke; the tobacco feels and tastes mostly natural, burns down well and isn't too fussy. It may not have that special "ping!" effect to make it exceptional, but for me, it's a viable option for an all-day tobacco. Good enough for me to recommend it.
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NEWMAN	06/13/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
In my view, one of the better MacBaren blends. Some flakes were intact in my tin so I wouldn't class this as a broken flake. Milder than MB Navy Flake and with less casing but still a good Burley smoke; cool with no bite. I enjoy other bulks better and their unit cost is less but this is still a good smoke.
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Beer	05/22/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
This is a very decent Burley and Virginia blend. Reliable, made with good quality leaf, never unpleasant, well-behaved. I am alternating between a tin of Golden Blend (or Golden Extra, depending on where you live) and this Norwood: the Golden Blend contains (almost) only Burleys, and as such it's stouter in body and taste. Norwood clearly uses very similar Burleys, has a similar flavoring/casing, and it's very similar to the other blend in all departments... but it's more refined and slightly sweeter. Alas, I have to say it also tastes a bit milder and flatter than Golden Blend. Golden Blend might be more "rustic" and "down to earth", but also more straightforwards. As a whole it's OK, pleasant and perfectly smokeable (it doesn't actually have any real faults), but also rather unexciting.
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SmokeKing David	11/28/2008	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
November 28, 2008 UPDATE: I got my mitts on a few tins of aged Norwood...tins look quite different from current version, and importer is different. Anyway, the age really boosted this blend to a four-star winner. Bite has totally disappeared. Tobacco has mellowed and is nothing short of both satisfying and delicious. I will open other aged MacBaren tins that I just picked up at a later date, after I savor my vintage Norwood. I also bought another tin of "recent" Norwood for the cellar...maybe you want to, too! Bottom line: aging a tin of Norwood really pays off with a fine, fine pipe smoking experience. Govern Yourself Accordingly! ORIGINAL REVIEW: This tobacco blend offers nothing that other MacBaren blends do not also offer, but do so far better. Rather than this, I would recommend MacBaren's Symphony, Golden Extra, or Burley London. Those tobaccos burn less hot than Norwood. I wouldn't say that Norwood was bad. It's just not notable, and better alternatives abound.
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Rusty	09/28/2008	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
Norwood has a lot going for it. It has a very appealing aroma in the tin, and a coarse cut that once packed, smokes slow and cool. Smoke it in short, even puffs and it will give you a mild, tasty smoke that won't taste harsh or bite. Norwood is a blend that won't bowl you over, but it will always satisfy. Mild, slightly sweet, tasty and satisfying. If you're seeking a premium burley-based blend, definitely try this one.
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Darth 69	12/10/2007	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This blend's character is situated between Golden Xtra and Scottish Mixture. It's predominately Burley with a lessor amount of Virginia and a characteristic top flavor of MB's main line of Virginia/Burley blends. I consider it cool enough to be classed as mild. More bold puffing may produce the sensation of a little heat that MB is famous for but, nothing like Scot's Mixture or VA #1. The extra Virginia while remaining a Burley base blend makes this blend a success for me. My complaint about most of their other Burley tobaccos has been their utter blandness. That extra Virginia gives it a more rounded character, sweetness and body while the predominance of Burley keeps it cool. It's overall character, flavor and aroma is sort of a much milder version of Scot's mixture base tobacco without the black cav. as previously mentioned. This isn't just a blended mixture of different Burley and Virginia tobaccos but a singular ready rubbed cake consisting of these ingredients which makes it a most harmonious smoking tobacco. A more satisfying and superior blend over MB's straight Burley tobaccos IMO. Definitely recommended.
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Mr. Dottle	03/09/2007	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
To expand upon the header description of this blend, quoting, in part, from the label on the bottom of the tin, ?A ready-rubbed blend dominated by selected Burley tobaccos and with a small part Virginia tobacco. Due to the special treatment, the burley tobaccos develop a gentle and natural chocolate flavour. When smoked, Norwood will give you the pleasure of the real Burley taste in combination with the special Mac Baren flavour.? I found the tin description to be accurate with the exception of ?ready-rubbed.? Many of the MB tins state the blend is ready rubbed. If MB told me that a one-armed, blind man rubs out their tobaccos, I would believe and accept it. However, the tobacco is more of a broken flake in the tin, some small flakes, some larger and some tobacco that looks as if it actually has been ready-rubbed. As such, I always have to ?massage? MB blends further to my liking before I fill the bowl. But the remainder of the tin description ringed true for me. Norwood is a mild to medium light aromatic that has a developing, subtle, modestly sweet, chocolate flavor that doesn?t overwhelm the honest burley taste. The blend is one-dimensional in this regard. I experienced no bite or a hot smoke as many others complain about with MB blends. This is puzzling to me. Although I liked Norwood, it is not something I would purchase on a regular basis nor can I berate it. The blend is as described. If you don?t like your burleys with a subtle chocolate flavor, you can skip this blend but for a nice change of pace smoke, NOR ?WOOD? do nicely! A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored. I rate this blend 8.9 out of 10.
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Pipestud	08/13/2005	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I recently won 5 Mac Baren blends from an Ebay auction. This brand always amuses my palate with the variety of flavors from truly similar leaf combinations - many of which use Burley as the base. Norwood does contain Virginia leaf as well, and the bright is tasted in a "light" manner. My tin had to be at least 7-8 years old because the old style Mac Baren's logo was displayed. Therefore, I didn't get the usual Mac Baren's heat while puffing. I did have to be careful because Norwood is a light tasting blend and my desire for nicotine sometimes causes me to puff too fast on the lighter fare. This is most certainly an all-day type smoke, and those of you who regularly enjoy Burley based blends may find this to be quite nice.
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DUPE.1512	06/15/2005	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
If you like VA/Burley blends this one will please as a working smoke. With a very mild flavoring this blend still offers real tobaccy taste of sweet VA and nutty Burley. Burns slow but as with any VA and or Burley, overpuffing results in a sore tounge.
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Midsibirian	11/29/2004	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Strong enough, without a bite to it. A very pleasant aroma from the tin. Tobacco w/o any "finesse". I enjoy it as a solid smoke in the woods after a hunt around stout friends. _______________________________________________________________ Update No. 2004 After having discovered MB Burley London Blend I have to downgrade my rating on Norwood. It only occasionally finds its way into one of my pipes now, since anything it can do-Burley LB can do better. Just the "roomnote" is a little more fresh, invigorating and interesting for bystanders. But as indicated above I mainly smoke outside-so who cares about a "roomnote"? Midsibirian
Showing reviews 1 through 17 of 17 reviews of this tobacco