Mac Baren - Harmony pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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orka	11/20/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
For a long time I had a sort of love/hate relationship with this tobacco, it began with it being the only pouch left at my local tobacconist, so I figured I'd get it for the lack of something better. Each bowl I had, up until quite recently actually, left me frustrated and unsatisfied, and in the beginning - with a sore tongue. Which I now have drawn the conclusion that it must've been a combination of bad packing, a new pipe and sloppy smoking technique. This is not the kind of tobacco you want to puff carelessly on. At the time I got my first pouch of Harmony, I was pretty much a rookie (more so than now, anyway), and made many mistakes with it, but inbetween the vicious tonguebite I managed to find hints of what it had to offer, so I kept on smoking it, hoping to reveal its secrets. Then something happened, out of the blue after I packed the final bowl from my first pouch, threw the empty pouch away and wished it good riddance; suddenly that cool, sweet (honey), nutty (reminecent of almonds) and chocolately flavors that the pouch had promised hit me to full extent. What a wonderful surprise it was to finally discover that it wasn't a waste of money after all. I'll rate it 3 out of 4. Can't give it 4, because it's simply not perfect. It has a tendency of smoking a little wet towards the end of the bowl, and it doesn't handle re-lights too well. After a re-light it's not uncommon for it to get quite harsh in taste, and sometimes a little "soapy". Though, it does help if you don't empty out any ashes, just move it aside, re-light, cover the burning tobacco with the remaining ash, tamp gently and resume smoking. If it had stayed consistent and as wonderful as the first two thirds of the bowl it would have been close to perfect for me. But who knows, maybe there's some part of my technique that needs to be refined in order for me to fully understand what Harmony is truly about. I always try to have a pouch handy. I find it to be a good evening tobacco, as it has a little more punch in it than the other Mac Baren's I've smoked thus far. I agree with it being described as semi-aromatic, and for an experienced pipe smoker with a sweet tooth, it is quite accessible. If you're a newbie, you might want to choose something different and return to this when you've got the hang of packing and smoking technique. All in all, I really like this tobacco.
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cell biologist	08/03/2006	Extremely Mild	Strong	Very Mild	Very Pleasant
I agree with other reviewers who say that Symphony burns hot and doesn?t taste like much. I have gotten it to taste good in a very large bowl (3/4 x 2 1/4?). If you make it to the bottom quarter of the bowl, it can taste nice, the smoke has the sweet honey tin smell coupled with black tea, with notes reminiscent of that good smell when someone nearby has just lit a cigarette. The problem with this tobacco is that its very difficult to get the burn rate just right, almost impossible the first three-quarters of the bowl; mostly it?s too hot and somewhat bitter and sharp in the nose. Some tobaccos are finicky but will reward the smoker with a burst of intense flavor once you get the rhythm just right. Symphony is Very finicky and the reward for getting the rhythm just right is only mildly interesting.
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supersmoke	07/15/2006	Very Mild	None detected	Very Mild	Unnoticeable
Soooo ! this one needs to be smoked really slowly I thought as my every day Peterson went into meltdown along with my tounge.later on that evening at home I had another go with it in an old Falcon and percevered. I took an hour to gently smoke one bowel full and it was one of the most blandest and tasteless tobaccos i have ever had. i could not taste any Virginia and I cannot see how this could be be described as a Cavandish.Though the pouch aroma was not unpleasant. Even with very gentle smoking it left a slight soapy taste in my mouth. i enjoy a lot of MacBaren's tobacco and they probobly sell a lot of this stuff or they would not make it.Perhaps it is one for the real experts to ponder over but if a tase is that difficult to detect is it worth it. Because it is so tastless it is easy to mix in with any flavoured tobacco which is what I am going to do.
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calavera	05/08/2006	Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
I received a 4 oz tin of this as a gift. I have smoked several bowls in a couple of different pipes. It works best for me when I barely pack it into a GBD prehistoric pot with a rather small bowl. I tend to forget how much I enjoy this tobacco. I seem to always reach for something with a little more oomph. However, each time I do enjoy a bowl of this I remember how much I like it. It tends to run to the lighter side as far as flavor goes. I seem to get the best results when I puff it slowly and exhale through the nose. It has a very nice sweetness from the Virginias and the topping. The burley contributes to the overall nice flavor, but does not stand out to me but rather plays second violin to the Virginias. This smokes down to a nice, dry, fluffy grey ash. Also, somewhat rarely for me, it never seems to get harsh or bitter on the relights.
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smoke'n joe	02/13/2006	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
So I got this new Savinelli pipe and decided to give it a go. I loaded it with MB symphony and started puffing. Somethings wrong... I don't taste anything. I guess I forgot to light the pipe! Wait... then why is my mouth on fire? Oh God! I did light it, but there is almost no taste. But what it lacks in taste it makes up for in heat. Fair trade I guess... This smoke is OK if you like something very mild and natural tasting, but be careful, it burns very hot. The only way to smoke it is by packing the bowl very lightly and smoking very slowly. GOOD LUCK!
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CaptnDan	12/31/2005	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is not a heavy tobacco, the flavors can be best described as delicate. Nothing jumps up and grabs your attention. The flavor is pleasant, kind of nutty with a sweetness. The description says it has tender notes of chocolate. Well, I guess it could be chocolate. You have to pay attention to this one. If you look for it, the flavors are there.
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BigSwede	12/24/2005	Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I like this tobacco. A lot. When it comes to smoking, I'm definitely a minimalist and this fulfills my needs. I've always enjoyed MacB's London Burley and for me this is very similar to that blend, with some Va and a little cav thrown in for good measure. This is an easy burning blend and should be smoked very slowly, a good idea with any of MacB's weed. It has that nutty and somewhat sweet taste that the burley lovers go for and the Va definitely adds a "little something". The topping is mild and melds into the natural taste of the tobacco. It burns down to a dry ash, with no bitter taste at the end. If you require complexity or just don't like burley blends, look elsewhere. For those who enjoy a simple, uncomplicated predominantly burley blend, this is worth a try.
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Black Seamus	10/13/2005	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
My favorite tobacconist got some tins of Symphony in, and since I really enjoy Burley London Blend, I thought I'd give it a try. I have learned to really enjoy high quality Burley blends via BLB and several of the C&D offerings. I also enjoy a bowl of Prince Albert on a regular basis. Symphony is not a terrible tobacco, but I found it to be bland and rather tasteless. It burns hot and has a tendency to bite. I won't be buying this one again.
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Nke	10/10/2005	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Previous previewers have said pretty much everything. Although I find the taste somewhat stronger without being even nearly too much. Somehow the smoke has a lot more body than strenght. I especially liked the intensifying of the taste towards the bottom. Kept lit extremely well,and burnt quite hot. I would give this three-and-a-half stars,but with these options it`s closer to three. Update 10/10/05; Now that it has dried up some more,the honey becomes to come through much stronger, almost too much. So now it`s certainly only three stars, or three minus.
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jackhackett	09/15/2005	Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable
Maybe I just don't like burley-predominate blends, but this tobacco left a sense of something missing or out of place. In the tin a light smell of stewed figs seems to promise something more substantial, but the smoked tobac somehow has even less character. It is smooth and even-burning, but those factors seem to have been gained by sacrificing any notable qualities. I've tried using this as a base for blending, but amazingly it somehow still competes rather than harmonizes with other tobaccos even though it is such bland stuff by itself. It's not that this is poor quality leaf or even unpleasant; it's just a very background-wallpaper-elevator-music kind of blend. And daddy's not here to stand against the wall. He's here to juke, baby.
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donk93953	09/03/2005	Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable
After 5 bowls of this I wondered why I wasted my time. Oh yes, I remember..in scientific experiment, even if you fail, or are wrong, it is a success, because you know no to go down that road again. Ok, wait, wait...no in this case it doesnt make any difference....Tasteless, flat...are there people that actually smoke this?
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Pipestud	08/13/2005	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant
If memory serves me correctly (and the older I get the less I depend on memory) this tobacco blend has some very similar taste sensations to Mac Baren's Virginia #1. It has a honey like odor in the tin and on the tongue, yet not so much as to demand butter and bread along with it. I actually noted I was smoking tobacco, and that of course, is a good thing! A sweet, light Burley/Virginia with little power but satisfying in small doses.
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Mr. Dottle	08/09/2005	Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
Symphony is a pleasant, light, mild and sweet burley / honey smoke. Like a few others, I found it similar to Amphora Brown I smoked decades ago. For whatever reason, MacB blends don?t bite me like they do to many others nor do they burn particularly hot. In short, I agree with what Paddy?s eloquent description and review below. A cigarette is to be smoked. A cigar is to be enjoyed. A pipe is to be savored. I rate this tobacco 9.0 out of 10.
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DUPE.1512	06/11/2005	Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This reminds me of Symphony. This is a rich blend with honey casing that gets richer and better in flavor and aroma as you smoke it down. A very high quality semi-aromatic that burns cool and dry making it a pleasent all day smoke.
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Ducksbreath	05/07/2005	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
This has to be savored slowly, like most MB. Somewhere in the MB literature they advise that tobacco tastes its best when just barely lit. Well, MB tobacco at least. It can burn hot, especially in the first part of the bowl. However, the aroma and interplay of the casings with the Burley and VA are quite mysterious and harmonious, just like it says on the tin. So subtle it is difficult to pin down exactly what is going on. Reminds me of pine trees and baked bread on a cold morning, perhaps. Or maybe I'm just imagining things. Anyway, I find this is a good smoke to relax with when I'm listening to music or watching TV, or walking the dog. If I really need a SMOKE, I look elsewhere. **Update. I still smoke this every now and then. It is my favorite MB blend, though I'll admit there are other similar ones. It seems to actually be better in bulk form, where it represents very good value.
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emmbee	04/19/2005	Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
More a lean, transparent ?quartet? than a sonorous symphony, MacBaren?s ?Symphony? describes itself as a rubbed out Virginia cake with hints of burley and Cavendish. If my memory serves me, the cut reminds me of something along the lines of Amphora Red In the tin it has that distinctive Douwe Egberts topping, though this is made in Denmark, not Holland. And yes, there is a slightly ?tender? note of chocolate in the taste, but especially in the nose. This is the kind of blend to keep around for those times when English mixtures may be a bit heavy and you?re not in the mood for an aromatic. A subtle morning or early afternoon tobacco that offers a pure and pleasant smoking experience. Three of five stars
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Paddy	03/31/2005	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant
I should preface this review with the fact that this was my all day smoking tobacco for twenty years until I grew to appreciate the Virginias and Virginia flakes and gravitated away from burley. The manufacturer's description is dead accurate: burley, virginia, and cavendish with a mild, neutral sweetener. The tin aroma reminds me of the smell of fresh cut sweet clover and it was the smell of the tin that captured my interest initially. It is a rubbed out pressed tobacco rather than a flake, mostly medium brown with a few darker and lighter components mixed in. The main element of flavor is good quality burley, light, pronounced but not overdone. The burley does not dominate as it does in Edgeworth Sliced or Barbary Coast. The cavendish adds a light sweetness to the blend, but the sweetness is restrained. There are no identifiable flavor additives such as boysenberry, cherry, or extracts to interfere with the tobacco flavor and aroma. And the Virginias balance and mute the burley. The smoke provides the taste of straight tobaccos that have been lightly sweetened. Although I do not consider Symphony to be a highly aromatic tobacco, many have remarked on how much they liked the smell. This tobacco does not bite me. Perhaps I have modulated my puffing rate to accommodate the blend over the years. I think of it as Mac Baren Plumcake lite because the cavendish in Symphony is not nearly as heavily cased and has more tobacco flavor and less sweetener. I consider it to be a great burley/Virginia tobacco. I still keep it on hand as a morning smoke to start the day. I recommend Symphony, especially to the smoker who likes a little burley flavor from time to time. Paddy. ________________________________________________________ 3-30-05 The Symphony I am smoking right now has quite a bit of age on it. Although it can nip if pushed, it is scrumptious, a beautiful blend of Virginia and burley flavors. It is nice to know the old favorites can still deliver, but must take it slow.
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Darth 69	01/28/2005	Very Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable
This burley blend along with Mac Baren's others (except Navy Flake) are just horrorably flat and bland. Despite the listed ingrediants and the casing this is the most bland and unnotable of them all. Its' ingredients seemed to have rendered themselves into irrelevancy. It is comprised of burley with a smidgen of black cavendish and an undetectable amount of virginia. The tin aroma is suggestive of molasses. The taste is just nothing there. I can't figure out why all these years I have been smoking it is still there, still being made, smoked by whom? Somebody must like this but not I! - Not Recommended
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Briarabbit	12/15/2004	Extremely Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant
Bland tobacco that should be,by the ingredients used,better than this. Mac Baren sure has a way of screwing up good tobacco with all that honey. Anyway, here we have Virginia (so they say) and Burley,(so they say) mixed together. It's suppose to be such a great tobacco,but be warned brother of the briar,you will get third degree burns on your tounge. Mac Baren how do you stay in buisness?
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Ian Weeks	11/20/2004	Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable
I wonder, is it me or do almost all MacBaren blends smoke on the hot side. When I ease off to the point of a soft occasional pull this blend is excellent and offers a great smoke otherwise it smokes awfully wet. I subscribe to the school of thought that the whole secret to a great smoke is the pack and the draft and this blend defies this law. I smoke this blend but not every day, and when I do I am careful, I recommend this weed but carefully. Smoked within its own realm of rules it provides an enjoyable taste. Update: I have not purchased another tin of this weed for the same reason I have not purchased Rollcake. MacBaren blends smoke too wet for me, and thus require far too much maintanance. This blend tastes wonderful, but not that wonderful.
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