Mac Baren - The Solent Mixture pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
< PREVIOUS Showing reviews 21 through 30 of 30 reviews of this tobacco
orka	08/08/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This is very good tobacco. Smooth, deep and rich nuances in perfect balance. My only objection would be that the rum topping sometimes feel slightly over the top. Other than that, this is excellent. I agree with the others saying one really shouldn't expect an English in the literal sense of the word, I guess it's more appealing for the aromatic and/or VA smoker. The latakia in it is mainly a paranthesis. It's the VA and cavendish that really stand out from the crowd. Not an every day blend for me, but it has a well deserved spot in the tin department. 3/4
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Xeneize	06/24/2008	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable
This is a nice hybrid blend (aromatized English, if you excuse the oxymoron). The rum/plum topping is light enough not to mask the underlying tobaccos, and it slowly fades through the first third of the bowl (much like Presbyterian Mixture, but there are no noticeable Orientals here). Upon opening the tin and aproaching my nose, I have a dejà vu: it smells like Haddo's Delight! In fact, it smells like Haddo's would with a pinch of Latakia. Once lit the comparison is over, since the base tobaccos have nothing in common, but the toppings are definitely similar. As with most MacBarens, tongue bite is an issue for the careless puffer. This, along with the low Latakia content, will probably make TSM more appealing to the Virginia lover than to the English fan.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Big bad Jon	01/11/2008	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This is one of my favorite Mac Baren blends. The VA tobacco is typical Mac Baren sweet and smooth, almost a velvety texture. I like the black Cavendish and its rum casing it adds just enough zing to the blend to help it stand out from the rest. The tobacco burns very cleanly for a cased blend, and is mild enough for me to still consider it an English. The cut is of typical Mac Baren standards, and the tin note was very pleasant. Overall this blend is very nice, and burns all the way to the bottom with no residual in your pipe. Great smoke.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
SmokeKing David	05/30/2007	Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant
The Solent Mixture is an outstanding hybrid/crossover blend of aromatic and english characteristics. Visually, this blend is comprised of golden ribbons and tan and light brown pieces of Virginia, with a sprinkling of black cavendish and latakia. The tin aroma seems aromatic; vanilla and rum, but with a smoky undertone. The initial light is in conformity with this blend's appearance and aroma. That is, it has a navy-blend taste with smoke and spice. Throughout the bowl, smoke and spice interplay with rum and a subtle yet somewhat sweet vanilla. But it is not a goopy aromatic. On the contrary, the latakia balances the sweetness out quite nicely. Unlike many MacBaren blends, there is little tongue bite here. This is a complex blend that is truly luxurious and a real joy to smoke. It does flavor the bowl, but that just serves to increase and enhance the smoky latakia and rum. I have dedicated a Dunhill Cumberland and a Saseini 5-Dot to this wonderful blend. I smoke many different types of tobacco, from mild aromatics (a la Affordable Pipes, which makes some real winners) , to Old Gowrie, various other MacBarens, and English and Balkan blends. But I always seem to come back to this tobacco. The Solent Mixture gets my highest (subjective, naturally) rating. If you are seeking a "hybrid" or are an aromatic smoker looking for a tobacco that will introduce you to english tobaccos, here it is. This blend has earned a solid four out of four stars!
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Talonr1701	10/28/2006	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
This stuff is great !!!! Like most MacBaren mixs, the virginias have a very dominent flavor, which is great. The Syrian gives an exotic condimental addition to a very well put together blend. From Char to Heel, the flavor is consistant- Virginia sweet, exotic and spicey. The real treat is the rum casing. It is the best rum in a mix I have had. Exotic and tasty- Think this should have been the Navy mixture... Highly recomended. Experience it.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
InTheBiz	02/06/2006	Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Mac Baren The Solent Mixture dates back to 1950 and is one of the company's original blends. It is English in overall character but, because of the addition of Jamaican Rum, sweeter than a traditional English mixture. 15% Syrian Latakia is used instead of the more common Cyprian variety, and adds it's own aromatic quality, therefore, the roomnote is not as heavy and smokey. The base Virginia tobacco is of high quality, similar to the leaf used in Dark Twist. No bite is experienced if smoked slowly. It is a very attractive tobacco in the tin, with light and dark ribbon cut Virginia and flecks of black Latakia. It packs and burns easily. Flavor is an intriguing mix that I find highly enjoyable and harkens back to a time when most pipe blends used Latakia as an aromatic flavoring, unlike today's vanilla laden blends. Moisture content is just about perfect. The Solent Mixture has none of the Honey topnote common in many Mac Baren tobaccos. "Old Fashioned" is a word that best describes this excellent pipe mixture. Personally, I'm very glad Mac Baren decided to import this blend once again. Overall - Four stars.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
emmbee	11/23/2005	Very Strong	Mild	Extra Full	Tolerable
I tried a sample of this one & was overwhelmed by the strength & how it burned my tongue. It's typical MacBaren in the pack: honey atop strands of rubbed out golden Virginia. It was all too powerful to taste any latakia. Hot, hot, hot! I spilled it out. Nothing else to say except pass. 1/2 of five stars
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Paddy	09/01/2003	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I have about a dozen tins of this tobacco in my basement that I bought over a dozen years ago when I learned that it was no longer going to be sold in the U.S. It looks to be dark red Virginias and cavendish with darker bits of what I take to be latakia. The tobacco is rather finely chopped and packs easily. The smoke tastes of red Virginias and a sweetened cavendish reminiscent of Dark Twist but also includes an unusual treatment of latakia in that the latakia does not taste like latakia. There is a somewhat resiny element to the flavor of the smoke which is strange and unique and which I attribute to the latakia in this mixture. This is a pleasant smoke, smoooth with no bite, and I keep it on hand because it has a distinctive tobacco flavor that draws me back from time to time. I expect my remaining tins will last for a good many years. It would be shame never to be able to smoke it again. Well recommended. Paddy.
Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
Pipestud	05/11/2003	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant
I am not sure whether The Solent Mixture is still being produced. I have not seen it on any websites that sell MacBaren's blends in quite some time. I recently opened and smoked my only tin of this mixture. It was quite aged (at least 7 years), and had that wonderful mellowness that can only be brought about by Virginia weed that is a bit long in the tooth. This is unique in that it has some sort of topping along with the Latakia, Virginia and Cavendish. Unlike many MacBaren's blends, this one did not smoke at all hot. It had no bite and the flavor, while tasty, was just too subdued for me. If you like Latakia in small doses and want to experience a light Virginia as well, then punch this ticket.
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Studentowl	02/17/2003	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
This is a wonderful introduction to Latakia mixtures. It has a wonderful colour with contrasting deep orange virginia and black cavendish. It smell on opening the packet is a wonderful sweet wood smoke Latakia with just a hint of aromatic topping. It packs very well and burns very easily (but be careful that it doesn?t get too hot!). The smoke is both mild yet very satisfying with solid woody tones and a delicate sweetness which does no not over whelm the inexperienced smoker wile still providing an interesting smoke for the confirmed Latakia fan! It does however have a slight tendency to smoke wet and so it probably best smoked in a filter or Peterson system pipe.
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