Mac Baren - HH Mature Virginia pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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VaPer Lock	11/03/2009	Mild	None detected	Medium	Very Pleasant
As a Virginia smoker I actually go to HH from time to time as a change of pace from other Virginia that I normally smoke. It's a mild, cool smoking blend that leaves no sweetness for me no matter how fast or slow I smoke it. Lost of nutty, biscuit, crisp maris otter type ale malt tastes going on, but again, no sweetness on my tongue, which is why I like is as a changeup. It burns very well even outdoors (I bought mine in bulk where it could have been a little drier), which is where I frequently light up HH while I am puttering about with something in the shop or mowing the grass. Could use a little more nicotine strength for me, but otherwise I can recommend HH to anyone wanting a first Virginia experience or as myself, a change of pace from stronger blends. I like it.
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strongirish	10/01/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
It's like someone at MacBarens used to work at Mcclellands. The pouch aroma is so much like theirs with the ketchup aroma. However it also has a Fig Newton aroma as well after you smell it a few times. Interesting mix for sure. This blend is an all brown, ribbon cut, matured Va with a great taste. i liked it the first bowl I burned. What I received was at the ideal smoking moisture and it packed very easy. Upon lighting up, I thought oh no, one of those to mild blends that will make me want to smoke to hard to get the flavor and burn my tongue. But as mild as it is at light up, it soon blooms into a nice, rich, and full flavored VA. The room note is very pleasant, and the taste goes from mild and semi sweet, to a nice tangy sweet taste by pipes end. It burns well and behaves upon light up and burns all the way down to a slight grey ash and dottle. This reminds me very much of MaClelland's 5100 but a little fuller. It does not bite and will tolerate a fast puff as easy as a slow sip. I do recommend trying this, it's not in the league of say Orlick Golden Slices but it could easily be an all day smoke.
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Virginia Piper	09/07/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
I recently opened a tin of HH Mature Virginia and, like many others have noted, was greeted with a pungent aroma similar to a barbeque sauce. The tobacco was fairly moist and ribbon cut for ease of packing. I decided to use a light touch in packing due to the tobacco moistness. When I packed and lighted a bowl of this tobacco, there wasn't any hint of the pungent aroma but instead a there was a spicy bite with a hint of sweetness. Unlike the aromatics I've smoked before, there was not a strong heady flavour but a more subtle honey-like taste intermingled with the smoke. The tobacco was fairly well behaved as tongue bite was virtually non-existent. Despite the recent spate of mediocre reviews, I would definitely recommend HH Mature Virginia. I smoke Full Virgina Flake as well and find that HH Mature Virginia is sweeter but not as spicy or strong. For a fuller smoke, FVF is the better choice. For those times I want something lighter, HHMV is preferred.
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DeadMensPipes	07/05/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable
With most tinned tobaccos, even though when smoked do not match the tin aroma, you are usually greeted with a pleasant smell from the tin. This stuff just smells plain wierd. Not bad. I can understand why others call it a ketchup or barbeque smell. I am not sure what it is. The tobacco in the tin certainly looks nice and seems to be just the right moisture content. Nice cut. Packs well. I smoked it in a large Charatan's Make on a breezy day. It burned very consistently and uniformly to a light grey ash with no dottle. No bite. The one-dimensional taste and aroma of the smoke was nothing to get excited about. Reminded me of a strong cigarette or a mild cigar. UPDATE 06/07/2011: After the review above, I put the lid on and let it sit on the shelf for over a year. It aged very well - big improvement. Taste really becomes more complex about a third of the way down the bowl. Makes a great smoke on a summer day. Upgrade to three stars. Recommended.
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Beer	06/01/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
What a weird tin aroma! Are we sure that this is only Virginia? No, it isn't: according to Mac Baren this blend contains 15 different kinds of Virginia (some brights, some reds, and a heavy dose of dark aged ones), but also a touch of Cavendish, of Orientals, and even a pinch of Burley. Anyway, while the name is a bit misleading since this isn't a pure Virginia, I still can't understand what was used to flavor this blend... because the smell from the tin is completely offbeat. McClelland's infamous vinegar/ketchup is nothing compared to this: here we can smell a burning barbecue, a heap of well-grilled sausages with plenty of spices. Yes, I am not joking: it's smoky, spicy, charred, with notes of heavy balsamic vinegar, and even a touch of licorice. We all know that Mac Baren uses casings to flavor their blends, and I usually like their style: anyway, here they don't use their usual sugar/maple/honey, but go for a dark approach instead. Luckily, the flavoring translates very little into the smoking experience. Sure, some licorice and spice remain, but it tastes fairly natural. A weird tobacco indeed: in the taste, the dark stoved Virginias dominate, for a very smooth but also slightly bitter, spicy, fermented, and very smoky experience. Don't go looking for sweetness, fruitiness, for citrus flavors, for grassiness. This is aged leaf, and it shows. It tends to pack a bit too tight, so use a light hand, but then it burns fine as most Mac Barens do. Overall, I like this tobacco but it does not overwhelm me. It remains a bit too light in taste and body, although it has a nice complexity. Good to smoke once in a while, but for regular smoking I prefer the roll cakes from this same brand. Update: the second tin of this blend seems even blander and more boring than the first. Not bad or offensive, but doesn't make me want to smoke it... I guess I won't buy it again.
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Felix	05/12/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
This blend is a particular favorite of mine...always thought it was a bit more than simply a straight Virginia...but couldn't put my finger on what it might contain. Per Jensen, in a Pipes Magazine conversation, solves the mystery: "Mature Virginia is a Virginia based blend, but it has some Oriental, a little bit of Kentucky and the only top flavor is a little bit of red wine balsamic." It's a superb blend all Virginia fans should consider cellaring.
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Slow Draw	04/16/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
This is a natural Virginia blend. Read the multitude of reviews that mention the slightly sweet and grassy flavors. Moist out of the tin, and absolutely beautiful, visually, with the signature aroma (which I like). The bowl starts kinda tangy and becomes more mellow and smokey (almost like a light cup of fresh coffee) as it easily burns down. It's all true, and quite delicious! Many people seem to forget that not all tobaccos are meant to knock your socks off with depth and strength. This blend fills my needs when I want my sweet virginias (most the time), but don't want to grapple with a more formidable presentation. Well worth a spot in any Virginia lovers cellar.
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chgo.piper	03/29/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
many different virginias at work here blended to perfection. I picked up a dozen tins of this. should age well.
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Brakepipe	03/12/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable
Introduced to quality Virginias by Tilbury and VAPERs by Fillmore, I burned through the first two tins of this blissfully and then moved on to flakes, specifically FVF, which I presently prefer. There is much to commend this blend: fairly easy to pack (FrMthd, light and smoke, difficult to make bite and increasing in smokiness to the end without bitterness. It is "monochromatic" in the sense that it moves from milk chocolate to dark chocolate through the bowl. Leaves no "ghosts" in the pipe or mouth and can sweeten to a natural, neutral, tobacco flavor a pipe drenched in latakia, of which I have several. It does not, however, have that semi-acrid undertone of true straight virginias, probably because of the burley blended into it and the MacBaren penchant for aromatic qualities. Well worth laying up a few tins.
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SirSmokesAlot	03/10/2009	Mild to Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I personally found this tobacco to be quite bitey and very one dimensional. Granted I am a new pipe smoker, but even still I can't say that I'd recommend this blend to anyone but the most hard-core VA fans. Not horrible, just won't reorder. After accidently leaving the lid off of my tin for over an hour, I rubbed out this blend and gave it another shot. What I found was that it killed the bite I mentioned before. I should have also mentioned that I was first smoking this blend out of a relatively new molina pipe. I still found this blend to be pretty one-dimensional, but at least now I won't have to ebay my remaining 3 ounces. Sorry for the 1st review
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quantumboy	03/07/2009	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I preface this review by stating that I am not a big fan of straight Virginias, so take it with a grain of salt. I tend toward english/balkans and big baccies like Night Train. However, I did give FVF four stars, so... I just can't get into HH. I've tried a few times now, and it just doesn't get my attention like FVF. It seems to me too uni-dimensional, and just not very rich on flavor. I will let the rest of the tin rest for a few months and see what happens...
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Pipe4ever	02/24/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
My first experience with this blend was rather negative, I am not used to this kind of Virginia with this oriental added, I have 1 pound of this blend that I will keep for later tasting, I will give it another try later, as for now, I prefer my Va No.1, this is very special Va blend in the Mac baren products line, completely different from anything they have done before, and the tobacco quality is top notch.
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Duke	02/24/2009	Mild	Mild	Mild	Unnoticeable
I had high expectations for this Virginian blend prior to receiving my tin. The tag line captured my attention, despite the notation of Burley's and Orientals in the mix. Visually the blend is impressive with multi-toned leaves. Tactilely the blend seemed sopping wet compared to the rest of MacBaren's line, so I'll dry it for my needs. I'm reluctant to make flippant analogies, but the tin aroma reminded me of a can of freshly opened black olives in brine. I've smoked close to ten bowls in large bowled pipes, and I'm not getting Mature Virginian. I notice the dry Burley component too much for my liking, and some Oriental spice. MV has more similarities to Presbyterian Mixture than Full Virginia Flake. I love the McClelland catsup tang, knowing the rewards upon ignition. I am been reluctant to add my review. The Chef, the Stud, Glorfi and BBJ sing its praise, yet, right know I can't. There is no doubt this is a very, very well made tobacco. I'm sure many will find enjoyment in this blend, but form me it wasn't Virginian enough. I still have half a tin left that I?ll continue to sample, and if I change my current thought, I?ll update my review. I need to consume at least 50 grams to give a fair opinion, so I'll press on.
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Darth 69	02/01/2009	Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
I was disapointed with HH Mature Virginia. The taste is almost flat for a virginia based blend but the most annoying factor was the heady tin aroma which smelled like soy sauce and a bit of acetic acid vinegary tang ie "McClelland ketchup." The tobacco was a little overly moist and some drying out is in order for a test smoke. One thing is true about this blend as stated, it's rather bite free for a virginia.
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Pipe-arazzo	01/28/2009	Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant
This can best be described, in my view, as an exceptionally good example of an uninspiring genre of tobaccos. Maybe it's just my personal taste (and really a review should try to transcend that as much as possible), but sweet, grassy virginias seem to me to be a dime a dozen and never more than mildly interesting. That being said, HHMV does stretch, if not break, the mold of that kind of tobacco. Very user-friendly, fast burning, with hints of smokiness and spice (but only hints), and more nicotene than I expected, it really was rather enjoyable. But by the time I finally finished the tin (40 smokes at least), I had become rather bored with it. If you like Orlik Golden slices or Mac Baren Navy Flake, this is similar enough to be worth a try. I have another tin I'll age and see what that does.
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7formy1911	01/22/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
When I first tried this tobacco I thought it was pretty darn good and I had planned on giving it 3 stars. I'm glad I waited. After trying the Frank method of loading my pipe it was as if all the tastes hiding in the background came to the forefront. All the Virginia sweetness caressed my tongue without a single hint of nipping followed by a smokiness that balanced out the high sweet notes. If I were a high volume pipe smoker this would be my daily smoke. It's balanced, easy on the tongue and has just enough complexity to keep it interesting but if you're busy with a task at hand then there's plenty of flavor to enjoy without having to search for the nuances. If I had to break down the bowl from top to bottom here is how it goes for me. The first 1/3 starts off with the sweet virginias coming to the front to let themselves greet you. The second 1/3 still has those virginias present but a smokey flavor intermingles with the sweetness to balance out very well. The last 1/3 has both the sweetness and BBQ like smokiness trading places at the front of the class. I really didn't notice a whole lot of Vitamin N but there is a bit there. I would highly recommend this blend to anyone interested in virginias or at least exploring what they are all about. While not a straight virginia it is an awesome smoke. I also would highly recommend the Frank Method of loading your pipe with this wonderful tobacco. The smoke is cooler and all the flavors you would miss come out to greet you with a solid handshake.
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Tiepolo	01/12/2009	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I discussed this before buying it in the Paul Olsen shop in Copenhagen. I was told it was not a new blend, it was rather an attempt of Mac Baren to come back to some early type of blends. For me, this is more like a Virginia/Oriental blend. The Oriental component is noticeable and smoking it is a change of pace for me, a predominantly VA guy. Needs around half an hour drying out of the tin and the packing is not very critical (I use the Frank method for this). No tongue bite here, a HUGE improvement for Mac Bite standards. No overheating and a nice finish. Right now it fulfills the in between VAs smoke role and the unattended casual smoke role for me. This is not really an aromatic so the room note is just ok, no crowd pleaser. A recommended blend and hopefully a success, lets see more like this Mac Baren guys. By the way, HH stands for Harald Halberg, not Heinrich Heine!!! Halberg is the family that founded and still owns Mac Baren and Harald is the founder.
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smokinitnatural	01/08/2009	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable
After finishing my first tin of this tobacco I am somewhat dissapointed. I am a lover of virginias so I thought I would give this a try. This tobacco is very moist out of the tin so I let it dry a while before smoking. Smokes very hot and wet and has the room note of a cigarette. Very flat throughout most of the bowl and a hint of VA would peek through every now and then. Definatly not top shelf stuff. Its just plain. With so many other wonderfull VA blends out there for the same price I will not be ordering any more.
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Plex	01/02/2009	Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
On opening the tin, with 18 months age, was greeted with what I can best describe as a sweet fruit mash aroma, or as my spouse opined, "fig mash." Let it dry for 30-45 minutes and then enjoyed a pleasant, mild 45-60 minute pipe of sweetness. Not overpowering in strength or sweetness but a progressive advance from light cotton candy to a full blown creme caramel. Room note was nearly undetectable, according to the same aforementioned spouse, who enjoyed the aroma as being, "pleasant, grown-up and without any stinky, perfume qualities." Combine with a fresh hot mug of coffee. Not a flavor powerhouse, but very well rounded and thoroughly enjoyable. A good change of pace smoke.
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agedtins	12/29/2008	Extremely Mild	Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable
I don't like Aromatics, not much more to add. If you want sublime virginia tobacco without all the extra flavoring, try Full Virginia Flake or the lighter Best Brown Flake. I tend not to review any tobacco's unless I truly enjoy them, but after reading the multiple 3 and 4 star reviews I felt the need to chime in, and all those high reviews convinced me to give this a shot and pick up a tin. Blackwoods, Hall o Wind, Cut Virginia Plug.....there are so many phenominal virginias out there that have more consentration and complexity. I guess thats what makes the world go around, my pallet is much different than others. This one did not do it for me at all, neither has any McBaren blend for that matter, after 5 bowls I gave the tin away. I would agree with 'the no tongue bite' note on the tin description though. Again, I only post when I enjoy a particular tobacco, but I got a totally different experience then most of the reviewers that I felt the need to express my view on this one, I am sure it will not deter anyone from giving this a try.
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