The smoking of it doesn't quite add up to the anticipation. It started out flavorful, a decent aromatic, but quickly became muddy-flavored, and gurgled, causing the bowl to heat up till almost unbearable to hold. I will give the remainder of the pouch to the next homeless guy at an intersection.

I really enjoyed the smoking taste. The cavendish was consistently smooth and complimented by the natural sweetness of the burley. The burley was nicely blended in that it didn't overpower and I didn't detect the burley nutty taste that occurs when the burley is really prevalent. The casings/flavorings were low-key and added a nice sweetness to the tobaccos flavors.

Interesting slightly salty taste to the end of each puff.

Overall, a very nice balance of the tobacco taste and the flavorings. I'm impressed with this new blend and would try it again. Got this sample as a freebie in an order from a tobacconist. Well worth a smoke for the seasoned enjoyer of aromatics or the new pipe smoker. Cool, mellow and relaxing.

Note: I usually smoke English blends and my favorites are Oriental/Balkans. When I want straight tabacky I smoke english blends. When I want some sweetness and flavorings I smoked aromatics. Pipe smoking is that simple.

I like this much better than CBW. CBW, for me, has always been fairly tasteless. I never got much in the way of side- stream aroma either. Very different, however, with Mac's 7 Seas Regular. I don't smoke many blends like this one any more. The occasional bowl or two of Sillem's Musketeer or Dan's Milonga I do frequent when the mood strikes. I would certainly consider adding Mac's 7SR as well. Much better than many of the Tinderbox jarred aromatic offerings. Almost reminds me of McClelland's Tastemaster but without the chemical taste. You would never guess this to be a MacBaren's in a blind testing. Not based on personal preference, but on the tobacco's own merit, it is truly a 4 star blend. Since I don't partake of this genre much anymore, a solid 3 stars based on personal preference. It went best for me in a small-bowled, Yves St Claude, 6.5" mini churchwarden. An excellent start for newbies taking to the pipe.

The first 3rd of the bowl is pretty dull, not much of a sweet taste, but it gradually builds up to be a nice sweet tasting smoke by the middle of the bowl and when it ends I find myself wanting more.

So far I've smoked one 100gram tin of this and do think I'll keep some around. It could possibly replace CB White as my go to aromatic. Definitely worth a try if you're in to aromatics.

-Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Fair dues to Mac Baren, this is a sleeper on the aromatic front. I only discovered this today when my newsagent in England (and one of the very few left in my area that sell a variety of pipes AND tobacco) waved this under my nose and said in his native pidgeon English tongue.."This one new sir...This one new!"

Mac Baren 7 seas?!?! Never heard of that before. So out of the three that were available in this range, I opted for the 'regular blend' because it says it has a cocoa and vanilla taste/aroma to it.

Well, this is quite a surprise from Mac Blowtorch.....because there is absolutely no bite whatsoever from this superlative blend. Saying that it is what it is, an aromatic. So what? It's not actually a crime to be an aromatic, or for that matter to like one. Most tobacco's are, including those that like the Latakia's under the English banner (myself included).

This blend was a REAL surprise. It actually smoked like it smelt (A rather nice concoction of chocolate with a hint of vanilla) It smoked utterly dry with no goopiness, yea sure it got a fraction toasty in the last few millimetres of the bowl, but what aromatic doesn't?!?!? I generally tend to smoke aro's with 9mm filters to keep the moisture, and heat out of the smoke should it be there.

Not a trace of the Mac Baren honey flavour at all, and I'm one of those who find MB blends relatively similar. (Mixture, Navy Flake, etc) This should be promoted immeadiately to '50gm/100gm tin available' status.

I wasn't looking for the rich tobacco taste nor the 'N' word hay- maker, because I knew it wouldn't be there. Primarily because I knew what I was smoking. An aromatic. However, for when I need to smoke in company, such as waiting to go into bat on a Saturday/Sunday afternoon during the cricket season, this was a real team/crowd pleaser.

This enhanced by the fact that I was smoking it in a churchwarden (always novelty value for the un-initiated) was a real visually quintessential and oral-factory experience for smoker and observer alike. All whilst sat on the bench of the thatched pavillion, with summers evening shadows stretching across the field of play to the sounds of blackbirds melodically chirruping nearby.

Just as the local church bells tolled 6pm there's a cry of HOWZAT!!! And the thin blue aromatic wisps of SSRB's chocolatey/vanilla smoke that have been drifting out to deep mid- on from my direction, slowly dissipate, as I place down the long- shanked briar, and stride out to place leather on willow!

Well done McBaren. (For a change)

Still, the three stars you get from me (Coz I'm a VA man at heart) will only stand tall if you make this blend available in massive tins!!!! This is certainly comparable to my other aro fav's such as those by Peterson so why not tin it?

Give it a go all, but remember to take it for what it is...

Even the missus, (who thinks everything else I smoke, from Penzance to Erinmore to FVF, smell's of dead old men's clothing, and in turn, begs me the question as to how she knows what that smells like in the first place ?!?) thinks that this is acceptable........she being a women, and this being chocolate after all!!!!

Still, the floor......or rather, the 'bowl' is yours.

I'd say it's certainly comparable to Navy flake by the same blender.

As usual the aroma is great, but I cannot for the love of God tell you what this really taste like! Oh yeah...and it leaves the back part of your mouth scorched. Can't help puffin' too hard too often, as the strength is non-existant.

A sudden urge to brush my teeth!

On opening the pouch, I was greeted by a yummy, sweet fragrance that has some fruity notes in the background; overall somewhat atypical of Mac Baren's other blends. The leaf is mostly dark; Black Cavendish is distinctly present, with some Burley shining through. The cut is somewhat squarish; stuffing and lighting are easy.

Once alight, things start out sweet and mellow -- not overly mild though -- with a little toastiness in there and a beautiful room note. I get a whiff of vanilla, but I may be mistaken there. Towards the very end, the taste gathers a hint of tar, but not enough to put me off smoking this blend all the way down to a fine, mottled grey ash.

Overall a relaxed, sweet and fragrant smoke. Not exactly a nicotine hammer, but highly sociable.