Mac Baren - Burley London Blend pipe tobacco reviews

Review

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Reviewed By:	Date:	Strength:	Flavoring:	Taste:	Room Note:	Recommendation:
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SmokeKing David	08/31/2007	Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
Nice tobacco; chocolate and a very subtle honey which is present in many MacBaren burley-based blends. Puff judiciously to avoid tongue bite.
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prison chaplain	07/18/2007	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
Addendum: 07/19/2007 Tastes do change. About half of he pound I bought in 2004 is still under seal. After awhile, the tongue bite of this tobacco stole much of the pleasure this tobacco originally provided. It has been about four months since I smoked a bowl. And it still burns hot. And I still like the stuff, only not so much ADDENDUM: 08/10/2004 The 4 ounce tin I spoke of in my original review went quickly. I did not purchase anymore for several months, but this tobacco was never far from my thoughts. About a month ago I began trolling the online tobacco vendors for London Blend in bulk. I found several, including one that was selling it for $22.00 per pound. I could not resist. Smell is a very personal and evocative thing. A few years ago I visited the home where my maternal grandparents spent their enire married life, many fond memories. There is the main house and the original house that everyone called "the shanty." Both were built by my grandfather, who immigrated from Denmark with his parents as a young child. My parents and I lived in it for a couple years after I was born and visited there often thereafter. My grandfather raised strawberries for market and stored his baskets there. They retained the scent of the berries. Stepping back into that house, the faint strawberry scent was still in the air. It brought back many pleasant childhood memories. Judging by the reviews I read here, I think some of us are searching for something elusive when we try a new tobacco. Sometimes you can go home again and sometimes you can't I was not greatly disappointed with my second visit to London Blend. The pound I received was the same tobacco I received in the tin, though, my nose was telling me that the bulk pound I received did not have the age on it that the tinned tobacco did. Who knows? Otherwise, the cut, the color, the smoke was excellent. While I have some Nut Brown Burley on hand, London Blend tops it in my opinion. Still highly recommended. Thank you. You, my fellow contributors to Tobaccoreviews, have been an excellent guide for me as I have sampled and enjoyed a variety of fine tobaccos over the past two years. Your combined good taste have led me to several excellent selections in which I have delighted. I have become something of an "Amen" chorus to your aggregate good judgment. The latest of these is Mac Baren's Burley London Blend. As a Christmas present to myself I purchased a 4 oz. tin from an online shop. Upon opening the tin, the first impression was of a broken flake, not unlike a Virginia flake. These "flakes" were a combination of dark and bright. Moisture was near pefect for smoking. It does all things well: packs well, lights well, smokes well. There was little moisture condensation in the bottom of the pipe stem. Most importantly, it is a very nice smoke to the nose and the palate. Virginias and Virgina/Perique blends, especially McClelland 2015 are my first choice. However, Burley London Blend has earned a place as a regular in my rather small rotation. There is little or no bite. It smokes well in the few pipes I own, from a small Meerschaum to a large bowl 3/4 bent briar. The room note is, I think, more pleasant than my 2015. I walked back into my shop after smoking a bowl of London Blend a couple hours earlier. The lingering fragrance was very nice indeed. To my fellow pipe smoking colleagues on a budget like myself, a recommendation. At a local big box discount department store I purchased several "Snap*ware" clear plactic storage cannisters. They come in pint, quart and half gallon sizes. They are clear, hard plastic and have a very tight seal. They have kept the last of my 5 pound order of 2015 in excellent condition for about a year now. A good poor man's tobacco jar. God bless you all and a good new year to you. Prison Chaplain
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Darwin	07/13/2007	Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
03/01/06: BLB is a real sleeper. As others have said, this is a very good burley blend. It can be creamy, sweet. or nutty depending on my taste buds at any particular time. As with other MB blends, a light, almost nonchalant pack seems to work best. I recommend this to anyone who thinks burley is bitter or has no taste. BLB might change your opinion of burley blends. Smoke it slowly and carefully and you will be rewarded. Pretty light in nicotine for a burley blend. The light honey-like topping is similar to other MB blends, like Navy Flake. It's a very good value, as well. Update: I have become less and less impressed with Burley London Blend over the past year or so. Each time I reach for BLB I quickly wish I had chosen something else. I prefer Edgeworth Slices, Wessex Burley Slice, MB Navy Flake, and particularly Solani Aged Burley Flake. These blends are guaranteed to give me an enjoyable burley smoke and each has more burley flavor than I get from BLB. Burley London Blend is less likely to yield a good burley flavor and finish smoothly and more likely to leave my tongue feeling slightly scorched. After I smoke BLB I want to smoke something else because it is so light in nicotine, but I dare not due to its potential to bite. However, if you are on a budget and can master a smoking technique that finds flavor and reduces tongue bite, BLB may be an excellent choice for you.
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YoungPuffer	05/13/2007	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong
Well, hmmnn... lets see, I really like this for what it is. I think it is a very good burley, I really am not a burley smoker, but on occasion, esp. in the mornings in a big bowled pipe. It is very easy to smoke, no bite to speak of, and burns quite cool. This stuff seems to take forever to get through a bowl of so u better be committed when u sit to take a puff off of this. Very good for the burley lovers, not good for the wife lovers as she will hate this blend. A good patio or back deck smoke though.
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CheckeredFlight	04/29/2007	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable
Following my review of MacBaren?s Golden Extra I decided to review Burley London Blend. It?s a good study to evaluate these two blends back to back. Burley London Blend is a good tobacco, burns easily and has a mellow and slightly heartier flavor when compared to Golden Extra. The casing keeps your attention as it is subtle, intriguing and well balanced to the natural leaf found in the blend. I?ve heard that the casing is a combination of honey and vanilla. I can neither confirm nor deny this and as such would look to other reviewers to offer their opinions regarding the casing & notes. The casing is mild and not overdone, hence, I would not consider this blend to be in the aromatic category. MacBaren?s Burley London Blend is another excellent product from MacBaren.
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Joey	02/04/2007	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant
You know, I was going thru the Carolinas and there was JR Cigar and Tobacco. So, what could I do? My truck was drawn in the parking lot as if a gigantic maganet was pulling it forward. After entering the pipe tobacco room I ran across this blend and since I like burley in general I thought why not. The tin was a 100g tin and at the price it was a good deal. Something like $7.00. When I opened the tin the aroma was very pleasing to me. Smelled like what I envision straight burley should smell like. After reading reviews on here I was all excited to taste it and could just imagine the wonderful chocolete and walnut tastes coming into my mouth. What I had happen instead as I smoked it in my vintage Peterson 307 was it burned me with some serious bite. After a couple of bowls like this I started wondering if it was me or the bacca so I called a close friend and pipe smoker who I know favors this brand a lot. He gave me some simple instructions and I decided to give it another run. Sorry but the same results...bite. So, for now I am going to send the remaining half a tin to him since he likes it so much and go back to my regular UF and other blends. I was not totally disapointed as there were moments of nice burly flavor but for the most part it just bit the crap out of me.
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imago	12/10/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I am one of those pipe smokers who loves Virginias like fish love water. I like to keep a couple of English/Balkan blends, lighter aromatics, and burleys around mostly as palate cleansers or just to "shake things up" a bit. I had never even considered including a burley in my regular rotation until now. I bought eight ounces in bulk at a local B&M and was delightfully surprised by a warm and fragrant, but not overpowering, aroma. The tobacco is at the perfect moisture level, it packs and lights well, and burns cleanly. Like most burleys, it isn't quite as heavy on flavour as are the Virginias, but I can see this as being a delightful addition to my daily smoking selection. Even the room note is warm and pleasant, reminding me somewhat of raisins, figs, and perhaps even leather. My only word of advice concerning this blend: smoke it slowly. It can bite like a rattlesnake if you don't. Also, I'll second the advice of some others here to try it in a corncob. You won't be disappointed.
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Black Dog	10/16/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
To me, this is the Burley blend by which all others are measured. I know others will give this honor to University Flake, Edgeworth, Barbary Coast, or some other, but my Top Burley Honors go to London Burley Blend. High quality white burley, ready rubbed, lightly topped with something sweet, which I find reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. I find this to be rather low in nicotene, and definitely falls into the "all day smoke" category. -------------------------------------------- EDIT 10/06: I used to smoke Burley London Blend a lot, but I don't smoke it much anymore. Since I first reviewed the tobacco I now find I get tongue bite from it very easily. I'm not sure if this is due to my body chemistry or the tobacco, but it is very unpleasant. The tobacco seem to burn hot and with little of the flavor I used to enjoy. There are many other quality burleys available which I enjoy and which don't bite, so I'm downgrading my review to two stars.
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Captain Pete	09/03/2006	Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant
I had to look hard to find this blend in my local area. Being a big fan of burleys, I really was looking forward to trying it. Perhaps I got a bad tin, or perhaps it just does not agree with me. At any rate, the stuff I tried did not come across as the same thing everyone else here is talking about. In the tin, it was dry and coarse in texture. It was not ready rubbed, and no way could it be smoked "as is". The topping was a little rank with a rotten ketchup smell, which I had to air off for a couple days before I could even tolerate taste of it unlit in my pipe. I sampled this blend in pots, cobs, and pokers. It tasted and smoked pretty much the same regardless of how I rubbbed it or cut it, and regardless of pipe. It wasn't too bad smoking it, except it did bite like hell occasionally. The nuttiness I expected didn't quite come through, and the sweetness was only occasionally present. It smoked nice and dry, and no bitterness was present. All in all, not bad but not great. For someone not crazy about burleys, and wanting a bland ordinary smoke, it would do. Orlik's Dark Kentucky is a much better burley/va blend for anyone really craving a strong burley. And, there are far too many inexpensive burley house blends at any number of tobacconists that would be just as good, good enough to not warrant dropping twelve or thirteen dollars on a tin of MacB's.
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bilbohooker	07/30/2006	Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
I've really come to like this tobacco very much in the morning with coffee or tea. Very pleasent, mild, but tasty, best in a good Danish Freehand. Less sweet than Golden Extra, but almost the same in every other way.
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tonyg	05/26/2006	Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant
IMHO, this is simply an undistinguished blend.
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Meerschaum Man	02/17/2006	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
Just when I was about to give up my trials with Mac Blowtorch blends, I light up this one and find it quite pleasing. Coarse cut and easy to ignite, this quality blend of Burley and Virginia has the classic nutty taste of fine leaf. The casing used is almost beyond my sensory limits - not unlike clover honey. There's no heavy presence here, instead a slight natural dark chocolate note that comes from matured golden white Burley. This most satisfying smoke is not to be missed by those with a taste for a classic hearth side smoke. My tin's contents were dry upon opening, which is apparently how this blend is best incinerated since I cannot imagine that a higher moisture content would produce a better smoke. I've no trouble understanding why this blend has been around for fourty one years. This is a most worthwhile addition to the diversity of Burley blends and I give it my highest endorsement. Meerschaum Man Smoking a Smooth Altinok Canadian
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Satc001	12/21/2005	Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant
I certainly would recommend this blend to anyone who enjoys Burley, but if you don't like burley, step back. Like every MacBaren, don't bother filling your pipe carefully with this, it will only waste your time. Put some of the ready rubbed stuff in the pipe and light up. It keeps lit very easily with a slight tamp now and then. And also, like most MacBarens, this one can bite so be careful. I find that smoked slowly, this blend gives gives the smoker an enjoyable taste. The smoke is nutty and sweet. The honey like casing gives a nice topping. If it begins to bite too much, I set it down and light it up again about 5 or 10 minutes later. Although many of you like to smoke this in corn cobs, I prefer a cheap basket briar. The aroma is delightful. If you enjoy burley and are not an absolute MacBaren hater, this is definitely worth your time. But, if you find Burley boring and MacBaren to be poor quality, do not bother lighting this up. Update 10/12/2005: Well I have almost finished my pouch of this and I must say that I have changed my opinion. I really like this blend. After smoking it a bit, I found that the bite was really not that bad. Especially considering some other aromatic blends I have tried. I love the taste, aroma, and body of this tobacco. It is my favorite burley blend, and once again has proven to me (along with Virginia No. 1) that MacBaren makes good quality tobacco that is different from everybody else. Four Stars.
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RCUSElder	12/21/2005	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I won't go into the usual detail that I do. I purchased this blend in order to find a replacement for Edgeworth. This blend comes somewhat close, but not a replacement IMO. It is one of the cooler smoking MCB blends, but can still nip the tongue if not careful. The casing is very light and is smelled in the room note more than it is tasted. It comes as a broken flake that works well if you just stuff and light. Smokes to the bottom of the bowl with no fuss and leaves a fine light grey ash. Yes, this blend tastes like Burley and pretty good one at that, but not as tasty as Edgeworth. I will buy some more and keep for an occaisonal change of pace. Enjoy...
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Collezionista	10/07/2005	Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
BLB posseses a natural sweetness and body not dissimilar to one of Rattray's ready rubbed Virginas. In fact, it reminded me quite a bit of Old Gowrie. The tin aroma is redolent of freshly cut grass and dried fruit, a musty earthy sweetness. The taste, while somewhat one-dimensional, is similar to the aroma in its natural sweetness. While its not one of my all time favorites, Burley London Blend serves its purpose as summer in a can, an excellent blend when I'm looking for something light and refreshing.
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Spike	10/07/2005	Medium	None detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
I could swear I reviewed this a couple of years back. Who knows, I have had a tin of this a long time. A very nice Burley but I prefer MacB's Golden Extra as my rotational Burley. Anyway, three big stars for Burley London Blend!
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BigSwede	07/28/2005	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant
For me, this is a bench mark burley blend. Compared to several of the other burleys I smoke regularly, the topping here is very light. I get just a hint of a honey like aroma in the tin, and when smoked it's just barely noticable. BLB has the best burn rate I've encountered. In my burley pipe a bowl of just about anything else lasts an hour or so; a bowl of this stuff goes two hours without any signs of bitterness or dampness. The taste is rather low key and very subtle but with every bowl I've smoked, theres a spot in the middle where that warm, nutty, mellow tastes comes through and for those who enjoy burley it's darn near the holy grail. As others have recommended, this is one you'll want to smoke very slowly. I guess I'm just lucky but I've never encountered the tongue bite that you hear so much about. For those who like a good burley smoke, you have to try this one. If purchased in bulk, a good buy.
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Tantric	07/26/2005	Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable
This really has to be one of the best Burleys around! It is supple, tasty, rich, with an earthy undertone that compliments the almost monochromatic structure of the blend. Nice meaty chunks of mid brown broken flake (broken cake?), easy to break apart and fill in the bowl, Burley London Blend is simple and straightforward. It does pack a considerable amount of nicotine, but its smoothness makes it a delight, especially when having a shot of bourbon. With Virginia No1, this is perhaps one of the best achievements of Mac Baren. Kudos.
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TripleT	07/11/2005	Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable
BLB is one of my favs. There is a mild sweet taste with hints of nut from start to finish. (Some would say it has a Chocolate taste, but since I dislike the taste of Chocolate immensely, I would have to disagree) It leaves a pleasant room note, however it does tend to burn hot. Be very aware of this when you are breaking in a new pipe. Although it has been said that BLB is the best for this, I would be very cautious. BLB should be smoked with some patience. Put it down from time to time, and let it cool. I purchase about 4 oz bulk from a dealer who tends to sell more cigars than pipes, and well you could say it was almost dry. It lights very well, burns without relight, and it doesn?t leave a tongue bite. Maybe I have stumbled onto something here.
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suvit	06/27/2005	Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant
i just got a tin of this. tried for a couple of bowls throughout the day. as a retired cigar smoker, the taste is strange. but my family loves the pleasant smell. don't know how to tell, but i really don't like it at all. will pass the tin to my neighbours for test. back to dunhill london as usual.
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