The casing/topping, light though it is, makes it pretty much unsuitable for (my kind of) blending, so this will sit in my cupboard for a long time until I figure out what to mix it with.

Generally smoke in a pipe that can hold two folded flakes. Some shredded bits on top to get it goin, and you are off.

Starts off sweet and hay like. Slight tang of Va. The sweet honey essence wears off and it becomes a more burley forward smoke by mid bowl. Flavor profile is very similar to other MacBaren product and always consistent from tin to tin. Room note has a somewhat astringent like quality to this smoker. Good and enjoyable to the end if not pushed.

Not a complex one, and a tobacco that can be enjoyed while engaged in daily activities. Great and longer lasting outdoors where those OTC burleys burn in overdrive. 3 stars.

Tin note: sweet rum

Room note: nutty, slight spicy smell

Taste: Nutty, peppery, very smooth, slightly sweet

Overall: Wonderful! It lit fairly easily for a flake. It doesn't smoke hot, has a really smooth texture. No real nicotine hit. I really love the flavor. This goes well with both a mild dark rum and iced tea.

Many tins in the MB line seem to taste similar to me, and they smoke in the same fashion as well. They taste bland...are HOT/Tongue-Biters...and smell like potpourri. I cannot recommend this product.

Love all, as Christ would, and peace to my brothers and sisters of the leaf.

Today, for this, I give 2 stars. Nice flakes, decent flavor and no pipe mutating flame thrower effect. Will not be a regular, but was nice to see a different MB product.

Tongue taste (the taste you feel on your tongue when you first get the smoke into your mouth): starts off with a mild fruity flavour. Not sweet and fruity as many more aromatic ones, but rather dry and fruity. After perhaps a third of the pipe a softer, sweeter side taste kicks in, kind of similar to MacB Mixture´s honey-and-hay taste. All through the smoke quite mild, but very pleasant, fruity but not too sweet.

Snork taste (the taste when you roll the smoke around in your mouth and out of your nostrils): some fruit, some more earthy burley notes, a bit of honey. Very pleasant, but a bit difficult to put a name on.

All together: The flakes look nice and have good burning qualities. The taste is quite fruity without beeing overly sweet (compared to MacB Mixture for example, not compared to heavy English blends). It isn´t a taste explosion, but sneaks up on you with its subtle tones. I have started smoking it as a complement to Mixture, for the times when I want less honey taste. I would really give it three and a half, but being a generous being, I round that off to four.

Nothing much to say about the smoke itself: it's just a basic VA flake to my tastes, and old Mac Barens give me no problems with bite. Maybe a touch of sweetness to it, MB's honey thing, but just a touch. Mild, pleasant smoke.

Added note: I can taste the rum just a little bit, but this stuff is just too old! Honey, however, has survived mummified pharaohs!

I'm not sure if I'll buy more, this goes into the same category as their vanilla flake, it's ok. Definately not money wasted.

Opening the tin: Being mechanically minded, it struck me as off-putting that the lid will become inevitably misshapen and therefor will not easily be resealed. The immediate aroma is that of a field of hay with a touch of sweetness akin to honey. The finishing scent is certainly that of subtle rum that may not be detected or appreciated by those of you that do not enjoy a swig from the captain's flask. Visually intriguing, each flake is nicely homogenous.

Flake detail: A new tin will certainly be simpler to handle due to the tobacco being somewhat moist; albeit not so moist as to prevent lighting the flake. Each flake is generously sized and will fill most smaller to medium bowls comfortably. If you have a large bowl and are a first-time flake smoker I would recommend starting with a single flake, or even half.

Lighting and smoking: The first time I tried this flake I used the fold and stuff method as per the recommendation of a YouTube friend. This provides an easy light and a fairly even burn. The smoke produced is quite opaque, but not copious. I immediately noticed the boldness of this flake. It will bite the tongue of the more aggressive smoker, but the manner in which the flake burns makes it unnecessary to puff profusely.

The room note is NOT that of "caramel cookies" as I had been led to believe. It is quite pungent and will even cause a sting in the nostrils if deliberately smelled. Consequently, I do not recommend releasing the smoke through your nose. Nicotine is present, perhaps even pronounced, but I do not harbor an addiction to quell.

After thoughts: The taste is lingering and a somewhat pleasant compliment to various foodstuffs and drink such as grapes (strange, yes), chocolate, rolls, coffee, but certainly not beer.

Conclusion: This is a strong smoke with a lingering room note of heavy smoke. Your hands will smell of this mix for a number of hours following the completion of the bowl. I would recommend that you sample this blend if possible before purchasing an entire tin. I have found that I prefer to smoke this flake only occasionally. Also, the fold and stuff method delivers a more tolerable smoke than if one were to rub out the flake and pack the bowl more tightly as with a loose blend. Happy Smoking to all!

It's nicely packed, really handy for fast packing. I use 3 layer packing with the rest of tobaccos, but I tried fold method here and it worked like a charm.

So yes, I would recommend this.