But the flavory changed my mind. Looking closer and it is not hard to find some sugar cristals sticked on the leaves. I first thought that I may be cheated with some kind of drug-store products. Afterh checking on tobaccoreviews.com, and I think maybe it IS the charactor of the tobacco. I did not through it away. I transfered it to a used tea tin. I ordered some Corn Cob pipes to smoke this tobacco. Each time I feel happier looking at the tin with less and less remainder inside.

Don't get me wrong. This stuff tastes great, and it manages nicely to balance the sweet/fruity topping with the natural tobacco flavors of burley and Virginia. It's a very unique taste, and I had nothing to compare it to until Russ Oullette introduced Classic Burley Kake for the Hearth and Home label last year. Unfortunately, there seems to be an above-average chance of falling victim to what appear to be quality-control issues. Usually, the problem seems to be that someone at the factory put WAY too much flavoring into it, which yields a harsh blast of smoke with a painful bite you won't soon forget (assuming you can actually get it to burn, which is doubtful). I did find a solution of sorts to the quality-control problem, which is to buy this only in tins from the few very few online e-tailers that stock them, but such a variance in quality between the pouch and tin is inexcusable.

A better solution, however, is to simply order a batch of the aforementioned Classic Burley Kake and settle down for a nice smoke. The flavors are essentially the same, but Classic Burley Kake is superior in every other respect. It's cheaper,too.

I wasn't too convinced about all the marketing stuff on MacBaren's website about the modern corrugated packaging and about it being a tobacco for the younger pipesmoker.

However, this is a really nice tobacco. Smells of toffee or caramel in the pack. Packs and lights easily as they say and gives a very easy going sweet smoke that (most importantly for me) is not sickly like some other continental aromatics. Enjoyable to the bottom of the bowl.

One thing I would say say is that this tobacco is not completely bite free. You can really puff on it but it will bite you eventually.

Recommended, and currently my sweet tooth favourite, alternating with Mixture.

Update 15 Mar 08 :

It's almost a year since I first reviewed this and back then I used to smoke it a lot. I haven't smoked it for quite some time and was a bit bored so I thought I would get another pouch. Still smells great in the pack but I don't feel this translates to the taste whilst smoking - it's bland. Also tends to burn hot. All in all a bit of a disappointment now - very much in the style of MB's Black Ambrosia. Great room note though. Downgraded to 2*

Well, months after my first review, I must say that my first opinion still remains: for me, it is one of the most pleasant tobaccos I have ever experienced

The blend comes in one of those new corrugated carton pouches, lined with a golden foil paper. It is quite moist without being goopy. Visually it is a very nice tobacco, comprising golden thin ribbons (Virginias?), crimp dark brown leaf (Burley?) and jet black cavendished leaf. It can be packed as it is from the pouch, and its fairly easy to light and keep lit.

I do not mind smoking it every now and then, but its mildness tends to dry up the palate (though I would not classify this as a tongue biting tobacco) and does not reach that satisfaction point I find in other blends. Again, with the esteemed Noorrmm, it is an above average aromatic mixture, and should be very enjoyable to those picking up a pipe. If you are used to stronger or more consistent blends, too much of this stuff could parch up your taste buds!

Addendum (18 Nov. 07)

For the better part of the last six months I've been smoking this blend. It is indeed a very mild product, but once you get the hang of it--especially in the filling-up-the-pipe department--it can become a very suitable companion. As in Mixture Modern, and unlike Cube, I can really taste the Burleys and Virginias in this blend. The aromatic structure is nice (people tend to compliment the room aroma), but not pervasive to the point of occluding the tobacco flavors.

Not a bad choice at all.

The package is quite nice-looking, and promises the tobacco contained within is easy to light and smoke. It also claims to deliver a "sweet, rounded, and exciting taste." Presumably, this is so it might appeal to young and/or novice pipe smokers.

Well, it failed to appeal to me. Though it is very easy to pack, my first bowl was a bear to keep lit. One would think that, as dry as this stuff is, that wouldn't be the case. My second bowl burned rather hot, and neither bowl held the promised taste. In fact, it didn't taste like much of anything.

This tobacco gets two stars because it is friendly to a new pipe smoker. It just wasn't for me. The second Mac Baren blend I'll dump, and the absolute last I'll try.

Like most MacBaren blends, the high quality of the leaf is obvious, like most MacBaren blends it looks very appealing and smells heavenly in the tin, and like most MacBaren blends it's cut a little too chunky for my preference. After a good whacking in a food processor to get it the texture I like, I loaded up a large Peterson, packed it medium-tight and fired it up.

I am already a big fan of MB's burley/VA/cavendish blends, and this one earns its place among my go-to tins. Admirably juxtaposing the straight strength of my beloved Navy Flake, Original Choice is something like smoking a pipe bowl of sugar --- unquestionably sweet tobacco, but not cloying or goopy. It stays lit well and burns at a nice, medium-slow rate on its own. If, like me, you occasionally like to stoke it up a bit with some deep, heavy draws you will be rewarded with nice, big puffy white smoke clouds and a very pleasantly sweet but real tobacco taste with little or no tongue bite. And the room note gets Mrs.Rafe's seal of approval.

Regular partakers of heavy lats or Balkans might find this blend a trifle on the wimpy side, or might find it a nice change of pace. Burley/VA/cavendish lovers, those who enjoy lighter, aromatic fare or even green newbies will find Original Choice a pleasure to reach for. I know I do. Good stuff!

As for me, I prefer the home run to singles.

Oh, one of the previous reviewers described this as a "ramped up" Captain Black. Great descriptive and dead on.

Nice packaging. Corrugated cardboard instead of the usual plastifoil. Practical and probably works as advertised, keeping your blend from getting too rubbed out. Like the idea.

Nose aroma: Fruity, sugary, and raisiny. Rumcake-like. Like something baked for Xmas. Luxuriously rich smell, this should go down well with family & friends.

Packs well. Charring light fine. Lights nicely. Outdoors went out a few times in the beginning, not later on. Composition quite dry (the tobacco on review had been unopened on the shelf for about a year).

First puff: Mild, yet there's a lot of tobacco taste in it. Mild, but tasty smoke w/ a lot of air. Like a 6 AM morning haze blended with a light camping smoke. Drier and "fierier" than many MacB's.

Begins with a nice Cavendish note. The nose-feel in the pouch does come through in the smoke. But in a *very* much lighter version. Still good.

Quite early on, taste turns chocolatey, raisiny. Smokes cool, and a lot drier than most aromatics. That said, I did get my tongue bitten, though. This one gets hot quickly if you don't mind your puffing. Pack tight, I'd say.

Halfway through the vanilla tones disappear and the taste develops and darkens a bit. The Cavendish and topping moves to the background, and back of your throat. A more balanced note.

The base tobacco, though mild, is of the usual high MacB grade, and quite agreeable. The aromatics start stronger (ahem, it is still mild), then mellow out to give a alternatively tobacco or aromatic dominated smoke. Which is why I can see it is quite a seller.

I immediately had the image of smoking this say, camping, hunting, fishing or hiking. Outdoors, early in the morning, after the morning coffee or cocoa, by the campfire or so.

(Tested in a Gr. 2 bowl, and the aroma was nice. Better in a small pipe, perhaps?)

Great for that first smoke of the day... in a way "I've found my real Early Morning Pipe" (pun not entirely unintended).

UPDATE: Newly tried this one again, now in the warmth of summer instead of the breeze of approaching winter. Positively surprised! This one's a "summer blend". I also had let it dry out a bit more (and by drying out, I mean it was just left as it is, in the closed pouch, so some air will seep in anyway). Doing that proved to be a good call. The taste and smoking characteristics have improved quite a bit. Room note (cottage porch, actually) was beautiful and favorably commented on. I believe it has lost plenty of its bite potential, a good thing. Good for the occasional, light smoke, and very agreeable.

UPDATE: Recently experienced the beautiful aroma of this one when someone else was smoking. Superbly agreeable. Nice to get to experience the "wife factor" on a baccy that's in my own rotation, too.

The overall taste is Vanilla/ Hazelnut, but the base tobaccos are clearly discernable in the mix. I guess I could pin it out like this: Sweetness from the VA and the casing, "Nuttiness" from the Burley, and Vanilla from the casing and possibly from the Burley too. Very sweet taste, but well blended in and in no way an unnatural experience.

The tobacco is on the moist side out of the box, accounting for its tendency to smoke hot. For the same reason, lighting it is usually 2 or 3 attempts. On the up side, it packs easily without the need for any rubbing out or such.

All in all, a tobacco not without its quirks, but it's charmed me and it just might charm you too ;-)

- NOT RECOMMENDED