Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia

This one took a while to grow on me but grown it has now. I have not seen other reviewers mention the saltiness which I clearly perceive and it could point to a smidgeon of Latakia being used (say 0.5-1%). The pepperiness I notice as well. A good solid smoke this, not much to add to the other reviews.

I stored a few 50g tins in my cellar for a year so my review/impression might vary from others beacuse I'v never smoked this one "fresh" from the tin. I also let every tobacco dry for about 15 minutes after rubbing out the flake. The tin note reminds me of black bread with a fresh sour note, verry pleasent for me at least. The taste is fresh and bready with just a tiny sweetish note. If not puffed like a freight train I'll get no tounge bite and the taste remains for the complete bowl. The nicotin hit is not overwhelming but with the great taste of the tobacco it's a verry satisfying all day smoke for me.

Good quality Virginia, sweet - deep - rich - earthy - grassy, cool & dry smoke, no tongue bite, excellent all day smoke. Must buy to try. 3.5 stars. Recommended.

This might be a strange review, because, basically, I do not like Virginia flakes. This goes back to 1972, shortly after I started smoking a pipe, and having just discovered the original Edgeworth Slices, and the Original Balkan Sobranie Smoking Mixture. I grabbed a green tin of Sobranie Flake, popped it open, loaded my pipe, fired it up...and thought, "What the hell???" There was nothing about it that I liked. And though in the 46 years since, little has changed, I have developed an understanding and appreciation of what Virginia flakes are about. Some, I have even enjoyed.

Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia Flake is one these. How so many reviewers here can taste all those extraneous flavors in pipe tobaccos is utterly beyond me. All I can say about HH Pure Virginia is that it tastes like an early fall afternoon smells...sweet, a bit vinegary at times, slightly smoky. It is that good. Like all tobacco, it is best puffed slowly, but fear not: it absolutely cannot be puffed into the hot zone; there isn't a bite in a bowlful.

The big surprise was that the tin I received from Smokingpipes was dated September, 2015. Three years old! The flakes were a very dark brown, and at perfect moisture right out of the tin. That bit of good fortune probably had something to do with my enjoyment.

Will it be in my rotation? Probably not. Just as Scotch will never be a regular drink. But will I order it sometime? Absolutely.

I'm smoking Mac Baren's HH Pure Virginia in parallel with other straight Virginias: Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, Gawith & Hoggarth's Brigh CR Flake, GL Pease's Union Square, Peterson (former Dunhill's) Flake, Dan Tobacco's Veermaster and Amphora Virginia. HH Pure Virginia is a compact flake, quite dry and almost ready to be smoked, with a standard and natural Virginia flavour. After rubbing and some drying time, it releases notes of hay, bread crust and aromatic Mediterranean herbs. It is toasted, not as much as Amphora Virginia but more than the Gawith counterparts. This straight Virginia provides a pleasant floral and herbal aroma at the beginning, evolving into more toasted notes, sometimes reminding me of coffee. It is smooth and relatively gentle to the tongue, easy to smoke and repeatable.

Straight Virginia above average. Good quality pure Virginia without any doubt. I do not perceive any topping, but sure there is a little bit of sugar (casing). Opening the tin, the smell is typical: Virginia, caramelized sugar and a little note of chocolate. While smoking, the taste is extremely natural, low sugary and slightly grassy. A little bit salty and bitter. Some spicy notes: a little peppery, earthy, woody with some sweet notes. However, there is little evolution and the taste is quite flat. But natural. High strength and medium to high nicotine level. In my opinion this straight Virginia is only for experienced pipe-smokers and it is recommended only after meals. Well, it is not a “must” but a good experience. If you are looking for a pure, natural, straight Virginia this is for you. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 8 and three stars.

The tin note is deeply of dried grass/hay, with notes of citrus in the background. As for the smoke, the VA's are very earthy, lots of grass/hay with some tart notes of citrus that can be a little zesty at times. There was a little flower note that reminds me of clover in the field with just a hint of spice and wood. Unlike others I really don't get any dark fruits in this one. There is more than just a hint of honey here maybe not as much as Dunhill/Peterson's Flake but it is there. It does linger for a while as well. The nic is firmly in the mild to med. range as is the overall strength profile of the smoke. It does not bite but was not an all day smoke for me, although I did find myself picking it up throughout the day. Not really complex and it did not really develop at the bottom like I hoped it would. Still, a solid three stars.

Let's face it, yeah we all have our preferences with Virginia's, but most Virginia's are the same basic profile. This being said and from my own experience,HH pure Virginia is in a different class of its own.

For starters, at least the 50g tin no longer has the US warning label anymore! The FDA failed again! My tin is from November 2020. The tin aroma has a very fermented stewed fruit aroma. The flakes are a little moist but not enough to need drying time. Like most Virginia's I've had, the flavor is very consistent from being to end but its pretty complex.

I wouldn't say its has grassy notes but their is a slight vegative note to it here and there. It's has a very dark flavor profile. Just enough caramel like sweetness to know its there but doesn't show that much, it's very nutty, has some very light bready notes, and a floral note every now and then, but mostly it's very earthy and musty like very well aged tobacco. No spice at all. Very smooth with no harshness at all. Burns cool and very well with no tongue bite.

As far as I know, I haven't had anything with with air cured Virginia's. It's very good with a va quality I haven't experienced before. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be this good. I can see this as a excellent all day smoke and not be tiring.

6-26-23 Cracked open a 3 year aged tin. The flavors diminished to the mild range. I dropping it to a 3 star for that.

Very nice tin presentation as is typical of MacB; flakes are evenly cut and have an ideal moisture content and are very suitable for my fold and pack technique; steady burn rate with no relights; cool smoke with little condensation; pleasant tobacco taste that is consistent from start to end