Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia

I can't imagine how any virginia lover can dislike this blend; it includes everything you would expect in a straight virginia. But it lacks that extra something, the X factor that elevates a blend from great to all-time-great. Maybe it could benefit from some extra depth in flavour. 3.5 stars.

If I didn’t read that this was a straight Virginia, I’d swear this had a little Burley in it. The taste is dark, and earthy, and gets bolder the further you get into it. The red Virginias add a little grass, and sweetness, but I think they are a little over powered by the dark Virginias. The mechanics are great. Takes a light, and stays lit no problem. The retrohale was on the medium to strong side. If you’re into darker less sweet Virginias, or like burley blends, give it a shot. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Very simple first impression: This is a fresh tin (Dec 2020). Tin note is tangy slightly apricot/apple but mainly pure 'wholemeal buttered toast' tobacco smells.

I folded and stuffed this into a bent Dublin (conical bowl).

The flakes are the usual impeccable cut from Mac Baren, Fairly dark and reminiscent of some English flakes (Gawith/Hoggarth). Spots and streaks of lighter Va, but mainly brown. Moisture is 'goldilocks' out of the tin.

I had trouble keeping it lit, but once I got past the halfway point (where it was more rubbed) it stopped being an issue. Possibly could be resolved by a little drying time.

Flavours: An extremely savoury, plain and simple flake.

Bready, earthy Virginias are forward, quite peppery and a bit nutty. Not remotely grassy or sweet in this bowl. More sour than sweet.

No detectable honey casing which I usually find with the MB Virginias (in Rollcakes or other blends).

Just very, very plain tobacco flavours. Some vague hints of malty sweetness, but just whiffs, very faint. It got a slight browned-butter note toward the end.

Very little bite so far. It gets a little hot when windy, where the stoved (almost burley) tastes come out. Very dry voluminous smoke, unusual for a pure Va.

Strength is middling, fairly light. It has a bit of oomph though. When folded it's a long smoke as it burns very slowly.

All that said it's 'good' tobacco. I suspect (as many have written already) that it's going to age well. I'll revisit this in a few months (or more likely years). For my taste - a little plain when fresh.

If you want something simple that you don't have to think about, this would be perfect.

I'm giving this 3 stars for now.

I'll jar it and try it aged for which I have fairly high hopes on improvement. But I suspect it'll take quite a while to really develop.

Not what I'd call a very interesting smoke, but that can be nice occasionally, some people might like it as an 'all day' smoke.

A polite way of saying that it was a little dull.

Presentation: As with all the HH MacBaren blends, the standard is a neatly, even and uniform flake with the gold wrapper. I love opening any Macbaren tin, I can always count on quality. Shades of brown, tan, mocha and yellow are layered in a fine flake. Rubs apart effortlessly and one can assume that a fold n' stuff method would also guarantee a nice smoke. I find that this blend among others comes slightly moist and could benefit for a short 10-15 minute dry time for ease of keeping lit.

Palette: Where as one might suspect this being a pure bright leaf blend, it is a melange of reds, browns and a little bright. The tin aroma is fantastic and offers a sweet hay and grass aroma along with the bread like reds. A touch of honey initially and caramel if you leave your nose in long enough. The blend is sweet but not as sweet as a pure bright. The red Virginia is nice and soft but pop in with some tickling spice every now and then. The brights are a good compliment and keep the tone from reaching too deep.

Performance: Smokes effortlessly and doesn't require many relights. I only experienced one relight with one whole flake. Leaves barely a drop of moisture in the heel and produces a semi-fine ash. Mild nicotine hit and a nice side stream note.

Conclusion: While I normally tend to prefer pure bright VA blends, this is a great bridge between red VA and bright VA. Would be perfect for a discerning smoker who is trying to figure out of they like brights or red's more. It offers best of both worlds and is a good benchmark for a quality VA blend. Not an all day flake but perhaps one or two throughout.

HH Pure Virginia: A very tangy and tart red-Virginia flake

The flake seems to be made up mostly of red Virginias as it is the tangiest and tartest straight Virginia flake that I have ever tried. My tin has four years of age on it, so all of the tobacco has darkened—making it hard to ascertain the other components. There is quite a bit of earthiness and a subtle sweetness. Any grassiness or bright notes from the other Virginia varietals have faded. The smoke has some body to it, similar to F&T Vintage Flake. However, HH Pure Virginia is more straight forward in its flavor profile. The tobacco also has a texture similar to C&D Small Batch Carolina Red Flake.

The flavor profile of the tobacco improves with a month in the jar.

If I try a more recent tin, I will update my review.

I went into this blend with very high expectations as I love all of the HH line. My expectations may have been a bit too high as I was underwhelmed. The blend was a bit lifeless and too fresh. I wanted that sweetness and depth you get with other Virginia offerings. I placed it back on the shelf within the tin and revisited it a month later. I don't know if it simply needed to breath a bit and rest, but it did the trick. I loaded up my go too straight Virginia pipe and that sweet depth presented itself. Gently sipped brought out the savory sweetness and high citrus notes that we all long for. This offering IMO is a mix between SG Best Brown and Orlik Golden Slice. The grassy citrusy notes are the front-runner here like in Orlik, with the dark earthy depth presenting itself only when sipped and searched for like in Best Brown. This will age wonderfully which will marry the Virginia's to bring out more of that earthy depth and will only increase that sweetness. 3 stars for now, but well on its way to 4. Cellar up men and this one will be able to hang with the legends.

Once again the MacBaren HH line impresses me. I received a sample of this from a friend of mine as he and I frequently trade tobaccos. He gave me enough for about 3 or 4 pipes. The tin once again is simple and nicely done. The presentation of the flakes are beautiful which is expected of MB flakes (they look like perfect sticks of gum) the flakes were bright with multicolored streaks which is from the multiple different va's used. The tobacco fresh out of the tin was moist and has the typical grassy lemon zest of most other straight va flakes I have smoked. I did give the flakes some dry time before smoking but multiple re-lights were still needed. It was good but nothing that blew me away until..... I let them rest in a canning jar for a little while. I re-visited after 2 weeks and the flakes were perfect for smoking (dry wise) I tried it both full rubbed out and folded. Both ways this blend was excellent after some rest time. The sweetness that I love came through along with that farm hay flavor. The blend isn't complex by any means but is very consistent. I have plans for buying in larger quantities to let these flakes age for some time a I prefer them aged in a jar which I feel brings the flake to the perfect moisture and allows the sweetness to build up as well (I am not talking sticky sweet aromatic sweetness) just natural sweetness. I have been playing around with 9mm filters and I like this blend with or without a filter. I give this blend a 3.5 and it will be my new go to Straight VA flake.

I smoked this tobacco after Virginia No. 1. When I realized how good Virginia tobacco blends are, I started exploring other Virginia blends from different companies. One of the tobaccos recommended to me was HH Pure Virginia. This tobacco is just as good as I thought, with a sweet aroma and taste, like honey and a slightly tangy lemon-like flavour. However, it had only one flaw for me: it was a bit strong. I mixed a bit of Virginia No. 1 to address this issue.

MacBaren
HH Pure Virginia

The blend notes suggest: “A blend composed of both air dried and flue cured Virginia tobaccos. HH Pure Virginia is 100% Virginia tobaccos from North America and Africa. Both continents have a high reputation for growing the finest Virginia tobaccos in the world. Like all tobaccos in the HH family this blend has no top flavour and only the absolute necessary casing in order to emphasize the natural tobacco taste. You will experience the natural sweetness and “grassy” taste from the Virginia tobacco.”

HH Pure Virginia is a strong, full straight Virginia. Perhaps mild casing to achieve Ph balance but this is not obvious. The flake breaks apart easily and could use a bit of drying time. This blend burns easily and favors a slow cadence.

Decently strong flavor and nic-hit. This is for the lover of true, accurate, full flavored Virginias. Not as tasty as Hamborger Veermaster (though that is mild by comparison). I’d prefer Royal Yacht or Opening Night or even MacBaren’s Virginia No. 1. But if you love good, strong Virginia this will be a winner.

3.5 out of 4 stars rounded down.