Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia

For a straight Virginia this could stand as a model of the form: a beautiful golden/amber color, a tin aroma of grass and hay with a touch of raisin, which carries over into the actual smoke. I read or heard somewhere that this is lightly cased with sugar water but otherwise left natural. All I taste is natural Virginia, with that deceptive simplicity that a well matured Virginia can have. Its sweetness is balanced by an herbaceousness that just screams "Virginia" and makes me think of John Rolfe, Sir Walter Raleigh, QEI and what made the world go crazy for tobacco in the first place. It invites you to think about it, and when you do you'll find fruit and spice aromas subtly lurking behind the pure and classical facade. This is also a great flake to try for those, like me, who are new to the cut. Pressed and steamed under 55 tons of pressure and cut by modern machine, the flakes are uniform in size and density, making it easy to learn the fold-and-stuff technique before trying more raggedy flakes like McClellan or Samuel Gawith. I always come back to this flake for its simplicity, its pure tobacco enjoyment, its easy smoking qualities, and its extremely high standards of workmanship.

An excellent melange of the finest virginia leafs, this blend is like a safari showcasing all that Virginias can be in one bowl. Containing so many different Virginias, the flavor profile is highly fluctuating throughout the bowl, taking you on a journey from hay to breadiness over dark fruit to tingly spiciness. It delivers a smoke full of exploration and discovery.

This illusiveness is also the only point of critique I have. Every draw is different, and so if you hit a very delightful flavor, you might be let down if the next puff doesn't deliver the same. Thus, there's not THAT HH Pure Virginia flavor, and it's unlikely to create nostalgia.

The HH series is all about showcasing various tobacco types, and HH Pure Virginia couldn't have been better suited to fulfill this task. It's the perfect smoke when you feel adventurous or want to try something new.

After a long break from pipes (7 years), I started again with aromatics, but they fell flat of the joy I remembered. This tin brought me back to virginias. I've smoked my way through a 3.5 ounce tin over two months prior to posting this review.

The tin note is figs and leather. The flake is cut into thin but dense slices with clearly defined edges that don't easily flex or fall apart as other virginia flakes until deliberately broken or rubbed. Have experimented with this flake fully rubbed, broken (partially rubbed), or folded and stuffed. The flake is too dense for a simple fold and stuff approach. I get the best results from partial rubbing/breaking. Pairing the bowl for this review with a glass of water, but also pairs well with tea or coke. I've tried coffee, but the subtle flavors are muted. On lighting, the flavor reminds me of cola. It's sweet, dark, a little tangy, like dr. pepper. Almost barbeque sauce. A touch of spice with a mild tingle on my tongue or nose on retrohale, which also reveals fig, raisin and fresh cut lumber flavors not immediately noticeable to the tongue. My nose loves this blend, and is fully engaged. Toasted whole wheat bread with a touch of dark honey or brown sugar sweetness. Others claim to taste hay or grass, but I do not. Smokes slow and needs a couple of relights. The complex, hard to identify flavors call attention away from other tasks to concentrate on the flavors. I can't put my finger on it. I can't find the words. This flake needs a poet. Halfway thru the bowl, the flavors change a little. Sweetness gives way to a little more tangy, savory. The nicotine is mild at first building to near medium at the end. No bite, but an easy pace is better for revealing its nuances. There is a little moisture in the bottom of the bowl, but drying isn't necessary, and the flavors prefer no dry time. Nice, pleasant aftertaste of cola and brown sugar. A bowl of HH Pure Virginia feels like story time, and requires 45 minutes to an hour for a single bowl. Relax and listen, walk away enriched. Highly recommended, 4-stars.

The smell from a fresh tin, to me, smells exactly like apple cider. That fragrance dwindles after a few days in tin and it becomes more toward a standard virginia, sweet-grass hay, with a tinge of cider. To say standard is, however, a misnomer. HH Virginia, is both typical and beyond the pale at the same time (insert audible gasp). This is more than basic or standard, it's one of the best straight virginias there is. It is the beacon that other blenders ought to use to find sure ground. I have been on a multi month kick near exclusive to VAs and VaPers. This should be the bar, it’s perfect. All others will be measured accordingly. The flakes are crisp and tidy. The moisture is near perfect straight from the tin. I consider HH Burley Flake the perfect moisture level in a flake, and this ain't far off. It has all the aspects one would expect from a good straight virginia: grassy with the hay-like sweetness, some breadiness and that slight bit of earth. There are also some light spots of cocao, lemon/citrus and a bit of that apple cider I smelled on the initial tin pop. Although, it is the sweetness that captivates me, wow. Where does it seperate itself from other straight VAs? The depth and heft of the flavour. This smooth, dry smoke is well above average. It's free of the harshness one usually finds in un-aged virginia and, as stated by one of my favourite reviewers, it has a delicious savoury aspect. Just, a high quality smoke that is guaranteed to please anyone who enjoys virginias. 4 stars, simple as that. Wow.

Aged 2 years.

Flakes are a little darker in color at this point than they are fresh. Loosely formed and breaks apart or folds well. The smell is hay, barn yard, and honey. Very wonderful aroma.

The smoke is a naturally sweet and bright Virginia. Flavors of hay, grass, wood (that barn yard flavor), citrus, tang, some fruit, and a little bit of fermentation but mainly in the back ground. I also get notes of sweet honey from time to time. It’s all very easy and pleasant. Ever the slightest mouth tingle, no bite, a little harshness on the retrohale. Gets more grassy, earthy, and woody as the bowl progresses. Flavorful but does not interfere with your day. Little aftertaste.

A wonderful straight Virginia that will do doubt age well.

Mac Baren - HH Pure Virginia. "Pure Virginia" indeed.

I'm smoking a bowl of Earth, along with the salt of it.

Seriously -- have you ever smoked an earthier, richer Virginia? I am not sure that I have. But if a curious piper asked me for advice on a "pure Virginia flake" I might just very well recommend them a tin of Mac Baren HH Pure Virginia. Fruity, some himt of saltiness and plenty of earth, this is Turkey season Virginia, best smoked in the crisp outdoors of Autumn, shotgun-in-hand, bowl-in-mouth . . .

Lovely stuff this.

I'm newer to some of these pure Virginia blends, to date I've had the John Cotton's Double Pressed Virginia, and Capstan's Original both in the flake and ready rubbed, and I might include Orlik's Golden Slices in that catagory too, although some say it includes perique. So my experience isn't all that broad, but what I've tried so far makes me interested. I've been eyeing this blend for a while, and I was waiting for an excuse to pull the trigger on it.

When you open the tin you see the flakes. They are a perfect size for folding and stuffing, and their moisture content makes them smokable out of the tin. They look to be a combination of red and bright Virginias. The tin note here is sweet hay, honey and slight fermentation. They stuff pretty well, I used 2 flakes here today. Lighting straight from the tin might take some time, but when dried for some time like an hour or so becomes a little quicker. I find I need a few more than the average amount of relights here. On another note this one smells wonderful to me, but may not to your friends.

After lighting, this blend really reminds me of Orlik Golden sliced. That sweet hay, grass comes through to the front followed by a slight breadyness. It's almost floral like in its sweetness and it is slightly herbal. I do taste the fermented Red Virginia's adding a tiny bit of dark fruit, but they add a mellow smoothness to the whole experience getting rid of a few of the rougher edges. I think I would call the taste a medium. The strength here is a pretty solid medium, I don't really feel it, but it is nice.

I think this is a very good blend, especially for summer. It is well made and long lasting. I could easily buy more, and if you are looking for an authentic straight Virginia experience give this a try.

This is good stuff! HH Pure Virginia should satisfy most Virginia smokers, as it’s not offensive in any way and it succeeds in its mission of being a high quality Virginia Flake you can smoke all day and be satisfied with every bowlful. HHPV fresh out of the tin reminds me of a tin of OGS I smoked that had ten years of aging on it, a richer, deeper OGS. This isn’t trying to compete with 40th Ann., rather HHPV is simply trying to be one of the best straight Virgina flakes you can smoke all day and IMHO it has succeeded.

Tin date Nov 2019 has note of plums, sweet bread, and mild fresh cut grass. Tobacco flakes are a reddish-brown with a little dark brown and tan. Moisture is good to go. Rubs out easily and no drying needed. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and consistent, with notes of mild tart dried fruit, mildly floral, dry hay, wood, dry earth, mild spiced bread, mild fermented sweetness, a tangy lemon grass background note, and a moderately peppery retro. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is great.