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.

HH straight Virginia of Mac Baren: This is one of the finest blends and a top straight Virginia. Many folks comment on how well this tobacco ages; i would add that this is an excellent blend also when smoked fresh out of the tin. It does not need any drying time, though it can also be left little in the air. It burns pretty cool and relatively slow depending on how you prepare the tobacco in the bowl. I personally prefer to break the flake into medium-size pieces and often prepare a medium-to-large bowl of Peterson XL02 or savinelli 616, or a medium bowl of Peterson 408 pipe. Generally it concentrates, as many straight Va blends do, little oil in the shank so occasionally I will pass through the stem a cleaner to absorb the oils when I smoke this blend. It’s grassy, woody and (little more pronounced) bready with a great natural flavor. There is no chance of bite and in my view, this is a tobacco that is better smoked in non-filter pipes or removing the filter in filtered pipes. This is a full 4-star blend. I prefer smoking this blend after dinner, sometimes on a lazy weekday or Sunday afternoon - easily to repeat a second or even a third bowl during the day, though I most likely will smoke one bowl, anything between 3 to 5 times during the week.

This wonderful Virginia Flake doesn't need another review. BUT given I pulled a tin I laid down 3 yrs and 1 month ago today I thought I would add something about aging this flake. BUY it. AGE it. This is AMBROSIA!! MB has a "top shelf" Virginia Flake in this one and I have many others in the vault that have aged much longer and smoked thru the years. I would only add I opened this tin when new and it was on the dry side in terms of moisture content. Try it with a dram of Four Roses Bourbon. Just lovely.

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.

This has medium brown flakes with light brown streaks running parallel throughout. This has to me the typical sweet Virginia tin note. This smokes very, smooth, mellow with very little if any tongue bite. My tin was from Sep 2015 and as good as it is now, I wonder what aging ten years would do for it? On a side note the tin art is very impressive on this blend. If you like straight Virginia's this is definitely one to try. I try not to pass out four stars indiscriminately but this one deserves it in my book.

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.