Mac Baren Amphora Full Aroma

When I was a novice, I heard a lot about Amphoras, and other low end mixtures available in Italy as Classic Forte, or Clan. Still I can't comprehend what's so special about these kind of mixtures..I do think these are 100% drugstore mixtures.

Anyway, those "grandpa advices" not always are good advices. I find this tobacco to be fairly absent. It takes no position, I can't see the complexity. With Forte at least you know you're smokin cigar leaf, cut into fine fine shag but it's straight earthy full kentucky..but about this Amphora, I don't know what to say. It shows no "courage or fantasy". Less then average mixture.

Definitely not my tobacco type. It has no flavor and for what it cost doesn’t seems to satisfy the minimum requirement. Not recommended tobacco other amphora are wayyy better.

Must be because I'm a novice (relative to the other reviews hereunder). Only marginally better than Captain Black's White. I know; apples and oranges.

It does pack well and it does have a nice burn but I found the flavour to be unremarkable. The War Department says she doesn't mind the aroma and the neighbours say that I've smoked some nicer tobaccos.

I do find it to burn cooler than I thought it would so that's positive. I purchased it because I was certain that my grandfather smoked Amphora and we all loved the room note. But this isn't it. Gonna give the original blend a go.

This is one cheap tobacco. As in, it lacks a certain quality that I look for. It says full aroma, but I can hardly call it an aromatic. Yes I admit it reeks of a certain smell of chocolate etc. but it is not pleasant at all. The taste is sour, peppery and not in a good way. If this was the only pipe tobacco remaining in the world, I would not consider smoking it...

Not recommended. Smoke grass instead.

It's cheap, and the price matches it's taste. It happened to be one of my firsts, and I don't regret it. For a beginner it might be good for start, but overall it's overrated

Smoke this if you like cigarettes. I felt like an air freshner smoking this blend: everyone seemed to be enjoying it but me. Bland taste and hot hot smoke. And the tongue bite...I don't know how so many people rated this above 2 stars. For me, it was like Captain Black Regular without the sweetness.

Is this 2020 "modern version" of the old Amphora Full Aroma an aromatic? is it "fully" aromatic, as the name suggests? Are its "companion" tobaccos Amphora Rich and Original aromatics? If by "aromatic" we intend a tobacco that will give the smoker the experience of aromas that are FOREIGN to the ones of raw tobacco, namely, aromas that have been added to the blend to ENRICH the smoking experience beyond the sensations provided by raw leaves (e.g., aromas of fruit, whisky, rum, etc.), my opinion is that this blend is not an aromatic tobacco in the classic sense. I understand and respect the modern trend of Mac Baren, namely the effort to let the smoker enjoy the taste and aroma of minimally cased raw tobaccos as much as possible (exactly as Samuel Gawith does). However, this is achieved by transforming what in the past were true aromatics into tobaccos which convey to the smoker barely detectable "other" aromas besides the ones of the usual Virginias, burleys, etc... Fortunately, this does not happen with excellent Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve, a sumptuous aromatic which has not been deprived (for how long though?) of its marvelous aroma of dark ripe fruits, sweet liquor, etc. Someone may object that Mac Baren offers to lovers of traditional aromatics the 7-Seas series. Ok, I admit, these USA-style tobaccos may partly meet the needs of a fraction of European aro-lovers. But why do we have to mimic the extra-sweet, "glycerin-ish" American taste? Why can't we enjoy a quality "Danish" blend conveying the dry and full aroma of a good Whisky, brandy or rum, with a touch of cavendish sweetness? I fully and honestly respect smokers who dislike aromatic tobaccos. I greatly enjoy mild English blends and natural mixtures from time to time. But I hope that lovers of aromatics may continue to savor their favorite blends, without feeling the disappointment of opening with great expectation a pouch of an alleged "fully" aromatic mixture, that in the end reveals itself once again as one more Va-Bur "minestrone".

After reading several encomiastic comments and evaluations I grabbed a pouch in a Madrid estanco. I had nebulous memories on my early encounters with this brand, 40 o 50 years ago. I do not remember the blends I tried. But this time I found Amphora Full Aroma as an uninteresting bland blend. After a couple of bowls, I forgot about it.

On the package it says: "A complex mix of subtle aromas inspired by the sweetness of the Virginia leaf" I expected more flavor from a "FULL AROMA" blend. It was very difficult to notice the flavor. The tobacco burns with good temperature and somewhat evenly. I wouldn't buy another pack.