Mac Baren Amphora Original Blend

Amphora used to produce some rather nice aromatics once upon a time. I remember with affection their Golden Cavendish and the Full Aromatic in the red pouch. The brown pouch - both as Regular and Original - is disappointing. My memory of it was of a clean tasting tobacco with some meat to it. The present incarnation, though it burns well, is hardly worth the bother of smoking on its own. It is useful, though, for extending or taming other blends.

Judging by the reviews over the years, this is one tobacco that has changed over the years, and may well be subject to batch variability even today (it's a wonder than any blend can stay the same year over year being a natural product, let alone the mfg. processes). I suspect that the pouch I tried is characteristic of its current form which, in summary is not an aromatic cavendish at all. I tried this as Amphora Original Blend, here in Canada. Apparently a Dutch blend (judging by the address of the mfr.), so I cannot say if this is the Imperial tobacco version or not. The texture is very nice being a sort of ribbon/shag mixture with a perfect moisture level. I have now smoked several bowls with a singe light.

The pouch describes this as a blend that emphasized the chocolatey flavour of burely, but I taste nothing like chocolate. This is very much unlike a cavendish blend, with no casing or blackened pressed leaf. The pouch aroma is very much like a rich roll your own cigarette tobacco, such as Drum or Van Nelle. Though the pouch description suggests an exotic smoke with its Oriental, Virginia and Kentucky components, it is in fact very plain in flavour. I cannot discern the Oriental component, and the Virginia is not exceedingly sweet or tangy. The room note is fairly smokey, nicer than a cigar, but no crowdpleaser either. The strength is around an HPH 1.5, surprisingly since I had expected more.

If you are accustomed to plain flavoured tobacco with little or no distinct character and like plain burley and virginia blends this is for you. I could see this as a staple blend for seasoned smokers, who may get this at the local smoke shop amongst two or three other "drugstore" blends. If you're looking for an aromatic, try the Full Aroma (red). Although I have enjoyed this pouch for its true tobacco character, I will likely not be buying this again since it is scarcely a step above mediocre in the realm of natural blends.

This is a classic among the first tobaccos for new pipesmokers. It's easy to pack and smoke, it doesn't bite the tongue, not moist, a perfect beginner's blend. Later on, it can be very useful for home blending purposes, it's a good base for its nice body and little aroma: mixed 50/50 with latakia it becomes a nice smoke, though not complex at all. I've also found it useful to damp a little those tobaccos with an overwhelming casing.

I don?t know what happened to this one! In its original Dutch D&E version it used to be a very smooth, flavoursome smoke, combining Burleys, Orientals and Virginias in a Cavendish blend. It had a certain taste of dark, unsweetened chocolate (very mild), redolent of those Dutch cigars made with leaf from Java, or of dark, expresso roasted coffee beans. It was a very stable and reliable smoke: nothing out of the ordinary, but very nice in mid afternoon or even in early morning. It went off the market for a while, and has now resurfaced under an English firm (Imperial Tobacco). Well, they have done something very strange out of this blend. In the pouch the aroma has changed. It does smell of natural tobacco, but the spiciness has gone. It now has a scent similar to cigarette tobacco. Upon lightening, the first few puffs yield a flavour only vaguely reminiscent of the Dutch version. Then, somehow, the whole thing starts burning hot (even if you puff slowly and carefully), and it develops a very unpleasant bitterness. Suddenly, whatever flavour there was, dissipates and you are left only with smoke. No character, no zest, no depth. Just smoke. Perhaps a cigarette smoker trying to pick up a pipe might find this a kind of transitional tobacco.

__________ Addendum (Feb'05): I don't know if the people at Imperial Tobacco read these pages, or if my palate has become so jaded I don't distinguish flavours any more, but the recent pouches I have bought of Amphora Regular seem to be more in line with the original D&E blend.

There is still a mysterious bitter agent there, that tends to spoil the Oriental- Virginia interplay (maybe a cheap Burley?), but somehow the flavour and consistency of the blend have been brought up a notch, making it more palatable and closer to its old self. Who knows? Maybe the blenders at Imperial Tobacco are finally getting it right! In any case, due to my recent experience with this old favourite, I am upgrading my perception of what could still be a very good natural tobacco.

I enjoy trying various kinds of blends for reference - even if I am fairly sure I won't like them.

That is the approach I took when lighting up a sample of Amphora brown that passed my way recently.

All in all not a bad aromatic smoke - likely a better option than many over the counter cavendish soup blends you could find. Probably a good option for someone who wants a light, flavorful chocolate/vanilla flavored blend without much complexity. A bit of burley and VA taste but not even as much tobacco essence as say - Deep Hollow. Nice to try, but my tastes just lean so heavily towards natural tobacco flavors that I'm not interested in testing Amphora Regular any further.

I have just tried Amphora Regular for the 1st time and I kind of like it. It doesn't fit in with the other baccys that I typically smoke but it is mild and lights easily and stays lit. Has a pleasant though mild taste and easily an all day type blend. I think I will keep some around. 31/2 stars

---

---

update

---

I have had several bowls now and continue to enjoy this mild but somewhat flavorful Dutch blend. There is definitely a place for this baccy for me.

October-2003. Amphora Regular (Brown) Out of curiousity I tried this again and why I bothered,I dont know. This time was even worse,very close to smoking pure air with absolutely no flavour. The only plus to this is,it was easy to light. Totally lacking everything. 1 out of 10.

I'm no tobacco expert, but I kind of like this stuff. It's a staple for me, probably because I got a lot for free (There's a story there, but I won't bother with it). It doesn't have much flavor too it, but the flavor it does have is pleasant. Being a new smoker, I find it hard to keep some blends lit, but for some reason, this particular blend only requires one lighting (A good thing in my book). Anyone who likes strong, full flavored English blends will be turned off, but for a novice pipesmoker, it's certainly tolerable.

Amphora Red without the flavoring. Good but a little bland and tiring. Not as good as Amphora Red.