Mac Baren Amphora Original Blend

Amphora Original I have not smoke this for 40 years. Thanks to Tobacco Reviews (really a great web site) I purchased two packs. Tried a pipe full in a reversed calabash a Curvy what a great smoke really wonderful and a change of pace from some of the Vapers I have smoked. Tobacco Reviews has be an incredible find it has increased my knowledge of pipe tobacco and the balance of the debit card. Thanks for the great work you and your reviews do.

I smoked this back in the 1980's in College, and this newly imported version compares well with my memory...but my tastes have evolved. The pouch has the familiar tobaco and liqueur tones. It's a stringy ribbon cut with some hint of folded, rubbed cake with some pieces clinging together. The moisture is about right, just a bit on the damp side.

On lighting, I get a wee taste of chocolate. I'd describe it as Burley-forward, but don't see that as particularly positive, just factual. It burns well, with surprisingly little moisture. I find it getting sweeter at mid bowl. It holds on as decent to the finish.

This blend has some nostalgia for me, but I'm more of an English and Balkan fan these days, and miss some of the Latakia and Oriental taste. This blend is serviceable, but not really special for me now. I'll smoke it as a comfortable and occasional diversion, but won't go out of my way to find more.

One of my first Tobacco. Was not disapointed. The Burley gives it a nice chocolate tone. Round finish. As some of you mentionned before, it fits in the "all day smoke" class (price / value / can be found basically everywhere). Sure there is some way better Tobacco around, but you should give it a try (especially for new smokers). People around me told me the smell was nice. For me, it is time to conquer new lands.

dont always believe reviews on the internet.no two ppl have the same taste either as i learned that the hardway by wasting money on this blend witch sells for close to a wopping 30$! up here in canada as ppl in the us refer to this as drugstore tobacco. in toronto we stopped tobacco sales at pharmacies and grocery stores back in the mid 90s so here its considered rare to even find capin black bokarum erinmore or amphora and they all sell for 30$ no matter what for a 50g pouch that costs you 5$ or 6$ so you can imagine that means top shelf stuff costs us between 60$ to 80$!...so back to my reveiew if your into tobacco that tastes like cigarettes this is for you. mainly amarican smokes that smell and tastes like cigars like marbs cams and winston here are smokes dont taste like that.everytime im about to try a new tobacco for the first time i use a unused mini cob to get the full flave and then i will try it a 2nd time in a proper pipe.. on the false char it tasted like pure chemicals on the true light it smelled and tasted like cigar smoke with a strange blast of spicyness it burned super fast and scolding hot i could barley hold the bowl and it stated to gurgle right away i also tasted a hint of sour this made me not want to try the other versions like the cognac one

This is (my current) OTC mainstay, so my review may be somewhat coloured.

The pouch aroma is very mild, offering hints of nuttyness and freshly mown grass, with undertones of leather. I have found this tobacco to be a touch on the dry side (although not overly so), but I think that is due to me being the only person purchasing this from my local tobacconist, and his supply being rather aged.

The cut is a little on the long side (to the point of being near unruly), and towards the bottom of the pouch, often contains bits of stem/veins, and larger pieces of flake. I could see this causing trouble during packing, particularly if packing a smaller bowl (although its become second nature to me now). Takes the flame very well, often I get through a bowl with but one (true) light.

Flavour starts out slightly sweet, building on the base of nutty burleys, layering the almost hay-like sweetness of the Virginia's throughout. As the bowl passes the 1/2 way mark, the Virginia flavours give way to a slightly chocolatey (think dark - 80% cocoa) undertone, with a honey sweetness from the cav., and a slightly peppery tingle from the Kentucky..all, of course, overtop of the boldy nutty burley flavours. There is usually a small amount of dottle mixed in with grey ash, but bone dry.

The room note on this tobacco is also deep with nutty aroma, with hints of leather and hay. The wife enjoys this the most out of any burley blend she has been subjected to so far.

If you are having a hard time finding tobacconists that are not just glorified head shops, news stands, or convenience stores, I would highly recommend this tobacco.

What can I say? you get what you pay for...This smells better than it smokes in fact I think it smells like old tobacco used to smell like (burning and in the pouch)- cedar log cabin with a brandy in one hand and pipe in the other. It packs, burns and smokes well but left me wanting more. I have a liking for cavendish which is easy to see spot here so you can pick the tobacco flavoring for each pipe to make this mix more interesting (if you could be bothered?). I have half packed the pipe a few times and folded Erinmore Virginia Flake to top it off for something different, that's pretty good. Handy for a "in case of emergency break pouch tobacco" and very easy to get.

I picked up a pouch of this on holiday in Italy recently -- it doesn't seem to be available here in the UK. It's a pleasant tobacco, milder than, say, St Bruno; burns slowly; doesn't seem to bite; has nice nutty flavour with just a hint of topping. A relaxing smoke.

Pleasantly surprised with this one (called Original Blend here) given to me by a newbie who didn't much care for it. Very nice gentle casing on this one, fruity and floral. But quite subtle with a good natural baccy taste. Only a hint of chemical taste. The burley is well used in the blend, popping up now and then. Less bite than a MacB, even cheaper here in Holland than MacB (it is a Dutch baccy, although I suspect made in Denmark these days). One of the more natural tasting packets I've had for a while.

First off, the brown "regular" pouch in Canada and Holland is sold as "Original Blend". It is also described on the pouch as, "A well-rounded blend, emphasising the chocolately flavour of burly tobacco". When I first tried this a year ago I found it bland- strike that- tasteless! A recent return trip to Holland changed my mind though. I decided to try it again as another reviewer here mentioned the Dutch version to be better. He was right. Wonderful creamy/chocolatey aroma and flavour. Easily lit, no tongue bite regardless of puffing rhythm and just a wonderful tobacco to enjoy with a cup of Dutch coffee. On my return home I decided to try the "Canadian" version and found it to be just as satisfying and an equally good partner to a cup of Earl Grey. A comparison tobacco would be Mac Baren's London Blend Burly which, in contrast to everyones glowing review, I find to be a distant second. Perhaps the blend has changed or perhaps I have - regardless it has become a personal favourite.

addendum 2007: still the tobacco I smoke every morning - see pipe master Rolando Negoita's brief bio on the web and please reconsider - truly a wonderful smoke with a regular Timmy's eh!

addendum 2008: I smoke a lot of different blends....I still think this is a quality tobacco and have introduced it to several pipers who never would have tried it, (and they liked it). I've yet to find a "dry" pouch in the, (dare I say), several hundred I've purchased. This is a "diamond in the rough" tobacco believe me.