Mac Baren Amphora Rich Aroma

The burley is earthy, woody, nutty sweet with a very mild cocoa hit as the star component. The dry, earthy, lightly floral, herbal, woody, lightly sweet Oriental also sports a touch of spice in the background. The Virginia is a minor, grassy player with a little tart and tangy citrus. The hazelnut has a little richness to go along with dry, slightly toasted quality as it mildly sublimates the tobaccos. The strength is just past being mild, while the taste is in the center of mild to medium. Has a very mild nicotine hit. Won’t bite or get harsh. It has a light complexity, and the sweet, very slightly creamy flavor is very consistent throughout the smoke. Burns at a reasonable pace; very cool and clean. Requires an average number of relights, and leaves little dampness in the bowl. Has a very pleasant lightly lingering after taste and room note. An easy going all day smoke.

-JimInks

Out of the pouch it looks and smells quite similar to its brother Original Blend but sweeter. The smoke is different: RA lacks of that savory Kentucky edge present in OB, the taste is clearly Burley rounded off with a touch of Virginia and a mild sweetener ( hazelnut, they wrote...), maybe there’s too a pinch of Orientals. As every Amphora, RA is skillfully Cavendish processed so it’s very easy to fill and keep lit, gentle to the mouth without harshness or bites, little to none gurgles, room note isn’t a crowd pleasure but tolerable and it leaves in the pipe just a trace of sweet Burley. Not an enticing blend (and not intended to be) but not dull even, it’s a pleasantly mellow, warm and calming smoke.

I don't like Hazelnut Coffee, so I probably would no longer like this blend. But years ago it was a favorite smoke. My memory fades as the years go by, but I distinctly remember liking this blend because it had a tobacco taste and yet made for a great added flavor. If I ever found another pouch I would try it though.

This is a reasonable, easy to find, Dark Cavendish Mixture. It haves a Good, different, Pecan Nut flavour. It is sweet, no residual bitter taste. For me,is the best between the Amphora`s Blends.

Me and Amphora go a long way, Full Aroma being the first tobacco that I've ever smoked. While I haven't smoked that in many years, Rich has the typical elements I associate with Amphora aromatic: high quality tobaccos, superior blending skill, slow burn and a somewhat different aromatic experience.

For the best results, some drying time is required (20-30 minutes). And this one stays moist for a long time, even in an unsealed pouch. But it's a real ease to work with. Can be further rubbed out, though not mandatory. The unlit smell is very pleasant and not your typical aromatic smell. It smells more like a Virginia blend, with a nice hazelnut fragrance and a hint of chocolate.

Getting it lit is very easy and, once it settles down, it leads to a very enjoyable, cool and slow smoke (+2h in my House Pipe). The component tobaccos are well harmonized, with the Burley, Oriental and Virginia making their presence known in that order. And they are well-rounded by that hazelnut flavor which, while not heavy, is evident. However, it does not taste artificial or too sweet, yet it gives the smoke a very smooth, creamy, velvety and relaxing quality. The taste is consistent from start to finish, regardless if smoked in a small or large bowl. The overall taste is rather simple, yet it carries enough complexity to prevent it from being a boring blend.

To round it up, Rich is a high-quality aromatic which, even though it can be considered an OTC, delivers by offering a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. A nice, easy-going all day smoke and also a nice change of pace from your typical sweet, sugary aromatic.

I started to be able to describe what "a toasty burley" is after trying this blend. Nice and smooth cocoa together with fresh nut scent. Good tobacco and great value for the price.

Nutty with cacao under notes and a hint of sweet spices. Love it! That said, I am intolerant to Burley and can't get even close to the majority of Burley containing blends due to fear of getting yeast infection on my tongue. Rich Aroma is one of those few exceptions; I guess Mac Baren did an excellent job of balancing Burley with their cavendish. Whatever the actual reason is for this phenomenon, I am thankful and will always keep a pouch or two in the stash.

A decent tobacco for an OTC. The pouch aroma was quite intriguing and smoking it definitively offered a pleasant change of pace among my usual tobaccos. I do not like it as much as Full Aroma, or the sadly discontinued Black Cavendish, but if I could get some again, I would buy it.

Based on the amazing smell in the bag, I was expecting a more nutty flavour smoke. Not that the smoke was bad in anyway. It was quite enjoyable, mellowing after a few minutes into a nice deep well rounded smoke with the hints of hazelnut as described on the package. I was just expecting a punch in the face of nuttiness, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's definite worth a try.