Mac Baren HH Burley Flake

Just a disclaimer right up front. To everyone except the newbies, we all know our individual tastes well. This is burley. If you know you do not find burley agreeable, it's probably not likely that you will be reformed by this blend. As a burley man myself, this stuff is a virtual gift from the gods. Disclaimer done.

It has been nearly a year since being able to obtain Solani ABF, one of my burley staples. So a pipe friend (one whose advice I actually trust) suggested MB's HH burley flake as an alternative. Being an avid MB HH smoker, I was startled at first that this one had slipped under my radar. No surprise, really, I live in rural Arkansas with the nearest tobacconist 2 hours away. Anyhow, I quickly ordered a 100g tin as a sample, seeing as how the 1lb box is currently backordered. The tin arrived yesterday and I cracked it this morning.

Some of the previous reviewers have nailed the aromas and tasting notes, notably to me JimInks. I totally underestimated the depth of this one! Nuts and molasses abound, with a delightful lingering aftertaste of dark tea coming from the fraction of DFK it contains. I agree wholeheartedly with previous reviews with the one caveat that I would put this one down as a bit too complex and hearty for an all day smoke. That is my personal inclination, however. I save the all day puffing for cheaper, less crafted blends that I can puff on without devoting much thought to flavors. Back to my friend's recommendation, this is no ABF, but it does not try to be. And it fills the gap just perfectly.

I have just finished my second bowl, and I am resisting a third (but only because I have finished half a pot of coffee and my bladder will thank me for stopping now). Thoroughly impressive! Mac Baren has done it again. As soon as supplies are available, I will be adding a couple 1lb boxes to the old cellar most assuredly.

Wow. Quality. Where else to start but the burley. It's that toast/bread-like burley, malty, woody and lightly nutty. A barely noticeable cocoa note. The virginias compliment and sweeten the burleys, bringing depth of flavour. I'd guess they comprise about 30-40% of the flake. They're very sweetgrass, leaning more on the sweet side of things, but there are some earth and hay notes. Extremely light citrus at times. The dark fired kentucky is merely a seasoning, maybe 10%, providing a savory background. I get some of the hayloft or barnyard smell others have pointed out. The main focus here is the bread, sweet grass and woody aspects of the burley and virginia. It's not a sharp dark fired va-bur flake, nor is it a basic, nutty, mixed burley blend. It has strength, depth and versatility. Firm, yet gentle. Smooth. Just so comfortable, like bacon and eggs, it's hearty. Perfect for late summer sunsets on the porch, good books, walks in the woods, waiting out the rain in the shed, or just driving, listening to the radio. This is what pipe smoking is all about, right here. Blown away. 4 stars.

I consider HH Burley flake to be one of the finest burley tobaccos I have ever smoked. It is beautifully presented with brown flakes lined up in the tin. When first opening it, I find that it does require some drying time. When smoked you will find the tobacco to be on the darker side of the flavor spectrum. The most prominent flavors I find in the blend are a dark fruit note and a cocoa note, both of which are very prominent in the retrohale as well. You can also expect to find a slight smokiness and meatiness, which I believe is from the small quantity of dark-fired in this blend. The blend can waver in its sweetness but is never overwhelmingly sweet or dry. Overall this is a delicious flake that can satisfy you but does not wear out your palate. It smokes slowly and cooly both rubbed out and folded. I would suggest this to any burley-lover.

I'm new-ish to burley blends, I know that I like them mixed with Virginia's and I know I really like Haunted Bookshop, which I should get down to reviewing sometime. I also have a cellaring tin of Night Train that I need to crack open. But anyways back to the review. I am curious to see how this tastes, since I haven't had a bad tin in this whole series so far.

When you open the tin you will notice right away that these flakes are a little wider than the other offerings in this series. But otherwise they are the same well pressed flakes that we have gotten from the Pure Virginia and the ODF. Tin note is bready, chocolaty, and dark fruit. Call me crazy but it sort of reminds me of Nutella or chocolate covered raisins. The flakes are easy to fold and stuff or rub out to your preference. Lighting takes a little longer than normal, but some dry time will significantly improve that.

The Burley here is sweet in a molasses sort of way. I taste chocolate, bread, earth from the Burley. I get some hay and sweetness from the Red Virginia, it is also dark fruity and a touch herbal. There is some dark fired in here but I don't really notice it, every now and then I can taste some of it smokey spice. I want to call the taste a medium here. It isn't as full as ODF but it feels a touch more complex. The strength is also a medium.

This taste is great and I would gladly buy another tin. If you haven't tried burleys this might be a nice balanced place to dip your toes in. If you do like burleys and you like nice long complex smokes this may be for you too. All in all another great blend from a great line. I'll be posting again on Wednesday with a review of HH Acadian Perique.

Mac Baren - HH Burley Flake.

This has reminded me just how good Burley can be!

The presentation is second to none. Inside the tin sits a VERY shiny, gold wrapper which conceals two rows of wide, thin, medium brown, flakes; I see a few yellow flecks but nothing major. My moisture looked great when the tin was initially opened so I never had to allow any airing time.

My first bowl was prepared by fully rubbing a flake. Because of the thinness this was easy, fine rubbings can be achieved with a gentle touch. But fully rubbing, although making it easy to light, causes it to burn too fast. So, I recommend folding a flake, instead. This gives a slower, cooler, smoke. And because of the thinness of the flakes lighting up is still simple! The flavour's an impeccable Burley-lead one. The sweet, slightly smooth, Burley's running the show, with the others taking a clear support slot. I find the Burley doesn't taste as rustic as is often the case. The Virginia remains the lighter of the three, all the way through, whilst the Kentucky seems dormant until a quarter of the way in. After the first quarter has passed the Kentucky joins in and supplies a touch of potency, and fills out the flavour. Because of the moistness, many relights, etc. aren't a requisite. Once lit a bowl burns steady and independently.

Nicotine: medium at a push. Room-note: not great.

HH Burley Flake? Four stars:

Highly recommended.

I really enjoy all of the HH series and how each of them bring something different to the table. I purchased some Burley Flake in 2019 and cellared it and decided it was time to give it a try.

The jar note after 3 years is very mild. Just a little earth, but not the usual barn yard of many burley forward blends. The moisture was perfect on the flakes now and they are easy to deal with, either folding in larger bowls or breaking up for smaller chambers. Lighting was easy and it burns really well.

The primary taste range in this one to me is mid-range. There is just a little note of sweetness on top, but mostly nutty/bakery flavors to me. Not much on the low-end. The nic level seems just right as this is one of the few flakes in the series that I could really see coming into my rotation as an all day smoke.

The tobacco shines to me in a larger flatter bowl where you can use the fold/stuff method, it slows down the burn and this is usually one of the longest burning blends that I smoke. There is no tongue bite and it burns cool unless really pushed.

The room-note is tolerable to the wife's judgement especially compared to the darker versions.

HH burley flake

This blend, comes in thinly cut flakes, that need little drying time, although I did let the three flakes I smoked sit for 10 minutes just to ensure it was ready.

Upon first light I got a slight hay like taste, that soon morphed into a full on burley nuttiness assault, wow this tastes amazing, I smoked two bowls of this in my MM general which fit two flake inside. The taste is out of this world, a general and even nuttiness that continues to grow deeper as the smoke progresses, never harsh or overpowering.

This blend stayed well lit and I needed little re lights I think two max, I did not get any cocoa taste from the smoke, more crispy toast. I bought this blend in bulk from the b&m liberty tobacco. I immediately placed it into a jar upon purchase around mid may.

This blend is a medium strength blend, that I can imagine with age will sweeten slightly. Great fall going into winter blend, perfect accompaniment to a nice cup of coffee.

This is a blend I can see myself adding to the rotation.

I have to agree with my esteemed colleagues before me. This is a very good tobacco, full of nutty flavors, rich in taste, very straightforward in its structure and composition (Burley being the predominant taste, with a discreet yet eloquent support from the Virginia and Kentucky). It's smooth, harmonious, easy to pack as it is (folding the flakes or rolling them up), but it can also be broken up with no hassle. It's a medium strength smoke, not as sweet and nutty as Golden Extra and not as dry and formal as London Blend (both, by the way, excellent Burley smokes). Perfect for an autumn evening, when the wind starts to get cold and crisp. A highly recommendable, natural tasting smoke.

As to my present sojourn over the landscape of Burleys, the path travelled, being wide and diverse, has presented some interesting geography along the way to say the least. The road now leads me to yet another milestone stop. This time, with pipe in hand, I opted to bring my tastings wagon to a halt at the door front of the great house of Mac Baren.

First and foremost, the Mac Baren Tobacco Company is worth admiring, in my opinion. With its core operating philosophy and customer-centric values, Mac Baren has established itself as a brand of choice for countless discriminating fine tobacco enthusiasts. Worth noting, Mac Baren is the largest independently owned, family-operated, and successful tobacco firms in existence today. The inception of the company goes way back to 1887. A long-standing Danish-based company, whom we find operating behind a Scottish Gaelic moniker, is somewhat puzzling. Being of Scotch origins myself, of course, I personally show no prejudices.

Mac Baren professes to be unhampered by your typical heavy-handed corporate governance. Generations of the Halberg family (the owners) have created an environment that is postured to be inventive while supporting investments in researching and developing products that appeal the great masses of discriminating pipe smokers. Most importantly the firm is renowned for its canny ability to source and integrate supreme blending tobaccos from every corner of the globe. Housing perhaps one of greatest modern day blenders, Mac Baren presents it’s highly successful HH product series on the laurels of its creator Per Jensen.

The HH Series of blends pride themselves on being unadulterated mixtures prepared with the top-notch natural elements, free of the tainted influences of independently applied toppings or casings. Per Jensen’s ultimate vision for the HH Series line, for which Mac Baren undertook extended development time and experimentation, was to create a collection of pure, original, high quality, blended tobacco offerings.

For all practical purposes, one from this series, HH Burley Flake is typical of the subject genre. A natural mix comprised of assorted Burley leave which impart the essential rich cocoa, woody flavors, choice sweet citrusy Virginia stock, and a hints of Dark Fire Kentucky for spice and lower notation. Although practical it is not. This finely pressed flake is exceptional with respect to the major markers. Mechanically pressing tobacco allows the inherent flavors to ferment and blend together more harmoniously. The science or art, if you will, regarding how much tonnage and time to apply is a matter of pure experimentation. HH Burley Flake is a classic example of tweaking the process to perfection.

The flakes themselves can be easily folded and inserted into the pipe bowl or rubbed out into gorgeous pillow of rich tobaccos. My personal preference is the latter, given that the tobacco packs nicely; sitting dense and snuggly within the cavity of the bowl. The moisture level fresh from the tin, in this case, was ideal for a pleasurable session of smoking.

Tinned in a handsome square container, wrapped in a golden envelope, I found rich, beautifully formed strands characterized by an array of variegated brown Burleys, golden strips of Virginia and selectively placed chards of the DFK. Visually I could easily discern that this was a quality tobacco. In specific, the blend configuration appeared to be Burley dominant @ 80%. The Virginia, the second primary ingredient, is placed uniformly across the pressed pieces at @ 15%, while the DFK takes its place in a sparsely scattered pattern. I have to believe the final ratios were played with intensively to arrive at this distinct recipe. The ensuing taste experience, as I was to discover, proved that to hold true.

The resting tin note of this HH Burley Flake blend is exquisite. An all natural bouquet characteristic of delicious earthly woody Burley, mellow tangy Virginia hays, dark prune-like fruit notes, with just a tinge of remarkable spiciness. The prevailing room note upon smoking is unquestionably bold and strong; almost cigar-like to my estimation. Characteristically, the aroma is a thick, deep and robust, a heady perfume of sweet, soured wood with a touch of pungent tartness. It’s reminds me of that old classic pipe smell that smacks one rather smartly upon entering a typical cigar/pipe establishment; delightfully enveloping the senses.

The note utterly permeates the room being longstanding and eminent. The hang time is, like I said, reminiscent of a cigar-like presence. In smoking this blend, gently sipping, one can’t but help savoring its lavish character. The nose on HH Burley Flake brings a deep satiating feeling that any discriminating tobacco enthusiast will thoroughly relish. Frankly, the fragrance of the blend simply “wowed” me.

I conducted three individual tastings all from within a larger capacity briar pipe. A fine blend like this, in my opinion, naturally bids to be burned in such as manner to truly and experience the inherent richness and nuisance of optimum flavor. The taste of HH Burley Flake moves around beautifully and is simply a delightful experience. The smoke produced is a heavy thick cloud of zesty brilliance.

The delicately sweet but staunch woodiness of the Burley takes front stage on this one as one would expect. There are constant light cocoa over notes, with deep, dank, earthy tones of dark fruits folding nicely in the center. I wasn’t getting too much of the standard heavy nuttiness one typically finds in Burley, however. Furthermore, there is a lovely incensey, floral, spruce-like spirit also dancing around in a lovely pattern with this one. To state that the smoke has character would be an understatement. It has charisma.

A Burley is a Burley is a Burley; right? Not so. By comparison to the comparable blends, Mac Baren’s leave is truly superb and stands out among its peers. Granted that the essential and common Burley attributes are there, HH Burley’s elements are unique in a very pleasurable vain. It has a compelling and magnetic nature. As my present tasting expedition has crossed over land of several matched blends from different manufacturers, I can honestly say Mac Baren’s Burley strains sit on the high road above others.

The use of the Virginia is an interesting one. It is presented on the very bottom underneath the dominant Burley producing a balanced, elegantly sweet woody, tangy hay like progression to the extended taste. Occasionally the Virginia does show proud, but for the most part is kept consistently at a well metered presence. The very spicy top note from DFK moves in a lovely manner as a precise trailing accent persistently in attendance draw to draw.

There was some mouth dryness that I experienced with this particular blend as I mulled the smoke around in my mouth rolling over the taste. Nonetheless, the flavor had an enduring effect long after the smoke was exhaled; a dry sweet woody essence. This was remedied by having a cool glass of water handy to offset and refresh. Nothing too obtrusive or detracting by any means, but the dryness I consistently noticed.

HH Burley Flake burns cool, very slowly, and evenly. Neither bite, nor sting whatsoever subsequently. It’s long lasting smoke, one that I was able to unwind and truly savor. And let me tell you, this was wonderfully pleasant and indulging experience. I did note that the smoke seemed to become thicker and therefore the much more pronounced about 2/3 the way down the bowl. A few relights and very light tamping are required even so. Overall, the cake was well centered and burned uniformly to the very bottom of the pipe bowel.

I suppose one could smoke this blend casually all-day long. For me, however, it begs of a shoeless relaxed sit back in my favorite recliner; a slow sipper. Partaking of HH Burley Flake in such a manner, this top-notch mix will definitely tantalize your senses with its smooth, full and rich character. Accordingly, one must be thoughtful and respectful of the quality of this recipe. Give it justice and smoke it suitably; truly experience what it has to offer.

Indisputably, Mac Baren HH Burley Flake a fabulous quality crafted blend overall. In retrospect, I am delighted that my navigation over the lay of Burley brought me to this particular bend in the road. I simply loved it and suspect any Burley enthusiast would as well. I highly recommended you make this particular stop along the way. With confidence, I can assert that at the end of my travels, Mac Baren HH Burley Flake will finds it’s well earned place in my standard rotation of favorite Burleys.