Tobaccos Mac Baren - Amphora Burley Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3023)	2019-05-17		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The very woody, earthy, nutty, cocoa-ish burleys also sport some rugged savoriness. The savory aspect reminds me of aged burley. A small amount of woody, earthy, lightly spicy and sour, floral, dry and nutty, smoky dark fired Kentucky boosts up the blend in an important condimental role. The grassy, lightly citrusy, slightly floral Virginia is far in the background. There are no toppings as per Per Jensen (I always wanted to write that.). The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste level almost reaches medium. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite even when pushed, though it does have a rough edge at times. It’s not overly sweet, but the sweetness present is natural. A ready rubbed cut mixture that burns cool, clean and slightly slow with a very consistent flavor from start to finish that also translates to the lightly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a little more than an average number of relights. Even though it has a bit of depth and body, it can an all day smoke if you wish.

-JimInks

30 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (241)	2019-05-18		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

After hearing of this blend (first available in Europe) I was intrigued and hoping it would come state side. As a Burleyphile I'm happy it did. Before receiving my two pouches I was wondering what it would be all about. At first I thought Amphora Original minus the orientals. After receiving my order I opened one of the pouches. No pouch note to speak of and not much of a tobacco presence to my nose. A nice medium to dark brown broken flake similar in color to Aged Burley Flake. Loading, lighting, and keeping it lit was a breeze as is expected from a Mac Baren tobacco. There was no discernible flavoring agent added that I could detect. This is one of the smoothest smoking blends I've ever smoked in 43 years of piping. Not much of a tobacco flavor but certainly not a hot air only smoke. I couldn't detect the Virginia at all - and happy at that as there was no tongue nip at all. This smoked clean and dry to the heal without any heat or bite whatsoever. Amphora Original minus the orientals and flavoring? I don't think so. This is its own animal and able to stand on its own merit. I certainly knew I was smoking Burley, but all the negativity associated with Burley was absent. Mild woody/spice notes detected with a subtle sweetness throughout. This is a great smoke for when you just want "a pipe," a here in lies its charm. Nice room note too, and highly recommended. I like it better than Amphora Original and Mac's Burley Flake by a wide margin. Kudos to Mac Baren.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Iverson Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: Closest (but not too close) would be Mac Baren's Burley Flake minus the orientals.

16 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AC (19)	2019-07-03		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I only smoke Burley (blends), and without any flavorings, toppings, etc. In fact, I almost exclusively smoke C&D Burley Flake #1 and sometimes, Triple Play. I think I've tried them all, for years in fact. But my very specific taste always leads me back to BF#1. Yet, disheartened as I've become in my Burley adventures expeditions, I do get excited every time I find (or someone recommends) a possibly new pure Burley blend I've not tried. To my total amazement, I am loving this Amphora Burley Blend! The broken flakes are very similar to the C&D Burley Flake #1, the moisture is ideal, the burning perfect and the taste, simply great. It does have a bit of a rather noticeable and quite lingering taste in the mouth, probably from the casing, but that's ok. Burley fans, go try this smoke.

Update (07/07/2019): I've been smoking this beautiful tobacco in different pipes, to further appraise it. First, let me say, that the said lingering taste has subsided quite a bit. I think it was just in the first bowl, where it was pronounced. This is truly a bready-chocolaty delicious burley blend. The flakes are just great, as I said, very similar to the C&D Burley Flake #1. I love it. The burning is consistent, even in every respect, including the consistency of the taste profile throughout the bowl. It burns to white ashes all the way, and with very few relights. The natural and sweet chocolaty taste in this burley is nothing short of remarkable, and it comes from the Virginia. I must say that such "focused" sweetness can be a bit too much after the halfway point of the bowl. I would have preferred a tad less of this sweetness. The Kentucky is noticeable too, perfect. The room note is pleasant, truly tolerable. This is a fantastic blend, and it is now part of my very exclusive list of pipe tobaccos. Smaller bowls will let the Virginias more pronounced, bigger bowls will feature the Burleys to a greater extend. No toppings, just pure delight. The last pipe I tried with this blend was a BBB billiard.

Pipe Used: Old River Rhodesian; BBB Billiard

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: www.smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: C&D Burley Flake #1.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2019-09-09		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren - Amphora Burley.

I've enjoyed some of the Burley offerings from Mac Baren this year, with their HH Burley Flake being one of my favourites of this genre yet. Amphora Burley is equally as tasty!

I never read the cut before I opened it, so wrongly expected a ribbon. But the appearance is a dark brown, chunky, broken flake; brilliant! The flakes have been reduced to EXACTLY the consistency I like to rub a flake to! My pouch had perfect hydration, and a rustic smell with a drop of sweetness.

The smoke is lovely! Similarly to HH Burley Flake the flavour's lead by the Burley, the others lightly season the smoke; the Kentucky more so. The Burley has more of an inured flavour than a sweet one; there is some sweetness, but this is understudy. I note some hardy Kentucky, fiery and punchy, but the Virginias are about in need of the Pinkerton Detective Agency to seek them out! The burn causes no problems, generating a mid-temperature smoke. I spent a morning smoking this without any bite.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not too bad.

Amphora Burley? A definite four star smoke:

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3023)	2019-06-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The very woody, earthy, nutty, toasty, cocoa-ish burleys also sport some rugged savoriness. The savory aspect reminds me of aged burley. A small amount of woody, earthy, lightly spicy and sour, floral, vegetative, herbal, dry and nutty, smoky dark fired Kentucky boosts up the blend in an important condimental role. It also has a hint of barbecue. The grassy, lightly tart and tangy citrusy, slightly floral Virginia is far in the background. There are no toppings as per Per Jensen (I always wanted to write that.). The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste level almost reaches medium. The nic-hit is in the center of mild to medium. Won’t bite even when pushed, though it does have a rough edge at times. It’s not overly sweet, but the sweetness present is natural. A ready rubbed cut mixture that burns cool, clean and slightly slow with a very consistent flavor from start to finish that also translates to the lightly lingering after taste. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires a little more than an average number of relights. The room note is a little stronger than the after taste. Even though it has a bit of depth and body, it can an all day smoke if you wish.

-JimInks

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KhingKreepy (2)	2019-05-25		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Was gifted this at my local store as it just came in, and all I can say it is a wonderful blend. A all day smoke, dont have to think about it much, just light it, tamp and go. Came perfect out of the bag. Hints of Cocoa and that Virginia hay smell and taste but they take a back seat to the Burley which I really love. I usually smoke Prince Albert at work on the farm as its a no nonsense blend that one light and you can finish the bowl to ash, well I am thinking of retiring my tub of PA for a minute and buying up more pouches of this fantastic tasting blend. Hopefully we can get this in bulk soon.

Pipe Used: Rossi Rubino 8320 6mm

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Rems tobacco- GJ, CO.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lord Henry (4)	2019-05-08		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild	Tolerable

i do not use filters in my pipe, and i had no tongue bite at all. smooth as an well aged tobacco. typical natural Burley aroma and not too sweet.

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: german pipe shop

Similar Blends: Solani Aged Burley Flake.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stan (178)	2019-07-15		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Could this be HH burley flake fully rubbed? It's close, but I think not. Not quite as rich and it has a slight top note I think (molasses or chocolate but light). Mostly smooth and natural tasting. No bite.

Cool, tasty, hint of sweetness, with old fashion burley goodness.

An all day smoke for those that do.

Recommended as one of the best burleys around, pouch or not.

Pipe Used: Tim west "old west" bulldog

Age When Smoked: new pack

Purchased From: SPC

Similar Blends: MB HH Burley Flake..

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth 69 (117)	2019-06-10		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Pouch smell has a semi-sweet whole grain with dark cocoa, some wood tones and perhaps a tad of molasses. This is similar to HH Burley Flake with a similar but lesser woody notes to the smoke and the addition of the casing makes it a smoother smoke with absolutely no bite. Despite being a burley blend and supposedly some dark-fired leaf added I really didn't notice the nicotine. It's so reminiscent of HH Burley Flake I wish Mac Baren had developed it into something a little more unique. More sweetness would have been to my liking. One could think of this blend as sort of a hybrid between HH and Golden Extra with a bit more sweetness to round out the character more though it is not a sweet tobacco. A straight forward classic style ready-rubbed burley tobacco that should be appreciated by burley aficionados.

Similar Blends: Mac Baren HH Burley Flake.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (51)	2019-07-04		Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I must say that I did not particularly care for this one. I'm sure it is of good quality Burley which I do enjoy but it had a very sour note which I did not enjoy. This off taste is more than likely just my taste buds and won't affect others so take what I say with a grain of salt.

Pipe Used: MM cobs

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomcat (212)	2020-05-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

This one is a winner in my book ! A very natural tasting burley that pretty much drives the blend . Just enough sweetness and nic hit to satisfy. This is a simple straight forward burley blend but I am a simple man who enjoys it very much. I like it better than Solani aged burley . It has less of the chocolate casing and more nut earth and wood . Also about half the price and tastes better . Great morning smoke with coffee! Four stars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Brunello (140)	2020-04-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend confirms to me that the continental European tobacco houses develop their blends based on performance with 9mm filters (which is by far the preference of European pipe smokers). I tried this blend in two 9mm briars that I have available for Burley-based blends, in both cases a solid 4-star experience. I also tried in a cob with a 6mm filter, a meer, a Savinelli with balsa filter, and another briar without a filter. On my own rating scale those smokes ranged from 3.2 to 3.5 stars - good, but not quite the "wow" as with the 9mm filters.

With American blends, like many from C&D, I almost always prefer the smoke without any kind of filter because I find the filters somehow mute too many overtones. With Amphora Burley the differences are that without any kind of filter I get some cigar notes from the dfk, and a more hardcore intensity on the back of the throat. With the 9mm filters I get a big, expansive, foundation of flavor: hazelnut, toasted marshmallow, home-baked pumpkin seed, and some slightly sweet malt ball notes, along with baking spices that are entirely subsumed by the cigar notes when no filter is used. If I had to summarize the 9mm experience I'd call this a "Gentle Giant" - lots of flavor but smooth. Sort of a big brother to Sutliff Match Ready Rubbed (Edgeworth).

Using a 9mm filter should produce a smoke that will appeal to both Codger and Connoisseur and could very well warrant repeat smokes during the day. Without filter, it is still good but will probably appeal to the smoker who enjoys more of the dark-fired character, and one bowl will likely be enough to satisfy.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2019-06-27		Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am not a regular Burley smoker, but this is a blend that even I can enjoy. The Kentucky is lightly applied and the Virginia adds smoothness. The added flavorings, cocoa, licorice etc., add additional flavors, but do not sublimate the excellent tobacco flavor. Chunky cut, I rub it out. Amphora Burley smokes cool and dry from beginning to end. This is tin quality in a pouch. It's not a sweet smoke, but there is enough natural sweetness to satisfy my tastes. This is a quality Burley blend that's medium in strength and very delicious. I expect this exceptional blend to become a favorite of Burley lovers worldwide. This blend is so delicious and lacks the sharpness I used to associate with burley blends. I will definitely be buying more. It requires a few relights, but well worth the effort. Burns to ash and leaves a very pleasant taste on the tongue.

Pipe Used: Lorenzetti Constantine 9mm Filter

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chili guy (14)	2019-05-19		Medium to Strong	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Just got my first pouch today. Out of the box, out of the pouch, into a well known Savinelli billiard. Moisture level is good, it’s a broken up flake that might benefit from further rubbing out. I was happy with it as is as it loaded easily. Took a small extra effort to get lit but once lit it had a steady burn. Good Burley flavor and strength as well as taste and aroma. Enjoyable from the first and uniform through the bowl. Interestingly, my favorite Mac Baren tobacco to date. I’m a hardcore Burley fan and this is most satisfactory. No bite evident at all. I’ll add more as I progress through the three pouches purchased, but so far, I sense a winner. It’s a very straightforward uncomplicated smoke and if you like Burley you should like this one. There’s a bit of Virginia sweetness in it but not too much. Updates later.

Pipe Used: Savinelli billiard 815KS, Comoy 1/2 bent Dublin

Age When Smoked: Freshly opened pouch

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

Similar Blends: A better Burley and unique in my opinion. PA or Granger with added strength, flavor and finesse. No dominate additives to my taste buds..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (78)	2020-07-03		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

Nutty and oily smell of fresh tobacco is changed to heavy smoke with no tongue bite and creamy pleasant taste. Nicotine hit is somewhere between mild and medium. Need only few relights. Very pleasant smoke and could be easily all day smoke.

Pipe Used: Stanislaw

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: etrafika.cz

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (85)	2020-02-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

To avoid that proverbial "nutty-woody-earthy" mantra you read in each and every burley blend review (my past reviews are no exception) I better compare Amphora Burley to the blends most similar to it.

It's better than Solani Aged Burley Flake. Yes, it's better. One would laugh at me (especially taking into account the difference in price) but it is better. It possesses all the virtues of ABF - plus flavour, aroma and reasonable strength, all of which ABF sorely lacks in my opinion.

All in all, it's on par with C&D Burley Flake #1. Well, flavourwise, C&D is better. But #1 is packed with such a respectable dose of Nicotine, it demands a degree of dedication when you smoke it. You can't just be doing something AND ocassionally smoking #1. You need to dedicate your time and efforts specifically to The Thorough And Enjoyable Act Of Smoking The Respected Cornell And Diehl Burley Flake Number One, and then, if you are lucky and/or experienced enough, you may try to do some extra things along.

With Amphora Burley Blend, you just smoke a good Burley without concentrating much on its' lacks or excesses.

I wonder why TobaccoReviews ought to have two entries for this blend. Unltil they are merged, I post this review in both.

Also I wonder why this blend costs so little (please don't tell McBaren I said that). Its quality far exceeds its price tag.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2020-01-15		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Earthy, walnut-like woody nuttiness at first 2/3 of the bowl followed with a pinch of Cayenne + black pepper mix through final 1/3.

Lovely blend with moderate strength. Smoother compared to similar American Burley blends.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2019-12-14		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The cut is a mostly rubbed out flake. It came at a good level of hydration for me. Some of the hunks are a little hearty, and after a couple of bowls, I discovered the best way for me to smoke it was to gently rub out a pinch in my hands and stuff from there. There is a little cocoa in the pouch note.

This is a very good pouch tobacco. I would not hesitate to pick this up if I were traveling and needed to resupply.

Perhaps the best way to describe this is by comparison to Pegasus. It is smoother and slightly less "edgy." There is a subtle spice when puffed, and I attribute that to the Kentucky. It is fairly mellow and has a few sour notes, and it does not have a bitter edge. There was a little sweet in the profile from the Virginias.

It was an unremarkable but pleasant smoke. It stayed lit and seemed to burn a little slow. I was quite happy to dump ashes and have another bowl.

This is good but not great. I have no regrets and would smoke another pouch if the opportunity presented itself. I won't go out of my way to look for it. It is a solid 3 on the scale.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2019-11-11		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm a big fan of Amphora Original as I think anyone who like MacBaren BLB or Golden Extra would be. So when I saw this newish Amphora Burley I wanted it straightaway.

This is interesting. This tobacco would never have been released under the Amphora name outside of the MacBaren stewardship of the brand. It strikes me as unadulterated Burley and Kentucky, and the Kentucky is applied with a light enough hand so as not to overwhelm the blend. Honestly the one tobacco that you could talk about this with in the same breath is Watch City Slices. WCS is one of my very favorites. I feel that one is sweeter, and shows its American roots by making one think codger Burley to an extent. This Amphora Burley is in the same vein, but strikes me as a more upscale European take on the idea. It is less sweet and more savory. The Burley here is milder, so even the light hand of Kentucky does more to the presentation. I am going to stick with the Golden Extra with added Kentucky comparison, because that is the most accurate thing I could say to you to give an idea how you'll find this tobacco.

It's really, really good. Only a 3 star for me as I have so many beloved Burleys in the rotation. I won't go buy pounds of this, but when I empty my 16oz jar I am going right out and buying 3 more pouches to fill it up again. Very good Burley and I think anyone who truly loves Burley will agree.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Adam T Valleau (21)	2019-09-09		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

I tried the new Amphora Virginia blend a few months ago, and I was pretty impressed with it. As a Virginia lover, I found it to be a very solid blend, though not the best VA out there. With this in mind, when Amphora came out with their burley blend, I had to try it. I also like many burley and burley-forward blends. Amphora Burley comes in a 50 gram pouch as a chunky, broken flake. Moisture content was just about right. Appearance was a medium-dark brown and fairly uniform overall. It was easy to load and was not difficult to light. A few re-lights were required, but not really a problem for me. Produced plenty of smoke. I was told the room note was rather pleasant. I tried this in a couple of briars, a MM Country Gentleman, and a meerschaum. Good in all of them! In my judgement, there is plenty of flavor in this blend. The burley clearly stands out, of course. There was the expected nutty, slightly chocolatey notes, and overall just a good, moderately hearty tobacco flavor. I could detect no obvious topping. The Virginia stays pretty far in the background. A bit of sweetness, but no hay, grass or citrus for me here. This blend is fairly similar to OTC blends like Prince Albert, Carter Hall, etc., but I think the Kentucky plays a subtle but vital role in this blend. It lends some spiciness that the typical OTCs don't have. But I still think it falls into the OTC “yer gramp's smoke” genre. Overall, this blend is not up there with Mac Baren's HH Burley, or Solani or Wessex flakes. But it is on the mild side of medium in strength and taste. Not too much nicotine (at least for me). It is well-balanced, flavorful, and could be an all-day smoke. Reasonable price, too. Recommended.

Pipe Used: Briars, corncob, meerschaum

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: SmokingPipes

Similar Blends: OTC blends like Carter Hall, Prince Albert, Half and Half, but a little stronger and spicier..

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mesh (51)	2019-08-03		Medium	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

To me this tastes like St Bruno ready rubbed (now also produced by Mac Baren) but without the Lakeland dressing. I'm not a big burley fan myself these days, but someone who is would most probably like this. The tobacco itself seems of a good quality and it's pretty good value for money.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2019-07-16		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren - Amphora Burley.

I've enjoyed some of the Burley offerings from Mac Baren this year, with their HH Burley Flake being one of my favourites of this genre yet. Amphora Burley is equally as tasty!

I never read the cut before I opened it, so wrongly expected a ribbon. But the appearance is a dark brown, chunky, broken flake; brilliant! The flakes have been reduced to EXACTLY the consistency I like to rub a flake to! My pouch had perfect hydration, and a rustic smell with a drop of sweetness.

The smoke is lovely! Similarly to HH Burley Flake the flavour's lead by the Burley, the others lightly season the smoke; the Kentucky more so. The Burley has more of an inured flavour than a sweet one; there is some sweetness, but this is understudy. I note some hardy Kentucky, fiery and punchy, but the Virginias are about in need of the Pinkerton Detective Agency to seek them out! The burn causes no problems, generating a mid-temperature smoke. I spent a morning smoking this without any bite.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: not too bad.

Amphora Burley? A definite four star smoke:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson St. Patrick's Day 2017

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jorge Soler (202)	2021-07-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I cannot blame Mac Baren for wanting to make a commercial blend that will appeal to a broader audience, but Amphora Burley is not my cup of tea. It has a rather noticeable topping and the burley content only shows up quite noticeably in the last quarter of your bowl. The room note is OK and the tobacco seems of good quality, but the topping is a little bit of a letdown. It is good value for money though, so if you are not in a position to access more robust blends, I'd recommend it, but it is a little bit run of the mill. 2 stars this time.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Calamiti (85)	2020-02-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

To avoid that proverbial "nutty-woody-earthy" mantra you read in each and every burley blend review (my past reviews are no exception) I better compare Amphora Burley to the blends most similar to it.

It's better than Solani Aged Burley Flake. Yes, it's better. One would laugh at me (especially taking into account the difference in price) but it is better. It possesses all the virtues of ABF - plus flavour, aroma and reasonable strength, all of which ABF sorely lacks in my opinion.

All in all, it's on par with C&D Burley Flake #1. Well, flavourwise, C&D is better. But #1 is packed with such a respectable dose of Nicotine, it demands a degree of dedication when you smoke it. You can't just be doing something AND ocassionally smoking #1. You need to dedicate your time and efforts specifically to The Thorough And Enjoyable Act Of Smoking The Respected Cornell And Diehl Burley Flake Number One, and then, if you are lucky and/or experienced enough, you may try to do some extra things along.

With Amphora Burley Blend, you just smoke a good Burley without concentrating much on its' lacks or excesses.

I wonder why TobaccoReviews ought to have two entries for this blend. Unltil they are merged, I post this review in both.

Also I wonder why this blend costs so little (please don't tell McBaren I said that). Its quality far exceeds its price tag.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ducksbreath (125)	2020-01-25		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Another home run for Mac Baren, or possibly a solid double.

This comes as a broken medium dark flake, like classic MB blends--Burley London, Symphony (except this is darker).

But this has no excess heat and no bite. It's a smooth customer, smooth as butter.

Every now and then I can taste a wisp of dark fired, or a brief tang of VA (very brief). Although it is not complex, or very deep. Mainly, very smooth, earthy (but not nutty) burley goodness.

It has two problems 1) It only comes in a pouch and 2) It is not ODF, and doesn't try to be.

Similar Blends: HH Burley Flake.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2019-12-05		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

The pouch note is sweet, somewhat chocolate-ish, with very little of the expected cocoa note. The leaf is a dark brown broken flake (it most certainly is not ready-rubbed because I have to rub it out a goodly bit to get it to where I can light it properly).

Once lit, the flavour is sweet with a bit of chocolate, not particularly strong (OK, I did not expect that), the room note is nice, but does not have that airy cocoa zing to it that I normally expect from a Burley. The burn is a little hot, but manageable. I am left with substantial amounts of dottle at the end, which I cannot relight no matter how.

Overall, this is a nicely sweet blend (for a Burley), nice flavour, acceptable room note, but I would not buy again.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from new pouch

Purchased From: DanPipe, Lauenburg, Germany

Similar Blends: Solani - 656: Aged Burley Flake — somewhat similar in style, Mac Baren - Norwood.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RonR (85)	2022-06-24		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Tolerable

3rdGuy

Decent enough blend to be a mainstay in your burley rotation. Easy to light and keep lit. I found it had just enough Kentucky and Virginia to round out the flavors but still keep the Burley up front. Not interesting enough to cellar for me but I will always have a few pouches around. Worth trying for sure.

Pipe Used: Cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brusaerba (8)	2022-02-08		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant

This is one of my first and favorite tobaccos. A burley based, non aromatized tobacco, it smokes dry and easy and slow. It has earthy, nutty, toasted notes. I found some hint to nuts and cacao but I do not know if it is only me. I smoked it with most of my pipes (mostly billiards) and it smokes always well. The nic hit is mild, I could have it also in the evening with no problem. I really like burley based mixes so... I am bias... but I would definitely recommend this one.

Pipe Used: billiard

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: online

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TotoPipeDreams (44)	2021-04-29		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a perfect burley blend. Why? It’s equally satisfying for burleyphiles and for burley haters (me). It’s an intensely nutty, figgy, raisiny smoke but balanced out perfectly with the added VA and Dark Fired. There’s a hint of sweetness and spice that rounds out the taste from those added components.

Perfect with the morning cup of coffee and stands out with strong and simple flavor to be an all day smoke.

Highly recommend as a first time burley blend for its easy packing and burning and approachable taste. The aroma is tolerable to all, flavor and nicotine strong but not over bearing. A benchmark burley blend for me. And as someone who doesn’t usually care for burley, I could easily see myself stocking up on more. Which says a lot about the accessibility and crowd pleasing nature of this blend. Get some!

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BingCrosby (161)	2021-04-02		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Another pleasant surprise.. This blend has that classic Mac Baren burley flavor.. It seems to fall somewhere between Golden Extra and HH Burley flake on the flavor spectrum.. Just a pleasant old school smooth nutty smoke.. the Kentucky and Virginia are in the background but do a nice job balancing out the blend.. I like the occasional burley.. but I have the feeling regular burley smokers will absolutely love this one. Great quality for a pouch.. and a further example of why Mac Baren is currently one of the best blenders out there.. 3 stars for my tastes..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot (33)	2021-02-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Fine burley blend, very similar to Mac Baren's HH Burley Flake. But in a different cut. I think it is more broken flake than ready rubbed.

Big amount of burley, smaller portion of Virginia and a pinch of Kentucky.

I like it!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LOGS (4)	2021-01-06		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

A smooth smoking broken flake burley with mild sweetness and a decent room note. Completely inoffensive, light in flavor, with no danger of tongue bite. The taste has a slightly artificial quality that reminds one of Peter Stokkebye PS41 Cube Cut Burley. Hardcore burley lovers and Old Joe Krantz fans won't find much here to get excited about. Supposedly contains dark fired but don't get your hopes up; it's well hidden. This is basically an upgraded codger blend for new comers and those put off by what a truly flavorful burley can bring to the table.

- Logs

Pipe Used: Kaywoodie

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2022-09-12		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bit of a disappointment.

When I first saw this on the tobacconist's shelf I was all like "Gimme that!" I'm a huge fan of both burley and the Amphora line, so what's there not to like?

Unfortunately, this blend is. It wasn't the wholesome, full burley experience that I was expecting, but a little bit ruined by the dry straw-like virginia jumping to the forefront much more than it has any right to. The kentucky seems to be unable to save the day, and the burley selected for this blend is in my honest opinion not one of the best either.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad in this per se, it just isn't nearly as good as I expected and would have wanted from a burley blend, especially in the Amphora line. Sigh.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: "Smoke", Galeria Dominkanska, Wroclaw Poland

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	tobaksrøg (53)	2022-09-06		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

At first, the burley is almost the only player, making the blend kinda boring. Later on, the sweet virginias add the necessary balance and things start to get a bit interesting. I can't notice any kentucky in this one, and the official description on the MB site doesn't mention it. So, as far as I am concerned, this is a burley blend with just a (very welcome) pinch of VA. 2 and a half.

Age When Smoked: New

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrNapoleon (10)	2021-04-10		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

In tin note, the first fiddle is played (as could be expected) by earthy, heavy, cocoa, nut Burley. Virginia is almost imperceptible in my opinion. The tobacco definitely needed a little drying. The taste is full-bodied, earthy and heavy. You can also feel Virginie's slightly hay-like piercing. If you smoke too quickly, it can bite. The biggest disadvantage is that the taste does not change even a little during the whole smoking, which makes it extremely monotonous and simply boring. That's why I try to burn it in small chimneys. Leaves a large amount of condensate. In my opinion, it is not suitable for all-day smoke. I can give the maximum 3 stars, but only on the condition of smoking in a small pipe.

Age When Smoked: New

Nobody has rated this review yet.