Mac Baren Amphora Kentucky Blend

(3.27)
Amphora's Kentucky Blend is a harmonious blend based on more than 150 years of experience of tobacco blending. A large proportion of dark-fired Kentucky is blended with high grade Virginia tobaccos to achieve the solid and smoky taste of the Kentucky tobaccos.
Notes: Introduced July 2019

Details

Brand Mac Baren
Blended By Per Jensen
Manufactured By Mac Baren
Blend Type Burley Based
Contents Kentucky, Virginia
Flavoring
Cut Broken Flake
Packaging 50 grams pouch
Country Denmark
Production Currently available

Profile

Strength
Medium
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
None Detected
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Tolerable
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium to Full
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming

Average Rating

3.27 / 4
14

14

5

0

Reviews

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Displaying 1 - 10 of 33 Reviews
Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jul 21, 2019 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Medium to Full Pleasant to Tolerable
The woody, earthy, floral, dry and lightly sweet, moderately sour, mildly spicy, nutty, smoky dark fired Kentucky is the lead component. The smokiness has a minute barbecue note. The Virginias offer tart and tangy citrus, a little tangy dark fruit, earth and some grass as a secondary player. They take a little of the edge off the DFK. I detect no toppings outside of a sprinkling of sugar. The strength and taste levels are just past the medium mark. The nic-hit is a step shy of medium. Won’t bite, but it does have a few rough edges as one would expect from a blend with dark fired Kentucky. Needs a light dry time. Burns cool and clean and a little slow as broken flake mixtures tend to do. The lightly sweet and rather dry, savory flavor is very consistent from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires some relights. The savory, campfire after taste lightly lingers. It’s not really an all day smoke, but it is a repeatable one, especially if you are a fan of DFK. Those experienced with DFK may consider this to be an all day smoke. It is a little less sweeter and not quite as potent as Mac Baren’s HH Old Dark Fired, though it does have enough punch and body to hold your interest. Three and a half stars out of four.

-JimInks
24 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Feb 18, 2020 Strong None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
Mac Baren - Amphora Kentucky Blend.

There are many non-aromatic blends where it's easy to decipher and list a plethora of flavours, nuances, etc. This, however, isn't one. What this is, IMO, is a steadfast, basic, LOVELY, smoke.

The pouch contains a coarse, dark, slightly smoky smelling, perfectly hydrated, broken flake. I put mine into an empty Wild Man tin to save spilling any when filling from the pouch!

The Kentucky leads, unequivocally, but is a more 'chilled out' variety than a lot. I don't find it too fire-cured in taste, but has a calmer smokiness, rather than a bitter Dark Fired Kentucky flavour; to me. It's this acridness from the curing which often deters me from DFK, but it isn't present in Amphora Kentucky'. The Virginia gives the blend backbone, and build, but doesn't have much of a 'fresh' presence. The burn from AKB is exemplary: coarse tobacco=slow, cool, burn!

Nicotine: packs a punch! Room-note: not great!

Amphora Kentucky Blend? A remarkable smoke, and one of the best of this genre! Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Various
PurchasedFrom: Smokingpipes.com
Age When Smoked: 1 Month
13 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 15, 2019 Medium None Detected 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. The pouch note is a slightly sour tobacco smell. It reminds me a little of freshly sliced Mammoth Cave.

This one is probably best described by comparison to ODF. That one is familiar enough to serve as a reference, and I think most people looking at Kentucky Blend will have tried ODF as well. t is a little less sweet than ODF and does not have the body. There is spice in the snork and when puffed. It is a solid Medium in terms of strength.

This one is very good, but it does not rise to the ODF level of great. I would smoke this again and enjoyed it.

I rated it at Pleasant to Tolerable in terms of room note, but I WILL report that when I lit my first bowl of it, my wife said "That one really smells great!" I claim this is not the universal response if you light up in the den, but at my house, it is a "Very Pleasant."
7 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jun 21, 2020 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable to Strong
Summary: dark fired spice with undertones of Virginia that emerge in the second half of the bowl.

Similar to the Drum rolling tobacco or Mac Baren "Old Dark Fired," this blend consists mostly of rich, spicy dark fired Kentucky Burley, which gives it somewhat greater strength and a zesty piquant flavor, thanks to the Virginias incorporated to balance it. Those varietals, forming a minority of the flavor here, create some magic in the second half of the bowl when they caramelize and the spice of the dark fired becomes a tangy molasses-like flavor, as if the sweetness melted into the smoked leaf and gave it a new dimension. Not everyone will like this, but it is a great option to have in a drugstore package, and in my view will improve quite a bit with a couple years of age. If I had a wishlist, it would be that this blend get closer to "HH Bold Kentucky," which has more bright Virginia to give the flavor a balanced character; sometimes, too much dark fired is too rich, just like too much Latakia can obliterate all other flavors.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Aug 03, 2019 Medium Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable to Strong
Amphora, Kentucky Blend: A fantastic yet affordable summer dark-fired smoke

The Virginias seem to be made up of mostly reds and some brighter leaf varietals. They are sweet and tangy with a little grassiness (in that order) and I really enjoy them in this blend—more than those in the current iteration of Three Nuns, which tend to bite at the tongue. The Virginias dominate the first third of the bowl with the smoky-oak flavors of the dark-fired Kentucky seeming more like a condiment tobacco. However, the dark-fired flavor builds substantially the farther down the bowl you smoke. At the end, it becomes strong yet enjoyable.
5 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Jan 25, 2020 Medium to Strong Extremely Mild Medium to Full Tolerable
I'll keep my review brief.

I thought Amphora Burley was at least as good as HH Burley Flake, but I don't think this is nearly as good as ODF. It just tastes like watered down ODF (which some people may really enjoy).

The reduction in strength and depth just hamper the enjoyment of the dark fired leaf for me. This is really a 3 star blend, but since I gave Amphora Burley 3 stars, I have to give this only 2.

I should add that as someone who has smoked the original Amphora red and brown, that none of these new blends have anything in common with the original drug store queen.
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Dec 23, 2019 Medium None Detected Medium Pleasant to Tolerable
yup. i'm an unabashed tobacco (and other area) elitist snob. i try every day to downsize myself and ego. thank you amphora kentucky blend for helping me beyond imagination in this endeavour. deep rich kentucky with a beautiful support of fine, sweet virginia (rolling stones anyone?). i wake up and spend the day trying to avoid smoking this bowl after delicious, unctuous bowl. $6 and a plastic pouch and i'm a proud man without pretense. thanks again ;o)).
Pipe Used: i'm a straight billiard guy
PurchasedFrom: smoking pipes
Age When Smoked: new, but some age prior to tinning
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Nov 01, 2019 Strong None Detected Full Pleasant to Tolerable
Mac Baren has another bell ringer with this one. The spicy, dark Kentucky is well complimented by the Virginias which leave no sharp edge to the smoke. My pouch came partially rubbed out and a bit moist. A bit of dry time and it was ready to roll. The somewhat stout blend is bold but not overwhelming. The Virginias seem to be of good quality and the nicotine is close to medium. Requires a few relights and I rubbed mine out a bit more too, but you preference may differ. May be to much for the beginner but is great with a cup of coffee or a good lager beer. Could be an all day smoke to some. Highly recommended.

Smoke while you still can- Lager
Pipe Used: Pete's, Savs, Stanwells
PurchasedFrom: Smoking.pipes
Age When Smoked: New
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 04, 2019 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
A bold readdy rubbed tobacco with plenty of KDF to taste. It is balanced with VA so it is not super potent, but it is still strong.

You have to desire the dark, almost bitter taste that follows.

Cool, dry, and stays lite well.

No raves but no complaints either.
Pipe Used: Old West
Age When Smoked: new
3 people found this review helpful.
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Reviewed By Date Rating Strength Flavoring Taste Room Note
Sep 04, 2019 Medium to Strong None Detected Full Tolerable
A bold readdy rubbed tobacco with plenty of KDF to taste. It is balanced with VA so it is not super potent, but it is still strong.

You have to desire the dark, almost bitter taste that follows.

Cool, dry, and stays lite well.

No raves but no complaints either.
Pipe Used: Old West
Age When Smoked: new
3 people found this review helpful.
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