Mac Baren Amphora Kentucky Blend

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."

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.

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.

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.

I bought a pouch of this to check out, and was shocked at how good it was. I had been meaning to try something from the amphora line, and figured this would be more in my wheelhouse. I didn’t realize it was made by MacBaren, but knew it when I opened the pouch.

It is nearly identical to ODF RR, a favorite of mine. Old dark fired ready rubbed is a fantastic bulk offering from MacBaren in the HH line. This may be a bit better in some regards. It is a touch sweeter I think and burns more easily and neatly. Also, the presentation is a bit better to my eye.

It’s easily an all day smoke for me, and I finished off the pouch in less than 2 days. I would buy more, but I have pounds of ODF RR already in my cellar, and regular blend rotation. Great stuff though. A good, satisfying and manly smelling blend with a decent dose of nicotine to boot.

Another great offering from the Amphora series. Classic kentucky aroma and taste. A tad too strong for my taste, but for the price you just can't complain.

Amphora has created quite a reputation for providing high quality and tasty blends at almost OTC prices. While I've smoked quite a lot of blends over the years that contain DFK, this was the first one for me where DFK is the main player.

As with all other Amphora blends, it comes in a pretty rough ready rubbed presentation, so some further rubbing out is a good idea. Didn't came particularly wet, so it could be smoked pretty much straight away. The dark brown, almost black unlit tobacco has a pretty strong odor of that classic smoky, barbecue sauce type of smell that DFK is famous for, with just a barely noticeable hint of Virginia grass.

As with other pressed tobaccos, it may require a bit more doing to get it lit and under control but, once it settles down, it leads to a slow, mostly dry and cool smoke, free from bite and harshness.

The taste carries a very smoky, barbecue-y, saucy, slightly spicy, slightly ketchup-y taste. However, unlike other DFK blends, it doesn't carry the acrid, vinegary taste. In fact, the DFK in this one is pretty tamed. The Virginia remains in the background, providing a sip of dark fruit, grass and a bit of sweetness. It's almost like the salt of this blend; not particularly noticeable, but the blend would not be the same without it.

As always, the strength is very subjective, but this one didn't seem a particularly strong blend to me. It's only in the last third of the bowl that it becomes a bit more potent, but still not enough to knock you off your feet. The taste, on the other hand, is pretty rich and robust, consistent and enjoyable. The room note is pleasant enough and not heavy, nor lingering, though it still might raise a few eyebrows.

Amphora's Kentucky Blend is a solid offering with a pleasant, tasty experience. Might not be an all day smoke for everybody, but it makes for a perfect morning blend with a cup of coffee. It has just enough strength and flavor to get the day going. Probably not suitable for beginners, though it can be a good introductory blend in the world of DFK due to its overall medium strength. Not something that I would reach for often, but enjoyable enough for me to smoke every now and then.

Amphora- Kentucky Blend I recently purchased this blend from an online retailer while on sale. The pouches arrived in great shape a nice blue pouch.

The pouches have close to 6 months of age on them, for whatever that is worth.

Upon opening I was greeted with a nice tangy vinegar scent, with some bbq and ketchup. This blend can be summed up as St. Bruno ready rubbed without the extra sauce or flavoring.

Smokey, leathery and a bit spice on the taste. Deep rich tones and not to powerful. This is a broken flake more than ready rubbed and will clump together quite easily.

Stuffed it into my MM general and torched it, once started it burned easy and evenly. great flavor overall and worth the discounted price while on sale.

Glad to have bought a few extra pouches.

Smells like BBQ, and ketchup out of the pouch, but doesn’t show up in the taste. Love the price point. Too moist for me out of the pouch, and was a bit finicky keeping lit. The normal rub out, and drying routine worked better for me on future smokes.