Mac Baren Amphora English Blend

The earthy, woody, smoky, leathery sweet Cyprian Latakia is the lead component, but not by much. The spicy, woody, earthy, mildly floral, herbal, vegetative, dry and sour, moderately buttery sweet Orientals provide close competition, and at times, almost upstages the Latakia. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy, lightly tangy dark fruity Virginias are just above being a condiment in terms of effect, and not by its percentage in the blend. The strength is a couple of steps past the center of mild to medium, while the taste just misses the medium mark. The nic-hit is almost as potent as the strength. Won’t bite or get harsh, and has only a light rough edge at times. Burns cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a mostly consistent, mildly sweet and smoky, savory flavor from top to bottom. Leaves little dampness in the bowl, and requires an average number of relights. Has a lightly lingering pleasant campfire after taste and room note. By design, it’s an all day smoke with a little complexity and depth.

-JimInks

Mac Baren - Amphora English Blend.

Having finished my tin of Chieftain Blacksmiths Blend I wanted another English on the go. My tobacco tray always has one of each genre opened! So, a few weeks ago I got this out of my stash.

It isn't too fine a ribbon, slightly coarse compared to some, it arrives a little damp in the pouch, and has an emphatic English aroma. Although a touch moist it needed no airing to fire up.

On to the smoke: lovely! The overall feeling is quite heavy, although not too caustic with Latakia. The Lat' leads, without question, but is smoothed by the Oriental leaf. This, rather than being too floral or perfume-like, has a more creamy, glutinous feel to it. The Virginia is definitely in last place. But, this is the usual, honest, case with my English smoking; I find the Va gets smothered! The smoke's cool and comes from a mid-speed, reliable, burn.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: full but I quite like it.

Amphora English Blend? Great. Highly recommended:

Four stars.

This is a medium ribbon in a variety of colors. The pouch note is all campfire. It came at a great state of hydration for me.

This was a good smoke, and it is a better than average English blend for my preferences. It is heavier in Orientals than some, and it is not a latakia powerhouse. There is a little fruit and sweet from the Virginia, and some spice from the Orientals. It is a pleasant combination.

It packed and burned without quirkiness or drama. Either it has "enough there" that I am not prone to puff, or it burns a little slow. It is pleasantly complex without being challenging.

This is a nice English blend. It is available and comes in a pouch. What is not to like?

I respectfully disagree with oldermanpipe as Mac Baren has done an exceptional job with the Amphora lines and their H&H series line. This one is a very good, rich English and Per has hit it spot on. The cut is a fine ribbon with good quality leaf. The blend dosen't fight itself like some do. This would be a good entry level blend for some wishing to explore English blends. For a more detailed review see JimInks. Highly recommended!

When a friend told me that Amphora now has an English blend, I was intrigued and bought a pouch. It was an experience.

This is not an English blend. It is a Danish blend, with some Cyprian Latakia added. Amphora is made by Mac Baren, and this has a typical Mac Baren taste. It doesn't bite at all, but from first light to somewhere below mid-bowl, the dominant flavor is dark-fired Kentucky, even though that is not a listed ingredient. As Charles Barkley says, "I might be wrong, but I don't think so." If Amphora English is reminiscent of any other blend, it would be HH Vintage Syrian, but with very good quality Cyprian Latakia. DFK is better subsumed by the Syrian; Cyprian seems to fight a losing battle with it.

I'll give it two stars for the quality of the ingredients and for its smoking properties, but it's simply not my dish of tea.

The colour of the pouch is rather tacky, but what counts is what's in the inside. In my opinion MacBaren has done more than a decorous job in reinstating the name of Amphora in the pipe tobacco world. And in my view this one is a very good example.

Contrary to the pouch the contents is sober, well balanced and I would even say elegant: a very simple, classic (and classy) blend of matured Virginias and Cyprus Latakia. And that's it! No Turkish or other Orientals!

Very English indeed, but with that Danish twist which tends to downplay the proportion and the strength of the Latakia leaf employed, making it less potent and, above all, less pungent. I'm honestly surprised at some of my esteemed colleagues in the sense of them noting the flavour of the Orientals. I know it also says so in this page description, but if you read the pouch's description, in this mixture there are only matured Virginias and just a touch of Latakia.

If anything this tobacco reminds me of another English style mixture with that Danish touch: Larsen's Selected Blend N°20. Latakia fans may find these tobaccos bland and lacking in character. I find them quite agreeable: tasty, harmonious, not at all overwhelming, and an excellent choice if you want to enjoy in public a good Virginia with that Latakia undertone, whilst avoiding the risk of being lynched.

Recommended for those wanting to experiment English style blends for the first time, or as a change of pace from the stronger an fuller versions of Balkans and English mixtures in order to enjoy a simple, uncomplicated yet surprisingly good smoke.

Mildly delicious blend. Tantric's review is about the consent of mine. Easy smoking, simply elegant blend of Virgina and Latakia. As a whole it has a polished mouthfeel to it. It smokes very mild, but, a notch or two above that in terms of flavor. It has that underlying Amphora taste and is an easy smoking all day blend. Mild sweetness, yeasty bread, occasional subtle spice and nut/wood, and smokey presence throughout.

Not very good choice for Latakia mix, poor aroma and taste of wet carton. Fire looses very often, tobacco melts in whole carbonized mass (tobacco was drying on paperlist before smoking too). Waste of time and money for me.

This was my first English blend. Being new to pipes smoking. Didn't know how I would like a non-aromatic. I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a nice easy smoke. I actually love the campfire smell.

I think Mac Baren has a really good mix. It doesn't burn the tongue, it doesn't go out in all the smoke and the Latakia adds a perfect touch to the Virginia. I smoked this many times and I like it more each time.