Mac Baren Presbyterian Mixture

I tried this blend back in the eighties and wrote it off then. I found it to be an unexciting mash of tobaccos. This current version struck me as being just as uninteresting as the older version (which, I suppose, is great for those who like this tobacco). For me, this is not an English blend, it's a faux English. Where's the Latakia? As far as I'm concerned, an English blend without that sweet smokey leaf is no English blend at all. If there's Latakia in the tin, I couldn't find it. So, this blend remains a disappointment to me. Still, it was worth refreshing my memory.

Allright. I've tried several times to be kind with this blend. There was a time when I tasted something spicy, there was a time when I tasted the pure, smooth flavour of orientals. There was a time that I thought why should I smoke this thing...To be honest, it is a nice english blend, decent enough. However I think that if Presbyterian EM was a person, his name would be John Doe: it lacks a strong identity, it lacks a distinctive feature and seems at times that someone just threw the tobacco in and sealed the tin. Pretty bad for a blend that, at first, seemed promising enough.

This tobacco smells good and earthy in the tin. As a Smoke I found it without any particular flavor. The nicotine was a little strong for me. I normally smoke English blends with a decent amount of latakia. This by comparison was surprisingly bland. On the plus side, the room smelled better afterward. On the negative side, I found it dull. So, with respect to other reviewers who liked it, I give it two stars but can't find a compelling reason to give it more.

The problem with reviewing this tobacco is that if you have had Red Rapparee from Rattrays, you will be disappointed with Pesby. The flavors here are all subtle and smoking slowly is the best way to achieve satisfaction. The blend tends to be understated in that the component tobaccos do not weave in and out as gracefully as they could. I believe that the strength of the blend takes away from the whole. If more substantive and character driven tobaccos were used, it would be terrific. As it is, there is no reason to smoke this if RRR is available to you.

On the other hand, if you are a smoker who prefers the light blends that have some nice flavor, and you are not a fan of nicotine, then you are in business. This would fit the bill for beginners in the english genre as well. The blend should be respected though, so do not smoke quickly, or hot. This will bite like a pit bull if you abuse it. Not to mention that it will lose all character if smoked hot.

Cheers!

05-19-2005

Appearance and Tin aroma: Fine ribbon cut, smells earthy and deliciously pungent.

Packing and Lighting: Long ribbons make for careful packing. Moisture is perfect, two lights max.

Initial Flavor: Earthy, musty, salty, yumm.

Mid-Bowl: a very ocassional sweet note from the VA, but mostly a round, nutty, buttery flavor.

Bottom of Bowl: a nice increase of strength, some spicy notes develop. Ash is fine and dry, light grey in color (as if that matters!).

Overall: Well, being an ordained reformed Elder, I had to try this blend just because of its name affiliation. This blend seems to be in the saltier end of the "oriental" category, but not bitter. Tongue-bite was definitely not an issue with this blend as it provided enough flavor with normal puffing. Alas, this blend already shows the influence of liberalism by its lack of depth though. Don't get me wrong, it is a good blend, but does not exemplify the depth and complexity of the Westminster Standards that Presbyterians are normally known for. I guess I'll keep a tin or two around just to remind myself to keep vigilant...

Among all the reviewers here, I probably am the one who enjoyed this tobacco the least. I guess that simple virginia+orientals without latakia is not a combination I love, as I find it a bit cigarettish. There are some exceptions I like (Ashton's Old London Pebblecut, and a couple of McClelland made blends), but usually I think that this simple combination falls quite flat.

The tin aroma was quite promising: moderately sweet, very ripe, with some musty notes... the smoking experience was a disappointment. It is a VERY smooth, non-bitey, refined and delicate blend: never cloying, never a taste out of place... but too dull and monochromatic, IMHO.

While I can't say that the result is disagreeable, the taste is quite dusty, without enough Virginia sweetness or noticeable spiciness. Probably OK for those in search of very unperceivable nuances, or on the other hand as an all day blend... but I seek more excitement.

Description on the tin: ?mellow blend of US-Virginia tobaccos and high-quality Macedonian grades.

Pre light: Smells really musty. I can detect the latakia, but the primary note is heavy Turkish. I think it smells great, but others (non-pipe smokers) disliked it greatly. About 10% dark tobacco, 30% lighter, blond tobacco. The remainder is medium to dark brown. Sort of a crimp cut, with some bigger pieces. It packs easily. Pretty dry, but did not require hydration.

During/after the smoke: Chars well. Tamps down flat and lights evenly and easily. Lots of white smoke, I like that. Initial impression is the mustiness of Turkish. Not as heavy a Balkan blend (it lacks the heavy latakia), but heavy. Very little sweetness. The flavor seems to change down the bowl, but the mustiness does not go away. I can?t really taste the Virginias. Towards the middle and bottom of the bowl I get a slight latakia wafting, but that fades. A slightly salty characteristic develops in the second third of the bowl and continues throughout. Burns really well. Can be a little warm, but not hot. On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is mouth scorching) I?d rate it a 4 or 5. Not really rough on the tongue. It shows some strength towards the bottom of the bowl. On a scale from 1 to 10 (where 10 is my head swimming in mud), I?d give it a 6. Burned to a mottled, light and dark gray fluffy ash with little dottle. Left the walls of the pipe clean. Smokes remarkably dry, and I?m not a very dry smoker. I?m left with a pleasant but musty tobacco aftertaste.

My assessment: Not bad; decent. Not an ?all day? smoke. Reminds me of Balkan Sasieni and compares favorably. I won?t smoke this often, but it?s an interesting change of pace. A little too much Turkish influence for me, at the expense of the latakia and Virginias.

This is a 1 year old tin, which I find better than when it was fresh.

Out of the tin I get "warm" notes of sweet and just a bit of spice jumps right at you. Chocolate and mint tin note. The floral character of the Turkish tobaccos really stands out.

If I like anything about this blend, it's the first part of the smoke. The fairly small amount of Latakia is still able to compete for first place with the Turkish leaves. Some of that Chocolaty aroma is translated into the smoke. But the main profile is the floral Turkish tobaccos.

Perfect moisture out of the tin, easy to pack and smoke. Minimal relights. The flavor becomes a bit more smokey and ashy towards the end, which I don't particularly like in this case (ashy is never good). I also get a bit bored once I get to the mid-final stages of the smoke as I feel that it becomes more bland. Can be an all-day smoke for those specific people who really like Turkish tobaccos. It's not too complex, but the play between the sweetness, slight spice, and eventually more smokey profiles are something to think about while smoking this blend.

I smoke this in my medium-size Lovat that I dedicate to Latakia blends. Small pipes tend not to translate the flavor enough and with big bowl the flavor gets lost for me.

Medium in body, mild in strength.

Worth a try for those who are looking into trying Balkan blends and anyone else who wants to taste a piece of history. For me, one tin was enough for now.

First of all, this blend is hardly an "English". At least not by my standards. This is more of a VA/oriental blend. Think of a Scottish mixture but with a good pinch of oriental.

I get a nice touch of earth, grass, a nice "sourness", and a really nice floral note complimented by a HUGELY creamy finish. I also get a lot of vanilla, enough that I wonder if it's topped. The latakia is very obvious by the tin note (as is the vanilla) however there is very little latakia flavor while burning. It's there, but it fits right in and doesn't make itself noticed much.

Now on to the negatives. My tin came absurdly dry. It appeared to be sealed when I popped it, but nonetheless it's bone dry. I eventually rehydrated it, and that did improved it a bit. I find that most MacBaren blends require a disciplined smoking technique to enjoy, however this one seems even more difficult to keep in check. I find I can only slow sip this blend, and even then I tend do burn my tongue and get bitter notes.

I have a feeling this is uncharacteristic of this blend so I will probably pick up another tin in a year or so and report back if my experience is any different.