Mac Baren Presbyterian Mixture

This is a strong tobacco for me. The tin aroma is "different". I have nothing to even compare it to. It packed well and lit very easily. The first taste was over whelming, almost enough to make me stop. Luckily I was in a car for the first tasting and I had no choice but to keep on tasting. And I am glad I did!

The flavours really picked up and the intensity seems to ease off a bit. There is something sweet in the mix but I can't tell what it is just yet. There is also a slight sourness to the tin.

Incredible and I will deffinitely keep this one on hand.

Though this is probably one of those blends initially purchased because of its interesting name and history, it is also remarkably palatable. Though I am not usually too excited about oriental/Virginia blends, I do enjoy this one on occasion.

It is a visually unremarkable though reasonably attractive blend of mottled browns and blacks from the stoved Virginias and lighter colors from the Macedonian oriental tobaccos. The tin nose is eminently pleasant and sufficiently sweet to suggest the possibility of a slight top note of something fruity?though I can neither taste it in the smoke nor put my finger on exactly what the aroma suggests. The orientals as well as the rich dark Virginias are evident in the tin aroma also. If the smoking quality could be judged based solely on the tin aroma, it would be fantastic.

Indeed, the smoking quality and flavor is as good as one would have suspected. I don't notice any top flavoring during the smoke and I'm not really sure there is one at this point. The Virginias are pleasantly balanced-- slightly sweet and very well rounded. The Orientals do help to balance the blend and give it a fullness that I don't think it would have otherwise.

Presbyterian burns cleanly down to a fine white/grey ash. On the whole, it is a very pleasant smoke, but there is nothing here to render this an all the time blend for me; however, I'll definitely come back to it from time to time.

It is a solid English blend that has enough variety in the blend to keep it interesting. Opening the tin, you'll be greeted by the musky smell of what could be latakia. I don't smoke English enough to differentiate the blends. I know I like this blend and keep returning to it.

I bought this mix on the recommendation of some friends. As a good lover of English blends (and history) I did not hesitate for a second to purchase a can. Don't expect a hit from any tobacco that makes up this blend, everything blends together and marries perfectly with each other. The quality virginias, the spicy and tasty orientals, the latakia stops by from time to time to say: hello, I'm the Presbyterian blend. It has become my favorite blend of this year 2023 and, for sure, it will be with me for a few more years.

Smoking this blend takes you directly to the monastery featured in the design. Fill the room with incense and aromas as if you were in 1929 and the Reverend Dr. John White gives you a little of this mixture. Maybe I am blinded by the love of this blend but believe me, you must try this blend.

E.S

This is a tobacco which I never got round to trying when it was readily available in the UK, and seeing the rave reviews, I thought I had missed something good. I'm a fan of English mixtures with a predominantly Oriental component, so this seemed likely to be to my taste. Having obtained a tin, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about, and won't be going out of my way to get more.

The tobacco is prepared as a very uneven and mostly very wide cut ribbon, with some parts very finely cut. I find this quite strange, I can't think of anything else I've had quite like it in terms of cut. It is predominantly bright and brown, with a smattering of black leaf. It was nicely on the dry side of perfect when I opened the tin. The tin aroma is yeasty, with smoke, digestive biscuit, malt, and a hint of icing sugar coming through.

I found it often quite hard work to light, and it gives a dry dry woody character at the match. Cedar wood and hay like Virginia seems to be the predominant flavour, with a subtle smokiness of latakia. Slight hint of icing sugar sweetness comes through at times. Sometimes a hint of sour from the Orientals. Generally the flavour is quite dry and astringent, with occasional herbal flavours coming through in the latter half of the bowl. I've also noticed a cigar like note at times, akin to a cheap cigar such as a Hamlet. The room aroma is rather dusty and stale, and I don't think anyone particularly appreciated it.

My impression is that this is a predominantly Virginia mixture, with woody tasting Orientals second in their contribution, and Latakia very much a background seasoning.

I've found at times that it goes out and needs relights, but conversely, it is fast burning and a bowl of it does not last long at all. It's a kind of mild blend suited to smoking in warm weather, but I'm just not that keen on it myself and for me, there are numerous much better mixtures which fit this mild English bill, such as Early Morning Pipe or Wingfield Mixture.

Is it brand loyalty or the fact that there are already so many OK to good Latakia based mixtures out there that this offering couldn't convince me? Don't get me wrong - I do like no fuss everyday mixtures and am no opponent of a less complex and somewhat more straightforward flavor profile. Yet this one was just a tad too "boring", as if the blender didn't even want to try or if he was working with mediocre raw material. I am not revulsed by the actual smoking experience, I mean I have finished the tin and all. 2/4 stars.

Coincido con los que dicen que está es una de las mejores mezclas inglesas/oriental. Fue una de las primeras que fumé y seguramente será la última jajaja. Tengo varias que me gustan como la Standard, accountants, bankers y skiff, pero quiera o no quiera siempre las confronto con presbiteriana. Para mí tiene el balance perfecto entre todos sus componentes. Es una mezcla fácil de fumar y disfrutar. Sin grandilocuencias pero con gran personalidad. Nada sobra, nada falta.

From this day forward, I'll keep my reviews short & simple. Presbyterian Mixture, 'for me" was abhorrent. One of the worst tobaccos I've ever sampled. Most awful mixture of approximately 100 samples to date.

After reading all the reviews on Presbyterian Mixture I felt compelled to see for myself what "some" of the hype was about since the majority of users rated it fairly high. I finally broke down & purchased a tin. I concur with those who claimed it had some bite to it which put my tongue in a sling for an extended period! Whether it contains Latakia or some specially treated Virginia concoction is academic. What I'm always looking for in a good blend is an appealing flavor with some punch & I found very few redeeming or alluring qualities in this mixture. I noticed one reviewer compared it to the BSOM & I pondered... where is he from & what has he been smoking besides the Presbyterian Mixture? Myself?... I wouldn't even give this one away for fear of reprisal.

I found it to be lacking in flavor, smoke volume, aroma & it was really wimpy in the Vitamin N department. I seldom trash a mixture without trying to blend it with something to "fix" it. However, after only one bowl I instantly knew this was unredeemable & it quickly ended up being hauled off with the rest of the garbage because I was afraid it might possibly end up in my coffin. I had no desire to go for bowl number two as I deemed it horrid, an abomination & appalling that Planta would even claim this tobacco! I've grown & smoked tobacco that wasn't all that good but still, better than this. Honestly... I thought it was the worst tobacco I've ever sampled in my life & the only one I've ever given a sole mark. But that's just me & I'm glad that many find it tasty & satisfying but obviously, it certainly isn't my cup of tea.

I found the room note to be objectionable & it smoked the same from start to finish & had an extremely fast burning rate... a full bowl doesn't last very long. Rather than recommend, or "praise" Presbyterian Mixture, I advise one to try it at their own discretion. You might find a tin for a ten & like me, you might have mixed emotions about your possible, wasteful expenditure. Did I end up with a tin of leftover garbage that was scooped from a dirty floor with a pooper scooper from a honey wagon? Would I purchase another tin? No but we're all of differing DNA with varying taste receptors, so, as to how one smokes any type of pipe, his/her taste preferences, "shaken or stirred" & considered quality & value of any blend, I respect their views & opinions...