Mac Baren Presbyterian Mixture

Well, I am all out of my tin of Presby mix. So I guess I'll just write about it. Its one of my favorites. I want some now, but I don't have any and I'm desperately hoping my local shop has some when I walk through that door chiefing down a bowlful of one of my other blends tomorrow after work. weather ill be smoking king Charles mix, margate, sobranie, squadron leader, nightcap, artisans blend, empire English 536, or maybe even some ten to midnight tomorrow it doesn't matter .... either way they better have some Presbyterian mixture. I need it now that I'm out. I love English blends. That's all I'll smoke. I love Latakia. And weather or not presby has Latakia in it or not, I don't know , I don't care, I just really enjoy it. I remember my first bowl of it. I thought it was horrible straight outta the tin with no dry time. It was hot, it was spicy, it was cigarette like. However I put it in a jar leaving some space at the top for some air to settle it and allow it to do its thing. It's tasty after that. It's kind of nutty sweet flavor, creamy smoke, good spice level makes it one of my favorites. I guess when you have a blend that you hate to be out of , even if you don't smoke it all day or every day for that matter , it makes you suddenly realize, " hey this is indeed one of the best, and one of my favorites ." If your on the fence I say go for it ! - Happy smokes now!

This is one of those blends that I've heard a lot of talk about. Presbyterian is a staple for lots of folks and so after hearing so much about it I decided to get it. There seems to be some confusion as to whether this is an English blend or not. According to the manufacturers website, and the back of the tin, this blend does contain a small amount of Cyprian Latakia.

The tin art on this blend is actually quite attractive in an old timey sprt of way. When you open it up there is a pretty consistent ribbon cut with lots of shades of browns and yellows with a little black Latakia in there. The tin note to this is very alluring. I smell sweet bready, bright Virginias, herbal, tangy Orientals, and some very light Latakia smokiness. It packs well and lights well. The tobacco comes at a smokable dryness.

When lit, it is a very tasty blend. The first thing I notice is the sweetness. The Virginias are sweet, citrusy, earthy, and bready. The Orientals are well rounded, tangy, herbal, and floral. The creamy, smokey Latakia is in the background, it provides a bridge between the Virginias and Orientals. This is very well blended, and I have to say very easily smokable.

The taste is a medium. It fills the mouth with creamy sweetness. The strength is an average medium. The room note this one is a little more friendly than your average English mixture. I think this is one of my favorite English blends and one that is an easily repeatable all day sort of smoke. This gets 4 stars.

This is a top notch English tobacco; it’s earthy, smoky, spicy and just a little sour. I think it benefits from a hour or so of drying time, just to let it breathe a bit and shake off a little of that moisture. This is one of my go-to blends for a latakia and oriental English blend. It's one of those blends that come to mind when someone mentions a typical English tobacco, kind of like Squadron Leader, Skiff or London Mixture.

Presbyterian Mixture Melange: I was gifted this from a clergy colleague who is of the Presbyterian Church - as an Anglo Catholic I still find it enjoyable & highly recommend it... apologies to the Archbishop of Canterbury! Upon opening the tin you find the tobacco neatly ensconced in a plastic bag with s multi-language description ...it says that the contents are of Latakia, Oriental/Turkish & VA ... it is a splendid arrangement of course cut... it is a fragrant & spicy complex mixture that smokes as a mellow, earth-tone & bright blend. The Latakia plays a supporting role & does not dominate ... thus a great introduction to those pipsters wanting to try the English blends. It did not have a “bite” & smoked cool. I was smoking this whilst outdoors @ intermission @ the Symphony recently & drew favorable comments... from men & women. The smoke is consistent throughout & I would describe it as elegant. I recommend it! 3+ Stars.

Presbyterian Mixture was the second blend I ever smoked. My first (purchased in complete ignorance of tobacco blends, of course) was a 2oz bag of black cavendish from a local tobacconist. Needless to say, I was impressionable and had nothing to which I could compare Presbyterian. I was impressed.

Since those early days, Presbyterian has become a favorite blend. It is complex, heady and balanced. Each smoke is consistent. I used to think that this blend smoked a little hot and bit, but I chalk that up to inexperience early on. You really cannot have a bad smoke when Presbyterian is in the bowl.

Presbyterian's tin note and smoking experience are very unique. There are a lot of "Balkan" blends (an ambiguous misnomer for a VA+Latakia+Orientals blend) out there, and it is a challenge to find any that diverge from the hackneyed formula. Presbyterian successfully breaks free, and is memorable and enjoyable every time. I highly recommend this classic blend!

I was completely blown away by this. Last time I was so excited about a blend was when I smelled Balkan Sobranie 🙂

Smell-wise it is like a basket of smokey figs and dates and plums and almonds plus some pepper and pine tree. A bit sweet but rather leathery (in a good way) and smokey.

Out of the tin it seemed OK but in the pipe proven to be just a bit to moist. It burned a bit hot and had a very-very-tiny tongue bite. It should not be a problem, it was me being so excited that I puffed the first bowl a bit too fast. I recommend giving it a little time to dry.

The smoke was just wonderful. It is rich and spicy. The tin suggests that it does not contain latakia but it tastes like it contains a very little. The Macedonian tobacco is a delight to taste and is complemented by a virginia that has more of the mature earthy notes than straight honey and vanilla notes.

The blend is Oriental forward. I would not call the taste sweet and the Orientals play the main role all the way but mostly in the first 1/3 is where the Virginia is prominent. Then it starts to recede giving more and more to the Orientals. Nevertheless the Virginia is still lingering there by the end of the bowl as well. The smell first is leathery which turns to increasingly spicy and fur-like by the end. The Latakia is noticeable but only as a nice condiment. The Orientals are exciting and spicy, mostly cinnamon, allspice and cardamom. As the different parts of the blend play together, different tastes surface and vanish like figs, peanut, hazelnut, dates.

If you close your eyes and let the spices carry you away it's easy to picture yourself in one of the historic cities of Lebanon, Turkey or Egypt.

Highly recommended.

UPDATE 29/10/14:

After a couple of months the tobacco dried a bit and now it has the perfect humidity. Smell and taste-wise I do not detect much difference. It is still a very nice blend and it still has plenty excitement in it.

This blend grew on me. When I first cracked the tin, I smelled a familiar scent that I haven't smelled in over 30years : pine pitch. This is the very scent that used to accompany the old Dunhill Nightcap back in the day. Imagine my surprise smelling it here after so long. For all pine pitch aroma however, the blend was not latikia forward. This disappointed me because I really wanted it to be the typical lat bomb English. Seemed rather light. Bit there was this special flavor and aroma pouring through that mixture of orientals, Virginia and condiment latikia. That flavor was irreplaceable in my cellar of tobacco. I started to reach for the PM every time I wanted an English. It was magic. Only PM afforded me that fine, mellow incense and sweet/savory flavor. An exotic flavor that I invite you to try. Just don't expect an oily lat bomb. This is a tobacco of refinement that settles on your palate the more you smoke.

Nothing smells like Presbyterian. I've tried countless blends, and nothing comes close to it's magical tin note. It's difficult to describe aside from just saying: it's a perfect "English blend" smell with a hint of... something.

Nothing tastes like Presbyterian either, and I think it's because of that extra "something". And the Orientals - they're a high quality Macedonian leaf, and there are plenty of them. Unlike many English blends that focus on the Latakia as the main flavor... the Orientals are the main player in Presbyterian. There definitely is Latakia in this blend, but it's only there in small amounts to enhance the other flavors. The Virginia's, too, are there to provide sweetness and contrast to the main player, the Macedonian leaf. The extra "something" is a very slight hint of cloves or... I just don't know. It has a mild "Christmas-y", lightly smokey scent and flavor. Whatever it is, it really makes Presbyterian what it is. That "something" also shoulders some of the weight of the lessened Latakia, and it's what makes it such an original, enticing blend, IMO.

Bottom line: I don't know what to compare Presbyterian to. There's really nothing like it. In my opinion, it's the ideal English blend, with a tiny dash of something extra... it's just about perfect in every way. Experienced smokers will appreciate it's subtlety.

The flavors of citrusy grass and hay come out just before reaching the first third of the bowl, when it starts to get really smokey. Seems somewhat naturally sweet, but man there's so much smoke for me (and that's a good thing). Definitely packing this into my rotation.