Mac Baren HH Rustica

Rustica is a wonderful smoke. It showcases a remarkably similar profile to G&H’s Dark Plug, however without any trace of the cloying Lakeland essence I never liked. At first, floral notes are prominent, but that initial phase does not last long. The focus is mostly very earthy, leathery-sweet, and nutty, but in a narrower spectrum than the Dark Plug. This means that it is first, a more well-behaved tobacco, with less extraneous bitter notes, although one perceives the fermented quality, and second, the tobaccos are melded to a higher degree, in my humble opinion. This means that it tends towards a more monochromatic profile, albeit rich in every way a pure tobacco should be. Still, it does not detour much from its central theme of earthy-leathery-nutty taste with a medium dosage of very pleasant subtle sweetness. Dark Plug is more “rebellious”, but it has a wider spectrum of flavors that may appeal to some, while I prefer the intense and uniform straight tobacco flavors from Rustica. The nicotine is not as great as advertised, but this could just be due to the fact that I am an experienced smoker. Around the middle of the bowl, the melding comes to a “singularity” of tastes. Extremely tight in terms of the profile, where you basically only taste the Burley pushing forward with the added dimensions of the other components. In the last third of the bowl, another change occurs: a delightful increase of sweetness, which now comes to the foreground. Really spectacular at this point. This is a masterfully blended old-style “serious” tobacco, that needs to be calmly enjoyed on a full stomach. It is most definitely a keeper for me.

UPDATE: I have been smoking this delicious tobacco in a Williamsburg clay pipe. In my opinion, it brought the experience to an even higher degree of enjoyment.

As soon as I read about this, I had to try it. A sucker for flashy advertising. I have smoked this throughout the past week and here are my thoughts. The tin is impressive with a good solid 3.5 ounces. I had the pleasure of opening tin 3439 of 7100. Inside is beautiful medium dark flakes stacked like chewing gum. The tin note reminds me of a really strong chewing tobacco I tried called ‘CUP’ when I was a kid, strong and sweet. I took one stick, slightly damp, tore it apart and put it half of it in My Peterson 317 which is a really small bowl bent shape pipe which I reserve for really strong and potent tobacco. This has a nice strong natural taste to it but surprisingly, at least for me I did not find it to be the nicotine death trap that I was concerned about. Ole Nic is there of course and if you chugged this like a freight train you might get derailed. As I do not always smoke nonstop, one stick lasted me well over an hour. Day 2, I got out my KB&B Capitol pipe with the threaded briar insert, I got this one on eBay and though did not know when I bought it (fairly inexpensive) that it had a replacement stem until I read this excellent article on the restoration of one, https://rebornpipes.com/tag/kbb-capitol-pipe/. Smoke is fairly mild tasting compared to what I thought when ordering this. It is a good blend, and can I tell you that I detect the Nicotiana Rustica, not really as I have never had it before but that in no way detracts from the excellent quality and taste of the blend. I would like to know the percentage though. My last bowl lately was in my Peterson of Dublin tankard, another small bowl pipe with equally excellent results. This is obviously in the family of Bold Kentucky, Old Dark Fired, etc. Is it worth the hype? Let me say this, I am glad that I got some but there are a lot of other tobaccos out there that foot the bill.

Update 10-2-21. A fellow piper brought the 2021 release No. 2055 of 5300. I found this smoke to be actually smoother and not as nicotine strong, more like a good dark fired Kentucky. Makes me wonder if they reduced the amount of Rustica.

HH Rustica Flake - Part 6 of 6 - MacBaren HH Flake Reviews

In honor of the just released MacBaren HH Rustica Flake (that I have spent over a week with!!!) I will be reviewing the five previous HH Flakes leading up to a final review of that new release. I feel all tobacco requires a “Cool Down” period after you open the tin. A minimum of a month so the prior five HH Flakes will give me enough time to get Rustica ready for my liking. With that said: here is Part 6 of 6 . . . of my MacBaren HH Flake Series Reviews.

So, my final MacBaren HH Flake review is here. And it only took me six weeks! Also, for the first time I am three days late! I do apologize for my tardiness . . . but I honestly needed more time with HH Rustica. I have never had Nicotiana Rustica before and I wanted to know for a fact that I was able to understand what I was smoking. After approximately nine days with it, I feel I am adequately prepared to speak upon the subject.

Normally when I do these reviews, I am able to speak upon a person and/or situation to tell a bit of a story that relates to that particular leaf. With this release . . . I am at a bit of a loss with that. Never having any previous encounters with Nicotiana Rustica, I am only able to reminisce about other heavy nicotine tobaccos. With that said, on last year’s Fourth of July Dorothy and I were smoking 1792 Flake out of our Bones Churchwardens. It was a warm day but a nice overcast kept it cool. A couple of the old ladies gathered around us because they enjoyed the smell of pipe tobacco. Dorothy and I were so consumed in the conversation that before we knew it, we had three fourths of the two and a half flakes it took to fill each of our bowls already smoked. And that was when we noticed it . . . THE NICOTINE!!!

We were dizzy as all get out. I personally had so many hot flashes that I questioned if I was going through menopause. The mild numbness that accompanied it was quite welcomed because neither of us dared to stand up for a good twenty to thirty minutes after we were done smoking. And during that time my buttocks had to have fallen asleep at least once or twice. That wasn’t the strongest nicotine sickness I have ever felt . . . but I can say it was the most memorable as well as the most enjoyable out of them all. There is a picture of us floating around these pipe communities with our red faces on that day. So, how does HH Rustica Flake compare?

When you first open the tin of HH Rustica Flake you are greeted with a very savory smell with a bit of vinegar and possibly an herbal and/or floral note. I cannot pinpoint which, but I would say floral due to the taste (more on this later). The flakes are perfect to fold and stuff like all other MacBaren flakes I have come across. After rubbing out a little for the tender at the top, lighting can be a little more of a pain that most of MacBaren’s flakes. I honestly do not know if this is due to the moisture or the Nicotiana Rustica leaf itself. But once you get a proper char light, your bowl is good to go. When you smoke HH Rustica you will get very bold flavors. A mild spice, wood, earth, and a floral taste that isn’t overpowering of the other notes like a Lakeland can be. When you get those notes it’s the Nicotiana Rustica you’re tasting. The bright Virginias are sweet, citrus, with grass, and hay notes and are in the passenger seat. The Burley is toasted and nutty, ever present in the back seat constantly asking: “Are we there yet?”

When you retrohale HH Rustica the spice almost overwhelms the senses. More than a few times this tobacco has cause my eyes to tear up on the retrohale. But it seems like your nasal passage gets used to it with a little time and the spice dissipates quite a bit. But if you don’t retrohale for a few minutes that spice will slap you upside the head again no matter how far down the bowl you have smoked. With this tobacco I normally retrohale almost constantly because I dislike that spice hit. How is the nicotine with retrohaling that often? It is indeed strong. But not as strong as I am used to with some other blends. I can feel the mild dizziness as well as warm flashes, but no numbness with this blend. I would most definitely tell those of us pipe smokers that cannot handle nicotine well to tread carefully with this flake, but for those of us that are experienced plug and twist smokers . . . it can be an all-day smoke. Hell, I smoked it constantly for nine days straight!

I have enjoyed my time with HH Rustica Flake. I enjoy stronger nicotine tobaccos so this was right up my alley. Very complex blend that is quite welcome in my collection. I only wish that it wasn’t a limited release (hint, hint, wink, wink. Here’s looking at you Per). MacBaren makes some damned fine tobaccos. They are among my favorite manufacturers of fine tobacco. From my perception they are the undisputed flake masters and their HH line represents the best of what they have to offer in natural fine leaf tobaccos. It has been an honor and a privilege to review these very fine, lightly cased tobaccos.

I am happy to have finished all six of these reviews. I hope you readers have enjoyed them. It does sadden me a bit that it’s over now. Especially when MacBaren’s main line is so full of wonderful aromatics. I am not much of an aromatic smoker myself . . . but MacBaren shines when they create aromatics. They are some of the few that I can actually enjoy because I am able to taste the fine tobaccos used in the blend. So many of them are expertly crafted this way. With that in mind, please consider keeping an eye out in the future when Dorothy and I review all five of MacBaren’s 7 Seas aromatics!

~ Barry

Summary: a strong, rich blend which emphasizes the smoked Virginia flavor.

Exotic Rustica adds a piney, berry-like, and vegetative flavor to this mixture of dark-fired Virginia leaf and mixed Burleys. While the Rustica flares into the profile quickly, with a flavor like pine or a ripe acidic berry, over undertones of green vegetation, it quickly becomes absorbed into the smoky-sweet flavor of the dark-fired Virginia, with the Burley broadening and warming that taste. Like other Mac Baren English-style flakes such as "HH Bold Kentucky," this creates a sweet-sour balance between the smoky and sweet, with the Rustica throwing in some chaos that serves the role that a top flavor might. It burns down to fine grey ash, and smokes well to the last, but has some strength to it, although not far beyond "HH Bold Kentucky" or one of the Gawith, Hoggarth Ltd. ropes.

I let a fresh bowlful dry out in the pipe... crispy. Takes to flame easily and delivers in billowy bliss. This is strong and spicy on the tongue, and flavors open up as they make way through the back of throat n nose connection. A subliminally mild sweetness envelopes the tongue while a beautifully mesquite-like flue-cured Virginia smokiness rides leather-saddled shotgun alongside of Billy Bud. There's a new sherriff in town!

Mac Baren HH Rustica, tin 1,752 of 7,100: Strength is very strong; tastes are very full. Floral notes notwithstanding, it ghosts pipes and stinks up one’s hair and clothing, and it empties a room like mustard gas. Despite all this (or maybe it’s partly because of it), IMO it takes its place alongside HH Old Dark Fired, Bold Kentucky, and Burley Flake as a blend for the ages. In the tin are well-formed, tightly packed, dark flakes that at first seemed resinous rather than moist. The tin note is damped and low, almost brooding, floral and slightly acidic and smoky, like peat, and musty, also slightly yeasty, the lot being rather like wet tea leaves, but much stronger and deeper, and more vegetal, and it smells to me like there's some tonquin in there, too. The flakes are easy to break, fold and stuff into a pipe, if you’re up for a lengthy session. Lighting and smoking are easier if the flakes are dried some prior to stuffing, but it’s more floral smoked straight from the tin. My compromise is to rub it out and stuff it straight from the tin. However you smoke it, once it’s well lit it burns like a good cigar, all the way down to fine ash, if you keep it going. As for smoking Rustica, whatever form you choose, I recommend a cautious approach, at least at first. Set aside some time for it, and start with a little bit in a small pipe, until you get a feel for it. I find this blend to be quite fragrant, nutty, and delicious, with the smoke from combustion being very similar to but considerably more open, floral and fragrant than the tin note, the difference being in this way akin to packaged incense vs. burning incense. Other unusual scents and tastes I noticed were juniper, pine nuts, and rhubarb. Both the Burleys and the Virginias are strong examples, and they are well met and well melded with the potent Rustica varietal. Again, although Rustica is quite fragrant and palatable, it is also quite strong, and I find the effects of the nicotine to be somewhat “different” than usual, not in a bad way, but it's something to be reckoned with. Forget driving, chainsaws, etc. Though it’s generally like the strongest Lakeland ropes, sans toppings, it’s its own thing, almost - but not quite - cigar-ish. Overall, it’s sweet, sour, bitter and sublime. On reflection, I remember having thoughts like this as I smoked my first real Cuban cigar, many years ago, comparing it to “Havana Seed” cigars I’d had up to that point. Rustica is definitely The Real Thing. Aftertaste is a long trailing off of the best of the smoke, only sweeter.

HH Rustica is very certainly worth smoking, if you’re experienced and/or cautious. 4 stars, and hats off to Per Jensen.

Well, here's my take on this new blend. It's very strong tasting, a singular taste from beginning to end. A little stronger at the end but not overly different then from the first light. Has a lot of nicotine so it's not for beginners or those that do not enjoy high nicotine blend like Peterson Irish Flake or Gawith Hoggarth ropes. I do not get the lakeland like other have reported. What I do get is the strong dark tobacco taste that's in GH. I used the fold and stuff method in a smaller size Algerian billiard briar. One flake folded with 1/3 of another flake rubbed out on top for a starter. Smoking slowly I got well over two hours of a wonderful smoking session. This is a great tobacco and one I will enjoy in the future. I feel it has great aging potential. If you're not into strong blends leave this one alone. If you haven't had strong blends I would recommend you start with something else. A GREAT TOBACCO! Highly recommend.

This could be ODF with Nicotiana Rustica added and carefully blended.

I do not find this as strong as some Lakelands, dark fired ropes and shags, so don't be afraid, though it will only appeal to those who like the strong stuff.

To me the Rustica adds a wet-haylike core that is not really mouthfilling but clearly belongs to the wilderness, a hint of the untamed. Yet it is never harsh or overwhelming, Mac Baren could never do that.

This is deeper visit to the plant world than smoking your normal baccy, earthy and weedy, almost of the barnyard, but not that pungent.

Western civilization meets The Primitive in this tin.

You can't go wrong by trying this !

Irish Flake was my very first review on TR back in July of 2016 (after having only picked up the pipe in 2013). Irish Flake was also the first time in my life that I overdosed on nicotine. As a 17-year-old in the Army, I smoked Navy Player and Lucky Strike cigarettes, and to break my deadly cigarette addiction I transitioned to cigars in the early 1990s, and I gravitated toward darker and stronger maduro blends. So, when I transitioned from cigars to pipes, I fancied myself a seasoned, hardcore tobacco aficionado.

When I discovered TR and read the reviews for Irish Flake, I was like: "'experienced smoker', my ass" . . . I loaded a bowl of IF and smoked it like it was just another English or Balkan blend. The resulting nausea, vertigo spins and whole-body-misting sweats left me incapacitated and horizontal on the couch for a full four hours.

Irish Flake became one of my favorite smokes, as well as ODF and Bold Kentucky (and all the other HH blends). So when I saw the HH Rustica offering, well . . .

I totally get the floral components, as well as the nuttiness and the earth. The thing that I was on the lookout for the most was the N-Factor -- and the N was definitely there.

As far as overall taste and satisfaction goes, I prefer IF, ODF and BK over Rustica. But if I ever need a nicotine fix, Rustica is now my go-to blend.

Sometimes we need a glass of wine. Other times we need a gin tonic, or a martini; and then those times when nothing but a bracing bourbon, neat, will do. And then there are times when nothing but full-on 'shine will satisfy. Rustica is the new moonshine for me.

One flake fills a Williamsburg clay perfectly; half-a-flake for a Jamestown clay. (I have 27 briars, but those are for English and Balkan or Lat-heavy blends; I only smoke IF, ODF, BK and straight Virginias in clays).

I would be interested to know the proportion/percentage of Rustica that actually made up the flake by weight/volume.

If HH Old Dark Fired is a 1911 Colt .45, then HH Rustica is an 1847 Colt Walker .44 (an old school, authentic, rustic, black magic, black powder pistol that packs a potently powerful punch).

In 2016, I rated Irish Flake's strength as "Very Strong"; in 2020, I'm giving HH Rustica a "Strong" rating (it's all relative, right)?

HH Rustica: A real bang-bang blend.

If you're an adventurous piper (or just plain curious), this is worthy of a try.

I would finally suggest a rustic clay for such a rustic blend.