Mac Baren St. Bruno Flake

Anyone who knows me will know that I have a special place in my heart for this blend. So much so, in fact, that it has become something of a joke; "why don't you try something else?" they say. I do try other tobaccos, and enjoy them, but my All-Day smoke has to be St Bruno Flake. Sadly, so many people turn their noses up at St Bruno, but I wonder if that's because it's a simple OTC. I always say, if it's lasted as long as it has they must be doing something right! Let me try and explain: upon opening the funny little bag you get these days (I collect antique tins, and I've got to say the old old St Bruno tins were much more stylish than these plastic bags!) you are greeted with a most sugary, bread-dough, geranium, "Lakeland" aroma. Rubbing it out is a lot of fun, as you release that goodness from the flakes. Smoked you still get those flavours, unlike some tobaccos which taste totally different to how they smell. Retrohaling is probably the best way to experience the notes, as it floods your senses with the spirit of yesteryear. I always like to think about the generations of working men puffing away on St Bruno engaged in every conceivable job. Dried out a smidge it burns a tad better, though I haven't had much problem fresh from the pack. Perhaps a few relights if it isn't dried a bit. Tongue bite? No, not really, unless you're sucking on it fresh and damp like a hurricane. I've gone on brisk walks, and puffed away and not had any bite. Smoked fold 'n' stuffed and rubbed out, both work well. No complaints from the missus either, except that I'm "smoking more often" now. St Bruno will always get my vote. Try it today!

I discovered Condor before St. Bruno even came to our side of the pond (U.S.) and I fell head over heals for the stuff, hard and fast! When I finally got around to trying St. Bruno Flake & Ready Rubbed I didn't think much of it, I thought it tasted like a light, weak version of the almighty Condor. Over a period of about a year I kept going back to St. Bruno to check up on it so to speak and I was always left feeling good knowing that Condor will always be my go to.... then something happened.... maybe I got a little softer in my older age but damnit if St. Bruno ain't just the perfect smoke. It's got dark Virginia's to add depth, a little Dark Fired for complexity and spice and the subtle top dressing is just enough to keep things interesting with it's complex fruity/floral components that work synergistically to weave a beautiful tapestry that I consider an absolute masterpiece. As with anything of course you'll hear about the glory days of yesteryear and how it's just a shell of it's former self but hell, it's one of the best tobacco blends I've ever gotten my hands (palate) on so Mac Baren is doing something right. I find that the top flavors come out a little better in a tall and narrow bowl and I actually prefer this one right out of the tin/pouch as it seems to smoke just fine with the moisture level it's packed with, which is odd for me cause I usually prefer to air out my tobacco until it's just short of crispy. This one has plenty of nicotine to satisfy the addict and enough to give the novice a nice warm buzz, it's not too over the top in any shape or form and I now consider this one my holy grail all day smoke. I'll always have a place in my heart for Condor but I prefer to use that more as a treat than an all day smoke. Yes there are a lot of similarities between this and Condor which one fits your fancy? Only you can decide but I would say they're both worth trying at least once and if you're anything like me you just might find a place for both in your rotation.

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL (both RR and Flake cuts)

The perfect all-day smoke balances the different characteristics of tobacco, and "St. Bruno" hovers between sweet and dark while keeping natural leaf flavor strong as slightly aided by toppings. The dark Virginia taste dominates, aided by small amounts of dark fired Kentucky Burley, with light Virginias entering the play mostly to naturally sweeten it. On top of this is a combination of floral, citrus and possibly tonquin-like flavorings that meld into dark fired flavor and are absorbed by the sweetened dark Virginia. The result is mellow like molasses and marshmallows melted onto a rich grain, burns smoothly, cool and slowly, which presents the ideal convenient tobacco experience of picking up a packet of "St. Bruno," letting it dry slowly after opening, then folding and stuffing a flake for an hour of contented sipping. If this were priced more reasonably, it would be a daily smoke for me.

Thanks to Pipes Magazine Forum member "misterlowcase" for this sample.

Nice tin note…I mainly smell the dark fired and some suggestion of “sweetness” likely from the toppings and maybe from the Virginia too. There is something in the tin note reminiscent of Erinmore Flake to me.

Takes the flame reasonably well. Some relights required but nothing excessive. The flavor is unique to anything I had ever smoked to this point. There was the barbecue pit, smoky sweetness from the dark fired and the virginias are sweet and a little grassy. To me the tonquin and the floral toppings get along very well with the base tobaccos. They never beat you over the head but instead seem more to suggest their presence. While the virginias and the dark fired are fully present the vanilla-ish tonquin and the floral rose geranium float around in the background, not fully present and giving you just enough evidence to form an impression of them rather than fully grasping them. Consistent flavor and smoke all the way through the bowl…

Will be stocking up on this…this very well may be my desert island smoke.

This is my gut feeling and I may be wrong but after tasting 150- 200 blends approximately.I am no expert . It seems almost all processed tobaccos have some kind of flavoring or casings . Some tobaccos listed as flavoring - none . Others listing what it is flavored with and others that make you try to guess . Some blending tobaccos actually do taste like they have no flavoring at all and I don’t see anyone raving about them myself included . This flake tastes alot like Old Dark Fired to me with different “flavoring “. I prefer ODF a little bit but I like this just fine . The Tonquin and fruit stands out to me more than the floral essences . It may be I am just getting used to them from Sam Gawith and GH blends ? The Dark fired leads here with the Virginias making the Burleys better as usual . I like the Mac Barens that aren’t the more Danish Style blends . I used to think I don’t like flavored tobaccos - wrong . I thought I didn’t like Burleys - definitely wrong . I thought I didn’t like stronger blends - wrong .I just like what I like and everyone else likes what they like . Kind of like food or beverages. Reviews do help one find what they would probably like though . You have to try this one for yourself . It satisfies in the nicotine dept. I admit I like the substance after the taste which comes first . Highly recommend.

When I first tried this tobacco, many, many years ago, I thought it was quite strong. The flavor was just to bold for my taste. I believe, as we age, our taste buds change, or mature, because these days I enjoy St.Bruno. This tobacco is probably not for the beginner, but perhaps the beginning pipe smoker should try it to mature the palate. A robust blend of Virginia tobaccos, both dark and light with a sprinkling of wood fired Kentucky, and a dark fruit essence added to make things more interesting. Plenty of deep Virginia with a smoky edge. The added fruit essence is never up front, but floats along mid stream, combining the Virginia and the smoky Kentucky leaf into a stew of pure enjoyment.

I was highly curious to try this blend! Somehow unavailable in germany I had the luck to get ahold of a 50g pouch of St. Bruno today. Even tho it has a german revenue stamp and even the pouch description is in german, yet no german shop has it, not even online. Strange (and a pity)!

The old ads made me wanting to try this classy blend even more and when I got my pouch I instantly opened it! Inside there's plastic container sealed with golden aluminium. Opening it I was greeted by two rows of small (~1,5cm) and long flake slices. Thinly cut (~1mm) there are 10 slices per stack, so 20 in total.

The scent is sweet, fruity, slightly floral, and somehow remind me a tad of Erinmore Flake (this juicy-fruit-ish aroma that I love)! Medium- to dark-brown in color with very few bright speckles in it the slices are very appetizing in both scent and appearance. Really can't get enough of this lovely aroma.

As usual I packed a bowlful of it in my clay for the first smoke to get the most defined tasting experience. The moisture is not moist, but a bit too moist to fold&stuff it fresh from the pouch. Pretty well conditioned for a flake cut - not too moist, not too dry. Excited and therefore impatient as I was I rubbed it out for my first smoke, like this its smokeable right away.

I really wasn't sure what to expect from the taste. I've read some reviews in forehand, but still I was unsure how it would actually taste. First light instantly got me hooked! Unobtrusively floral aroma that's underscored and harmonized by citrus the topping is leaving enough room for the tobacco to shine and is underscoring and enriching the tobaccos aromas. Rich stoved fruits, slightly bready and sweet aroma from the Virginias. Earth, wood and gentle, but satisfying spice to it. from the Kentucky. I think the Kentucky is dark fired as it adds a mild smokiness and sports a very delicious spice to the blend that's harmonizing very well with the fruity-sweet Virginias to create a unique, rich and full-bodied smoke!

Here comes the "problem"....I like this blend so much so that I am desperatly looking for ways to get more of it!!!! 😛 It's a real pity you can't buy it anywhere over here, as this is a classy, characterful and very satisfying All-Day smoke that will appeal to any Burley/Kentucky lover just as much as to Virginia fans who like some spice to their blends by times.

A outstanding(ly good) blend that deserves to be a classic that's been around for decades, I have nothing more left to say but: 4/4 stars and a instant favorite of mine! Try it, or you'll miss out on a exceptional smoke.

A pleasant and very relaxing smoke. The natural tobacco flavors are mostly Bright or Golden Virginias with a light Kentucky backing. The Kentucky does bring a little more to the table toward the end. The topping is citrus/floral and has nearly an equal influence with the natural flavors. I think there may be another fruit flavor other than citrus, but it's lighter and less identifiable. A fairly smooth smoke with only a little sharpness here and there. Burns cool and burns well. Has all the strength you would ever need. Great tasting flake.

Medium to strong in body. Medium to full in taste. Flavoring around medium.

Users have rated this highly. I think I reviewed this sometime ago here too. I am not surprised, as this brand was very popular over the counter pipe tobacco during my childhood in the 1970s and has been produced for ages in the UK. It is a strong tobacco but for the experienced pipe smoker an easy medium smoke. To me this brings back fond memories of the old stalwarts down the pub, or some of my school teachers gently musing on this stuff on their lunch break, or my late grandfather watching the cricket on the box. Yes it goes without saying then I enjoy this, and it goes so well with a strong mug of tea! This is to me one of those quintessential pipe tobaccos of its time and a regular stand by. For me this is a late afternoon smoke, after work or in the garden at home. Sip it gently and enjoy.

For the record the late great Tony Benn MP smoked St. Bruno in his pipe whilst debating politics, or as a guest on TV or chat shows.