Mac Baren St. Bruno Flake

St.Bruno Is a nice flavorful blend to pack in your pipe to Enjoy. The nicotine in this blend is satisfying and it smokes pretty cool. I’m glad I finally tried it. It was a well worth it and it lives up to its name. I finished this tin pretty quick!

St. Bruno Flake

This review is based off a sample from a 20 year old pouch made by Imperial Tobacco. I was hesitant to try this after reading several reviews warning about the nicotine strength and Lakeland sauce. Yesterday I manned up and fired up my first bowl. The pouch note was delightful, almost citrusy, and slightly fermented. Once lit, the tobacco taste was very pleasant. I sensed citrus, dark fruit, and some wood. I found the tobacco to be medium in strength but smooth in body. I did not sense any Lakeland sauce. Perhaps it’s dissipated after two decades? There is a fair amount of nicotine. It is manageable with reasonable puffing. Overall, it’s been a surprisingly pleasant smoke, and I’m looking forward to more.

Nicely packaged, good looking flakes, has a traditional tobacco smell. I was pleasantly surprised being apprehensive buying it. I find it mild and slightly aromatic but nevertheless it's a pleasant smoke which you could smoke all day. The flavours are subtle. It burns nicely. It's mild yet flavourful not bland. I woud buy it again.

In the ten years or so I have been enjoying my pipes, I've never got around to reviewing this. Not that I can add much to what has already been well reviewed by others.

However, my first memory of this blend was way back in the early 70's when I remember old men smoking it in pipes that seemed almost welded to their teeth. And then there was that advert with that guy walking around smoking this followed by admiring women. It was a joke basically, something to smirk at and, in my eyes, something associated with damp dark pubs and old codgers in their dotage.

Thus I ignored this blend for years, until I rediscovered it once again. I'd been smoking aromatics - in the main - and had got rather sick of them so my taste changed to less flavoured blends and then to pure virginia/burleys. I stuck the packet I had bought away in a drawer and pulled it out and thoroughly enjoyed that rich dark scent and that smooth smoke and I wondered why I hadn't tried it before then. It brought back so many memories as a I chuckled ironically at the thought that I was now one of those old codgers.

The only downside to this tobacco is that it's not an all-day-everyday smoke, it's too strong for that. Best smoked in one sitting too, I think. I always have it in stock, and have been told the ready rubbed isn't as bad as some people would have you believe. I must make it a priority to try it.

But that isn't so easy, when you stuck in a tobacco desert city. All my tobacco has to be either ordered online or from my heroes in Lauenberg. I've found now that very few local supermarkets even stock this blend and indeed my local Tesco's and Sainsbury's doesn't tock ANY pipe tobacco at all.

I eventually found a source in an out-of-the-way village in Worcestershire, which to my surprise had the 25gram pack which I didn't think they even produced now.

With special thanks to my Son's lovely Mother-in-Law, who pointed me in that direction.

Compared to the previous versions (I'm mostly thinking about Gallaher's production, in the 1990s, which I have smoked more than once), the current version has not much in common. The flakes are a lot less dark; as for the topping, it is not the same; and the nicotine is a lot less present. This being said and when assessed taken on its own, MB's St Bruno Flake is still a very nice smoke. The flavoring is pleasant; the tobacco is top quality; and the nicotine level is ideal for my liking. Not very similar to Gallaher's version, once more but still worth it. The only issue I have is its pricing, which I find slightly overboard.

Popularity and good reviews means a must try!once the seal opens florall notes,citruses and spices all in a soapy topping prepare you for a different smoking experience.the flakes are brown dark and moist.once rubbed some drying time is needed.lights with effort and several relights are needed.while smoking there is a complexity between the flavours and they are almost balanced.citruses,dark fruits,figs and grass notes offered by the virginias are dominant°accompanied by some woods,spices and earth notes from the kentucky burleys.the topping is descreet and present till the end.also i detected some vinegar notes occasionally.burns slow and cool without moisture being created.no tongue bite chance.the nicotine is medium.the room note is almost pleasant.not an all day smoke to me because the flavours are too soapy to begin with.

So I'd had this on my wishlist for the now 6 years I've been smoking -primarily at first from the allure, history, and respect this blend has received world-wide... but until very recently it wasn't available in the States.

During my patience I grew to really appreciate both dark-fired and flued flakes, in no small part due to HH's signature series Old Dark Fired, as well as McClelland's Dark Star (Hell-all their Virginias are first - class for that matter).

Being a sucker for quality in both packaging and presentation, this square tin opens to present a placard card atop a heavy gold liner. The placard points out in detail the fact that vinegar is used in this blend-as has been the tradition since the Tobacco Purity Law of 1863?

It's almost a disclaimer of sorts to point out that this preservative -while imparting flavor- may actually rust the tin itself.

I point this out as I expected some derivative of "Lakeland Sauce" to be the flavorings to this blend- rose, geranium, licorice... a very muted version of Ennerdale if you will (as that blend contains the kitchen sink of sauces)!

I got none of that here. The only component I perceived other than high quality Kentucky & Virginias was the tanginess multiple reviews have agreed exist. I get nothing else.

Having stated this- it does impart a different 'effect' on the palate as without said vinegar this blend would surely present some sugary component, early to mid-bowl perhaps...? The tanginess is altered , offset it you will by those sugars, giving the blend a unique but in no way off-putting profile...

I'd consider this a "muted" Yang to Erinmore's "over-the-top" Ying. Perhaps it will grow on me, but I think I built up my expectations too much to gjve thus blend a fair shake.

After all I love all things Gawith & Hoggarth, and they throw more Lakelands at you than grandma did with her sausage gravy - drowning those scratch biscuits on Sunday morning...delectable on both accounts.

St Bruno is I'm sure consistent and reliable, it's not too strong, still demand a respectful cadence whIle being consumed, but it -to me at least- lacks je ne said quoi.

I first smoked St Bruno as a spotty yoof back in the sixties. It was the only pipe tobacco I was aware of back then on the mean streets of Bristol.

I bought some nostalgically, it having become available where I now reside. That unidentifiable flavour. You shouldn't like it, like Old Spice, yet somehow you do. Those aromas belong in a different time, used by a dying generation.

A lot of baccy has burned through my pipes since then and tastes have changed.

I can't tell if it's the same St Bruno although I reckon it's fairly close. I doubt I'll be buying it again because for me it's a tad bland and lacks edge.

But it's still a good smoke. I wonder if Weights or No 6s are.

St. Bruno’s tin note is somewhat reminiscent of a rich Gawith Hoggarth flake. It’s sweet and a bit smoky with a faint but decernable scenting. From the tin the flakes are British-moist, so I found a bit of dry time to be necessary. Roughly 30 minutes worked fine for folding and stuffing. At that point the flakes were still pliable but easier to work with.

St. Bruno has a palpable fruitiness to it. The flavor of the finish and side stream aroma reminds me of the scent of chewable citrus flavored multi-vitamins. The smokiness of the Kentucky never gets ahead of the flavor of the Virginias, it does however create spice, depth, body and potency. There's a light floral note to the finish that is more blossom like than it is herbal or talc. The mid to end bowl flavors are a more robust variation of the first half, with layers of sweet dark plum, honey, earth & wood-smoke.

This is a smooth, bite free, well balanced blend that's easy to enjoy and hasn’t once left me wanting. The flavor and nicotine strength are both a firm medium, pushing medium-strong. St. Bruno Flake is fitting for a leisurely afternoon smoke, and robust and nuanced enough to be a suitable nightcap.