Mac Baren St. Bruno Flake

This tobacco has a mild flavour, but certainly isn't bland. The overwhelming flavour is of virginia, with subtle hints of oriental tobaccos. The tin smell does not impart what tobaccos are in the blend but it does have strong woody/earthy tones. The tobacco is strong, but I didn't find it as strong as some other reviewers. What I would warn you about is inhaling this tobacco, I accidentally inhaled it once and I though my head was going to explode! The flavours you sense when smoking are that of definite virginia, slight spicyness and woody tones. The room note is also very woody and quite pleasant. I don't know if it is me but I have always found St. Bruno to have very woody flavours, I like this and it provides a nice come down after smoking an aromatic blend or a stong Latakia tobacco such as Dunhill 965. I think this is a great tobacco for DIY casing due to it's mild woody flavour, I sprayed on a little bit of rum on to some St. Bruno and it was yummy!

St. Bruno Flake is a product of famed Ogdens of Liverpool and contains flue-cured Virginias as well as some fire-cured Oriental tobacco. Its available in 50g pouches and occasionally in 50g tins. One tastes like the other.

Sight, Touch & Aroma: Dark brown in color with streaks of gold through it, St. Bruno Flake is pressed into thin, 10mm wide ribbons. Leathery and dry to the touch, it always has the perfect moisture content for me. Upon opening a new pouch you are greeted with the full, complex aroma of red wine in the making. Hints of fruitcake and almond drift through it nicely. It is strong but not cloying or artificial.

Preparation & Smoking: St. Bruno Flake requires some rubbing before use but smokes well at any consistency from 1) slightly broken flakes to 2) well rubbed-up shag. I prefer packing broken flakes in the bottom of the bowl and moderately rubbed shag at the top. Its usually a ?2 match? effort to acquire a proper burn but then it keeps on nicely with moderately strong draws quite widely paced. I enjoy St. Bruno in any pipe but prefer bent designs. I smoke it with equal enjoyment indoors or out, winter or summer. Flavour: The initial flavour is lightly spiced with some undertones of old fashioned ?soap candy?, berry and blanched almonds. St. Bruno Flake has a taste that is wonderfully elusive and I find my palate and nose constantly discovering new ways to define it. The taste does get stronger towards the end but still easy on the mouth and tongue at all times.

Room Note: The initial room note is moderately strong, mildly fruity and sweet with the trace fragrances I liken to a quality perfume. Further along it becomes stronger but never overpowers the smoker. The room note also maintains better than many blends but does sour a bit near the end. In small amounts, the note ride the tolerance borderline of most non-smokers. Economics: In Canada this blend is low-priced and when coupled with its very slow rate of burn, St. Bruno Flake becomes a very economical smoke. A bowl often lasts me over an 1.5 hours.

Last Words: I believe this to be a tremendous bargain as St. Bruno Flake has everything I need from a good pipe tobacco. As it is not found in corner stores, I buy several packages at a time when I visit the local tobacconist. If I?m ever banished to a desert isle, St. Bruno would be in my luggage. 4.5 stars of 5, a must-try tobacco.

©Copyright, Rivendel Books 2001 ®

This is a really nice tobacco. The tin aroma was lovely (but unidentifiable). You have to rub it out, but it lights well and tastes ... well, grand. I neede just one re-light about halfway down. No unpleasantness there, for me at least.

St. Bruno has an enduring sweetness to it that goes from top to bottom of the bowl.

The ash was unlike any other I typically see. It was gray and very fine, almost like a powder.

American fans of Imperial Tobaccos (St. Bruno, Three Nuns, Capstan) will appreciate the fact that these blends are easily ordered from www.pipesandtobaccos.com, a Swiss site that provides good service to the US.

St. Bruno flake is now a staple in my

The flakes are small, easy to pack and burn, and nicotine meets my needs.

If you

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've tried the Condor Long Cut, this is the watered down version, and it

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's much cheaper.

If this is called Aromatic, I welcome it with pleasure, because it maintains the basic, original function of tobacco.

The development of Aromatic to this day has given more people started to play with pipes, of course, they do not need nicotine and the taste of tobacco, and I am not such a person.

Tin note of barbeque smoked fruit. Tobacco is a flake of marbled dark brown and brown. Moisture content is great. Flakes rub out with a little effort. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is medium. Flavoring is mild, with notes of Flowers. Flavoring is very noticeable upon first light but drops to the background afterwards where it remains. Taste is medium and mostly consistent, with notes of floral, musty herbal vegetation, tart and tangy citrus, sugar, spices, toasted bread, wood, orange peel/zest, dry hay, earthy, sour grass, a sweet dark fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Virginia is leading with Kentucky and Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

I was disappointed to see Tesco had stopped selling this recently. I much preferred it to the ready rubbed. It burned much slower..was better value. Although it's obviously akin to the ready rubbed it seems a different beast ..if I rubbed it out and put it side by side you would notice it to.be of a different composition. For the better , it just seems to be of a higher grade by a fairly noticeable amount. This is top notch bar that needless vingarete dressing ....it's a very odd thing