Mac Baren Original Flake

This is based on only three bowls of Walnut Flake. The flakes are dark brown with a small number of light tan specs interspersed into the flake. There is a bit of the Lakeland style scent in the pouch that leans toward the soapy side, but it is not at all overpowering. It is moist is definitely needs some dry time. In the pipe, my best results were accomplished by a fairly light pack of small pieces with some rubbed out on top. This flake is very smooth and offers no bite, even when pushed, although I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re sitting down as it has a healthy dose of nicotine. I am guessing that the smoothness is a result of steaming the tobacco, but that is strictly a guess. The flavor of this blend is quite deep although not complex. I find it richer and fuller than Ogden’s St Bruno. It is earthy, lightly sweet and doesn’t offer the sharpness (for lack of a better term) that I sometimes associate with dark fired. There is some added flavoring that I would liken to dark brown sugar. I think that this would be a great blend to cellar and I found myself wishing that I had.

This was my first time trying an Ogden's blend, so it was a little surprising to see the odd little tinfoil covered tray inside the pouch. A pretty good compromise to real tins, I suppose. I'm thinking that if left sealed these pouches should last longer than a normal pouch would. Inside are two rows of 10x2 neatly cut, dark/brown flakes.

Pouch aroma strikes me as a quite stout stoved VA, and I also think there's some fruity alcohol based topping of some sort here present here (possibly cherry), but I don't mind, because it's actually quite nice. After airing the tobacco a little bit I did what I always do with pouch tobacco and promptly moved it over into a jar.

Moisture seems quite good as is and packing it is nearly effortless - I find I get the best results when resisting the temptation of using two flakes (about one and a half flakes is plenty to fill a larger pipe, even though it seems to be too little at first).

During charring it is a little sharp, but it settles down quickly enough to a nice and easygoing smolder. Predominately sweet VA to me with burley solidly set in the background at first. Towards the 2/3 point of the bowl there is a slight tangy spice element coming through that could very well be the KY making itself known, and it is also here that I find a little nuttiness and toast coming through as well.

As 3/3 approaches it seems to have settled more on the burley side of things. I wouldn't really call it full bodied, to me the burley may be dulling it down a little bit too much in that regard, as I think it removes the intensity and clearly pronounced flavours I associate with "full" blends - but I suppose that depends on how you feel about burley and the "toast" that comes with it. Personally I wouldn't have minded a dash more of KY to help expand the body aspect of the blend.

But overall this is a well behaved and pretty consistent tasting flake in the medium range - perhaps tilting towards strong as far as nicotine goes. Nothing unmanageable, but there's a good chance you'll feel it when the dottle is near, particularly if you're sensitive. To me this falls in the 2-star range (albeit in the upper range of the 2). I can see why this blend has a loyal following, but for me the burley seems to take up too much of the stage - but if that's what you're looking for, then this is probably a 3-star blend and the current 3.0 average seems fair to me.

Rather close to St-Bruno RR, but less strong. Again, the strength in nicotine overrules the actual taste of the tobacco. If you enjoy St-bruno then I believe you will enjoy this offering as well. For British OTC, I will stick with the excellent Condor RR and Long Cut.

A very difficult tobacco for me to describe; the flavor is dark, slightly but pleasantly bitter. I get no sweetness at all; certainly not even a hint of Lakeland florals. A few times, I got a bit of toasted walnut or walnut oil towards the end, but that could be the power of suggestion. Overall, a satisfying smoke, but in a smaller bowl! Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is not too often.

50g pouch with foil sealed carton inside.

Pouch aroma;black berry,boot polish,peculiar soapy domestic cleaning product,the magic teadybears floral forest,witches brew medicine,pot pouri incense..

It smells heady in the carton and mysterious,then it became mild as the package atmosphere dissipated.

Appearance;two rows of stacked flakes,dark brown,some light streaks of which some have a blue stain fade,,looks slightly like a sliced revor plug but with more of a robust St BRUNO hand feel consistancy.Quite moist.

I don't mess about and cut both stacks in half with tin snips and transfer to a kilner jar to preserve the essence.

I take about a flakes worth and fill a falcon pipe with a rustic dover bowl,twisted and rubbed out a bit to fluff it up.The flakes are quite crumbly and so loading with the grain of the flake pointing downwards towards the heel is difficult, so i just pile it in roughly.

Lighting;using matches it expands a bit and needs tamping to keep it down,,3 matches later and its going.

Medium light smoke,yet darkish and bodied at the same time,i realise that this is an easy smoke.Only when lit do i get the walnuts,bitter sweet toasted walnuts in their burn't or slightly charred husks,a well done date and wallnut cake edge minus the dates(wallnut cake then)probably an accidental nuance of the natural tobacco rather than an applied essence,it implies a wallnut factor if you use your imagination.

Certainly has charecter and evokes a strange atmosphere where i feel i am playing from the dark end of the chessboard,rosewood peices,its woody.

Being used to potent stuff it doesn't make much of a bombastic impression at this point;it seems quiet but thoughtful, with a wry pleased, private smile, as if it knows something i don't know. The aromatic flavour is strange and in my mind i am transported to an enchanted forest of undergrowth and wild berries,maybe poisonous to eat,or maybe magic?. A super green leafy canopy obove, with branches swaying with the breeze and strobing with the sun rays obove. Rough twisted tree roots abound,and creepers,ladybirds,dead twigs,mounds of green fresh moist grass with daisies,dandylions,dragon flies,some dwarfs,birds tweeting natures song. (I know this sounds stupid and irrelevant,but sometimes if i cannot describe an aroma sufficiently,i can only convey the landscapes i am sort of transported to,and might i add ;this escapism is the reason i smoke pipes,and no i am not a Tolkien romantic fantacist either BTW, although i read the books once.)

The first half of the bowl doesn't blow me away this time, but i appreciate its woody, spring woodland, utopian aroma. Quite a cool one,i decide to puff instead of sip to see what its made of and i get more interested(the visuals start).

Midway i suddenly get some good woodsy, barky soap, which then fades back to a consistant wallnut again.Nearing the bottom i start to taste that mystery,spicy,perfumish berry note,which evokes an indigo colour in my mind.

Nearest tobacco comparisons would be Revor plug,St Bruno flake,condor ready rubbed,but this has a persona of its own..

I cannot remember if i bought this online or at Sainsbury's now(i have bought about 50 different baccies lately).

Yes i would buy this again,i don't know if it will be an everyday smoke with me,it has the capability of being an alldayer but i generally go with harder hitters(kendal ropes,condor etc). But having visited the strange scenery that this evokes in my mind while smoking i know i will revisit once in a while.

The room note is quite mild,burns right down to a roughish dark mottled ash,and doesn't leave much moisture in the moisture trap so its a dry smoker.

An easy,tasty smoke,a teddybears picknick.Its alegorically chewing gum as opposed to a melt in the mouth affair;think of licorice root.It works best when puffed,i may try it folded and stuffed in a narrower gauge bowl later which might make it burn hotter because as it is, its quite a cool smoke.

UPDATE A FEW DAYS LATER:

Having it jarred and since leaving the pouch,a certain amount of the initially strange aromatic properties have faded:The taste is more rounded and less peaky.Expanding on what i have already noted i can say it is a lumpier textured smoke, but not rough,more "agricultural" is a good adjective for this light rustic smoke.

Starts off mild but tasteful,midbowl i start getting real toasted wallnuts again(probably burley producing this) and the berries return nearer the bottom.

Part of me wants to taste the topping as it tasted on the first trial,but i feel for the longterm that the baccy should be the decider of overal quality and not the topping,and so i will say that since the initial topping has dissipated somewhat,it has become a baccy that i will less tire of because i think that topping would become fatiguing if this baccy was smoked exclusively,as such it has transfigured into a more viable alldayer contender.

Definately worth three stars***

This is a 'proper' old english dark flake. Sadly the Ogdens in Liverpool factory no longer produces any tobacco, and I believe this is now made like the other Ogden's blends outside the UK (and has been for many years, no matter what the misleading packaging says). But it is still the 'real deal', alongside St Bruno and Player's Digger (that is still available if you know where to look!).

Less floral than St Bruno, and less sweet too (a bit like the difference between a milk and dark chocolate). I originally thought the name came from the colour, but there is definately a nutty taste there, particularly in the last half of a bowl.

If you only like american style aromatics then you won't like this, but if you like classic english blends where the tatse of natural tobacco is to the fore then you should love it. It may not be from a trendy 'artisan' producer, but it is a quality product nevertheless.

I seldom read tobacco reviews on any blend before I've written my own in order to stay as unbiased as possible. But the reviews on this one remind me that tastes differ and more so, our interpretations of strength? This one full??? Or strong??? They were hard to miss so I read further. Hmmm... well, MY interpretation follows.

Comes in a pouch with the tobacco inside a sealed plastic tray. Pretty cool. Pop the seal, take what tobacco you need and reseal the pouch. The tobacco is a nice deep brown with a mild aroma of Lakeland essence, nothing too heavy. The flavor is mild as well to my tastebuds, with a muted fruitiness that is quite pleasant. I found the nicotine level on the lower side. Everything about this tobacco screams "mild". Comparisons to St Bruno are prevalent but St Bruno has a much more noticeable burst of flavor at lightup that lasts the entire bowl. This is much more subdued. Where St Bruno is a classic, this one is "merely" good. I can't say the flavor is walnut per se, but I can't say it isn't. Whatever it is, it's mild and pleasant - nothing to write home about, but still quite nice and mellow. Not very spicy or complex, this one could definitely be an all day smoke, as it won't overpower the smoker with flavor or nicotine. Definitely recommended, but not destined for my cellar.

Walnut Flake is a strong, mildly scented tobacco. Though the scenting is mild it is tenacious. Not only does it become a durable resident in the pipe, affecting many subsequent smokes, it also affects the palate and, on the day, you taste any other tobacco through the imprint of Walnut Flake. You either like the scenting, or not.

The flakes come dry and crumble easily. They burn very well and slowly, but very cool, leaving a very fine, dry ash. Inspite of these virtues the over-all experience is of a somewhat coarse, unrefined smoke. I have smoked this blend after seven and a half years. Those years seem not to have made any difference to the tobacco.

A little dissapointed in this one, instead of tobacco, all I got was soap and berries, all be it somewhat mildly, but enough for me to not want to try it again after only one pipe full and discard the rest. This may ring some bells, but not mine

When I first started smoking pipes this was one of the first tobaccos to really catch my attention (along with Diggers Flake), when it used to come in a little cardboard case with the tray inside (same as Diggers flake). I think it was still made in Liverpool then, so some of this review might be tinged with a bit of nostalgia. The first thing I bought when I started smoking pipes again was this (as most of my other favourites had disappeared from the shelves). As far as I can tell it isn't quite the same product, something has changed. I used to remember it being a sublime tobacco, and I thought upon opening a modern packet that something had gone in the smell of the tobacco and also that the flakes were drier and crumblier (crumbier?)

But having said all that it still smokes well and is easy to handle and is just simple to get along with. I really don't have any trouble with this stuff and I find its taste very agreeable. It smokes pretty evenly and there is a good change of taste about half way into a bowl that gets very nice; a deeper and more robust flavour starts to come out and whenever I finish the bowl it always seems a tad early, which I think is quite a good sign. Burns right down usually too, very little dottle.

I like it and it seems to still be a solid product, even though the packaging has been ruined. I would give it four stars but for the fact that I don't think it's as good as it once was and I hate all this thing where companies buy up brands and still stamp things like Ogden's of Liverpool when such a thing no longer exists. It is good tobacco I think, but there is definitely better stuff out there.

Disappointing that a flake doesn't come in a tin but that's cost cutting I suppose. Once you peel the foil off the plastic tray there's no way of resealing the pack.

Presentation was poor with not all of the flakes stacked uniformly and a couple of them not being intact. This being the case I rubbed out one and a half for my first smoke.

It's called Walnut because it tastes of walnuts. This however can sometimes equate to a dry, bitter smoke. I've never had a really "soapy" smoke before this one but now I know what the term means! It has little of the virginia sweetness of its Ogdens relative - St Bruno.

In its favour it burns well, is cool and mellow with no bite (in a 9mm filter pipe) It offers a satisfying nutty smoke without being too heavy on the nicotine.

The packet states "Rich in flavour and exceptionally cool". It's fairly accurate but whether the flavour is for you is a matter of opinion.

No longer readily available in the shops in the UK, I had to get it mail order.

UPDATE - revised review and upgrade to 2* after a few more smokes of Walnut

UPDATE 2 - Two weeks later and I've finished the 25g pack of Walnut and will be ordering some more. Despite my initial misgivings it's turned into a bit of a sleeper plus it's very economical in use. A good satisfying smoke that I turn to in the evening - probably a bit too heavy for during the day. The soapiness is always there but receeds the more you smoke it. Coupled with Gold Block (another Ogdens of Liverpool product), these two tobaccos are my current non-aromatic daily smokes. Recommmended.

Febuary 2004. Ogdens Walnut Flake. The flakes look good and smell great,not to moist and not to dry. I have twisted folded and also tried rubbing out the flakes when loading the pipe bowl,any technique results in easy lighting and smoking. Taste is definitely virginia with the added taste of burley bringing a low key spice to the almost even background.The virginia and burley two go well hand in hand compilmenting each other. The taste is consistant right to the bottom of the bowl leaving a grey white ash. If your looking for a very simple tobacco that offers old world charm and without all the additives and sweetners,then this may very well be it. Contains a very earthy taste right to the bottom of the bowl,which maybe a little dull to some. If you have a sweet-tooth look else-where. 4 out of 10.

A good friend let me fill a pipe with this tobacco at a recent pipe club meeting.

The pipe was brand new so I like to believe that I got a pretty good taste of the tobacco.

My friend had told me that this tobacco was rather 'full' with a nicotine hit but I found that (to me) it doesn't have the fullness of body that G&H Rum Flake or G&H Kendal flake does.

The tobacco was smooth and burned well. My friend is an advocate of the Butera "chop it up" method and I believe that the taste and volume of smoke would have been different had I been able to roll up a flake and plug my pipe with it.

Overall, this is a good blend with very little if any flavoring. Good body, a little thin on the top but with a big, burley middle.

Enjoyable!

Smells like St Bruno, tastes like St Bruno and vice versa.

The pouch note is more vinegar than plums and figs, there is not the nearest hint of any walnuts. There seems to be something going on whereby one blend of tobacco is being sold under various names by different companies which makes me think they are all made the same, in the same factory but that could just be my old, cynical side coming out to play.

There’s not much to separate this from Bruno or, for that matter, Condor long cut original, which is a shame.

It’s nice enough but I think it was probably better when Ogden’s made it but I can’t be certain because I never tried the old blend.

Update - I have now had this jarred up for nearly two years and there are some interesting developments. There is a floral/fruity note that now comes in to dance on the tongue. It is similar to SB but it has a different finish - I am finding it quite sour when a lot is smoked in one go. This is definitely becoming a blend that I can enjoy lighting, taking a gentle chuff or two and then letting it sit. I find I can repeat this until the bowl is finished and have a more enjoyable smoke. To the reviewer who said “can leave a flavour in the mouth that no other tobacco can move” I agree - the flavour is one that hangs around for quite sometime but that, with constant smoking, may well become the flavour that keeps me coming back.

This is a little bit bland. But it makes up for that with honest quality. It's no nonsense and stays cool and slow burning. It's pretty much st Bruno flake without the perfume infusion. Smells abit generic in the room, and the pouch note is mediocre. All middle of the road . But it's a honest no nonsense quality smoke. It's like Nescafé original in that it delivers the goods without pomp and ceremony. Satisfying nicotine hit too

A good friend generously gifted me a few of these flakes.

Pretty and neat medium brown flake with flecks of lighter and darker spread throughout. The moisture content was perfect, no drying time needed. Smelled of lightly sweet tobacco, earth, and a bit of nuttiness.

Was easy to rub out or just load a flake directly into the bowl. Takes just the two standard lights to get it rolling. It remained lit with minimal tamping.

This tobacco produces large volumes of smoke. The flavor is VA forward, which is just the right amount of sweetness with balanced flavors of toast and hints of sour. The Burley/Kentucky adds some depth and character that are quite pleasing mixed with the Virginia's. I got some spice, but nothing harsh, some earth, a little bit of wood, and some nuttiness. There is the typical strength/flavor or the Kentucky, which isn't overpowering in this blend and I appreciate that. The nuttiness really comes out after the 3/4 point of the bowl. If you sip this smoke you will get more of the sweet and nutty. If you puff harder you will get more of the spice, wood, smokey and it can be just a bit harsh when pushed. However, the smoke was enjoyable with a fairly consistent flavor from top to bottom...down to a nice white ash.

Very pleasant indeed!

This is an interesting one, I quite liked it. It's an odd taste but was nicer than I expected. Can't really explain what it is but it's nice.

This is what i compare other flakes to, its similar to John Sinclair Highland Sliced in appearance and close in flavour as well. Nice and cool, burns exceptionally slow and certainly a large does of vitamin N. An english tobacco institution.

This flake is cut very nicely, but it somewhat dry.

The smell is quite sweet, hints of toffee I would say.

Rubbing is quite easy, filling the pipe as well.

I don't know if it is a coincidence, but there is a certain nutty flavour to the smoke. But also, it is somewhat bitter, and since the flake is a bit too dry, I felt that the smoke was slightly just slightly hot.

It is a nice tobacco to try, but honestly, nothing too special about it.