Mac Baren Stockton

The discs are nicely prepared and presented but my tin was on the dry side initally. In addition, this blend seemed to dry out faster in the pouch than others that I purchase even in bulk. This may have resulted in a rather harsh taste initally even though this one is mild & without much kick. Although a natural tobacco taste, it lacked the sweetness of my preferred VAs.

This blend looks pretty neat with it's little bird's eye coins. It wasn't as wet as other mac b blends I've tried. I found it to be an airy, cool and slightly sweet smoke, perfect for a change of pace session. The nicotine rush was a little mild, and I thought it gave a toasted, sugary room note. However my wife walked in and said "what smells like f$%#ing burnt marshmellows in here?!?" But all in all a worthwhile smoke.

Here I join the review of PipePaladin; this tobacco is absolutely top quality! it just needs some of your valuable attention, please just handle it with some care and respect, proper packing and slow puffing is the Only way to enjoy this wonderful blend.

Original:

This is a blend of Virginia with Dark Fired Kentucky (air-cured and smoked Burley) tobacco, it tastes full, dark and earthy, and it is unflavored with very natural tobacco taste. It is a slightly bitter and rounded in taste. Overall this has a delicious and natural tobacco flavor.

In a reply to "Topdogue's"review and his admission to cellaring some Stockton: I am now smoking recently acquired very old 50 gram tins of "Mac Baren's" Stockton, which will be about 30 years old! The discs (small bird's eye, as opposed to the larger variety now used) are darkish brown now. The taste is....heavenly, almost pure tobacco with some of the mac Baren peanutty taste that they then used in most of their tobacco's. Hope your tins will taste as good in thirty years from now, Topdogue!!

Very light tobacco. Yes it does bite my tongue but, I believe it is because I am so used to having more flavor in my tobacco that I am automatically trying to stoke my pipe up by puffing harder to achieve what I am used to with flavor. I definately find myself tugging on this tobacco harder than many others I have in my stock. To find a solution I mixed some Stockton with Blakeny's Best Acadian Ribbon and a few other favorites and actually came out with a pretty interesting smoke.

A very odd tasting tobacco, Stockton is not so much savoury as salty. I could not decide for some time whether I liked it or not, but eventually concluded that I did not. Still, it has the Mac Baren virtues of being well processed and well presented: someone may like the taste of salt in a pipe.

Tin date Feb 2023; tin note of mildly sweet, mildly tart and slight grassy. Tobacco is a coin cut of orangish tan, brown and dark brown centers. Moisture content is ok. Some pipe smokers will want to dry this a bit. Rubs out easily. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring detected. Taste is medium and very consistent, with notes of sour spices, peaty sweet vegetation, herbal floral, tangy spicy, mildly bitter toasted bread, mildly savory, mild sugar, dry wood, very earthy, mild molasses, a tart lemon grassy and semi-sweet nutty background note, and a peppery retro. Dark-Fired Kentucky Cavendish is leading with Virginia supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.

There is a touch of sweetness that may or may not be from the casing or the 'unsweetened' Cavendish, and hints of bitterness, whole wheat bread, and mushroom. The coins seem to hold together better than most; a solid entry for those who like the flavor profile; mild and balanced enough to smoke as often as you like, so overall solid and enjoyable but not a 'wow' blend.

I may seem boring writing on tobacco MB, but for younger people who really want to smoke, enjoying tobacco, strongly advise against these blends MB.

Years ago he was a blend of outstanding characteristics. Today, all these features are united in nothing.

Looking elsewhere, there are several blenders that have a lot more quality than MB.

Fortunately for us pipe smokers!!!!