Mac Baren Harmony

I agree with other reviewers who say that Symphony burns hot and doesn?t taste like much. I have gotten it to taste good in a very large bowl (3/4 x 2 1/4?). If you make it to the bottom quarter of the bowl, it can taste nice, the smoke has the sweet honey tin smell coupled with black tea, with notes reminiscent of that good smell when someone nearby has just lit a cigarette. The problem with this tobacco is that its very difficult to get the burn rate just right, almost impossible the first three-quarters of the bowl; mostly it?s too hot and somewhat bitter and sharp in the nose. Some tobaccos are finicky but will reward the smoker with a burst of intense flavor once you get the rhythm just right. Symphony is Very finicky and the reward for getting the rhythm just right is only mildly interesting.

This is not a heavy tobacco, the flavors can be best described as delicate. Nothing jumps up and grabs your attention.

The flavor is pleasant, kind of nutty with a sweetness. The description says it has tender notes of chocolate. Well, I guess it could be chocolate.

You have to pay attention to this one. If you look for it, the flavors are there.

William Serad dissed this blend in a P&T mag Trial by Fire column. He thinks it burns too hot. He didn't like the flavor either.

Well, it can burn hot if you do not relax and smoke slowly, but the flavor is simply marvelous and you must try it once in your lifetime. It is not MacBaren's top seller for nothing.

The ready rubbed tobacco burns easily and emits enough thick, rich smoke to make a pipester happy. Just remember, smoke it slowly for best results. Yes, a fast burn rate will blister your waggle!

hello, got me 2 tins one from 2010 and the other from 2013 around 14 usd each from a local store. opened 2010 tin and was greated with a molasses smell that resembles egyptian shisha tobacoo (zaghloul) i used to smoke back when molasses shisha tobacoo was taking off in my country. those tins from 2010/13 was a heaven it was nutty, molasses and never bites sometimes its just nutty from the burley and i kept puffing to get that molasses goodness that surprises me everytime i taste it, love it and love the nostalgia that it brang with it. i mostly frensh inhale while smoking this tobacco to get all the lovely aromas that im writing about plus some floral notes. hormony/symphony should be smoked really slow and pack the broken flakes vertically or it will taste only burly nutty without any complexity even though its not that complex.

anyway harmony/symphony will appeal for ppl who like burley dominant mixtures or straight burleys and i recommend it for them.

but i still crave more texture . 1 star for the price 100 g for 14usd is fair 1 star it doesn't bite. 1 star for taste as long as you smoke it slow and pack it well.

Good blend, solid taste and has good tin note, sweet honey and citrus. Has to be smoked with easy pace, tastes better If not rushed. I can recommend this blend easily and I think this might possibly be my go to smoke when ever I want to smoke something solid and good, which is not trying to be complex.

I’m reviewing this one In the end of a 100grms tin of some 5yrs old.

Thinking to the McB’s line of burley orienteds, where some virginia comes gradually in the play, to me this is the fourth step after Burley London (RIP), Golden Blend and Norwood. Harmony contains also some Original Cavendish, to play the Perique’s kind of role (and this is quite evident in the tin note).

It comes in a perfect ready rubbed cut, pretty easy to load. Burns steady and dry, a bit hot but not too much so. Never prone to bite at any speed whatsoever. As many McB’s the best comes from slow sipping, but I’m finding myself a bit much to force it for that good flavour, and that’s a big mistake. Strength is more medium than mild.

This is not bad at all. I would easily smoke this as an all day. Three stars.

I've tried three of the Mac Baren blends so far - Club Blend, Golden Extra, and now Symphony. Of the three I like this one the least. It seems fairly one dimensional in taste and has a bit of a bite, though the tobacco was a bit dry when I recieved it, so that may be a factor. It burns well right down to the bottom, but the taste starts out just OK and gets worse toward the end. There are other blends that that I have found that I think are more satisfying.

I found this blend to be fairly bland in taste, but what makes this a 1-star blend for my tastes is that I am unable to smoke it without getting what is probably the worst tongue bite of any blend I've tried so far. MacB blends are known for their bite in general, but with this particular blend I could draw once or twice and then had to let it go out for a while before continuing, to avoid getting bitten.

Drying it out considerably and rubbing it out to almost powder helped significantly, but it was still too full of bite for me to really enjoy it, particularly given the flat taste it offered.

EDIT MAY 2010: Tried a tin from my cellar. Had to dry it for a long, long time to keep the bite from killing my tongue, but was still severe. Once dried out to almost brittle, the taste was much more appreciated than the last time I tried a tin. I still don't know how people can say this doesn't bite, but with a well aged tin left open for a long time, the flavor comes out and can be appreciated. Smoke with a cold drink nearby.

When I purchased this I was looking forward to the burley aspect of this blend and had not expected to find what appeared to be more of a virgina blend. That was ok as I like virgina blends also. However, I found once again, that these blends burn very hot for my taste. There is something about these Danish or German blends that always set my mouth on fire! I have tried smoking slower to no avail. I wish it were not so, alas, I once again have a tin I probably will not finish!