Mac Baren Harmony

For a long time I had a sort of love/hate relationship with this tobacco, it began with it being the only pouch left at my local tobacconist, so I figured I'd get it for the lack of something better.

Each bowl I had, up until quite recently actually, left me frustrated and unsatisfied, and in the beginning - with a severly scorched tongue. This is not the kind of tobacco you want to puff carelessly on, believe me. But inbetween the vicious tonguebite I managed to find hints of what it had to offer, so I persevered. As I had just packed the pipe with the final bowlful from the pouch and was throwing it in the trash and wishing it good riddance... something unexplainable happened; maybe the planets aligned or aliens interfered and packed the pipe just right for me and wiped my memory afterwards - who knows? All I know is that all of the sudden that cool, sweet (honey), nutty (almond) and chocolately flavors that the pouch had promised hit me. What a nice surprise it was to finally discover that it wasn't a total waste of money after all (better late than never).

It is however far from perfect. It has a tendency of smoking wet towards the end of the bowl, and it doesn't handle relights very well. After a relight it has a tendency to get quite harsh in taste and soapy.

If it had stayed consistent and as tasty as the first two thirds of the bowl it might have been worth three stars. To its credit I suppose there's a little bit more punch to this one compared to other Mac Baren's, but for me this is more trouble than it's worth. And I rarely managed to reproduce its pleasant sides in subsequent pouches without a maddening patience, so I don't know, this is just not for me I guess. But people looking for a burley based semi-aromatic might find what they need here.

So I got this new Savinelli pipe and decided to give it a go. I loaded it with MB symphony and started puffing. Somethings wrong... I don't taste anything. I guess I forgot to light the pipe! Wait... then why is my mouth on fire? Oh God! I did light it, but there is almost no taste. But what it lacks in taste it makes up for in heat. Fair trade I guess...

This smoke is OK if you like something very mild and natural tasting, but be careful, it burns very hot. The only way to smoke it is by packing the bowl very lightly and smoking very slowly. GOOD LUCK!

After 5 bowls of this I wondered why I wasted my time. Oh yes, I remember..in scientific experiment, even if you fail, or are wrong, it is a success, because you know no to go down that road again. Ok, wait, wait...no in this case it doesnt make any difference....Tasteless, flat...are there people that actually smoke this?

This has to be savored slowly, like most MB. Somewhere in the MB literature they advise that tobacco tastes its best when just barely lit. Well, MB tobacco at least.

It can burn hot, especially in the first part of the bowl.

However, the aroma and interplay of the casings with the Burley and VA are quite mysterious and harmonious, just like it says on the tin. So subtle it is difficult to pin down exactly what is going on. Reminds me of pine trees and baked bread on a cold morning, perhaps. Or maybe I'm just imagining things. Anyway, I find this is a good smoke to relax with when I'm listening to music or watching TV, or walking the dog. If I really need a SMOKE, I look elsewhere.

**Update. I still smoke this every now and then. It is my favorite MB blend, though I'll admit there are other similar ones. It seems to actually be better in bulk form, where it represents very good value.

This burley blend along with Mac Baren's others (except Navy Flake) are just horrorably flat and bland. Despite the listed ingrediants and the casing this is the most bland and unnotable of them all. Its' ingredients seemed to have rendered themselves into irrelevancy. It is comprised of burley with a smidgen of black cavendish and an undetectable amount of virginia. The tin aroma is suggestive of molasses. The taste is just nothing there. I can't figure out why all these years I have been smoking it is still there, still being made, smoked by whom? Somebody must like this but not I!

- Not Recommended

I believe this is now called Harmony. This tobacco smells pretty good in the can, but the taste is pretty uninteresting. On first light the Burley and Cavendish give you a little toasty sweetness that is not unpleasant. On down the bowl, the Virginias never really come out to play, and the Burley gets a bit strong and harsh. This is a fairly inexpensive tobacco, and I suppose that for the price it is fine, but frankly it is a bit boring. I can't imagine it being an all day smoke, because there is nothing to catch ones interest in the flavor department.

After drying some out I did find a hidden bonus: it is a great tobacco for blending with Mature Virginias and also overly sweet aromatics that you may like but find overbearing. I plan on using the remainder of my tin as a blending tobacco with some other flakes that need a little taming.

Tin note: honey, lemon.

Taste. Very mild in the beginning, with soft notes of lemon and hay and just a bit of honey. As you progress, some nutty notes appear, like almonds and walnut, but there’s also a strange spice to it, as if it had some dark fired kentucky. Maybe it’s because of the specific virginia that Mac Baren uses? I don’t know, but there’s some spice. I don’t detect any specific flavoring, so if it has, it’s very mild. The first half of the bowl is dominated by virginia, with the lemony, hay and honey notes, while the middle of the bowl is equal virginia and burley. So in my opinion, burley does not lead in this blend, it’s secondary, and the black cavendish doesn’t do much either. However, after the middle of the bowl, the burley comes with nuttiness and some cocoa and starts being more present.

An excellent burner, especially for a MacBaren blend. Lights up easy, stays lit and doesn’t bit.

Room note is pleasant, natural smelling with a bit of sweetness.

Mild sweetness, easy to light & cool burn, nice flavor & good aroma

I enjoy this tobacco, especially, as other reviews have noted, when I'm not in the mood for anything in particular. There is a pleasant nuttiness to it, while the advertised chocolate comes through every one in a while. It is easy to smoke, with enough nicotine to let you know that I am smoking, but not enough to make my head spin, and it has a pleasant room note (I'm told).

The overall effect is mild, and it is well suited to a morning smoke.