Mac Baren Harmony

And yet another good, solid Mac Baren blend.

Burley in the main role, Virginia supporting well, Cavendish for minor spicing only - what could go wrong? Not much, especially when the quality of tobacco used is good and the blenders of Mac Baren are on the job. Brings together all the basic essentials of no-frills, somewhat old-school pipe smoking in an enjoyable, balanced and wholesome manner - especially for a burley lover like me. Nomen est omen for in my opinion, a certain Harmony has indeed been achieved here.

Very good and will definitely be buying again.

Even though I have an unopened 30 year old tin of this tobacco on my shelf beckoning me all the time to open it, I bought a new tin yesterday. Now, I have smoked my share of Harmony in the seventies and eighties but what is offered today is not quite as "palatable" as then. But maybe I should stop comparing Mac Baren of 25-30 years ago to that which they offer nowadays. This morning, after an airing of the tin overnight, I noticed the smokey smell of their Original Cavendish, a dark fired tobacco that they use in most of their blends. Together with their usual high quality burley and the minor part of virginia, this is still a harmonious, slightly sweet ready rubbed. I do wonder, however, how long I will be able to resist opening that 30 year old tin...!

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 do not generally like Burley based blends; however this tobacco has caught my attention. My local tobacconist carries this in bulk and I thought I would give it a try. Symphony is a sweet nutty blend, that smokes easy and had no tendency to bite. I think this is the first tinned Burley I will purchase again.

On the downside, the drugstore Burleys will no longer be considered for my "simple" tobacco fix. The room aroma was pleasing and I generally have nothing but good things to say about this smooth and tasty blend.

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.

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