Mac Baren Norwood

I recently won 5 Mac Baren blends from an Ebay auction. This brand always amuses my palate with the variety of flavors from truly similar leaf combinations - many of which use Burley as the base. Norwood does contain Virginia leaf as well, and the bright is tasted in a "light" manner.

My tin had to be at least 7-8 years old because the old style Mac Baren's logo was displayed. Therefore, I didn't get the usual Mac Baren's heat while puffing. I did have to be careful because Norwood is a light tasting blend and my desire for nicotine sometimes causes me to puff too fast on the lighter fare.

This is most certainly an all-day type smoke, and those of you who regularly enjoy Burley based blends may find this to be quite nice.

The very nutty, earthy, fairly woody burleys also offer a bit of cocoa and some chocolate, and light sharpness and spice as the main player. The citrusy, grassy Virginia mostly lurks in the background. I sense an extremely mild topping, though I am not sure exactly what it is, unless it’s a little cocoa. The strength is a couple steps past the mild level, while the taste is in the center of mild to medium. Has a slightly more than mild nic-hit. I experienced no bite, but if puffed fast, may result in a little tongue tingle, and possible bite for freight train smokers, so I recommend a slow cadence to your smoking. Burns clean at slight less than a moderate pace due to the cut of the tobacco. The flavor is consistent from start to finish. Leaves little moisture in the bowl, and requires a little more than an average number of relights, unless you rub it out some more. Has a pleasant, slightly lingering burley after taste, and can easily be an all day smoke.

-JimInks

Burley-forward, delivering an almost chewy nuttiness to this overall mild-to-medium blend. Enough Virginia is present to offset the slight bitterness from the burley. A fruity tin aroma, that is not present in flavor. A slight bittersweet chocolate/cocoa note is picked up and maintained through the smoke. Perfect moisture out of the tin, with a light rub-out to facilitate a moderately loose pack in the bowl. One light, burns clean.

A broken flake of mid brown tobacco. It shares a tin note with Symphony, and both reminded me of Royal Yacht in that regard. Sweet, vanilla, perhaps honey, and a maltiness suggestive of biscuits.

Takes a light easily and smokes to the proverbial white ash without any drama. Tends towards the hot side, uncomplicated and a bit harsh. Straight out of the tin it will give off moisture, so drying is recommended.

Out of all Mac Baren's Burley mixtures, this is the one I enjoy de most, probably because of an extra Virginia content which gives it a sweetness that Burley London Blend, Mixture and Golden Extra (to name a few) lack.

After Stonehaven and Aged Burley Flade, this is probably my favorite Burley based blend.

Norwood is another of Mac Baren fine burley tobacco blended with aged ready rubbed burley and Virginia tobaccos.

The tin aroma certainly is very Burley-ish with a strong note of cocoa. The leaf is Mac Baren's typical medium wide, roughly-rubbed flake. Note: The cut is something between ready rubbed and broken flakes. Easy to stuff and light, and perfectly ready to smoke out of the fresh tin.

Very similar to Burley London Blend and Golden Extra from the same manufacturer in which I find Burley London Blend to be the best of the three. I wish it wasn’t discontinued. Norwood does completely satisfy my Burley cravings, but we are not in the masterpiece territory.

“Norwood” comes in large broken flakes of burley and Virginia tobacco, the tin aroma is slightly sweet and fruity in the most elegant way, the smoke is mild, half sweet with a pronounced golden flavor, smoking this mixture is very pleasant and soft on the palate, Extremely loose packing is recommended.

I find it very enjoyable as for an occasional smoke, actually, my all day smoke is “Mixture” and “Latakia Blend” from the same blender, I may add this one for a change of pace.

I would recommend this blend to any Burley smoker.

Norwood is well placed in the mellower side: a mild Burley blend, warmly woodsy-grassy with earthy undertones and a pleasant sweetness enhanced by some Virginia and a light flavouring (both perfectly balanced) with hints of biscuits and flambé meringue. Firmly recommended

Popping open a tin from 2010. I must have bought it a few years after, I don’t recall exactly. But it sat in the cellar, waiting for me to get the burley itch. Needless to say, I don’t get it often. Smell from a freshly opened tin is fairly typical burley, sour and chocolatey. There’s a sharp fruity note that I think comes from a topping.

Codger-stuffed into a Ben Wade Blackfriar pot. Taste follows the tin note. Earthy, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, a hint of grainy sweetness, notes of wet cardboard, exactly the same as I get from Golden Extra. This is quite similar to Golden Extra, in fact. It tastes like Golden Extra with an added fruity tang. On the mild side of medium in taste, and on the thin side in body. Those aren’t necessarily negatives. That fruit essence plays nicely with burley’s natural sourness and lends a slight creaminess like vanilla frosting. The creaminess really came to the fore with the dram of bourbon I paired it with, and it flirted with being too sweet. I would suggest a pairing of a clean, bitter ale, maybe even a milder IPA.

It burns well, comfortably if not coolly. Consistent flavors all the way through. No noticeable nicotine hit.

Definitely a blue-jeans kind of smoke. Comfortable and uncomplicated, repeatable throughout the day if you like, if not an all-day smoke for a lightweight like me. It’s also likely to be more pleasant to those around you— a particularly noticeable room note, even to the person smoking it. The room note is mostly that vanilla creaminess.

A nice, middle of the road smoke. Neither a sit-down-and-contemplate smoke nor a cheap smoke-if-you-have-nothing-else smoke.

I think Norwood is one of the better tobaccos produced by MacBaren. The cut is something between ready rubbed and broken flakes. Packs well.

It burns even and has a mild, pleasent flavor. It may not satisfy the nicotine needs for a Burley lover althought it can be smoked all day.

It is not a top shelf tobacco but still a quite nice smoke.