Mac Baren Norwood
(3.00)
A mild lightly burning ready-rubbed pipe tobacco manufactured from selected burley and Virginia tobaccos.
Notes: Discontinued 2014.
Details
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Very Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.00 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 20 of 25 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2022 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
IMPORTANT NOTE: I am NOT reviewing the present-day incarnation of this blend, but rather a sealed tin that I have done the research on, and it is definitely from the early '70s, and before 1974. I could explain how I know that, but this is a review, not an encyclopedia article. I bought it on Ebay from a guy who had inherited many old sealed Mac Baren tins, and I bought many for about $10 a tin; roll cakes, mixtures in 2012-13 or so. Smoked a lot, gave some away or traded...at any rate, I only have six sealed tins left of the classic aged Mac Baren.
Of Norwood in particular, I must have bought 5 tins from him, but now I have only remaining one sealed tin, and one in a jar that I jarred I suppose ten years ago. Obviously, I smoked a few bowls back then, but now I am revisiting it.
It is quite simply amazing, even though I am 53 years old, and was a toddler of 3 or 4 when it was tinned. It has lost nothing, and gained everything, and there must have been much more attention paid to quality in those days. Of course, I don't know how it tasted in those days, because I wad onry twee an a half years ord, doncha know? I'm smoking it in the form it is in now; preserved for nearly as many years as I have been, and I think it might have aged better than I have.
No "Mac Baren Bite." Quality tobacco, well-aged. Perfect melding and balance of flavors. I really don't know what to compare it to, but it is mellow and smooth, and one can taste the age, but it is not spoiled by any means, and is a quite heavenly experience.
These new tins of Norwood or other Mac Barens you kids today are buying...how will they taste if left sealed until 2072?
Of Norwood in particular, I must have bought 5 tins from him, but now I have only remaining one sealed tin, and one in a jar that I jarred I suppose ten years ago. Obviously, I smoked a few bowls back then, but now I am revisiting it.
It is quite simply amazing, even though I am 53 years old, and was a toddler of 3 or 4 when it was tinned. It has lost nothing, and gained everything, and there must have been much more attention paid to quality in those days. Of course, I don't know how it tasted in those days, because I wad onry twee an a half years ord, doncha know? I'm smoking it in the form it is in now; preserved for nearly as many years as I have been, and I think it might have aged better than I have.
No "Mac Baren Bite." Quality tobacco, well-aged. Perfect melding and balance of flavors. I really don't know what to compare it to, but it is mellow and smooth, and one can taste the age, but it is not spoiled by any means, and is a quite heavenly experience.
These new tins of Norwood or other Mac Barens you kids today are buying...how will they taste if left sealed until 2072?
Pipe Used:
Unknown Handcarved
PurchasedFrom:
Internet
Age When Smoked:
c. 50 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 08, 2022 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
In the 1980s I sometimes picked up a fresh tin of this for a change of pace from Virginia No. 1, which was then my regular smoke. Today’s quality burley flakes and ready rubbeds were not on the market; for quality burley one looked to Mac Baren or the Dutch Amphora line. Mac Baren burley is cased with maple sugar for this blend as with Golden Extra and Norwood could be provoked to bite, just like Virginia No. 1. With 12 years age on it, this is a rounder smoke but still is best sipped. Good woodsy burley, enhanced by a cocoa top note. I don’t think it nearly rivals the best of today, however.
Age When Smoked:
12
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 25, 2014 | Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Out of the tin fruity, maybe plumb medium cut ribbon and mostly Burley to give a nut roast and VA that blends in just enough natural sweet. Packs well and smokes to the bottom with no relights. Bowl aroma exceptional. In the end there remains only a small amount of gray ash - where did all that tobac go except into a pleasurable smoke. Norwood is a foundational basic pipe smoke that sets the standard for me. Easy 4 Star, and even a favorite. Am fortunate to have cellered 6 more tins 3 years ago.
Pipe Used:
Tsuge, Hilson, Cob
PurchasedFrom:
JR Cigars
Age When Smoked:
2011 tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 28, 2014 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Tolerable |
There is not a lot of VA in this offering. The nutty and chocolate taste are very subtle. For the most part, it reminded me a bit of a cigarette taste and aroma, but in a lot more refined fashion. Not bad overall but I can't say I would buy again (even if it would not have been discontinued). I will use the rest of the tin to add to another personal blend. London Burley Blend and Golden Extra from the same manufacturer are better Burley blends than this one. I'm glad I just bought 2 tins of this one.
Pipe Used:
Stanwell, Tinsky
Age When Smoked:
2 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 26, 2012 | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant |
I have now smoked several Mac Baren offerings and will not review them any further since they are extremely not to my liking. If interested in my thoughts about their line of tobaccos then just see my review on Burley London, it pretty much sums up this vapid weed give or take a slight aromatic difference (vanilla, cherry etc...).
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I've been wanting to try this for a while now. Upon opening the tin, the moisture level was typical of MacBarens and smokeable right out of the tin. It was very similar in appearance to Burley London Blend (BLB) and Golden Extra (GE), but lighter in color and not as roughly broken as they usually are - meaning there were very short, narrow strands. My tin says "Ready Rubbed," whereas the tin on Mac's website says "Cut Plug." I would have preferred the rougher cut. The tin aroma was not very sweet with an astringency I find with Golden Extra.
Lighting was very easy and the several bowls I smoked remained so with only an occasional re-light. It tasted not identical to BLB or GE, but very similar. Norwood is a Burley forward blend for sure. Burley taste-wise it is more like GE than BLB to me - similarly astringent. Slow smoking brings out some cocoa notes, but minimally so. Also very reminiscent of Sail Natural (minus the Latakia). It did not bite but did seem to irritate my hard palate at times - even with sipping at it.
It was not bad, but it was not a very sweet Burley, and the smidge of Virginia went unnoticed. Not quite as full-bodied as BLB or GE. All in all, too sour a Burley for an everyday smoke, and as such, not going to be a regular for me. I still can recommend it but with 2.5 stars personally. If I want a good Burley smoke, Aged Burley Flake or Burley Slice is what I normally will reach for.
Lighting was very easy and the several bowls I smoked remained so with only an occasional re-light. It tasted not identical to BLB or GE, but very similar. Norwood is a Burley forward blend for sure. Burley taste-wise it is more like GE than BLB to me - similarly astringent. Slow smoking brings out some cocoa notes, but minimally so. Also very reminiscent of Sail Natural (minus the Latakia). It did not bite but did seem to irritate my hard palate at times - even with sipping at it.
It was not bad, but it was not a very sweet Burley, and the smidge of Virginia went unnoticed. Not quite as full-bodied as BLB or GE. All in all, too sour a Burley for an everyday smoke, and as such, not going to be a regular for me. I still can recommend it but with 2.5 stars personally. If I want a good Burley smoke, Aged Burley Flake or Burley Slice is what I normally will reach for.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 22, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
In a hypothetical scale of burley bases blended with Virginias, where Burley Lond Blend stands at the 1st step and Golden Blend at the 2nd, Norwood is the 3rd degree. Just a bit more Virginia, and the same very mild flavouring of the kind o brown sugar.
That being said, I felt very comfortable and pleased with this one, but we are talking of very small differences: you may choose undifferently one of the three.
I completely agree with Pipe4ever, the best comes from very loose packing. The flavor is mild with musty/nutty tones gradually building toward a more fruity/sweet character. Hardly bits unless smoker very unproperly: it needs good technique just like all the Mac Barens, i.e. slow & short sipping.
Norwood does completely satisfy my Burley cravings, but we are not in the masterpiece territory.
Three stars
That being said, I felt very comfortable and pleased with this one, but we are talking of very small differences: you may choose undifferently one of the three.
I completely agree with Pipe4ever, the best comes from very loose packing. The flavor is mild with musty/nutty tones gradually building toward a more fruity/sweet character. Hardly bits unless smoker very unproperly: it needs good technique just like all the Mac Barens, i.e. slow & short sipping.
Norwood does completely satisfy my Burley cravings, but we are not in the masterpiece territory.
Three stars
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 13, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant |
In my view, one of the better MacBaren blends. Some flakes were intact in my tin so I wouldn't class this as a broken flake. Milder than MB Navy Flake and with less casing but still a good Burley smoke; cool with no bite. I enjoy other bulks better and their unit cost is less but this is still a good smoke.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 22, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
This is a very decent Burley and Virginia blend. Reliable, made with good quality leaf, never unpleasant, well-behaved.
I am alternating between a tin of Golden Blend (or Golden Extra, depending on where you live) and this Norwood: the Golden Blend contains (almost) only Burleys, and as such it's stouter in body and taste. Norwood clearly uses very similar Burleys, has a similar flavoring/casing, and it's very similar to the other blend in all departments... but it's more refined and slightly sweeter. Alas, I have to say it also tastes a bit milder and flatter than Golden Blend. Golden Blend might be more "rustic" and "down to earth", but also more straightforwards.
As a whole it's OK, pleasant and perfectly smokeable (it doesn't actually have any real faults), but also rather unexciting.
I am alternating between a tin of Golden Blend (or Golden Extra, depending on where you live) and this Norwood: the Golden Blend contains (almost) only Burleys, and as such it's stouter in body and taste. Norwood clearly uses very similar Burleys, has a similar flavoring/casing, and it's very similar to the other blend in all departments... but it's more refined and slightly sweeter. Alas, I have to say it also tastes a bit milder and flatter than Golden Blend. Golden Blend might be more "rustic" and "down to earth", but also more straightforwards.
As a whole it's OK, pleasant and perfectly smokeable (it doesn't actually have any real faults), but also rather unexciting.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 28, 2008 | Medium | Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
November 28, 2008 UPDATE: I got my mitts on a few tins of aged Norwood...tins look quite different from current version, and importer is different.
Anyway, the age really boosted this blend to a four-star winner. Bite has totally disappeared. Tobacco has mellowed and is nothing short of both satisfying and delicious. I will open other aged MacBaren tins that I just picked up at a later date, after I savor my vintage Norwood.
I also bought another tin of "recent" Norwood for the cellar...maybe you want to, too! Bottom line: aging a tin of Norwood really pays off with a fine, fine pipe smoking experience.
Govern Yourself Accordingly!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: This tobacco blend offers nothing that other MacBaren blends do not also offer, but do so far better. Rather than this, I would recommend MacBaren's Symphony, Golden Extra, or Burley London. Those tobaccos burn less hot than Norwood.
I wouldn't say that Norwood was bad. It's just not notable, and better alternatives abound.
Anyway, the age really boosted this blend to a four-star winner. Bite has totally disappeared. Tobacco has mellowed and is nothing short of both satisfying and delicious. I will open other aged MacBaren tins that I just picked up at a later date, after I savor my vintage Norwood.
I also bought another tin of "recent" Norwood for the cellar...maybe you want to, too! Bottom line: aging a tin of Norwood really pays off with a fine, fine pipe smoking experience.
Govern Yourself Accordingly!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: This tobacco blend offers nothing that other MacBaren blends do not also offer, but do so far better. Rather than this, I would recommend MacBaren's Symphony, Golden Extra, or Burley London. Those tobaccos burn less hot than Norwood.
I wouldn't say that Norwood was bad. It's just not notable, and better alternatives abound.
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