Mac Baren Norwood

“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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Norwood has a lot going for it. It has a very appealing aroma in the tin, and a coarse cut that once packed, smokes slow and cool. Smoke it in short, even puffs and it will give you a mild, tasty smoke that won't taste harsh or bite. Norwood is a blend that won't bowl you over, but it will always satisfy. Mild, slightly sweet, tasty and satisfying. If you're seeking a premium burley-based blend, definitely try this one.