Mac Baren Solent Mixture

A very mild aromatic smoke with a little bit of rum and vanilla and a composition from Burley, Cavendish, Latakia & Virginia. Due to the little Latakia that it has it must be the ideal "introductory" tobacco to those that haven't tasted it yet.

It burns well and stays similar in taste almost until the end of the bowl and doen't get hot. Although it says it's an aromatic smoke I have to say that this is one of the lighest in this department and I believe even those that don't like aromatics should give this one a try.

Mac Baren Solent Mixture pipe tobacco is a unique blend of tobaccos from different parts of the world, including Virginia, Burley, and Cavendish from Indonesia. This mixture creates an interesting, smooth smoke with a pleasant, earthy aroma. The flavor is a bit sweet and nutty, with hints of spice and a hint of smokiness. It burns slowly and evenly, leaving a pleasant, lingering aftertaste. The nicotine level is mild, making it a great choice for those who want to enjoy a milder smoke. The tobacco is easy to pack and keep lit, so it won’t be an issue for the beginner smoker. Overall, Mac Baren Solent Mixture is a great choice for those looking for a unique, flavorful smoke that won’t overwhelm. Highly recommended!

Solent Mixture. Or Plumcake on steroids. Tin note welcomes with nice amount of rum and latakia. Easy to pack, burns well, heats up a little more than average yet burns slowly. It has a very creamy, velvety smoke. The smell is not rough, might be acceptable in company as well, but not indoors. Latakia flavors will not be dominant in the taste. Ingredients rather merge into each other, the rum is present always. I could compare the rum profile to Bacardi Spiced. If you sip very slowly, other flavors can be detected, I managed vanilla too. If you tried Plumcake and liked it , most likely you would like this too or even more. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a classic latakia bomb, that’s certainly not going to be found here. Nictone is mild to medium, can be an all day smoke with sweeter flavors and smoky body. It runs in English category but is more like an English-aro.

I was motivated to purchase a tin of the Solent Mixture based on fear ... fear that Mac Baren is going to delete this blend, as they have a couple other of my favourates. This isn't that complicated. It's smokey and sweet, from the latakia and whatever moderate topping applied. It's a nice ribbon, and takes the flame easily. The tin had two years of age when opened. It was a good moisture level and mostly a uniform tan colour. At first I wasn't all that impressed, but I've noticed that I keep going back to it. It has turned into what I consider to be a good serviceable blend. This may sound daft, but in a strange way it reminds me of Royal Yacht. It's smokier, but the flavouring agent is similar. I'll be buying more of this, unless, of course, it gets deleted.

This is a good, solid, typical Mac Baren mixture. I like it, and would recommend it to anyone who wants a good English (but not TOO English) mixture.

I really like the tin design on this one. It's a dark label, and the colors contrast nicely, and they seem to suggest and hint at what you're about to smoke. I highly appreciate the fact that Mac Baren packages their stuff in 100 gram tins. As with pretty much everything with the Mac Baren name on it, this stuff has a nice aroma in the tin, packs easily, and takes a light very nicely. The first bowl I smoked of it, I lit it once it the beginning, tamped it, fully expected to have to relight (because I intended to false start it), and yet no, it didn't need it. It just stayed lit, and it stayed that way the whole bowl. No relights required.

The taste of this is pure and clean. Each tobacco shines through individually, but all at once. Other reviewers have mentioned this fact. It is a good mixture to smoke any time of the day, other than perhaps in the morning, but I would even smoke it then. To me, the nicotine punch is not overly strong, although some might disagree. I am a cigarette smoker (when I want a quick smoke on the go), and I smoke Dunhill cigarettes, and I don't know, to me the nicotine level is totally under control. The taste, aroma, and smoking experience are all together harmoniously, and the Solent Mixture is an absolute pleasure to smoke.

I would recommend this to anyone. The only reason I give it three stars instead of four is that I reserve the four star rating for my absolute favorites, and this is not quite in that group. Still, I will be likely to keep this one on hand at all times.

I'm on an English/Balkan kick and love the endless possibilities out there for a good smoke. MB being easy for me to obtained and rather affordable, I thought to give Solent a try. I really enjoy this smoke. It's nice and easy.

This blend is very similar to Plumcake. Like Plumcake it has a tin aroma to die for. Pungant, sweet, smokey and spicey. Not as bold as Plumcake IMHO. It is a little bitey but its not the blowtorch that Plumcake is (read my Plumcake review). This is Plumcakes little sister, a little better behaved and a little milder. If Mac Baren could ever produce a blend like The Solent Mixture or Plumcake and eliminate the tongue bite it would be heaven on earth.

To me this tastes exactly like Plumcake minus the plum-flavor. I prefer the former, but this isn't bad. It has all the typical MB qualities (bites if pushed; low nicotine; has that ubiquitous MB "rum" casing).

This is very good tobacco. Smooth, deep and rich nuances in perfect balance. My only objection would be that the rum topping sometimes feel slightly over the top. Other than that, this is excellent. I agree with the others saying one really shouldn't expect an English in the literal sense of the word, I guess it's more appealing for the aromatic and/or VA smoker. The latakia in it is mainly a paranthesis. It's the VA and cavendish that really stand out from the crowd.

Not an every day blend for me, but it has a well deserved spot among the other tins.

3/4