Mac Baren St. Bruno Ready Rubbed

St Bruno can still be found sold in local shops in the UK, although not as widely these days as before, at least in London. I've noticed that my local Tesco (which used to sell both the ready rubbed and flake versions until around 2010) no longer stocks any pipe tobacco at all, and nor does the Sainsbury's nearby. My local newsagent stocked St Bruno and Condor for years, but no more. As recently as a couple of years ago, it was common to see three or four pipe tobacco brands sitting behind a supermarket tobbacco counter. Things have changed, and rather suddenly.

But yes, as others have mentioned, this is a superb tobacco. Less perfumey and nicotine-rich than Condor, it nonetheless provides an extremely satisfying smoke and never fails to interest with its rich and dark qualities, which are balanced nicely with an array of lighter fruity notes.

It's unfortunate that a pouch of this old favourite is no longer only a short walk away.

It's pretty interesting, I detect contrasting flavours on the spectrum. In some way savory and sweet at the same time, heavy stewed plum-like and tobacco aromas combine very well to form rounded experience. Oh, it packs quite a nicotine punch too but not that much, depending on tolerance you may become very relaxed or very pale.

Before the time of video reviews and marketing ads, word of mouth recommendations we’re all the rage. St. Bruno hailed from that distant past. It has withstood that test of time and that is why we can enjoy it still today.

My favorite bit of St. Bruno starts about mid-bowl when the interaction between the Dark Virginia and Kentucky sing. The tangy sour notes are tasty and will easily lull many a pipe smoker who enjoys tangy goodness to increase their smoking cadence. Pull back on the reins hard when you get there. If you do you’ll draw that taste out through what’s left of the bowl.

The after taste bears special recognition. It is simply delicious. It lingers in a satisfying way and a knowing “see you tomorrow” goodbye. I always plan to have St. Bruno on hand it’s that good and then some.

Here I go acting brave again, reviewing a blend that has been reviewed over and over again, probably by consecrated reviewers with far more credibility than I. The nose out of the packaging is welcoming, with a medium dark hint of dried fruit, and a slight vinegar smell - not the McCleland type of vinegar (which for me has become a benchmark and which personally I dislike), but just a tad astringent. JimInks mentioned this as well, as a possible preservative, but to no effect on the actual smoke experience. Once I light I don't get a full blown aromatic going on, quite the opposite, it seems more of a Va/Bur, earthy and dark with some hints of "I can't put my finger on" which I guess resembles some nameless dried fruit (sweet and raisiny). The first puffs are smooth, with the virginia - kentucky combo being quite balanced. I am happy with this, since this is labeled as an aromatic, and I am not getting a soapy/candy like aromatic. So I puff gently, then I tamp for my first time to settle the baccy after the light. Right out of the briar the stinging sensation I had from clay is completely gone, but unlike the clay I can hardly feel any citrus - even with that experience I wouldn't be able to tell you which citrus it was, be that lemon, orange or anything else. I guess it was rather more of an acidic sensation that one would associate with drinking a no sugar added citrus squeezed juice. Getting back to the briar experience, after the tamp I have my bowl going and I am stepping away from fruity to flower. Judging by my taste, this flowery aroma stays with you all the way to the end of the bowl, with a slight variation after its first half. Once my bowl is somewhat past its middle point, I get a very faint tonka seed/anise flavor, a quite welcoming change, sufficiently mute as I cannot stand the two spices, nor do I think I would like such a strong presence in a tobacco. Mind you that all these flavors I am describing do not in any way take over the respective tobacco tastes, which all the way remain the main violin.

Smoking my way through the Macbaren Denmark produced incarnation of St Bruno.Excellent pouch packaging.For what was a very good over the counterish blend Macbaren have excelled themselves into making it into a top shelf blend.Cut is a bit finer with no twigs rangy bits.Moisture just right.Very easy to light and keeps lit.There was always a harshness to the flavour when coming back to a half smoked bowl.This has now gone.More subtle richness all through the bowl.Always noted by me was wastage towards end of bowl with wet gloop.This reincarnation truly smoke all the way through leaving a ' a fine white ash'Absolutely top smoke.

I tried this 14 months ago, when I came back to pipe-smoking after a long break, and wasn't very impressed then. I'm now trying it again, and find it very good. It's dry and smoky, with a hint of liquorice - which usually comes from Latakia, though this doesn't contain any. It seems to get stronger as the bowl progresses, though that may be because I'm smoking it as I type in a freestyle Dublin, and some people claim that Dublins, with their conical bowls, concentrate the flavour more and more as the smoke progresses. Some people have compared it to Condor Long Cut, and there is a similarity, though this is decidedly drier in taste. Very good - will become a regular OTC for me, along with Condor, though I'll stick with my online-bought favourites most of the time. Henwrench's review sums up my thoughts exactly - it's one to buy if I run out of online stuff.

[Edit] This stuff gets better with every smoke - I'm smoking it as I type in a meer, and I'd swear, if I didn't know, that it was a Latakia blend, and a pretty strong one at that. I'm a big Lat fan, so that's fine with me. It has definitely replaced Condor as my favourite OTC.

This is widely available over the counter tobacco at most supermarkets across the UK. Ready rubbed and Flake can be purchased (although Flake is not available everywhere). Whilst writing this I am smoking the ready rubbed. St. BRUNO is a cool to smoke and slow burning. It has a deep raisen woody taste. I would describe this as an all day tobacco (although I smoke in the late afternoon and evenings). Perhaps it's me (?) but the taste of this tobacco has changed slightly. It is not as flagrant or floral tasting, more deeper in taste but still wholesome and tasty. It is still a comfortable smoke. The ready rubbed needs to be rubbed a bit more, as I have noticed the shreds are somewhat thicker in cut lately. Being a tea drinking Londoner, this goes very well with a nice mug a builder's tea. Or "English Breakfast" as fellow Americans like to name our tea. Yorkshire tea is my favoured tea btw. Anyway I digress! This does have virginian but it is not a sweet tobacco. Some folk like the room note. I am not sure if you would strictly class this as an aromatic tobacco though, but it does have a distinctive taste and aroma. Most Brits who smoke a pipe know this well, as it has been selling for donkeys years! It is often sold next to its more stronger cousin Condor. Both I think were rivals back in the 70s. I recall though it was a popular smoke back then amongst teachers and older generations. Towards the end of the smoke, like most tobacco, the taste gets deeper and the nicotine becomes noticeable. I frequently love this smoke. I change up to Dunhill's Royal Yacht in my rotation, which to me is like a more a stronger and more refined St. B. I would recommend many to try this. It seems quite popular amongst the reviews here and I'm not surprised. St. B., here is a bit of an institution, like watching football on a Sunday, or the cricket! :0) Lots of memories are conjured up with this brand. Enjoy.

I’ve been wanting to get hold of a sturdy Kentucky blend for some time now and was angling towards MacBarens H&H Bold Kentucky when I happened upon this one. MacBaren usually puts out 3.5 oz tins in my area so I was surprised to see a pouch……I really like this stuff. It’s balanced well between the big Kentucky flavor and fruit sweetness with a slight bitterness on the sides of the tongue which neither lingers long so ya wanna keep puffing and that’s ok because it doesn’t get hot and doesn’t bite. The drawback is it’s a bit pricey. Here in Connecticut we pay huge consumption taxes for enjoying ourselves and that fact has caught up with pipe smokers……This may not be the best Kentucky out there, but MacBaren has done it again with a fine addition to their already diverse line of flake tobaccos.

Smells of ketchup from vinegar preserve. Tastes of Stewed plums and has sweetness with at times a hint of liquorice. Not harsh in the slightest and a slow burner and perfect with a coffee. Easily one of my favorite on the start of my pipe smoking journey.