Mac Baren St. Bruno Ready Rubbed

I love the ready rubbed and tin both. The RR is more convenient though and not that different from the tinned version. I like to take St. Bruno with me when I travel because it's dependable, I get a good smoke every time. It is slightly floral, but not in the same way that most Lakeland type blends are. One of the things I love about this tobacco, is how well balanced it is. There is no flavor that overpowers another and I pretty much taste them all equally. It is nutty, earthy, creamy, slightly floral and a little sweet. British tobacco's all tend to be more hearty, meaty and earthy, this is no exception. The RR is ready to smoke right out of the pouch and I find the moisture content to be about right. This is a go-to smoke for me.

St Bruno Ready Rubbed - This is one of the smoothest blends I can think of . Ideal proportions of Virginia and Kentucky. Sweet and savory . Virginia, Kentucky, Tonquin and Rose Geranium is what I hear is in this so yes it is floral . Plum and raison fruit , yes . A little smokey , earthy and bready . Lovely aroma . Ordering a couple more pouches right now . 4

I have not smoked this tobacco for over 10 years, recently I bought a few bags. When opened, the aroma seems less intense than it was years ago, but memory may fail. I have a dedicated pipe for each tobacco, and here I dug up an old one, not smoked since then. I rubbed the tobacco a little and without drying it to the pipe. It burns very well, the taste is as before, the sweetness stays on the teeth for a long time. If you smoke in peace and keep an eye on the heat, it does not require to relight. The taste does not change when smoked. It is not too strong, not for 6, 4-5 rather, it will scratch your throat if you pull it harder. Generally, as a Va, VaPer lover, I smoke slowly and carefully and have no problem with it, but I checked it out. I am happy that he did not disappoint me, as sometimes happens with tobaccos after years.

Mac Baren - St. Bruno Ready Rubbed.

When I first started piping, around twenty years ago, this was the blend I started with; it's pretty ubiquitous here in the U.K. And it's fair to say it's remained one of my favourites ever since. I had previously posted a review on here for it, but at the time had not long been discharged from hospital because of a head injury, ergo, it wasn't too articulate a review! So I decided to delete, and re-write my thoughts on this wonderful blend.

The ready rubbed mixture doesn't contain any pieces that still qualify as being 'broken flakes', there's a few coarse ribbons, but nothing in need of further rubbing. There are one or two twigs though, they need throwing out! The colour's prominently dark brown, with just a few lighter/very dark specks. The aroma's slightly floral, and it's perfectly moist.

It lights up easily, and gives (in my opinion) a brilliant smoke. There is an easily detectable added flavour, but it doesn't smother the tobaccos'. With the topping, I get mainly a floral/citrus taste; the citrus takes some time to appear, at first it's only the flowery side. I'm nonplussed as to exactly what fruits have been used, because I can only pick out citrus from the fruit selection. There's not much to be said about how the tobacco tastes; it seems fairly basic, so doesn't warrant many words. I find the nicotine medium, and the room-note's pleasant.

This is a blend that never fails to satisfy me!

Highly recommended.

It is not very often that you compel yourself to put everything into brackets and suspend judgement so that you can concentrate in one single blend. Yes, this tobacco is all that good: it really rocks. I have the habit to choose and pick this or that tobacco depending on how I feel, what time of the day, etc., but after coming across St Bruno, I am only interested in one thing. I have been exploring this tobacco for a week now and I still feel like I haven't had enough. The virginia content is quite nice and has a grassy sweetness to it, but the burley tobacco is simply gorgeous. Words that come to mind are earthy, nutty or cured. It has a very pleasant full-bodied floral dimension to it that wants to be smoked up close. I don't see much of a difference here with its flake form, but its broken flake appearance makes it easier to pack up your bowl on the go. Also, despite the fact St. Bruno has been labelled as an "aromatic tobacco," I don't quite see it that way. For one thing, the Lakeland casing is not very pronounced and its flavour is quite consistent (does not wane) throughout the entire bowl. That is to say I like this tobacco for what it is (a nice VaBur), and not so more for its casing or added flavour, which is minimal. This tobacco will definitely be my go-to option when all I want is to enjoy an everyday's blend.

My default 'out shopping and feel like buying tobacco' purchase. Whilst occasionally I buy Condor for a change and prefer the flake version (no longer around in British supermarkets), this is a very good standby. Not everyone likes St Bruno, but I do. Essentially this is (to me) like a milder, slightly dryer version of the flake. A good thing to know is waiting for you. Update October 2015: I hae been flirting again with Condor and I have to say that after my initial pleasure in the change being a treat, and yes it burns and smokes nicely, I am definately, decidedly and completely keeping St Bruno as my staple tobacco. I admit that the ready rubbed (can get easily in Tesco etc) is not quite the same as the flake (Condor is pretty much equal RR & Long Cut really) but it is an old friend and I can't forget it. Go to staple when Flake is hard to come by.

Funny thing - when I got into pipe smoking I bought a packet of this, had a quick smoke of it and then thought, well there is a wasted tenner. I threw it into the bottom of the drawer and forgot about it.

6 months later I find it and out of curiosity opened the packet to find that it was still in very good nick, not dried out at all. I loaded my pipe and smoked it and since then I've had bowl after bowl of the stuff.

I don't know why I initially didn't like it - perhaps because I wasn't any good at smoking a pipe, but this stuff is as close to perfect as you could get. Plenty of flavour, but not too much, making this a very dependable everyday smoke. Very earthy taste, another reviewer likened it to malt loaf which I agree with. A little flowery without taking away from the tobacco, burns cool and slow.

This is perfection. Sheer perfection. The only downside for me is that it doesn't have that unique aura to it: it is well known, not esoteric. But so what? It deserves its popularity! WOW!

Unsurprisingly similar to the Flake, although the topping flavor is a bit more pronounced for me in this version. For further details, see my previous review for the Flake.

One of the first over the counter baccies i tried when i first bought my Peterson rustic bent apple 303 system pipe with the moisture trap resevoir in the stem.

Basically St Bruno is a very peaty full bodied do it all smoke. I really like St Bruno because its a brand thats been around for as long as i can remember and i rememeber all the adverts in the cinema and tv as a kid,and its a brand you can guarantee to almost find anywhere.

Initially i had some difficulty getting to grips with this smoke because it is quite a wet smoke strait out of the pouch . Over using my only pipe at the time without any rotation tarred my initial judgement. But experience has changed my tastes and techniques and i have revisited these OTCs again of which some of them are as good as anything that is harder to find.

50g Pouch bought at sainsbury's supermarket and guaranteed to be available at any tobacco counter that actually sells any pipe tobacco at all.

Appearance in the pouch:Rubbed flake but distinctly different from the "St Bruno flake" version.

Buttery, slight sour fruit plum or apricot/dried fruit pouch note.

A slow and cool smoke,long lasting actually and no bite. Quite a buttery thick mouth feel with a slight "wrights" brand "coal tar soap" leathery taste factor which is pleasant.Soapy but not a kendal style lakeland essence as much,this tastes like its the tobacco rather than fortified.

Smokes well strait out of the pouch. Quite a moist tobacco and leaves a lot of tarry condensation in the moisture trap of my falcon pipe, and due to the large size hyperbowl i use to smoke this in the trap has to be wiped out a few times during the smoking session or drown. But:for its prone wetness in the heel during a smoke ,it takes light like a cooperative champ anyway and it burns fine all the way down no problem. Its a cooperative smoke although a wettish one for a conventional briar maybe, but in a falcon system the moisture trap takes care of wet heel syndrome and prevents bogged briar or bad odour ever occuring due to lack of pipe resting time. I actually like it more without drying because it produces a thicker smoother smoke.

More on taste:a buttery virginia brown/golden sugar taste,malt loaf earthyness-more of an earthy smoke than a smokey smoke. On top of the virginia is perhaps a mellow brown cavendish/sweet heavy kentucky here. Some sweet raw carrot-wet acrylic paint(in a nice way like when opening a fesh tin of wall emulsion that smells almost eddible). Very natural full tobacco's and not airy at all;here is a full dense delivery,very round and heavy creamy,slight treacle molasis factor,,faint nutmeg-ish spice of the kentucky.

Easily an alldayer of the stronger type-would go well with a cream tea chaser or coffee and bailey's irish cream liqueur. Room note is pleasant enough for me but revisiting the room later it can smell a bit leather shoeish and ammoniac. Gets stronger down the bowl and the kentucky kicks in more-The dried fruit factor is felt more than it is directly tasted and is more like eating dates than figs actually-yes;definately dried dates and rich also.The mouth feel at the bottom also tastes quite reminicent of cake mixture for rock cakes or cookie dough prior to baking like when liking the mixing spoon.Imagine date and walnut cake minus the actual walnuts for a date cake and you will get my drift.

According to that ogdens sales rep which everybody seems to know like the story of the never killing the albatros;i will try mixing this with 50/50 with "Gold Block" by the same brand.

Years ago @7-8 i thought this was a fairly mediocre smoke,but having tried it again in system pipes i can totally give it a 4 star,so easy to smoke i look forward to coming home from work and loading a fatty bowl of this.The fact that its easy available and a good as anything which is harder to aquire is worth an extra star itself. I am on my second recently purchased pouch and intend to keep some handy.