Mac Baren Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve

**Update 25 Dec 2016** The same pouches I purchased last spring had some time to mellow down. The harshness is now gone and the Black Cavendish, which remain my favorite because of its unique spiciness, combines extremely well with the Virginias and golden Cavendish to deliver an awesome smoke every time. I am doubtful there are any Orientals and Kentucky, but it's not because I seemed to not identify them that they are not there. I think MB has faithfully reproduced this old favourite of mine and will definitively rebuy. This, as a matter of fact, will remain the only pouched tobacco I will get on a regular basis. All I can say is, if you love Black Cavendish, Amphora Black Cavendish is to die for. I am upgrading to 4 stars! ***Original review*** Despite my terrible experience with the Original Blend, I still decided to give Black Cavendish a try, as I had already placed an order for it before trying the Original. After all, I have very fond memories of this Black Cavendish which has always remained my favorite among the Amphora line. When I opened the pouch, I was taken back 20 years in time. I did not notice any major differences in aroma and composition, except that the aroma is less spicy than it was and a bit more on the sweet side. There's still a lot of Black Cavendish in a smaller cut with long streaks of Golden tobacco. Easy to pack, very easy to light up, the tobacco burns extremely well, delivering a spicier taste than sweet, but which does not deliver a lot of tobacco taste throught it. Mild to medium on the nicotine range, I find it can become a bit harsh at times throughout the pipeful. Progressively, the taste becomes rather on the neutral side starting at the last third. It does smoke dry all the way down and does not leave any goop. It does not bite either. After 5 or 6 pipefuls, I am not sure what to think of it yet. I will let the other pouvhes sit for a while and revisit at a later time. For now, I am not convinced I would buy it again and hesitate to recommend it. 2.5 stars.

When you open the packet you can feel smell of liquorice, raisin and spices, it's very pleasant. Also the color which is very dark with some bright filament. You can feel the liquorice also in your mouth when you smoke it, taste is very smooth.

I believe Douwe Egberts does not manufacture this tobacco? And I do not think it is still available. Black Cavendish is one of a kind, delicious mixture. It has a beautiful chocolate and licorice aroma that is not heavy to the nose. When smoked, it tastes more on the spicy than the sweet side, but the room note, I was told, is sweet and, simply, out of this world. If BC was still available, I would purchase it regularly!

Having read the earlier contributions from reviewers on this site, I pick up a sense of disappointment from people seemingly unable to to source this wonderful Tobacco. To cut a very long research story short I buy this on line from http://www.imparato.it/shop/index.php? target=categories&category_id=153 The owner is called Carlo and he is very helpful indeed. I've been buying Amphora Black Cavendish from this Northern Italian on line Tobacconist quite happily for some time now and I highly recommend both the Tobacco and the supplier. It's just a shame we have to go to so much trouble to get it. Please take note Imperial Tobacco!

the smell of licorice is almost overwhelming when opening but at the same time delightful. My grandfather would come to my house on sunday and this is what he smoked. So perhaps that is why I am Drawn to this tobacco it brings back fond memories. This is a good smoke when higher quality tobacco is unavailable. The room note is great, one of the few my wife will let me smoke inside, and it is available just about anywhere.

This tobacco from Amphora is a very well kept secret. I would add, a hidden treasure. Despite the fact that I retried it last year ( after quite a number of years) and found it too mild now for me, it was still a pleasure to smoke it.

Despite the unevenness in the blending - sometimes the tobacco in the pouch has a lot of Black cavendish and just a bit of golden and brown leaf,all rather of small cut, sometimes it's all long cut, the Black Cavendish being a minority- and despite the fact that I now smoke either Rattray's, G.L. Pease, McConnell, I find Amphora Black Cavendish is actually of half decent quality despite the fact that mostly, you will find it in drugstores or convenience stores rather than on serious tobacconists shelves.

This tobacco smells licorice like crazy, to the point that when I smoked it on a regular basis, I would take the pouch on a regular basis over the evening and fill my nose with the sweet, incredible smell of this blend. It was almost an obsession and my girlfriend of the time would not say anything, but look at me in a very weird way.

Here's the magic of this blend: it smells like licorice, people freak out over the room note - it is just fantastic, of course, I can't smell it like everybody that's not smoking a pipe, can, but the taste of the tobacco is not overwhelming in the aroma; it's actually more like tobacco than the flavouring.

The advantage is thus that Black Cavendish from Amphora doesn't really taste like the traditional aromatics, it smokes DRY despite the fact that it's an aromatic, and everybody LOVES the room note, even the worse, most radical or intolerant non-smokers will bend in front of Amphora Black Cavendish!

Hey, everybody's happy! If you do smoke the Big League's names like myself and do find Amphara Black Cavendish in a drugstore, grocery store, convenience store, you want to give it a try.