Mac Baren Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve

Offered in the U.S. again and purchased at Pipes and Cigars online where it's not easy to get. Burns well, smokes cool, with some sweet plum fruit and licorice on top of the bright hay and lemony Virginia, Burley backbone, and spicy Orientals that waft in and out. I'm more of a Virginia flake, Burley, and Perique lover and I love this stuff. What is so compelling is the balance, with no component fully dominating. Burns to a clean white ash with no gurgling gunk trail. A very very pleasant change of pace.

I bought this tobacco because I had heard great things about it and smoke it with great pleasure. Hints of licorice very pronounced, my wife likes it because the room smells

---

GOOD.

The Black pouch Amphora with Black Cavendish is sold everywhere, in every tobacco shop even in the smallest town in italy, together with the green amphora (Rich Aroma), the red amphora (Full Aroma) and of course many others. It is cheap tobacco, around 8 euro for 50g, of very good quality as staed by everyone here already. I just wanted to correct the fact that these Amphora tobacco are sill manufactured and sill market leaders at least here. Being dutch stuff, I guess they are everywhere were they are distributed.

This will remain my favorite "drugstore" blend. The room note is a huge hit and the taste is spicy and sweet, the sweetness not being dominant.

The aroma is of licorice, proportion is 2/3 black CA and 1/3 VA. It is possible that there are Orientals because of the spicy sweetness.

Too bad I can't get it anymore!

Starting from the point of the (obvious, IMHO) comparison to McB's Black Ambrosia:

- the pouch aroma is something different, more on the coffee/caramelized nuts thing than vanilla/nuts/dried fruit thing;

- the cut is also ribbon, medium-fine strips that are longer than BA. The colour is more contrasted.

The smoke is also something middle-of-the-road with the "regular" family of Danish/Dutch tobaccos. The scrumptious pouch aroma reflects on the smoke in a very much milder way than one may expect, and that's a good thing. But have to say also that - compared to BA - SRBC is a bit duller and seems going partially lost during the pipeful. It starts displaying its aromas and ends in the full regular field. I do agree with Beer in that the last part of the bowl leaves an ashy aftertaste and my throat is a bit "touched". Nevertheless SRBC smokes very even and dry and needs really minimal care. It's not hot nor bitey.

Bottom line: SRBC is a good quality tobacco, a bit stronger but - in my preference - a step below BA.

A note to Jon: reviews of Amphora's are splitted into the brands 1) Amphora and 2) Imperial Tobacco. As long as it's now, the brand should remain Amphora, Imperial Tobacco being the owner of the brand and Van Nelle (The Netherlands) the manufactures under license.

I recently was gifted several Amphora blends from a fellow TR member, including this black cavendish which sure tastes "different," than what I was expecting. It is not a typical cased black cav. Rather, it reminded me of burley based blends I've smoked.

Amphora Special Reserve is not really much of a smoke regards complexity, but is an easy smoke. It is not rough on the palate and burns very well. There's just not a lot of flavor here. I did detect the casing, but sure can't identify what it is. A little bit sweet, but not overpowering at all. I think aromatic fans will enjoy this if they can round up a pouch.

A true classic in its range, this tobacco just satisfied me under every point of view. I remember one evening, when I had to re-load immediately my Peterson after finishing the first smoke; because I just didn't want this pleasure to end. Round, spicy (you can actually taste liquirice that you smell opening the pouch)it's an everyday's never boring and pleasant smoke. Very nice the little vanilla aftertaste.

I was looking for an aromatic blend for a change to my usual EM o VaPers. Wrong choice, IMO. One of the flattest and most insignificant smokes ever had. Period.

This tobacco is one of my favorites OTC. Yes, the tobacco is a bit harsh, at times. Yes, it can also smoke slightly hot at times. No, there is not a lot of tobacco taste going on here. And no, the nicotine is not very present. But this is not saying there is no nicotine and no tobacco taste! Amphora Black Cavendish's lovely flavoring, both in the pouch and while smoking, makes up for its shortcomings as it provides a wonderful spicy and just a tad sweet taste. In fact, ABC provides, because of its topping, a taste that is very unique, I find.