Mac Baren Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve

I have not been able to find this blend in Canada for years, but I remember it as the best of any major brand-name tobaccos I have tried. Compares favourably with many expensive custom-blend black Cavendishes. A smooth even smoke, with a strong but pleasant spicy aroma. Plenty of character, e.g. more character than E A Carey's black Cavendish blends.

I last smoked this back in the 1980s when it was readily available on the shelf of every CVS, Rite Aid, and the like (the good old days!), and I have been meaning to rekindle the acquaintance ever since Mac Baren reintroduced this to the US market. The pouch was fresh and ready for a smoke at just the right moisture content for me. The aroma was of black licorice, toffee and caramel. Very sweet but not cloying. Loading and lighting were easy as was keeping the bowl alight. The pouch aroma did lightly translate into the taste with this one along with a mild brown sugar sweetness till the bowl's end. The side stream aroma wafted in and out throughout the smoke and was quite pleasant. Perhaps just a smidge of a harsh, bitter taste at the outset, but not off putting. I was impressed with the ever present sweetness of the smoke which was very delightful and I could detect the flavor of Virginia leaf throughout. All in all a very nice mixture and a set it and forget it smoke. No heat or bite with this one either and it smoked clean and dry. Can be an everyday smoke for me and certainly nice to save this one for special occasions or when around non smokers. Well worthy of a 4 star rating from me.

Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve is one of the best black cavendish blends I have ever tried.

Creamy, spicy and sturdy all in one. The room note is very pleasing, but does not become cloyingly sweet at any point. Ribbon cut is great for packing and lighting.

This is nothing like BCA or RLP6 or any other popular black cavendish forward blend which I tend to not enjoy. The burley, kentucky and orientals give this mix some backbone while the black cavendish provides cool, mildly sweet smoke. Very smooth mouth feel; not too much flavor strength or nicotine strength...just right. The gold foil pouch is also nice and solid.

In short, in my opinion, this is a black cavendish blend done right.

This is a great Black Cavendish in the European tradition. I mean to say that the Virginia component is a lot more prevalent. The American style tends to be more Burley based and have a vanilla edge to it. The moisture content is perfect and the pouch aroma is sweet tobacco. The ribbons seem a little longer than what I am used to from all of the other aromatics I smoke, but that just could be my perception. It packs nicely and takes a light well. A charring light then a full light is a must with this stuff or it will go out on you. The flavor begins as a typical Black Cavendish, but soon you you will notice the heavier use of Virginia. You will also note that lack of vanilla, cherry, or other flavorings that accompany this genre in most American blacks. The smoke is aromatic, but less so than you might think. The nicotine level is low, but it is there. As the bowl progresses the flavor takes on much more of the Virginia quality while the sweetness from the Cavendish processing heads to he back. If you like Amphora Original, you will like this version. Amphora Full Aroma goes in another direction and fans of that blend may find this to be too much of a departure. I just love all three versions, but I accept them for what they are. The Ash is fine and jumps out of the bowl with a knock. There is no real after taste save that of smoking tobacco. No tongue bite, but do not puff too hard. In my opinion, this Amphora line is the best line of tobaccos that Mac Barren produces.

Oh this is a fantastic aromatic blend. Mac Baren has done a fantastic job re-blending this classic pipe melange from the Netherlands. Packaging is pretty with a nice description. Upon breaking the airtight seal, you get a whaft of Prunes, raisins and a bit of dark chocolate according to my olfactory data bank. Tobacco is not moist nor dry - it is goldilocks! There is a lot of black cavendish here but at least 50 % of the blend is comprised of excellent quality virginias and dark fired kentucky which really makes a great difference on flavour profile. You will notice a fantastic nose tingling when you retro-hale. The double fermented blend provides a more intense flavour experience and provides a fantastic melding of tobacco natural aromas with the casing added, in a perfect balanced way. It is medium in nic contents and burns to a very fine dry ash all way down to the bottom of the pipe without leaving any goopy residue. It is one of my favourite blends for sure. Amphora is quality! I also tried the new Virginia Blend and it is another fantastic blend on its own! Hail to mr Per Georg Jensen for creating such beautiful melanges of pipe gooodnes.

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!