Mac Baren Amphora Mellow Blend

Hmm.... Navy Flake Menthol? I dunno, but I don't mind this stuff.

"Mellow" is kind of an odd name for this. Amphora Original is pretty mellow, really, and possibly more mellow than this. A fairly bright leaf, with a light, easy tobacco flavour. Undercurrents are indeed balsam and mint, which as noted previously, can be transendentally enjoyable (or abysmal, I suppose, if you don't like it). These flavor notes come and go, with a typically dutch spicey/dry tobacco base.

If you hate the stand-by dutch tobaccos Amphora or Sail, probably this won't do much for you. If, on the other hand, you just can't think of what to smoke while waxing your cross-country skis, then this might just be the thing.

Quality is high, smokes well leaving only ash and a few unburned bits (kind of typical of the cut, I find, which is more like a broken rubbed flake than a true ribbon imho).

If you are a Canadian pipe smoker this should be a familiar sight, for the most part amphora, Sail and Captain Black are our only OTC options unless we order from stateside online retailers or drive to an over priced specialty shop. The mint in mellow blend is more detectable in the bowl than in the pouch and is not overpowering. Good dose of lady N and easy to smoke, similar to sail yellow in many respects. Not the best offering by Amphora but definitely smokable. Here in the great white North a pouch of this stuff will run you $26 bucks so experimenting can be a costly affair, this one is worth a try.

Package note of dark fruit, spices and vegetation. Tobacco is a thin ready rub of brown, dark brown and tan. Moisture content is great. Burns fast with few relights. The strength is mild and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild, with notes of mint and balm. Mint was mild from start to finish, Balm faded in and out mid-way, both were never stronger than a background flavor. Taste is mild to medium and mostly consistent, with notes of peaty herbal-sour vegetation, mild mint, wood, toast, dry dirt, mildly savory, molasses, nutty, mildly spicy, floral, lemon grass, bitter orange peel, tangy dark fruit, a sweet hay and spices background note, and a mildly peppery almost smooth retro. Burley is leading with Kentucky, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia and Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is good.