Mac Baren HH Mature Virginia

HH Mature Virginia, what more is there to say? Ever since I hit puberty, I've always dreamed about having an encounter with a Mature Virginian. What lust there was, and the countless dreams I've had. By luck I strolled into a local smoke shop, and there happened to be a beautiful mature there, seeming to be waiting for something like me to snatch her up. I had my fun with her being quietly seduced on the couch by the MV, or even outside, sitting by the pool, enjoying the mature with delight, classic pool-boy style. I know that society rejects such a relationship, and that our love will never be, but does she love me? Does HH Mature Virginia give back the love that I give her? Or is she just using me for her own desires. In the beginning, all I did was smoke her, and I was happy about it. In fact, I hadn't had much experience, but she held my hand the whole way. Gave me confidence, and a pleasure I never knew was possible. But now, after we've been going at it for weeks, I've wanted to slow down. Whenever we meet for a long enjoyable smoke in the comfort of my own room, or for a quickie in the car, I notice that I want to just hang out and talk. She has other plans, she is just looking for a quick smoke and no relationship at all, no feelings, nothing. One day she approaches me and tells me she plans to marry, with another mature, over the course of the next six months to a year. She says I'm too young to understand, and she must leave me for now. I cry, and scream and beg her to not go, but she leaves me alone. Just me, and no way to stuff my pipe. She'll be back though, I know it. She'll get bored of her marrying and come back to me. She won't be the same mature that I once loved. No, she'll be more open to commitment, emotional, passionate, smooth.

Mac Baren - HH Mature Virginia

I recently picked up my pipe again, after a 15+yr hiatus.

{BRIEF DIGRESSION: Egads, the pipe smoking landscape has changed a lot while I've been away - all the local shops in my region are all focused exclusively on cigars, hookah, and snus now, leaving most pipers like us (except those who live in major cities or tobacco country) to rely primarily on the internet}.

Anyway, after foraging through a bunch of smoke shops in my region, the best I could track down, in person, was a lonely looking 100g tin of the MickyB HH Mature Virginia. I would have preferred a 50g tin, but beggars cant be choosers, and on a good note the batch date showed it had slept soundly in the tin for 3 1/2 years (Sept 2010), which offset my initial disappointment. A quick swipe of the credit card, and a metaphorical swirl of the ol cape, and we were both gone.

Impatient to oogle my first premium tin since oh, the Clinton era, I used a quarter to prise off the lid and ... BOY, was it WET ... and pungent. The tin aroma was complex, and (to my nose) whiffed of fermented sour cherries (Kriek Lambic with a hint of balsamic ?), vanilla cavendish, cacao, honey, creosote, sandalwood, and spice. Taken all together, that potent first whiff was akin to a spicy fruity tamarind-tinged hot wing sauce. It had a lot of promise, but it was clearly too heavy/wet to smoke right away and needed some breathing time (to shed some of the fermentation/maturation aromas).

Once I got it home, I 'fluffed' out the entire tin into a 24oz glass jar (which it almost filled), sealed the lid, and put it away for several days, until my hygrometer showed it had dropped into the 60's range. Finally, I lit up my first bowl, and settled in for a leisurely smoke. The first third was still a bit damp, resisted staying lit, and threw some initial tongue bite {read: still too moist and smoked too quickly}, but after some persistence and restraint it finally settled down midway through the middle third, and became quite mellow. The sweet & sour saucy note from the initial tip pop had dramatically softened to a very mild profile that still retained some very subtle hints of vanilla, cacao and a cherry-like fruitiness, and a light peppery sting in the finish.

Bottom line: A nice smoke that I'm sure will continue to mellow and mature, with more time in the jar. Worth the price. 3.5 of 4 stars (recommended). Subtract half a star if you dislike a bit of estery tartness {read: wet & warm fermentation note} in your blends.

---

UPDATE 17-Mar-2014: After a fair amount of reading (and after enjoying half the tin), I've learned the only added flavoring to this blend is a light addition of some red wine vinegar to one part of the blend. From my experience in zymurgy that, plus the natural sweetness of virginia leaf, plus the fermentation & caramelization involved in pressure-maturation of same (probably similar to fermenting green tea leaves into black breakfast teas), is the likely source of the fruity 'ketchup/tobasco' note that so many have noted regarding the tin aroma. In any case, this blend smokes MUCH milder than it smells in the tin.

---

UPDATE 20-Mar-2014: I just read that this label has been discontinued effective Jan 2014. 🙁

When I first tried this tobacco I thought it was pretty darn good and I had planned on giving it 3 stars. I'm glad I waited. After trying the Frank method of loading my pipe it was as if all the tastes hiding in the background came to the forefront. All the Virginia sweetness caressed my tongue without a single hint of nipping followed by a smokiness that balanced out the high sweet notes. If I were a high volume pipe smoker this would be my daily smoke. It's balanced, easy on the tongue and has just enough complexity to keep it interesting but if you're busy with a task at hand then there's plenty of flavor to enjoy without having to search for the nuances.

If I had to break down the bowl from top to bottom here is how it goes for me. The first 1/3 starts off with the sweet virginias coming to the front to let themselves greet you. The second 1/3 still has those virginias present but a smokey flavor intermingles with the sweetness to balance out very well. The last 1/3 has both the sweetness and BBQ like smokiness trading places at the front of the class. I really didn't notice a whole lot of Vitamin N but there is a bit there.

I would highly recommend this blend to anyone interested in virginias or at least exploring what they are all about. While not a straight virginia it is an awesome smoke. I also would highly recommend the Frank Method of loading your pipe with this wonderful tobacco. The smoke is cooler and all the flavors you would miss come out to greet you with a solid handshake.

This is a natural aromatic mixture (only a minimal casing as declared from the house). We have to admit that there are a lot of flavored mixtures, but very few natural aromatic mixtures. A natural aromatic blend is without any flavoring (no flavoring and no top dressing) and the taste is a real tobacco taste because it comes only from the leaf. Natural aromatics are mainly Cavendish and Black Cavendish mixtures, often with steamed or stoved or toasted Virginia, but unflavored (I mean that also the cavendish tobacco is unflavored; it is allowed only a little bit of sugar). Well, this is one of the rare natural aromatic mixtures. You can appreciate the taste or not, but this is another thing. Anyway, if you want to taste a real aromatic but unflavored mixture here is it. I hope Mac Baren will produce it again because this kind of mixtures are very difficult to find in the market. Three stars and a half for the idea and two stars and a half regarding the taste. For these reasons, in my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 8 and three stars.

Another from the bombing I got handed from the BoB. It fits in well with my va exploration.

The tin note is sweet and grassy. It is golden and some brown bits. The paper in the tin is stained brown from the moisture of the leaf. The va is the star in this play, very citrus yet rounded out by a sweet smokiness that I'm really enjoying. Odd, how this one disappeared as it is good.

The taste is citrusy and bready, with a smokey kind of savory element. It's one the few that I notice a bread taste in. I like that savory element to it, normally I just get citrus from a va heavy blend. I'm sorry to hear it's gone, and appreciate that I got gifted the 100g tin. I still have a good few ounces to savor some other time.

Before i start this review please note that i liked this tobacco better than the rating suggests.

After opening the tin a very strong and distinctive olive smell greets you. This, in its uniqueness, is somewhat of an unexpected treat. Also the paper covering the tobacco is soaked full with oils from the tobacco. This also is a treat for the eye as well as the nice appearance of the blend itself.

When smoked the tobacco offers a nice and spicy sweetness with nice virginia aromas. There is no whatsoever tongue bite either. The olive smell is not detectable in taste anymore. The blend tastes nice and harmonious down to the very end of the bowl but stays rather one dimensional. Which is the reason for the low rating of this tobacco - it entirely lacks a unique selling point.

This is a pity because the tobaccos used in this blend are of impeccable quality. And in times like these where virtually everything regarding pipes turned for the worse we should be thankful for the HH series of blends. This blend was modeled after a recipe from 1890 and although this does give an interesting peak in the tobaccos of yonder times it maybe is also the reason for, in the end, being a bland blend compared to modern virginia blends.

In the aftertaste it leaves a very nice sweetness on the tongue that lasts for quiet some time.

The room note is of a nice spicy tobacco aroma, which to me is very pleasent.

What i disliked on this blend is that it leaves the bowls used with a rather sour smell that doesn't dissipate, as many virginia blends will. It does not affect the taste at all but i really enjoy smelling the cleaned, smoked bowls alot.

So, should you try it should you be able to get ahold of the last remaining tins? Yes, that's a definitive yes. I was very glad to have stumbled over it, although i wouldn't buy it again.

I'm a latecomer and noob to pipe smoking, so take that into account. I purchased a new Peterson 309 ebony pipe to work more with Virginia tobaccos. I decided to break in this pipe with HH Mature Viginia performing the 1/4-1/2-3/4-Full method. I won't bother commenting about the first smokes out of a new pipe as it is obviously not fair till the pipe gets some seasoning. When I first opened the can it was an amazing aroma for a tobacco. Someone here said Tobasco or vinegar - sure it has that nose. I actually like it, plus I've learned what it smells like is not what it tastes like.

My first go at this product left my tongue a bit sore. Being a noob I tend to smoke a bit too hot and fast so there are no surprises there that it bit me. I've since learned to slow it down and be more attentive. It is true that more attentiveness brings out the best in this product, as is probably true with most others as well. The aroma out of the pipe is sweet and enjoyable to me. The first half of the bowl generates nice bluish smoke and has a very sweet flavor. The last half of the bowl gave me more an impression of what some oriental blends give me like Westminster. All in all I enjoy the product, and will always keep some around. It does perform better when you let it dry a bit.

Update: The more I smoke this blend the more I like it 😉 The complexity of it is tantalizing. After my Peterson 309 got broken in this blend just rocks in it.

These new(ish) HH blends are just fun, and I think are really raising the bar for new offerings. As the name denotes, this one is a great blend of virginias upon virginias. It offers a fantastic balance of easy smoking characteristics, rich flavor, and strength which set this apart from the morass of virginias based tobaccos.

Where I think Mac Baren is really hitting it out of the park with these is the balance of flavor and smoking characteristics. We can all think of any number of blends which taste good or offer a singular experience, but extract some price in the smoking area in return. Maybe they are hard to light and keep lit, or they burn hot and scorch your tongue. Not here. Each one of these blends, and this one is no exception, is blended to ensure that the smoking process is going to be as hassle and tongue bit free as possible. Now, as with any blend, if you puff like a steam engine and relight every 2 minutes you can get these burning hot, but setting aside that type of abuse, you are not going to find this or the other HH blends to bite or be difficult to keep burning.

This has a pleasant ripe matured virginia odor from the tin, and you can detect the orientals in there as well. It is in a nice ribbon or shag cut, and packs easily into a bowl. It accepts a char quickly, and once lit burns easily with some tamping at regular intervals. These are very natural tobaccos, and dry quickly if left out of the tin, which is nice for having a quick smoke. It is frustrating to decide what you want to smoke and then have to wait two hours for it to dry out. The flavor is rich and tasty. I would agree that it is not as complex as something like Best Brown or Full Virginia Flake, but it is not monotone either. The virginias are up front, but the oriental offers a backbone that gives this a totally different and richer flavor profile than many other VA blends, without moving fully into English/Scottish blend territory.

This, along with the nicotine strength, which I would peg at moderate, make this a very nice well rounded smoke. You can pack a larger size bowl of this and read a book for an hour without fear of having visions from the strength, and it is tasty without being overwhelming. Finally, Mac Baren is pricing these very fairly right now, which makes all of the HH blends just about the best deals going.

PS - One reviewer described this as a goopy mess and an over the top aromatic. I am not directing this at the reviewer personally, but I cannot imagine what tobacco he could have been talking about. This is in no way, shape, or form an aromatic, has no flavored casing or topping, and is not goopy in the least. It is hard to imagine that he was even reviewing the same blend, but I wanted to specifically address this in the event that anyone would read that review and take it at face value, leaving with the impression that this is some sort of Danish style aromatic ( and I do not think "goopy mess" is a fair assessment of the quality offerings in that style either). This blend could not be farther from that style of tobacco. The HH line is a total departure from the other Mac Baren offerings, and have become not only my favorites from them, but some of my favorite blends overall.

This tobacco already has enough reviews, but heck, I am excited. This delicious blend lacks the unadulterated VA goodness of FVF or similar flakes, but it is really exceptional. The tin note to me comes across with a dried apricot and brandy nose. Other reviewers have said olives and I could go with that. The taste and room note follow suit, with a good fruity aroma and flavor- I thought it would be too much and mask the tobacco but that is not the case. Especially toward the end of the bowl you are picking up on the tobacco very strongly, and whatever else might be going on just flows. Great dense smoke, easy to keep lit. Like other MacBarens I have tried it could use an hour or two of drying, and likes a gentle smoker- although the bite is nowhere near VA#1 when you push it. Perhaps not as refined as other Virginias, but very friendly- I could see this as an excellent VA for aromatic lovers. This will be my new go-to smoke, and I am glad I have cellared several tins- this should just keep getting better.