Mac Baren Honey & Chocolate

This is an outstanding aromatic. My favorite so far.

MacBaren came up with a delicious aromatic that is of impeccable quality and craftsmanship.

The tin aroma is deep with bittersweet chocolate. I am under the impression that I am holding a chocolate bar in my hands rather than tobacco. The honey aroma will be detectable after the tin has been opened for a couple of days.

The tobacco is dark and broad cut. Moisture level is minimal.

Lighting up is elementary and the mixture stays easily lit. It only requires the occasional relight. The nicotine content is actually interesting for an aromatic, which is another good point added. Probably due to the proper aging of the leaf.

All I taste is tobacco and chocolate. The honey is very discreet. This mixture smokes dry and does not bite at all. But this is explainable by the fact that it is a dark tobacco. The darker the mixture, the less the risk of biting is present. It will pick up in strength past half-bowl.

This is the best aromatic I have ever tried. It tastes like an aromatic but smokes like a natural tobacco. And the nicotine content is acceptable. I will definitively rebuy on a regular basis.

One of the better chocolate blends that I've smoked. Although I didn't find it to be overly sweet, as the "honey" in the name suggests, I found that to be a plus. I bought the tobacco in bulk and didn't find it to be too moist at all. Although I typically find Mac Baren tobaccos to bite horribly, this one doesn't.

The flavor is that of dark chocolate, tobacco and a bit of perique. It has a nice flavor, but is not as rich as the aroma of the tobacco in the bag suggests.The perique in the blend is used as a condiment and in perfect amounts as it really adds an appealing dimension to the blend.

It burned clean and didn't goop up my pipe. I would not hesitate to purchase the product again, and in bulk.

Ounce for ounce, currently my favorite overall smoke.

I have always loved aromatics for their aroma, but they have always been a problem for the good health of my pipes. Also, the flavor tends to fade away very quickly in order to become non existant. So I have always stayed away from them.

Somehow, MacBaren's H&C appealed to me. And MacBaren has hit the jackpot with that incredible mixture. An all black CA that has obviously aged carefully and properly, it is not wet and/or sticky. This is tobacco, not hookah stuff. It presents a broad cut tobacco that smells like dark chocolate mixed with honey. It lights up easily, smokes like a charm and leaves the pipe dry. Tastes like chocolate and honey all the way with some pure tobacco presence. It has character in terms of strength and nicotine. It is not a boring mixture!

I'm surprised to say that I LOVE this tobacco. I will rebuy many tins and smoke them with pleasure. Because it is a top of the notch aromatic.

I have been looking for a chocolate blend that suits my tastes. I've tried many blends and although I liked some of them they just didn't quite cut it as a chocolate blend. Now I know that what I was looking for was a blend where chocolate was the center of attention, now i've found it. There's still plenty of tobacco flavor and the blend has body. However, the chocolate flavoring is very prominent in both taste and aroma. Other blends I've tried probably use the chocolate flavoring to bring out certain qualities in the tobaccos used, but with MB Honey & Chocolate chocolate is, as I've said, the center of attention.

Even though the chocolate is prominent and the tin smell strong the flavoring does not overpower the tobacco flavor, it actually enhances it. It is NOT "perfumy" or "soapy" or overwheelmingly sweet as some have said. The tobacco isn't sticky to the touch and it burns really good without leaving any goopy residue at the bottom of the pipe.

Further, I should mention that this blend is very well crafted. There is a great deal of complexity and it really captures the essence of dark chocolate, which is sweet but also has a touch of bitterness. And finally, although the nicotine content isn't off the charts it satisfies and the flavor is very full (the tobacco flavor).

I highly recommend this blend to anyone who is still looking for that "perfect" chocolate blend and has not found one with enough flavor to satisfy. Now, if you've never liked aromatics then stay away from this stuff since it's not the "miracle" blend that will change your mind.

Mac Baren blends have always been a delight for me. Honey & Chocolate is no exception. The tin aroma is definitely a combination of honey and cocoa. I love honey and I love chocolate so I figured I had a winner here. Upon opening the tin there is the aroma of rich dark chocolate with an almost incense-like aroma from the honey as it mixes and wafts through the chocolate. A positive note with regard to this Mac Baren offering, is that I can actually smell what I am smoking, it tastes as it smells, and I can always taste tobacco along with the flavoring. I can't say that about many aromatics.

My experience with this blend is that it packs well (it is a dry tobacco in the tin and typical of a Mac offering), doesn't need more than 2 lights for me to get it going, it burns cool and even throughout the smoke, and I never experience any moisture accumulation. Never cigarette-like. All Mac Baren blends that I smoke are dried out beyond their already dry feel in the tin beforehand, and this certainly helps to achieve an enjoyable smoke. I have found the tobacco to be quite sweet tasting, not cloying, perhaps bitter-sweet is a more apt description. At times it seems to have a BO like smell in the side stream, but surprisingly, never off-putting. It seems to smoke best in smaller bowl briars, and I have never had a hot smoke. It has a nice spiciness in its flavor without any nibbling at the tongue. Reflecting on the "spiciness" I mentioned, I would add that it is an incense-like spice. There may be Perique in this blend (most likely similar to their Acadian offering)as it is a bit pepper-like at times, but I believe the incense-like spiciness may be attributed to some Oriental leaf. I have had the most enjoyment smoking it in several small-bowled Dr. Grabow pipes. Too large a bowl and I get agita - similar to when I smoke a very heady Burley or with Irish Flake. It also goes exceptionally well in a meer-lined Dr. Grabow I bought many years ago (no longer produced - too bad as the two I have are great smokers). Not a light smoke by any means. If you would like a good aromatic with solid tobacco flavor, you can't go wrong with Mac's Honey Chocolate. It was originally listed on the Mac Baren website but has been removed, since, according to Mac Baren, it's only available in the USA.

Whenever I smoke it, my kids think my wife is baking brownies! It's that good. A nicely done cavendish type tobacco that retains its tobacco presence with a little something extra, Honey & Chocolate is sure to satisfy.

UPDATE 2-18-13: Now listed on the new MacBaren website. Just cracked a 5 year old tin - simply delicious.

One of the best chocolate flavored blend available, it has a Dark chocolate flavor with dry and cool smoke, strong flavor of bitter cacao and some honey flavor, the smoke is NOT sweet

If you enjoy strong dark chocolate flavor in your tobacco, try this blend.

Ive smoked many MacBaren tobaccos, Some have been great, some good, others hotter than the lid of a potty bellied stove. This is by far MacBarens best offering. The chocolate aroma is prominent upon opening the tin and is there once the match hits. It stays there throughout but what is also there is the most impotant Real tobacco taste as well as the aromatic elemnet. Never harsh and no tongue bite.Dry bowl bottom at the end Truly a marvel and the best Macbaren has to offer

Got Chocolate ?

Well here it is. Upon popping open the tin you are immediatly greeted with a bitter sweet chocolate aroma like no other. But wait, it gets better. When Mac Baren says this is "a very special kind of Cavendish" they're not kidding. This stuff has great body, again like no other. I've never had a straight Cavendish with such substance and flavor. The aroma is chocolate but the flavor is tobacco, sweet and rich.

What a concept ! What a smoke !

My highest recommendation!!! This new offering from Mac Baren is simply amazing.

The minute I opened the tin I got a buttery chocolate smell. Upon first light my nose tickled with a smell similar to chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven.

Mid bowl I got a honey/caramel offering and the chocolate lingered in the air.

Last part of the bowl was a hit of hard chocolate. So much chocolate. I actually tamed a sweet tooth with one bowl of this amazing tobacco.