Mac Baren Honey & Chocolate

Like several other reviewers I really wanted to like this one. But, it's a weird blend. The taste is like smoking cocoa honey inscence with a bitter ashy taste taste that keeps reoccurring. Not a lot a chocolate and a strange "honey' flavoring. I tried smoking this in several pipes - and no matter how big or small the size of the pipe it burned like wildfire. No tongue bite though -however left kind of a Funk in my mouth. I think the word "Bizarre" sums up my thoughts on this blend exactly - which might be a Good Thing for some of you.

Update 6/2/2015 I am liking this better after not smoking it for a while - but it may have been discontinued - so this may be a moot point.

For once, MacBaren has come up with an aromatic that displays some strength of character. Of note, it does not bite at all either. I hesitated before putting it to the test because I do not usually fancy aromatics but the overall good reviews convinced me to try it.

H&C is an all black cavendish tobacco (half and half of dark brown leaf with medium brown) that hits you with a strong aroma of bitter-sweet dark chocolate, then a subtle touch of honey when you breathe in very deeply in the tin. The fair presence of the aroma got me worried at first. I was expecting a sticky leaf, thus a disappointing experience. However, after noticing it was obvious the cavendish went through a long aging process because the leaf was not sticky at all and that the moisture content was low, which is good for a dark mixture, I wasn't worried anymore. I knew this would become a good smoking experience.

This all black CA mixture is top quality. The taste of pure tobacco is "in duo" with the honey and chocolate flavoring that is present and not overwhelming. The loose cut makes the pipe easy to fill and light up. Nevertheless, this mixture is strong for an all black cavendish. The nicotine level is satisfying, which is also uncommon for an aromatic.

H&C is a good aromatic. Snotters should alter course rather than give this tobacco a try. Maybe too strong for a newbie. I will definitively rebuy because H&C is the only aromatic I know that, besides truly smoking dry, also satisfies me on the taste and nicotine departments.

Recommended

This is another one of the so called blends that's no longer I n production, but every tobacconist I asked says it is in production ?? Anyway this to me tastes like Scottish Mixture with dark chocolate, and that's not a bad thing. It lacks the latakia spice and sweet hay quality of the Virginia's unlike Mixture. It is softer and sweeter but not sugar sweet, more like semi sweet bakers chocolate sweet. All in all its pretty Good blend. It isn't exact as far as blend goes compared to Scottish, there's a lot more black cav in this blend. But for an aro it's cool and not cloying. This is good if you want something a bit different, aromatic that's not syrupy. Mac Baren has the aromatics down. If you like Mixture, mix Modern, you'll like this as well. Just darker in flavor than the prior two.

Note this blend and others like it stay cool if you slow down just a little. You can't smoke these like a straight burley or an English. At a moderate pace this stays cool. I think a lot of good aros get a bum rap because they aren't smoked properly. Yes some you have to be gingerly with, but this isn't one of them.

Semi-sweet chocolate aroma and flavor highlight an excellent base tobacco. This flavor is more prominent initially, but continues through the bowl in the background. Post exhale, this same flavor remains on the tongue and palate. The cavendish provides a bit more complexity and depth than Symphony. A very good, 3+ blend.

A Great Smoke. A great Taste. And it smells as good in the can as it does in the pipe.

This is a quality tobacco from Mac Baren. Opening the tin I immediately sensed the aroma of dark chocolate. I felt no particular the flavor of honey, just a subtle and slightly sweet aftertaste in smoking.

The dark brown Cavendish tobacco is nicely cut to Loose Cut form. The tobacco is wet enough maintains an adequate level of moisture for a long time after the first opening of the tin.

Lights easily and does not require enough extra lighting. Moderately strong in nicotine. It does not biting the tongue, of course I smoke very slowly and calmly. Smoking this tobacco gives interesting and delicious taste, beautiful aroma in the room and remains an easy smoke for at least the first two-thirds of the bowl. Reaching to the base of the bowl tobacco strengthens enough in intensity and shows a slight bitterness, but acceptable. I found him not a very sweet aromatic, the taste of dark chocolate dominates and also sometimes the sense of raisins and honey as background offer a satisfying smoke.

At the end of the smoking it lets gray ash in the bottom of the bowl and does not wet the pipe bowl. Also the filter pipe is not getting too dirty.

I smoked this tobacco in straight, half bent and full bent pipes with filter of 9mm.

Honey & Chocolate can accompany very nicely the morning and afternoon coffee, and a brandy also.

A good aromatic tobacco.

I concur with many of the other reviews that this blend took some getting used to. As with many heavily cased aromatics, I needed to let the blend "breath" a bit after opening the tin. Initially, I thought the blend wasn't very good but I have been smoking it intermittantly for six months and it has indeed become very enjoyable. It is defintely a heavier smoke than vanilla blends. Nice cavendish taste with a whiff of chocolate. I would buy again but smoke intermittantly. No problem with tongue bite.

When I first purchased this tin, the smell was overwhelming to me. I thought that i had made a mistake. I was wrong. I find that this tobacco is best smoked in a church warden pipe. The room note is very remeniscent of sitting in a kitchen chair in my youth waiting impatiently for my mother finish cookies. All in all I would recommend this tobacco.

Please stay away from this tobacco! If you do, then I will go completely mad from smoking all of it! Yes, I admit to being a user of this brownie and honey sweet tobacco and from the severe addiction to it. Brownies! Cocoa taste not chocolately, and a sweet honey flavor lurking in the back. Naugthy boy. It drives She Who Must Be Obeyed into a tizzy! Coffee is the best accompanist to this little piece of heaven in a bowl. That and just a bit off the end of the chocolate bar.....not too much...