Mac Baren Mixture Flake

Mixture Flake is an absolute treasure. Like many other folk have mentioned in review of Mixture RR; great taste,fantastic smell, superior quality etc but that darn bite ruins the experience. Mixture Flake has for me, removed the fear and pain of bite, now I can finally enjoy a bowl of this wonderful tobacco the way it was meant to be enjoyed. It is not as sweet as RR but it seems to be more refined, elegant and creamy. Just a really great experience in smoking this blend. Will be buying much more to store away.

When I first got to college, in 1982 and still in the days when smoking was permitted just about everywhere including the dorms, I smoked Mac Baren "Golden Extra" and seem to recall having tried the "Scottish Mixture" as well. I'm glad to see that these two blends are being made available again, and I'm anxious to try GE and SM to see if they're what I remember.

Having said that, this tin of Mixture Flake is my first return to the Mac Baren brand since those days, as I became an English/Balkan/Oriental fan and didn't deviate from those.

Upon opening this tin, I was pleasantly assaulted by what I remembered as the typical tin aroma from the Scottish Mixture, which brought back pleasant freshman year college memories. My first pipeful was in a Savinelli "Bing's Favorite" without the filter system, packed according to the traditional "fold and stuff" method. I fought to keep the pipe lit, and ended up with one of the worst cases of tongue bite I've had in living memory.

I decided this time, in the same pipe, to pack the tobac in the rubbed out style, and the result is so far very satisfying. I'm having a bit of trouble with gurgling, but I suspect that's because this little pipe hasn't grown it's full-sized adult cake in the bottom. The ash is clean and white with some "bits", and the burn is even.

The smoke itself is truly wonderful. It started with no taste, then began to grow into a gently spicy-sweetness, faintly of cinnamon, and is now developing the honey/biscuity taste some have alluded to. And no bite, so far. Which is a good thing for me because I'm typically a fast puffer. Obviously, slow and steady sipping is better than days of burnt mouth. If it goes out, relight it for heaven's sake! Nobody's watching and keeping score.

I do believe I'm going to purchase a few more tins for cellaring, and will use it as a "go to" blend when nothing else sounds appealing.

If you like Mixture, you'll probably love this one. That same great 'honey and toast' taste in a cool smoking and flavoursome flake. It goes very well with a morning coffee.

Almost the same flavor as the Mixture loose cut, with more nicotine, nice body and slow burning characteristics, however, I prefer the loose cut version with its honey/toasty flavor. Regarding tongue bite, I have never experienced any bite with any MB blend.

This is my first review! My review is based on my second bowl of Mixture Flake in a straight cob pipe with a filter. The tobacco is presented nicely in neat slices. This is notable since another tin of flake I purchased recently looked like it was thrown into the tin without care. The tin smell was a bit too sweet for my taste, but had a nice raisin/prune scent to it. I folded the flake and packed it into the bowl in accordance with illustrated instructions on the Mac Baren website. Another nice touch from the company. After drying the flake for a few days, three touches with a lighter was all that it took to get the burn going. Smoke volume was good and so was the flavor. The slightly sweet spice of the tobacco complimented the chilly day, bringing to mind a nice fireplace and Christmas. This is an excellent cold weather tobacco! I also found the casing to combine well with the tobacco. Strength and Taste were definitely on the mild side of medium. While the bowl did get a bit too hot at times, the flavor stayed consistent and did not get harsh. Since I was outside I cannot comment much on the room scent. Mixture Flake is not the most complex or challenging tobacco, but holds its own as something I will keep around when I am in the mood for something spicy, sweet, and easy to smoke.

What's not to like? Balanced, pleasant, well constructed. A room note that won't send the ladies running for the door if smoked indoors. A good after-breakfast smoke, or with afternoon tea and cakes.

I find this flake version tastes exactly the same as the usual "ready rubbed" Scottish Mixture. (So read the reviews there to get a range of opinions on the taste of this tobacco.) If you find regular Scottish Mixture too hot, these flakes burn slightly cooler. For those who are new to smoking flake, this is a good one to start with as the flakes burn very nicely if "folded and stuffed" into the pipe bowl, and also rub out easily if that is the method you prefer. I find that it doesn't need a lot of drying- opening the tin is really all you need to do.

If you like your pipe tobacco to be made of strong defined elements that boldly announce their presence, this gentle mixture may not appeal. Or, if you are a dedicated Virginia smoker and enjoy finding subtle nuances of flavor, this is likely to be too cased. But, if you just like a pleasant mild smoke, give this "near aromatic" a try.

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Update 6/11/2009 After smoking this regularly for nearly two years, I enjoy it even more. I would now give it 4 stars, and it is contending for my "desert island" pick. The flakes burn very well, whether rubbed out or casually folded and stuffed into the pipe. (As before, I think this is the PEFECT flake for a beginning flake smoker to try. You just can't go wrong....) I have smoked bowl after bowl in one sitting, and each bowl offers a somewhat different experience. I have been complimented by both men and women on the room aroma- yet it doesn't seem like a sweet or flavored aromatic when smoked at all.

Appearance and Tin Aroma: Beautiful, mostly golden brown flakes, that smell sort of like honey and hay that come in a beautiful and classy square tin. This is Danish!

Packing and Lighting: It worked best for me to pack it just like the instructions that come in the tin explain: fold and stuff until pipe is full. Lighting is surprisingly easy. 2-3 lights max.

Initial Flavor: It starts out a little bright and grassy, the aromatic agent is there from the start too.

Mid-Bowl: Much better. Nice round flavor from all three leaves. The casing mixes well with the leaf flavor and is nicely balanced. The room aroma is pleasant. You must puff this gently or else you will get nipped.

Bottom of Bowl: If you puff gently, it ends with a decent amount of strength with no bitterness and the ash is dry, fine and grey.

Overall: I was first introduced to this blend by a friend who didn't tell me it was an aromatic, but that was ok due to the fact that this one was delicious! It is a well balanced blend in that the leaf and casing are both tasted without much fuss. The burley in this blend is wonderful as well. It does burn hot, though. You must start slowly and follow through slowly in order to get the most of this blend, otherwise you'll end up with a burnt tongue and wet pipe. This is the only aromatic I smoke regularly these days and you must dedicate a pipe because the casing will flavor the pipe. I found it worked well in pipes sized group 3-5. Give it a whirl!

An interesting mélange of a blend; seems to have a little of everything (well, not Latakia), not a lot of anything, other than solid flavor. Just enough Kentucky or dark fired to make it interesting. Not quite an aromatic in the sense I think of it at least, this is pleasant, solid, a little sweet, with a pleasant aroma. Not quite my preferred flavors, but I could see many enjoying it. A somewhat generic review, for a general (and generally good) blend.

It is quite fruity from the tin and sweet . When smoking the fruit taste is not noticeable except a little citrus . Cavendish dominant from the start which I don’t care for much . But this diminished as i got about a third down . Then it was the sweet bright Virginias and a little spice and brown sugar on down . The burley I Get a lot of on the bottom of the bowl . Changes a lot in a nice way . Sweet and citrus with spice and a wee nutty with vanilla and brown sugar , honey sums it up for me . No bite at all burns slow and steady . I stuffed this right into a large pot right from the tin with no problem. Perfect moisture . The aromatic topping is more medium than mild . 3 stars