Mac Baren Symphony

I think I might review this further, as I only have had six bowlfuls, and these are more initial impressions. I'm really falling for this blend. The color in the tine is a brown ruddy-red color. Thick to thin broken flakes, and it smells spicy and wine like. It almost reminded me of Dunhill's Early Morning Pipe, ever so slightly. It doesn't smell as sweet as it does sour. I found it to be the perfect moisture and it packed well. Took to a flame very easy as well. Initially, a butter toast like flavor is dominant, followed by nutty-cashew like-flavors. Some sweet honey flashes in every once in a while. I have yet to find the chocolate note in the blend. Maybe it is to subtle for me. The Virginias do make their little citrusy presence known sparringly. I found this blend to be very mellow, light but flavorful. I was also surprised at how long this stuff burned, it goes on for quite some time. Burns evenly and down to a white-grey ash. It definitely has the the qualities of a classic blend. All in all, I highly recommend.

This review is for a 7 oz tin of Symphony from the late 1970's that I just opened. My tin had a few little dents and dings, but fortunately Macbaren packaged these large tins with the tobacco in a plastic bag, so the contents were in fabulous shape with no drying or damage. Very dark brown broken flake makes this a beautiful tobacco. Tin note is very sweet, mostly a honey smell. After 30 years, the flavors of the toasty burley, the dark cavendish, and the sweet virginias truely do combine to make a symphony on your taste buds. The burley is at the forefront, but I like this blend a lot better then other burley dominants that I have tried, e.g. London Burley. Flavor is sweet as expected, but you taste more natural sweetness from the virginias aging so long, rather than any syrupy sweetness. Flavoring is mostly drowned out by the fabulously mellow combination of tobaccos. Hearty smoke and good ashing. It seems that most of the neutral reviews of this tobacco hinge on tongue bite. Well, nothing like 30 years to eliminate that! I found that tongue bite was minimal even when pushing my pipe hard. A truely fabulous treat and an excellent every day smoke.

This is a favorite of mine. Broken flake cut that loads very easily. I Take a wad of it pinched on the sides and put that in the pipe. Break some up on top to make it easy to light. Bingo. The interplay of the three tobaccos is very balanced. I don't get any bite from it. Early on I did as I was loading it too loosely. Once loaded properly, it's a sweet satisfying smoke. Works better for me in smaller, medium pipes.

Update- I have gone back to loading all the Mac Baren classic blends very loosely in the bowl. Load the broken flake in and tap the bowl to settle it. Repeat until full with almost no downwards pressure. The smoke is more flavorful and nearly bite free for me. Tamp very lightly. The sweet chocolate, honey, hay and spice absolutely sing for me this way.

Delightful blend: round nutty flavor, faint hint of chocolate, and just enough of the MacBaren cavendish to be present without taking a nip at the tongue.

In the tin, this has a slight fermented aroma which comes across nicely in the smoke, particularly halfway through the bowl. In bulk, that fermented note is absent but it's still a fine smoke. In either tin or bulk form, it's a chunky broken flake that I find best to crumble before smoking. Generally a full brown color with just a little tan here and there.

This can smoke a bit warm, and the MacBaren spicy cavendish has a tendency to nip in every blend I've had it in. It is much less pronounced than in the roll cake style blends, so it's a little easier to live with Symphony than say Dark Twist. And like all the blends with this MacBaren style cavendish, the tingle is strongest on initial light then blends in after a few draws. But still, it requires a little discipline to not over-puff.

I can see how the burley base used here turns into dark fired Kentucky for MacBaren Old Dark Fired / Bold Kentucky, there's a familiarity - without all the punch of the dark fired varieties. Just an interesting observation I suppose.

All in all, a great blend that I enjoy almost daily.

I really enjoy this blend. It's very natural and 'woodsy' to me. It tastes fantastic in my custom briar pipe. The wood/tobacco flavor is very enjoyable.

The aftertaste is also enjoyable and it has gone well with whatever I have after smoking. (Gummies, chocolate, coffee)

Enjoyed this blend so much I've stocked up. Look forward to trying it out after aging.

I bought this tobacco with my first pipe from Barclay and Rex in NYC, along with a tin of Dunbar from Esoterica Tobacciana. The description underneath the tin said that this was the "aria" of aromatics. Upon opening the tin, I was very pleasantly surprised by the wonderful odor. It is nothing like what I'm used to as a cigarette and occasional cigar smoker. That being said, I didn't enjoy it at first. It seemed very strong and harsh. Later that day, I smoked some of the Dunbar and thought it was more mild and pleasant. My girlfriend agreed that the smoke from Dunbar smelled "smoother". However, I must say... it's been about 3 weeks since my purchase, and I've come to love this blend. You have to smoke it slowly and patiently, plain and simple, and it gives off the most delightful flavors and aromas. When I'm finished smoking it, I like to have a good wiff of the empty pipe bowl. It's really nice, and I now prefer it to Dunbar, so please give this one another try! It really deserves a better rating. I did notice it was pretty moist on the first opening, but I assume it's the same with all tobaccos and you can either dry it a little or fluff up the tin and let it sit for a bit. Eventually the tin dries out a little, and it's easier to smoke. I love this stuff and I will definitely be buying more Mac-Barren blends.

This blend doesn't get the credit it deserves. Delicious mild Burley, sweet Virginia, Cavendish and a chocolate topping that is mild and brings out the tobacco. If you smoke this easy you'll get a cool, sweet, dry, mild smoke. The cocoa note enhances this blend and doesn't detract from the tobacco taste. A honey taste comes from the Virginia and Cavendish. It's not aa goopy aromatic, it more like the Dutch Cavendish blends offered back in the day, aka Troost...This can be an all day smoke and will bring back memories of your grandfather smoking his pipe.

At Mac Baren, they know their Burleys! This is, with GL Pease Barbary Coast, one of the best Burley mixtures I have had the pleasure to enjoy. Being medium brown in colour with golden leaf, I believe it contains both Dark and White Burley. It displays aromas of nuts, chocolate and I can recognize MB's special Cavendish aroma which is honey sweet. The cut is partially Rubbed-Out flakes and the moisture level is on the low side. The tobacco is ready to smoke right away. A. Strength: Strength refers to the intensity of the nicotine. It's mild to medium. During the first third, it's closer to the Mild spectrum. Afterwards, it's really between Mild and Medium. B. Flavoring: There is most likely a sweet flavouring contributed by MB's special Cavendish. C. Taste: Burley releases subtle flavour ranges. It takes some time for the smoker to be able to discern what this leaf has to offer. It is never complex but when your sense of taste has developed some and you show patience, you will be rewarded with a moment that features mild flavour ranges of nuts and chocolate. Around mid-bowl, it also offers an earth quality that is almost cigar-like. With the addition of their Cavendish and some Virginia, I find Symphony to be more interesting than Golden Extra; as it also offers sweetness (which makes itself present throughout the bowl) that is most pleasant; and which does not bury the Burley flavours but, rather, enhance them. MB's Burleys are much more refined and elegant than C&D's, for example, which are too strong and often harsh. D. Room Note: It is on the soft side, not very discernable after 10 or 15 minutes of smoking. E. Rating: If you are seeking an elegant Burley tobacco, you must try Symphony. It is well balanced; is not too harsh like some and has no chemical aftertaste such as some of the OTC offerings. It burns very well to the bottom and leaves no moisture. True lovers of Burley will be in heaven. 3.75 stars.