Mac Baren Golden Extra

I give Golden Extra 2 stars, but only because Burley London Blend, Amphora Original and Amphora Burley are 3 star, and I don't find Golden Extra as good as those three. For that matter you could proceed straight to 4 star HH Burley Flake.

Comparison to stablemates aside, it's a good smoke. It needs a relaxed pace or the tobacco can zing your tongue a little. It's smooth, mild and sweet Burley, with Virginia to add some high notes. It is totally devoid of rough or sour notes. Problem is, for Burley smokers who smoked prior to 2014, you're always going to compare this to BLB, and it just isn't as good as BLB. I will never understand why Mac Baren kept this and delisted BLB. It just doesn't make sense.

26June2021 updating to reflect that after getting my hands on some Burley London Blend I can smoke both and compare. The memory of BLB does not live up to the experience of Golden Extra. Turns out Mac Baren was right all along. Both good tobaccos, but GE gets the nod from me. Always willing to admit when I was wrong, one star added.

First take:

To me, this tastes like a mild burley with some milder Virginia. Maybe golden burley with a little Virginia extra.

I get a little grassiness in the finish at the back end of my tongue from the Virginia. Mostly, I thought this was a very pleasant easy smoking blend that couldn't be overpowered by puffing incessantly. Get it too cool, and it almost disappears. Definitely a blend that shines with big, full clouds of smoke.

The aftertaste is a little bit of hay and a teeny touch of campfire, making this a great blend to pair with a crisp fall evening.

2022-12-09 Update - 3 Years:

Recently, I've been making a concerted effort to pick the jars in the back of my cellar, and I tried Golden Extra again today. I gotta say this was more enjoyable than I remembered, but I have to conclude that this is still a pretty forgettable smoke.

It takes a bit of work to get it right. In order to find the Chocolate, I've got to get a lot of very cool smoke. If I just have one small ember going, I'm not going to find the Extra. If the bowl gets even a little hot, that Extra is gone as well. But when I get a good puff, it's very good. You know you hit it when you get a nice chocolate overtone to an otherwise flavorful smoke. It's hard to chase, though.

I don't believe that 3 years in the jar did that much for this blend. I think it's good to smoke new, and it's slightly better to smoke aged, but definitely not one you need to pack away to unlock.

Overall, the taste is mild, the chocolate is milder, and when it works, it's great. But most of the time the chocolate gets blown out. It's a decent Va/Bur in its own right. However, I am not going to re-up when I empty this jar. Happy to have tried it, though.

Golden Extra is a delight for the smoker and the audience. Nicely dry from the tin and easy to pack, light and smoke to the bottom of the bowl. A little bit of bite if smoked too intensely, fast and hot. Slow down and the reward is a nice tobacco flavor. I keep a couple of tins on hand and whenever it comes up in the rotation, I look forward to it like a visit with an old friend. Think of this as the smell of your grandfather's pipe tobacco when you were a child.

Golden Extra is a very forgiving blend.Not afraid to fill any of my Pipes,with GldnXtra.Most of my pipes are assigned to 1or2 Tobaccos.G-Xtra smokes well in any Pipe,and doesn't leave Funky Flavors behind. Good Natural Tobacco ! 🙂

As with all of MacBaren flake that I’ve tried, this is a recommend with 3 stars instead of the 4 I give most of their flake. It’s a well balanced all day smoke that can get hot if you’re not careful. I like it when I’m on my tractor mowing the couple of bucolic acres of mine. This tobacco is part of my regular rotation and I try to keep a spare tin as I keep my stash in Mason jars. This isn’t a complex smoke, but a good pipe tobacco doesn’t have to be . This is a solid 3+……..a working man’s pipe tobacco.

I’ve stated this in the past, and I’ll say it again now, there is something extraordinary about the choice of varietals that Mac Baren tenders within their blends. Perhaps an appropriate descriptor is “elevated” and just maybe Golden Extra serves the archetypic example of that belief. As a rather simple recipe of choice Burley and a golden Virginian strain that are skillfully cased and lightly flavored with a delicate cocoa/chocolate topping, the blend delivers a classic combination in savor. Clearly the natural and delectable nuances of the constituent tobaccos are the premier feature with its consumption.

Principally, whether from the tin or in bulk, the mellow smoking Golden Extra presents an impressive display of culturing. Thin deeply fermented strands of meticulously rubbed flake show an imaginative mask of veritable striping. Mainly, a deep brown/ebon hue permeates the prime of the mass as charming inflections of gold brilliancy provide mottling accent. Ultimately these finely pressed layers of tobacco exhibit an achieved marbling and dense graining only attainable through a considerable degree of optimum fusion. With this overall refined visage, Golden Extra’s presentation speaks volumes to the quality of its preparation.

In congruence with the noted physical attractiveness, a lovely balanced fragrance emanates from the collection of tobaccos. Despite the blend’s general simplicity, the olfactory senses are enlivened by an inviting scent of sweet-tart air that projects forward with inherent magnetism. Specifically, a rounded essence of seasoned grass, aged raisins/plums complementing the sweeter aroma of Burley nutty-wood affluence form the principal forward registration. This captivating effect is completed with a tinge of subtle sourness, passive notes of sugary chocolate, and a lower bready quintessence making the trailing personation exceptionally alluring.

Postured with an ideal moisture level, Golden Extra lends itself to an immediate application of bowl preparation. Given the loose composure of the rubbed fragments, the tobacco nicely slips into the chamber filling the internal geometry with minimal effort. The resulting effect is a densely packed wadding that burns decidedly slow and consistent making for an extended session of piping enjoyment.

Unquestionably Golden Extra lasts considerably longer than comparable blend types. Judging this mechanical attribute, in my opinion, it is indicative of superiority in processed mass and the blended tempering of the Burley. There are occasions where I have been known to take a recess mid-bowl only returning later to savor the remaining tobacco. What a prize!

One further observation of importance regarding the blend’s mechanical properties, which is the temperature. The mix can get a little warmer if the pace of draw is too quick. This causes not necessarily a bite but more of a mild tingling on the mid-tongue but nothing too invasive. However, with a moderate and sensible cadence this factor is largely minimized. Obviously, this preparation was designed to be leisurely appreciated.

All that being stated, the hallmark and most critical feature of the blend is its incredible taste profile. One could label it cultivated or selectively matured, but there is something magical about Mac Baren’s Burley flavor. Being a Burley-based mixture naturally these tobaccos are aptly showcased, however, the bundling of the Virginia’s influence merits recognition.

Essentially the Virginia pervades amid the rear perimeter of the taste band providing a cordial, sweetened complement thus softening an unthrottled boldness of Burley. Given the enhanced absorption properties of Burley, nonetheless, the integration of the Virginian impression is boosted within the meld of the two streams. They genuinely combine to form considerable depth in arriving at a seamless and tasteful amalgamation.

In themselves the strains of Burley are reminiscent of the mellowed undertones one finds in HH Burley Flake, or should that be the other way around given the chronology of the two blends? Primarily, Mac Baren tends to deploy common patent Burley sources within the breadth of its finished product assortment, so this is no shocker. I can only surmise that the strains originated from multiple global feedstocks as that is the Mac Baren norm. In this case perhaps African, Indonesian, Kentucky, or others, purely speculative.

Along those lines, the registration picks up comparable classic Mac Baren notes. Golden Extra is predominantly nutty yet a bit woodier in complexion than HH series product. This toasted brown sugary nuttiness models an almond-like persona, as rich molasses accenting, that gentle coveted sourness, dark plums notes and some natural cocoa from the White Burley enfold its spirited flavoring. With the retro hale additional nuance is created by a modest spicy earthen zest, truly delectable. Honestly speaking the concentration, ripe vitality, and expansive color of Golden Extra Burley flavor defines its worth within the genre.

Building out the remaining taste notes, the initial Virginia thrust comes in with some pandering tarty sweetgrass characteristics and progresses to more of robust aged flavor by mid-bowl. Once again, the strain’s contribution is secondary in nature. Additionally, colorful notes of toasty bread are projected in highlighted glory. As to the cocoa/chocolate topping, it is very subtle at best although distinguishable in modest term. Essentially it plays out beautifully to bring more soul and softness to the native varietals.

Finally, as smoked Golden Extra produces a creamy thick cloud of exquisite blue-gray vapor. The standard quality of its emergence is smoothly textured and abundantly smoky. An intimation of sweet nuttiness, softer tart grass, and docile wood project from a suspended presence. In general, the fragrant expressiveness of this blend is markedly tolerable and pleasant to the immediate room occupants. What I love the most about Golden Extra’s nose is that it carries that classic “pipey” aroma that I find so enthralling.

Reflecting on my thumbnail definition of a classic, hopefully my ramblings support the claim that Golden Extra demonstrates the filtering milestone characteristics of quality, longevity, and influence. I can honestly state that smoking a bowl of this mixture is a peaceful and entrancing endeavor. For myself, this a tobacco that I can truly lose myself in the moment. For longest time Golden Extra has brought extended gratification and pure smoking pleasure to my passion’s happiness. A classic exists to be esteemed by all for its intrinsic and perpetual value. I do hope my words of appreciation and re-discovery find their way into your pipe so that you will come to perceive the truth concerning Golden Extra.

Hanna Subjective Rating: 3.4 Objective Scoring (detailing standard genre attributes, mechanicals, and cost): 123/144 @ 85%

After indulging in a fair amount of Scottish mixture, I decided to explore the other Mac Baren broken flakes to see what I was missing. Between Mixture, Symphony, Golden extra, and VA #1, mixture is (in my opinion) still vastly superior, however I do have to commend all of these blends for their smokability. They are all solid, relatively well behaved, mild, and affordable smokes.

Golden extra is a nicely done, well cased, Danish style, burley forward blend. To my tastes it's very, very similar to symphony. I taste plenty of woody, chocolatey, nuttyness, and a little bit of bread and hay. The sweet topping melds nicely with the tobacco and makes for some mild complexity that holds throughout the bowl. A bit of a chocolate meets hay/citrus kind of deal. Mild to medium, burns flawlessly, bites very little (especially for a MacBaren blend) and has little nicotine, but enough to satisfy if smoked in a larger bowl.

Overall this is my second favorite behind Mixture (as far as the "broken flake bulks" go). A solid all day blend with a nice sweetness and just enough complexity to get you interested. Flawless performance and easy to smoke. Could make a good driving smoke, or a nice break between heavier nicotine, or Latakia heavy blends.

Back in February, a friend of ours at the pipe club brought this in that he had bought in bulk and did not care for. I was given a good 3 oz of this blend and might have smoked a bowl then but really do not remember. I came across it the other day and decided to smoke it tonight in a few corn cobs as all good Burleys should. Upon opening the jar, a nice chocolate/cacao smell greeted me and as others have said this was easy to pack in the pipe. I never bother with drying, personally I think it is useless but that is just my opinion on the matter. Maybe that is a topic I will Google in the future. This smokes nice and I have a tough time describing tobaccos in reviews but I know Burley when I smoke it and this was definitely Burley. A good smooth all day blend but I chose to use filters in my cobs as Mac Baren blends tend to bite me and I noticed if I started puffing fast there was a tendency to go in that direction. Been around since 1954 and has stood the test of time. I would not really even consider this an aromatic as the casing or topping was not very heavy and complimented the tobacco.

Golden extra is a very nice burley for casual puffing. Good quality leaf with a slight cocoa topping. The burleys are slightly nutty and earthy can you get some Virginia grass but, not so much tang. the tobaccos are presented in a nice broken flake that doesn't need any drying time at all. It's smooth and consistent from top to bottom and I experienced no harsh spots. Not as complex as HH Burley flake or as rich as ABF but it holds its own.