Mac Baren 7 Seas Regular Blend

This particular tobacco is one of four I purchased from one of only two specialist tobacconists left in my end of Cornwall (Johnny's of Newquay). The reason for buying four is simply that being new to piping I'm still finding my feet as regards what tobacco suits me.

Straight from the pouch the baccy smells gorgeous, slightly burnt biscuit like with a hint of bonfire toffee. Not overly moist it packs and smokes very well indeed though with a few relights being needed but that is likely just me not quite having the technique quite perfect yet.

Certainly one to try and am so glad that I did. Shame it only come in 40g pouches though.

Pipe Used: Various 'basket' pipes + a rather nice Parker.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the pouch.

Purchased From: Johnny's of Newquay (Cornwall, UK).

Similar Blends: Similar but not as strong as Peterson's Luxury Blend.....another one worth trying..

These blends were supposedly brought out to compete against Captain Black. While this blend is quite tasty, I do like Captain Black better.

The top note is not over the top (excuse the pun). It has a nice chocolate flavor, but I taste the burleys. I would give this 2.5 stars if I could.

As always, I did mix this with 5 Brothers.

Excellent tin note, great room note, balanced flavors of chocolate, fruits and vanilla. Captain Black white label on steroids. Very little bite. I'm a big fan of Mac Baren, and this one doesn't disappoint. A great all day aromatic.

Good stock aromatic with a lot going for it.

I was hesitant to get this, 3.5oz for what I worried could be a bite-fest, and on opening my worries enhanced as its was very sweet and chocolate-laden to the nose.

Well packed, a little moist, but packing and firing it up was a nice surprise. Nothing goes wrong here, nothing to see. Sweet, but you can taste the tobacco, not bitey at all, nothing too special, really reminds me of IRC Black China.

Spectacular price for the quality. If you want something nice and pleasant that is sweet to the taste and produces a crowd-pleasing smoke, that is low maintenance and just all round easy, give it a while. Won't blow you away, but for what it is, very nice.

Reading the other reviews, I knew what I was going to get before I even buy the MB regular blend: a WAT (wife approved tobacco). Nice and tasty, very pleasant aroma and room note, easy to light, easy to smoke, overall a good tobacco that deserves its money. Yet, too mild for me, never gave me the feeling that I smoke something with any personality and at times it seemed flat and boring. The three stars are for its great price and its relatively good quality that makes it hard to ignore, particularly for beginners.

I highly recommend this brand. I have tried 1Q, Capt. Black, and McClelland's Town Topic for similar aromatic smokes but this one takes the cake. A very generous size tin considering the price for the 100g. I thought the quality of tobacco was very noticeable compared to the others that I have tried. The room note was better, the taste was better, and the overall experience to me was better than any of the other aromatics that I tried. I will definitely keep this in my rotation.

About once a year I get an urge to smoke an aromatic blend. I've been on a bit of a Mac Baren binge of late, working through tins of Dark Twist, Golden Extra, Symphony and finishing up with Burley; favourites, all. So when the desire for something different came over me, I reached for more Mac Baren: 7 Seas Regular.

It has been, perhaps, five years since I sampled their Vanilla Cream, but my memory of that blend seemed to match with the experience of smoking 7 Seas: very sweet, slightly fruity, and quite light on the tobacco experience.

If you like aromatics, I can't see how you couldn't like this. If you don't like aromatics, I can't see how this would win you over. I would prefer Stokkebye's bulk PS-24 for a vanilla and tobacco experience but as there are no more real pipe shops left in my hometown I can't pick up a small bag of it. Never thought I'd see the day...

I have read that McBaren developed the 7 seas series to compete with the Captain Black blends. If they did they were certainly successful. 7 Seas Reg not only tastes better, it isn't saturated with the gosh-awful propylene glycol that makes the Captain Black stuff a goopy mess.

In my opinion, it is slightly better than 7 Seas Royal.

I would have given 7 Seas Reg a 4 star rating but it does have a slight bite. Regardless of how tempting it is, I have to limit myself to 2 pipefuls per day to avoid being bitten.

the best in the 7 seas line. the flavorings are very nice and a tad on the sweet side which might be a no go for many pipers. though it is moist however it burns quite alrite. the room not is nice but will not overwhelm the place which might not please your surroundings (thats a draw back to me). but certainly an enjoyable tobacco and i would certainly recommend for aromatic lovers.