Tobaccos Mac Baren - 7 Seas Royal Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2013-12-06		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This blend falls victim, as many aromatics do, to being reviewed against type. In this case Mac Baren was going for something very specific with the 7 Seas blends, and it makes no sense to review these in a vacuum and ignore that fact. Comparing this, for example, to the HH Line is like comparing a fruit smoothie and a steak as if they were the same thing. In this case the 7 Seas blends are reflections of very traditional american style aromatics. Within that context I think that they are very good (perhaps the best currently offered) reflections of that style of pipe tobacco. A significant caveat is that Mac Baren uses a base of virginia for these blends instead of burley. I personally like the result, as I find that they retain the American style and flavor, but offer a more well-rounded smoking experience with a little more depth of flavor and sweetness. Of course, they still use burley as well, so that flavor component is retained.

A major difference in my estimation is that flavor and quality of the cavendish. The cavendish found in american blends is often awful, with a strange odor and strong flavor that funks pipes and leaves an aftertaste. Mac Baren has a very fine cavendish which leaves no aftertaste, has softer, purer tobacco flavor, and has better smoking characteristics in that it burns and lights readily.

With respect to the burn characteristics of this blend, I find it is a nice smoke. It packs and lights easily, and stays lit without much effort. Of course, like most blends everything works better when it is not dripping wet. While I think the humidity is good out of the tin, I prefer to dry it out a little. I am surprised at the comments describing this as hot or harsh. It is neither, and if that is what you are experiencing it is most likely due to your technique, and not the tobacco. Sometimes mouth chemistry can be an issue as well, but as a baseline all of the 7 Seas blends are very mild in terms of tongue bite.

This is a mild blend, and Mac Baren describes it as such. The flavor is described as having vanilla and honey. I would agree that it is a very mild smoke, both in tobacco and aromatic flavor. This is pretty typical of American style aromatics, especially those which are not laden with artificial flavors and humectants.

You could describe this as a four star blend in the sense that it accomplishes exactly what Mac Baren intended for it, which is a very mild American style aromatic smoke. I give it two stars because it lacks any wow factor which makes it exceptional, but that should not be interpreted as a strike against the blend. I believe it to be superior in quality, for example, in every sense, to the Boswell aromatics which receive an unwarranted level of esteem, where they as a small tobacco shop merely buy and mix a bulk tobacco product and spritz it with flavors. The virginia used in the 7 Seas blends is unique, for example, and not something that Boswell could ever achieve or offer. There are some interesting videos online where you can watch and hear about the care that Mac Baren took into making this product in an American style.

If you are looking for a mild aromatic smoke that smells nice and will not offend, this is a nice choice. The quality of the leaf and final product is far superior to drugstore blends, and this is reflected in the experience. FYI I give the 7 Seas Regular 3 stars as I feel that it has a richer flavor while still being a cool, mild smoke. Nothing wrong with the Royal, though, and if you are looking to try some aromatics in this style I would include it in your tasting flight.

Pipe Used: Kai Nielsen Billiard

Age When Smoked: 1.5 years

31 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2016-02-26		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The Virginia provides rather tart and tangy citrus and mild grassiness with a little honey as it forms the base for the other components. The burley is nutty, earthy, woody, molasses sweet with a drop or two of cocoa, and well compliments the Virginia as a supporting player. The lightly sweet black cavendish offers a very mellow brown sugar that underscores the experience. I’m not sure about the topping, but it’s mildly fruity with a little caramel, maple and sugar. Has a mild nic-hit. The strength is mild, and the taste is half way between mild and medium. The moisture level out of a freshly opened tin is perfect. Burns cool and clean at a moderate pace with a creamy smooth well balanced, very consistent flavor from start to finish. Has no dull or harsh spots, and it won’t bite. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Has a lightly lingering, very pleasant after taste and room note. An easy going all day smoke that doesn’t wear out its welcome to those who don’t want a highly charged aromatic.

-JimInks

27 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CnS Pipes (40)	2017-12-29		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

7 Seas Royal Vs. Captain Black Royal really people!!! Not hardly there not even compatible to say at the least, this is night and day and for good reason, its Mac Baren with there hands in this one, a wonderful aromatic indeed and stands alone. What a great taste the topping is unique in every sense a fruity hint and slight and I mean slight dash of vanilla that seems to have a alcohol presents but settles in the Cavendish so well it blows my mind how smooth and sweet this blend is. When I smoke it I will really ponder on how complex this really is and how it changes as you smoke down the bowl its never boring. I love how it picks up a fire cured tobacco taste near the middle end of it and that keeps me coming back for more. Mac Baren always makes a great aromatic and there technique to it is highly respected by me for being a big pipe tobacco producer quality is not lost. For the beginner this a great blend to start with and for the years long pipe smoker a great blend to throw into rotation never getting boring. This blend is very smooth its not light but smooth and do be careful because it does steam but just letting it dry out for awhile will take care of that one. It is not a goopy mess unless your a human locomotive puffy on the pipe like you have a deadline to make, that's how most of these cry babies burn there tounges. I would recommend this wonderful aromatic to anyone and will satisfy even the most picky unless your trendy, the way some of these guys talk about good pipe tobacco blends makes me imagine that they shove a Opus X in there pipe every morning lol!!! But really do give this a try you will be very pleased, I know I am keep up the good work Denmark.

Taste Description In Detail: Upon lighting I get a hint of figs and raisins with vanilla slightly in the background, the modern cavendish only made by Mac Baren gives a sweet taste that is smooth and allows the Virginia tobacco to be pronounced and the burley gives off a almost neutral nutty taste that rounds this blend out but does not dominate it, as you smoke on you will notice a chocolate as I notice because it shines through but will round itself off with the natural tobacco taste that deepens as you smoke it down the bowl and will build a robust body but maintain its taste all the way through giving off a nice roomnoteand moderate nicotine level. Mac Baren has been the masters of topping fruit oils and vanilla with hints of liquor throughout some of there aromatics and 7 Seas Royal is one of those blends. Mac Baren also uses all natural flavors for there toppings so no artificially made fake junk is used which is always nice to know and they stick to the strict laws the EU guidelines of additives they can use allowing the pipe smoker to be at ease with Mac Baren products.

Pipe Used: Corn Cob and Fe.ro Peterson

Age When Smoked: 39

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Its Mac Baren so it stands alone and does not taste like Captain Black Royal at all in anyway, shape or form..

13 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2015-11-15		Very Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

OK,4 stars,, Well done MB... This is simply a classic aromatic, the likes of which have, no doubt, caught the attention of many through the years and eventually leading them to become pipe smokers. There is some true VA taste in the background with a moderate aromatic flavoring, Not sure what it is, but it doesn't really matter to me, I just like it. The cavendish is the Dominant force here but along with the VA does provide mild tobacco taste to solidify the blend. This is a "Back to Basics" classic aromatic. A great example of an industry revisiting its roots while using quality tobacco.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2015-03-24		Extremely Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

The back cavendish was steamed pretty well because it is light and lends no body, just the unique flavoring that was sweet and maybe a little on the Vanilla side? The Burley and Virginia barely come through and are extremely light in taste. Needs to be puffed slowly. I tried to puf too fast in order to gather in more flavor and the tongue got nipped a bit.

Pipestud

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stutter818 (51)	2014-05-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This is the 2nd tobacco I tried since I began pipe smoking. Upon opening the tin, I could finally see and smell the difference between tobaccos, having only ever seen or tasted cigarettes. It smells sweet, with hints of raisins or dates. It's moist - could use a little drying out. Can get bitey and bitter. Smoking, the flavour isn't too bad, mild, but nothing too spectacular. I will come back to this in a few months while I make my journey around the world of pipe tobacco.

-- update -- very nice easy going aromatic. Enjoyed it a lot more after becoming a little more exposed to pipe smoking and different tobaccos!

Pipe Used: Missouri meerschaum pride

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipes and cigars online

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2081)	2014-03-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Mac Baren - 7 Seas Royal.

Re-reviewed 18/03/2018.

Mid size ribbons containing a little less black Cavendish than Virginia and Burley. It has an aromatic aroma, albeit, not too strong. Moisture's good.

The smoke seems to be more of a 'sprightly' aromatic, rather than a sticky, heavy, one. Honey and citrus fruit form the leading aromatic flavour, with just a touch of vanilla. The tobacco flavour also leans toward the lighter side of aromatics. The black Cavendish doesn't hog the smoke with its sticky character, instead the Virginia leads with sharpness and the Burley occupies second place. It burns well, and is of a medium temperature.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

7 Seas Royal? An 'ok' smoke but not a great smoke. Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Various

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rafalgdansk87 (12)	2018-03-30		Mild	Very Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I love this tobacco. Quite similiar to Captain Black but burns better, cooler and aroma is also stronger, full of sweet caramel, rum and vanilla notes. If you like aromatic tobaccos, I strongly reccomend to try 7 Seas.

Pipe Used: Chacom Bent

Similar Blends: Lane Limited - Captain Black Regular.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kent (2)	2015-07-23		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

After reading the mostly negative reviews of this tobacco, I feel compelled to add my opinion. By way of background, I've been a pipe smoker since 1969 and smoke aromatics almost exclusively. But rather than repeat what others have said, I'll just say that my take on Mac Baren's 7 Seas Royal blend is exactly as that expressed by Griffonwing. This is a wonderful smoke in every regard and one my favourite tobaccos.

Pipe Used: Savinelli, Brebbia, Ser Jacopo, Vauen

Age When Smoked: 64

Purchased From: Iwan Ries & Co.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigarcohiba (36)	2014-04-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

A nice over the counter aromatic pipe tobacco. The proper pace needs to be found in order to enjoy. When smoked too fast it gives a tongue bite, acidic, taste. A very nice room note.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Patryk Georgevitch (11)	2013-12-30		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Nice flavor in the beginning. Fills very well in the bowl, tends to burn really hot and give a tongue bite if smoked quickly, a bit tricky to find the perfect speed of smoke. A LITTLE ADVICE: DRY THE CONTENT OF A BOWL FOR 30 MINUTES PRIOR TO SMOKING! The only real downside to it is that it looses its aromas once half the bowl have been smoked! yet, pleasant and enjoyable.

Pipe Used: Vauen, Chacom, Peterson

Age When Smoked: 1 year

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-11-26		Mild	Mild	Mild	Tolerable

I received a pouch of this stuff with a pipe order. It starts off with some tastes of maple syrup, and gradually picks up faintly the taste of caramel. This second note was actually quite pleasant, although it only lasted a small fraction of time. The bowl burned too hot for the 2nd half of the smoke, and it developed a bitter/acrid bite. Quite disappointing, even though it was free. I'd bump the review up a star had that pleasant caramel flavor lasted. Alas, this novice gives the review he has.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Contemplative (29)	2018-04-21		Mild	Medium to Strong	Full	Strong

Recommended by an old chap who looks and sounds exactly like Uncle Albert in 'Only Fools and Horses.' Non-UK readers probably won't get the reference.

Only had two pipefuls, straight from the pouch, but would like to convey first impressions.

A brilliant aromatic, the best I can remember. Smells molasses sweet. Not too moist or too dry in this pouch, and the tobacconists had just had a delivery. Lights well, smokes evenly and slowly. A pipeful will last you a good 30 minutes at least. Delicious taste and aroma. I usually prefer non-sweet tobaccos, and haven't much liked MB products in the past, but they've come up trumps with this one. Will give update later.

Pipe Used: Cheapo Italian - 'PJ Special'.

Age When Smoked: Fresh as bought.

Purchased From: Pilgrims Shop newsagents/tobacconist, Burgate, Canterbury, Kent, UK.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2013-12-02		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Unnoticeable

"A soft and exceptionally mellow smoke. Delightful, aromatic taste. A true pleasure journey." So say the folks from MacBaren. Now, let me correct them, "A harsh and exceptionally non-descript smoke. Disgustful, aromatic taste. A real nightmare." My throat was sore for three days after smoking this blend, and it ghosted one of my pipes.

Why couldn't I find a better pipe/tobacco shop in Paris, France? It's not that I didn't try (the one I went to was recommended by several people. To protect the innocent, I'll leave it nameless, but will say it was located very close to the Louvre. Their pipe selection was fine, but not so with their tobacco, a real disappointment on that count). I purchased a pouch of this stuff because of MacBaren's generally good reputation for quality pipe tobacco—this is not one of them.

Pipe Used: Butz Choquin Canadian

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: A pipe/tobacco store in Paris, France.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Susanna Hoffs (74)	2011-09-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Upon opening the pouch this stuff did smell similar to Regular blend (Chocolatey/vanill'ish) , however there was a very slight hint of aniseed, spice and 'Old fashioned Clan' (Not the modern day toxic waste abortion that is currently peddled out by Theodore Neywhatshisname). It should be noted though that these latter notes were very subtle. To me at least.

The contents of the 40gm pouch contained a rough cut ribbon mixture of quite dry tan and dark coloured leaves.

When I do somke Macbaren's blends I usually smoke them with a 9mm carbon filter, as I find this generally can round off the harshness that can come with a lot of Macblowtorch's blends.

Initial light was relatively mild and pleasant, again there were similar notes to the 7 Seas Regular blend that I have previously tried. For example there was again the chocolatey aroma, however there was also this little spice that I cannot recall from regular blend. The initial 'Old fashioned Clan' note disappeared from all senses after lighting, though there did remain a wee trace of aniseed.

Unfortunately Royal blend seemed to come with a heavier hit of harshness than the Regular blend which at times could be harsh but only when puffed aggressively. Even with the filter, Royal blend seemed more inclined to misbehave.

Taken for what it is, and the price market it's aimed at it's an ok sort, but I wont buy it again. I do prefer 7 Seas Regular if given the choice, and I'm yet to try 7 Seas Gold.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-02		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I never buy the same aromatic twice, and this is no exception. I'm not sure why I bother sometimes. As with any aromatic, the room/car/air around you smell fantastic throughout your smoke. But as you churn on: -the flavorings coat your tongue -the moisture saturates the lower half and really heats up -after the quarter of the bowl, the only ones enjoying your smoke are the people around you.

Beginning pipe smokers, Do not shy away from nor be intimidated by English/Balkan/Virginia blends. Do not let anyone convince you that aromatics are where to start. This stuff belongs in Black and Milds. Any time I buy a cliche aromatic such as this, I'm cleaning my pipes with alcohol the next day and vowing never to try them again.

This is the third Mac Baren blend I have smoked and disliked. Very disappointing.

Head for G.L. Pease or Cornell and Diehl if you want to find out just how delicious tobacco can be on its very own without the help of flavor and casings. Thank me later.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-17		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

The tobacco in pouch looks and feels like captain black royal. it is even as damp. Why would you copy crap? I wonder.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (71)	2017-10-03		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

A delightful blend indeed, 7 Seas Royal is pleasant surprise. Nutty burleys with a touch of cocoa sweetness upon a foundation of sweet hay and citrus virginias. The cavendish smooths the blend and lends a touch of sugar. The topping is difficult to discern, but I get something like honey, sugar, and something more. The fact that this blend is expertly flavored to allow the natural tobacco flavors to shine is definitely something to appreciate. An all day smoke that might be appreciated by the experienced pipe smoker looking to indulge a hankering for something sweet. I can see how this blend might fall short for the Lane BCA smoker. This one is just shy of 4 stars. Recommended.

Pipe Used: MM Cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doudeijns (19)	2017-04-19		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I like to smoke non aromatic tobacco because the first aromatic I ever smoked gave me such a fright. I still wake up nights thinking that my tongue has frayed. However, this one is almost pleasing to the tongue.

I've bought 4 pouches because they were old stock and old price, half of today's price. I planned to blend it with some semois but as it smells good enough to eat I decided to smoke it pure first.

I first packed a billiard and did not get any pleasure out of it. Then tried it in a wider and shallower conical bowl and experienced a very mild smoke albeit without much taste to speak of. I now reserve a very wide and shallow bowl for it to wrestle some taste out of the tobacco.

I don't see much aroma here. It's a very smooth and easy tobacco and if dried a bit, very gentle, too. I can see an all day though not so inexpensive smoke that doesn't require any attention and doesn't distract.

The reason for my experience might be the age of the tobacco. It came fresh and just a bit moist out of the pouch. I did notice that it's very dark, all of it. Deep dark brown with black Cavendish, impossible to tell the Virginia from the burley by their colour. Apparently, the blend has merged and mellowed.

As I'm writing it occurs to me that I might try it in a large pipe. I'll try that and update the review.

UPDATE: a Big pipe isn't a good idea at all. Condensation accumulates in the bottom of the bowl causing at first unpleasant sensations on the tongue and then a taste of a wet cloth that has been lying around for too long.

I'll try a bit more in bowls around 20mm wide and no deeper than 33mm. A Falcon perhaps? And I'll try to trade it against flakes. Perhaps the stuff doesn't age well, in spite of the Cavendish.

A Small Half Bent gives the best results, lots of creamy smoke and a tiny bit of taste.

Pipe Used: Billiards, conical bowls, large poker

Age When Smoked: two years in original sealed pouch

Purchased From: local tobacconist

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	paulw (76)	2016-03-18		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Bought 2 oz of this blend. I was surprised about the quality.The pouch smell was great.The smoke tasted very good, and the room note was very pleasant.The tobacco reminded me of a very elegant Captain Black Royal.The tobacco was of better quality and it did not bite like Captain Black Royal which was a surprise also.I highly recommend it and can not wait to try a few other of the seven seas blends.

Pipe Used: Olive wood pipe

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars

Similar Blends: Captain Black Royal, and Lane's 1 Q.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-10-22		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

One thing I can say about this tobacco is that I will be keeping some stored for a long time...because I just do not like this stuff. I drifted away from aromatics after smoking this tobacco and have found so many other tobaccos that I like a lot. The taste of this blend is extremely underwhelming, and the only way I can get flavor is by smoking it hot. Then I get bit. I have a feeling this will get better with age and also smoke a bowl here and there just for a change of pace.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tom Bombadill (121)	2011-09-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Smooth, sweet , satisfying, no tongue bite problems. Not a goopy aromatic. Somewhere between goopy-over-flavored/overly-sweet and a light aromatic blend. Underneath the light flavoring, there's a nice toasty cavendish flavor and a slight almost salty taste. Enjoyable. Quality tobaccos make this a nice step up from similar Captain Black blends. Vanilla flavor of course. I enjoyed 7 Seas regular more. A great blend for the new aromatic smoker. An easy option for the more advanced.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Green Leaf (15)	2019-09-27		Very Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This an example of a tobacco that has an exceptional aroma but an underwhelming smoke. If it tasted as good as it smells this would be my go to tobacco. It’s performs well in public but I can’t help but think something is missing. I don’t regret my purchase but once all of it has been smoked away I can’t imagine picking it up again.

Pipe Used: Corn Pipe

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Meerschaum Piper (3)	2019-09-04		Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I have been smoking this blend in my weekly rotation over the past month and decided to really examine it closely this week. I picked this blend for the name of the maker and I also wanted to try the 7 Seas Blends. This is the first one of the 7 Seas Blends that I have tried. I usually don't smoke an aromatic tobacco, but I wanted to sample some just for a change. The tin note smells like chocolate and cream to me and it is inviting to the senses. As I smoked it the chocolate flavoring and smell came through from the beginning until the end of the bowl. It tasted and smelled like I was sipping on a cup of creamy hot chocolate and I was not disappointed. The taste is very mild which I like, and the room note is mild as well and lingered for awhile after the smoke was over. I was impressed by the amount of thick leathery smoke this tobacco produces, which again is inviting and it burned very slowly. A bowl of an English blend or a Virginia tobacco lasts me about 20 minutes in this pipe bowl and this Royal Blend was still going almost 35 minutes later which was impressive. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this tobacco and will keep it in my weekly rotation. I would recommend this blend to you if you're looking for a smooth, mild smoke which you can sit back and enjoy without watching it closely. I am anxious to try the other Mac Baren 7 Seas Blends which I have purchased!

Pipe Used: Brebbia Sun Meerschaum lined pipe

Age When Smoked: One Month Old

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jean (2)	2019-03-18		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Great smell to open the package, came with a good moisture. The tobaccos seem to be of good quality. The room note is excellent, my wife praised it. The qualities end here. I think the biggest problem is the additives. Hot burning, at first the tastes are very good, but in the end loses the candy, gets bitter and bites the tongue a lot, probably because of the excess of chemicals. I usually go with some cold drink, but the bite that this tobacco causes disappoints me. I had the same problems with Gold. Probably will not buy more. Captain Black seems to have fewer chemicals, not that it's a big tobacco, but I think it's better than this. Note: I used the internet translator, so I apologize if you are difficult to understand what I wrote.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steden (100)	2018-09-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Royal has been my third attempt with 7Seas line after Regular and Golden, sadly the former always left me with a sore throat and the latter with an unpleasant mouth-feel. Not sure if that's because of the chemicals imployed, a cosmic conspirancy or something but those problems has been predictable after every bowl! Royal is similar to Golden: not a real bite proneness, just an innatural mouth-feel after the smoke such as some medicine do. A pity because the flavor profile (the honey-fruity already mentioned by many) is rather pleasant, when dried out it becomes far friendlier but... At this point my experience perfectly mirrors that of Patryk Georgevitch: it looses its aromas. Bottom line: despite my personal incompatibility, I’d say: try Royal yourself; flavor-wise it’s rather interesting. Me? well, I’m tempted to skip-over every current and future 7Seas offering but I know that curiosity will get the better of me, so I reserve to try Black (not too soon though). Just in the name of science, of course.

Similar Blends: 7 Seas Golden Blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	guitar2mw (92)	2015-08-15		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This isn't a bad smoke at all. I feel that one needs to appreciate this blend - and the other Mac Baren 7 Seas lineup - for what they are instead of trying to fill in what they are NOT. These blends were not designed to be gourmet, boutique-style blends with exotic flavors or tobaccos. They were designed to be straight-up aromatics, and this blend does a pretty good job of it.

Upon opening the tin, it reminded me a lot of Captain Black but with less topping. It was cut like most other Mac Baren blends, and packed and lit fine. It has more tobacco taste than other aromatics in this particular category, and this is especially true toward the end of the bowl. You have to smoke this one slow though, because the fair amount of VA's will cause it to bite if you aren't careful. The room note is great and it reminds me of the classic American aromatics. I would rather smoke this than many other aromatics on the market if given the choice, and it does the job it was designed to do. Pick up a tin and try it out.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Unknown

Purchased From: Gift from a friend

Similar Blends: Captain Black Royal, Borkum Riff Black Cavendish.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Vrikkian (8)	2014-10-16		Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

A very underwhelming tobacco. It's an aromatic that doesn't wow in any way. It light smooth and burns well, but the taste and flavor are nearly nonexistent. For being a big selling brand you could do a lot better. Macbaren themselves have a lot better blends too, so don't waste your time on this. I can barely get any taste from this and I've smoked a full pouch.

Pipe Used: Sandblasted poker

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Got for free at trade show

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-11-30		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

what a wonderful aroma. Caramel and brown sugar for sure. Unlike what other fellow pipe friends are saying I did not find this blend the same as Captain Black royal. It is certainly a Mac Baren aromatic, similar IMHO to vanilla cream loose cut. Does not have the loose cut plugs though. Moisture contents for me was alright. The blend is beautiful to see... Golden and black leaves meld together. Packs nicely on one of my adorable Vauen's. Lights easily. Room note is pretty decent. Nicotine contents is medium, not light like others perceived. Taste is good, sweet, did not burn very hot for me, blue velvety smoke, by mid to end of bowl some smokiness perceived, of course I am not talking latakia here...but a decent tobacco flavour. Liked it very much. A decent aromatic for sure.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2012-06-02		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

similar to RPL-6 and captain black royal in their sweetness and fruity notes but certainly not CUBE fruity. the aroma is acceptable to many (which is always very subjective to people). the tobacco holds the fire perfectly and smoke on the mild side. if you like your tobacco mild with a sweet touch to it, i recommend this blend.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-10		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I was very hesitant, based on the reviews, to give 7SR a try. But, curiosity is what it is. And I have discovered a high quality, soft and tasty aromatic that I might just buy again. Very similar to Captain Black Royal in its composition and aroma, the comparison stops there: 7SR does not bite like CBR, does not have a chemical taste and aftertaste, smokes dry and has taste when smoked.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-08-13		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Just receieved my 100 grams tin today. Opened the tin and wow - what a wonderful aroma. Caramel and brown sugar for sure. Unlike what other fellow pipe friends are saying I did not find this blend the same as Captain Black royal. It is certainly a Mac Baren aromatic, similar IMHO to vanilla cream loose cut. Does not have the loose cut plugs though. Moisture contents for me was alright. The blend is beautiful to see... Golden and black leaves meld together. Packs nicely on one of my adorable Vauen's. Lights easily. Room note is pretty decent. Nicotine contents is medium, not light like others perceived. Taste is good, sweet, did not burn very hot for me, blue velvety smoke, by mid to end of bowl some smokiness perceived, of course I am not talking latakia here...but a decent tobacco flavour. Liked it very much. A decent aromatic for sure.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2022-07-31		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

As I slowly approach the end of my journey across the 7 seas (I am smoking and reviewing all in the line), I have to remind myself to keep the purpose of these tobaccos in mind.

This series is an attempt to upscale the traditional American style aromatic, and in that mission, Mac Baren has knocked it out of the park. These blends for me, are a refinement and sophistication on the Captain Black blends. That being said, at the end of the the day, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it is till a duck. It may be a prettier or more sophisticated duck, but it is what it is. These are very heavily cased aromatic blends, and they behave exactly as you would expect them to.

As always, the tin note is just heavenly, and the room note matches. This is a very wet blend. I let it sit out for about 1.5 hours before fire hit leaf and that amount of time barely made a dent. For me, this would be a blend I would set out the night before. A little crispy is always better than sopping.

While the moisture level made it hard to get going, it genuinely surprised me with how well it stayed lit. I expected many more relights based on the moisture level.

This was pleasant for the category it sits in. While this is not the type of blend I usually enjoy, inside of the heavily cased aromatic world, these 7 seas blends perform as good as any in the class.

If this type of blend is your thing, I expect you would love this line. I personally believe these are way better than the captain black line, but the nostalgia factor is so hard to beat.

Pipe Used: Designer Berlin Sandblast

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2022-06-07		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant

I had a hard time with this blend as it was a good one with plenty of what you would expect from a decent burley-cavendish- Virginia tobacco. It burns cool and clean, never bites, but the flavoring is over the top just a bit for me. I have a tin that I use to collect what doesn’t make it into the pipe and I thought this blend added a good roundness with that mish-mash, but on its own, it gives me palate fatigue. Again, it’s a good tobacco so I’ll give it a 2 and a half and let you decide.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: 4/21

Purchased From: Smokers Discount World in N. Windham Ct

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Elsayyed (14)	2021-01-15		Extremely Mild	Strong	Mild	Pleasant

ill be reviewing these in comparison to other aromatics smoked in briar pipe.

bought it from a local store for 5.33 usd. thought its an upgrade from cb royal. upon opening the pack i was greated with a wonderful smell of nail polish and some acetone with a whiff of chocolate. from the looks of this propylene glycol soup i just knew i had to leave it in a plate for 2 days to dry out. after packing light i had trouble lighting it eventually... voila i can blow a mildly sweet ashtray flavoured steam. as a pipe tobacco aromatic it failed from every aspect try selling it as hooka tobacco it may work . would recommend 7 seas regular, cb original or any other european style aromatic they are much better .

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ocelot (33)	2020-11-04		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This aromatic was biting like hell. It was very wet out of the pouch, but even after some drying time it did not have a better taste and less biting. The smell from pouch was wonderful, but it wasn´t worth for that pain.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrNapoleon (10)	2020-09-24		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Royal blend is another very good aromatic from MacBaren, which captivates with a wonderful smell from the tin. The sweetness is the most noticeable, which most probably comes from chocolate and honey-vanilla notes with a very distinct hint of liqueur. Oh, great experience! Several times a day, I swing the inside of the jar into which I poured this tobacco.

Humidity, for me, at the right level, although I must admit that I am not a fan of too dry tobacco. However, it is worth shredding it before packing, because then it burns easily, slowly and, for a MacBaren, quite cool. Also does not leave condensate. It definitely shouldn't bite.

The taste is unexpectedly deep. Of course, you shouldn't expect an experience like e.g. with Bobs Ch Flake from Gawith. The most noticeable from the very beginning seems to be sweet dessert chocolate, with a hint of honey and vanilla and a liqueur sticking to the back all the time. About halfway through the bowl, the sweetness disappears, giving way to tea - like, grassy, ​​woody Virginia. It is all wonderful indeed.

Definitely recommendable aromatic for a everyday smoke, which in terms of price / quality ratio is second to none, just like the others from the 7 seas series.

EDIT: After two bulks im tired, this is just too much sweet like a whole jar of nugat cream eat at once. Must say that i was also very bored smoking it at the end. I need a break, very long break. In fact im not sure if thata break will ever come to the end. And because of that im oblige to change my rating to four stars.

Pipe Used: BPK pipe churchwarden

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Home Town shop

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Amarelo (25)	2020-07-23		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The weaker of the 7 seas blends to be easily found here in Brazil. The fruit and liquor aromatics are heavy and don't add a thing to the tasteless tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LoutreMJ (14)	2020-07-03		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

[FRENCH]

A la sortie de la blague, le 7 Seas Royal Blend nécessitait un petit temps de séchage. je le trouve légèrement gras au toucher, avec une odeur mélangeant de la liqueur (plutôt du rhum), du sucre, et une pointe de vanille très subtile. Facile à bourrer dans la pipe, relativement facile à allumer, il se consume très bien. Au fumage, un goût prononcé de tabac aromatisé à l'alcool et au sucre, très agréable, touches qui ont tendance à disparaître à la fin du bol (dernier quart environ). Pas de changement notable dans le goût de la fumée durant le fumage, c'est un tabac qui a une ligne directrice et qui s'y tient. La room note est très plaisante, un peu prononcée mais vraiment agréable. Le côté aromatisé est très présent, ce tabac peut ne pas convenir aux fumeurs préférant des tabacs non aromatisés. Entre un 7 Seas Royal Blend et un Alsbo Sungold, je préfère largement un 7SRB, dont je ne me suis pas lassé (contrairement au Sungold). J'ai fumé une blague de 50g de ce tabac uniquement dans des pipes bruyère et bois de rose, la prochaine fois j'essayerai dans une maïs.

Pipe Used: Muxiang, Bruyère No Name

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Deutschland

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ramo (14)	2020-02-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I wanted to like this blend. It smelled so appealing to me when I first opened the sample bag. Unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me. Like most of the 7 seas line, it bites and is pretty flat on flavor.

Pipe Used: Bones Squat Brandy

Age When Smoked: 7 months

Purchased From: smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2018-12-13		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

7 Seas Royal gives me a rather strong vanilla extract flavor as opposed to a sweet vanilla taste. The tobacco is very far in the background, but you can detect it. I know this is supposed to be a higher quality Captain Black Royal, but I prefer CB, as it seems to be a more well rounded and interesting blend.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2018-05-14		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Tolerable

I have sailed most of the 7 seas at this point, and found most of them to be good smokes, with Black being the best. Royal blend is, however... (drum roll), just another good blend.

The product is quite moist from a liberal amount of toppings which give off a rum, cinnamon, and fruity vapor. Packs densely and is slow to light, but keeps a hot ember once rolling. Once lit, the flavors become less pronounced and everything fuses to a generic light sweet taste.

It is a good product with low nicotine and an easy approach. A good starting point for those new to aromatics, but once you drive around the aromatic block a few times, you likely won't revisit this house. The large 3.5oz tin with a comparable to cost to other 1.75oz tins, is a fantastic deal on a quality product (which could bump up the rating for cost conscience).

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cakici (29)	2018-04-25		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

A typical citrus of burley and without heavily aromatized by black cavendish. Even I taste a little vanilla or more like a "caramel" when I get the 1/4 of the bowl. Still, it may give a bad tongue bite, when smoked hot, unsurprisingly.

One interesting thing is it gives pretty much the same feeling when you "smell" it and when you "smoke" it. This happens quite rare to me. Either I say a heavy aromatic and experience something lesser aromatic, or vice-versa, but specifically this blend gives a taste similar to its smell. This is the biggest reason of my sincere recommendation.

Pipe Used: HS Studio, Savinelli

Age When Smoked: Straight from the pouch

Purchased From: Local tobacconist

Similar Blends: Lane Limited - Captain Black Royal.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OkieSmokie (20)	2018-02-28		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

When I think of the days of when most Americans bought their pipe tobacco at the corner drug store or local tobacconist I imagine this is the type of tobacco they bought. I got it as part of an aro sampler from P&C. Smoked a bowl or two and then jarred it and it's been sitting for over a year. I really don't recall what the first few bowls were like but they didn't leave an impression either. I decided to give it a try again today. There's definitely a vanilla/fruit note to the tin/jar scent. The light was pretty easy and a thick white, delectable smelling smoke. The taste is of vanilla, some honey and a fruit that I can't quite place. There's a definite sweetness from the Virginia and a nuttiness from the burley and they all play nicely together with each coming to the front at different times during the smoke. It paired well with my afternoon coffee and left no goop in the bowl. 2 stars because it's a good smoke and doesn't suck but doesn't rate as highly as the others I have reviewed

Pipe Used: Forecaster Straight Billiard

Age When Smoked: 13 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Iroquois (3)	2017-10-29		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

I tried this one after convincing myself to give aromatics another chance: of that, I regret. While the smell in the pouch is pleasant, when lit it gives out practically nothing. From time to time, something gives a sweet component that makes you think the best is coming out, but then it fades back. If smoked hot, it has an unpleasant and chemical acid flavour. Since smoking is no good to your health, smoke something worth it, not this one.

Pipe Used: Fincato billiard

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Tabaccheria Scarlatti, Pisa, Italy

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tburglar (7)	2017-04-13		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

OUCH! My poor tongue. Mac Baren Royal Blend has a nice, interesting, and delicate aroma in the bag. I would describe it as cocoa and apple. It also has a pretty decent flavor, when you still have working tastebuds.

Unfortunately, it smokes pretty hot and wet, even though mine seemed pretty dry in the bag.

The real killer on this one is tongue bite. From the first puff to the last, this tobacco is attacking my tongue. My understanding is that different tobaccos affect different people in this manner, so I'd say the rest of the attributes are worth trying this in a small quantity, in the hope that it doesn't bite you.

Pipe Used: MM Mark Twain and John Bull billiard

Purchased From: Local Tobacco Shop

Similar Blends: Nothing I have tried..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pencils (58)	2017-03-21		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Being a Brit, I have never had the pleasure of any of the Capt Black blends. Advised that they are run of the mill, undistinguished products, and that MacBaren have replicated them under the 7 Seas umbrella, I expected little of note. I have enjoyed this blend for what it is - an enjoyable aromatic with a sweet and cake-like flavour profile. I don't expect anything other than an uncomplicated smoke which stands as a nice change from Balkan and English blends. Taking these caveats, this a really pleasant aromatic. It is no Rattray, but it does what it says on the tin if used as a pace changer against heavier blends.

Better smoked fresh from the pouch as flavours tend to mute when on the dry side. Can obviously be rehydrated, but loses something in the process. Can also burn hot and warm the tongue if not careful, as is true of all MacBaren blends. Recommended, nevertheless.

Age When Smoked: New pouch

Purchased From: Turmeaus, Knutsford

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ciaran (7)	2016-03-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A really nice smoke! I've tried Mac Baren tobaccos off and on my entire pipe smoking life. Some blends are really good and some are okay. I can honestly say that I don't think I've ever had a bad smoke with Mac Baren tobaccos. I've tried other blends and keep coming back to theirs. I purchased a 1oz bulk of Mac Baren 7 Seas Royal and I have to say it's fantastic! The smell out of the bag is great--a little sweet smell with some hints of chocolate or butter-rum in addition to the smell of the virginias and the cavendish. Just a well rounded smell. The char light was great; a semi-sweet taste that tasted just like the smell. As I continued to smoke it, no bitter after taste, no tongue bite, and every now and again, a really nice sample of that buttery-rum. Just an all around great smoke! This just might be the all-day smoke I've been looking for.

Pipe Used: Various Peterson's

Age When Smoked: A couple of weeks

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	georgariou33 (16)	2016-03-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

honey and vanilla...a very nice blend that leaves a nice taste in mouth...very well balanced..a real crowd pleaser...one of 105 blends in my collection and a keeper

Pipe Used: big ben and stanwell only

Age When Smoked: 70

Purchased From: pipes and cigars

Similar Blends: 000.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aro Lover (13)	2015-11-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

An decent, light aromatic tobacco. I get semi-sweet amaretto, vanilla, and macadamia nut taste mixed with a woodsy, natural tobacco flavour. About 2/3 through the bowl, that woodsy, natural tobacco flavour starts to come through more prominently. Room note is exactly the same as taste- amaretto, vanilla, and macadamia nuts- and by far Royal has the best room note out of all the Seven Seas blends. No artificial taste and very little bite. But as with most aromatics, it should be properly dried before smoking (~30 seconds in the microwave is the quickest and most convenient way).

Minus two stars because this blend really isn't an all-day smoke. Even after proper drying, it still starts to burn my tongue after 3 or 4 bowls. Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve is a much better alternative. It doesn't bite like Royal does because it contains much less propylene glycol. Why must most MacBaren tobaccos bite so much? Hey MacBaren, lay off the PG!

Proper dryness and air flow is the secret to getting the most out of this tobacco (and most aromatics). Here's a step-by-step guide on how I recommend smoking it:

1. Properly dry it out. Upon first opening a new pouch, the tobacco will be quite moist. It should be dried some before smoking. I dump the full pouch out on a large plate and spread it thin. I then microwave it on high setting for ~30 seconds. After that, I remove the plate from the microwave and let it air cool for about 45 minutes (more humid conditions will require a longer drying time). Then back into the pouch it goes. This drying out process only needs to be done once for each newly-opened pouch.

2. Gravity fill your pipe just below the top of the bowl. (I recommend unfiltered half-bent pipes for a cooler and more flavourful smoke). When I say gravity fill, I mean dumping the tobacco into the pipe. No packing or pushing. None. Zero. Now after the first gravity fill, lightly tamp the tobacco using only the weight of the tamper. Now gravity fill again a second time to just below the top of the bowl. By filling the pipe this way, you will get maximum air flow. The tobacco will burn better, and the smoke will be cooler and more flavorful.

3. Light the bowl. It will require two or three charring lights. After the second or third charring light, lightly tamp the tobacco down only using the weight of the tamper. Don't push it. Now light it again and it should stay lit for quite a while. I find that matches work best for the charring lights.

4. Dump ash as needed, but don't push down hard with the tamper. Only use tamper weight.

5. Stir it. Near the bottom of the bowl, you may need to stir the tobacco up a bit to burn the last of it.

Pipe Used: Half-Bent Briar (unfiltered)

Similar Blends: Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve (doesn't bite like Royal does).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunter (54)	2015-06-07		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Reviewing all the 7 Seas blends, this is my third.

I am a Mac Baren fan, but sadly, this blend disappoints. While the tin note is nicely Cavendish and tobacco-y, there is nothing particularly enticing to me about this blend. It is easy to pack and smoke, smokes clean and burns evenly, but lacks character. The room note is not particularly remarkable compared to other MacB blends. Nothing really stands out to me about this blend. This is however, a good blend if you are dipping your toe into aromatics, as there is little bite as well. For me, I expect more from MacB, and won't be buying this blend again.

Pipe Used: Briar, cob, meeschaum

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CapnStuby (33)	2014-07-11		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

This tobacco is awful. The tin is nice, it smells good in the can and seems like real tobacco but I could NOT get it to hold a light! 8 relights in the first 5 minutes. No amount of drying, repacking, pipe switching or lighting techniques I've picked up over 20 years helped. What little smoke I did get had no real flavor and was fairly bitter. I am a mostly English and Virginia smoker but I do like a nice aromatic every once in awhile....but this was odious and a complete waste of time, money and the wear and tear on my pipe. I've got it soaking in salt and alcohol overnight to get the goop out.

I've never had good results with Danish tobaccos and I will never buy one, again. I tossed the weed inside and kept the tin.

Pipe Used: Brookfield Bent

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: JRcigar.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	boc777 (39)	2013-11-11		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

As a huge fan of the MacB lineup, I am positively underwhelmed by this product. When I opened the bag, I loved the smell. Reminded me of a well balanced aromatic, something like 1Q with perhaps a twist on it. What a disappointment when I lit a match to it. Just not a pleasant taste or room note. Very musty and pungent. Not for me. I love the HH Highland blend (see my review) so I am not a MacB hater. I think they struck out with this one. To be fair, this was my first bowl. I will age it, and hope for the best. If my mind changes in a year, I will gladly update.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2013-02-11		Extremely Mild	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Being a regular smoker of Mac Baren Mixture and vanilla cream, I want here to inform everyone that Mac Baren has recently changed their Mixture and Vanilla cream blend as follow:

In Mixture they removed about 90% of the honey casing, the distinctive mixture flavor and tin aroma is almost gone, it is now like any plain burley tobacco, with no sweet aromatic flavor.

In Vanilla cream: 90% of the vanilla topping is gone,the tin aroma has now absolutely NO Vanilla scent, however, the tobacco remain the same, but less sweet with no vanilla flavor AT ALL.

I tried many tins from different country:US, Europe, and Asia, they are all the same, the casing and top flavoring is not there anymore (the bite also).

Did anyone experienced the same problem?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	keremgulermen (11)	2012-12-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

A variation of CB Royal. Unnecessary as the CB tobaccos.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Arkie (129)	2012-10-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I think this stuff is what Captain Black attempts to be. It have a delicate aromatic quality rather than the cloying, sickeningly sweet, glycol saturated, goopy mess that the CB blends all have.

It is similar to 7 Seas Reg but, IMO, it isn't quite as good. I would rate it at 4 stars if it didn't have a slight bite. The bite isn't terribly bad but I have to limit myself to 2 pipefuls of it per day.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Budman (25)	2012-01-15		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Since I have not been an aromatic fan for some time I don't want to be to critical. I received this as a sample and left it sit for quite some time before I opened it, maybe close to a year. It has a pleasant smell in the pouch and appears to have an additive (PG) which is probably still why it is so moist after all this time. As has been said this is a lighter version of Captian Black. It's not a bad thing it's just to much flavoring for me. It lights well and continues to smoke well through out the bowl but becomes to sweet and harsh because of the additives. This will leave a stink in your pipe so have an a pipe dedicated to aromatics. If you are just starting into the world of pipes and you like aromatics I would say try it. Otherwise move on as there are so many other blends out there to smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-12-04		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I found this to be a pleasent smoke...The other reviewers that compared this to Capt Black(white)were spot on.I feel its like Capt Black but milder taste and less tongue bite.I am a fast puffer and smoked this in my Missouri Meerschaum freehand,which has a 3in bowl,packed all the way up its about a 80 minute smoke for me.I finished this bowl in 50 minutes.So I was puffing faster then normal.I had no tongue bite at all.As I said tjhis was a very mild smoke for me I prefer a stronger vanilla taste so I wont be buying this again but only because of that.It is a very very good smoke and if I didnt like extremely sweet aromatics this would be in my rotation.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-10-24		Extremely Mild	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I´d like MB blands and smoke some of it everyday, but I will do a big mistake buing this tobacco. It is smoked like clean air. I´d overheat my pipe trying to feel something, but this bland has no taste at all. This tobacco made for smellers not for smokers I think.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TimsofMaine (7)	2023-03-30		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Decent blend with light flavors and overall a light smoke. Had no problem keeping lit and seems like a light everyday blend with a good room note. Nothing exciting but a good starter tobacco or just a "I'm not sure what I feel like" filler blend.

Pipe Used: Peterson 221

Age When Smoked: 2 Years

Purchased From: Tobaccopipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TheOtter (70)	2023-02-15		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The Royal blend has notes of rum, vanilla, raisins, perhaps a little cranberry. The flavours linger to the end of the bowl. It is very sweet, and leaves a wonderful room note. Mild on the nicotine side. This flavour was not my cup of tea, but this is a fine quality aromatic tobacco for anyone seeking out something rich with flavours.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	CR (30)	2023-01-30		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant

I’m on the home stretch of the bowl I just packed of this blend to review it. Seven Seas Royal does smoke alright in my jumbo Chinese pearwood number - this is actually my favorite aromatic pipe. That I feel so impressed with the pipe right now speaks volumes.

What you get with SSR is a wallop of Danish casing. It reminds me a bit of Newminster’s Danish Black - a fruity sweet cocktail of essence and chemical. It won’t leave your mouth a total wreck, except for perhaps the dry twang indicative of additives, but it doesn’t always taste good. The ashes are disgusting. Where is the tobacco flavor?

It seems a harsh review considering what it is, but I have to be honest. This blend is terrific compared to other OTC blends of similar styles (I’m not even sure I prefer Newminster, although I don’t remember it leaving any chemical film on my tongue.) In my big “briar”, SSR stayed lit all the way down straight from the tin and only got a little hot. The smell is OK but doesn’t linger. Overall I have to recommend it for its price and availability, not for my enjoyment.

Pipe Used: Dedicated Aros Only

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aduana Taylor (30)	2022-12-26		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Este tabaco es para mí una especie de golosina. Bastante similar al captain black royal, seguramente un poco más atenuado. Todo es casi perfecto en este tabaco, la humedad un poco por encima de la media. El corte una cinta fina. Los tabacos black cavendish, virginias, burley, con tono licoroso dónde predominan las mieles y azúcares, las frutas pasas, los cítricos y alguna terrosidad. Repito, una verdadera golosina para fumar hasta hartarse. Quema rápido por lo que e deseable la fumada lenta y tranquila. Buen volumen de humo, untuoso. Buen aroma de habitación. Un suave y agradable tabaco.

Pipe Used: Bruken

Similar Blends: Captain black royal.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimPM (154)	2022-11-11		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Pivoting on the subject of royals, sashaying forward is this week’s featured aromatic dignitary of seemingly regal proportions. On parade or afloat, if that suits you better, comes Mac Baren 7 Seas Royal, a handsome Black and Gold ribbon cut collection of select Burley, Virginia and Black Cavendish prepared with a refined dressing of anonymous flavorings. I’ll get to that here in a minute.

Carrying a tin note that is extremely reserved, the fragrance nevertheless sedates with soothing effects. Mainly, the mix projects a blissful forward embellishment of delicate vanilla, honey, light maple, as if just kissed by a mocking of caramel. Swirling underneath this inviting aroma resides a body of complementing natural leaf characterized by submissive earthen tart, sugared nuttiness, and some spiced citrus essences.

Unlike other aromatics, this one really had me sitting back to take in the celebration of taste streams that were coming at me. From the perspective of aromatic tobaccos in general, 7 Seas Royal is delightfully involved and colorfully refined by comparison. There is obviously a lot transpiring here within this particular Mac Baren recipe. In pursuit of this trial, I thoroughly enjoyed untangling the charming medley of flavor that was coming through the pipe for the extended smoking session.

As I suggested, 7 Seas Royal overall is a polished creation, and it does well in exemplifying classical Mac Baren quality. This mixture to be suitably tame in terms of rambunctious aromatic vibrato. Although possessed by an inherent sweetness shaping its prevailing character, the degree of concentration of the same is decidedly posh in makeup. Subsequent, ample opportunity is given to relish plenty of the natural tobacco flavorings is properly facilitated with this one. In the end, I deem the mild temperament of this blend as a feasible crossover for even the most fastidious pipe smoker’s simple enjoyment.

What you get is a nice buttery undertone in the composition that accentuates the gentle sweetness of the blend. On the whole, this blend counters as delectably toasty and mellowed in mood for a typical aromatic. As I have suggested the native tobacco element is a critical feature. In fact, they are nuanced quite splendidly as their flavor attributes move about in a stimulating fashion. This latter aspect really comes into the folds as one gets further into the bowl.

So, what is 7 Seas Royal’s celebratory taste you are wondering? The principal feature rotates forward as a lighter vanilla cream stylishly melded with deliberate warming honey, sugary maple overtones and drops of fleeting buried caramel. Additionally, leading top note accenting renders a graceful fruity melody. To me this registration is suggestive of a mix between a citrusy melon-like mango and a type of sweeter berry that falls somewhere between a blackberry and a blue one, not sure exactly which.

Finally, something coyishly circulates within the trailing highlights that is reminiscent of a subtly sweet vintage, you know like a delicate thin white table wine; sweet, tannic, and florid. Call it Gewurztraminer, Riesling or what you may there is definitely a touch influencing the background quality. Naturally, this intriguing mélange of variable taste representations, endows a blended base flavor note that is quite imaginative.

As a formality, the primary base obviously is the Virginia, which distinguishes 7 Seas blends as uniquely European in origin. Mac Baren claims that this results in a softened registration. Nonetheless, the Virginia’s character is quite readable and presents itself as habitually tangy citrus with a lesser chase of grassiness. It tends to grow more floral and sprucy as the bowl progresses, which serves to enliven the smoking adventure. However, there is a low grade of Red leaf woodiness that marginally emerges with supporting darker ambience as well.

Riding mid-stream, the Burley shows its presence in a not too overly aggressive manner. The complementing effect of the strain enters with a basic sugared almond like humor. Furthermore, there is an introduction of passive sourly tart and darker herbal tones that resonant within the chording harmony of the extended flavor. Last, as the bowl does progress, a dimmer ornamentation formed by deep cocoa notes pops quite noticeably as a final delectation of the varietal’s assisting effort.

And last but not least, the Cavendish being Cavendish enters with a bit of charry wooded zest and traces of sugared casing. With its very smoking constitution the leaf provides an ideal medium for generating added thickness to the body of the mixture while fusing the smoothness of all the different elements converging within the recipe. One of the nicest aspects of this particular blend is that Mac Baren’s craftmanship affords an ideal containment of the Cavendish as it can often present an overriding influence that flattens the bowl ending taste profile.

As expected, the room note shows a sophisticated air. Its urbane fragrance delightfully fills the chamber with just a lovely nose of mixed butter sweet seasonings supplimented by a pleasant line of darker native tart and tempered wood. As the perfume is not so bold, I judge that its influence would be accepting to most. Furthermore, the smoke plumage is quite beefy due to the Cavendish content. No bite and no rough edges. Give this Mac Baren delight a try as it is a model little aromatic treat. I score it at 3.0 Pipes.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	North State (72)	2022-10-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Another fairly basic aromatic in the Seven Seas series.

Just like the others, this doesn't cause any "wowszers" feelings either. The pouch note is probably it's best feature, it's very nice without being over the top with the toppings (the amount of Cavendish seems to have been held back enough that it's clearly detectable, yet not dominating) The smoke is smooth, mellow and OK, but that's about it; there's nothing bad about this blend, but nothing at all that would entice me to buy it again either. It's a run of the mill basic aromatic, a little bit old-fashioned even; no more, no less.

Would buy again, but only for want of a better/more interesting alternative.

EDIT: Still curious to try the other two as well, whenever I get the chance, especially Black which seems to be a pure Virginia blend.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Fresh from pouch

Purchased From: Kiosk in Poland

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Frank27 (14)	2022-06-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

For me a little , but noticeable step forward from the regular 7 Seas.. It has a more "right-oriented" sweetness, tending much more to cocoa and a just little vanilla (while the regular has honestly too much vanilla taste).

It's enjoyable smoke to be an aromatic, looks a newbie good choice for after breakfast or after coffee time.

Compared to the Mac Baren Scottish Mixture it burns much less and while is a bit less creamy as well, it offers a good general satisfaction while smoking. It needed to be relighted a few times. No tongue bite detected , even if smoked quite fast. Smooth.

Pipe Used: Rattrey's Joy

Age When Smoked: 1

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2022-03-30		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I am not usually an aromatic smoker, and I tend to gravitate towards heavy Latakia mixtures or Va/Per flakes. But once in a while, I get a sweet tooth, and for those occasions I am VERY picky. You see, I find most aromatics to be harsh, cardboardy, and that the pouch aroma rarely translates into a taste that's more than hot and bland steam.

Well, as it often happens with Mac Baren, this is one of the GOOD aromatics. Quality tobacco base (with reasonable body, no harshness, and actually quite enjoyable as a background even if the flavoring dominates), nice flavoring that actually translates to the taste, and good combustion: no goopiness, no wetness, few relights.

Ok, this is definitely for those who like candy-flavoured smoke: fruity, creamy, good interplay of peaches/apricots/plums with a touch of sourness, and of a chocolate/vanilla/whatever. I consider it a slightly toned down and less extreme version of Mac Baren's own (excellent) Cube. So if you are looking for something that tastes of tobacco with just some minor flavoring, stay away and choose for example something else like Mac Baren's Classic Roll Cake (which strikes a great balance between vanilla and tobacco). If you like it sweet and pastry-like... well, this is a very good choice, probably one of the best.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Simon.c (20)	2021-11-26		Very Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A decent pouch aromatic.

Smokes cool, doesn't need relighting often. Smoke slowly for the most flavor. Quite smooth with a pleasant honey and vanilla taste.

There, now it's over 25 words.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2021-11-10		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

First, this is not a clone of Captain Black Royal. The 7 Seas Regular fits that description better. This blend is intended to stand on its' own. This is one the few aromatic that does not rely on flavors like cherry, vanilla, caramel, or rum to make it an aromatic. The Virginia based Cavendish and some Burleys do the job. Now, there is a slight honey/vanilla topping, but it is applied with a very light hand. The wife says that it is nice, but not one of er favorites to smell. The taste is mellow and really needs to be sipped to enjoy the complexity. When pushed, it just tastes bland. As you go through the bowl, the sweetness fades even more and the quality tobaccos really shine. This seems to me to be a Summer smoke, though I am trying it as Winter is approaching. There is almost no after-taste. And, the ash is fine and jumps out of the bowl. Everything I have listed above show the quality of Virginia tobacco. The nicotine level is low. Sometimes, when I smoke this I feel I could really go for a smoke when this is over. It goes great with tea, but coffee drowns the taste out. In all, if you want an aromatic, but do not want confections, htis is worth a try.

Pipe Used: MM Kingston Judge

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mikaszcz (10)	2021-01-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Ce tabac est un succès de Mac Baren, si on aime les brins sucrés, liquoreux et légèrement vanillés. Il se fume plus agréablement dans un petit foyer que dans un grand. Il laisse un plaisir de fumage agréable, malgré un point de faiblesse tenant à son côté un peu chimique mais qui ne préjudicie pas aux saveurs.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sangagor (80)	2019-10-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Slightly worse than his white brother: Regular Blend. Not so full in the taste, more moisture in the pipe, but still good enough for beginners. As I have put three stars to regular blend, I should put this one only two, but it is not fair.

Pipe Used: Chinese no name, jatoba wood

Age When Smoked: new

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kg5000 (3)	2019-07-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

The tin note is sweet with aromas of honey and cookies, the tobacco was very wet.

This tobacco eluded me for quite a while because I was not drying it long enough. Without drying, you can expect a frustrating bite-fest. However, once I figured this tobacco out, it has become an absolute favorite. I get a lot of sweet honey/vanilla flavor and the Virginias definitely make a statement, too.

Pipe Used: Corn Cobs

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Similar Blends: Captain Black Royal.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Legion (27)	2018-09-15		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Reading the reviews leads me to ask; why do smokers who don't like aromatics give reviews on them? I don't like latakia therefore any review would be biased (FTR, latakia tastes better than it smells)

This is a slightly sweet, mild tobacco, that's low in nicotine. Moisture is just right. Nice smell from the tin. Although it doesn't give me tongue bite, it can heat my tongue after a few bowls over several hours. Burns down to a grey/white ash leaving little moisture. Pleasant room note.

For strong &/or moist aromatics I blend with Windsail Virginia. Not this one. I'm considering buying 16oz.

3.0 stars.

Update: For those with sensitive tongues take note. My like of this tobacco is such that I ignored the signs of a warming tongue & just kept at it all day , ignoring other blends. The next morning my tongue was still affected & for the rest of the day (Thankfully I ignored the urge to buy 16oz that day) It's a shame because it really is a nice tobacco. I'll continue to smoke this blend but will restrict it to just one or two bowls a day so as not to insult my wimpy tongue.

Pipe Used: Cobs. Peterson.

Age When Smoked: Fresh.

Purchased From: 4noggins

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Young Piper (304)	2015-06-14		Extremely Mild	Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Not having the PG content of Captain Black Royal but keeping the same time tested recipe of Golden Cavendish with some Fire Cured Black Cav ala 1Q ensures that 7 Seas Royal will be enjoyed by a lot of Aromatic enthusiasts. I really liked Royal and Regular out of the 7 Seas blends I sampled and the price per tin is extremely reasonable. The Captain has been creeping up in price over the last decade or so and having blends like these clones at a discount price makes them a no brainer. Also the 7 Seas blends lack the high amount of PG that the CB blends contain. A solid 3 star blend!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2015-05-22		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This blend was just OK. I found that the flavor was not that pronounced for an aromatic. I know it sounds strange. Maybe I mixed in too much 5 brothers, but I don't think so. This is the second 7 seas I have tried. I liked the regular better.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	footlooset (23)	2015-05-17		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a very pleasant mild smoking tobacco. It has a nice , not too sweet taste, and does not have a bite. The room note is nice and you can smoke it often. it is a high quality pipe tobacco.

Pipe Used: Gasaprini Italian made

Age When Smoked: 1 week

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	coldmoon (24)	2015-03-07		Extremely Mild	Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

The tobacco is pretty to look at. Various shades of tobacco cut very nicely. The tin aroma is very sweet. Smells like a caramel and vanilla. You just want to grab a spoon and eat the contents of the tin.

Packs very easy. The tobacco was quite moist. I had to dry it for about 30 minutes or so.

Lights easy, but you have to puff constantly for it not to go out. Which is a problem, because if you smoke this stuff too fast you will get a tongue bite.

This is a very mild tobacco. The taste has hints of vanilla, caramel and cinnamon with a touch of honey. After smoking half of the bowl the taste gets very weak and you are stuck with pretty tasteless tobacco.

The room note is very pleasant. I guess the saying was correct - you smoke english, oriental, balkan etc. blends for your enjoyment, but the aromatics for enjoyment of others.

All in all - not the worst aromatic tobacco I've smoked.

Pipe Used: Peterson XL22 Bent Dublin

Age When Smoked: 1 month

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipedrum22 (15)	2015-02-05		Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

I tried this blend three different times before reviewing. I believe Mac Baren was going for a smoke that can be enjoyed as an any day smoke. If so, they succeeded. I do enjoy my aromatics, but I will say this was very light in flavor. This is not necessarily a bad thing depending on the blend you are in the mood for. It burns extremely well, but can bite if you smoke it too quickly. The flavors are subtle with hints of chocolate and fig and can be enjoyed by new smokers and veterans alike.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	AleksanderLech (2)	2015-01-21		Very Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

7 Seas Royal Blend is a perfect choice for those, who are interested in delicate tobaccos with a subtle, gentle aroma.

This is one of my favourite MacBaren blends. It doesn't burn hot and you don't need to light it up after you do it once. I really enjoyed the sweet and dalicate flavoring, wchich is very harmonized, based on vanilla and fruit.

There's nothing to add, nothing less. If you are looking for for a cheap, but tasty tobacco, this blend is made for you.

Pipe Used: Mr. Bróg

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Holy Smokes! (6)	2014-12-31		Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Full	Strong

Loved it. It's a watered down Golden Dansk, but I love that too. Very heavy on the cavendish, and very diverse in flavors. Carmel, fruit, vanilla. It's perfectly sweet and has a room note that everyone will expect from a pipe smoker.

Pipe Used: Baraccini Tulip

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Golden Dansk.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2014-10-28		Very Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Very good aromatic tobacco, uncomparable in terms of quality, taste, burning qualities and smoking pleasure with the tobacco it pays tribute to, Captain Black Royal (blue pouch). And, like it has been pointed out for another 7 Seas, a spectacular price on top of everything. Mild, bite-free, pleasant, that smokes drrrrrrrrrrrry (as long as you let it dry appropriately before packing). If you enjoy mild tobaccos and are seeking a high quality aromatic, never mind the Captain Blacks! 7 Seas Royal is a much better option. I did not like it as much as 7 Seas Regular but it's still a good offering for the aromatic lover.

Pipe Used: Stanwell, Luciano, meerschaum

Age When Smoked: New

Similar Blends: 7 Seas Regular.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Joeray (61)	2013-10-23		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This is the blend that i still smoke it until today. Sometime i love the smell when i open the tin, the aroma is like im standing at the cake shop. Smooth and easy to enjoy.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2012-01-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

A fair aromatic with a light casing that somehow reminds of Capt. Black, although this is a much better tobacco. Recommended as a all-day tobacco.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunner525 (66)	2011-08-06		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This was my first venture to the 7 Seas line from Mac Baren. I enjoyed it a lot. Burned evenly to a white ash and didn't give any tongue bite. A nice flavor of vanilla, rum, and either caramel or maple syrup was noted. The Mrs. liked the room note a lot. Definitely could be a go to or all day smoke. It is a little more moist than usual though, so I'm sure most people will prefer to dry it out a bit before smoking.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-06-22		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I started off liking this blend. Excellent smell in the tin, nice mild smoke. Then, it felt harsh after 2/3 of the way through. In the end I gave the second half of the tin away to a friend who enjoyed it. I did not. I agree with other reviewers who feel that this is a fancied-up drugstore blend. I enjoy many other MacBaren blends. This one is not bad, just nothing to get excited about.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fofo (81)	2011-03-23		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

I had such expectation for this blend. When I first noticed it I was curious and came to this site to see what others were saying. I read someone's comments (I can't remember who) that this was an attempt by Mac Baren to enter the traditional aromatic market in the U.S. and appeal to Captain Black fans. I really thought this blend would be different, a recreation of Captain Black in the Mac Baren style. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this blend; quite pleasant and mild, BUT....

I am disappointed, plain and simple. What I expected to be a Mac Baren's version of Captain Black turned out to be nothing more than Captain Black in a fancy tin. This is EXACTLY the same as Captain Black.

It is not a bad blend by any means, but I would not buy it again and here is why: If I am in the mood for this type of blend I will buy a pouch of Captain Black Royal, which is locally available, cheaper, and EXACTLY THE SAME.

Some of my favorite blends are Mac Baren's, but sometimes I don't understand how they put out certain blends, like this one. Let me put it this way, if you are making an attempt to compete with an established classic product (whether you like it or not Captain Black falls in the category) then you should:

A - Make your product stand out B- NOT make it an exact copy C - Make it an improvement

This blend might have a chance to compete with its cheaper clone if they make it available in pouches at grocery and drug stores, otherwise I don't really see it being a best seller. Now, I am not a market expert, but I think this blend will suffer a similar fate to Mac Baren's now extinct coconut blend (Ha! bet you forgot that one...) If you really like this stuff and find it, somehow, better than Captain Black then it may be wise to stock up.

Mac Baren is a company that makes quality blends and some of my favorites as well, I just sometimes wonder if blends like this one come out because they need to get rid of stock.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2011-02-06		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Well, I shall cut this very short.

I place this “navy blue” pouched version of 7seas right in the middle of Regular and Golden. It ‘s just the balance of both others, the former being almost dark and the latter almost golden. The flavour elements of both others melded in the same blend. Nothing wrong with Royal Blend, but I don't find it equally interesting like its brothers.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-23		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is not a bad blend I got a free sample with an order I placed online and found it good enough to buy a tin. I find this to be better the captian black as it has more flavor. This would be a good blend to start with for a first time smoker who likes sweet flavors. This blend smokes down very well and has very little bite. I would recomend this over CAO bella vanilla with 7 seas royal being more manageable. I am interested in trying the other blends in the 7 seas line

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sons of Reagan (9)	2011-01-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I love this blend. It makes for a great after dinner smoke, as it has just enough taste to cap a meal very nicely. Absolutely no bite and stays lit with about 15 minutes of drying. I recieved this as a sample from smokingpipes.com and will purchase a pound very shortly.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	radioisotope (17)	2010-12-24		Very Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I have smoked quite a few Mac B blends and like most of them but this was at the bottom of my list. It is just an average fruity aromatic, with a little Vanilla. The flavoring almost ruined the tobacco flavor. By the end of the bowl I wanted to dump it out because it got to be so bitter. On the bright side it didn't give me any tongue bite. It was better than some drugstore tobacs, but I expect more from Mac B.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-12-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

The one thing that I have noticed about Mac Baren blends is there are very subtle flavours in their tobacco blends. I can take 3 different pipes, fully cleaned, fill them up, and get 3 differing tastes from the same tobacco. It all depends on the cut of the briar, the tightness of the grain, and also on the lingering flavours of the previous tobacco.

That being said, this 7 Seas Royal blend is very smooth, and so full of flavor in my Jacopo. As such, I gave my Jac a salt and rum soak, fully cleaned and lightly sanded the interior so that I could harness the full flavor of this magnificent blend. I now devote this Jacopo specifically to this blend of tobacco.

The room note is most excellent, and it brings to mind seaside taverns of old, just as it's name implies. This may not be a blend for every day smoking, but it is wonderful for an evening after a nice dinner.

I daresay that many of the reviewers who have given this a 1-2 star review are those who either are not keen on any type of flavored tobaccos, or who are smoking this tobacco in a cheap, low-grade pipe, or in a pipe whose cake is that of a different type.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-17		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This blend is surprisingly bad, almost no tobacco taste, very low in nicotine, gets bitter in the second half of the bowl. Also you can find big thick stems in the pouch, and the tobacco is too moist.

I wonder how Mac they can make this blend and "Original choice" at the same time, they are far from each other in quality, looks like something bad is going on in Mac Baren. I should get a new pouch of "original choice" and try it to see if it is a blending problem or they have changed their tobacco source or something. I really hope their other blends don't change.

update: it looks like captain black royal, and the pouch aroma is the same as captain black, the taste is very close but slightly better than captain black, this is an improved captain black with less goop and better taste.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-09		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

I really enjoyed this new MacBaren blend. It's flavor is delightful, but not overpowering. The tobacco packed, lit and smoked very nicely. I ejoyed my first bowl from start to finish, with no roughness or bite at the end. This one of the few light aromatic tobaccos that I have tried that tastes as good as it smells. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys light, pleasant smoking aromatic blends.

Nobody has rated this review yet.