Mac Baren 7 Seas Royal Blend

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.