Tobaccos Mac Baren - 7 Seas Red Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2016-04-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

The cherry topping has some richness and a mild tartness, but also a mildly distracting syrup note. By design, it sublimates the tobaccos, but I did get a light toasted nut, earth and molasses from the burleys. The gold Virginias are a little grassy with a fair amount of citrus. I barely notice the black cavendish, so it must be unsweetened, and used to add some smoothness to the blend. Has just a little nicotine. Won’t bite even if pushed. Moist out of the tin, it needs just a little dry time. Burns slow and requires some relights. Despite that syrup note, it’s very smooth as it burns cool and a little creamy with a consistent flavor. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl, but no goop. Has a pleasant after taste and better room note for those who love the smell of cherry.

-JimInks

13 people found this review helpful.

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

If you've smoked Middleton's Cherry Blend, then you will get the comparison here because 7 Seas Cherry is similar. The flavor is not overpowering and the smoke is cool (especially for an aromatic). The strength of this blend surprised me, probably due to the Burley (and Mac Baren's Burley is always top-shelf). Like Middleton's Cherry, this is not an overly sweet cherry flavor and frankly, struck me as a little on the tart side. Good smoke.

Pipestud

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunner525 (66)	2011-12-26		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

This isn't your grandpa's cherry. It's a more tart tasting wild cherry flavour instead of the ever popular sweet marachino cherry flavouring. Definately a change of pace for the flavour. As with a lot of MacB blends it was a bit on the moist side in the tin. It packed wonderfully and burnt very well however. The wild cherries flavouring came through at just the right amount. Not overly powerful or completely unnoticed. Didn't get any tongue bite. Just a wonderful change of pace from the usual cherry blend. A good anytime smoke that should please both you and the Mrs.

12 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Aro Lover (13)	2016-04-06		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco isn't your typical cherry cough drop flavour variety. I get a woodsy, natural tart cherry flavour when smoking it. Yes, it actually tastes like it smells. It's a bit sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. The cherry flavour remains throughout most of the bowl. About halfway through the bowl, the woodsy flavour starts to come through more prominently- complimenting the cherry flavour nicely. Room note is a bit more subdued compared to Seven Seas Regular and Royal, but is still very nice. Interestingly, one can still distinctly smell the pleasant cherry room note the next day after smoking. You will also get a nice little nicotine hit at the bottom of the bowl. If you are looking for a nice cherry blend that tastes natural and isn't too overpowering, then this tobacco is for you.

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. It would be better if they put less propylene glycol on it like Amphora Red and Rich Aroma blends. 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.

This pleasant tobacco does ghosts pipes badly (as do all cherry blends). A pipe dedicated specifically to cherry blends is the way to go.

Pipe Used: Half-Bent Briar (unfiltered)

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	22yrsonthepipe (22)	2013-05-16		Medium	Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

The best cherry blend I have tried out of - borkum cherry cavendish (ugh - bitter low quality very weak topping but the new version is better than the old), borkum cherry liquer (not bad but very weak topping), SG black cherry (not bad), mcKlintock wild cherry (not bad). This one gets 4 stars because I want to taste cherry. Every other cherry I have tried just doesn't give me the sweet fizzy strong cherry blast I am looking for, which 7 seas delivers, all the way to the bottom of the bowl (more like raspberry actually), while still being able to taste the above average quality tobacco. What all aromatics should be modeled after.

My only criticism is that it comes in a 40g pouch instead of a 50g tin.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Susanna Hoffs (74)	2011-11-06		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow a first review!

Don't worry, I haven't got a lot to say about this new 7 Seas Cherry blend. I will say it doesn't bite or gurgle, it tastes ok for what it is, and it isn't overly pungent in casing or topping.

I suppose you could call it a 'bland' cherry aromatic which isn't overly offensive. The room note wasn't as pleasant as I thought it was going to be, and I was informed of this by a nearby passive observer.

There are better cherry blends out there if this kinda thing is your bag.

(2.3 out of 5)

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FrostyPiper89 (3)	2015-02-15		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I'll keep this short and sweet. Upon opening the tin, you get very lovely notes of berries. I didn't detect anything I would classify as cherry however, more of a tart cranberry smell to be honest. The moisture content straight out of the tin is really quite dry for an aromatic, but I let it dry on a paper towel for 15 minutes before packing my corncob, using Frank's method. After having done the charring light and 2 more lights with a gentle tampering between them, the first thing I noticed was a buttery pancake syrup kind of taste with some tart berry flavour making a subtle appearance on the middle of the tongue. I had no issues with bite or having to relight the tobacco again until the end of the bowl. It burned very clean and dry for an aromatic. It had a mild but assertive tobacco flavour throughout the bowl, and the sweet buttery pancake syrup flavour remained consistent throughout the entire bowl. Smoking this blend slowly will allow for the tasty underlying flavours to come through. All in all, I recommend this tobacco. It is a very solid, beautifully burning high quality aromatic that will please the crowds as well as your sweet tooth. Happy smoking!

Pipe Used: Missouri Meerschaum Corn Cob Pipe

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin. (New tin)

Purchased From: 4noggins

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2017-12-12		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren - 7 Seas Red Blend.

Note: an early review which needed rewriting.

Contains much less black Cavendish than Virginia and Burley, and the aroma's potent with cherry. The ribbons are quite coarse.

The tobaccos are mainly VaBur, the black Cavendish is 'subtle' to say the least. Regarding the cherry topping, the words sugary and false spring to mind, especially when retro-haled. It burns ok providing it's well maintained, but darn, it bites me. A big dollop of vanilla would be an amelioration to 7SRB.

Nicotine: mild to medium. Room-note: pleasant.

7 Seas Red Blend? Not particularly good. Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Various

Purchased From: Various

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunter (54)	2015-08-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I've been trying all the 7 Seas blends and reviewing them.

I'm a Mac Baren fan, and I love aromatics. I've never been much for fruity aros however, preferring good vanilla blends. That said...

I have been working on this tin for about three months. "Working" on it, as in, I am not sure if I can finish it. The tobacco lacks character and flavor. Usually MacB uses some very good toppings, but this does not seem to be the case here. It seems to taste more of chemicals and harshness than of cherries. The tobacco is passable at the match, but as the bowl wears on, the flavors get muddied and harsh and leaves a hot and sour taste in my mouth. Room note is inoffensive, but not worth working your way through the bowl. I'm not a fan of this blend, will not buy it again, and would not recommend it. It's rare for MacB to miss the mark this badly.

Pipe Used: Briar, cob, meeschaum

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	renwardhoop (177)	2012-04-16		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I have a huge amount of respect for this Seven Seas range. What I am now calling the UK version of Captain Black.

Be interesting if CB do a cherry...

Cherry blends can be ghastly.

They range from the strong, harsh and hideous like Borkum Riff to the insipid and indigestion-inducing of Gawiths' Cherry.

This is somewhere in between I suppose. It has the usual fruity pouch aroma you'd expect and the first draw promises much.

The taste lingers throughout but it's an absolute sod to keep lit so it ends up getting a little sour.

I had no comment on the room note which surprised me.

Certainly well worth trying if cherry's your thing and definitely worth having in your collection. The best cherry I've tried so far.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Scupbucket (10)	2013-10-18		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

If you want to smoke your tobacco and taste full-on turbo in-your-face cherry this probably isn't your blend. If you want a mild tobacco with a little cherry hanging out in the background then go at it. Stays lit, no bite, but kinda boring.

-edit-

Came back to this after a while using a larger bowl... was able to taste the sweetness evolve into a very tasty nutty flavor. Not as bad as I thought. Bumpin this up a star....

Pipe Used: Leonessa Dublin

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wibblefishofdoom (139)	2013-08-15		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I'm not sure if this is really worth the bother of going to the lengths of writing a full review but I'm going to do it anyway because I can. I only got this as I was in the mood for an aromatic but wasn't in a position to afford a full 50g, this was for sale at what was a very good price for 40g, only a couple of quid more expensive than 25g of other aros. Also, I'd yet to try a Mac Baren so it seem be a 6 pointer.

The aroma in the packet is a lovely deep cherry and this nicely follows into the initial stages of the smoke, quite a nice flavour even if it seems to lack something, might just be a little too monotone, even for an aro. In the last third to a half of the smoke though, it does fade into a sorry dull mess of muckiness and roughness, as if it's been blended with poor quality tobaccos. There's no tonguebite but there is a little roughness, I think this might have been a different kettle of fish if I'd tried it when I first started pipe smoking.

On the whole then, a quite good casing, even if it lacks that Ah! factor, let down by a poor selection of tobacco underneath. I'm still debating whether or not to struggle on with smoking it or consign it to my scragends jar, to be smoked with a whole lot of other leftovers only when times are hard. Either way, I don't plan on enduring this again.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-11-28		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the tobacco for a daily routine, but absolutely not for the heavy aromatic lovers. In fact you can barely notice any cherry. The pack contains what is says, virginia, burley, and some cavendish, quite dry on first sight. The smell of when opening the pack is weak, some tea-ish fruity thing, but not that overwhelming like with some other aromatics I used to smoke. Burns nice, and surprisingly long, with a massive amount of smoke, and without any bite on the tongue. On the negative side the taste is quite uninteresting and flat, the "just fire up a pipe" type. I put recommended here for the nice light aroma, the long burn and the smoke, plus the pricetag. Most reviewers will find this flat and will not recommend it I assume.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2022-07-20		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

It is very fitting that Mac Baren chose to give these blends a nautical name, because these 7 seas blends remind me very much of something nautical, something from Greek mythology. The Sirens.

Thats right. When you open the jar, you begin to be unexplainably pulled in. The Sirens used the sweetness of their songs. This blend uses the sweetness of its smell.

I know what is probably going to happen, I will blindly follow this allure, until I smash upon the rocks of poor burn, won't stay lit, and goopy heel catastrophe. Yet still....

Is this a great blend, nope. Is this a bad blend, nope. This is a standard aromatic blend. Smells great in the jar. Definitely a nice cherry note with a warm vanilla to accompany. Upon lighting.... Very little of that comes through. Tastes like most aromatics.

Don't get me wrong, this a higher quality aromatic than the super goops you can find at gas stations, but it just is what it is.

This is a tin I opened two years ago. Thought based on that I could skip the dry time. I was wrong.

Not as bad as some aromatics in the tongue bite department, but it is there. I think the tongue bite from these blends comes from a couple sources. First, the tobacco is perpetually too wet. Second, Due to the moisture you have to relight a lot, which can fry the tongue a little, and third, once you get it lit, you puff like a locomotive to try and keep it lit.

Smelled great and tasted mediocre. That said, this seems to be my palette in general when it comes to aromatics. If this is your preferred style of tobacco, this may just be your huckleberry.

Pipe Used: Butz Coquin Noir

Age When Smoked: 2 Years

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hartmann (1)	2022-06-27		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I just tried this yesterday and it has already become my favourite cherry blend. I have been a MacBaren smoker for over 20 years with my favourites being Virginia #1 and Mixture Scottish Blend. This has the body of both of those with a unique flavour that made me wish I had started the bowl earlier because I didn’t want to put it down.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: 62

Purchased From: Smoking pipes.com

Similar Blends: Borkum Riff Cherry Cordial. Equally tart but with a subtle sweetness that doesn’t overpower..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2021-11-22		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

There is definitely a strong cherry essence in the tin aroma.The cut is typical ribbon, but a bit thinner in my view. It lights easily enough and burns well. This is another of those European style Cavendish blends that are made from Virginia rather than Burley. The taste is light and the cherry is more of a wild cherry rather than a candy type cherry. The smoke is grassy with citrus notes in the background. The flavor is light and actually fades as the bowl progresses. The nicotine level is low and the ash is fine. Now, I typically smoke a lot of American aromatics and I must say that since I have been using the 7 Seas aromatics, I have noticed that they do cake the bowl more evenly than their Burley cousins. The other thing I notice is that the smoke is less abundant. When I return to my Burley blends, I am pushing clouds again. Most Cherry blends seem appropriate for the Winter, but this one seems more like the beginning of Summer.

Pipe Used: MM Shire Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mightysmurf8201 (28)	2020-10-01		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

When I smoke an aro, I want to be able to notice the tobacco. They don't have to be front and center, but I do want to taste them. This blend doesn't disappoint in that respect. The burley is there intermittently, and the VA provides a solid base for the cherry flavor, which isn't overpowering. As stated in other reviews, it's more of a wild cherry vs cough syrup cherry flavor. Is a bit moist in the tin, but burns well. Flavor and room note are equally pleasant. I found it better suited to a larger bowl, but is good in any size. It's worth trying.

Pipe Used: briar, cob

1 person found this review helpful.

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

This is a very nice smoke, I get a mild tartness and a very subtle cherry flavor. By subtle I don’t mean that the cherry isn’t prominent, rather the cherry flavor is very present in every puff, it’s just very subdued, which I very much appreciate. I also taste a good base tobacco flavor that gives the blend a nice body, by this I mean the taste isn’t just cherry, it’s cherry-tobacco, which is as it should be. I recommend this to anyone who wants a lightly sweet, great room note tobacco that will please you and those around you.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Smoking Friar (3)	2017-06-22		Very Mild	Medium	Full	Very Pleasant

Newly bought tin was a great smoke—smooth, flavorful, and cool. Light cherry aroma. Smokes cool and the bright citrus flavor of the Virginias comes through in pleasant bursts. Purchased 3 more tins. I was hoping to find a the Karl Erik No. 16. This isn't that but it is a great smoke!

Pipe Used: Mastro di Paja

Age When Smoked: fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fazby (66)	2015-12-07		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is simply to light for me. Other than at the light, not much cherry flavor. After that I tended to burn my tongue puffing to get some flavor tobacco or otherwise. Just hot steam. There was no bad taste anywhere here (thus two starts; not one), so if you like very light blends, you may enjoy this. My palate just isn't sensitive enough. I envy those that can enjoy this, as many more aromatics are available to you.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2015-06-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This has been my favorite of the 7 seas so far. I've also tried regular and royal. I believe thay are all just a little bland. I enjoy Lane's aromatics much more.

For a cherry, this is not bad. While it smells a little like medicine from the tin, it does not taste that way during the smoke. If you are looking for a cherry blend with not so much of a cherry flavor, this might be for you.

1 person found this review helpful.

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

I did not appreciate the Cherry version of the 7 seas blends nearly as much as the others. Maybe it's just me not liking Cherry tobacco's as much as vanilla or Chocolate but I felt that it bit me some and did not have the wonderful room note of Regular, Royal or Gold. If you like Cherry tobacco's then I would certainly try this blend since the tobacco's used are very high quality and MacBaren does not use chemicals for their toppings. I can see where others would really dig 7 seas cherry but it did not pitch my tent...

1 person found this review helpful.

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

Run away! In all mentions, its very cheap tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rick5iron (20)	2023-02-20		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

popped the tin and it smelled great , cherries, some apple..moisture was perfect ready to smoke, stayed lit the whole way through..a mild excellent aromatic, so far 7seas gold, black and now red are top notch aromatics cant go wrong with these blends. not as strong a cherry flavor as Cult

Pipe Used: cob

Age When Smoked: 2yr

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Paul L. (1)	2022-04-01		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mac does subtle and complex blends for a reasonable price. To my taste Mac 7 Seas sinks the Captain on all the blends. I agree with gunner525, this is not your usual cherry. BTW used a Savinelli RomaKS with a balsa filter. Too cheap to order balsa filters from them so I carved some myself from some balsa I got on Amazon. That’s about a lifetime supply for under $10. I do believe the wood cuts the bite and damp.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Roma

Age When Smoked: 2 months

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Nothing I've ever tried..

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cgar (37)	2012-03-14		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Had a chance to give this a go and found it was just plain blaah. Nothing special and not a whole lot to expand on. If you are looking for an unflavorful aromatic then this might be for you. Tin presentation was nice, moisture right, no tongue burn, but smoke and texture were weak.

Nobody has rated this review yet.