Mac Baren 7 Seas Red Blend

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.