Tobaccos Mac Baren - 7 Seas Black Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3022)	2017-10-04		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

The toasty, sugary black cavendish is processed from Virginia. Though this blend is heavily topped, you can manage to get a little tobacco taste, e.g. grass and tart and tangy citrus. The rich vanilla stands out a little over the licorice, cocoa, caramel and amaretto, the latter being the next obvious topping. The strength and taste levels are mild. The nic-hit is very mild. No chance of bite or harshness. The tobacco needs a light dry time. Burns cool, clean and a little slow with a deeply sweet, smooth, mildly creamy consistent flavor that never weakens. Leaves a little moisture in the bowl. Requires some relights, though the number really depends on whether or not - or how much - dry time you give it. Has pleasant, short lived after taste and room note. An easy going all day smoke.

-JimInks

37 people found this review helpful.

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

Just a few weeks ago I received my entire line of the Mac Baren 7 Seas blends and was eager to try them all. The company is really proud of these blends and I can understand why. The aromatic flavoring must be a new invention because I've never tasted anything quite like them. Cool and mostly dry burning, 7 Seas Black offers a great variety of flavors and - yippee! - tobacco is one of them! A very refreshing taste sensation that is not at all strong or overwhelming, but lets you know you are smoking pipe tobacco with a very sweet taste. I loved the presentation of liquor in the flavoring of 7 Seas Black as I smoked.

Pipestud

28 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Col. Stuffinpuff (14)	2014-02-11		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

A truly fine aromatic offering from MacBaren. Upon opening the tin, you are greeted with a powerful, some may consider overwhelming, scent of amaretto and to me, rum. This however, translates gracefully into the taste of the tobacco, notable, but not as cloyingly sweet as the tin aroma. For the fan of sweet aromatics, you would be hard pressed to find amore fulfilling smoke. As with all MacBaren tobaccos, it will benifit from some dry time, especially from a freshly opened tin. I let mine spend half an hour on a countertop, and it wouldn't bite no matter how quickly I puffed.

If you're looking for something dry, then you'd best move along. For those looking for a dessert like smoke, then this may fit the bill.

Pipe Used: Peterson 408

Age When Smoked: Fresh from the tin

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

20 people found this review helpful.

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

This one is my favorite in the seven seas blends because it is less sweet than the 4 others with more "dark" flavor, this is a black, wet Cavendish that tastes like: licorice + amaretto+ chocolate + vanilla, it is MILD and gentle on the tongue with delightful "pancake" room note.

this is a very good aromatic that I would highly recommend, however,Vanilla Cream is still better than this one.

17 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	juvat (36)	2012-03-29		Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Chocolate. Pure dark chocolate with a hint of coconut is what I get from the tin note and taste. The room note is outstanding! I thoroughly enjoyed this one as well as the other 7 Seas blends (Regular and Royal). And while I hate to use a tired cliche here, this is coming from a guy who, with a few notable exceptions, doesn't normally like aromatics.

Black Blend is my favorite of the 7 Seas line.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doggie_Daddy (5)	2014-01-28		Extremely Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is a blend I could smoke often. The added top flavors are not to overpowering of the fine Cavendish. The aroma from the tin is very nice and the room note is wife and daughter approved. The thick buttery smoke has a pleasant mouth feel with no bite. This is an all day smoke.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-04-01		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Mac Baren - 7 Seas Black Blend.

I couldn't be more impressed with the moisture of the fresh tobacco, and as the name implies, the ribbons are very dark. As well as being dark, they're also coarse, with the inclusion of a few larger leaf-like pieces.

The smoke from 7 Seas Black? Well, it's aromatic, but quite soft; the liquorice gives a tiny bit of flavour, but isn't at all astringent. The rest of the aromatics join together to form a relaxed and smooth taste. Because this is a straight black Cavendish the only real character from the weed is the usual caramel-vanilla one, like in most B.C.'s. It isn't a mammoth biter, but can give me a bit of a nip unless it's sipped. Although bite's a negative feature with the smoke, a positive is the thickness: it gives huge palpable plumes!

The nicotine's mild and the room-note's very nice, leaving behind a lasting aroma.

Because of the bite, three stars.

Recommended.

Update: after a fair few bowls, despite the bite, I'm increasing the rating to four!..... Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Peterson St. Patrick's 2017 #230

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: 4noggins

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2016-06-26		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I've seen some dark black Cavendish blends before, but this would have to be the deepest ebony yet. If I didn't know any better I would've mistaken this stuff for shredded black rubber in both look and feel. Thankfully there was no smell of burning tires, just a sweet rich intoxicating cloud I couldn't quite place... though there is definitely some liquor in there (bourbon, whiskey, amaretto).

The flavors keep you guessing and it is a real joy to smoke. You get a nice velvety smoke that is rich in flavor and has no bite, likely light in nicotine, yet rewarding all the same. This stuff burns forever, so you get your monies worth here (who knows, maybe there are rubber tires in the mix?)

While I only sampled 1oz of this in bulk, am going upgrade to a nice tin on the next order. It is worth revisiting. [Edit: I just bought a tin of 7 seas, since I liked the 1oz I tried, and for whatever reason this batch was much less black, rubbery, and exciting. Demoting it to 2 stars.]

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BriarWoody (33)	2017-03-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

MacBaren knows how to produce bell-ringing aromatics, and this is a prime example. It is flavorful, lightly sweet, and the tobacco flavors shine through the delicious topping, which is unique and complimentary but never saccharine, artificial or over the top. Burns clean and smooth; requires occasional relights and leaves only a small drop of moisture in the bowl. The room note is good.

It really hits the zone midway, similarly to what you find in Dunhill's VA blends. It is hard to imagine how anyone could dislike this. I would personally prefer a bit more nicotine, but this still makes for a relaxing smoke that can be enjoyed all day if you are so inclined. It is such an upgrade from most of the good bulk blends. I highly recommended both the Black and Regular versions.

Pipe Used: Nording Freehand

Age When Smoked: Fresh Tin - Delicious!

Similar Blends: 7 Seas Regular.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2017-10-31		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A pleasurable, cool smoking straight black cavendish mixture and one of the best that I have ever sampled. The flavor is a bit one dimensional, (my only knock on this blend), but it's definitely not flat or vapid. What I enjoy most about 7 Seas Black is that the smoke has some body to it, as well as a discernible tobacco flavor that I don't all too often find in a straight black cavendish. And while the tin note screams confection, when put to flame the added flavorings are actually quite subtle. The licorice, chocolate and vanilla are noticeable but delicately applied. The Amaretto topping stands out most, adding hints of marzipan, berry and a mocha like flavor. From a freshly opened tin the moisture level is higher than I prefer and the tobacco feels somewhat sticky. However it is suprisingly smokeable with as little as 15-20 minutes dry time. 7 Seas Black burns slow, smokes cool and has a consistent, lightly sweet flavor. It's a high quality aromatic tobacco, and a good smoke for beginner and experienced pipers alike, especially those that appreciate black cavendish.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Appalachian Chef (52)	2014-11-22		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

A "Bounty" of flavor. One of my all-time favorites. Great flavor, nice room note, superb tin note. Smokes great after a little drying. I can't find anything negative with this soon to be classic.

Pipe Used: Brebbia Cappucino Noce

Age When Smoked: 1 Month

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

5 people found this review helpful.

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

well macbaren is my safety net and i put faith in what the produce (good quality for a reasonable price tag). this tobacco is jet black cavendish that i just couldnt point finger to the flavoring added (although told by Mr. Per Jensen personally) that it is vanilla and amaretto which i never tasted before, i couldnt pin point the flavor. perhaps others might appreciate it better however it deserve the 3 stars for its cavendish sweetness and burn quality , it can be firmly placed on the mild side. the tobacco aroma is acceptable especially if smoked out door (as it wont get as stale as inside a closed room)

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Karim (6)	2018-08-28		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

My very frist tobacco review.

At pouch opening: very pleasant smell of amaretto, warm cake and slight vanilla. I would also say slightly cherry.

At touch: a little too wet, nice ribbon cut.

Loading and lighting: easy to load the ribbon cut after some drying, and easy to light and keep burning.

Smoking: nice, sweet and mild, no tongue bit, no artificial taste. Leaves a little moist in the briar. EDIT: it leaves a sticky mess in the bowl after smoking and on my tamper which will need a good cleaning.

Room note: sweet and pleasant

The after taste is very pleasant, not too persitent.

I liked to load it twice in a few hours and I find it's a good choice as an all day smoke.

Age When Smoked: fresh

Purchased From: Local dealer

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bassrep (25)	2015-08-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Only been smoking the pipe for a bit over a year. Cigars for decades. I say that because bite is a big issue for me and I have always been a mild-medium guy in the cigar area. In the last few years I have been interested in flavored cigars but good ones are few and tend to be more "candy" flavors. I remembered my dad smoking Cherry tobaccos and have fond memories of the aroma. Pipes were the obvious choice. OK... 7 Seas Black. This stuff is wonderful! From opening the tin to lighting up to my wife NOT complaining about the "room note" aka "stank". Burns really well, easy to light and keep lit. NO bite. Great aroma. This is just a really well made and well executed blend.

Pipe Used: Chacom Club

Age When Smoked: 3 months

Purchased From: P&C

Similar Blends: Can't say similar to, but covers the chocolate, vanilla, caramel... what's not to love..

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2018-12-15		Mild	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I really didn’t taste much of anything, I smoked several bowls and each bowl was as boring and utterly forgettable than the last. I got a slightly sweet taste in my mouth, other than that...nothing. I wish I could taste all of the lovely flavors that so many other reviewers seem to have found in 7 Seas Black, but I can see no point in ever smoking this again.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	atomicbuster (79)	2018-03-19		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend feels better in the hand than Capt. Black. But I'm not sure it's worth the price increase. It tastes OK, burns decently, but does need to be re-lit every so often, and develops moisture. Nothing particularly special here. I tried it and am moving on. Barely recommended.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JasonTheDragon (2)	2016-12-07		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Bought this in order to try out something other than the 3 different English-style blends I initially bought when I decided to try pipe smoking (S&G Squadron Leader, Dunhill Early Morning Pipe, Peterson's Old Dublin).

Opening the pouch, I was hit with the smell of raisins and plum. The smell of the "raw" tobacco is very strong and honestly, quite delicious. The tobacco itself is a uniform black, decently ribbon-cut, and my pouch was quite wet initially. Even now, 6 months down the line of pouch storage, the tobacco is a bit damp and sticky.

Lighting up the tobacco, it becomes readily apparent that while it had a very rich pouch aroma, almost none of that sweetness and fruit flavor carries over into the smoke. The tobacco tends to smoke hot, it leaves an acrid aftertaste on the back of the throat (none of the 3 blends I mentioned above do that for me), and it leaves a sticky mess in the pipe bowl after smoking. There were also a few instances of water buildup in the bottom of the pipe causing gurgling and at least once case of getting condensation into my mouth (it might have been more than once, but my brain has blocked out the traumatic memory, bleh!).

All in all, this tobacco is really more well-suited to working as an air freshener than for smoking, in my opinion. It smells great in the pouch, but smoking it has, every time I've tried it, been disappointing for me.

Pipe Used: Mr. Brog Latakia

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 6 months

Purchased From: Local tobacco store

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bbrown626 (150)	2015-01-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Very pleasant note upon opening. Starts with an amaretto flavor (the reason I bought it), later in the bowl I started tasting the licorice. Good quality tobacco, pleasant room note. Overall a very pleasant experience.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2014-11-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This blend reminds me a lot of Lane's BCA, not quite as goopy, but very, very close in taste. So, as I like BCA enough to give it three stars, I must do the same for this blend. Honestly, after suffering through Mac Baren's 7 Seas Royal Blend (which I've already reviewed, sort of) this Black Cavendish does much to retrieve Mac Baren's reputation. This is a good, tasty BC. Like I've stated elsewhere, I like my Black Cavendishe's to have both taste and smoothness, this blend fits that bill. So, three stars for me.

Pipe Used: Leonessa Capri

Age When Smoked: ?

Purchased From: 4Noggins

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunner525 (66)	2011-11-04		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a very good aromatic. One of the two newest in the 7 Seas line, it came out last fall (2011). It's a Virginia blend toasted into a nice dark Cavendish. As with most Mac Baren blends you might want to give it a bit of drying time before you fill your pipe and light up. It smokes wonderfully though, smooth and even all the way down to the bottom of the bowl. The top dressing or casing is pretty unique and complex. I noted caramel, coco, and licorice flavour to the smoke. As complex as the casing seems to be it's a great all day smoke, because regardless of what combination of flavours it really is the blend tastes wonderful.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2022-07-26		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

I may upset some folks with this one, so my apologies if I do.

I had a friend in college that was a vegan. I liked to pick on her a little bit about. You know, the young, dumb, I am big man give me meat attitude. Please know I have nothing against vegans, in fact I admire their dedication. If I was a vegan I am sure I would be way less fat and live much longer. Anyway, what does this have to do with pipe tobacco? Well, heres the thing. She was always trying to get me to try her vegan foods, telling me how amazing they were. Everything from muffins and cookies to chicken nuggets. The truth was, by her saying " these are so good!", what she was really saying was "These are so good.......for being vegan".

That is where I am with this tobacco. It is so good.....for being a goopy aromatic. Inside it's own bailiwick, this is a great tobacco. Compared to my preferred Vapers?.........

This is a super dark, super chunky, super heavily cased blend. Tin note is just gorgeous. Obviously Mac Barens attempt at BCA. I don't think there is any cherry here (that is in 7 seas red) but something about the tin note kept bringing me back to cherry.

I put this out to dry overnight, and it gave me a quite enjoyable smoke.....for a goopy aromatic. If you smoke this right out of the tin, you are in for a bad time. Given time to air out? It burns surprisingly well, and left very little sludge in the heel. Tongue bite is not bad at all (I am convinced drying time helps immensely with this, even if due to the fact I don't have to relight every two minutes and puff like a freight train to get it lit and keep it rolling). Room note is heavenly. Definitely a crowd pleaser.

Over all, this is an excellent entry into this stable of this style of tobacco. If you are a heavy aromatic lover, you are going to love this. For me? This will make a great change of pace, or be a company impresser, but not what I will reach for personally when I am looking for a perfect bowl of tobacco.

Pipe Used: Designer Berlin Sandblast

Age When Smoked: 2020

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mk V Piper (2)	2021-01-26		Extremely Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

This was my 2nd wholly underwhelming experience with a Mac Baren tobacco & it will probably be my last. I wish I could get 1% of what's described but there's just nothing there beyond a wonderfully full, mouth watering aroma when you first open the bag. Then, nothing but disappointment. I wanted very much to experience all of the great things that describe this blend & in an effort to do so I tried it every way I could think of. I smoked it fresh & moist, dried & stale, barely lit & burned to death. I smoked it tight packed & lose packed in cheap cobs & nice Savinellis, filtered & unfiltered. I puffed like a freight train & slow smoked it all day long with the same results...a pleasant but mild room note & a tasteless disappointing smoke that I could've gotten from a bag of budget tobacco bought at my local gas station.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New, fresh

Purchased From: Online

Similar Blends: Mac Baren Cherry Ambrosia, but even more disappointing..

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2017-03-05		Mild	Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

I thought that this was the worst of the 7 seas blend. The taste was just flat to me. I also got a mild tongue bite from it. The tin and room note are awesome. It just does not translate to the smoker.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rick5iron (20)	2016-04-10		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Great smoke, and high quality tobacco. It's one of those tobaccos that everybody should keep on hand and can smoke all day. One of the classics

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	arcusMae (5)	2021-03-16		Very Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Apologies for the longwinded review, but this blend means a lot to me.

This was the first blend where I finally "got it." I started smoking a pipe in college but never really stuck with it because I didn't know what I was doing and therefore had a pipe always going out with a burnt up mouth.

Years would pass. I held onto my pipes for that off chance I'd smoke it on a camping trip, but I'd go through moments telling myself to sell them off. Eventually I bought a house and thought a good way to celebrate would be to sit on the back porch and burn some Mac Baren Mixture flake on a summer's evening. Hey, this is actually pretty nice! I forgot how pleasant this could be. Maybe I'll head to the tobacconist and pick up something new.

Since first trying the pipe, I've always been chasing that smell of when my dad would fire up a bowl of Argosy Black once in a blue moon. That first day I bought a pipe, I went from jar to jar smelling to see if I could find that comforting aroma but didn't find it. Each time I bought a new blend I'd be searching for that smell. It wasn't until some 10 years after that first time - when I bought the house - that I found that smell. It was inside a jar filled to the brim with 7 Seas Black.

The blend is chunky and can be a little troublesome to pack, but it smokes easy no matter what. I can usually get it going after 3-5 matches with no relights. It's easy to puff on, doesn't get too hot and never bites. The smoke is thick and satisfying with a pleasantly sweet licorice/anise flavor but is not overpowering. The room note is warming and nostalgic for those around you.

In summary, this blend was the first that I had that was easy to smoke and full of flavor. It helped me understand and appreciate the hobby better. Despite that, I only give it three stars as there's one downside: it's a pretty wet blend and the bottom of your pipe will be a sticky mess so good luck getting a full bowl's worth of enjoyment. It's still one of my favorites, though.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KingLeary (9)	2020-12-04		Very Mild	Very Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

2023 EDIT: I will be leaving my original review bellow the dotted line. My original review was taken when I was in-experienced and only tried a handful of blends, this is my review with the blend as I re-purchased some.

The tobacco smells of licorice and vanilla, the vanilla comes through when burning but not the licorice, although if you put this mixture on the bottom 1/4th of your bowl when smoking an english or light-flavoured blend then some of the licorice un-burned does come through; as the smoke passes through it. The cavendish doesn't burn hot but it does give a lot of "hot air" in the mouth, just very humid smoke with little flavour. I'm not a cavendish expert, this may very well be a 10/10 cavendish blend but as of now, compared to all other tobaccos that I've tried, I have to change my review from a 4 to a 2.

The room smell is one of the most pleasant I've ever experienced. It barely smells of tobacco and smells like you lit a vanilla incense. However, as with most mac baren blends, it is very tongue-bitey. Extremely low nicotine content, if you smoke due to addiction you're going to hate this blend. It mixes very well with vapers/vaburs, I personally mix it with chopped up high quality cigars to up the nicotine content. I do not recommend this blend unless you do not like nicotine or are trying to add some vanilla flavouring to another blend you own. ----------------------------------------------------------

This is very much one of my favourite blends. The flavour is not very complex, just kind of "one note vanilla". However, the tobacco burns cool and is smooth, and the room is filled with one of the best aromas I have ever smelled, got lots of compliments from non-smokers about how the room smells like vanilla. Does not burn hot at all and burns very slowly.

This is not the most "complex" blend out there but it is extremely pleasant and one my favourite aromatics!

Pipe Used: Canadian, Tomato Churchwarden

Age When Smoked: New

1 person found this review helpful.

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

Finally a winner from the 7 Seas line! After trying and being disappointed by Gold, Regular, and Royal, 7 Seas Black finally gave me what I was looking for. Smooth smoke, mild, but pleasing flavor, and a satisfying bowl.

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
	FrostyPipe (7)	2019-11-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is the epitome of Danish aromatic room note, and classic Danish aromatic finickiness.

Tin note was chocolate and fig with a smidge of vanilla. Did not translate to taste.

Very shaggy coarse cut. Leaning towards too ‘wet’. Drying is necessary.

Pack loose. Prone to bite if pushed or packed tight.

Taste is somewhat sweet (not enough for my Aro tastes). Room note is superlative. Classic. Utterly Danish.

Burns darn hot if you don’t pack just right. No heavy pulling with this one.

Tipped a little to wanting to gurgle.

Found its stride mid bowl...sweetish, full smoke. Steady, timed puffing was possible.

Overall...the smell out stripped the taste and the ‘work’ involved isn’t worth the payout.

Aroma is perfectly classic, but so is the typical MacBaren fussiness.

4 out of 10

Pipe Used: Brigham Bulldog, Peterson Rock of Cashel

Age When Smoked: Fresh

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cypher1014 (5)	2018-08-22		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Smoked a little hot and took 4-5 false starts before it would stay lit. I see some other reviews mention drying it out some, but I didn’t find it particularly wet from the bag (purchased in bulk). Flavor very smooth with some almonds and caramel.

Age When Smoked: 0

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tomasz (9)	2017-08-03		Very Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this on a whim hoping to get a great tasting tobacco. I have to say that I am disappointed. I got a 1 ounce sample and have smoked about half of the bag. After a few bowls which got slightly better I found that this particular blend does nothing for me. Doesn't really bite and if sipped has a little taste but to my tongue I get very little flavor. Tried with and without a filter to no avail. Stays lit pretty well and like I said will not bite but offers little flavor. However I'd still suggest trying if you are curious. Perhaps your tongue will agree with it more than mine did.

Pipe Used: MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: pouch that had been opened a few days

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Stinkypipe (155)	2017-02-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a nice blend. I will say I don't get all the flavors they advertise as available in this blend. The opening note is mostly a mix of fruity and musty dark aroma. The blend out of the tin is a bit damp so I let dry for a couple of hours. The light up was average and required two relights. The taste is mostly licorice and light fruity taste. This is very mild flavors that are in the background. The flavors come and go a bit but they are there throughout the smoke. The room note is just tolerable. This is s pretty good blend that I would recommend but not include in my regular rotation.

Pipe Used: Boswell big hanger

Age When Smoked: Fresh but dry for a few hours

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jakob Gale (1)	2015-01-11		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Ker mi je zmanjkal običajni tobak sem za pokušino kupil MacBarenov 7 Seas Black Blend in bil prijetno presenečen! Mil za kajenje z odlično aromo in prijetnim vonjem v prostoru, pri počasnem kajenju ne povzroča pekoč jezik, ravno prav vlažen, skratka vsakdanji tobak za pipe. Poleg se odlično prileže dober konjak ali kava z rumom kot tudi navadna voda. Tudi cena 50 g zavojčka je zelo sprejemljiva in to bo v prihodnosti tobak, ki bo vedno našel prostor v mojem predalu. Priporočam ga tudi začetnikom, saj ni zelo zahteven za kajenje.

Pipe Used: meerschaum Altinay brez filtra (z adapterjem)

Purchased From: PETROL ShopGo v Ljubljani

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipefitter (51)	2023-01-05		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I’m always cautious about buying a tobacco with so many flavorings added to it, and the amount of flavorings is just a bit too much for me , but I do give this a 3 because of the overall quality of the product and I am starting to like a good Cavendish . I like the toasted flavor. I also think that this beats the majority of abundantly topped aromatics on the market today. Black Blend is a cool, clean smoke you can smoke all day without palate fatigue and it doesn’t burn up the inside of your mouth. The Carmel flavoring lasts throughout the pipe so if you’re looking for that kind of smoke, this won’t disappoint. I’ve tried other tobaccos in the MacBaren Seven Seas series and I gave them 3s as well and I will be trying others from that series.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Sergei’s in East Lyme Ct.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tygar (2)	2022-10-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a very interesting smoke. Not what I expected at all. There was no drying necessary. It took the fire right off. It burns cool all the way to the bottom of the bowl. The sweetness of the toppings add to the tobacco quite nicely. It's not any American aromatic, seeing that Mac Baren is producing an American-style aromatic, and the fact that I smoke VERY FEW American tobaccos because of the acrid taste. I smoke almost exclusively Danish and German tobaccos. The flavors do not over power nor do they sublimate the tobacco flavors. I have several tins of this in my cellar. Age gives a deeper taste of the combination of toppings. Great Danish blend!

Pipe Used: GBD New Standard

Age When Smoked: 3 year old tin

Purchased From: tobaccopipes.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimPM (142)	2022-05-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Come sail away, ye crusty dogs and sissy-pants lubbers! Lock the golden ear hoops, fasten them tartan bonnets, and for heaven’s sake lash those fancy boy kerchiefs tightly about, ye ill-mannered scallywags! We ride out the rolling swell aboard the sloop Mac Baren. Make merry the halyard and steady the capstan (oops that’s a Virginia) our charter takes us into the abyss of the 7 Seas Black, a dainty coarse cut bounty dark as midnight upon the rocking crests. Yarrr!

Now that Roger has been made jolly, entering the port, a smoking cob full of Mac Baren 7 Seas Black a steely 100% Black Cavendish wonder buried within a treasure chest of flavorful additives. A palate’s share for the looting featuring Italian Amaretto, chocolate, spicy licorice, vanilla, and a few other hidden jewels, make this blend a lonely mate’s seafaring sweetheart.

The tobacco itself is highly pliable yet pouch-ready dry for immediate enjoyment. Carrying a somewhat cultured essence, 7 Seas Black musters a general feeling spicy refined sweetness. Central to its aroma is an inviting fruity liqueur eased with a congealed bitterness. Prominent accenting perfumes motion forward in the form of soft cocoa/vanilla, dark coffee, placid licorice, a bit of soiled nuttiness and very remote native sour tart grass. A very gracious presentation by comparative aromatic standards.

Objectively this mixture has a smooth tooth and well-manicured overall taste profile. Mild with respect to intensity yet rich in delighting presence. Principally the additive flavorings dominant the registration for the entirety of the smoke. Nothing overbearing or ruttishly tacky by any means, but rather polished and balanced with consistent precision; impressive to say the least.

Drink up me hearties, as the leading Amaretto note endows the classic taste of a fine matured liqueur. Namely, a cordial-like presentation of sweet creamy fruitiness and dulled alcohol spice emanates. Nuances of gentle buttery almond, peachy-apricot, and passive cherry finish the leading characterization. Further amorous embellishment is favored by the bittersweet spice of licorice, medium-roast coffee, diluted chocolate/vanilla, and some basic sugar. On the bottom, one can anchor traces of native Cavendish in doting tones of earthy tart and tangy wood/grass. Ahoy!

As tobacco burns, this one is comfortably cool, silky, and level in its consumption. Ample clouds of prosperous blue smoke are emitted offering an amiable sweeter spice that catches the fancy. Tis certain Blackbeard would have yo-ho’d this one with his bottle of rum. No bite or chemical poisoning nonsense is experienced making 7 Seas Black a noteworthy aromatic indulgence. So, follow the bowsprit and climb aboard the poop deck if ye favor a hardy roost on a lively and charming aromatic excursion. 3.3 Pipes

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2021-12-16		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Upon opening the tin, you get a sweet aroma. The tobacco comes ready to smoke and packs easily. There is a sweetness at the first, but it is subdued.The main flavor is that of a more natural Cavendish. For being a Virginia based Black Cavendish, thee is a decent amount of smoke. If you want an equivalent, I would say it is closer to Captain Black Regular than Captain Black Dark. There is some vanilla, but no fruit flavor and the vanilla is applied very lightly. The nicotine level is low and the room note is pleasant, but not as sweet as many of the American Black Cavendish type tobaccos that I am used to. Midway through the bowl, the light sweetness fades and even more of the natural taste comes to the front. No tongue bite. Out of all the 7 Seas blends, this one goes the best with coffee. The after-taste is very light, but there. The ash is fine without clumps. It takes a re-light very well. I mentioned this before, but I am primarily a Burley and American aromatic smoker. I have noticed how well theese Virginia based blends put down an even cake on the inside of the bowl. If you are using this in a new pipe, you will notice how well and even the cake begins to form. I just wish the nicotine level was higher like my beloved Burley blends.

Pipe Used: MM Blackout Moonshine

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: pipesandcigars.com

Similar Blends: Captain Black Regular (white).

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Poodlejuice (49)	2021-07-11		Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Comes pitch black & cut rather course, but not goopy. I like to rub it out a bit and give it a short dry time, although it smokes fine immediately. This is the only 7 seas blend I've tried as it was the only one that really interested me.

Anise/black licorice, almonds, creamy vanilla, rum, some nice toasty notes. Strong on the flavorings, but they are very well done. not a whole lot of tobacco taste. Makes my mouth a tiny bit numb just like some good licorice. Burns slow and rather cool. Kind of moist in the bowl, but not goopy. No nicotine. Doesn't easily bite.

This is exactly the aromatic I've been looking for. I'm a huge licorice fan so this definitely satisfies. Like smoking a shot of Jaegermeister. Delicious. The casing/topping definitely dominates the blend but that's perfectly ok with me because they are quality flavorings and satisfies my sweet tooth perfectly.

Pipe Used: Falcons, cobs, briars

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	dixcreek (182)	2021-01-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

In a word, excellent! MacBaren cavendish has few if any rivals. A brown sugar sweetness that is not so overwhelming that it steal from the other components. A melange of flavors going on here make for a flavorful experience. Can you taste the tobaccos as well? Yes indeed, grassy, nutty and citrus notes only serve to enhance this selection. Not a power bomb of Nicotine, but enough to keep you interested. Mild to medium blend that burns well through the process. Little dottle and not a goopy mess in your bowl! Great aromatic from MacBaren.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-06-26		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I tried this tobacco and I have to say it's quite pleasant. Personally, I love MacBaren Original Choice and this is not very far from it, although there is a difference. Still, OC is better, but you should try this one.

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