Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired

This blend seems similar to Orlik's Dark Strong KY and PH's blend of the same name. They are different enough to be sure but the similarities make them very comparable in my mind. Not so close that I could not tell them apart in a blind test. In this blend there seems to be slightly more dark fruit sweetness in the VA's, a slight nuttiness and earthiness in the KY with a subtle spice note. I do get a little vinegar and some molasses that must be from a casing. I would say of the three blends noted here this is the best with Orlik coming in second. However, when I think of what a VA/KY blend can bring to the table these all fall short. Solani 660, just about any offering from G&H that is listed as unscented in this category would be preferred for me. Still a good quality smoke that is well worth trying if you really enjoy these blends.

This is my second Mac Baren blend, the other being Seven Seas Regular. That to me was a take it or leave it baccy and I'm afraid to report that Old Dark Fired is another such blend though it is more take it than leave it.

The very dark flakes were very neatly ordered in the tin, the aroma was of a slight tangyness with hints of leather. I tipped out the contents onto my copper tray to rub them out. Moist and slightly sticky they rubbed out rather well though the actual cut of the baccy is rather coarse. Perhaps not one for a small bowl I thought.

I packed my McQuade bent bulldog and attempted to light up. Several char lights later I was finally up and running with huge clouds of grey smoke billowing from the bowl. It took quite a while afore I could get any flavour out of this and what flavour I did get seemed to be very subdued. The first third of the bowl didn't really do anything for me, just pretty nondescript flavours of tobacco with the occasional nutty woodyness poking through.

Come mid bowl and things picked up slightly. In between many relights I detected earthy/nutty flavours when gently sipped along with a little peppery spice and leatheriness.

Nicotine content was apparent but not enough to blow ones socks off. The strength also picked up towards the end.

That was all a couple of days ago. I am now smoking it in a larger bowled Peterson after it has had about three hours air drying and that has improved matters in the flavour department. I now also taste bitter chocolate and demerara sugar and am pleasantly reminded of that fine Yorkshire ale 'Old Peculier'. Not so many relights required now it has aired properly.

Quite a long burner that leaves a clump of dottle in the bowl, this is a bit of a hit and miss blend to me. Yes it is flavoursome but only really come mid bowl and it does require a fair bit of attention when not aired sufficiently. Will I buy this again? Quite likely I will but not in the immediate future, perhaps a Christmas treat to myself.

To begin with, I really like Irish Flake which led me to try ODF. I would still prefer the IF but this tobacco is also very good on its own. This could be the IF without the additional flavoring. Good clean burn with a nice flavor profile all throughout the bowl especially on a conical chamber.

I would be hard pressed to add more to what has already been said. This is a very good quality tobacco. Dark and rich both in the tin and in the pipe. Very pleasant and enjoyable. A bit stronger in the nicotine department than most pipe tobaccos, but not cigar knock-you-on-your-butt strong by any means. I would say the flavor is pushing the stronger side of things. I also have to say that, to me, the flavor is pretty one-dimensional....which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all. Sometimes you just want to enjoy a simple smoke and sometimes you just want to enjoy a good flake. This hits on all cylinders in both departments. Nothing exceptional. But solidly good.

I'm getting raisins, leather and a mild apple cider vinegar from the tin. Tobacco smokes with tones of nuts, leather and wood with a sweet finish. Leather mellows. Smoke goes creamy with nuts and wood remaining sweet. Leather's gone, the wood is fading, still nutty but now with a feint citrus in the background. Strength lingers one notch above medium. A good tobacco.

This accurately cut and stacked flake is an interesting blend, because it consists solely of Dark Fired Kentucky Burley and Virginia grades. The slices are dark brown with only a few lighter sprinkles. Moisture is perfect.

The tin note is full bodied and spicy as well as tarry with hints of apricot an aniseed.

The flakes are ideally suited for the fold and stuff method. For this kind of cut, lighting is quite easy: a single charring light, some leveling out the ashes and a single true light will usually suffice.

The Dark Fired Kentucky gives this blend a tart, peppery, earthy taste reminding me of the smell of burning autumn leaves. Underneath that, there's a tangy sweetness that reminds me of dark chocolate, raisins or pumpernickel. This is a strong smoke, albeit not as high on nicotine as Nightcap, for example. It burns down easily leaving some greying ash.

The room note is earthy and smoky.

Spring has sprung finally ,ok well as far as the calendar is concerned and warmer weather's is a coming .We can start to actually go outside out of hibernation and enjoy our pipes and relax more outdoors. Todays review will be on Mac Barens' HH Old Dark Fired:

Pipe Used: Eric Berk Freehand, briar slight bent

Tin Size: 100g.

Tin Note: Peppery spicy notes, slight aroma of black licorice

Cut: Hot cured pressed flake

Tobacco: Virginia, Burley

Taste: Peppery, full body with a nice natural sweetness from the Virginia

Strength: Medium/Full

Aroma : Very strong full bodied pillowing smoke, peppery aroma

Notes: This tobacco had very nice uniformed cuts, rich dark chocolate brown flakes, out of the tin it was a bit moist and it can use some dry time before packing for a way better smoke. The room note is a very rich strong complex aroma. I don't recommend smoking it inside unless you enjoy a very strong smell. It's not a bad smell by any means but it is as full bodied as you would come to expect just by looking at it. Therefore, other people may not like it. I packed it using the bend and fold method and rubbing it out. I find it had more complexity with bend and fold as compared to rubbing the tobacco out. The pipe didn't need many relights after the false light. I noticed a nice nuttiness from the burley which added a nice dimension to it as well as the natural sweetness and herbal grassy notes from the Virginia. While doing this review I also paired it with a nice cup of hot coffee/cream/sugar and it went very well together. I suggest you smoke this blend nice and slow for the best results and pack it lightly, tamp it as you need to. I recommend this one. I am confident it will get way better with some age on it. So go get yourself a tin already.

Keep on puffin !!!!!!

Rate: 3.0-3.5 out of 5

The Wife's Review:

My husband lit Old Dark Fire up and the first thing I noticed was the peppery smell. It tickled my nose like fresh ground black pepper; not hot but spicy. After I got past the peppery effect I noticed a clean crisp woodsmoke note, like burning aged oak or cedar. My hubby is right though, unless you like a fire-pit in the middle of the living room, it would be best smoked outside on a cool summer night, with a breeze to soften the tangy bite that gains harshness as it fills the room. I would probably actually like this one during the summer months, outside. It definitely is not a blend I would recommend for winter or even early spring. Or anywhere enclosed!

This is a great flake very similar to, but that has nothing to envy to Peterson's Irish Flake. As it aged some, I can make out the sugar crystals starting to form on the flakes. Spicy and a tad, but just barely, sweet, it's an outstanding tobacco that burns nicely and evenly when rubbed out, that packs some really good Vitamin N and leaves me wanting more when I'm done my pipeful. This will become a favorite for the evenings. It's very close to Irish Flake in taste but it has an extra sweetness IF does not have. Mac Baren are seriously impressing me with this one, HH Acadian Perique and the most recent offerings such as Modern Virginia and HH Latakia Flake. I am an enormous fan of this manufacturer, now, along with Orlik and their Dunhill recreations; GL Pease; and C & D. If you like dark, strong, BUs combined with dark VAs, ODF is a must try. I like Irish Flake a lot, but love ODF.

A nice straightforward dark fired, a good intro to the category for those that haven't tried one. The flakes are easy to fold and fairly easy to light. Not an 'oh, wow' blends by any means, but certainly a reliable smoke. Since I know there are many tobaccos out there I would rate a 4, the question arises would I rebuy this particular tobacco, assuming my tastes don't change much more. In this case, the answer is not too often.