Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired

Authentic, old timey, for the mature crowd. I imagine there were Mississippi riverboat captains that kept the pipe full of this. I love tobaccos that harken back to yesterday year. I love tobacco remind me of America. I love tobacco's with a full rich taste and lack complexity, they just get down to business.

Well, old dark fired fills the bill. This is a Virginia and Burley heavyweight. And the Burley tastes the way you want it to, not like haunted bookshop...blech! (Smoke enough crap and it starts to taste pretty good)

Sweet, smoky, fruity, spicy, with a constantly good tobacco flavor. Also, enough nicotine to keep a snuff user satisfied. I can't think of any occasion that this tobacco would be a bad choice for. This has been a go-to of mine for years. It delivers. Sometimes I know I want to smoke a pipe but I can't make up my mind what to put in it. Old dark fired is often my choice. Almost too good to smoke while working on a project. But I do it all the time, and feel like I really have it made.

Because I have plenty of Bold Kentucky, I never bothered to buy this one but was able to sample a nice size bowl at our pipe club meeting. I smoked it in a Cob no less and this batch was dated Jan 2016. 6 years of age on this baby. I can’t really remember exactly what Bold Kentucky tastes like but this seems to me to be a little milder and maybe somewhat weaker in the nicotine department. A good smoke but since I also have Rustica, I see no need in buying another somewhat clone.

Im a little late to the party with the HH line, call it a case of post mac-bite aversion, but I had heard and read many good things, particularly about Old Dark Fired, so I gave it a try. To start, the tin note is among the best of any tobacco Ive come across... maybe the best. Aromas of vinegar, ketchup, black pepper, hickory, a touch of smoked paprika. It's like ripe meat smothered in barbacue sauce that's been slow roasted on charcoal briquettes with a healthy side of ketchup. As mouthwatering as Chazz's mom's meatloaf. The flakes are moist, firm and leathery; they handle and pack well. I like to rub these ones out, rather than fold, and would recommend a quick drying of 10 minutes or so. Now, I am ashamed to admit, but I was once a cigarette smoker and, as a result, must confess to being a fast puffer, and with this toby I really have to force myself to sip slowly in order to bring out the flavours. If I smoke my usual quick cadence the flavours dilute and the delicious tin note gets lost behind the heat, almost to the point of being bland. When smoked patiently the flavour is more pronounced, yet I still wish it was more potent! The nicotine isn't the strongest Ive smoked, but it's no wimp and has potential to sneak up on you. To much relief, there was no bite whatsoever. A very good tobacco. I liked it alot. 3-3.5 as the flavour could be stronger. I would certainly recommend and will be perusing the rest of the HH blends.

*Edit - I'm upgrading to 4stars, because it is just that tasty. I took the advice of several other reviewers here, a wide bowl and open draw helps to get the fullest flavour out of this one. Thanks to all those that suggested it! Highly recommend. Cheers.

Imagine you are wearing a comfortable flannel shirt that you had on the night before at an outdoor bonfire and you walk into a small, artisanal bakery where they're making fresh raisin bread. That's what it smells like when you open a tin of this gem. Can't speak highly enough about it. Smokes easily even if you puff like a proverbial steam engine. I've only smoked it rubbed out with a quick dry time of 5 mins or less but will experiment with smoking as a full flake. Great, great stuff!

Not as racy as the Kendal Kentucky, HH Old Dark Fired brings a more graceful mix of finely pressed Burley, Kentucky, and Virginia.

The pouch greets you with a thrill of earthy wood BBQ spice folded with tenderly sweet-grassy tart tones; strong but not brutish. This is a very attractive looking blend if I must say. Ebon-brown strips of rich cultured tobacco. And the taste, wow! Superbly balanced and deliciously amalgamated as one would expect from Mac B. ODF offers a full base tethered in a buttery toasted nuttiness and spiced deep wood.

The Virginia wraps around the overall bottom registration a sweet tangy charm. Smokey and very herby this one. Reminds me of the essence of basil and thyme combined. Mellow and highly enjoyable. This stuff is fine with a capital “F”

These flakes come a little moist and smell like bbq. More precisely they smell like lays bbq chips/crisps. A short dry time is needed for my tastes (30mins). Ive rubbed out and folded and there seems to be a little more earthyness and longer burn if folded, at the expense of more relights.

Sweet smokey bbq, tomatos and ketchup, a bit of brown sugar & molasses, oak & misquite, a bit of mole like chocolate/pepper notes in the background & a rich earth develops towards the bottom of the bowl. Sweet & Savory notes abound. This is like smoking a pork butt, but in your pipe. Delicious. When I smoke this one my SO says that I smell good, but kind of like bacon. And she's a vegetarian. That's not important though...

What is important is that you consider putting some ODF in your rotation. It's strong, savory, and smokes slow and cool. Much like a good brisket. Strength-wise it's on the strong side, but I recommend a big bowl if you handle it. The build up at the end is worth it. Doesn't bite much at all, in fact probably the tamest flake of the HH line. This is by far my favorite Mac Baren blend. Might be in my top 5 tobaccos ever depending on the day.

There is a lot going on here. Almost like a fine earthy cigar dipped in molasses, honey and chocolate. A little slowto get going but once it does this stuff is truly exquisite

Fabulous tin note. Unfortunately, it's one of those square tins that dry out rather quickly, so unless you plan on smoking the entire thing within a few weeks, transfer to a jar.

Lovely taste, although it is strong tobacco, so I tend to take frequent breaks during the bowl.

This is the first tricky one for me because I got mixed signals, expectations and actual experience, I'll elaborate.

First my expectations reading reviews and fora were built up for this blend to be dark, smoky and strong.

The tin note is also perplexing: opening the tin gave me a strong and delicious smell of ketchup and barbecue, actual barbecue, not grilling, which means low and slow smoking of meat over many hours, think beef brisket, burnt ends and pulled pork shoulder. However once I unfolded the golden paper envelope the flakes were in that smell was replaced with that of pressed Virginia, nothing of the smells I associate with burley.

The presentation of the flakes is excellent: dark, neat, fairly chunky flake at a tad above perfect moisture, so needs a short drying time before firing up.

The taste, right off the bat, was wood. Oak wood in fact, freshly cut oak wood - not seasoned, dry and ready for the fireplace. It is a homely and very pleasant smell, associated in my mind with all sorts of pleasant experiences. This is the most "woodsy" tobacco I ever had, and should instantly demonstrate the difference between dark fired Kentucky and Latakia to less experienced people like me. Latakia is the smell of the fireplace (after the fire has died), while this is the smell of oak chips.

The taste is also perplexing because some puffs are incredible and others are a tad bland. The predominant taste is that of oak wood, with the occasional whiff of spice, and a hint of sweetness and sourness. The barbecue and ketchup also show up, but rarely. I didn't find it very full tasting, even when everything clicked together, I'd say for my taste it is more mild and pleasant than a bomb of any sort, but its smell and taste linger. Same can be said about nicotine, but I'm generally very tolerant to nicotine from pipe tobacco.

As I was writing this review I hadn't decided on the rating, I swung from 4 stars to 2 stars all the time from:

- "this is really great, complex, pleasant and mild enough to smoke all the time" to - "this is a bit bland, something's missing here, will enjoy it but won't miss it much" to - "hey as I am writing this review I recall all the great nuances this has to offer" to -"but then again quite a few puffs didn't really give me much" to - "can't fault it due to any expectation I built up before trying" to -"why/how on earth does this blend swing so much from great to bland?"

I'll go with middle of the road: 3 stars, that's my rating for tobaccos I like, but don't love (4 stars) or outright dislike but finish (2 stars), and nowhere near tobaccos I consider only good for giving away or dumping in the compost bin (1 star). It is a high quality product, if you're looking for strong tobacco you won't find it here, it is very pleasant and at times complex, but not always.

Edited June 2020 to 4 stars, this made me a dedicated DFK fan, it is really great.