Mac Baren HH Old Dark Fired Ready Rubbed

Not much to add to the flake review other than this is excellent value in bulk and i find the Lakeland soapy flavour a bit stronger than the flake version (but this is a good thing). Great stuff. Am i going to break with the trend and give it less than 4 stars. Hell No!

This blend was recommended by gents on the pipes magazine forum and needless to say they were right about this one. Falling into the English line of tobacco this tobacco has a good smoke scent in the bag. The tobacco was very easy to work with and packed very easily. The smoke was very tasty and a really robust smoke in this blend. The tobacco burned really well and gave me a good 45 min smoke in my calabash. The room note was tolerable as well really wasn't overwhelming. I would recommend this blend and it is a good English blend. Also a good blend for folks in colder climates just gives a nice warm feeling smoking this stuff.

Holy moly, this is good. Deep, rich and strong but not too strong for newbies or those who don't like the strongest tobaccos. Great burn, great tin note (I want to eat it) and a pretty good room note but a little more intense than something else in the same blend family, like Golden Extra.

Comparing ODF-RR to Mac Baren's ODF flake, it is like deciding which of two beautiful twin sisters to take out -- they are each gorgeous, smart and witty but each in her own way. Sure you could pick a favorite but what if you didn't have to? I love both blends, smoke both blends. To paraphrase Scarlett: As God is my witness I'll never be without ODF again.

Either will do.

This is a very good tobacco and the flavor does not deviate too far from the flake version. The characteristic earthy flavor, honey like tone, subtle spiciness and full rich body are all there, but I still prefer folding and stuffing a flake of ODF for a long slow gratifying smoke.

For me, the difference between one and the other is all about the burn rate. Old Dark Fired rubbed-out burns quicker and therefore with more flavor bravado, where a folded flake of ODF burns with less intensity revealing more bittersweet chocolate-like subtleties.

Personally, I prefer the control gained with the flake form.

Either way, both versions are great smokes and this version will surely please folks that don't like to deal with prepping flake tobacco.

After smoking a lot of soapy flavored flakes from Gawith, Hoggarth, lighting up a bowl of this ready rubbed was a pleasure. Decent flavor with a nice dose of Vitamin N. This tobacco burns well with very few relights and will be a staple in my rotation. There is not much that one could complain about regarding this offering.

This one surprised me. I thought I had smoked a tin of the flake version and wasn't very impressed. But maybe my memory fails me?!

I ordered a small 2oz bag of the ready rubbed version as I'm trying to explore burley based blends more.

The bag of broken flakes was perfect moisture level to load and light. The broken flakes were black, dark brown, with just a few veins of lighter brown and even fewer yellow streaks. The deep tobacco, earthy, cigar-like smell from the bag is strong and rich with hints of sweetness that seem to tease.

This stuff is easy to load and light with a charring light and then the final light. Keeps lit with firm occasional tamping and sipping. This stuff produces a good amount of very flavorful smoke. It tastes like 'tobacco'. I know this sounds almost like a misnomer and perhaps a bit cliché or slap-sticky, but it tastes like what you would think tobacco tastes like. It has some cigar notes, earth, leather, rounded out by a touch of sweetness, some lightly floral and herbal tones. It's rich and after a few bowls one starts to crave those flavors again. It is 'easy' on the tongue, much of a surprise to me as other MacBaren blends seem to bite quite a bit, and isn't rough unless you push it hard. An excellent tobacco that surprised me and that I will enjoy again in the future!

Old Dark Fired is the dividing line between pipe tourists and tobacco purists. One is either immediately repulsed by it, or so deeply intrigued that it will haunt your nighttime dreams.

A no-nonsense, deep and rich tobacco which burns wonderfully right out of the bag. This can be tuned to perfection through subtle adjustments to dry time and further rubbing out some of its chunkier components.

There's no chance of bite, and the nic-hit is delivered through a textbook-perfect torque curve.

No flavoring is detected. This said, I detect MacBaren has topped it with testosterone. This tobacco will open your nostrils and awaken your senses.

This is a man's smoke. The tobacco equivalent of living off nothing but slow smoked wild fish and game. Embrace it, or flee--this tobacco will not be ignored.

With this in mind, it is the ideal intro to the art of tobacco smoking. An investment of one bowl, in a $10 cob is all that's required to determine one's fate in this craft.

All right. This is my review on ODF. I filled up my bowl of ODF after a day started with (in sequence)

- MacBaren HH Balkan - White Knight - Black House - Magnus Opus

What I can tell You? All these above are absolutely outstanding. But there is only one for now that makes me feel in my "comfort zone" . It is the Old Dark Fired.

It is absolutely one of my favorite. It's a little flat, true, but it's a pleasant flat taste, giving you all you want from a pipe tobacco. 4 stars, I would give it 5 or more.

This is a number 1.

This is a great blend. Tastes great, burns great. Dense clouds of smoke. I use a pretty slow cadence with this one. Its better kept on the cooler side. It’s a little strong, but I think most pipe smokers won’t have a problem with it.