Mac Baren Mixture: Scottish Blend

Mac Baren's Scottish Blend is totally different than what one might expect -- unless of course, you are familiar with Danish tobacco blenders. If, for instance, you have tried McCranie's Murdock's Pipe, which is touted as a Scottish blend, and then sampled this one expecting a similar taste sensation -- well, you are going to receive a surprise. Murdock's Pipe has Latakia and Oriental tobaccos located within the blend. You will find neither here. Scottish Blend is a typical Mac Baren in that it is sweet smelling when you open the tin, and sweet tasting upon lighting. The flavor here is delightful, but keep that puffing rythem down or you will get tongue blisters. Unlike most other Mac Baren blends, this one actually has several layers of differing flavors as you work your way down the bowl. I found this to be a nice change of pace tobacco, but it is far too mild for me to consider it as regular fare.

If you are a slow puffer and like a little flavoring in your tobacco, this MacBaren blend may be a home run for you. I couldn't make it past 2nd base.

I remmeber smoking SB back in the 80's the blend was a bit richer then newer version. I think it contained a bit of Oriental and a dash of Latakia. The newer version only rates three stars as where the older version rated four stars. This is best in a small bowl is tends to smoke hot. I find this is the type of blend that is better with shoter and few puffs. You the smoke will get more sataitsfaction from the room note. A good warm weather blend. Overall enjoyable the nictoine level is right and the cut will burn better with a quick rubbing. Still a good smoke Very close to Ed Burak Scottish Ribbon but SB has more aroma and flavor. And Scottish Ribbon bunred much hotter. If I had a choice I would choose SB

Mac Baren is one of the few brands you can find commercially in my country. I have always found its blends prepared with top grade tobaccos, but quite mild and sweetish (even its Latakia mixture tends to taste like truffles!), hence almost always leading to different degrees of tongue bite. Mixture-Scottish blend seems to be an exception. Slightly above the mild line (though not quite a medium strength tobacco), and not really sweet, it is composed of a variety of tobaccos and cuts that make it intriguing. There are, of course, small strands of black Cavendish with little or no flavouring at all, different types of Burley (an element which undoubtedly will dissuade the highly esteemed Eulenburg from trying it, or liking it!), and matured Virginias, some of it in broken flake form.

The tobacco texture is soft and pleasant to look at and, at least in the pouch (there is a tin version I have not yet tried), it has a slightly honey-on-toast aroma, a peculiarity that wears off if allowed to air for a few hours. I believe there could be some PG in it, but the tobacco is not at all moist or goopy. Rubbing it out a little, it facilitates the packing. I tried this in a Stanwell Golden Danish free hand.

The first few puffs reveal a slightly sharp taste, albeit rather sweet. Drawing very slowly for fear of tongue bite, the mixture burns dry and smoothly. By the ¾ bowl mark, the initial sweet undertones are replaced by a toasty flavour, a little bitter, but not at all unpleasant. No need to relight. By mid bowl, the different components seem to be better integrated, yet there is still a certain amount of competition between the black Cavendish and the Burleys, keeping the Virginias on the background. By the end of the bowl, there is the full flavour of a well balanced tobacco. Nothing extraordinary, definitely not an all day smoke, but a good pipe tobacco for a change of pace. It is a little bit harsh on the palate, but not terribly bad.

I think this is a mixture that would be enjoyed by those who want to break from strong cased aromatics without standing up to pure Virginia or Latakia based mixtures, or else by former cigarette smokers who would like to venture into the pipe experience.

A really tasty tobacco blend this. It also sends me back to the 70's and 80's when this famous livery was seen on shelves unimpeded with spoilsport metal doors at corner shops and newsagents' the length and breadth of the country.

I'm still amazed that this one has remained under my radar for so long. It's possibly because I was intent on trying the entire virginia range of Dan Pipe. And, of course, my general ignorance of MacBaren's blends.

The pouch aroma is one to die for. It reminds of Rattray's Terry Red (can you still get this?). The sweetness of this made me suspect it might be one of those blends (like Dunhill's Royal Yacht for example) that promises so much in the opening fragrance yet delivers none of the enticing aroma in the smoke.

This does however and I have found it best to smoke one whole bowl in one go if possible and the flavours remain constant throughout. Like some alcohol flavoured tobaccos this does have a tendency to burn off the casing and smoke hot if pushed. Certainly a fair comment in this regard from one of the other reviewers here. You are greatly rewarded if you can smoke this one as slowly as possible wih as few relights as possible, so a small to medium filling volume seems the best bet.

The citrus-like honeyed character of this blend shines through, bowl after bowl and, again, as previously mentioned, there is no shortage of complexity here. It's certainly a friendly old blend, no bite unless abused, and a welcome addition to anyone's cellar with a firm nod to the past.

Incredibly, and perhaps the only downside to this blend, is the lack of room note. The aromatic qualities have remained unremarked by Mrs RW. It could be that she has been assaulted by so many different tobaccos over the years she may be immune to the allure of this one.

This is a tobacco I intend to have in stock as often as possible and one that bridges the gap between plain virginias and aromatics very nicely indeed. A worthwhile all-day smoke to come back to time and time again.

I have only tried the pouch version. I have learned from someone who smokes it daily that it is advisable to buy the tin version since it is better in taste and lasts longer wet. I have also seen many comparisons with the Mac Baren Mixture Flake and there are those who say that it is the same tobacco, only here in the Mixture Scotish Blend that flake is crumbled. In some of these comparisons it is said that they first pack the flake and then crumble what is left over to make the Mixture Scotish Blend, leaving it somewhat drier and with a slight loss of flavor.

Returning to the mixture that concerns us here, it is a tasty, sweet tobacco, with a certain honeyed touch (although as you can see in the heading the mixer claims that it does not contain honey), creamy and full-bodied. It is not tiring or cloying despite its sweetness, so it can be smoked at all times and even repeated on the same day. But beware! If you smoke it carelessly the pipe will become red hot and your tongue will be in danger. Thanks to the advice on this page, I have managed to smoke it several times without getting itchy at all, and as people here say, it has no secret: smoke slowly and if the pipe gets hot, let it rest. It is worth some discipline in this process to enjoy this tobacco. I also add a filter to the pipe when I smoke any aromatic and with this I do not make an exception. The result has been a series of very pleasant and tasty smokes, although I take a star from it for the excessive heating that occurs in the pipe. Anyway, I will repeat, and next time I will buy the Mixture Flake to see if it is true, as some say, that the flavor remains more intense and lasting during the smoke.

Its qualification as "aromatic" can lead to some misunderstanding, since its topping seems so natural that if it were not for the warning, some of us could have gone unnoticed. I also want to mention the good relationship between its quality and its price.

I really can't understand why this only has a average rating of 2.8 stars! I was expecting this to have a much better average rating tbqh!

Great tobacco taste and a decent, well done flavouring.

As I opened the 50g pouch today I was very pleased by the smell. It has a spicy (almost Perique-ish peppery) and soft honey-ish sweet note to it. Also a bit citrus-/hay-ish smell to it, which i guess is owed to the excellent Virginas used for this one. At first I thought there were Orientals in it, due to the spicy character the tin-smell gives. But it's just VA/Burley/Cavendish as the description says. The mixture is filled with a lot of ready rubbed Virgina, accompanied by a bit burley and speckled with little bits of Black Cavendish. The appearance is very appettizing, as well as the smell.

The taste is pretty sweet compared to the spicy smell. It's a typical MB Aroma I guess. Honey-ish - very natural, but easily noticeable flavouring, that almost appears to be "real honey". Smoked in a clay, I could make out a taste remind me of butter-cookies, but just a whiff of it. Very pleasant!

Even tho it comes along pretty sweet, you can still clearly taste the delightful tobaccos in there. It has got a decent spiciness and very little peppery tang to it especially towards the end of the bowl, but the VAs dominate the rich taste. Honey, bread, some grass and hay. I personally can't taste the burleys as those, but I guess they play a supporting role to this tobacco, giving some nutty backbone and perking up the spice. Cavendish adds a slight toasty-ness to the flavor and makes the smoke creamy and full.

"35 diffrent tobacco leafes were used" - and that is noticeable. With every pinch you take out of the pouch there is a chance you get a few different nuances to the smoke. Interesting, but may be bothering people who want a consitent smoke. I don't mind it, I find it to make this blend unique

A excellent blend, which is easy to find (you can get it nearly everywhere; even the small tobacco shops who only sell 2-3 pipe blends often have it here in Germany), easy to smoke and - most importantly - easy to enjoy. Even if you don't have time and leisure for conscious tasting, it will reward you with a nice, fresh and not overly, but decently sweet smoke. If you take your time it's a even bigger joy. Due to it's high percentage of VAs you shouldnt smoke it to hastily or rushed, or it will just become bity and the tasty flavour will hide.

3-stars, not the "eye-opening" smoking experience, but solid as rock and may as well be a 4-star blend for lovers of more aromatic tobaccos!

|| Personal rating: 3-stars | Rated for what it is: 3,5-stars! ||

Another Mac Baren I thoroughly enjoy. I smoke this in a rotation with Plum cake, and its a nice treat. smells good, in the bag and lit, though others around me are not as fond of it as I am. can bite if puffed too hard or if its not been given some time to air (I found, that is).

35 different tobaccos from around the world. Dang thats intense!

I ordered 2oz in bulk, as I like to smoke a good amount to understand my selections. different pipes, different weather, indoor/outdoor, in the car, different seasons, etc.

The aroma from the pouch is grassy and hay, with a forward dark fired aroma. The mixture comes in at the perfect moisture level. This blend is not only comprised of several shades of tobacco ranging from light Virginias to dark Kentucky, but it also has several cuts of ribbon and broken flake.

On the drying mat I broke up the remaining small flakes before I load up. This initial light you can hear the tobacco crackle and start to expand The first portion of the bowl is a muted spice and majority dark fired. It is fairly complex, but I figured this blend would be a bit more complex than it is, considering the sheer amount of different leaf involved. Further down the bowl, the peppery spice intensifies, but it still keeps that signature Danish flavor and aroma. The vegetal characteristics also get muted, and make way for a more charred woody flavor.

One thing is for sure. Smoke this blend slowly, and you'll be rewarded. Puff even a bit too fast, it's gonna bite. I learned this blend requires a lot of attention from me to make sure I keep my bowl cool. I think this is going to make a terrific fall morning blend!

Another good one from Macbaren.

This is basically an aromatic, but a very inoffensive one - already opening the pouch the sensation is that of good, solid pipe tobacco mix with few superfluous frills attached. The smoke is smooth, even and full-bodied and won't bite your tongue unless you make it to. Funnily enough, the main sensation that I got from this was actually lemonade - as in squeezed-from-fresh-lemons, topped-with-sugar. Since this is a blend of so many varieties though there does seem to be quite a lot of variation depending on what you happen to get in each individual bowl and how.

While I won't climb a mountain to get more of this I will definitely buy again when I happen to get the chance.