Mac Baren Black Ambrosia

Mhmm... That's a goodie. Flavoured virginia and cavendish make here a good blend. Firstly, the black colour, then the smell, which is sweet thanks to casing. But what casing takes is the taste of tobacco, which is not a rule considering Black Ambrosia. If you smoke it slowly and not too hot you'll get a nice smoke, getting sweeter throughout the bowl. I think this might be one of the top among aromatics.

Fill my list of tested blends. I tasted this once... remove it from my wishlist.

(Please correct the following problems: my review must be at least 25 words long)

Very good room note; although my wife nags about any tobacco smell. Smokes fairly well. Needs a well start as it tends to go out at the beginning due to sugarish cavendish. It can be a bit harsh for a beginner but it doesn't produce much condense. I'd say it's a fair smoke but not among the favorites for me. I like to change the tobaccos often so it always stays interesting experience to puff the evening away, usually with a good drink with it.

In 2021 I tryed it again. I do still find it a bit sharp on my palate similar to simple pure "Land tabak" that I bought in Austria years ago. There is slight citrus aroma to be felt and sweetness of cavendish but I miss that nutty mellow taste that burley would bring. However this is all virginia tobacco and it demands a different approach and some understanding. It's definitely not a typical danish aromatic, but a speciality on it's own. It should be smoked slow, lightly packed in a smaller bowl and it delievers a good satisfying smoke. It could be one of those blends that needs time to grow on you and I'm glad I gave it another try.

A wonderful looking blend of Virginia Tobacco. All varying lengths of cut ribbons from smaller, tight darker ribbons to lighter, longer shades of brown. The tin note is a pleasant fragrance of maybe a mix of raisins and vanilla and something of some fruit?

Packs well, and burns pretty thoroughly with a light pack and a slight tamp. This blend for my puffing pace left a slight bit of wet dottle in the bottom, but not goopy, just some dampened ash in the varying pipes I have tried. The tobacco itself burnt pretty good. The tobacco is a mild-medium flavor, sometimes sweet, sometimes stronger. It has a quality that another likened to Rattray's Dark fragrant, and it is like that but just a bit of a stronger DF. This was one of my first pipe tobacco's when I first started a couple of years ago, so it will always be in my rotation. I liked it, it has a nice room-note, and is a good smoker and on side-note, I didn't get any bite, but again, like most tobaccos I have tried, it does get a bit more acrid at the last 1/4 of the bowl.

Along with Amphora Black Cavendish Special Reserve and Gawith Hoggarth Kentucky Nougat I bought this tobacco for the change of pace from my usual strong non-flavoured mixtures and also to educate myself on what the Cavendish variety of tobacco (which I smoke very rarely and which I have had not-so-positive previous experience with) is all about. I liked this Black Ambrosia blend. It's very light Nicotine-wise but it's full of yummy dessert flavours. Also, by its very nature Cavendish conveys a substantial mouthfeel even to a very low-Nicotine blend, which I like too.

Upon opening the pouch I smelled some tasty and exotic but outwardly artificial casings which for a moment reminded me of the horrors of Borkum Riff Black Cavendish. Lighting the pipe quite apprehensively, I was relieved to note that the high-octane chemical soak (pleasant, but too intensive) didn't transfer to the smoke, the taste of which was pretty different from the pouch aroma. The tobacco came out sweetish and fragrant, with no overpowering or extreme notes. Overall it's been a very pleasant smoking experience. Black Ambrosia is way better than Amphora Black Cavendish as it's made exclusively of high-quality Virginia leaf, while in Amphora a very similar casing is applied to a variety of tobaccos, particularly low-quality Orientals and Kentuckies, which acquire a rough edge towards the end of the bowl. Here, the flavour is consistent throughout the smoke and when at the middle point the sweet flavours step aside you're still left with nice and well-behaved abundant Virginia smoke with no sharp flavours or acrid notes.

Take care to smoke your pouch up ASAP upon opening it. It looses its idyosyncratic flavours in just 10 days, even repacked to a tightly-closed mason jar. Although it gets noticeably blander in no time (I've never seen blends that would loose their character so rapidly), it still remains good and retains much of its magic.

To me, Black Ambrosia isn't an everyday smoke for sure but it seems to be an excellent rare treat to return to time to time, even though the just mentioned volatility of its flavours doesn't help in storing the blend for a prolonged time. Recommended.

As aromatics go, this is not a bad aromatic at all. It is dry in the pouch and easy to light and smoke. The flavour has a certain darkness to it, which is appealing. The MacBaren virtues of impeccable ingredients and production are evident throughout. I am no smoker of aromatics, but I found use for my pouch in taming some strong (in nicotine) but otherwise bland tobaccos. A few piches suffice. Recommended to the aromatics smoker, but cautiously to others.

My non-smoking friends love the smell of the unburnt tobacco and the room note. I keep this around when smoking sociably. Usually after a cook out by the fire.

I found it burns a little hot so it is best "sipped".

OK, so this MB blend is a little sketchy to me. Sometimes I draw a gentle flavoring and sometimes its more of a generic type fruit flavor. Good aromatic type, even the room note is pleasing. However the layering of flavors is a little muddy. the taste is sweetish, and it is pleasing. I just cant descern the unique flavors, if any. On the whole, this is nice, pleasant flavored, sweetish, and with no tonguebite. That is something I do appreciate from Mac Baren. I have had the tin for about 6 months and opened it again yesterday. I will keep this as an alternative for my everyday, allday blends.

Update:A little deeper into the tin I am noticing an almost sticky sweet aroma and taste. Not fruity but more of a honey and caramel taste. Sip, dont gulp and the aroma and bouquet shine through. Patience is quite a virtue here. Be patient with Mac Baren, be rewarded.

First, I like aromatics. This one is rich, has a fruity tin aroma and is a very pleasant smoke. It's better if you dry it out a bit. That is similar to my other experience with MacBaren products. They are a bit wet upon opening the tin.

Also note that this is not "GOOPY" aromatic as some suggest. The base tobacco here is 100% virginia according to the label and the manufacturer's website. All virginias are sugary and going to bite if you smoke them with intensity. The actual tobacco here is very high quality, and it performs just like a pure virginia.

Smoke this one slowly. A leisure pace is pleasantly rewarded. I like it and buy it occasionally.