Tobaccos Mac Baren - Burley London Blend

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3046)	2013-01-20		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The burleys were high quality: a lot of earth, nuts and cocoa with notes of honey, oats, some molasses, and slight spice with a dry, woody, rough edge from the white burley. The golden Virginia was citrusy sweet and a little grassy in the background, and has a spice note. A little cocoa topping was evident as well as some molasses and a few drops of vanilla. They mildly toned down the burleys. The strength was just past the center of mild to medium. The taste level was a couple of steps past that mark. The nic-hit was a notch below the strength threshold. Could nip at the tongue only if puffed like a steam engine, which could also produce a hint of cigarette, which is a common trait with burleys. The flakes were easy to break apart, and fit in a pipe as one preferred. Puffed at a moderate rate, it burned cool and clean and just a tad slow with a very consistent mildly sweet, nutty, lightly savory flavor. Seldom left much moisture in the bowl, and required a few relights. Had a pleasant after taste, and room note. Was an all day smoke. A no nonsense product. Four stars.

Update 7-22-2019: I have been smoking an early 1970s production of this blend. Outside of the fact that the cocoa was a little less pronounced (likely due to the topping fading some), it's consistent in every way with the review I previously wrote.

Update 8-20-2020: Recently, Mac Baren produced a limited run of BLB. It tastes exactly like the previous version. Even the nuances are the same.

Update 9-13-2022: This year's release has a smoother, silkier chocolate topping with a tad less depth of flavor. The vanilla is more prominent than the chocolate. The toppings tone down the burleys a couple of steps more than what has preceded it. There are fewer rough edges and nuttiness as well as a result. Three stars for this production, and my current rating reflects this version.

-JimInks

37 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-01-26		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Inevitably, this blend is destined to be compared first and always to Golden Extra. And why not? Same genre, same blender, same tin, same cut, same price point. Visually, the two tobaccos are indistinguishable.

Wonderful burley tin note of wheat, dry oats, wheat straw. Broken flakes. Just the right moisture level. Takes a match very well and burns evenly. Not much to dislike here. Straightforward burley flavors: wheat, parchment, tiny hint of cocoa. I detect little if any Virginias and the top noting mentioned in the blender's description is extremely mild. The Virginias are there to add the slightest touch if background sweetness. I wouldn't call this a VaBur. And despite the top-noting mentioned, this is nothing like a flavored burley or aromatic. Very dry, cool, white smoke.

Overall a superior smoke for burley lovers. No bite, even when puffed hard. An extremely 'neutral' tobacco, as a fine burley should be.

Overall an excellent, best-in-class burley. For an uncomplicated burley, I'm not sure how you top this. Add in the value and you've got a winner.

Note: the slower you sip this, the more you will taste the light cocoa flavors. It will be difficult, as the blend is so delicious you'll want to puff it. But try to sip it and you'll really get the natural and unflavored sweet milk chocolate notes of the excellent burley in this blend.

Edit 2016: As this blend has been discontinued and becoming increasingly harder to find, I must lament the loss of this tobacco to the pipe smoking community. Eclipsed only by Aged Burley Flake and possibly Peretti's No.333, this was among the finest burley blends out there. Why this was discontinued is anyone's guess. Perhaps there just aren't enough burley lovers out there. But for those few, this one is a must-have. Track it down.

Another edit: Dang, I miss this blend...

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Golden Extra.

26 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Roy Odhner (9)	2013-06-13		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

MacB Burley London Blend is a wonderful smoke. If I was to compare it to any other blend, I'd say that it is a fuller version of Sir Walter Raleigh. It's also similar to MacB's Golden Extra, but darker and earthier. Appearance-wise, its a medium brown ready rub. The tin note is a chocolate honey nut. The chocolate and nuttiness is to be expected from a good Burley, but the honey-like flavor is the topping. It's also got just a bit of sweet Virginia leaf in there to smooth it out. The room note is, well, pipe-like.

Burley blends are generally nothing Earth-shattering, and are just decent and solid smokes. MacB BLB is no exception, but it is a very well-done Burley blend. I think it's one of the best Burleys out there, and it's my personal favorite - even beating out my beloved SWR. Like any good Burley, if you go looking for the goodness then you'll miss it. The trick to finding the goodness is to pack it loosely, gently get it going, sip on it, and clear your mind. As you get into that slow puffing cadence and allow your thoughts to float away on the wonderful billows of smoke you'll discover that its goodness has found you. And unless you're tongue has been totally corrupted by syrupy aromatics or leathery Lat-bombs, or you think that pipe tobacco must be a complex or nuanced affair, then I think you'll find that it is a wonderful smoke.

If you're a lover of classic Burley blends like Sir Walter, Carter Hall, or Prince Albert, then I think you're gonna love it. If you're new to pipe smoking, I think you need to try this so you can see what pipe tobacco is really all about: No heavy casings, no sticky sweet additives, no complex mixture of a hundred different tobaccos, and no adventure in every bowl - just good old fashioned tobacco flavor with a hint of cocoa-honey sweetness, and a room note that most people find pleasant.

For me, BLB is best enjoyed when all I want to do is enjoy an honest bowl of tobacco. I sit back in a big, comfy chair. Let the cat sit on my lap and purr or reach down and scratch the dog's ear, kick back in a comfortable shirt and a pair of well-worn blue jeans or khaki trousers, have a nice beverage by my side (coffee, iced tea, or a cream soda), and just enjoy the peace and comfort for their own sake. Puff slowly and without any particular purpose in mind, and just enjoy being alive.

22 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2003-06-27		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I took BriarLaw's advice. I bought two tins of this tobacco, stuck them in my cellar for six months and then popped the lid on one of the tins just last week. Boy, am I glad I did.

I'm singing with the crowd -- yummy stuff!

Upon popping the tin, I was greeted with what might just be the best tobacco smell I've encountered after more than 32 years of bustin' open tobacco lids. I struggled to load my pipe patiently and carefully. I lit up and enjoyed a delightful smoke.

Burley London is partially rubbed out, and burns fast. So, it doesn't need further rubbing. It does not produce a lot of smoke and is rather light in the nicotine department for a straight Burley. It is lightly cased, so, you will get a hint of sweetness throughout the bowl without any typical Burley harshness.

You will know that you've tackled a Burley tobacco while smoking this one, and it's as mellow as any Burley I've ever smoked.

If Burley is in your tobacco arsenal, arm yourself with this. Mac Baren's "went yard" with London Burley.

19 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc'spipe (242)	2009-01-24		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I have been smoking Mac's Burley London Blend for nearly 35 years. As I enjoy a good Burley, it has always been one of my rotation smokes.

What I like about Burley London Blend is that it has a nice, solid tobacco taste throughout the smoke with always a hint of sweetness in the background (probably a combination of the VA present and the light casing). Bulk is less moist than in the tin. I do, however, store even the bulk for about a month before smoking it. This greatly reduces the risk of any tongue-bite. All the Macs bit me like a pit bull when I first fancied on them many years ago. The fresh bulk bag aroma reminds me of raisins and a touch of honey. I don't get that same aroma from the tinned version, but the smoking characteristics are indistinguishable from one another. I get a nice chocolate, raisin-like note with slow smoking. I find it best in a Dublin or narrow billiard. The flavors are more pronounced with the last third of the bowl and without the Burley bitters.

If you dry the Mac Baren products a bit, take care in packing, and sip at your pipe, there shouldn't be any issues with tongue bite. The room note is pleasant - even for non-smokers in my experience. When I first started smoking, I thought sweetness (aromatics, heavily cased) was the way to go. Not anymore for me. Burley London Blend has a background sweetness which for me is just right. Although the tin description lists it, I do not detect the said Virginia presence, but I am sure it does contribute to the very subtle sweetness. The least astringent/sour of the Mac Baren's Burleys, and for me, the best.

Pouch or tin aroma is one thing, but taste is what it's all about for me. True tobacco taste is inseparable from a good room note in my opinion. After all, you want to taste and smell the blend you're smoking. It has that "pipey" smell about it that I enjoy upon re-entering the room where it was being smoked - old school and comforting. Doesn't happen with many blends, but with Mac's BLB, it happens for me. A solid Burley smoke rating 4 stars!

UPDATE 1-3-20: Before Christmas 2019 I saw on Smokingpipes.com where Mac Baren has re-released this for a limited run. Since it was always a favorite and having been quite upset at its discontinuance, I snagged 5 tins. I'll start off by saying this is still a stellar blend, but in my opinion, not exactly the same as what once was. Mac Baren's may be using the same base tobaccos, however, upon opening the tin, there is a pronounced alcoholic/chocolatey aroma - very pleasing but never present in its previous iteration. The chocolate translates to the taste for the first several puffs, but soon settles into a more subtler presence. My daughter said it smelled of brownies baking in the oven. The white Burley definitely comes through as in the past with its astringent qualities. The Virginia isn't noticeable to me. The overall top dressing does detract from the smoke, but it is still a good one and I would happily purchase it on a regular basis if it went back into continuous production. I still have about 100g worth of LBB from over 10 years ago. The two are not identical; the older is better. Perhaps with some age the top dressing will dissipate and this great Burley can once again take top billing. I do think Mac was trying to imitate Aged Burley Flake with the over the top chocolate essence, but in my opinion, the original was better without it.

2-5-20 UPDATE: It actually is difficult to tell IF Mac is using the same Burleys they used in the original run of BLB. There is definitely a chocolate top dressing that was not present in the original, and quite frankly, ruins what the blend once was. It has a similar tin aroma as found in their now defunct Honey & Chocolate blend (different tobaccos to be sure, but same chocolate aroma/taste). I still like this, but Mac...why ruin a good thing? Either you are trying to cover up an inferior Burley or you're trying to compete with Solani Aged Burley Flake.

14 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Shrink (21)	2020-01-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Mac Barens: Burley London Blend: This was one of the first MacBaren blends I smoked in the late 1960s ... reminiscent of what my grandfather smoked ..also reminds me of being in a tobacco hanging shed in Wisconsin, i.e., Air-curing...a full-bodied broken Flake & a no-nonsense tobacco. The MB site reports contents of white burley with a tad of VA, thus some sweetness. It develops a rather creamy experience, is mild & has no bite; burns rather cool & does burn fairly fast. The nic is mod to mild. I smoke out doors or in the shop so can only report my own feed back ...very enjoyable; aroma like a pleasant peaty fermentation. I loaded a Group 4 & found it very satisfying. It displays spicy notes of cocoa & a woodsy aroma... a Burley lovers tobacco. It is not difficult to recommend this to you. Try it!

Pipe Used: Briars:Dunhill, Comoy’s, No. Briars

Age When Smoked: 5 mos.

Purchased From: Various; SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Mac Barens Golden Extra, Symphony (Harmony).

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fr_tom (393)	2013-12-03		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

London Blend is a simple burley - mild and tasty. I did not taste much Virginia, but I can believe there is a little there. If I ran out of tobacco someplace, I would not hesitate to pick up a tin of this. I am unlikely to just buy some just to have around. It was a little like Prince Albert to me without the harsh edge if you puff too fast. This is a good smoke for the car - it does not require much attention or distract. It has a pleasant room note.

Pipe Used: various briars and a cob

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: gift of 4 oz bulk

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mikefu (20)	2020-01-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This review is for the December 2019 Re-release of this blend. I wanted to have at least 6 bowls of this in different pipes before making a verdict. I really like this old school Burley blend. I think it’s closest to Edgeworth, but with more chocolate and less maltiness and less molasses. A bit more richly flavored as well, leaning more toward aromatic territory while still being a codger style burley. It will bite a bit more than Edgeworth if pushed hard, but nothing to detract from the experience unless you are an absolute freight train. Good cut, needs a touch of dry time, which also takes the topping down a bit, and burns evenly and well, quickly but not hot. Overall, a great reissue of a classic that I never tried before it was discontinued, but stocked up on with this rerelease.

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Similar Blends: Edgeworth, Solani Aged Burley, Wessex Burley Slices.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	MarkinAZ (2)	2022-08-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren’s Burley London Blend 2022 Tin 4956/5000

A rich, medium-dark sticky ready-rubbed blend of burleys with what appears to be a lite amount of bright virginia’s. Rich, deep chocolate tin note. Reminds me of my late mothers-in-law German Chocolate cake (dark baking chocolate, walnuts, and coconut). A deep, rich, nutty, sweet, chocolate, earthy aroma. In essence, Burns easily. I only had to apply a good one-time charring light to this blend and tamp down from time to time to completion of this bowl. Mild to medium in body and somewhere in the mild to medium nic arena. This is a wonderful burley smoke. Smooth, creamy, and with no tongue bite. I was happy to land a couple of 100g tin’s of this current blend. We'll have to wait and see what 2023 will bring us from Mac Baren!

Pipe Used: Savinelli Rusticated Roma KS141 6mm filter

Age When Smoked: March 2022

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	OhioTony76 (59)	2021-02-08		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This review is for the 2020 release. Don’t be misled by a few reviewers on here comparing this to a drug store burley. That’s total nonsense. This is a far, far better quality tobacco. Opening the tin, your hit with a mouth watering aroma of cocoa, fig and maybe a hint of liquor. The cut is broken flake. Moisture is smokable straight away, but I’d recommend a bit of drying. At first light the cocoa is prominent. After a few minutes the flavor becomes darker. They say this is white burley. But in my experience, white burley doesn’t have this depth of flavor. The smoke is rich and full flavored. Earthy. I almost detect a note of Kentucky burley. Burns slow too. The cocoa dissipates leaving a pleasant musty, earthy smoke to the bottom of the bowl. A classic, no frills, high quality blend that seems to take me back in time. Room note is also quite pleasing. Not cigarette like, as some burleys are. I’d recommend this blend for a intermediate/experienced smoker.

Similar Blends: Wessex Burley Sliced. , Solani Aged Burley.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeDawg (82)	2014-03-12		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This blend is not hype! It delivers like a Satchel Paige fast ball over the plate. Its my first experience with a burley blend and one of the differences is, it burns quick. (Not hot or fast) Just burns up quick. I didn't pack a full bowl but by the time I got it going to my surprise it was over. Burned dry and ashy. Very flavorable, feels med body, tasty through and through with a touch of sweetness. I will buy more and put some away. This one will only get even greater with age… I could only imagine what that will be like.

Its the only tobacco tin I have ever popped to reveal the smell of vintage tobacco farms. I put it under the nose of my father who is 3rd generation tobacco farmer and it he said, "Gracious! it smells just like my tobacco auctions from old!" I know exactly what he was talking about, it brought back visions of bacca hanging on the sticks…. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Some London made job.

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin. No air dry.

Purchased From: JR Cigars

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Gentleman Zombie (729)	2014-03-08		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Very nice smoke. The Burley and the chocolate flavoring are delicious. The chocolate is lightly done. The Virginias add a nice sweetness, but can sting at times. No bite, but a light sting. For those who are really susceptible to bite you may have some trouble with this one. Medium bodied with medium flavor.

MacBaren owns Sutliff. This blend is so similar to Sutliff's Burley Delight that it makes me wonder if they aren't the same. Just a thought. Both are available in bulk with the Sutliff version 45 cents per ounce cheaper.

Let me add that I'm reviewing the bulk version and it is a broken flake, not ribbon as listed above.

Pipe Used: MM General, MM Country Gentleman

Age When Smoked: fresh bulk

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Sutliff's Burley Delight.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-01-09		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

This review is based on my first bowl.

This tobacco has some sort of casing which gives it a bit of a citrus flavor and aroma. Unfortunately it also means that it bites more than, say, Edgeworth Ready Rubbed.

I smoked it on an empty stomach and did not notice any nicotine to speak of.

It did get better through the end of the bowl, but still, if I want to smoke a burley with some citrus notes, I'd definitely choose PS Cube Cut over this, not to mention Carter Hall, and if I wanted a straight burley, I'd choose ERRd or possibly Prince Albert.

Two stars. I'll smoke more, and update if my opinion changes, but for now, I think my favorite MacBaren bulk is probably Mixture aka Scottish Mixture.

UPDATE Jan 21 2010 With the benefit of some experience, I revisited this blend this morning. I was amused to see my opinion hasn't really changed. The casing makes the blend tend to burn hot. It's also too sweet for my tastes. It's possible to smoke it with little bite, but requires a lot of focus and attention. I prefer no fuss burley blends, if I want to smoke something that requires this much care, I'll go for a really awesome Virginia. Still 2 stars, and I may end up giving away the rest of this bag to someone else (only the second blend I've felt that way about).

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-12-23		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Known for having very low sugar content, burley leaves often contain no natural sugar. But this burley tobacco has a robust aroma, burns hot in the pipe and carries a slight hint of cocoa in its taste while sporting a slight honey front much like what Mac Baren is famous for but it does not have the sweet taste of Virginia tobaccos. Tends to bite and stings the tongue if not smoked slowly.

Personally, when I reach for this blend, I wish I would have packed Navy Flake or Golden Blend instead and look forward to the bottom of the bowl. I keep giving this blend another chance but have the same opinion each time I try it. This blend just is not sweet enough for me and just does not have the aroma, flavor, or room note that I desire. Tastes like a heavily smoked casing. But given the fact that this burley blend is partially smoke cured, one has to expect this.

I know this is totally a review site but though the following was interesting info. from the Bac Baren site:

Burley tobacco is harvested when the leaves lose their suppleness, so the leaves are green when the harvesting begins. The plants are harvested whole, and hung to dry in barns sheltered from sunlight. No warm air is used, but the amount of fresh air can be adjusted to achieve the perfect drying conditions. The normal drying method used for Burley tobaccos is called air-curing.

There are other methods of drying Burley tobacco, as used on the famous Kentucky tobacco. After air-curing, this Burley is then fire-cured. A fire giving off a thick smoke is built in the barn, and the aromatics in the smoke are absorbed by the leaves.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tantric (321)	2005-07-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This really has to be one of the best Burleys around! It is supple, tasty, rich, with an earthy undertone that compliments the almost monochromatic structure of the blend. Nice meaty chunks of mid brown broken flake (broken cake?), easy to break apart and fill in the bowl, Burley London Blend is simple and straightforward. It does pack a considerable amount of nicotine, but its smoothness makes it a delight, especially when having a shot of bourbon. With Virginia No1, this is perhaps one of the best achievements of Mac Baren. Kudos.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	3pipeproblem (28)	2018-04-28		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable

Glad I got to try this before it was discontinued, and wish I had some stashed away. It's been about 6 years since I smoked it, but I recall it was very high quality Burley with a straight-up, unapologetic flavor. Not for beginners and certainly not for those who don't love Burley. A great loss to the tobacco world : 4 stars for the ages.

Update, 1-31-19 : Much to my delight I was able to grab 10 tins when it was re-released. It's definitely as good as I remembered.

Pipe Used: Various briars.

Age When Smoked: Fresh out of tin; later, 8 yrs.

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Golden Extra.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brashboy (84)	2016-08-27		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Tolerable

Finally got around to reviewing Burley London Blend. Back in 2015, I bought a pound of this in a bag, almost the last the vendor had. I am a Burley man and this one had all the hallmarks of a great one. It isn't, though.

It will bite if pushed very hard, like so many Mac Baren blends. I bought an old BLB tin off ebay, full but opened and dried. I rehydrated but not too much. It burned me too much to smoke it, and I never got the flavor to return, gave it away.

The bag I broke up right away into half-pint jars. Some I smoked right away, most left for aging. I did not experience the sweetness, though a bit of sweetness is a good thing for Burley. I did get a bit of chocolate flavor, but many Burleys naturally do this. Moderate nicotine level and good tobacco taste. Room note was OK, not something your S.O. will ask you to smoke. I believe that really good-quality Burley was used in this blend, though it did not produce exceptional amounts of smoke.

It is not the best I've had, by a long shot. Try Solani's Aged Burley Flake, Watch City Cigar's Deluxe Crumb Cut or Scotty's Butternut Burley. I will miss it, because I always miss a good tobacco blend that is discontinued. But I can only give it 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Cob, Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	FP Stew (25)	2014-08-06		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This Burley Blend has some nuttiness to it. It smokes cool and has an even flavor profile. I really like the appearance and tin aroma, however, it fall a bit flat to my taste.

I will be using this tin for blending to add the nut and coolness and I will come back to it as a change-up to my normal MV, VaPer, English, Oriental, Scottish and Balkan preference. I doubt I will be buying a second tin.

Happy Smoke Trails!

Pipe Used: Luciano Bent Dublin

Age When Smoked: New to 2 years

Purchased From: JR Fielding, Shoreview, MN, USA

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WmZiggy (81)	2010-09-26		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable to Strong

MacBaren does a number of blends well, and BLB is one of their best. Unfortunately, I missed trying it for many years. We live in a great age for pipe tobacco enthusiasts given Websites like this which compile reviews. There are many good ones here which describe this tobac well and which put me onto BLB. I have looked a long time for a Burley blend as good as this one. MacBaren blends are often criticized for "all tasting alike", a reference to the MacBaren Cavendish used in many of their blends imparting a unique taste. Not so here. As I noted there are many good reviews below that "hit the nail on the head".

BLB is a great smoke - nutty, with a subtle sweetness. It burns well to a white ash without getting bitter as so many Burley blends do. It is very well balanced top to bottom without any bite. It did heat up my briar from time to time, probably due to my packing it too tight at first.

Top shelf!

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pjpockets (1)	2020-01-11		Mild to Medium	Strong	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

To start, I am not a great connoisseur of pipe tobacco. I do know what a good tobacco is like, and have a nice little cellar. I noticed this Burley on Smoking Pipes, ordered three tins, and decided to get another the next day. All I saw was a little dust, and the delivery trucks leaving the store. All gone. It seems others like this blend also. When I first opened a tin, some sort of life form came out, and started beating me with a Chocolate Bar, then right behind that, it thru a little Vanilla flavoring at me. Horrible little creature! My survival reaction was to set the thing on fire, with a Corn Cob. To my surprise, the beating stoped, and all that was left was a pleasant Burley experience. What an adventure. I would buy more if it was available.

Pipe Used: MM Cob

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: IM NOT TELLING

Similar Blends: McClelland X10.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Rustedrailsmokes (293)	2019-07-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Happened to chance upon a 2008 Tin of BLB in a recent trade. I'd never heard of it before. It has been opened at some point, but was wrapped in plastic wrap, I'll be jarring it

The moisture level was great. The tobacco is mostly dark. Tin note was "bready" still with a slight "chocolate cookie" note. Easy to pack and light.

Might be the age of the tobacco (11 years) but upon lighting I was really taken back by the bakery taste in the smoke. Not overpowering like many chocolate ones.. but sweetness on the top. The base tobaccos still are there and providing a great melody in the mid-range. Didn't pick up any darker notes.

The smoke was consistent from beginning to end it left very little moisture for an Aro. Was sad to see its no longer in production as I'd def smoke it regularly.

Nice blend, well done.

Pipe Used: various

Age When Smoked: 11 years

Purchased From: trade

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	J. Ward (70)	2019-01-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This review is from a tin dated March 2011. Upon opening the tin I noticed that the tobacco was already a tad on the dry side, but really with just the right amount of moisture for smoking. The tin note of this ready rubbed flake was a very strong apricot scent, and fermented. After rubbing out some of the tobacco, I packed and lit. The smoke was mostly the typical burley nuttiness with a hint of fruit. There's also a hint of hay and earthiness, while I found the cocoa to be almost imperceptible and far in the background. While this is a very decent and enjoyable burley smoke, I cannot say it's my favorite. I can only wonder if this blend might have been better from a fresh tin or with slightly less age on it, considering burley isn't one to age as favorably as other leafs. It's good, but doesn't quite knock my socks off, therefore, 3 solid stars.

Pipe Used: Barrister 16S

Age When Smoked: 8 years

Purchased From: eBay

Similar Blends: Golden Extra, Peter Stokkebye Toasted Burley.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (110)	2014-10-20		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This burley blend comes packed as broken tumbled flakes that are predominately brown with a few bright strands. When I first opened the tin, it smelled strongly of stewed fruit. Over time after being open, this gave way to sweet chocolate. The taste is pretty much plain burley with only a faint sense of the sugar/maple casing and chocolate top note. This one just got nixed from the Macbaren production list; get it now if you are interested.

Pipe Used: numerous

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: iwan ries

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TallPuffO'Burley (633)	2014-04-24		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

Original Review 4/24/2014

This is a good burley blend. Not nearly the best I've ever had, but not the worst. It is a nice broken flake packed tightly into a 100g tin.

I would say it is a great burley for the money and availability, but it just does not rise to the level of say, ABF, Uhle's (take your pick), C & D burleys (take your pic again) or even Mac Baren's own ODF. At least to my tastes.

I will say the tin I purchased was at the perfect moisture content. Personally for me I would put this at two stars, but am adding a star for price and availability and I really don't think someone will feel they wasted their money on this one.

Update 8/30/2018

I felt this one was due an update in light of the fact that it was shortly after my review that Mac Baren announced that they were discontinuing this blend and since I just finished smoking through one of the remaining two tins in my cellar. It did not bother me that they discontinued this when they did as my first impressions were not that impressive. I have since had the opportunity to try Golden Extra and this gave me the likely motive behind why this was discontinued.

I find GE to be a better tasting blend, yet pretty similar. In fact, I would say that in terms of comparing the blend to blends available at the time it was yanked from the MB Lineup I would say it was most similar to GE, but GE has a bit more nutty sweetness to it that appeals more to my tastebuds, and apparently to many others' as well, since it survived the cut. I believe this sweetness is from a light topping, but am not positive.

To the present day and the tin I just finished, I would say BLB was more of a natural Burley blend boosted by some Virginia. I have also recently had the pleasure of trying the new HH Burley Flake by Mac Baren, which like all others in the HH line, has no topping. I would say these two are very similar in taste, with the new HH blend edging it out.

All of this boils down to me removing a star and dropping this to a two star blend as I certainly can't recommend someone buying this as better alternatives from Mac Baren do exist. Burley is a type of tobacco that always taste better fresh IMO and any tins of this you find will have some age on them. Stick to Golden Extra or jump into the HH Burley Flake instead of paying a premium for an older tin of this.

Similar Blends: Golden Extra , HH Burley Flake.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ap (57)	2014-04-23		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant

Flavorfull and simple Burley smoke (i can't detect the virginias) , great for the times when you just want to pack your Briar (or Cob) to enjoy a honest smoke! Very Good !!

Pipe Used: Askwith Chubby Billiard , Radice Chubby Billiard

Purchased From: 4noggins

Similar Blends: Mac Baren Golden Blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Knightsmoker (218)	2012-11-03		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a good Burley/VA mix. The topping is very mild and is felt more than tasted. I like Burley's and this one is good. It is toasty, nutty at times it reminds me of cashews! A nice touch of cocoa here and there but in this case I think most of it comes from the high quality Burley rather then the topping. This was a bulk buy and well worth the money. Only 3 stars as it lacks the I gotta have more element but it is a very enjoyable smoke. For those who really like Burley it is worth a try.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Philo Beddoe (221)	2011-11-18		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Extra Strong

I enjoy Kentucky Club and Carter Hall, so when I purchased this I expected a top shelf burley flavor with more body than CH and KC. When I opened the tin all I could smell was Virginia, now I like Va., but not when I am expecting Burley. Once lit it tasted weird, like a cigar or cigarette was broken up and put into my pipe. It never got better for me, also the wife said it smelled like burning plastic, not good for marital relations.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-02-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

Wow! Sweet, nutty, buttery, and smooth as silk. I'm sure there are a lot of smokers who don't think they are burley fans because they haven't smoked a really premium burley. Just like there are a lot of people who think they don't like scotch but have only tried the cheaper blends.

This tobacco is the sort of stuff that almost anyone ought to enjoy. Wonderful smoke. Four stars all the way.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2002-01-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This Burley blend from Mac Baren could well be a nice change of pace for many used to Virginias and Orientals. It would also be a nice step up for the drug store weed smoker.

Tin Appearace/Aroma: A ready rubbed, slightly coarse, tobacco. There is a definate casing here, but it is subtle. The aroma is somewhat fruity, with a tang to it.

Burn: This one can bite you so be carefull. An aggressive puffer will have a numb tongue for a week. I tried this in a number of pipe combos. Believe it or not, it turned out best in a Missouri Meerschaum Country Gentleman. I know I know, a corncob pipe, how hokey. But I often carry those pipes about on outdoor work and walks. For some reason the tongue bite as remarkably reduced in the cob. It may be due to the extra absorbancy of the pipe and the fact that that particular design has a large surface area.

Taste: If smoking right, this is a tastey tobacco. Underneath the nutty burley there is a sweet-tart note that just makes we want to eat this stuff.

Overall: I know that many so called connoisseurs of fine tobaccos look upon the humble burley as merely packing for their precious Virginias and Latakias. I am myself a Virginia man. In that snobbishness though, we are many of us missing a treat.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	musicman (131)	2022-08-07		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

They say the first step to fixing a problem is recognizing you have a problem. My name is Chris, and I am a pipe tobacco impulse buyer.

This is not a tobacco style I would seek out. This is not a tobacco style I normally gravitate to, but whats that you say? Re release? In a retro looking tin? It was in the cart before I realized it.

I did not have any experience with the original of this blend. To be honest, I am not sure how I missed it. I like burley blends, I really do. The thing is, they are not the most exciting blends for me out there. When I'm fishing? Hells yeah, CH or granger in a corncob is where it is at, but I rarely get excited about smoking a burley blend.

I liked this one. The retro style tin design was very cool, and 13 bucks for 100g? What a steal. I smoked this blend in a plethora of pipes and it acted the same regardless of the vessel.

Upon opening the tin it has an amazing smell. Just like Swiss Miss hot chocolate powder. Literally mouth watering. A medium to dark ribbon type cut. Lots of tobacco packed in the tin, a good bargain. This has a wonderful burley taste. It was hard for me at times to differentiate what was chocolate topping taste and what was a natural gift from the tobacco.

Smoked well and was a tobacco that chugged along regardless of how much attention I gave it. I would say it was one of the better burley blends I have had. An excellent blend with coffee.

I would get more of this to cellar in a heartbeat, but I am not convinced burley blends benefit as much from a deep sleep as others do. If you like burley blends, you should really give this a try.

Age When Smoked: 2022 Tin

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2080)	2021-08-24		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mac Baren - Burley London Blend.

It's more of a well broken flake than a ribbon. I don't mean chunky and needing further rubbing, but the ''ribbons'' have a coarse build. The nose from the opened tin is a little chocolatey, but not too heavy. Moisture? Perfect.

In the smoke, divine smoke, the chocolate is a definite appurtenance, but not too much; don't expect a Bob's Chocolate Flake style flavouring. The chocolate works wonders atop of the dry, slightly sharp, somewhat fresh-tasting white Burley. A bowl burns without an issue, creating a mid-temperature smoke, all without a bite, just necessitating the occasional tamp but no relights unless totally neglected.

Nicotine: medium. Room-note: nice.

Burley London Blend? When I saw the reissue I bought a few tins and I'm so glad I did. It's fantastic. Four stars:

Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Rattray's Cave

Age When Smoked: Six months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	WillBrown (137)	2019-04-09		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I purchased this at the Las Vegas Davidoff Venetian, in bulk. Now, it's possible this blend was not MacBaren Burley, the store clerk took ten minutes to check the blend and came back with this answer—Mac Baren. Why am I skeptical? The clerk knew nothing of pipes or tobacco, so, for all I know he was taking a coffee break rather than tracking down the pedigree of this tobacco (why would you hire someone who knows nothing of what they are selling? This store had very few tobaccos and fewer pipes displayed. Hot business tip for any one interested—Las Vegas deserves a much better pipe and pipe tobacco store!).

I purchased two ounces of this and was mostly pleased. This burley is nutty, rather smooth and pleasant to smoke. It did leave a lot of residue in my pipe, however. If this is Mac Baren's Burley London Blend, then okay, not too bad.

Keep on pipin'

Purchased From: Las Vegas Davidoff at the Venetian

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cakeanddottle (105)	2017-05-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This was a good Burley that could burn hot if pushed. Smooth and nutty and consistent. I'd place it in between the OTCs and the likes of C&D/Watch City/John Patton. Miss it enough that I wish I would have bought a pound when they announced it discontinued.

update 20Jan2020: popped a tin of the re-issue. This is so delicious when you light up, but a quarter of the way into the bowl it reminds me why I liked but never loved Mac Baren before they re-imagined themselves. You have to smoke this with a relaxed cadence. It wants to turn hot and bland. I'm glad they did the re-issue, because this is a good smoke, but more because now I KNOW that HH Burley Flake is the best Burley Mac Baren ever produced.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	fmjiii (18)	2014-10-19		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Tolerable

Of MacBaren's Burley blends, this one has the least VA mixed in and is the purest Burley experience compared to Norwood and Golden Blend (aka Golden Extra). The leaf is something between a ready-rubbed and a broken flake in the tin, almost uniformly brown; the tin note is of cocoa and some chocolate, with sweetness.

Stuffing and lighting this typical MacBaren cut is easy, I have no need to dry out first. Stuff lightly, though. The room note is an airy, cocoa-ish fragrance that may not be a chick magnet but is quite good; the taste builds up from a rather dry chocolate note to gain more and more sweetness.

Needs to be smoked somewhat slowly to appreciate, but that is not much of a problem; just sip slowly. It seems MacBaren have added a little sugar to sweeten the blend, accordingly the burn can turn too hot. After smoking, I have no dottle in the bowl, just an even light grey ash.

A nice premium blend, for me this is one of those indispensable things to have around when I need that Burley fix that I keep a goodly stock of tins.

Pipe Used: Various briars

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	beano (7)	2014-06-21		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

only 2+ years experience

This blend is pretty sweet, but not sickeningly sweet. No heavey kick that you would expect from a burley either. Since it was discontinued I bought a few pounds for the cellar.

Pipe Used: cobs

Age When Smoked: fresh

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	codyp (65)	2014-02-12		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Okay, I got this blend, and it was a haystack. I still smoked it, bit like crazy and didn't taste all good.

So I gave some time to moisten and give it a legit smoke. The taste was half decent. I decent burley nutty taste. It still bit like hell. Hard to enjoy when it burns so hot, even slow puffing.

I see how this blend could be good. Even after the nutty taste, there was a chemical after taste I couldn't seem to get rid of.

If your a beginner, looking for aromatics, try a sampler on any pipe tobacco website, and you should see some better cuts, and flavors. If you were at a local shop, and this is what you see I wouldn't discourage you, it's a good start, just not something I would keep.

Pipe Used: H.I.S Egg, Cob

Purchased From: Local Shop (J & R Fielding Co.)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kraft1994 (54)	2014-02-10		Mild	None Detected	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Mac Baren is notorious for tongue bite. This blend is not an exception to this curse. However it dose have a rather pleasant light burley flavor to it. I'd put this blend one step above OTC burley blends. But just barley.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Phonomet (44)	2013-07-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a trustworthy burley. But it is different than American codger burleys (consequently the "London" designation, while puzzling to me, still seems appropriate.) First of all the ribbon cut burns slower and requires some extra rubbing out. The virginia is always present (similar to Carter Hall) but the overall flavor is more natural and not as sweet as CH.

My only criticism is that the tin note promises something rich and deep, chocolatey and semi-sweet, but the actual smoking flavor is drier and straightforward. In any case if you know how to smoke Macbarens and you want a straightforward and affordable burley, this one will satisfy.

EDIT 2014-03

Just bought a pound of this due to fond memories. But, I was horrified by the tongue bite I was getting. I thought I had become immune to Macbite after learning to smoke them properly. I don't know why, but what got rid of the bite was, instead of rubbing out the mixture, I kept the strands of tobacco as intact as possible, shoving them rudely into the pipe and putting some kindling at the top of the bowl. There's my old BLB! Sad to hear it's discontinued. I've got enough to last me awhile but I hope it comes back.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-07-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

For a good Burley look no further than a tin of this. Soft,satisfying, lightly sweet and chocolate-ish. From first light to the heel it's good.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-08-05		Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

the room note is fantastic. it has that great burly scent to it. however thats all it has. it dose tend to bite (probably because the flake size its rather large causing it to burn hot.) its taste is missing something. it needs more to it. it seems like its just the base of a mix. this with a finer flake size mixed with some virginia would make a fantastic blend. but as is it is just too plain for my liking.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kokinhenik (93)	2011-08-18		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm smiling and puffing. I'm an ardent smoker of English blends as I'm fond of the latakia. I do enjoy a Burley though. A fella has got to keep his rotation exciting and after some talk with my tobacconist I went out on a limb and bought a 100 g tin of BLB. I opened the tin with a bit of trepidation, there's been a few “new” tobacco fails in the last several months. The BLB tin had a wonderful tobacco aroma with hints of raisins and fresh leather. It had a perfect moisture level. The tobacco needed to be rolled out a little to load the pipe. I loaded up my full bent Caminetto, easily lit the bowl on the char and puffed hardily. Wonderful taste, nice and nutty, mild, but with complexity! I was very pleased. Apparently I got lucky as I had only lightly packed half a bowl (after smoking it I came to the website, read the other reviews, and found this was recommended). On the plus side this was a very tasty and pleasant smoke. A great tobacco flavor. On the negative, I did detect a bit of an alcohol top note, I get a metallic taste in my mouth (usually in the back) with those (not pleasant). I had just a faint bit of that when I puffed away a bit too dramatically. The trick with alcohol toppings is either to smoke the tobacco with a churchwarden or to sip gently at the shorter pipe. This keeps the temperature and volume of the smoke down. I slowed things up and the nutty goodness took control of the flavor. Great smoke!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	kevmo (4)	2011-04-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Very nice burley blend.I have found that it helps to rub it out a little bit before smoking. Doesn't need much drying. Good,even smoke, I agree with the 'nutty' description.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dubinthedam (133)	2010-12-24		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A top burly blend, a top MAC b. A must try barley blend. Its a classic.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	radioisotope (17)	2010-12-24		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This Tobacco has been in my rotation for awhile now, I love it almost as much as Mac B Navy Flake. Just an excellent burley tobacco flavor with a sweet chocolate note. Starts out mild but becomes more full an better as you get down the bowl. Not a real biter like some Mac B's. The nice thing is the wife doesn't mind it like she does Navy Flake, and it doesn't seem to stay on my breath as long. If you like Burley you'll love this one.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-08-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is the best burley I've ever smoked and the best MacBaren blend by far--and I've smoked just about all of their blends.

No tongue bite unlike many/most other MacBaren blends I've smoked. Burns easily but slowly and typically stays lit.

Tastes slightly nutty, slightly sweet, slightly chocolaty, very subtle overall, really good mild-medium tobacco flavor.

Satisfies the craving for nicotine.

Smells like good plain old pipe tobacco in the room which others (including non-smokers) typically don't mind.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2010-03-25		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A classic burley mixture with a subtle nutlike topping to enhance its natural taste. With the perfect moisture level when you open the tin, it's an all-day smoke that never bites (unlike many Mac Baren's) and burns evenly and slowly.

The only drawback I've found is towards the end of the bowl, where it sometimes gets a bit bitter, lacking either little more virginias or a sweeter casing. This problem only appears with certain pipes and only in very large bowls. A medium to large pipe will deliver all the flavor of a great tobacco from top to bottom.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-01-20		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After reading the reviews written for this tobacco I gave it a chance and I was not dissapointed.

The semi-rubbed burley smells great in the tin. It is a real tobacco smell and has a perfect moisture degree. Packs and lights easily. It is burning fast but with a well controled puffing cadence it offers a cool and nutty smoke. The casing is very light so that you can enjoy a pleasent sweetness as well as the burley's characteristic true tobacco taste.

It is a good choice for me between my regular Virginia smokes.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Puffer (42)	2009-12-23		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Have to thank Traderbob and Creeper below for my overall pleasure with this great blend. I ordered it in great expectation based upon the reviews seen here and was at first disappointed.

Ordered this in bulk and it arrived, as remarked by others, only partially rubbed out. My initial problem, I believe, was with the seller: the stuff was so dry that when I started rubbing it out, it crumbled into fine grains almost the size of table salt. After re-hydrating it a bit and being more careful, loaded up a bowl and went at it. Man, for a Burley, this stuff was STRONG. Started to get a few nips that felt as if it was going to bite. Went to the computer and reread the reviews and saw Traderbob and Creeper's recommendation to pack this very lightly and tried that with a fresh bowl. Made all the difference in the world. It now offers an extremely satisfying, tasty smoke with no more problems.

When properly hydrated, packs very well, lights easily and gets going with just one light, easily stays lit all the way down and leaves a dark charcoal ash with no dollop. Smokes cool and with no hint of a bite (now), extremely honest and pure tobacco flavor, and leaves no objectionable taste in the mouth or pipe.

Thoroughly enjoyable smoke that never pulls your chain. Don't know that I'd recommend this for a beginner; it certainly does not qualify as an aromatic and is a really serious baccy that IMO only a seasoned, serious pipe smoker would enjoy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-11-14		Medium	Mild to Medium	Full	Pleasant

I started with this tobacco very early in my pipe smoking experience. A co-worker smoked this tobacco and I enjoyed the room note so much I purchased a tin. After taking a break from pipe smoking for about 20 years, I started up again several months ago. For the first few weeks I had trouble with bite and discovered that I was packing the bowl too tightly. For me the key to this tobacco is a lighter pack, and slow smoking. I love the taste and stock this tobacco as my primary smoke. I find the term "ready rubbed" a little deceiving as I must rub the tobacco between my thumb and finger prior to packing in the bowl.

The scent when opening the tin is "woodsy" with a scent of nut. I love the scent that it leaves on my fingers after rubbing for the bowl. This tobacco is typical of the rougher cut in that I generally light and then have to tamp down and re-light after the initial start.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-07-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is a good starter burley with nice rich flavor but that eschews burley's normal spiciness and nuttiness for a bit more sweetness and "grassiness". Lightly cased, the flavoring does not intrude but rather accents. This is the finest Mac Baren blend I have smoked to date and one that I had passed over due to my "virginia snobbery" that I've finally overcome. There are better burleys out there (to my taste) but this is one I recommend to anyone looking for a change of pace or a nice "steady eddie". Ridiculously low priced in bulk for the high quality (less than 2 bucks an ounce). It may be a bit monodimensional but you can't go wrong for the price. This is a winner. I'm buying a pound and will dip into it regularly.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2009-06-01		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A good straight Burley! I enjoy Golden Blend once in a while, but this is better: the Burley taste is more pronounced, more refined. It has more body, it is richer, and at the same time even smoother.

Of course you have to like the taste of Burley: woody, oaky, grassy, earthy slightly astringent, with notes of fresh yeast and black coffee. But this great blend does not turn exceedingly bitter like other Burleys do.

The usual Mac Baren casing is applied sparingly (some honey? some bitter cocoa?), and the result is a tobacco that comes on the dry side, burns great, velvety and with no bite, while maintaining an intense taste from start to finish.

Sure, Burley can be a bit monochromatic on the long run, and I prefer the variations offered by Mac Baren Navy Mixture (which is less Burley oriented and sweeter), but as Burley-dominated blends go, this is one of the best. I might almost be tempted to say that it behaves better than the legendary Edgeworth Sliced...

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-01-24		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Update: This is actually my all day smoke, this is delightful burley smoke, very high quality at very competitive price, BLB is the best burley out there, if you are unsure try it for yourself.

Reliability, professionalism and consistency are sorely lacking with most tobacco brands - not with Mac Baren -----------------------------------------------

This is the best straight burley from Mac Baren. Top quality white burley leaf slightly cased with Mac Honey, it smokes cool and bite free, not as nutty as Prince Albert but it has more natural tobacco taste without the Prince chemical after taste. However, unless you love burley, this can?t be an all-day smoke because it tastes a bit bland and boring after 2-3 bowls.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	wintermute (90)	2008-12-17		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

This is my second Mac Baren product I've smoked. When you open the tin there is a raisin-type smell and you notice the high moisture content. The tobacco appears to be ribbon and needs to be fully rubbed out. I had some issues lighting, but was able to get it going after a while. The first few puffs are full of typical Mac Baren bite. all of this may be due to the stuff they use to keep the tobacco moist. When the tin has seen some air, the bite subsides. The taste is definitely a dark Burley taste. The usual nutty flavor of Burley does not seem to be here. I think that there are some Virginias to "balance" this blend. The tobacco burns hot and the bite only disappears during the last third of the bowl. The ash is clean and Grey. However, there is some moisture left in the pipe. I think that if the folks at Mac Baren would leave off the moistening agent, this one would have been a real winner. This stuff has been called a more refined version of Prince Albert. In my opinion, this stuff is less refined than the good ole Prince. The Prince burns cool, there is a nutty taste, and the price is right. This blend has none of those qualities. With all that said, I still somewhat recommend this tobacco for those wanting to try some Burley without going for it all. A Virginia smoker may like this for something different. An English smoker will find this one boring. And, an aromatic smoker will find the nicotine level a bit high. I will probably finish the tin I've got, but I can't say I'd rush out to get another. Still, one of the best Mac Baren products out there. At the very least, it's not soaked in sugar!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sasquatch (90)	2008-06-06		Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Strong

I really didn't know what to expect.... the many reviews here seem to indicate that this is a tobacco which presents itself very differently to different smokers.

Opening the tin, I am greeted with what I took for an almost raisiny scent, my wife figures theres some vanilla too. The leaf is brown, chunky broken flake, Mac Baren style.

Just about dry enough in the tin. I just wad this and stuff it until the pipe is full. Lighting and keeping lit are no problem.

There is a bit of an acidity, I suppose, but I don't find this a bitey tobacco at all. There is an almost winey note on top of the burley, and the Virginia keeps things sweet. I was really worried that this was going to be another "cardboard and blueberries" like University Flake, but it's much more uniform, and much better tasting.

Room note: Urine. I kid you not.

This is a pleasant smoke - you get what you seek. If you think about the topping, you taste that. If you think more about the tobacco flavors, they come through. I enjoy it. I don't think it's a very "pure" burley, but then, I don't turn to my favorite Danes for pure - I turn to them for yummy.

Smoke it slow, can't miss.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-12-26		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Any reader of this review should know up front that I am a BIG burley fan and my tastes tend to be tilted towards such blends. I think the prejudice some smokers have against burleys might be because of goopy aromatics with a burley base. Lately it seems burley tobaccos are making a bit of a comeback and I'm glad to see it.

Burley London Blend for me smokes like a purer burley than many of the others on the market. I've heard it has a slight honey casing, but it's barely noticable, much less than the casings of something like Burley Light Without a Bite or Bufflehead Oldsquaw (both sweeter mixtures that I like). There's a toasty nuttiness that sometimes borders on bitterness, but never quite gets there. It's more like the flavor of some of the old classic burleys of the past. Think of a more refined version of Prince Albert. One other very nice characteristic of this tobacco is that it's a great DGT blend. I've left partial bowls overnight and come back to a smoke that was every bit as tasty as the fresh pack.

BLB is a partially rubbed out tobacco that takes just a bit more effort on the initial char and relight. Once you get it going, it burns well and doesn't have a tendency to go out and require several relights. It burns down to a pretty fine ash, sometimes with just a bit of dottle left. BLB doesn't seem to be too picky about pipe sizes or types, I've smoked it in medium and large bowls as well as cobs with equal success.

If forced to pick a favorite burley, I'd still have to give a slight edge to Wilke's Nut Brown Burley, with C&D Morley's Best and Bufflehead's Oldsquaw VERY close behind. That said, BLD has become a staple for me and I recommend it highly. It's a high quality tobacco that gives the smoker another option in the wonderful world of burley.

Update Dec. 2007- I am dropping my rating one star as I have found I no longer enjoy this blend as much as I used to. It also shows a tendency to bite if allowed to dry out too much. Be sure to keep it adequately moist.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-13		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

03/01/06: BLB is a real sleeper. As others have said, this is a very good burley blend. It can be creamy, sweet. or nutty depending on my taste buds at any particular time. As with other MB blends, a light, almost nonchalant pack seems to work best. I recommend this to anyone who thinks burley is bitter or has no taste. BLB might change your opinion of burley blends. Smoke it slowly and carefully and you will be rewarded. Pretty light in nicotine for a burley blend. The light honey-like topping is similar to other MB blends, like Navy Flake. It's a very good value, as well.

Update: I have become less and less impressed with Burley London Blend over the past year or so. Each time I reach for BLB I quickly wish I had chosen something else. I prefer Edgeworth Slices, Wessex Burley Slice, MB Navy Flake, and particularly Solani Aged Burley Flake. These blends are guaranteed to give me an enjoyable burley smoke and each has more burley flavor than I get from BLB. Burley London Blend is less likely to yield a good burley flavor and finish smoothly and more likely to leave my tongue feeling slightly scorched. After I smoke BLB I want to smoke something else because it is so light in nicotine, but I dare not due to its potential to bite. However, if you are on a budget and can master a smoking technique that finds flavor and reduces tongue bite, BLB may be an excellent choice for you.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-02-17		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Just when I was about to give up my trials with Mac Blowtorch blends, I light up this one and find it quite pleasing. Coarse cut and easy to ignite, this quality blend of Burley and Virginia has the classic nutty taste of fine leaf. The casing used is almost beyond my sensory limits - not unlike clover honey. There's no heavy presence here, instead a slight natural dark chocolate note that comes from matured golden white Burley. This most satisfying smoke is not to be missed by those with a taste for a classic hearth side smoke. My tin's contents were dry upon opening, which is apparently how this blend is best incinerated since I cannot imagine that a higher moisture content would produce a better smoke. I've no trouble understanding why this blend has been around for fourty one years. This is a most worthwhile addition to the diversity of Burley blends and I give it my highest endorsement.

Meerschaum Man Smoking a Smooth Altinok Canadian

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigSwede (93)	2005-07-28		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

For me, this is a bench mark burley blend. Compared to several of the other burleys I smoke regularly, the topping here is very light. I get just a hint of a honey like aroma in the tin, and when smoked it's just barely noticable. BLB has the best burn rate I've encountered. In my burley pipe a bowl of just about anything else lasts an hour or so; a bowl of this stuff goes two hours without any signs of bitterness or dampness. The taste is rather low key and very subtle but with every bowl I've smoked, theres a spot in the middle where that warm, nutty, mellow tastes comes through and for those who enjoy burley it's darn near the holy grail. As others have recommended, this is one you'll want to smoke very slowly. I guess I'm just lucky but I've never encountered the tongue bite that you hear so much about. For those who like a good burley smoke, you have to try this one. If purchased in bulk, a good buy.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Effluvinator (60)	2005-02-09		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Being this is the 40th review there's not a whole lot of opportunity for drama here, but I might just add that I have now just begun to make aquaintance with this tobacco after a 20 yr hiatus. Having tried this years ago, I found myself progressing to the Golden Extra and then to the Navy Flake and never looking back. I think what happened was that those latter tobaccos had more strength and the Burley seemed a bit pale by comparison. I purposely refrained from use of Navy Flake for an extended period and then opened the Burley. Now that I try this one again I recall how good it is. True, it is milder than the Golden Extra or Navy Flake but it is also smoother and has a taste that never seems to get tiresome, even in a large pipe. Highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-09-20		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I should preface this by saying that I am and always have been a serious burley fan. That having been said, I think a lot of people can find something to enjoy with this blend. This is an aristocratic grade of white burley in the Macbarens "ready-rubbed" cut. Burley is very low in sugar, meaning it must be cased to provide a tasty smoke. This is cased so lightly and discreetly as to be unnoticable. I think the term "London Blend" alludes to the fact that a smoker of english blends will enjoy this blend. The casing enhances the natural taste of the tobacco. No vanilla,coconut,Etc. This tastes like tobacco. Tin aroma is sweetish with a hint of anise. As with all Macbarens blends, it comes a little wetter than I like. The cut packs and burns well after a couple of days drying out. The cool, even-burning smoking characteristics of burley are nicely showcased with this blend. The taste is nutty, smooth, and lightly sweet.The taste remains consistent throughout the bowl, burning cleanly to a mottled medium-grey ash.Nicotine content is satisfying but not powerful. A nice treat for a bulk/drugstore burley smoker or a change of pace for anyone.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	scootertrash (10)	2004-08-14		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This was the first quality pipe tobacco I ever smoked, and I've been smoking it for 25 years. I try other tobaccos, many of them good ones, but I always end up back to this one. I've smoked more Mac Baren's "Burley London Blend" than any other pipe tobacco. It's a great burley that is very lightly sweetened. I like Mac Baren "Ready Rubbed" cut. It looks like a flake tobacco that has barely been rubbed. I load it into the pipe as is. BLB has that great burley flavor from top to bottom of the bowl (I happen to like consistency) and never bites my tongue. BLB even smokes great while riding the motorcycle (cheap large bowl bent pipe with wind screen). I highly recommend BLB for burley lovers & also for those who think they don't like burley.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Dottle (162)	2004-03-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

What can I say that hasn't been said already? If you love predominantly burley blends, you'll love this tobacco. If you don't like burley blends, I think you should give LB a try. You'll be pleasantly surprised with one, great tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JClark (26)	2004-02-06		Mild	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Pipestuds review prompted me to review this wonderful tobacco myself. I have long been a fan of this luxurious buley and have a rather large billiard dedicated specifically for this blend. This makes for a great change of pace tobacco for me any time of the year. In the summer time my love for latakia diminishes and I tend to find it quite rancid. On the other hand, in the winter months virginias just aren't quite robust enough to get me through the cold. Fortunately this lovely burley is great at any time, so I find myself always keeping it on hand. I recommed not rubbing the broken flake out any more than it already is, or else you will find that it will heat up in a hurry. This is a very tasty smoke for anytime of the day or year. Burley is a timeless classic and this is THE best burley I've ever had the pleasure of filling a pipe with.

Update: Anyone who enjoys this blend even the slightest bit owes it to him or herself to try it in a cob. I know cobs aren't the most fashionable or trendy pipes out there but BLB and a cob are a match made in heaven. In fact, the marriage between BLB and cob has prompted me to raise my recommendation from "I smoke this on occasion" to "One of my favorites..." Try it in a cob you won't regret it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flint (30)	2004-01-01		Mild	Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This wtih out a doubt the best pure burley blend I've ever smoked. The tin aroma is worth the price alone, a honey like smell. When I opened my first tin I knew I was in for a treat. It looks like a rubbed out flake of virginia.

The flavor is consistent all the way to the end of a bowl no surprises just a delightful clean smoke. It also smokes well in any sized pipe, helping me to utilize my larger pipes, I like using my smaller bowls for virginas. It also stores really well I've been nursing my tin for seven months and the flavor has not diminished.

In conclusion this one of the smoothest, buttery, creamy tobaccos you will find. Highly recommended.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pounder 5000 (178)	2003-08-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Wow! Does Macbaren know burleys or what?!! This is an excellent burley. Like most it smokes better in a cob and is the perfect solution to summertime heat. The tobacco is of the highest quality and the casing is only needed to add a tiny bit of sweetness which this one does nicely. The nuttiness of the burley is the main focus and this could easily be an all day smoke. This blend can bite, however, if you are used to smoking Virginias this should be no problem at all. All in all a very satisfying tobacco that is only outdone by Macbaren's Navy Flake, which I think may be the greatest burley of all time!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-03-28		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

I'll go out on a limb and say that Mac Baren is to Burley as Rattrays and McClellands are to Virginias. This is no exception. I've smoked this off an on for years and am currently going through a tin I dated in 2000. The Mac Baren cut of tobacco is my favorite. It can be rubbed out or left the way it is to burn cool. The aroma from this aged tin is more of raisins and nuts than anything else. The taste falls into the same catagory and gets better as it goes down. No end of the bowl burley nastiness here- It burns down to a dry and gray ash and I'm now breaking in a pipe with it to see how it does cake build-up. Couldn't ask for a better Burley blend. Highest Recommendations!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jaybee (77)	2002-10-20		Medium	Medium	Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is easily my favorite blend by MacBaren. Anyone who like burley, even a little bit, should try this one. It is to burley as ice cream is to ice milk.

The initial light reveal a slightly sweet mild flavor followed by a genuine burley taste. As the bowl approaches the middle, the flavor becomes deeper; very full. The bottom is quite intense but not bitter or unpleasant. It burns well (after several initial lights) and is well-behaved if not abused. Two thumbs all the way up!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mijnnif (130)	2022-09-13		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

2022 Blend tin note is strong sweet chocolate. This is a course ribbon cut very close to a rubbed out flake. Quite moist from the tin and needed about an hour of drying time. The blend started out with a few rough edges but smoothed out quickly. Defiantly burley and coco forward with some sweetness, but no chemical taste at all. Some lite citrus notes in the background. Super smooth blend. I usually do not smoke aromatic blends, but this one is outstanding. Very glad I was able to buy 2 tins. nic hit is medium. If you like a lite coco flavor this is one to absolutely try. 4 solid stars and defiantly an all day smoke.

Pipe Used: Paronelli Briar

Age When Smoked: fresh tin

Purchased From: Smoking pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth 69 (117)	2022-07-30		Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

2021 Edition # 430

Quite different from the original Burley London blend which had casings and top notes of heavy cocoa, very mild sweetness and a touch of mint. I have some London Blend from 2005 and the coumarin notes have become really bold over time, giving it a sweet spice that wasn't prominent in a new fresh tin. The mint is gone. This 2021 edition has a sweet chocolate tin note like how hot chocolate powder mix smells along with a mild dark stewed fruit note and perhaps some sweet spice. It's very smooth but like the original its taste is extremely mild and almost neutral. There is less of a burning aroma than the tin smell would suggest but very mild chocolate with a vanilla note asserting itself half way down the bowl. More moist than its cousin Golden Extra and the cut highly rubbed out cake. This tobacco is a bit too mellow all around for my taste. The closest I can compare this to is Granger sans the slight touch of vanilla. The 2022 limited release just hit the market, so I popped open a tin of the previous run I had on hand to see if it was worth stocking up on. Glad I did. I'll leave it for others who will appreciate it more.

Pipe Used: Stanwell Danish Design Brushed straight billard

Age When Smoked: 10 months

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

Similar Blends: Granger.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	moniker (220)	2021-04-24		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is my first tin of Mac Baren’s limited issue London Blend, number 179 of 4,000, undated, received and smoked over the past month or so. The tobacco is a well cut-up/broken flake that ranges from light to medium brown that smells like cocoa over buttered oatmeal. It handles, loads, lights and smokes down with no effort, and the combusted scents are like an expanded version of the tin notes that starts at mild and tops out before medium as it’s smoked down, becoming somewhat metallic by 1/3. This blend works best for me in a #4 briar that has been purged of ghosts, or a VA pipe works fine, albeit it will then harbor the ghost of London Blend. The varietals are very well melded, and it’s pretty consistent, top to bottom. Tastes work up close to medium. Room note is pleasant. Aftertaste is a metallic version of the smoke.

Toasted tobaccos are always a crap shoot for me. I find these to be of good quality, and they actually provide a nice base for the cocoa here. For me, this is a 3 in terms of quality, barely a 3 in terms of personal preference, though I can see from the other reviews it’s a popular blend.

Pipe Used: #4 briar preferred

Age When Smoked: rested to 1 month

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	King Weed (228)	2018-10-04		Medium to Strong	None Detected	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

This is the tobacco that was in the third of the three pint canning jars I bought back in April on Ebay. The other two were Gawith, Hoggarth blends that I had never smoked. On the converse, I have a very long, but thin, history with this blend. My first contact was in about 1971 when I walked into a room where a young man was smoking an unstained 4-panel horn that was emitting the most wonderful room aroma I had ever encountered. Roasty, toasty and very friendly smelling; I asked him what are you smoking in that pipe? His reply was Mac Baren Burley. I resolved to get a tin as soon as possible. I made that happen and eagerly lit up. Smoking the tobacco, as is the case in most blends, is a different thing than sniffing someone else's room note. I found the blend to be somewhat strong, but not too strong; somewhat sour and pungent, but not too sour; somewhat enjoyable, but not too enjoyable. As to the room aroma I was hoping for - I never found it. Over the next forty-five years I may have smoked this blend two or three times and my impression of it has not changed significantly. I still think its okay but nothing to write home about. In those forty-five years I have experienced many more Burley blends and Mac Baren Burley London Blend is perched securely right at the crest of the Burley blend bell-shaped curve - three stars.

Pipe Used: Ashton LX Brindle Dublin

Age When Smoked: 6 yrs old

Purchased From: an Ebay seller

Similar Blends: I'm stumped on this one, as I don't smoke that many Virgina/Burley blends in general. It lacks the sharper high notes of Cornell and Diehl's Burley blends and, yet, it also lacks their lower registers..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jacinto Cupboard (209)	2014-03-07		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

An impeccable burley blend that burns cool, slow and easy. There is a faint sweetness to the nose but whatever notes come from the topping are very subdued. This is a one light tobacco which is creamy rather than nutty. No bite whatever.

Overall, a no nonsense tobacco that delivers no surprises and no unpleasant surprises either. Would make a good all day smoke, because there is little to distract and it burns so well without attention. I would also recommend this to anyone new to the pipe because the broken flake is so user friendly and it is very good value for a quality tobacco. Not however a star tobacco by any means.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Armac (10)	2013-11-17		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm predominently a Burley smoker or Burley-Virginia, and have been for over 20 years. This tobacco is one for Burley lovers. It satisfies every description of true Burley tobacco. I suspect the Virginia component is less than ten percent and simply adds a bit of sweetness that would compliment this tobacco if salted away for several years. And unlike some of the MB blends, there is little to no bite. It's deeper and richer that Golden Extra, an excellent Burley blend in its own right. There's no need to go into a lengthy description of smoking and other qualities - there's plenty of that here. Highly recommended.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike0831 (10)	2013-11-01		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm a big Virginia tobak smoker. I want to think of myself as a minimalist. "Give me tobacco and don't dandy it up". I really like the flake tobak but I've always shied away from burley because of the "traumatizing" experiences I've had with drugstore/OTC tobaks. Also it's said that Burleys don't have the "complexity" of the other types of tobak. I tried this on a whim after reading a review on the Pipes and Tobacco website and (of course) looking at the reviews of you aficionados of the weed on this wonderful site and I'm here to tell you I am pleasantly surprised by the tobak. It's smooth and refined and seeing as I always puff slowly and lightly, it doesn't burn or bite. I would heartily recommend this tobak to anyone looking for a pure form of burley. The price is really good and if anyone knows of any other type of burley I should smoke to compare then by all means tell me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2013-02-15		Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Many tins in the MB line seem to taste similar to me, and they smoke in the same fashion as well. They taste bland...are HOT/Tongue-Biters...and smell like potpourri. I cannot recommend this product.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tumbaki (9)	2012-10-11		Mild	None Detected	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

With so many excellent blends out there, this blend does nothing for me. I went through 3 tins, and will never buy another. Flat, flat, flat.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2012-04-26		Mild	Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

Objective: Sticky, pressed, light colored tobacco. Good amount of tobacco for the price.

Subjective: This tobacco is topped with a good amount sugar and tastes like soggy Wheaties and burned sugar. This stuff bites if not very careful, so diminshed must be the sip that it's truly not enjoyable. This characteristic seems constant with most MB blends. Will not go down this road again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Darth Vader (110)	2012-03-19		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Opening the tin reveals nice honey overtones. Tastes like a reasonable mild burley/va mix. mild to medium nicotine and not much bite.

While not great it's perfectly smokeable and very reasonably priced for tinned tobacco ($9 for 100g). I prefer the Golden extra which is similarly priced. Good budget baccy with a classy tin.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RyeWhiskey (43)	2012-03-02		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Upon opening the tin, I thought I had opened the wrong tin! It was almost the same look and smell as Virginia no.1 and honestly I had a hard time with this being a Burley Blend. I couldn't get past this being a Virginia blend.

Smokes like hot air for me, two bowls in two different pipes and I just didn't like it. I didn't waste the tobacco though, used it for filler in some home-blends and with some other tinned tobacco.

I won't purchase another one. I usually like Mac Baren's tobacco, but this one wasn't for me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Connoisseur (47)	2012-03-02		Very Mild	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

The unfortunate thing about London Burley Blend is underwhelming lack of strength. It's a beautifully presented light-medium brown rubbed out flake with a light honey aroma (like so many of Mac Baren's offerings). It lights well and the smoke has a reasonable body, yet the taste (and it is wonderful) is so light it is hard to detect. If only Mac Baren could simply amplify this taste considerably, it could indeed be a personal favorite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-27		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a strange one. It didn't blow my socks off with awesomeness, however I have never smoked a 100g tin so fast. It's all I wanted to smoke. First thing in the morn with coffee in a cob is a very nice smoke. I would call this a plain tobacco, but not in a bad way. The cut is good, I would call it a shredded flake, burns well. It tastes like a mild burley, chocolatish, toastish and perfect in hot weather. At 8.50 a tin it's hard to beat. I finally understand the term "all day smoke". I will buy more, just to have some around.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-02-18		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Ok, yes I was an aro smoker exclusively. Then, wanting to try something other than most chemically tasting blends, I ordered some Mac Baren blends, like this one. I am really glad I did. The natural nutty and cocoa taste is sweet, very pleasant, and not offensive to anyone-especially She Who Must Be Obeyed- and, I really have enjoyed the break from the heavy casings in aros. I have stated I have specific favorites, however, I must revisit that. These blends are fast becoming favorites for their unique tastes and subtle natural flavorings. If you are new to pipes, please try the subtlties of the Mac Barens.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	vespa (18)	2011-10-12		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I was gifted a Savinelli ( Bings Favorite ) and I thought I'd try a nice burley since it was his main blend. So I went to my local tobac shop and got a couple oz's of BLB. No tins but in bulk. See here in the 757 area code the tobac shops are more geared towards to cigar smokers, so if I want tinned tobac I either have to drive over 100 miles or order on-line. Enough rambling. I found that this blend was VERY ENJOYABLE. Since I'm a heavy english/balkan smoker I was'nt expecting much, but I was surprised. I liked the rich smoke and the flavor. Hints of chacolate but just ever so slight in the background. Overall a nice change of pace from the latakia blends I normally smoke. Will try a tin when I place my next order or decide to make a road trip. Not an everyday thing for me but I'll keep some on hand when I want to change things up a bit. It's worth a try if you dont want to shell out 10-12 bucks for a tin and can get it in bulk pick up an oz or two, you might be surprised like I was.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DakotaPeacePipe (33)	2011-07-22		Medium to Strong	Extremely Mild	Medium	Unnoticeable

I have always considered myself to be a bit of a burleyphile, I was hoping this blend would be a more refined and elegant version of plain burley on the line of a Prince Albert. While I know this blend is popular with many burley lovers I could not enjoy it. I found it harsh and bitter with nothing much to make me want to repeat the experience.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-05-19		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A staple blend for the Burley lover.

This is a great burley tobacco that is relatively simply & inexpensive. The smoke is consistent throughout the bowl with little to no development. Like many burley blends, if you smoke it slow, it wont bite much.

Taste is a sweet and nutty smoke while the Cocoa is generally dim yet present.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	aadelma (67)	2011-05-02		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I can see why some people might like this, but I don't. The tobacco presentation exudes quality; the metal tin is painted, not labeled, the tobacco itself looks and smells great, and it packs and lights easily. Unfortunately, that's when it all goes south. There is almost no flavor to this tobacco other than that of very slightly sweet hot air. It also bites. I'm not sure I would even bother blending it with something else as it has no flavor of it's own and would only impart some of it's bite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-12		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

Coming from a cigar background, I was searching for an initial tobacco to try in my sole pipe, a luxurious Missouri Meershaum. I mistakenly bought a couple aromatic blends because they smelled good, and because it was about all my local "shop" had to offer. Well, that was a mistake, but I happened upon this London Blend Burley that was recommended by the store owner as a straight forward tobacco flavor. He also recommended Prince Albert.

Having no idea what any pipe tobacco is supposed to taste like, I tried this stuff, hoping to satisfy my taste for just plain tobacco flavors. I now have been smoking it mostly in combination with some other tobaccos, primarily Peterson Irish Flake. I put a couple pinches of this with one rubbed out flake of IF. Holy nicotine......, but that is another story.

I had never read any reviews of the LBB, so I never really ever thought about or noticed the topping, so now I am interested in trying it again solo to see if I can identify it. It must be quite subtle. I know that Prince Albert is also quite subtle with its coffee infusion.

All in all, I like this stuff as a straight forward burley, and I like to blend with it, by adding pinches of other stronger flavored tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2011-01-03		Mild	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A great Burley blend. Soft, rich and nutty.

After my first bowl I immediately ordered another 100g. It's become my most often smoked tobacco. I highly recommend it to everyone who enjoys burleys, and especially to someone who is looking to try their first true burley blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TK Pipe (101)	2010-12-16		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

McB Burley L.B. Purchased in bulk form. The bag aroma seemed mostly of tobaccos, with a faint hint of maybe chocolate. It's moisture content seemed a bit dry, but what do I know, this was my first go around with this blend. So I jumped right in and loaded up a bowl. After a trouble free light up, I was rewarded with nice clouds of smoke, noticeably heavier in body than many of my favorite OTC burleys or for that matter their (McB) Golden extra. So far OK. But it did not take long, for my mouth chemistry to detect that all too familiar somewhat harsh and soapy mouth feel (not taste) to kick in, this tendency or reaction I prefer not to except in my tobaccos, so it looks like my existing burley rotation stays as is... With that out of the way, I did not encounter any tongue bite, and this stuff is not without its own merits, as shown by the many positive reviews on this site, but for me LB is not my first choice when smoking burleys. So in good conscience, I can only somewhat recommend this blend. My personal rating 2.5 /5

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	chgo.piper (37)	2010-12-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Great tasting burley with a very slight sweetness but a little too mild in the nicotine dept. I tried this in a medium/large briar and also a smaller bowl. I didn't have much problem with tongue bite but I did have to let the pipe rest often due to over-heating, and that's without heavy puffing. Then, I tried it in a corncob and what a difference. Taste is fantastic and it behaves better in a corncob. Even though the nicotine level is a bit too mild for me, I'll still be enjoying large bowls of this during the warmer months and of course smoking it from my Missouri meerschaum general or freehand.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-09-03		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This really is a good burley blend.

It might also be considered as a "reference" burley blend.

Nutty, chocolate burley taste. One the best for burley lovers.

Not too strong, not too mild, well-balanced and pleasant.

Il recommend it to discover of if you already love burleys.

The only weird thing it the "London Blend" name under burley. Otherwise, really worth a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-08		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Here is a tobacco that attains the trademark standards of a good burley. Like so many of the other Mac Baren offerings, this one is moisture-perfect upon tin popping, and though I can't ever seem to make the catsup connection, the aroma is Mac Baren through and through. A full bodied flavor and nice nic hit, respectively, greet you upon lighting, which after the char, never seems to need more than a follow-up relight. The flavor, always rich and nut like, grows in intensity, but never turns on you as the bowl progresses. Without question or doubt, BLB satisfies the burley smoker's expectations. Puff slowly and savor the nutty richness. Puff with only a bit more purpose, and there is the virginia smoothing out the blend. Puff no harder, for eventually you will get bitten.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-05-15		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I just got some of this in for the first time. An outstanding burley blend, almost up there with Sir Walter, the Prince and the late lamented ERR.

This has a superb pouch / bag aroma -- real tobacco smell. It looks like a rubbed out flake, so the pieces are fairly long and thick. I shredded mine before packing.

The taste is real tobacco, with a very slight lemony / honey note. Overall, I would rate the topping as unobtrusive, and in some of my pipes I really didn't notice it. Just a fine tobacco flavour, all the way down.

Surprisingly for Macbaren, no bite with this one. It could be a little darker and rougher, but no complaints. A very good all-day type of blend, and a great price.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-02-02		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

This tobacco has a chocolate topping. Think bitter bakers chocolate, not sweet. The tin aroma is exquisite, one of the best by far. But as you compare it side by side to Prince Albert you will notice that PA has a much sweeter note.

That same bitter chocolate is evident in the smoke, to me it was a harshness bodering on bitter. I also found out why Mac Baren is known for biting.

PA over this, but neither on a regular basis. My bane could be your blessing. Not for me, perhaps for thee.

By the way, the tins are cheap and rust out after a while.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-12-04		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I first bought a tin as a sample at Chicago 07. When I first opened the tin, the smell was great, a good hearty tobacco smell. I don't seem to notice the "ketsup" smell that alot of folks get with MacBaren's. I did notice, though, that there were some pretty big flakes still in the tin, as I've run into with a couple MacBaren tins so far, which had to be rubbed out.

It took me a bit to figure this one out, as I'm still a noob, but I've smoked it mainly in the same pipe from day one. I tried it in a few others, but noticed this blend is very prone to intrusion from ghosting. As Pipestud said, it also likes to be packed very light. I trickle fill the bowl, then push in just a small pinch to finish.

Overall, I love it. It's a hearty burley, but sweet. The "mocha" flavor I get with other burleys isn't overpowering, and once in a while I get a nice taste of pepper. Just a nice easy smoke, with no worries.

I've been smokin this blend for a year and a half now. It is my go to blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kilmarnock Piper (251)	2009-10-04		Medium	None Detected	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Only tried this in a very well-aged tin that seems to have been opened for a few years. The tobacco was still smokeable. Though not a burley fan, I might buy this as a blending base, and a blend is exactly what I used it for-mixed it with an equally antiquated Virginia and added some Latakia and black cavendish. It's a little strange, but not too bad! I'm letting it stand in a jar for a while to marry the flavors. I think I would like this better blended than straight in general, though for a burley it was not so bad. I liked it best in a cob. Nutty, mild, and not as harsh as some burley I've tried. Didn't bite, but my tin was pretty old. Maybe the MacBarens that do bite me, and there are a couple, would do so less with age. Lose their teeth, so to speak.

1-26-11 Few months ago, got a c.1989 sealed tin on Ebay. Smoked a little, then stuck it in a jar. Had some last night, and it really is good. To be continued...

10-31-22 Yeah, to be continued more than a decade later! Been in that jar all these years, and very nice at this point! I will always maintain that Mac Baren is a tobacco brand that ages well, especially if the tin was old to begin with.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jimmyc (3)	2009-07-25		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Nice burley flavor, woodsy, nutty, etc. and vary mild. It maintains this flavor from the start to finish with very little development. This is an excellant change of pace from the english and virginia blends I usually smoke. Not an all day smoke as it would get a little boring but nice to have around when your in the mood for that burley taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Skando (203)	2009-05-08		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Tolerable

I my whole life I have experienced very few all-Burleys. I do remember Edgeworth RR and Prince Albert, when I was still a teen... may I just add McBaren Golden Blend, even it is not a true straight Burley.

I really wished to taste some good Burley so I got a couple of 100grms tins of BLB coming from Amsterdam.

Oh yes, BLB is slightly cased. I feel some alcoholic topping (rhum?) and a nice chocolate note (but this may belong to the tobacco itself) in the tin aroma. The cut is a chunky ready rubbed, the weed bit greasy at the touch, the colour a grey-ish medium brown.

No need of particular care in filling the pipe, just light hand and a bit more rubbing on top. Lights good and burns even better, leaving a light grey fluffy ash. Musty, earthy, woodsy, plain smoke with just a hint of chocolate sweetness and occasional peppery notes: IMHO this is tobacco with the slightest correction possible.

Seems to me that BLB is the only true medium smoke produced by McB.

I have overcome the bite issue, but I would make you sure that in no way BLB will bite you.

I truly like it, of course a plain smoke like this need alternation; and would forget the all-day tobacco issue, because simply there is no reason to look for the same tobacco for a lifetime, nor for a whole day. There are several other things we cannot change every day (the wife, just to name one...).

Fortunately we can change pipes and tobaccos.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-01-23		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is one burley that I would recommend to everyone. Very smooth with a taste that leaves you on the up side of life. The only problem that I found is I like to rub it out somewhat more. A solid 4 stars!!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-07-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Very Full	Pleasant

Well...I typically do not fall in with the crowd...but in this case I must. As for all the good points stated above...I agree....this stuff is good!!

I have reviewed and slammed many in the MB line...but this is the second best in the line next to Navy Flake.

I like my weed to produce a greater volume of smoke so I rubbed this one out well...in the semi flake form it was not enough...it burns slightly more quickly, but I like the extra smoke billowing upward to my proboscous....and the smoke rings I can blow please me to no end.

Burned just a tad bit hot, but this was when I had not rubbed it out and was puffing pretty intensely.

===========addendum===============

Isn't it interesting how our tastes change over time and with greater experience. I am not really as fond of this MB blend as I once was, but it is still ok.

MB's Navy Flake and Dunhill's Elizabethan Mixture are catching my attention now.....and after more experience with this blend I have come to think of the slight toasty quality of this weed to be similar to bran flakes with lots of sugar.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Moe (46)	2007-09-23		Mild	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is good burley. I like to dry out MacB's or they tend to bite. I dry this a bit and its a keeper.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SmokeKing David (134)	2007-08-31		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice tobacco; chocolate and a very subtle honey which is present in many MacBaren burley-based blends. Puff judiciously to avoid tongue bite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	YoungPuffer (5)	2007-05-13		Medium to Strong	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

Well, hmmnn... lets see, I really like this for what it is. I think it is a very good burley, I really am not a burley smoker, but on occasion, esp. in the mornings in a big bowled pipe. It is very easy to smoke, no bite to speak of, and burns quite cool. This stuff seems to take forever to get through a bowl of so u better be committed when u sit to take a puff off of this. Very good for the burley lovers, not good for the wife lovers as she will hate this blend. A good patio or back deck smoke though.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-04-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

Following my review of MacBaren?s Golden Extra I decided to review Burley London Blend. It?s a good study to evaluate these two blends back to back.

Burley London Blend is a good tobacco, burns easily and has a mellow and slightly heartier flavor when compared to Golden Extra. The casing keeps your attention as it is subtle, intriguing and well balanced to the natural leaf found in the blend. I?ve heard that the casing is a combination of honey and vanilla. I can neither confirm nor deny this and as such would look to other reviewers to offer their opinions regarding the casing & notes. The casing is mild and not overdone, hence, I would not consider this blend to be in the aromatic category. MacBaren?s Burley London Blend is another excellent product from MacBaren.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-02-04		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

You know, I was going thru the Carolinas and there was JR Cigar and Tobacco. So, what could I do? My truck was drawn in the parking lot as if a gigantic maganet was pulling it forward. After entering the pipe tobacco room I ran across this blend and since I like burley in general I thought why not.

The tin was a 100g tin and at the price it was a good deal. Something like $7.00. When I opened the tin the aroma was very pleasing to me. Smelled like what I envision straight burley should smell like. After reading reviews on here I was all excited to taste it and could just imagine the wonderful chocolete and walnut tastes coming into my mouth.

What I had happen instead as I smoked it in my vintage Peterson 307 was it burned me with some serious bite. After a couple of bowls like this I started wondering if it was me or the bacca so I called a close friend and pipe smoker who I know favors this brand a lot. He gave me some simple instructions and I decided to give it another run. Sorry but the same results...bite.

So, for now I am going to send the remaining half a tin to him since he likes it so much and go back to my regular UF and other blends. I was not totally disapointed as there were moments of nice burly flavor but for the most part it just bit the crap out of me.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-10-16		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

To me, this is the Burley blend by which all others are measured. I know others will give this honor to University Flake, Edgeworth, Barbary Coast, or some other, but my Top Burley Honors go to London Burley Blend. High quality white burley, ready rubbed, lightly topped with something sweet, which I find reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. I find this to be rather low in nicotene, and definitely falls into the "all day smoke" category.

--------------------------------------------

EDIT 10/06: I used to smoke Burley London Blend a lot, but I don't smoke it much anymore. Since I first reviewed the tobacco I now find I get tongue bite from it very easily. I'm not sure if this is due to my body chemistry or the tobacco, but it is very unpleasant. The tobacco seem to burn hot and with little of the flavor I used to enjoy. There are many other quality burleys available which I enjoy and which don't bite, so I'm downgrading my review to two stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Captain Pete (83)	2006-09-03		Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I had to look hard to find this blend in my local area. Being a big fan of burleys, I really was looking forward to trying it. Perhaps I got a bad tin, or perhaps it just does not agree with me. At any rate, the stuff I tried did not come across as the same thing everyone else here is talking about.

In the tin, it was dry and coarse in texture. It was not ready rubbed, and no way could it be smoked "as is". The topping was a little rank with a rotten ketchup smell, which I had to air off for a couple days before I could even tolerate taste of it unlit in my pipe. I sampled this blend in pots, cobs, and pokers. It tasted and smoked pretty much the same regardless of how I rubbbed it or cut it, and regardless of pipe.

It wasn't too bad smoking it, except it did bite like hell occasionally. The nuttiness I expected didn't quite come through, and the sweetness was only occasionally present. It smoked nice and dry, and no bitterness was present. All in all, not bad but not great. For someone not crazy about burleys, and wanting a bland ordinary smoke, it would do. Orlik's Dark Kentucky is a much better burley/va blend for anyone really craving a strong burley. And, there are far too many inexpensive burley house blends at any number of tobacconists that would be just as good, good enough to not warrant dropping twelve or thirteen dollars on a tin of MacB's.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Satc001 (67)	2005-12-21		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

I certainly would recommend this blend to anyone who enjoys Burley, but if you don't like burley, step back.

Like every MacBaren, don't bother filling your pipe carefully with this, it will only waste your time. Put some of the ready rubbed stuff in the pipe and light up. It keeps lit very easily with a slight tamp now and then. And also, like most MacBarens, this one can bite so be careful. I find that smoked slowly, this blend gives gives the smoker an enjoyable taste. The smoke is nutty and sweet. The honey like casing gives a nice topping. If it begins to bite too much, I set it down and light it up again about 5 or 10 minutes later. Although many of you like to smoke this in corn cobs, I prefer a cheap basket briar. The aroma is delightful. If you enjoy burley and are not an absolute MacBaren hater, this is definitely worth your time. But, if you find Burley boring and MacBaren to be poor quality, do not bother lighting this up.

Update 10/12/2005:

Well I have almost finished my pouch of this and I must say that I have changed my opinion. I really like this blend. After smoking it a bit, I found that the bite was really not that bad. Especially considering some other aromatic blends I have tried. I love the taste, aroma, and body of this tobacco. It is my favorite burley blend, and once again has proven to me (along with Virginia No. 1) that MacBaren makes good quality tobacco that is different from everybody else. Four Stars.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RCUSElder (244)	2005-12-21		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I won't go into the usual detail that I do. I purchased this blend in order to find a replacement for Edgeworth. This blend comes somewhat close, but not a replacement IMO. It is one of the cooler smoking MCB blends, but can still nip the tongue if not careful. The casing is very light and is smelled in the room note more than it is tasted. It comes as a broken flake that works well if you just stuff and light. Smokes to the bottom of the bowl with no fuss and leaves a fine light grey ash. Yes, this blend tastes like Burley and pretty good one at that, but not as tasty as Edgeworth. I will buy some more and keep for an occaisonal change of pace. Enjoy...

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Spike (296)	2005-10-07		Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I could swear I reviewed this a couple of years back. Who knows, I have had a tin of this a long time. A very nice Burley but I prefer MacB's Golden Extra as my rotational Burley. Anyway, three big stars for Burley London Blend!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-06-27		Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

i just got a tin of this. tried for a couple of bowls throughout the day. as a retired cigar smoker, the taste is strange. but my family loves the pleasant smell. don't know how to tell, but i really don't like it at all. will pass the tin to my neighbours for test. back to dunhill london as usual.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	RickPiatt (16)	2005-06-12		Strong	Very Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Tolerable

On the recomendation of a number of folks on ASP I purchased a tin of this tobacco in the hopes of finding a replacement for the no longer manufactured Edgeworth Sliced. Alas, this tobacco simply doesn't do it for me to put it gently. I tried it in various pipes ranging in size from roughly a group 1 Dr.Grabow to a group 4 Dunhill Billiard. In every case the nicotine was potent enough to turn my stomach. The flavor IMHO was extremely flat and boring. I could go on, but what's the point.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SopwithCamel (255)	2005-06-10		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a nice, nutty, raisiny, sweet burley blend. It has a nice aroma when smoked. It can burn as hot as gasoline soaked straw. However, if you let this dry out a bit, and follow the advice of some of the other reviewers who love MacBaren blends(pack carelessly, and smoke CAREFULLY), you will be rewarded with some exquisite burley flavor. For me, the flavor just is not worth the bite. This the ONLY burley that has really roasted me multiple times. After careful consideration, I cannot recommend this blend at all.

My favorite burley blend is still Wilke's Nut Brown Burley, as it tastes good and has flawless burning characteristics.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lbarraa (29)	2005-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

A classic Mac Baren blend, good presentation, mild flavor, easy to light and burn, sometimes harmfull to the tongue, with a nice aroma to the public. Is the blend ideal for the day and the social reunion. A litle "boring".

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	UncleGar (110)	2005-05-04		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I think MacBaren is to burley as Rattray's and McClelland are to Virginias. They seem to do it best. I had been smoking Prince Albert for my burley rotation and decided to revisit my MB stack-o-tins. Glad I did: this burley blend is a gentle tasting reminder of their quality. This blend is their plainest offering, seemingly unflavored and unadorned. So plain, in fact, I have to wait for the second third of the bowl to appreciate it. On the plus side, this is a slightly rubbed out flake, unlike many cube-cut burleys on the market, and its density makes for a longer smoke. Burley has a reputation of high nicotine; I just don't get it with this.

It is a point of departure, though, and now I prefer their tastier burleys: Golden Extra and Navy Flake. This makes a good point of reference for those wanting to explore what good basic burley is. By all means, use a burley-dedicated pipe (cob, of course) since the subtle nuances of this mixture are easily overshadowed by ghosts of stronger flavored previous smokes. Good quality stuff but ho-hum, flavor-wise.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-02-19		Medium	Extremely Mild	Full	Pleasant

I am too singing with the crowd, this is a wannahave tobacco. I am a typical English lover and for so far I never liked the MacBaren family. All for the tongue problem that seems to be in all macbaren tobacco's. This does not have it. And it is cheap. Here in Holland 10,45 euro! 100 grams! I could not believe it. Never had a so good tobacco for that price. Really it is worth a try!

"Update" After smoking this for some time, I think it is better than I first thougt. It is delicious. But it should be a "blend". I do not taste the virginia so clear. Anyone who knows about the % in this excellent stuff?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-01-17		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Its tobacco I want in my pipe. In this blend Mac Baren even show a steady (read restrained)hand on there notorious "Honey-Topping". This allows the high quality tobacco to do its work-a smooth, steady smoke. It stays easily lid, does not vanish in the wind. I regularly get about 45min out of a properly packed mid size bowl-often w/o relights. Good stuff-give it atry if you want to smoke a pipe of tobacco. If you want a "roller coaster ride" equivalent in smoke, mix MB Cherry Ambrosia, Dunhill Night Cap and Three Nuns in equal parts, pack your pipe, sit down and light up. Oh and lock yourself in-or you will have to face a riot of Cap and Nun Smokers.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-01-15		Very Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I'm not as high on this tobacco as everyone else here. Upon opening the tin The aroma was pleasant but not as rich as Amphora Original Blend. The burly itself was rather coarse and I often found myself rubbing it out a little for easier packing. I seemed to be spending more time relighting than enjoying this blend. My final complaint is that there seemed to be a bit of what I will describe as tongue zing rather than tongue bite. Not nearly as smooth as the Amphora version and that "zing" was really annoying.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-09-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The Burley London Blend, offered by Mac Baren of Denmark, is a White Burley tobacco matured in wooden casks.

The Burley London Blend has a nutty and raisin-like tin aroma. This blend is composed wholly of White Burley tobacco leaf. The color of Burley London Blend is in majority a red/brown speckled with hints of golden yellow.

Burley London Blend has a slightly broken flake cut resembling long strips of flakes. This tobacco rubs out effortlessly and has the tendency to pack dense. The initial moisture is slightly above moderate and some drying does improve the smoking characteristics of the blend.

Mac Baren?s Burley London Blend has an average lighting and an absolute burn. The ash has an intriguing blue gray color. The burn of this Burley blend possesses the lovely tendency to leave the walls of the pipe bowl completely clean of any dottle. The burn rate is medium fast and the room note is very light and nondescript.

The taste of Burley London Blend tobacco begins slightly sour but then develops a nutty savor with an almost buttery characteristic. The taste is plain and dimensionally narrow but pleasing in a true, simple manner. This blend has an extremely light topping that perhaps adds a very small amount of sweetness. There can be some tongue bite yielded by smoking this blend but it is relatively small in comparison to many Virginia mixtures. If smoked in a medium slow manner, most if not all of the tongue bite can be avoided and a cool, dry smoke can be achieved. The smoke given off by this tobacco is of a medium fullness.

Although straight Burley blends tend to be looked down upon, Mac Baren?s Burley London Blend demonstrates how, with a high quality White Burley, that a straight Burley blend can not only be worthwhile but can create a welcome change in pace.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2004-09-07		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I tried this rubbed out blend as a change of pace from my normal VA flakes and was not disappointed. I didn't rub it out any further from the tin and still felt it burned rather quickly although evenly. It packed and lit well and a smooth, cool smoke without condensation resulted. The flavor was consistent both within a bowl and from bowl to bowl. Each must decide if this is a + or - but the important thing to me is the natural, tobacco taste. In a head to head match, I'd pick MacB's Navy Flake, that is also burley based, since it is stronger, sweeter and denser but London Blend is another enjoyable smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-05-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Wow! I just love this tobacco. I was a Latakia snob and thought anything other than a full English blend was not "real" pipe tobacco. Then I tried Barbary Coast and fell in love with high-end Burley tobaccos. Next I tried this tobacco and think I might have just sworn off Latakia for good.

The appearance is brown flake (like a VA flake). The tin aroma is somewhat like dried-fruit. Not casing per se, but just a whiff of something extra.

Wonderful natural tobacco flavor. Deep, woodsy and earthy. No bite at all. Nice and cool all the way down to the heel. Nice aroma. Nothing sweet but just sort of an "old fashioned" pipe tobacco smell. Something your grandfather would smoke while hunting pheasants on a brisk fall afternoon.

Try this tobacco!!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-02-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

After an enjoyable experience with Mac Baren's Navy Flake, I just had to try BLB. My local tobacconist had two 100gm tins on the shelf, I bought both. I was not dissapointed, rather quite pleased. This is a partially rubbed out flake with an incredible tin aroma, I like to rub it out just a wee bit more, pack and light. I never knew burley could be done so well. An easy smoke with a pleasant taste and an even burn. I've been smoking this almost constantly since opening the first tin, and this along with Navy Flake has moved into me top 5 regular smokes. Praise to Mac Baren, a fine blend. Recommended to all. Cheers!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-01-14		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

What can I say that every other reviewer has not said already?

I normally prefer blends that provide a big Latakia taste. GLP Odyssey, C&D Pirate Kake and Dunhill Nightcap are in my regular rotation.

I never thought I'd enjoy a Danish-style tobacco, but this tobacco is a wonderful change of pace for me and I find it very refreshing.

Highly recommended, especially for the restless English/Balkan smoker that wants something a little different.

(If you like Edgeworth Sliced or GLP Cumberland, you'll probably like this one.)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-11-29		Medium	Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

If you are mildly interested in trying burley and cant decide on what brand to smoke,start here.This tobacco is my exception to the rule with regard to most Mc Baren blends.This is first class and a wonderful change up from Virginian tobacco.The taste and aroma reminds me of opening a freshly baked yeast roll with just a hint of a vanilla-like note.That is not really a great desription but as close as I can come to recreating my expirience.At any rate ,this is a rich tasty smoke.If you like burley you will probably love this.If you have never tried it or had an unpleasant expirience before,you will likely find this agreeable to your palate. O.K all you burley lovers... all together now -Burley Burley Burley!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-10-21		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

For anyone interested in Burley this is a great tobacco. I'm mainly a Virginia smoker but this will figure prominently in my rotation now that I've discovered it. The flakes are only partially rubbed out but it seems like it smokes well as is. If it isn't broken don't fix it. The tobacco's got a great nutty flavour that's all Burley but behind it is a bit of sweetness that as a Virginia smoker I find endearing. The nicotine level of this tobacco is quite low when you compare it to other Burleys like University Flake which I find I have to smoke in a small bowl or suffer the consequences. I can load up my giant Soren freehand with this stuff and smoke it for hours. Like other Burleys this tobacco burns cool, dry and only needs minimal tamping to keep it burning all the way to the bottom of the bowl. I'd reccomend this tobacco to any pie smoker either new or toughened to leather by long exposure to Latakia. A very good tobacco.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-01-07		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable to Strong

This is one of my favorite MacBaren's blends. It consists of 100% ready rubbed Burley with just a hint of topping. The casing is so light as to be barely perceptible, which suits me just fine. The Burleys produce a very cool nutty smoke. When I tire of the heavy English blends I usually reach for a tin of London Blend which I manage to always keep on hand. Not to be missed for the true Burley fan.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JaWiBr (556)	2023-01-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

2022 version, Tin 1513 of 5000 has notes of dark chocolate and mild vanilla. Tobacco is a mix of brown, dark brown and tan ready rub. Some larger pieces may need a little rubbing. Moisture is ok but could probably use a little drying. Burns slow with a few extra relights. The strength is mild to medium and nic is mild. Flavoring is mild, with notes of chocolate, which hangs out in the background. I smelled vanilla in the tin note but couldn't detect in taste. Taste is mild to medium and consistent, with notes of very wood, musty vegetation, bitter dryness, leather, molasses, cocoa, nuts, mildly spicy, toasted bread, earth, mildly grassy, a semi-sweet background note, and a peppery retro. Burley is leading with Virginia and Flavoring mildly supporting. Room note is pleasant, and aftertaste is great.

Pipe Used: 2016 Northern Briars Premier Rox Cut #4 Prince

Age When Smoked: 5 months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-04-16		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Easy smoking, nice flavor. A winner for the money.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2012-03-29		Mild	None Detected	Very Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This blend is in desperate need of that certain something. It feels like it has a decent base to the flavor but no notes for your taste buds to grab on to and make it memorable.

Having said that, at 8.50 for 100g it is very cheap and nowhere near the worst I've smoked, its not even bad, just not special or remarkable in anyway, shape or form.

It was good enough for me to finish the tin, but I can't even remember what it tasted like. That, for me anyway, says it all.

PS I do remember it smelled very nice out of the tin, its a shame it didn't taste anything like it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	brogreggblues (45)	2010-09-29		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

The best thing I can say about this blend is that it reminded me of Mild Kentucky Club, but without MKC's nice floral casing. I didn't notice any "slight natural chocolate note", but the notorious Macbaren bite and hot-burning qualities were there. I also noticed a "sour" taste/smell frequently found with burley blends, but this sourness was a bit much for me.

Overall, not a terrible blend, but at $5.71 an ounce, I was expecting much more. I'll stick with $1.78/ounce Mild Kentucky Club.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-07-25		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This pure White Burley challenged my capacity to adapt.

For the newcomer to all Burley blends, the lack of any taste can be annoying at first. And trigger the "Why are there so many people enjoying all Burley mixtures?"

With some patience and a lot of attention to it, subtle tastes will start shining trough. And reveal a decent level of nicotine.

All Burley blends are not bold in taste. You need to dedicate yourself entirely to your smoke in order to get rewarded.

The tin aroma is delicious and is reflected in the smoking.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-05-04		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Beautiful, long, broken up flakes of medium and dark brown colour.

Beautiful chocolate and nutty tin aroma.

Beautiful chocolate, nutty and tobacco taste.

Beautiful smoke!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-04-04		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Very Pleasant

This Burley blend is the one that makes me understand why a pipe smoker can be so fond of an all Burley blend. If VAs were added in LBB, it must be at a less than 10% proportion.

The tin aroma was divine - bitter sweet chocolate, nuts, perhaps a bit of honey and pure tobacco- and the long, partially rubbed out flakes similar to Golden Extra are among my favorite cuts for smoking.

The moisture in the tin reduced significantly over the first three days, making LBB an ideal leaf for a satisfying and enjoyable smoking session.

My first pipeful was rather disappointing: barely any detectable taste or flavor, very bland and no apparent nicotine presence. The second one revealed a very subtle chocolate and nuts flavor with some nicotine input once I was past mid-bowl.

With the third and fourth pipefuls, I started to really enjoy this blend. The secret was simple. The more I pay attention and take my time, the better the experience. And I can understand now why so many smokers are big fans of all burley blends. They deliver a subtle and consistent semi sweet flavor combined with an interesting nicotine intake while providing a satisfying, genuine tobacco flavor.

The more I smoke LBB, the more I like it. My patience did pay off and I don't regret persisting in giving this tobacco a chance.

I will definitively rebuy on a regular basis.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2010-03-24		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

Just before walking the dog (and smoking a half bowl of Burley London Blend), I made some pretty mean burgers (on grilled rolls, of course). I chopped up some ancho chiles (the kind that come packed with adobo sauce) and mixed those in with the meat, along with worchestire sauce and garlic powder. I tell you this only as a means to describe the smoking experience...the pipe turned out to be a perfect accompaniment to those burgers: Both were toasty, beefy, and full of flavor. Like the burger, this blend also bites a bit, especially when pulling with anything above a gentle draw.

There's not much to add, except that it's a solid burley, and if it weren't for that single detriment to an otherwise terrific blend, this would rate 4 stars from me.

As it stands now though, LJ Heart Burley is just as tasty, and it's a much smoother smoke.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-05-03		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Simply a great every day burley. Lights easy, burns dry to a white/grey ash. If its wet dry it out some. It does seem to mellow with a little time on it. I find it a great change to my more smoked English/Virginia/Vapers. For the money a value. One lb. bulk is a steal. Its seems more sweet to me than Solani's ABF. But not Too Sweet. Does not get bitter at the finish. Impact!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-03-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

As a new pipe smoker, this was a blend I was a little nervous about trying. (I had bad luck with mac b's honey and chocolate and HH mature VA) What I found was a toasty, satisfying and slightly sweet smoke. Admittedly, it's the only burley I've tried, but it saved me from aromatics and probably kept me interested in the pasttime. I recomend it.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2009-02-09		Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium to Full	Pleasant

Burley London Blend captures the flavour of a good cigar with a pleasant note for the nose and a delightful aftertaste on the palate. My own taste preference runs to more aromatic blends but I also really enjoy this one for a good tobacco flavour.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2008-12-07		Mild to Medium	None Detected	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I'm not a burley smoker so I have little to compare this to, and I've only had one bowl so far.

Opening the tin I was greeted by a strong ketchup scent that was quickly replaced by more earthly odors.

At the match the blend was smooth and mild tasting, but I was unprepared for the strong nicotine kick.

I'm not a real fan of blends that make my head spin, and this is one of those. I like the taste just not the kick.

Like other MacBaren offerings, this smokes hot so slow puffing is the way to go.

I'm looking forward to trying this more in different pipes to see if I like it. Perhaps slow puffing will reduce the nicotine levels. If not I just got some blending latakia to cut it. Updates to follow

Update I've found that this blend is good outdoors in bigger pipes as long as I smoke it SLOW. Indoors it's proven to be too heady, too hot with an odd bitter aftertaste.

I still think I need to try it out a little more. But so far it's not a blend that I'll rush out and buy again.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-10-27		Mild	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Tolerable

I was not as impressed with this as I have been, I ordered some Dunhill and will compare the two.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2007-07-18		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Addendum: 07/19/2007

Tastes do change. About half of he pound I bought in 2004 is still under seal. After awhile, the tongue bite of this tobacco stole much of the pleasure this tobacco originally provided. It has been about four months since I smoked a bowl. And it still burns hot. And I still like the stuff, only not so much

ADDENDUM: 08/10/2004

The 4 ounce tin I spoke of in my original review went quickly. I did not purchase anymore for several months, but this tobacco was never far from my thoughts. About a month ago I began trolling the online tobacco vendors for London Blend in bulk. I found several, including one that was selling it for $22.00 per pound. I could not resist.

Smell is a very personal and evocative thing. A few years ago I visited the home where my maternal grandparents spent their enire married life, many fond memories. There is the main house and the original house that everyone called "the shanty." Both were built by my grandfather, who immigrated from Denmark with his parents as a young child.

My parents and I lived in it for a couple years after I was born and visited there often thereafter. My grandfather raised strawberries for market and stored his baskets there. They retained the scent of the berries. Stepping back into that house, the faint strawberry scent was still in the air. It brought back many pleasant childhood memories. Judging by the reviews I read here, I think some of us are searching for something elusive when we try a new tobacco. Sometimes you can go home again and sometimes you can't

I was not greatly disappointed with my second visit to London Blend. The pound I received was the same tobacco I received in the tin, though, my nose was telling me that the bulk pound I received did not have the age on it that the tinned tobacco did. Who knows?

Otherwise, the cut, the color, the smoke was excellent. While I have some Nut Brown Burley on hand, London Blend tops it in my opinion. Still highly recommended.

Thank you. You, my fellow contributors to Tobaccoreviews, have been an excellent guide for me as I have sampled and enjoyed a variety of fine tobaccos over the past two years. Your combined good taste have led me to several excellent selections in which I have delighted. I have become something of an "Amen" chorus to your aggregate good judgment.

The latest of these is Mac Baren's Burley London Blend. As a Christmas present to myself I purchased a 4 oz. tin from an online shop. Upon opening the tin, the first impression was of a broken flake, not unlike a Virginia flake. These "flakes" were a combination of dark and bright. Moisture was near pefect for smoking.

It does all things well: packs well, lights well, smokes well. There was little moisture condensation in the bottom of the pipe stem. Most importantly, it is a very nice smoke to the nose and the palate. Virginias and Virgina/Perique blends, especially McClelland 2015 are my first choice.

However, Burley London Blend has earned a place as a regular in my rather small rotation. There is little or no bite. It smokes well in the few pipes I own, from a small Meerschaum to a large bowl 3/4 bent briar. The room note is, I think, more pleasant than my 2015. I walked back into my shop after smoking a bowl of London Blend a couple hours earlier. The lingering fragrance was very nice indeed.

To my fellow pipe smoking colleagues on a budget like myself, a recommendation. At a local big box discount department store I purchased several "Snap*ware" clear plactic storage cannisters. They come in pint, quart and half gallon sizes. They are clear, hard plastic and have a very tight seal. They have kept the last of my 5 pound order of 2015 in excellent condition for about a year now. A good poor man's tobacco jar.

God bless you all and a good new year to you.

Prison Chaplain

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-12-10		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I am one of those pipe smokers who loves Virginias like fish love water. I like to keep a couple of English/Balkan blends, lighter aromatics, and burleys around mostly as palate cleansers or just to "shake things up" a bit. I had never even considered including a burley in my regular rotation until now.

I bought eight ounces in bulk at a local B&M and was delightfully surprised by a warm and fragrant, but not overpowering, aroma. The tobacco is at the perfect moisture level, it packs and lights well, and burns cleanly. Like most burleys, it isn't quite as heavy on flavour as are the Virginias, but I can see this as being a delightful addition to my daily smoking selection. Even the room note is warm and pleasant, reminding me somewhat of raisins, figs, and perhaps even leather.

My only word of advice concerning this blend: smoke it slowly. It can bite like a rattlesnake if you don't. Also, I'll second the advice of some others here to try it in a corncob. You won't be disappointed.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2006-07-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I've really come to like this tobacco very much in the morning with coffee or tea. Very pleasent, mild, but tasty, best in a good Danish Freehand. Less sweet than Golden Extra, but almost the same in every other way.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-10-07		Medium	Very Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

BLB posseses a natural sweetness and body not dissimilar to one of Rattray's ready rubbed Virginas. In fact, it reminded me quite a bit of Old Gowrie. The tin aroma is redolent of freshly cut grass and dried fruit, a musty earthy sweetness. The taste, while somewhat one-dimensional, is similar to the aroma in its natural sweetness. While its not one of my all time favorites, Burley London Blend serves its purpose as summer in a can, an excellent blend when I'm looking for something light and refreshing.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-07-11		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

BLB is one of my favs. There is a mild sweet taste with hints of nut from start to finish. (Some would say it has a Chocolate taste, but since I dislike the taste of Chocolate immensely, I would have to disagree) It leaves a pleasant room note, however it does tend to burn hot. Be very aware of this when you are breaking in a new pipe. Although it has been said that BLB is the best for this, I would be very cautious. BLB should be smoked with some patience. Put it down from time to time, and let it cool. I purchase about 4 oz bulk from a dealer who tends to sell more cigars than pipes, and well you could say it was almost dry. It lights very well, burns without relight, and it doesn?t leave a tongue bite. Maybe I have stumbled onto something here.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-05-28		Mild	Mild	Medium to Full	Tolerable

This is a blend that could be a "go to" for burley lovers, of which I'm one. I like the cut. I like the good, old-fashioned taste, and it's burning quality. It has a dependable tobacco taste and is not finicky about smoking technique, a working-man's tobacco with a refined sense to it.

I especially like this blend's ability to play well with other blends. The addition of Burley London Blend always seems to enhance other tobaccos, providing strength without taking over the situation, much like a really good friend.

All in all, I really can't see a tobacco cellar without a pound or two of this blend sitting quietly over in the corner. A must blend to have in my opinion.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-19		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a "sweet" burley blend with some kind of light casing with a pleasent aroma. It can burn very hot if overpuffed even slightly. Sipped slowly, it has a great burley flavor. However, its just too tempermental to recommend to anyone except Burley lovers and then only if a regular favorite is not accesible. Wilke's Nut Brown Burley and Affordable Pipes Blue Grass Melody both taste better, have flawless burning characteristics, and costs less.

If you love burley's and don't mind a tempermental weed, give it a try you might just like it. If your not one to enjoy Burley to begin with stay away.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2005-04-05		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I found it difficult to keep the incredible complexity this pipe tobacco is capable of. But the nutty burley combined with sweet virginia provided a very satisfying and complex taste. The beginning and end of the bowl was a little to hot and tasteless to receive a higher rating. Maybe i should rub it out more. This tobacco has potential, and with a little tinkering i think its very likely to turn into an all day smoke. Very good blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-12-25		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Years ago I tried burley tobacco - bought from a local Sohio station that also had a rack of pipe tobacco and worse-than-evil cigars. One or two packs of the stuff convinced me no one in their right mind would use it for smoking. Spreading on the floor to mop up oil & gasoline spills maybe, but not for smoking. So 2004 comes along and I read all the above reviews - shaking my head and figuring the authors had all been on the top level of a bus touring the Honduras and had all fallen off on a sharp curve and sustained massive head injuries. But the power of demented suggestions is not to be underestimated and, after resisting for some months, I closed my eyes, held my nose and bought two Missouri Meerschaums - the Missouri Pride model at the nearly pointless price of 2 for $5.95, and a tin of McB.'s Burley London Blend. And being generally a lover of Orientals and English blends, with only a budding appreciation for Virginias, it took another 6 weeks for me to cajole myself into actually trying to smoke this ominous combination. This is ridiculous. An undisclosed number of relatively costly pipes sitting around here along with at least 10lbs. of 15 or 16 kinds of pricey tobaccos - and I'm having a grand time smoking BLB in a pipe that costs less than a small book of postage stamps! It's Burley (BURLEY!) for crying out loud! It CAN'T taste that good or behave that well. No Way! And the pipe! No grain. No hallowed briar region in its' noble Past, no aerodynamic stem/bit design and the rest is no environmetally-inspired shape by the last carver of an obscure Yatzi indian tribe from the deeps of Equatorial BonsaiLand, Wash. D.C. or some other weird place. And it isn't even made with modern equipment! It's a CORN COB! Same item that substituted for pages of the Sears catalog on my uncle's farm a while back! C'MON! BLB thoroughly deserves all the praise and recommendations Y'All have been heaping on it above. I haven't tried it in any of my briars or meerschaums but - there is no need to. The humble corn cob - Fashion Statement from Li'l Abner and the Hinterlands - handles BLB with such aplomb you'd think it was one of the Creme de la Creme roots. Even if you don't smoke, you should try this combo!

Tiger

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-12-23		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Chunky broken flake/rubbed out pieces of burley. This is a delight all the way down the bowl of any pipe. Nutty, warm but cool,a little bite if not careful(from the MacBaren honey present in all their tobacco).As good Burley goes I like McClelland's X-40 Burley by the slice much better.This blend however keeps Mac Baren in Buisness,for their other offerings absolutely suck.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-09-25		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

I had read many positive things on this straight Burley and after trying some other straight Burley decided this was worthy of a tin purchase. I received a Sample of a white Burley from Davidus Cigar shop in a box pass and was pleased with the aroma of the smoke. (any one know what that blend really is) by Comparison the aroma of the Mac B burley was somewhat of a dissapointment but still not to bad. I used a Peterson Pipe for this review Bite was very minimal, burn was good, flavor was just a bit sharp, sort of like a cigar that needs some age pherhaps. Certainly not a bad tobacco and one I will keep on hand hopefully time will do something good for this because it is close to good but not quite there yet

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-06-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

When I wore short pants, my next-door neighbor had planted a bed of milkweed and tiger lilies in an effort to attract butteflies to his garden. Much to his annoyanc, I would pluck the lillies as soon as they bloomed and drain the sweet nectar from the flower tubes down my throat, denying the colorful winged insects any reason to stop for a visit. Many years later, I would rediscover this floral-scented watery syrup, used as a topping in Mac Baren's Burley London Blend. To complete my recollection of lost youth, the white burley that is employed here has a flavor somewhat like my dear old gray-haired mother's celebrated peanut butter cookies. Wow! Who says you can't go home again, Thomas Wolfe? Naturally, this sweet and nutty tobacco tastes best when the weather is warm, the skies are sunny and a frosty mug of root beer lies within easy reach of your hammock. Marlboro cigarettes--the #1 US brand--are known for their robust taste and ample nicotine content. London Blend shares these two features with them, albeit to a lesser degree. As a reformed Marlboro smoker, I occasionally find myself tempted to inhale deeply when a bowl of London Blend is smoldering in my hand, an indication of its friendly and approachable nature. This summer, the choice is yours. Do you want to drive away all your friends and associates with that Latakia-laden leaf you're always burning...no? Then end your existential alienation. Get in touch with your inner-child. Smoke Mac Baren's London Blend.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-02-15		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

This is a good burley blend, not very complicated in its taste, but good. When I smoke this I tend to like it in a corn cob or a large bent pipe. This is a good blend that you don't have to concentrate on to get good flavor. Usually I dont like burley blends and tend to lean more towards complex blends. This one however caught me with its very good simplicity. Very good and recomended.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2004-02-10		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Open a tin of this and a nutty rich aroma hits you in the face. Tastes mostly like a high grade burley to me. I really can't detect the virginia. However it's a very tasty burley smoke of high quality. Has a tendecy to get a little wet if smoked too fast but the taste of even the wetness is satisfing. Two thumbs up for this smoke!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-10-21		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Tolerable

October-2003. Today I tried my first tin of Burley London Blend,& I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised.The tin was given to me,so I'm not sure about the age.Good flavour's,& not boring.Smooth & pleasurable,nice for a change. (It didn't bite) Usually I enjoy English,Virginia,& Balkan's. I have to say 'Give It A try'

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-10-21		Mild	Extremely Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Mac Rules! Old-fashioned quality. Wonderful contemplative stuff.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30167)	2003-02-25		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Wonderful Tin aroma. Easy to pack. Great Taste. The old lady loves the smell. Need I say more?

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