Mac Baren Burley London Blend
(3.04)
A very distinct tobacco. Made from white burley, well matured in wooden casks and pressed in broken flake form. A real smoking pleasure.
Notes: Introduced in 1965 and consists mainly of carefully selected burley tobaccos. Just a little Virginia has been added to give the blend a natural sweetness. You will notice the slight natural chocolate note, which is found in all good burley tobacco. The very special top flavor in combination with the tobaccos gives you a very distinct smoking pleasure.
Discontinued 2014. Re-released in 2020 and 2021 as limited editions.
Details
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
3.04 / 4
|
Reviews
Please login to post a review.
Displaying 21 - 26 of 26 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 04, 2005 | 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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 29, 2012 | 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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 29, 2010 | 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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 07, 2008 | 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.
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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 27, 2007 | 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.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 19, 2005 | 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.
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.
target="_blank"
