Mac Baren Burley London Blend

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.