Mac Baren Burley London Blend

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.