Mac Baren Cherry Ambrosia

I have now smoked several Mac Baren offerings and will not review them any further since they are extremely not to my liking. If interested in my thoughts about their line of tobaccos then just see my review on Burley London, it pretty much sums up this vapid weed give or take a slight aromatic difference (vanilla, cherry etc...).

I'm very happy and impressed with this blend. I cellared the tin for a year before I cracked it open 07/01/11. Initially, the casing/flavor was insane and some will find overpowering. It smelled like it was steeped in cherry liquor. Reeked of cherry. The cherry was so pungent and strong "ghosting" the bowl was an issue until the blend aired out after quite a few bowls. The next thing that was obvious, and impressive, was the quality of the tobacco: dark cavendish, burley, and light virginias. Nice chunks of flake in the already rubbed out mix. Seriously, I could have sorted out the chunks and had a small of tin of my own "Cherry Ambrosia flake." Tongue bite was never a problem. Really nice quality tobacco.

What was fun and enjoyable was how this blend changed over time. I'm finishing the tin off now six months after opening it and the smoking experience is very different from when I started. I smoke aromatics intermittantly and cherry ones less so, so my tin of CA has lasted awhile. At the start it was like smoking cherry candy tobacco. Right now, it is especially nice because the strength and quality of the virginias are really predominant with a nice flavor of cherry. Great roomnote from when I cracked it in July on a porch in Vermont, to when I'm smoking it now in my den on a chilly night in Boston. A great aromatic for virginia lovers after the casing has had a while to air out.

Great quality tobacco. Great value with the 100g tin. CA was an evolviing smoking experince as it morphed from an aromatic with some tobacco in it, to a mellow and strong virginia smoke with cherry flavor. I won't be smoking a cherry aromatic very frequently but I will buy this blend again.

This is the third time I have edited my review of this tobacco. I find it very unsatisfying. You pick up the cherry casing upon smoking, but the finish is horrible. I would not suggest this tobacco to anyone. Im tempted to throw out my entire tin. I want to say, I do enjoy most aromatics and Mac Baren blends, but not this one.

Not great...a little cherry, a lot of chemical. This burns hot and wet. Avoid.

Better than Middletons Cherry Blend or Borkum Riff Cherry Cavendish, but that isn't saying much. Smelled good in the tin but tasted cooked and pale. Not as bad as others have mentioned but definitely not worth the high price. If you want a really good cherry aromatic try Anniversary from Tinder Box.

I find it to be a very pleasant smoke, not to over powering yet a good amount of flavor. The wife even decided to have a puff from the aroma of it and enjoyed the taste just as much.

I read the reviews of this mixture here on this site and, once again, I wonder why people to begin their review with "I hate aromatics, especially cherry blends" would even bother to post a review. This stuff has a natural taste rather than the cherry cough syrup or lollipop flavor of most cherry blends. The rum adds a bit extra flavor and complexity. The flavor doesn't overwhelm the natural tobacco taste but it is rich and slightly sweet. This is the best cherry blend I've ever tried.

Disappointed

I guess I had great expectations. As a fan of Mac Baren aromatics, I just couldn't wait to get a bowl of this blend into a briar. INSTANT BITE! However, I am stubborn and like to fiddle with a blend to figure out how to smoke it. Bite, bite and more bite. This blend was single-handedly ruining my pipe smoking experience.

Naturally, I jarred it and put it away for a couple of months and started reading up on it. Low and behold, I wasn't alone in my suffering. Just look at the poor ratings on this stuff.

However, I stumbled upon a recommendation that this blend must be smoked bone dry, packed ever so delicately, and sipped ever so slowly. BINGO! I got it. No, I will never buy this blend again, but I will smoke through the tin until it's gone.

It is not as bad as its reputation, but in my opinion Mac Baren offers much more forgiving aromatics and I simply don't have the patience to fiddle with this blend just to get a so-so taste.

The initial lighting was pleasant with subtle cherry flavor and no big burley blast. I was kind of expecting a burley dominance but this blend is very balanced with the Virginia, Cavendish, and Burley. Balanced but light, very little power or intensity, but that is what it is supposed to be - "A Light Aromatic Pipe Tobacco". It is a pleasant tobacco if you like light aromatic tobaccos; the cherry flavoring does not come off as too brash or medicinal, just mildly sweet and fruity. The Virginia and Cavendish add a touch of complexity to the mix. This tobacco is not what I would call a ribbon cut, but more of a mixed cut: some short ribbon sections but mostly irregular small pieces. It packed easily in a small-medium BBB Sovereign Dublin and smoked a little wet, although not a goopy tobacco. In the first third of the bowl I was tasting the Virginia more but now into the second third of the bowl I am tasting Cavendish more and the Virginia less. In the last third of the bowl, the Burley is making its presence known. This is a good tobacco, but too light for my tastes. To get the body and flavor of smoke that I want, I would have to puff so much as to burn my tongue.