Mac Baren Dark Twist Roll Cake

Other reviewers have said it all, in fifty and more articles.

I have just concluded a 100grms tin of DT, smoking it as my everyday tobacco - like I do with other Va or VaB or VaPer flakes (read McB's Navy Flake, or Marlin Flake or Capstan, just to name few). It simply works fine for that.

DT is a mild to medium smoke, just a tad sweet and spicy (yes, I do think there's some Perique hidden in the famous "Modern Cavendish"), not so complex and very user friendly because of the shape of the discs, which I used to smoke as it is with no problems.

As for this last pipeful - a Parker medium black sandblasted chimney - no tongue bite at all and this is very noticeable for a McB.

I reconfirm DT just follows Navy Flake in the list of McB's worth to smoke on regular basis, and deserves the same three stars.

This is a rather spicy and very tasty tobacco. Very distinctive smell and taste.

However what I found really interesting about this tobacco is, how you load it into the pipe, makes a huge difference on whether you will like or hate this tobacco.

First bowl I loaded is like every bowl else. I got the rolls in my hand, rubbed it just a little, and loaded the pipe in three phases. That is how I usually do. And the result...The tobacco got so hot while puffing smoking became a torture and I could not finish the bowl...

Second time, I loaded it like this : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XHYPso7TXs without rubbing the tobacco at all. Then it became a delight.

To me, Dark Twist is one of the most enjoyable tobaccos in the MacBaren’s catalogue. It looks great in the tin—reddish gold coins with black Cavendish hearts. What’s great about Dark Twist is how easy it is to smoke. There is quite a bit of sweetness in these coins and a gentle, plum-like flavor that doesn’t overwhelm the tobacco. You do have to be careful smoking this. Above a slow smolder, Dark Twist gets hot and the gentle fruitiness pretty much disappears.

I’m often reminded of various other simple tobaccos when I smoke this—especially Marlin Flake from Rattray’s. They strike me as fellow-travelers in this sweet, fruity Virginia category. I do sometimes wish there was more going on in this tobacco—some spice, greater complexity, a little more nicotine—but it is generally satisfying.

A great virginia based blend. The cavendish cores along with the maple/honey taste give a light but full of natural flavour mixture, which can also be smelled upon opening the tin/pouch.

The coins give a nice pipe filling entertainment, making different packing styles possible.

I read some people had hot smoking experiences, but mine wasn't the case. I also managed to relight only once.

The tobacco comes in "coins" made from slicing twist tobacco. It appears to be very dark red Virginias wrapped around a center of dark cavendish. The tin smells of cinnamon toast and molasses, which I believe is a sweetener used in a number of MacBaren tobaccos which I like in moderation. As with most tobacco coins I roll each one between my finger tips to loosen the tobacco, make a dottle and add each successive rolled coin to fill the pipe. This is a tin I have had in the basement for over ten years, and the tobacco is perfect for smoking. The charring light produces a sharp, unpleasant acridity in the smoke followed by the smell and taste of burnt caramel. After a few puffs, the tobacco settles down to offer a uniquely sweetened Virginia taste. Although some MacBaren blends can bite me, this tobacco is smooth and sweet. This is not something I would smoke everyday, but it is distinctive enough with true tobacco flavor that I would smoke it once or twice a week. Well recommended. Paddy.

Only had a small quantity of this, passed on by my son. It was what was left (20g) of a 50g pouch he had obviously sourced from our favourite German tobacco shop.

It was therefore somewhat dry, but I think there was enough there to merit a review of sorts.

Couldn't be bothered messing around with the roll cakes, just broke it up and loaded. I know, this is sacrilidge, but there you are. The pouch scent was sweet with a pleasant malt-like aroma that stayed within the smoke.

The base is clearly virginia, but the other tobaccos, black cavendish and kentucky, I can barely detect, though obviously they contribute to the overall flavour. The maple flavour may account for some of the pouch aroma, but it wouldn't come to mind if I hadn't read the blend description.

This is a fine, mild blend that would make an excellent all day smoke and has more than enough going for it to justify including a pouch (tin ?) of this in the next German order I make.

After a (really) bad start with this tobacco, I'll have to revise my opinion on this. I got granted a sample of this some months ago. The tobacco tasted straight out flat, dull and did bite like a yard dog. No Kentucky taste at all. Today I went "all-in" gettting a 100g tin of it - somehow it tickled me to get this one, even tho I had made really bad experience with it.

Now to the actual review: First thing I'd like to mention is that Mac Baren states on the website, that this is 100% PURE tobacco, with only Sugar- and Maple-Water added to it.... that's a straight up LIE! ** Follow this link and see how many additives 100g of Dark twist contain...: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=100550&site_key=153&stichw_suche=twist&zeilenzahl_zaehler=2 ** I may seem bitching about it, but its a break of trust to me... claim something is most natural then I see a list that shows it has a exorbitant amount of additives...why Mac B? As much as I love your tobaccos - not cool!

The tin smell is outstanding. It's not an "aroma-bomb" just a subtle, gentle smell of dark (fruit) bread, which a hint of maple, caramel (=sugar). Brilliant and natural seeming, albeit being full of additives. Very appetizing scent tho'.

The Coin-Cut is handmade and very well crafted. It's ment that you take 2 coreless coins + 1 with the Kentucky coin. But as Kentucky fan(atic) I already see it coming, I'll have a half tin full of coreless coins, because I smoked all the ones with the Kentucky core. 😛

Then the taste - oh my, ths is a delicious blend! Besides the tons of additives this blend has the taste is quite natural taste of slightly citrusy, dark- and fruit-bread, hints of maple and a constant, but very subtle sweetness. Accompanied by a gentle spice, thats has a peppery mouthfeel, almost like Perique. Woodsy and hearty, tangy smoke notes of burnt wood. Not overly complex, but just enough complexity to keep me thrilled. A nice companion to Mac Barens "Three Nuns". Tastewise, their living in the same alley, but Dark Twist being the sweet one of them, and the Nuns being the more hearty one. But somehow they share quite a few nuances to my perception.

All in all this is a very refined and tasty blend, that can be smoked all-day and every-day. Good blend for the first bowl of the day imo. Not too strong, not to mild.

This mixture is usually categorized as an Aromatic and I am generally scared away by any artificial flavouring and sweetening. After carefully reading the description of this mixture on Mac Baren’s homepage (www.mac-baren.com) I concluded that this is NOT an Aromatic. The ONLY substance added on to 100 % natural tobacco is maple syrup. Not any (other) artificial flavouring what so ever! That’s why I decided to try a pouch. I am glad I did.

It is a neat Curly Cut, produced in a laborious, interesting manner. I suggest you read the description on the above mentioned homepage of Mac Baren. I don’t rub it out, I just break and loosen the coins a little, which leads to an excellent stuffing, burning and smoking condition. The flavours deploy rather inconsistently, because it depends very much on how you stuff your pipe, and on the size of the pipe, since all the coins are not identical, as explained on the manufacturer’s homepage. Makes it interesting to explore.

This mixture is rather strong for a Mac Baren and quite complex in flavour, even though it is composed of Virginia and Kentucky exclusively. There is NO Black Cavendish as some reviewers wrote. The black eye in some coins is Dark Fired Kentucky. There is no prominent aroma peak, but there are plenty of discreet hidden flavours coming out of this Virginia. With just the right amount of Kentucky, the aroma palette is accompanied by a smoky taste. In fact it’s all about natural tobacco aromas. The added maple sugar is very reserved and not easily detectable or distinguishable from the natural tobacco-sweetness. All in all it is a tasty, recommendable, everyday/anytime Virginia/Kentucky mixture, without adding it to my rotation or favourites.

I like MB blends and it is no surprise I like this one as well. When I first recieved this blend, I thought it was kind of bland at first and toyed with putting it in the cellar to age for awhile. But I tried a few more bowls and each time I liked it better. Now that I have smoked over 50gr of this I find myself reaching for it quite often. It has a nice spicy, creamey flavor, a really nice room note and it satisfys. In the tin it has a fresh VA type note to it and the little disks are very attractive and contain mostly a medium brown colored tobacco. It is a little too moist when first opened and improves greatly with some drying out. It packs rather tight in the bowl so you have to be careful not to pack it too tight, even if you rub it out a lot. It takes a few lights to get going and I find I have to relight a few times while smoking it down. It creates a very dark ash, dark grey and black and it burns down slowly and does leave some dottle at the bottom of the bowl. It is slow burning thus producing a cool flavorful smoke but if puffed to aggresively it can bite. This too me is a great blend, it does need some care in smoking it and prep, but worth it. A fine MB blend that I will keep around. I recommend trying it.