Mac Baren Golden Blend

The burleys offer earth, wood, nuts with light sharp notes, molasses and a lightly more obvious chocolate as the lead component. The Virginia provides a bit of grass, tart and tangy citrus, and light bread and sugar as a secondary player. It acts mainly as a cooling base to contrast and smooth out the burleys. The mild honey comes from the Virginia. The chocolate and sugar toppings tone down the tobaccos just a little. The strength is mild, and the taste is a couple of steps past that mark. Has very little nicotine. It needs to be puffed moderately to avoid a slight warmness to the tongue, but it won't bite. Has a few minute rough edges. Burns fairly cool and clean at a reasonable pace with a very consistent flavor. Leaves virtually no moisture in the bowl. Requires an average number of relights. An uncomplicated all day smoke that does the job you require with a short lived, pleasant after taste and room note. Three and a half stars.

-JimInks

In for a penny in for a pound. I love burley tobacco; I read the reviews and ordered a full pound. Why not, JR has it for the same price as 14 oz. of Prince Albert?

The tin note is fermented tobacco with what I perceive as unsweetened cocoa. The light cocoa doesn't present itself in the smoke though.

The tobacco lights easily and stays lit without effort - just fire it up and smoke. The broken flake cut (and a beautiful presentation it is) gives a decently slow burn. The broken flake really doesn't need much, if any, further attention. It produces billows of smoke. The flavor is very full and round in the mouth and while I don't really pick up the typical burley nuttiness it is definitely a burley forward smoke. There is very little sweetness and what there is may be attributable to the Virginia. On the bitter/sweet scale, it seems pretty neutral.

A point where I disagree with most of the reviews is the strength of the nicotine. At first I thought it might have been the bourbon I was sipping that put me on mellow street but subsequent smokes have shown it to be the nicotine. I don't think even 1792 has anything on this. That alone would keep this from being an all day smoke for me. I find it best just before bedtime - beautiful nicotine hit for sure. When I smoked cigarettes, I smoked Camels so I'm quite familiar with the feeling.

It is not a completely smooth smoke. It has just enough harshness to make it interesting - you know you are smoking something but the only time I pick up on it is when I exhale through my nose. Granger, I think, is harsher but still a very good smoke.

Regarding bite, I'm a moderate puffer so I don't get tongue bite from this but I'm sure if you got aggressive with it, it would get aggressive right back at you. It kept my tongue warm but pleasantly so.

Room note - I can't honestly tell since I'm the one smoking and I usually smoke outside if anyone is in the house and I like the smell of burning tobacco so I can't be a good judge. I expect it is at least tolerable though.

I prefer burley to any other tobacco and enjoy a number of drug store tobaccos. I've tried Virginias and just can't make peace with them - they are just too tangy for my taste unless blended generously with burley. I used to smoke English blends primarily but eventually tired of the overpowering Latakia. After 40 years of pipe smoking I've come to peace with traditional American burleys. They are simple, flavorful and easy to smoke and Golden Blend fits into that category nicely at or near the top of the genre.

For all day smoking, I generally prefer a milder tobacco with a bit more sweetness, Sugar Barrel or even Granger perhaps. Unlike tobaccos where you need to concentrate on the complexities or nuances of the weed, GB presents itself, in full, quite well without intentional focus on the smokers part. I suppose I would call GB a robust smoke.

I smoked Edgeworth Slice occasionally back when it was a drugstore tobacco ubiquitous in Virginia where I grew up and this is about as close to ES as I've found. From what I remember of ES, I like this better although I really miss those neat little blue tins with the hinged lids.

I'm giving this three stars now but will likely come back and revise it to four after I've gone through three or four ounces. I believe burley lovers will really like this one. Virginia guys maybe not so much. Also, new pipe smokers may want to avoid this one for a while as it requires a bit of puffing finesse for quiet enjoyment not to mention the prevention of oral meltdown.

This is another packet MacB I will be adding to my rotation. A nice burley in the continental style. This is not Old Joe Krantz, a great strong classic burley, or Barbary Coast! But none the less a very nice mild one, without any casing, just that honey on toast taste you get from all MacB's. They don't mention any of their Cavendish in this blend, so I guess they can add that 'honey' taste to any blend. It is nutty, but one of the least 'nutty' burley's I've ever smoked, it's more Brazil nut than walnut.

This gets a strength level of 3, according to their own rating. I find all MacB's fairly mild, so the other level 3's I smoke are Plumcake, Dark Twist and Navy Flake. The only exception is Mixture which is a level 2.

I love MacB because they set a benchmark for price and quality when it comes to Drugstore packets. I love the hassle free nature of the packet, and the price being mostly 30% cheaper than a tin is a bonus, hence I'm always ready to try another MacB. I'm glad I did on this one. I find she DOES have that MacB bite, take care and you will have a nice all day smoke that won't break the bank and makes a nice change from aromatics and VA/pers.

This is a favorite of mine in the MacBaren line. It is not too sweet and has a nice tobacco taste. Perhaps a bit bland for regular consumption on my part, but a nice change of pace. As I find to be the case with most MacBaren tobaccos, a slow burn is necessary to get the most out of the blend and to prevent tongue bite. It is nicely rubbed and will pack easily in any size pipe. Since the flavor and strength are not overwhelming, fire it up in a big Ben Wade or some other Danish freehand and enjoy!

I was in search for an all day blend and this one seemed right.once the tin opens a nice sour,fruity and cocoa smell comes out.the blend is consisted of broken and rubbed flakes wich are in proper moisture to pack easy and light with some effort.some further rubbing might be helpful to avoid relights.while burning the flavours are simple and natural.burleys are the main player being sweet,sour and a bit spicy.molasses,sugar,spices and lots of cocoa notes are combined very natural with the virginias wich are in the backround offering some grass and citrus notes.generally the blend flavours are simple and smooth.burns slow and medium hot to perfect ash with a lot moisture at the filter.nicotine level is under medium and the aftertaste is pleasant.room note is somewhat pleasant.an easy going all day blend.recommended.

Different than I expected it to be, yet pretty damn delicious and worthy to be a classic still in production! I was expecting it to be much sweeter, yet I'm pleasantly surprised this one comes along pretty natural.

I like to compare this to Solani's Aged Burley Flake, as this is like his "tad sweeter, more nutty toned brother". Whilst ABF is dark, rich cocoa, like chocolate with 80% or more cocoa in it, with excellent, tobacco-y aged white Burley, Golden Blend is more on the nutty side. With slight honey sweetness, but really not much. GB is milk-chocolaty at best. I don't get too much chocolate from it, more rich tobacco-y Burley taste reminiscent of nuts, dark bread and pleasant, moderate spice. The Virginias are really just flattening edges on this one, I can't really detect them much, guess they give the honey-ish sweetness in the back. Typically for Burley heavy blends the flavor profile doesn't offer to much diversification, but the few taste-dimensions it offers are from excellent aroma and highest quality.

Comparing it to other Mac Baren blends this is not as sweet as Navy Flake or Scottish Mixture f.e

It really compares very well to ABF, and will definetly accompany ABF in my tobacco bar, as my two go-to Burleys. Even tho ABF is rather dark, and GB more bright toned in taste, they not only "live in the same alley"....they "live in the same house", using this fitting metaphor.

I like smoking this in a well seasoned "dedicated to Burleys" pipe (corn cob in my case) with rather small bowl size, so the chocolate and nuts gets toned up a little by the other blends smoked in it.

Not too mild, even tho I got told this to be very mild. Mild+, close to medium for me. The Burley has some power, but it's very suitabel for beginners/smokers who prefer a mild smoke and as a first bowl in the morning.

3/4 stars - not the most complex blend, but solid as rock "All-Day-Every-Day-Smoke", that deserves being around for some more decades. ABF is a tad better to my personal taste. This is "pipe tobacco" I imagine to be smoked by generations, by all and sundry with joy. There's a reason that it's around since 1952! It's classy in all aspects.

well, this one was a pleasant surprise!

when i was a beginner i came across the inevitable mac baren blends pretty soon and they gave me enough pleasure to stick to it. but soon i got tired of a) the ever present honey-like casing in almost every blend and b) the annoying tongue-bite whenever i got a tiny bit careless for a millisecond.

long story short, i discovered enough other good blends that were not so demanding and touchy and offered way more variety and i have been abandoning the mac barens altogether since then.

recently though i became inquisitive about burleys which i had neglected so far for no real reason resp. because of its reputation as a mere aroma carrier due to its spongue-like structure. so i considered it boring.

having learned (i thought) from my beginner's mistakes i decided to try some quality weed right from the start and purchased a tin of solani's aged burley flake because of all the good reviews it got here. ABF is far from bad, BUT it's a very demanding tobacco imo (exactly what i tried to avoid...), mainly due to its moistness which is ridiculous, and i have a hard time finding the right amount of drying time. when it's still too moist it's almost impossible to let it stay lit, but a wee bit too dry and it's going all bland and ashy. ok, i'm exaggerating a bit, but considering the prize, ABF really is not what i had expected.

what i do enjoy about ABF, however (i.e. the taste, on the rare occasions it burns well; it IS a quality weed after all), i find to a large extent in mac baren's golden blend as well: richness, nuttiness, mouthfilling creamyness. and, a big surprise considering it's a mac baren, it's almost impossible to get a tongue bite at all!

it comes with the right moisture and is fit to be smoked straight out of the tin, although i would recommend to let it get some air which takes away a little of what i suspect to be some sort of preservative (??). by that i mean: open the tin for maybe 5 mins, close it and wait , say, 2 or 3 days before you smoke it.

it's easy to lit, stays lit easily, the taste is steady until the very last puff. since it is a ready rubbed it tastes better in bigger pipes. i reserved two pipes for my burleys and it shines in my brebbia fat bob.

a satisfying smoke for hot, mild or cold days, reliable, not boring despite its straightness.

oh, and i forgot the virginia in it! good quality as well, acts as a (slight!) sweetener and adds a (again, slight!) tangyness to an otherwise possibly too smooth a smoke, but definitely lets the burley call the tune.

i think it's also a good recommendation for beginners who are used to aromatics and want to try something natural, because it is so easy to handle and, though not really "sweet", has that certain, well, gentleness (for lack of a better word), which they might be missing in other non-aromatics.

highly recommended!

Edit: Re-visiting my ratings I have to downgrade this one to 3 stars. Otherwise you could get the wrong impression, e.g. because I gave Dunhill's 965 "only" 3 stars also. Golden Blend is not better than 965, but I don't want to give 965 the full 4 stars because there are better Latakia Blends imo. So, I still highly recommend Golden Blend, the downgrading is only for clarity and plausibility.

This is the quintessential Danish blend. Take excellent Burley, age it in cakes, flavor it gently with honey, rub it out just a bit, and voila! You have Golden Extra. This is the only MacBaren blend I can smoke without worrying about tongue bite.

Burley London Blend was too bland, Navy Flake was too sweet, Golden Extra seems to be Just Right. Smooth, nutty, slightly creamy and sweet. Excellent first thing in the morning with a cup of hot tea, or black coffee. This blend smokes beautifully right down to the bottom of the bowl.

And another good, basic tobacco blend from Macbaren.

By now it has become apparent that I'm a bit of a sucker for burley. And Golden Blend is not letting me down in that department, being a good, solid burley-based mixture. The smoke is wholesome, with that satisfying earthy, woody, slightly dark-chocolatey burley tang; and won't bite unless you're careless. It does seem to burn quite hot at times, so again, don't try to rush it, choose another blend if in a hurry.

If I go to a random kiosk and find that amongst all the supermarket brands there sits for some reason a row of Golden Blend, I'm a very happy man.