Mac Baren Navy Flake

I got a blow torch straight into my mouth for just 22.00 euros. Doesn't matter if it is fresh or dry, how slow I smoke, how I light a pipe, and any type of filter I try to use. Tobacco itself smells rather like licorice, and I did not find any note of honey like other reviewers. The taste? I think the same as a blow torch.

Jar note is plain strange. I can sort of smell the honey but I get bitter burley and tangy Virginia. I do not like this tobacco. For me it tastes bitter and harsh and I don't get any honey or sweetness. I've tried it rubbed out, and also folded and stuffed and it doesn't change much apart from the prolonged misery of the length of smoke when folded and stuffed. Leaves a nasty, dry leathery taste in my mouth that I don't like at all. I'll chuck it at the back of the cupboard and revisit it one day when I'm bored. I'm not even going to give it a mark out of ten I'm a bit sore at having bought 50g of the stuff. Give me a Lakeland any day please.

I really wanted to like this blend with all those ingredients. But, I didn't. Nice tin and room note. I don't detect rum or floral essence, but a strong honey flavoring. Even though it's a little moist, it lights easily and stays out. Good for beginners.Unfortunately I find the taste of it very chemical and full of casing. The strength is light to medium. I cannot recommend it unfortunately.

This is not at all horrible but must be the single most boring tobacco I have smoked. One-dimensional, and doesn't go anywhere or do anything. If you want something light and fresh to smoke in places you wouldn't smoke a stinky Lat then try Holgar Danske's Navy Flake instead.

The casing/topping, light though it is, makes it pretty much unsuitable for (my kind of) blending, so this will sit in my cupboard for a long time until I figure out what to mix it with.

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 like a good burley now and then to keep the palate alive and in my opinion, there are few good ones that really tickle my fancy. Mac Baren Navy Flake is not one of them. Unlike London Burley, which has a wonderful cut and taste(albeit extremely mild) the Navy Flake is a touch too dry and quite frankly a little boring. One thing I will say is it is consistent from tin to tin - and I have smoked a few - only because I have been able to secure it at bargain prices from supermarkets in Malaysia,where it is quite common. This is one of the few tobaccos where on several occasions I have discovered almost full tins of this tobacco lying abandonded and dried up at the back of my tobacco "cellar" and various other places.

This was a little too spicy for my taste, but someone really into VA blends might appreciate that type of thing. I got some as a sample, and wound up mixing most of it to spice up another blend. I doubt I'll revisit this one.

This is a moderately-bodied cased Virginia-Burley. The nicotine strength is unremarkable and it can't be smoked quickly. The casing is more like a sweet rum-based cocktail than the straight rum flavor often associated with navy flakes. The tobacco has a sharp yet somewhat pleasant aroma. My bulk sample came at the right moisture level for smoking. The flake is hard to rub-out to a ribbon; however, it has very good burning characteristics partially rubbed out or folded.

I disagree with most of the reviews here. I found Navy Flake possess an unremarkable sweet aromatic and natural tobacco hybrid flavor. Moreover, this blend ALWAYS bites my tongue. Navy Flake is certainly not horrible; if it didn't bite my tongue I would give it two stars.

This is beautifully made, and the packaging is very nice. In the tin, the aroma is overwhelmingly honey. I let this stuff sit until it was almost crunchy. Finally the honey flavor is tamed down enough to let the nutty burley, and sweet anise like Virginia come through. There are similar blends that are better, and cost less to boot.