Mac Baren Navy Flake

It's deceiving as the aroma from the tin is rather different from the actual smoke as it is drier than what the sweetness suggests. Opening the tin and smelling the tobacco, it smells of dried dates - sweet, pungent and acrid.

Upong smoking, it reminds me of a mild Cuban cigar which means it has a nice "full body" of aroma than the normal aromatics. Lovely and firm, though not an exciting room note..

Great anytime of day!

I've been reading positive comments in the newsgroup on this tobacco and had it recommended several times as well. I finally picked up a tin at a local shop and am extraordinarily glad I did not delay longer.

Upon opening the tin, you are greeted with a wonderful aroma which is a bit sweeter than the tobacco itself. The flakes themselves are large and I usually only smoke 1/2 of one during a typical lunchbreak. They rub out easily enough for those so inclined.

Navy Flake packs and lights very easily once rubbed out. The initial taste is pure tobacco bliss. The burley is top shelf and co-mingles well with the Virginia's. If there is a topping here, it isn't noticeable in the taste. It does, however, seem to make an appearance in the very pleasurable room note.

The tobacco smokes cool throughout the bowl with no evidence of tongue bite; an effect for which Mac Baren has acquired some notoriety. There was also no hint of bitterness common to some Burley blends, even toward the bottom of the bowl.

Navy Flake is now firmly ensconced in my smoking rotation. The fact that it established itself there quicker than any other tobacco is a testament to it's skillful blending. Kudos to Mac Baren!

One of the best burley flakes I have tried so far: not as light tasting and grassy as Orlick Golden Sliced (which it reminds), nor as acidic as Kingfisher, nor too nauseating as the very similar in looks and taste (but advertised as "Virginia") Treasures Of Ireland Limerick. It's not very strong tasting: a nice interplay of the herbaceousness of burley with a nice sweet note (not overwhelming, in spite of the pronounced honeyish tin note) that keeps you interested for long. All the flavors stay quite light, and don't require much attention for nuances. At the very bottom of the bowl (especially huge ones), it can become a bit ashy and bitter, but no big fuss. Burning qualities are top notch: as soon as I opened the tin, I was able to remove three flakes for smoking as humidity was perfect, and crumbling them in my Mastro De Paja was child's play (the flakes are soft and thin). A quick light, and it took fire immediately, requiring very few relights and not even a pipe cleaner to remove moisture (in an 80 minutes smoke!). And I didn't find it bitey at all. It may not be the best, most complex, tastiest tobacco out there, but it's good, plain and simple (though I slightly prefer the very similar Mac Baren Navy Mixture). I am not fond of it because it's a bit too light tasting for me, but it's good. At the end, sometimes there's a bit of the "bitter burley" curse.

2021 Update: After several years, I can say that this flake regularly returns in my rotation. Great consistency, great honeyed flavour if you don't rush it, nice medium body, slow and cool smoking, easy to pack. No, it's not too light tasting: quite simply, like other Mac Barens, it prefers subtlety to loudness.

Although I generally shy away from Burley, I like this stuff and smoke it sometimes in the summer. My wife actually likes the smell of this tobacco, so if I'm going to be smoking in the same room with her, I often choose this blend. I also like the flake cut and the cool, even burn. It has a clean, slightly sweet taste, produces lots of smoke, and smokes down to a fine grey ash. As a "social" tobacco, it's one of my standbys. This is not a terribly complicated tobacco, but it's reliably good, it tastes like tobacco, it doesn't bite, and folks like the aroma.

As a relatively new pipe smoker I have been trying several tobacco's over paste few months. Navy Flake has climbed to the top of my favoritie list as of late. Burns very evenly and takes to the match rather well. Have never had a bowl bite or smoke hot. The taste is of tobacco, but also a tad bit sweet. The aroma is pleasant, reminding me of a mild aromatic. Finishes to a nice light, whitish/grey ash.

I tried this tobacco after reading the fine reviews, and I must say I was happy that I did. After two tins, this has made its way into me top 5 regular smokes. The honey top to this compliments the fine burley, and the chewing gum sized flakes make it a pleasure to work with. I like to fully rub out the flakes, and these rub out quite easily. Mac Baren knows burley. Recommended to all, even Virginia purists.

Very much a Burley blend this one. I found it to be a fine all day smoke. The Burley tends to tone down the Virginia tendency to bite if puffed hard. The flavor was light and refreshing. Honey I think would be the most appropriate term. I have loved this tobacco since the first of many tins I purchased. A must for all who love flakes and Danish style tobaccos.

While I am, in general, a fan of MacBaren's tabaks, Navy Flake is not very high on my list. It was the first real pipe tobacco I tried in my first go-round as a pipe smoker, back when I was about 16 years of age. (I am not counting Borkum Riff as a real tobacco here.) I bought it largely because of the tin box. And yes, way back then it was legal for minors to buy pipe tobacco in most states, just not in cigarette form. Well, the tin was cool, but I found the tobacco lacking in flavor. Needless to say, subtlety was not in my repertoire, having my piper's experience based solely on BR cherry. I still have that tin box, my wife keeps pins in it...

Fast forward 20+ years. As I took up the pipe again after several years as a cigar smoker, I once again tried NF for old time's sake and again I found it lacked flavor, but at least it was mildly sweet, which was nice.

Well, after trying a myriad of pipe tobaccos, I have come to the conclusion that burley- at least as an entree- does not have much appeal for me. That said, NF is clearly a quality product, looks nice, has a good tin aroma, and the virginias come through a bit near the end of the bowl. And it does burn nicely, especially for a flake.

I will probably keep my surviving sample and try it out again in a few years. Some day I may become a burley fan. I feel like I am missing out on something...

Oh, yeah. What makes this a "Navy" flake anyway?

I found this flake to be surprisingly stout-not what I what expecting from what seems to be a rum and burley mixture. Smells great, tastes ugly. The MacBaren curse, the bitten palate,slapped me the next morning. I'll leave this to the sailors...