Mac Baren Navy Flake

First try: Disappointed. There is taste there, but hard to get it. Very boring. Got a little better half way through the bowl. Burns hot for what it is, but that could just be me trying to find flavor. Certainly nothing offensive, but very little taste. Put it down halfway through the bowl. Was a bit tastier when I finished it about an hour later. Mild stuff. There are far more interesting things out there. I wanted to like this. It is extremely high quality and the presentation is top notch. I love flakes. I smoked it in a barely broken in cob so....To be continued...

This is my usual review for MB:

Many tins in the MB line seem to taste similar to me, and they smoke in the same fashion as well. They taste bland...are HOT/Tongue-Biters...and smell like potpourri. I cannot recommend this product. Today, for this, I give 2 stars. Nice flakes, decent flavor and no pipe mutating flame thrower effect. Will not be a regular, but was nice to see a different MB product.

The first time I tried this tobacco (in '94 or '95 I think, give or take a year or 3), I was fairly new to higher quality tobaccos, and I was understandably impressed. Back then I'd have rated it a full 4 stars without reservation, but it was more along the lines of a grade school ball player being impressed by the bigger kids in high school. Since then I've smoked many tins of the stuff and, while I still enjoy it a great deal, I'm not nearly as easily impressed these days, and can see it for what it really is: A very nice (if a little overpriced) aromatic Navy flake that's slightly boring but a great overall smoke. It won't bite or overwhelm you with nicotine, or run everybody else out of the house while you smoke (or force you to go outdoors). It has a nice fruity flavor, burns and smokes very well, and has no actual bad qualities, but by the same token, it doesn't have any truly remarkable qualities, either. I feel like it's missing a little character, but damned if I know how it can be perfected so it's probably best to accept it as it is and enjoy it.

I was very excited to try this blend after reading so many positive reviews on and watching many video reviews on YouTube.

Opening the tin: Being mechanically minded, it struck me as off-putting that the lid will become inevitably misshapen and therefor will not easily be resealed. The immediate aroma is that of a field of hay with a touch of sweetness akin to honey. The finishing scent is certainly that of subtle rum that may not be detected or appreciated by those of you that do not enjoy a swig from the captain's flask. Visually intriguing, each flake is nicely homogenous.

Flake detail: A new tin will certainly be simpler to handle due to the tobacco being somewhat moist; albeit not so moist as to prevent lighting the flake. Each flake is generously sized and will fill most smaller to medium bowls comfortably. If you have a large bowl and are a first-time flake smoker I would recommend starting with a single flake, or even half.

Lighting and smoking: The first time I tried this flake I used the fold and stuff method as per the recommendation of a YouTube friend. This provides an easy light and a fairly even burn. The smoke produced is quite opaque, but not copious. I immediately noticed the boldness of this flake. It will bite the tongue of the more aggressive smoker, but the manner in which the flake burns makes it unnecessary to puff profusely.

The room note is NOT that of "caramel cookies" as I had been led to believe. It is quite pungent and will even cause a sting in the nostrils if deliberately smelled. Consequently, I do not recommend releasing the smoke through your nose. Nicotine is present, perhaps even pronounced, but I do not harbor an addiction to quell.

After thoughts: The taste is lingering and a somewhat pleasant compliment to various foodstuffs and drink such as grapes (strange, yes), chocolate, rolls, coffee, but certainly not beer.

Conclusion: This is a strong smoke with a lingering room note of heavy smoke. Your hands will smell of this mix for a number of hours following the completion of the bowl. I would recommend that you sample this blend if possible before purchasing an entire tin. I have found that I prefer to smoke this flake only occasionally. Also, the fold and stuff method delivers a more tolerable smoke than if one were to rub out the flake and pack the bowl more tightly as with a loose blend. Happy Smoking to all!

When I traveled to Israel, I got this tin from the Duty Free, just to make sure I'll buy something on that trip too. Burley, Cavendish, Virginia are its contents.The bowl is filled very effortlessly, and as easily it lights up. Like all Mac Baren, it causes tongue bite, especially if you smoke it with bulimia. I wouldn't mind having a tin with me and smoke it once in a while, especially is places where my beloved Latakia may be irritating to others. Medium to high its nicotine dose.

It's OK but rather boring actually; nothing to elaborate about.

Yea i was disopointed by this blend. The Tin aroma resembles a hay like smell, anf maybe some honey. As for taste this blend lacks alot of flavor, First time is smoked this wow it was bad. second time it got aittle better, It not really natural tasting, it actually kinda artificail, mac baren mixture is much more natural and sweeter then this. Its slowy getting better so expect an update, but as for now all i can give it is 2 stars

Before buying a tin of Navy Flake, I had already known it for a long time, but never bought it. I always saw it in the shelves of tobacco shops when I bought other tobaccos. I actually wanted to buy a pouch of Plumcake, but there was only a 100 g tin left, so I bought this one. And my first impression about it is very positive. At first, I can't understand why so many smokers associate its tin scent with lots of honey and the typical Mc Baren casing. When I cracked the seal and opened the tin to take a breath of it, it just smelled like high-quality,chocolate- like, fine Burley, mingling with a dash of Virginia and Cavendish. Very delicious. I looked forward to smoking it. The fold and roll method seems to be tailor made for this flake, so packing your pipe is no problem with this one. It lights absolutely fast and easy. The taste reminded me of a matured, aged Virginia at first, with subtle sweetness. It left a chocolaty aftertaste in my mouth and this very Burley characteristica is always present in the background until the smoke is over. The taste became more rounded after the middle of the bowl. It leaves only a small amount of dark grey ash. If there really is a sort of topping in this Flake, it is unnoticable, respectively in my tin. Strengh is somewhat around medium and every tongue- bite was absent. A beautifully balanced tobacco. All in all, a very well done Flake. The best one I have smoked so far. Let's see how it proves in the near future.

UPDATE:

It's strange to see how tobacco changes with some airing time after cracking the tin seal. Some tobaccos improve, while others become worse. This one, I'm afraid, has in fact become worse. First of all, when the tobacco had breathed a few days, I could understand what all the talking about its topping is about. Honey!! But sadly, artificially smelling. The main problem I have with this flake- after I have now smoked many bowls of it and feel ready for a valid judgement- is that it loses almost every hint of taste after the middle of the bowl. No matter if I rub it out or not, no matter if I smoke it with filter or not, no matter what pipe I smoke it in- just hot air with a hint of sweetness. A shame, I wanted to like it....

This tobacco was a bit of a disappointment, maybe because I expected it to be at least like Orlik Golden Sliced and it wasn't, it's rather bland, common and cigarette tasting like most MacBarren blends I've tried. It's ok but do not expect to much from it.