Mac Baren Navy Flake

The first smoke was so beautiful. After my idea has changed. There is anything in taste dry, fast burning something. Looks like Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake. Easy VF lovers should try.

I like burley additions but not this much. I rather prefer lighter proportions. In absence of other fine Virginia/Burley mixtures this stuff would be an alternative for me. Not for all day smoke. It may be pleasant, rarely for me I guess, in the evenings.

Needs a bit attention on packing and airing, so I wouldn't recommend for beginners. Lights well and it isn't difficult to keep it lit. Till the end of the bowl it satisfies your strength and sourness needings. But nothing special..

I wanted to give this only the 1 star but maybe thats unfair after 2 smokes. i've been on a navy spree recently and there are some real goodies out there, some in fact i wish to reserve my judgement for a month or 2. hmm but this one has really put me off Mac Baren for a bit. It has some shining reviews but i have to agree with those who called this bland. it was like a boring press of virginia and burly, grassy and a little nutty. Now I'm not a great fan of aromatics but appreciate a good blend regardless. This navy flake however has that typical casing where a secret micro-chip air-freshener has been implanted in the tin. open it up, umm wow smells like great tobacco. now i bet you there is indeed some fine tobaccos in here but they are poorly preped and blended, and you end up with a boring smoke . I'm starting to see Mac B as some generic italian restaurant franchise. Slick marketing and good presentation, fine ingredience but an average joe chef chucking it all in a pot. what a shame. Perfect little flakes in a cute little tin but bread and water smoke i'm afraid.

maybe good to blend your own with. A dash of perique would be nice to flavour up the VAs or even a little more cavendish would bring out the nuttiness of the wasted burly, as i've already said good tobaccos badly put together. will smoke some more and revise if necessary.

I bought this tobacco because Mark Tinsky at American Pipe smokes it, and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

It's got a bigger nicotine hit than I was expecting. The top half of the bowl has a prominent honey taste/smell. The second half of the bowl gets a bit acrid. Smoke it slow or the taste sours and bites. Smokes better in briar than a cob.

Verdict: it's not latakia. Nor does it have the special flare of Scottish Cake for when I want something that isn't latakia. Not bad but pretty boring. Won't buy this again.

I guess it should be smoked Mac Baren way, rubbing out emphasizes low moisture level, gives tongue bite and destroys complexity of flavour. Great tin aroma though, Winnie the Pooh would love it. I'll be honest here - I went halfay through the tin before I decided to break flakes and mix them half'n'half with freshly opened Old Gowrie which tends to pack quite a bit moisture. I ended up with very interesting mixture. I won't buy Navy Flake anymore, but I think I'll give the new Vanilla Flake a go.

I bought 2 100gr tins of this baby, based on the overall very favorable reviews.

Nice flakes, dark brown with yea, seems like a light honey casing.

Easy to break, packs well once properly rubbed, upon lighting reveals a pure tobacco taste combined witha more nutty than honey after taste.

Gets a bit stronger past mid -bowl, but misses something: strength and a nicotine kick...

Solani Aged Burley Flake, even though more expensive, delivers on the taste and nicotine kick side. Not MacBaren Navy Flake. And Solani is of higher quality.

If you prefer quantity, MacBaren is your choice.

If you prefer quality, Solani is your choice.

Ok, three bowls into this blend...this is one of the nicest flakes I have seen in tin. Nice compact squares, dark brown with some light streaks. It is a great compact sized tin to carry and the flakes are piled one on top of another instead on their sides spooning each other. The flakes are easy to remove and are quite sturdy.

The scent of this flake is similar to many in the MB line...sweet...but appealing. After taking out a flake I rubbed it out slightly and packed it loosely in the bowl.

This lit well and stayed lit moderately well. I smoked this in a smallish bowl, bent Peterson system, and it worked very nicely.

The initial flavor is that of a semi fruity virginia with a familiar tang, but it soon mellows to a smokey, toastiness (burley)and the flavors compliment each other very well. As the bowl burns down the strength increases slightly and becomes more full. The volume of smoke is medium and nicotine content seems to be mild.

Room note was very pleasant, but I have yet to puff this one around my lady friend. She said that as long as I am no longer smoking cigarettes that anything I put in a pipe will be just fine by her....HA! I tried her out with some DH light flake and she complained...I think I was duped into quitting...eh its for the better.

Update 09/09: This flake has become very boring to me...it lacks depth that I use to find in it and it fails to satisfy my smoke-tooth. Very flat, the nutty sweet aroma is its only saving grace.

After liking the Vintage Syrian so much, I got brave and decided to try the Navy Flake based on the reviews. Well, I should have quit while I was head! To me, Navy Flake tasted just like all of the other Mac Baren blends; very sweet, bitey and smoked hot.

The tobacco quality is very good, and the flakes are very pretty, but not liking to my tastes. I much prefer Samual Gawith flakes.