Mac Baren Navy Flake

UPDATE: This is a classic, the more I smoke it, the more I like it. I find myself reaching for this over many other tobaccos, both for "daily" kind of smokes and for "treat" smokes. Just a lovely product. Unspectacular, but just damn good. Wife-friendly, tongue friendly, pipe-friendly... what a great product.

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I agree with Skando's review, by and large. This is very pleasant stuff, and doing the folding the way they do on the Mac Baren website, you get a really nice smoke, and a long, satisfying one at that. Tin moisture is perfect.

If you can't abide Navy Flake, you should probably sell your pipes. Not that this blend is so incredibly fantastic, but it really is very solid and inoffensive in all ways. Good tasting, easy smoking. Possibly my desert island smoke, not because it is so special, but because it is so unpretentious.

Quality is always top notch with Mac B, and this stuff could teach some other flake manufacturers a thing or two. Beautifully presented, and just a real pleasure to smoke.

A traditional navy flake that is cool, semi-sweet, and will go slowly down the bowl, even if fully rubbed out. Mac Baren hit a home run with this one for me. It is a bit too strong to enjoy all day and night, but as a quiet respite from a long day, you will find this tasty blend to be the ticket for a nice long evening of enjoyment. The overriding factor of the blend is that is has more Burley than Virginia in the taste. So, if you are not fond of Burley tobaccos, don't join the Navy! If you are, sign up right now!

I picked up this blend to compare it to the SG version of this type of blend. To me, this is the weaker one as far as nicotine goes. The SG gives a far higher hit of Vitamin N than this one. This does give a nice hit of it, just not in the range of the SG. With that said, this is a fine blend that MB puts out. I think it may be their best blend, YMMV. The flakes are easy to stuff into the pipe and once lit, it says lit with no problems. It burns down to a fine ash at the bottom of the pipe. This blend does have a certain sweetness to it, which pulls everything together nicely. If you have a low tolerance to nicotine, this may be the one to give a try. Highly recommended.

Well, I must point out that this is the first flake that I ever tried and was blown away after smoking it. The tin smell is so good that I just want to break some up, pack it between my gums and my lips and slowly chew it (I used to do that with this blend but it has been several months since I have).

Since first trying Navy flake, I have tried over a dozen other flakes from various companies. I keep finding myself coming back to this one. I smoked it so frequently, that I once purchased five tens at once when getting a discount on bulk tins was an option at a popular site (less than $10 U.S. per tin). That site now charges over $13 U.S. per tin. That is still better than the B&Ms in my state that charge anywhere from $17 to $27 a tin. It is the only flake that I have ever purchased in bulk, and will do so in the Mac Baren 16 Oz box again soon.

The flakes are easily rubbed out and not too moist out of the tin. However, I found out that just a little drying allows it to open up to more complex flavors in the proper bowl. Rarely does it ever need a second light if one tamps gently along the way. I have received numerous compliments on the aroma. While it is definitely on the milder side for a flake, it makes for a good one to enjoy by constantly, gently puffing and then expelling through the nostrils. Smoking it this way allows the smoker to take in the whole breadth of the flavors which include mildly sweet virginia, nutty burley, dried fruit and distant honey and rum flavors. The complexity of this fine flake must be savored by not over drawing on the tobacco while it is being sipped through the mouth and exhaled through ones snout. If you get it too hot, then it is not quite as enjoyable. However, if it does get a little hot, it never seems to bite the tongue.

I have turned on several friends to this blend - all of which have enjoyed it; most of which have gone on to purchase some for themselves. If you enjoy flake and want an all-day smoke, this one will not disappoint. The flavor builds towards the end of the bowl when the virginias and burleys have married in the heat to a true perfection of tobacco bliss. At this point, the honey is still there but it just brings out the natural flavor of the quality tobaccos that much more.

What takes this one over the top is the price. I don't believe there is a better dollar or dollar value in a tobacco product. Yes, there are some better blends/flakes out there. But there is nothing that I feel I get quite as high of a pleasure to cost ratio than Mac Baren Navy Flake.

Mac Baren - Navy Flake.

This arrived with just the right amount of hydration, making it ready to smoke. I like to fully rub and to do so with this is easy. It's a breeze to get lit.

The smoke's mildly flavoured, so the tobacco's are supported by a sweet rummy addition, not smothered. The burn from it's good but if it's puffed with too much alacrity it can bite. The nicotine's mild enough to be inoffensive to beginners, yet it's not so weak as to be a complete let down for seasoned puffers. The room-note's quite pleasant.

Navy Flake? Four stars:

Highly recommended.

This is an amazing MB blend and probably my favorite VA blend so far. Outstandingly pressed Virginia/Burley and Cavendish make it a rewarding experience opening the tin. A delicious whaft of Honey and Rum invades the notrils. The flakes ae easy to brake ad rub and filling the pipe is not a problem at all. The room note is very pleasent and the taste throughout the bowl is rich and sweet. A keeper.

This blend has been around since 1965 and I can definitely see why. For one, this flake is the easiest burning flake that I have ever had. The honey and rum topping beautifully compliment the virginias and burley and you do not need to be concerned with tongue bite with this blend. Unlike many flakes, this one can be smoked as an all day tobacco. If you have never tried a flake and are wanting a good starter point, this would be the flake to start out with. I have never smoked a Mac Baren flake that disappointed me and this one is no exception.

Popping open the tin reveals two stacks of neatly cut, mottled brown flakes at just the right moisture level for smoking. No dry time required. The flakes rub out easily, or you can fold and stuff them -- either way, you'll get an easygoing, remarkably effortless smoke for a flake tobacco. It lights easily and stays lit, which is something I can rarely say for flake that I fold and stuff.

I believe the burley leaf makes up the slight majority of the tobaccos in this flake. But it's a supporting player here, lending a smooth body and nutty essence to the smoke. The Virginias and the Cavendish offer a pleasingly creamy, sweet, characteristic Virginia flavor, complemented by a faint note of baking spices. I didn't taste any rum per se, but I did experience a liqueur-like tingle on the retrohale.

I found that I could produce clouds of lovely, sweet-smelling smoke even when I sipped the bowl. The tobacco didn't burn hot or sour unless I folded and stuffed too tightly. Packing too tightly or puffing too aggressively will dampen the flavors, but will not necessarily lead to tongue bite.

I really love this flake! It's so easy, so smooth, so sweet, and never boring. It's easily in my Top 5 flakes of all time, and I smoke a LOT of flake.

Four stars. I wish I had five to give.

Upon opening the tin, the aroma is a cross between light rum, honey and even some plum wine. It’s a little sweet, but not too sweet.

Lighting it isn’t difficult either and once lit it tends to stay that way without any great amount of puffing or numerous re-lights. One of the easiest flake blends to rub out without being dry, and one of the easiest burning flakes.

My preferred packing method (take a flake or two, fold them horizontally and vertically, stuff them into the pipe and flatten the top a bit; finished!).

The Burley is certainly the predominant tobacco in this blend and you can taste a fine nutty flavor in it thanks to the Burley, but it’s certainly not overpowering. In fact I wouldn’t rate its taste and strength to be any more than on the mild side of medium. No real nicotine hit. If you enjoy flake and want an all-day smoke, this one will not disappoint.

The room note is very pleasant and the taste throughout the bowl is rich and sweet.