Mac Baren Original Choice

In my constant search for "the all day smoke" I decided to try this blend as it's noted for its mildness and flavor. On my first impression out of the tin I get whiffs of caramel and cream; but with additional deep breaths I get a trace of fruitiness. It's hard to exactly put my finger on it, but the more whiffs I take, the more I imagine a raspberry cream-like dessert. A very pleasant, mouth watering aroma overall.

The ribbon cut packs well and is of the right moisture content out of the tin. Easy to light, and after a few tamps and char lights I can get a consistently lit bowl without much fuss. While I can attest to the "hot air" that others have noted, but I get a waft of sugary sweetness now and again. I find it to be a pleasant aroma, however my wife states it smells "like tobacco," but it's certainly not nearly as pungent as any English blends.

As with most aromatics, this can be a bit "bitey," but an experienced smoker will have no issue. I find that packing this a bit tighter than normal gives the best experience.

While one could feasibly call this "an all day smoke," due to its mild strength, I find that it requires a little too much concentration to keep it from biting for me to puff away while mowing the lawn. I'm perfectly content to smoking this on the front porch on a summer's evening. It's a perfect blend for one looking for an uncomplicated and high quality aromatic. Recommended.

It's a light and tasty blend, I get a little grassy taste from Virginia, a little sweet, and nutty and bready taste. it has a nice retro hail. doesn't get too hot in the bowl, no bite(or very little). needs to fry out a little bit, and i can keep it lite until the end without any relight. it could be easy and all day smoke for me.

Disclaimer: I am a novice pipe smoker 🙂 I received a pouch of this tobacco as a present from my friends; I found it quite easy as a new smoker, it's not too wet out of the pouch and it's ready to be smoked. Loading and lighting is easy and it doesn't tend to go off. It burns to a fine white ash and I found it great for breaking in my new pipe, after 10 bowls I can already see the start of a good looking carbon cake. But it's not a perfect tobacco: the taste is sort of a let down compared to the amazing fragrance. It is indeed a mild tobacco and the aromatic component is very subtle; the taste is dominated by nutty notes, whereas one can smell wonderful vanilla and fruity notes (peach, apricot) from the fresh tobacco. I have smoked this blend both unfiltered and with Vauen Charcoal 9mm filters and I found that filtering doesn't really harm the aromatic component of the tobacco: actually, it makes it stand out a bit more over the subtle ashy aftertaste. I am sure I'll be able to appreciate this very promising tobacco more once I build a finer palate.

A worthy all day smoke

I bought a tin of this blend with high expectations and I wasn’t let down. Already a fan of Vanilla Cream Loose Cut and Cube Silver, I was looking to add yet another aromatic option to reach for when the mood for something sweet arises.

Upon opening the tin the scent of vanilla backed by natural tobacco aroma greets the nostrils, raising expectations of a satisfying smoke of a quality aromatic. The blend is quite dark, consisting of mainly Black Cavendish, with a small percentage of golden Virginia and deep brown Burley. The cut is rather coarse with short wide ribbons that make it easy to load right into the pipe.

Lighting is fairly easy and burn is consistent and even. Plenty of the natural tobacco flavor comes through the sweetness of the topping, making for an enjoyable and balanced smoke. If pushed it will bite so I recommend a slow smoke, thus some relights may be necessary. Suitable for in and out of doors, the room note is pleasing and lingers enough to get compliments well after the pipe has gone out.

Be forewarned that this is a low nicotine blend, perfect for the sensitive smoker and great for those days you feel like several bowls without getting overwhelmed.

I liked this tobacco at first. It has very little nicotine and a nice aroma. Smells like raisins or figs in the tin - a really nice tin note. I can't really distinguish the various tobaccos in it. It is mild to medium in strength and is the strongest one I smoke. Definitely an outdoorsy tobacco, and the wife likes the way this one smells. Good for a walk in the snow or rain.

However, after a year I'm lowering my rating to two and one half stars. It is a little bitter and gets goopy in the pipe and stem and is definitely not as satisfying as it used to be. I think that in comparison to tobaccos I've tried recently it loses by comparison.

I received a sample of this from a friend, so cannot comment on the packaging, which is apparently quirky and innovative.

The pouch note of the sample I got was very nice, sweet topping mixing with the tobacco, they mingle in a very pleasing way, promising a mild, easy smoke.

The appearance of the tobacco seems to be a fairly even mix of the Virginia, Cavendish & Burley, a mixture of blondes and darks.

The tobacco is a fairly thin ribbon cut, apart from the Cavendish which appears to be a slight shorter chunkier cut. It pack easily & takes the flame well. It burns evenly and steadily and requires few relights.

The taste is a sweet smoke upon the draw which then hints at nutty tones before fading to malted grain and bread with fruit. The smoke retains its flavour well, but as with most aromatics, it starts to fade a bit in the last quarter of the bowl or so. The tobacco is of fine quality & works with the flavouring so that it is not being dominated, but helping to produce the notes present within the flavour profile of this decent blend. As mentioned by previous reviewers, there is not even any hint of possible tongue bite.

The room note is a pleasant sweet aroma, with the tobacco again being present within it, and contributing a nice accent to it.

The nicotine is low, a common trait amongst aromatics, it seems. This does not gloop up your pipe, and mine was fine to smoke straight away with no drying, but as I said it was a sample (about 20g) and as far as I'm aware wasn't straight out of a freshly opened tin.

Overall, recommended. Anyone who has read my other reviews knows I'm not an aromatic lover, and I like my blends with a bit more of a nicotine kick, but this blend tastes fine, burns well and produces a nice room note. A possible early morning smoke or even a dessert smoke after a meal. I imagine this would go well with dessert wine, or even a sherry if smoked in the evening. If smoking in the morning, I would be tempted to pair with a mocha or latte.

Tin note is golden raisins and mild molasses. Thirty minutes dry time. Packs easily and burns well all the way down to white ash. Slightly stronger than mild. Not the disappointing "hot air" offered by some super-mild aromatics. A fine combination of virginia and cavendish. Sweet and tangy mouth feel while retaining mildness. Roomenote is a delicious old-fashioned pipe aroma, slightly sweet but quite pronounced. A non-smoking friend went, "Mmmmm" the moment I lit up.

Minus one star because, despite its mildness, it does chemically scorch the roof of my mouth. Probably due to a sensitivity to a flavourant, as I appear to be in the minority. Therefore, recommended as a try!

The original choice is the perfect tobacco to start your pipe experience! The cut and humidity are fine and it is very easy to charge and light up. Unfortunally, I discover it very late but, if you want to start to smoke pipe and you don't know which tobacco choose, I recommend it.

Opening the pouch: a smell like bubble gum. Smoking the tobacco: like eating something too sweet. McBaren's modern Cavendish is evident everywhere, with its distinctive and unique syrupy taste, I almost thought I saw my bowl caramelized! Albeit very sweet for my taste, it is still an interesting and tasty blend that I will certainly smoke again and certainly recommend.