Mac Baren Original Choice
(2.76)
Original Choice is a new pioneering pipe tobacco which will appeal to "novice" pipe smokers and the younger generation. It has a mild, aromatic taste, and the truly remarkable thing about Original Choice is the fact that we have managed to develop a tobacco that does not smart on the tongue.
Original Choice is made of specially selected tobaccos. It is a blend of Virginia tobacco from North Carolina and mild, air-dried Burley from Tennessee. One of the suppliers of the Virginia tobacco is Boyette Farm, where the Boyette family has been working since 1797 to produce the best possible Virginia qualities. Their success has been due in part to the warm and dry climate. It is now the fifth generation that has taken its place behind the solid oak writing desk to play roulette with Mother Nature, as the family puts it. Fortunately, thanks to generations of experience, the odds are stacked in favor of the Boyette family. That is why a plug of Original Choice is always a good idea. The packaging is made of an exclusive type or corrugated card, which not only looks good and protects the tobacco but is also completely environment-friendly. It is not every year that Mac Baren Tobacco launches new types of tobacco. That is why we have pulled out all the stops to make full use of our experience and our production of the new blends. That is also why we have managed to make sure that Original Choice does not smart on the tongue. Numerous test smokers have already given Original Choice their approval and have already made it their first choice.
Notes: Introduced in 1998.
Details
Profile
Strength
Very Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
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2.76 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 51 - 60 of 129 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| May 23, 2012 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
Another blend I can locally find.
A bit moist, burns hot, on the wet side with a mild flavour. Bites if you are not careful. Smells great though, wife loves it.
Comes in 40gr pouches; I am sure you can find a better aromatics at this price.
A bit moist, burns hot, on the wet side with a mild flavour. Bites if you are not careful. Smells great though, wife loves it.
Comes in 40gr pouches; I am sure you can find a better aromatics at this price.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Ok, so you are finished with the pouch of Cherry Captain Black that your girlfriend bought you for your birthday and are wondering where to go from here? Original Choice is a great next step. The tobacco is midly sweet, and will leave behind a not unpleasant reminder that someone has recently finished a pipe. It does not have the heavy sweet smell that may cause some non-pipe enthusiasts to proclaim their appreciation for pipe smoke. The enjoyment of this tobacco produces a cool, dry smoke, and is rather easily maintained. The ash left behind is a fine white powder. For these reasons, I also recommend this tobacco for use breaking in a new pipe.
This tobacco is everything expected in a pipe filler, and therin lies the 3 star recommendation. It doesn't surprise, amaze. However it does provide consistant enjoyment. This is a fine all day tobacco that you will not be displeased with.
This tobacco is everything expected in a pipe filler, and therin lies the 3 star recommendation. It doesn't surprise, amaze. However it does provide consistant enjoyment. This is a fine all day tobacco that you will not be displeased with.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2011 | Mild | Medium to Strong | Mild | Pleasant |
A nice smoke to be an aromatic. I'm a VA, Vaper and English mixtures guy and there is a very small number of aromatics in my list of "smokable" leafs. Original Choice is not one of my top ten, nor top 20 tobaccos, but in social environments seems to be well accepted by sorrounders.
It's a flat smoke, as most of aromatics are, but is also consistent from the begining to the end of the bowl, not suffering the strong degradation that other aromatics do once you pass the first half of the bowl.
Recommended for aromatic fans an for social smokers.
It's a flat smoke, as most of aromatics are, but is also consistent from the begining to the end of the bowl, not suffering the strong degradation that other aromatics do once you pass the first half of the bowl.
Recommended for aromatic fans an for social smokers.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 05, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
I've made MacBarens Original Choice my overall all day blend, along with some medium English as an alternating blend. After trying most of MB's blends {not all of them} i seem to favor this more-so than the rest, mainly because of its genuine sweetness and real tobacco taste. Not too bland but a gentle unabounded sweetness that i can smoke all day long. To me the sweetness of the virginias, which is very selective from any of MB's blends, combined with just enough dark burley to give it a slight buttery, creamy, chocalaty taste, falls short of a blend that incorporates too much of a good thing. I've ran across a few of those, Dan Tobacco's Milonga and Davinci are two that are great tasting but i found myself loading up a bowl of those blends too many times. hence, too much of a good thing. I think a slightly bland tobacco that offers an exceptionally good overall taste, is necessary for an all dayer that you can add as a rotater along with something else that you like. It all depends on you and what your tastebuds are telling you. This one very easily slipped into my daily rotation, two aro's and one English. Strength is just right for me that completely satisfy's my N cravings without it being too harsh, with absolutly no tongue bite.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 28, 2010 | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Very Pleasant |
OC is not recommendable to Latakia puritans nor to nicotine hunters but highly recommendable to freshmen, recommendable to Aros fanciers, so and so recommendable to all the ones (like me) which normally are floating around the atoll of Natural Aromatics. Yes, a perfect Macbeginners tobacco but not only, with this blend Mac Baren boys show one more time their skills on tobacco production combined with marketing strategies. OC is a mild, unassuming aromatic (even not bad in any way) able to gain a respectable reputation, it is described on MB official web-site emphasizing the quality of tobacco supply and then it's sold on a low-profiled cardboard corrugated pouch; in a manner or another they are strategic on stimulate our curiosity and are able to satisfy the 65-70% of pipe smokers…...Macchiavelli and Von Clausewitz worked they for Mac Baren?
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 18, 2010 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Pleasant |
Quality aromatic tobacco with good burning and very good room note.Great for morning smoke as it is not very powerful.Nearly no tounge bite unless you puff too strong.Beter then Virginia Choice according to me.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 09, 2009 | Very Mild | Medium to Strong | Very Mild | Tolerable to Strong |
It's har to tell how much burley this blend contains, and actually I would have said pure virginia / cavendish was this presented to me in a blind-test.
I don't think I've ever come across an aromatic THAT aromatic upon opening the pouch! An extremely sweet sugary smell, that makes me think of both fruit and candy. But surely the sweet cavendish is obvious too - some tobacco detected never-the-less.
The cut and blend looks almost exactly like that of Porter House Double Mixture, so naturally I was very exited to put this in my favorite aroma-pipe, hoping of some reminiscence..
Well, that comparison fell flat right away. So when it presumably contains, looks and feels alot like that of Porter House, but smells tenfold the sweetness, it must be a case of heavy flavouring. And right on - when smoked, 50% of the aroma detected was non-existant in the taste of it.
It is by all means a decent tobacco, and I would recommend it to all aromaniacs. One can compare it to those of 'My Own Blend' - but with a decent taste, and most importantly in that comparison, it doesn't pack 'gravy' by the gallon!
120 grams smoked
Flavours detected: Vanilla, Raisin, Almond...rice pudding?
To even out the sweetness, I'd recommend a hot cop of black espresso to go with it.
I don't think I've ever come across an aromatic THAT aromatic upon opening the pouch! An extremely sweet sugary smell, that makes me think of both fruit and candy. But surely the sweet cavendish is obvious too - some tobacco detected never-the-less.
The cut and blend looks almost exactly like that of Porter House Double Mixture, so naturally I was very exited to put this in my favorite aroma-pipe, hoping of some reminiscence..
Well, that comparison fell flat right away. So when it presumably contains, looks and feels alot like that of Porter House, but smells tenfold the sweetness, it must be a case of heavy flavouring. And right on - when smoked, 50% of the aroma detected was non-existant in the taste of it.
It is by all means a decent tobacco, and I would recommend it to all aromaniacs. One can compare it to those of 'My Own Blend' - but with a decent taste, and most importantly in that comparison, it doesn't pack 'gravy' by the gallon!
120 grams smoked
Flavours detected: Vanilla, Raisin, Almond...rice pudding?
To even out the sweetness, I'd recommend a hot cop of black espresso to go with it.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 15, 2008 | Mild | Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
I really used to like this blend, as it was one of the very few "fruity" aromatics I could tolerate. Times and tastes change, however, and I doubt I would give it so much as a second glance these days ... It's not that I hate aromatics (I don't), it's that there are far better blends of this type on the market that are available in bulk.
Don't get me wrong. This stuff tastes great, and it manages nicely to balance the sweet/fruity topping with the natural tobacco flavors of burley and Virginia. It's a very unique taste, and I had nothing to compare it to until Russ Ouellette introduced Classic Burley Kake for the Hearth and Home label last year. Unfortunately, there seems to be an above-average chance of falling victim to what appear to be quality-control issues. Usually, the problem seems to be that someone at the factory put WAY too much flavoring into it, which yields a harsh blast of smoke with a painful bite you won't soon forget (assuming you can actually get it to burn, which is doubtful). I did find a solution of sorts to the quality-control problem, which is to buy this only in tins from the few very few online e-tailers that stock them, but such a variance in quality between the pouch and tin is inexcusable.
A better solution, however, is to simply order a batch of the aforementioned Classic Burley Kake and settle down for a nice smoke. The flavors are essentially the same, but Classic Burley Kake is superior in every other respect. It's cheaper,too.
Don't get me wrong. This stuff tastes great, and it manages nicely to balance the sweet/fruity topping with the natural tobacco flavors of burley and Virginia. It's a very unique taste, and I had nothing to compare it to until Russ Ouellette introduced Classic Burley Kake for the Hearth and Home label last year. Unfortunately, there seems to be an above-average chance of falling victim to what appear to be quality-control issues. Usually, the problem seems to be that someone at the factory put WAY too much flavoring into it, which yields a harsh blast of smoke with a painful bite you won't soon forget (assuming you can actually get it to burn, which is doubtful). I did find a solution of sorts to the quality-control problem, which is to buy this only in tins from the few very few online e-tailers that stock them, but such a variance in quality between the pouch and tin is inexcusable.
A better solution, however, is to simply order a batch of the aforementioned Classic Burley Kake and settle down for a nice smoke. The flavors are essentially the same, but Classic Burley Kake is superior in every other respect. It's cheaper,too.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 15, 2008 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
Having recently become a convert to MacBaren Mixture, and with a penchant for mild aromatics, I thought I would give this one a try.
I wasn't too convinced about all the marketing stuff on MacBaren's website about the modern corrugated packaging and about it being a tobacco for the younger pipesmoker.
However, this is a really nice tobacco. Smells of toffee or caramel in the pack. Packs and lights easily as they say and gives a very easy going sweet smoke that (most importantly for me) is not sickly like some other continental aromatics. Enjoyable to the bottom of the bowl.
One thing I would say say is that this tobacco is not completely bite free. You can really puff on it but it will bite you eventually.
Recommended, and currently my sweet tooth favourite, alternating with Mixture.
Update 15 Mar 08 :
It's almost a year since I first reviewed this and back then I used to smoke it a lot. I haven't smoked it for quite some time and was a bit bored so I thought I would get another pouch. Still smells great in the pack but I don't feel this translates to the taste whilst smoking - it's bland. Also tends to burn hot. All in all a bit of a disappointment now - very much in the style of MB's Black Ambrosia. Great room note though. Downgraded to 2*
I wasn't too convinced about all the marketing stuff on MacBaren's website about the modern corrugated packaging and about it being a tobacco for the younger pipesmoker.
However, this is a really nice tobacco. Smells of toffee or caramel in the pack. Packs and lights easily as they say and gives a very easy going sweet smoke that (most importantly for me) is not sickly like some other continental aromatics. Enjoyable to the bottom of the bowl.
One thing I would say say is that this tobacco is not completely bite free. You can really puff on it but it will bite you eventually.
Recommended, and currently my sweet tooth favourite, alternating with Mixture.
Update 15 Mar 08 :
It's almost a year since I first reviewed this and back then I used to smoke it a lot. I haven't smoked it for quite some time and was a bit bored so I thought I would get another pouch. Still smells great in the pack but I don't feel this translates to the taste whilst smoking - it's bland. Also tends to burn hot. All in all a bit of a disappointment now - very much in the style of MB's Black Ambrosia. Great room note though. Downgraded to 2*
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jun 15, 2006 | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Pleasant |
My first review of a Mac Baren tobacco was for the god-awful Mixture. Being an open-minded person, I decided to try the Original Choice as well. Both were purchased in a country where good pipe tobacco is a precious rare commodity.
The package is quite nice-looking, and promises the tobacco contained within is easy to light and smoke. It also claims to deliver a "sweet, rounded, and exciting taste." Presumably, this is so it might appeal to young and/or novice pipe smokers.
Well, it failed to appeal to me. Though it is very easy to pack, my first bowl was a bear to keep lit. One would think that, as dry as this stuff is, that wouldn't be the case. My second bowl burned rather hot, and neither bowl held the promised taste. In fact, it didn't taste like much of anything.
This tobacco gets two stars because it is friendly to a new pipe smoker. It just wasn't for me. The second Mac Baren blend I'll dump, and the absolute last I'll try.
The package is quite nice-looking, and promises the tobacco contained within is easy to light and smoke. It also claims to deliver a "sweet, rounded, and exciting taste." Presumably, this is so it might appeal to young and/or novice pipe smokers.
Well, it failed to appeal to me. Though it is very easy to pack, my first bowl was a bear to keep lit. One would think that, as dry as this stuff is, that wouldn't be the case. My second bowl burned rather hot, and neither bowl held the promised taste. In fact, it didn't taste like much of anything.
This tobacco gets two stars because it is friendly to a new pipe smoker. It just wasn't for me. The second Mac Baren blend I'll dump, and the absolute last I'll try.
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