Mac Baren Original Choice

The room note is something to die for, but this tobacco is a waste of time if you are a seasoned pipe smoker. Not that there is something intrinsically wrong with it, but I'd give it to someone who is just starting. Having said that, if there was a nonaromatic version of this blend I'd probably change my mind. I do not hate it, but I do not love it either.

Edit 27 Agust 2021:

I think I have been somewhat unfair with this review. Aromatic though it might be, I like it. It evolves nicely, no tongue-bite, nice room and tin note, the casing is not horrible, good combination of bright and burley leaf, the nicotine content is OK, has some complexity, and it is easy to approach. I am upgrading it to 3 stars.

Dressed down version of Mixture Modern. Very little flavor until you get to the bottom of the bowl. Cinammon, vanilla, chocolate and coffee notes but very subtle. Smoked straight from the tin and to my surprise the bottom of my cob was dry. No dottle or gurgle. Room note was nice. This one is hard to get your hands on. Makes a good day starter or after dinner type.

"We have managed to develop a tobacco that does not smart on the tongue", they said, and they weren't lying.

Now here's an aromatic that I like. A very easy, light smoke without being too spicy yet having just enough wholesomeness to be satisfying at the same time, and no discernible tongue bite; for me, this would be the true definition of an all-day smoke. The pouch note is that of brown sugar and maple suryp, very nice, and the somewhat grainy consistency of dark and light browns mixed with yellow (cavendish, burley, virginia) is pleasing to the eyes and fingers alike, easy to stuff the bowl with as you like. Overall, this is a very non-offensive light aromatic and a very easy smoke by all standards, while still retaining enough taste and wholesomeness to be enjoyable; therefore, this would be my No. 1 recommendation for a beginner to start with.

On a technical note, the corrugated cardboard sleeve this comes in has a nice 'old-school' feel to it and is surprisingly handy as it's sturdy and keeps shape very nicely as opposed to the standard paper-and-plastic pouch, and I would really like to see this style of packaging being used for other brands of tobacco too. Having tested this after Amphora and a disappointing Peterson's made me think that I might be a MacBaren man rather than Peterson, and it turned out to be so.

Currently my favourite of the brands easily available in Sweden.

Fairly standard cherry-vanilla aromatic. Very mild tobacco with light vanilla and particularly distinct (and very pleasant) cherry in 1st half of bowl. Not as sweet as many similar blends but not good or distinct enough to keep going back to. Pleasant 'tobacco' and fragrance candle(!) room note. Burns fairly well to the end of the bowl with a few relights, and is only a little wet at the end. No bite to speak of.

Fairly cool, very mild and, as the esteemed Noorrmm puts it, fruity and sweet, it is indeed one of those new blends (very much like Dunhill?s Aromatic or Mild Blend) designed to appeal to a new generation of pipe smokers. Without being entirely a scented tobacco, it does have a noticeable aroma?perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste?that gives the whole blend a tasty and smokey structure, in the Danish tradition.

The blend comes in one of those new corrugated carton pouches, lined with a golden foil paper. It is quite moist without being goopy. Visually it is a very nice tobacco, comprising golden thin ribbons (Virginias?), crimp dark brown leaf (Burley?) and jet black cavendished leaf. It can be packed as it is from the pouch, and its fairly easy to light and keep lit.

I do not mind smoking it every now and then, but its mildness tends to dry up the palate (though I would not classify this as a tongue biting tobacco) and does not reach that satisfaction point I find in other blends. Again, with the esteemed Noorrmm, it is an above average aromatic mixture, and should be very enjoyable to those picking up a pipe. If you are used to stronger or more consistent blends, too much of this stuff could parch up your taste buds!

Addendum (18 Nov. 07)

For the better part of the last six months I've been smoking this blend. It is indeed a very mild product, but once you get the hang of it--especially in the filling-up-the-pipe department--it can become a very suitable companion. As in Mixture Modern, and unlike Cube, I can really taste the Burleys and Virginias in this blend. The aromatic structure is nice (people tend to compliment the room aroma), but not pervasive to the point of occluding the tobacco flavors.

Not a bad choice at all.

I opened a tin dated from Nov 2012 in September 2023.

The smell out of the thin was not that strong as other mac baren i´ve tried.
There is something in there similar to vanilla cream in the thin aroma.

Considering the time it was aging, the moisture kept in a way that for me is perfect, easy to pack and easy to keep it lit, just few relights and it was running perfectly.

Talking about the tobacco by itself, i just saw one of the most beauty sugar crystallization ever. For sure this was the oldest tin i opened so far, never seen something like that.
The virginias were not that shinny anymore and the tobacco presentation is mostly dark.

The flavor is really well balanced, i cannot distinguish any individual character here, i can imagine how sublimated this tobacco can be just fresh but here the topping is faint and the tobaccos flavor can dance in a really sweet dancefloor.

There is no chance of tongue bit, it has a very consistent flavor, smooth and sweet, very pleasing to smoke. Not easy to find here where i live but i could buy it again for sure.

Once it said, there is nothing here i can call extraordinary or something like that, so when ranking it among other tobaccos i tried, this one lay on the same shelf as the best aromatics but not close to the best tobacco i have tried. It doesn't gives me the nicotine i like and lacks complexity. Easy going smoking that could be an all day smoke for most of people who doesn't feel this lack of nicotine.

For me it is closer to 3 stars than 2, for this reason i'm ranking like this.

I usually steer clear of tobaccos “especially blended for beginners “ because of the absence of tongue bite as I’ve smoked about every MacBaren product and still can’t figure out why their products have gotten such bad press . I’m also wary of aromatics that tend to be over the top with cloying sweetness that I find offensive. With that being said, I can see why a beginner would find this appealing, but as a veteran smoker, this stuff ain’t bad. As mild as it is, there’s still plenty of tobacco flavor to let ya know it does in fact have some quality Virginia and burley and the Cavendish is not too sweet…..I like it more than the Seven Seas series as the flavoring is toned down from that. I may not put this in my regular rotation , but I’m giving it a 3 because of the overall quality and it’s a good bridge blend for beginners that are making the leap from1-Q and are getting a little tired of the same old same old…….Original Choice also has a pleasant room note that my girlfriend can appreciate because As I usually blow the place up with Bold Kentucky or a Perique blend which isn’t always appreciated by the fairer ones among us.

I was skeptical because in general I am not attracted to aromatized mixes but this one ... tastes like capuccino and I like it quite a bit. It smokes quite fast, if I am not paying attention it finishes quick and could bite a bit (bowl gets hot and humid too in case, no dottle). Once I paced it more calmly (even taking some breaks) it revealed to be a pleasant and sweet, round, flavorful smoke. I like the bready notes and the aroma in general. I think is a nice blend to break the monotony of non-flavored tobaccos for those who like burley (as I do) and a creamy cappuccino taste.

When I was buying this tobacco I was told it was caramel flavour. Well, funny thing, tobacco smell sweet and I do get caramel notes, but it doesn't taste sweet or caramel at all. It tastes like normal tobacco. In my honest opinion this tobacco shouldn't have been gentrified as aromatic tobacco, because it isn't. It's Original choice after all just like the name suggests. Pros of this tobacco is that it lights greatly, smokes easily and you don't get tongue bite even if you overheat it. It's a great choice for non-aromatic smokers.