Mac Baren Plumcake
(2.88)
A mixture of fully ripe Virginia tobaccos, sliced, cask mellowed burley tobaccos, dark spicy cavendish and just a touch of latakia. To give Plumcake an elegant aroma, the blend has been flavoured with aged Jamaica rum.
NEW TIN DESCRIPTION: Plumcake brings the thoughts back to old times, when the sailors onboard the sailing ships filled their pipe with good, satisfying tobacco and having the scent of tar and saltwater all around them. Bright Virginia tobaccos mixed with burley, a little original Mac Baren cavendish and just a touch of [Cyprian] latakia. On top of this masterly made blend original Jamaica Rum has been added to fulfill the impression. This blend is full bodied and rich, giving you the taste nuances of natural sweetness added with a slight taste of smoke, latakia and the distinctive aroma of sailor rum.
Notes: Introduced in 1957.
As of 01/30/2019, according to Per Georg Jensen of Mac Baren it has "Latakia from Cyprus, it is many years since the Latakia from Syria were used.".
Details
| Brand | Mac Baren |
| Blended By | Harald Halberg |
| Manufactured By | Mac Baren |
| Blend Type | Aromatic |
| Contents | Black Cavendish, Burley, Latakia, Virginia |
| Flavoring | Rum |
| Cut | Ribbon |
| Packaging | 100 grams tin, 50 grams pouch, 16 ounce bag |
| Country | Denmark |
| Production | Currently available |
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild to Medium
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.88 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 11 - 20 of 60 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 12, 2021 | Mild | Very Mild | Very Mild | Unnoticeable |
Mehhh I don't know. First observation was the sack contained incredibly dry and coarse tobacco. Very long and coarse. Like you can only smoke this in large bowl pipes. LARGE bowl. Probably 90% of my pipes are smaller 15- 20 min smokes. This tobacco instantly plugged up a vintage Lark with a birds nest of wirey stiff tobacco. I suppose that's appropriate. 2nd observation, was pouch odor. Very....bland. Maybe sourish?...but a hint of smokiness. Definitely no rum that I've smelled. My wife said it smelled to her like a fresh out of wrapper "Band-Aid". So....at least it wasn't a used bandaid. 3rd observation, damn everybody was right. This bloody burns the tongue right off the bat. Being easy, prepping for it, I could still feel an acrid sizzle on my tongue. Like the old silver eveready 9v batteries with the black cat on them. Every thing you know about smoking slow, has to be relearned. Perhaps the dryness of it, coupled with coarseness/wireyness, makes it burn like dry broomstraw. Maybe the rum casing and Va then makes an acid concoction. I'm drawing straws here, literally through the pipe. All the above could be contended with, if the flavor was execptional. 4th observation, flavor. Mehhh. Very mild, hint of fruitiness, hint of smokiness, hint of my God I bought a 16oz bag of this. If you have samples of S.Value products on hand, take about 60% of their "Mellow" blend, 25% of their "Cherry", plus 15% of their "English" blend. Although the leaf is different, it WILL give you a 90% close MATCH to "Plumcake" flavor, but it will be more packable, and more likely NOT to burn you. 5th observation from the resident snoot, was "mehh". A shrug and whatever sort of "mehh". So it didn't get me ran out of the kitchen, but that's about it. Takeaway for me is a solid "its kinda alright I guess".
Pipe Used:
freehand, large MM Cob
PurchasedFrom:
JR
Age When Smoked:
new
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 15, 2020 | Very Mild | Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
My impression of this tobacco is "not enough". Not enough Latakia, not enough sweetness, not enough rum, not enough flavour. As usual with MB, the tobacco is beautiful, clearly of the highest quality, cut in a light and dark brown ribbon cut. The tin note is a beautiful gingerbread with a strong note of rum and a definite smokiness from the Latakia; really reminds me of certain single malts. As has often been the case with MB, I found the tobacco way too moist when opening the tin, leading to mainly hot steam, no flavour and nigh impossible to keep lit, but after drying out to appropriate levels, it packs and lights beautifully. The smoke itself I find outright disappointing, quite bland really. The flavour is mostly a grassy dark Virginia but without much sweetness, just a hint of creamy Latakia without much smokiness, just a hint of rum... just a hint of flavour to be honest. Nicotine level is really quite low. If you like light and not too sweet Virginia blends with just a hint of Latakia, this one might be for you. I can see why some people like this as their all day smoke. To sum up, a somewhat restrained offering from MB in the Scottish tradition. Personally, I prefer more present blends.
Pipe Used:
Corn cob
PurchasedFrom:
Expendeduria Número 3, Calp, Spain
Age When Smoked:
0-1 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Dec 23, 2019 | Very Mild | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Darn I wanted to like this.... I'm not a big aromatics guy, but the reviews seemed so positive, and I really hoped for a new good aro to add to my rotation.
But this isn't it. The tin note is chemically, and it tastes the same in the pipe. First draw on each bowl was still pleasant and made me optimistic, and then every bowl soured halfway through. I tried drying it, sipping it, briars, meerchaums, clays..... I just couldn't find the sweet spot with this one for an entire bowl. I give up. Maybe its someone else's cup of tea, it seemed to have some promise, but its not for this smoker....
But this isn't it. The tin note is chemically, and it tastes the same in the pipe. First draw on each bowl was still pleasant and made me optimistic, and then every bowl soured halfway through. I tried drying it, sipping it, briars, meerchaums, clays..... I just couldn't find the sweet spot with this one for an entire bowl. I give up. Maybe its someone else's cup of tea, it seemed to have some promise, but its not for this smoker....
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 20, 2019 | Mild to Medium | Medium to Strong | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is an edited/revised review from my sample in 2009 under my old handle. I popped the lid and noticed that unmistakable aroma of Latakia & the heavy rum topping. I didn't notice the "good enough to eat" aroma that others have... just a flavored aromatic with a pleasant tin note and a smoky aroma that is not overwhelming. I sampled this blend in my large, Peterson 9S pipe and it was quite mild with a sweet taste. The Latakia was... feint, or not too pronounced, but noticeable. I felt, more than tasted the rum topping...must have been the 151 proof. In that respect, this stuff could have been called Rumcake as it bit me regardless of the manner in which it was finessed.
My first bowl sample wasn't goopy toward the end as others have attested & the tobacco burned down to a totally dry, grey ash... probably due to the feature of Peterson System pipes. On the second trial run, I discovered that drying this stuff out pretty good will tone it down and deminish tongue bite a little. Regardless of the review span this blend has received, it's one you'll have to try for yourself. It has received many reviews which piqued my curiosity. I personally consider it to be a very tasty, flavored blend & could rate it a three if not for the tongue bite & harshness. I'm relatively new with Latakia, so, bear with me.
Mac Baren has a problem they should address with this mixture. However, Plumcake has a really good taste & aroma but I never was able to cope with more than a few bowls due to the harshness & tongue bite. I suppose I could have been smoking it improperly for I see many had no problems with it. I tried it & failed but such is the way of tobacco blends & pipers having varying degrees of sensitivity with taste receptors & proclivity to tongue bite.
My first bowl sample wasn't goopy toward the end as others have attested & the tobacco burned down to a totally dry, grey ash... probably due to the feature of Peterson System pipes. On the second trial run, I discovered that drying this stuff out pretty good will tone it down and deminish tongue bite a little. Regardless of the review span this blend has received, it's one you'll have to try for yourself. It has received many reviews which piqued my curiosity. I personally consider it to be a very tasty, flavored blend & could rate it a three if not for the tongue bite & harshness. I'm relatively new with Latakia, so, bear with me.
Mac Baren has a problem they should address with this mixture. However, Plumcake has a really good taste & aroma but I never was able to cope with more than a few bowls due to the harshness & tongue bite. I suppose I could have been smoking it improperly for I see many had no problems with it. I tried it & failed but such is the way of tobacco blends & pipers having varying degrees of sensitivity with taste receptors & proclivity to tongue bite.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Deluxe 9S
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked:
Fresh Tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 05, 2019 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Pleasant |
This is an edited/revised review from my sample in 2009 under my old handle. I popped the lid and noticed that unmistakable aroma of Latakia & the heavy rum topping. I didn't notice the "good enough to eat" aroma that others have... just a flavored aromatic with a pleasant tin note and a smoky aroma that is not overwhelming. I sampled this blend in my large, Peterson 9S pipe and it was quite mild with a sweet taste. The Latakia was... feint, or not too pronounced, but noticeable. I felt, more than tasted the rum topping...must have been the 151 proof. In that respect, this stuff could have been called Rumcake as it bit me regardless of the manner in which it was finessed.
My first bowl sample wasn't goopy toward the end as others have attested & the tobacco burned down to a totally dry, grey ash... probably due to the feature of Peterson System pipes. On the second trial run, I discovered that drying this stuff out pretty good will tone it down and deminish tongue bite a little. Regardless of the review span this blend has received, it's one you'll have to try for yourself. It has received many reviews which piqued my curiosity. I personally consider it to be a very tasty, flavored blend & could rate it a three if not for the tongue bite & harshness. I'm relatively new with Latakia, so, bear with me.
Mac Baren has a problem they should address with this mixture. However, Plumcake has a really good taste & aroma but I never was able to cope with more than a few bowls due to the harshness & tongue bite. I suppose I could have been smoking it improperly for I see many had no problems with it. I tried it & failed but such is the way of tobacco blends & pipers having varying degrees of sensitivity with taste receptors & proclivity to tongue bite.
My first bowl sample wasn't goopy toward the end as others have attested & the tobacco burned down to a totally dry, grey ash... probably due to the feature of Peterson System pipes. On the second trial run, I discovered that drying this stuff out pretty good will tone it down and deminish tongue bite a little. Regardless of the review span this blend has received, it's one you'll have to try for yourself. It has received many reviews which piqued my curiosity. I personally consider it to be a very tasty, flavored blend & could rate it a three if not for the tongue bite & harshness. I'm relatively new with Latakia, so, bear with me.
Mac Baren has a problem they should address with this mixture. However, Plumcake has a really good taste & aroma but I never was able to cope with more than a few bowls due to the harshness & tongue bite. I suppose I could have been smoking it improperly for I see many had no problems with it. I tried it & failed but such is the way of tobacco blends & pipers having varying degrees of sensitivity with taste receptors & proclivity to tongue bite.
Pipe Used:
Peterson Deluxe 9S
PurchasedFrom:
Pipes & Cigars
Age When Smoked:
Fresh Tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 01, 2018 | Medium | Medium to Strong | Medium | Tolerable |
I’ve been sitting on a tin of this for about 2 years now while waiting for my tastes to change. I normally smoke Va/Pers 90% of the time but this year, once the weather started changing, I’ve had a hankering for my Englishes and Orientals and such. I haven’t really smoked anything other than Heavy virginia based blends for about 3 or 4 years now. All it took was a bowl of McClellands Blue Mountain (R.I.P.) and the memories of a whole nother side of great pipe tobacco was rekindled. I thought it time to pop this classic M.B. tobacco. Having been so long since I’ve smoked anything like this and just throwing out my first thoughts, this is what I have to say. The tin note reminded me of either Squadren Leader or Black Mallory. Having none of those other blends on hand, I can’t recall exactly which one, but those of you who have smoked them may know what I’m talking about. Kind of a dull, sweet, farmhouse ale smell. Some would say stinky. I would say quite appealing. I also detected somewhat of a smokey Scotch essence and suspect this would go well with a dram of Coal Ila 12. Really enjoying the bowl. I haven’t had any trouble with bite at all but do feel that, for my chemistry, I would acquire tongue fatigue if I tried this as an all day smoke. I will update this review as I work my way through the tin and get into taste notes. I just wanted to put down my initial thoughts as they came to me. As of now I would recommend this tobacco if it’s on hand, especially if this is your first foray into a “plum cake”
Pipe Used:
Peterson’s Kapet
PurchasedFrom:
Pipesandcigars.com
Age When Smoked:
2 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 08, 2017 | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
Maybe it's just me, but I get tongue bite from almost every MacBaren blend that I try. This one did not bite me nearly as badly as Virginia #1 did (Honey-flavored flames!), but it's still pretty bitey. The constituents of this blend sounded like they would definitely be in my wheelhouse with the burley, Virginia, Cavendish, and a little bit of Latakia. The topping is restrained and does not interfere with the tobacco, but adds a light sweetness to the blend. It smelled and tasted great, just too bitey. I've been smoking a pipe for nearly ten years now and I don't think it's my technique. I've tried every way to smoke this that I can think of; dried out, moist straight from the tin, very slowly, breath smoking, puffing with my mouth very slightly open... All to no avail.
Perhaps it's just my body chemistry. I've had success with some of the HH series and a few others that I have tried (from friends, though; I won't buy a Mac Baren product unless I try it first, at this point) and have not been bitten by them (ODF, BK, Navy Flake). I wonder if the topping were not present, would I still get bitten? My instinct says no. Plumcake is a really good, what I would call, "Scottish Blend." Light on the Latakia, with added burley and Cavendish. The topping, to me, was more rum than plum, but that didn't really influence anything about the smoke.
All in all, I did like this blend, but won't be buying anymore due to the unnecessary pain I receive when I smoke it. Plumcake is absolutely top-notch tobaccos that I would truly enjoy were it not for the torture. I will definitely give this blend respect for the leaf and the flavor of the blend. I really liked it, just not enough to burn myself again. I had visions of Paul Atreides placing his hand in the agony box...
Perhaps it's just my body chemistry. I've had success with some of the HH series and a few others that I have tried (from friends, though; I won't buy a Mac Baren product unless I try it first, at this point) and have not been bitten by them (ODF, BK, Navy Flake). I wonder if the topping were not present, would I still get bitten? My instinct says no. Plumcake is a really good, what I would call, "Scottish Blend." Light on the Latakia, with added burley and Cavendish. The topping, to me, was more rum than plum, but that didn't really influence anything about the smoke.
All in all, I did like this blend, but won't be buying anymore due to the unnecessary pain I receive when I smoke it. Plumcake is absolutely top-notch tobaccos that I would truly enjoy were it not for the torture. I will definitely give this blend respect for the leaf and the flavor of the blend. I really liked it, just not enough to burn myself again. I had visions of Paul Atreides placing his hand in the agony box...
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 16, 2017 | Strong | Medium | Overwhelming | Strong |
Here another episode of "Teaching Joe How to Smoke a Pipe" I get on the radio and call Joe over to try a new tobacco and when he arrives, he takes one look at the tin and punches me in the arm. "Mike what did I say about getting me to try that MAC CRAP! I said "Joe look it it is flavored with rum! I am sure you will love it!" We filled our pipes and I let Joe have the honors of lighting first,after we both lit our pipes Joe started licking his lips...walked over to me and again punched me in the arm..."Mike" he said "even rum doesn't make this taste good, my mouth is on fire again!" I hate to admit this but so was mine. Joe went in search of a non-filter camel and when he came back with one he remarked at least we will get another free lunch and jumped into his yard jockey truck and tried to get Paul, head of security and also smokes pipes on the radio . Paul came back a few minutes later and said he didn't have any extra cash but did offer a trade:my Plumcake for the few ounces of Lane 1-Q he bought the day before and after we shook hands everyone was happy! Now 13 years after my first time trying this tobacco I think with some experimenting with bowl sizes and finding the right pace to smoke this blend I would more than likely find this an enjoyable smoke...not something I would ever buy again but something I would not be offended if someone gave it to me as a gift. Overall I would say the first time I smoked this it would be 1 star for me and 3 stars for the experienced smoker willing to take the time to tame this tobacco. This one is on my revisit list!
Pipe Used:
no name meer
PurchasedFrom:
some random tobacco shop I stopped at while trucking
Age When Smoked:
6 month old tin
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 27, 2016 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Medium | Pleasant |
Smoking Mac Baren Plumcake is like eating a plumcake that has been prepared by your mother, then frozen and then microwaved to a degree to burn your tongue. Somewhat Recommended.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 05, 2015 | Medium | Medium | Medium | Tolerable |
Let me start by saying that I can see this blend being wonderful for many smokers, it's just not for me. The tin note is very fragrant with the rum and latakia being the two main scents that are noticeable, however the room note isn't exactly what one might call a "crowd pleaser." It lights and burns well, but it can bite if you are not careful. The blend is extremely complex with the cavendish, burley, virginia, latakia, and rum topping. The virginia, cavendish, and rum give the tobacco a sweet profile and it contrasts nicely with the smokiness of the latakia. I would recommend this blend to someone who is looking for a sweet and smokey blend.
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