Mac Baren Plumcake

July,2004

Upon moving into an 'extended care' facility a great distance north of my previous residence (Pt.Huron vrs. Rochester Hills) I decided time to broaden my 'bacca taste and have to admit I was drawn by the MacB testimonials about Plumbcake - so far, so good. The tin aroma was enticing, that which promised a rewarding smoke. The First Bowl, I kinda feel that one has ro smoke a couple of bowls of a particular weed, to make an objective appraisal of the blend, gave me the taste of Virginias and burleys, which I find mellow. I finished the bowl after a hiatus of supper and was pleasantly suprised at the spiceness of the Cavendish that is complimented by sweetness and Rum. Though moist and easy to pack, I was not having to re-light on Second Bowl as with the First, last night. I would recommend this aromatic for anyone not wishing to be overwhelmed!

To all that have not had an aged tin of Plumcake should try and find ASAP. Or continue to store this tobacco as long as possible. I come across an old shop and I found a 8 year old tin of Plumcake. I'm not really good at describing tobaccos as some of you but I've been smoking for thirty years and I know what good and what not so good. When I opened the tin it was KETCHUP and to tell you the truth it was really, almost to much KETCHUP. After lighting up I was astonished about how good these tobaccos come together with some age. All the tins I have will have to be aged before I smoke them. It's like night and day the difference in new Plumcake and aged Plumcake.

Note: Review is not of the current offering, but of an old, sealed (when I bought it) 7oz tin from the '70s to early '80s.

I got it in around 2012 on Ebay, from a guy who had inherited many old MacBaren tins, and I bought many of them. Many I gave away, sold, or traded, and I gave most of this 7oz tin away, because I got some tongue bite from it. Most of the old roll cakes and mixtures from that period were fine in that regard, though I did get bite from the old Symphony. Got a little bit left, and somehow missed reviewing it back then. Smoked some in the past few days, so here it is.

I can control the bite if I smoke it slowly. Wish I had kept more. This may have Syrian Latakia in it, though hard to tell, and MacBaren never used much Latakia anyway. Very nice taste of well-aged rum and tobacco, perhaps plum; it is plumlike at least. Quality all around, though I have never had this blend except from this very old tin.

Because it has such a wonderful taste (I love very well-aged MacBaren), I won't detract any stars just because it can bite me a bit, and either my additional decade of storing it in a jar or ten more years of pipe smoking have made this very little of a problem, as long as I go slow. I have gotten bite from newer MacBaren, but seldom from the old tins. Wonder how the 7oz tin of Symphony from back then would hit me now, if I hadn't given it away?

Hello, this is my third tin all from 2013 . upon opening the tin you'll smell the lovely sweet tobacco and mild rum aroma, its ribbon cut with somehow equal portions of black, dark and light brown tobacco and comes smokable right from the tin but 10 minutes drying before packing is recommended. it packs easily and doesnt require much relights. its smokey, piney with a subtle rum taste that i enjoy, this tobacco smokes hot so take it easy and when it does so leave it to cool down or it will bite and sting the lips a little, its the same case with all alcohol aromatics ive tried.

update: this tobacco is growing on me. there is broken flakes in the tin i found that by stuffing them vertically in middle of the bowl and surrounding them with the ribbon cut and packing a little light gives me more constant taste. for my olfactory latakia is new and im loving it , this piney taste is a heaven specially when retrohaling, when frensh inhaling theres an added floral notes and nutiness with very slight sweetness . the overall taste is like having a beer and sniffing on a pine cone. 😀 its recommended for ppl who want to try latakia for the first time as for someone who smoke blends with higher rate of latakia he will not get the full spectrum of this blend.

its not an all day smoke for me, i smoke every couple days a bowl because i don't want my olfactory to go numb and stop catching my cherished latakia aroma. its one of my favorite tobacco that ill always have available for my aroma time therapy accompanied with a cup of tea or a bourbon glass.

1star for taste 1star for quality 1star for what it delivers for the price. 1 star when dried and packed well it will not bite at all.

Best tobacco I have smoked so far. Opening the tin I was met with that smokey latakia aroma, smelled a bit of grass/hay coming through. Did not smell any rum though.

The taste was sweet, almost like a fruity sweetness but nothing over the top. None of the dreaded tongue bite experienced no matter how hard or quick I smoked.

It burns to a fine grey ash, cool burning and very tasty. An exceptional tobacco.

Highly recommended. This is in my daily rotation.

Well I must say that I'm glad that I've returned to MacB. After being disappointed with RCDT I had pretty much given up on the brand. A good friend of mine in Richmond who loves PC is responsible for me giving MacB another go. Thank you Iron Mike. This review is from a tin that has 3yrs of age on it so I can't vouch for anything younger. What I've learned (with help from my friend) that MacB is a Va forward brand. With this in mind and a little trepidation I gave PC a go. I'm about halfway through the tin and find it a very pleasant smoke. Everything works well together with no one player taking the lead. A lot has been said about this blend Pro & Con so I don't need to expell any further. Since I started smoking PC I've treated as if I'm smoking a Va dominant blend keeping this in mind I sipped. Which will serve you well and your mouth will thank you for it in the long run. As a reviewer said earlier I like to smoke PC in one of my Lat pipes, sounds strange but works quite well. I have noticed that the first bowls I smoked fresh from the tin were a little on the sweet side which isn't a bad thing. What I transferred from the tin to my pouch and has had some dry time that sweetness has disappeared some which I like. You just get a real nice relaxing smoke, so what's wrong with that? Not A Damn Thing in my book. PC is not an English nor an Aro either, I don't care one way or another I like it. Will I purchase again? A very resounding YES. It's time to put about 5 tins in the cellar.

oh what a wonder! Right now I smoke PLUMCAKE without any bite!!!! Just a pleasant ripe virginia and a little burley taste. The latakia is not detectable at all. The rumflavor is far in the background but works very well. A superior tobacco! I could sleep in the tin so soft appears the blend to me.The only little downside (to me) is the small nicotin content. A Very very pleasant smoke, at least with 20 myears of aging.

I have to upgrade to 4 stars. In this condition hard to beat! Real tobacotaste with virginia in the front and a little burley and flavourd cavendish in the second row. Sweet and round and highly recomended

Sweet and spicy smoke . A good Burley/Virginia combo with enough Latakia to keep things interesting!!! Cool and dry smoke with slow puffing!!! anothe great blend from Mac Baren

It's hard for me to quantify how much I love this blend.....if I were limited to one blend, this would be it...thankfully I'm not as I enjoy so many others but this one just does it for me. First I want to say that any who have bought this in the tin and found it objectionable should get some in bulk.....I buy it in the 1 lb bags and find it quite a bit different than in the tin. In the tin, it seems to me to be much like other Mac Baren blends in that there is a pressed element to it which to my estimation, holds too much moisture.....in the bag it is another animal. This blend has this delicious aroma...both in the pouch and in the room...a sweetness with a hint of Latakia but not so much as to be off putting.....just enough to give it an extra dimension beyond an aromatic and in bulk it is not pressed together but rather the opposite, a coarse loose shag of an affair that requires some care when packing so as not as to not get soft spots...the 3 level pack works best for me. I like it in a large bowl because the flavors seem to come out better for me plus that room note fills out the flavor as well. Cool, dry and flavorful....if in the tin, rub it out very well.....fluff it up as best you can and let it air dry for a bit before packing....firm but not tight.....a good charring light then go at it again.....a pipe is to be savored they say....this blend lends to that and then some! Oh.....and go slow....this blend burns well when done right and stays lit very well.....when done right.....as another here suggests....the ember should shift about, from here to there, funny.....I love to play with this stuff.....the complexity of flavors changes so much throughout the bowl....as I said...my favorite!