Mac Baren Roll Cake

Great tasting tobacco and has made it onto my favourites list. Initially Bought in bulk but have how added a 100g tin to age slightly.. Having no description at all on the tin I would put this down as a VaPer however reading the description on the website surprisingly has no Perique in it??? Taste wise there's a lovely fresh hay like quality from the Virginia and a cheeky spice hit from an Unknown source...I couldn't detect the Latakia either which it mentions in the description. All that aside it is a great tobacco, the rolls pack and smoke easily with moisture content probably a tad high when fresh but nothing obsessive.

Cannot see myself being without an open tin for the future.

After many months of not smoking latakia blends I now get the very gentle hint of the Latakia great smoke

I enjoyed this blend immensely. Of course, I like hot peppers for the same reason. As Granny Rex would say, "It hurts so good!" Freshly opened from the tin the aroma was a sweet & natural tobacco symphony. I slipped three coins into my beloved battered bulldog known as Black Wreckage & commenced the charring light. Imagine my surprise to find that someone had carelessly left their pet viper in my pipe! I later found that all this blend lacks is time. Once it dries thoroughly it's a great smoke. There's just enough sweetness to let you smile as you puff your way through the bowl without needing being so cloyingly sweet that you need insulin. By the bottom of the bowl you reach a deep silky tobacco flavor with the slightest woodsy notes.

As typical of most Mac Baren tobaccos this one is not going to knock your socks off with flavor or strength. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but its mildness is its most discernible attribute. I would prefer a bit stronger taste and a bit more of a punch. With that being said, what taste I did enjoy was that of grassy and earthy Virginia. There was some vanilla from the Cavendish and possibly some honey or molasses as well. There was absolutely no temperature issues or gooey aromatic problems with this blend which leads me to believe what little Cavendish is in this blend must be really potent. The tobacco burns very well and I love the presentation of the roll cake. What keeps this from being in my rotation is the fact that unless it is the first pipe of the day, I would be left wanting far more that what this blend has to offer. If mild tobacco is your game, this may be all you need to try.

This has been for me an all day smoke. The Virginia with the maple/brown sugar sweetness from the Cavendish and some body from the burley. Take 3-4 discs and mush then into a wad. Press that into the chamber with a little effort for slight resistance in the draw. Bingo. Easy to light and smoke. Light and sweet with a nice room note.

The last of the Roll Cake-Series by Mac Baren I got to smoke. All of them appealed a lot to me, yet Club blend was a bit too sweet for my taste. **Only confusion is the description** of this one... some description mention some Latakia, others don't. Some say this one is "the only of the Roll Cakes with a mild top-flavoring" (which I doubt, as Club Blend is obviously topped by something fruity!)

**Opening the tin of Roll Cake** a natural tobacco aroma comes out. The tin note is somewhere between the Dark Twist and Stockton to me. The breadiness that's present in all the Mac Baren Roll Cakes is also dominating here. Mild sweetness and no topping or flavoring I could detect. Its smell is less spicy than the Stockton, but less sweet than the Dark Twist.

As usual with the Roll Cakes by Mac B. this one **comes perfectly conditioned** and can be smoked right away. Yet I prefer some short drying period as it enhances the flavors for me.

**In the pipe I instantly get greeted by** the familiar Mac Baren Roll Cake aroma of rich, bready notes. Some top-notch Virginias must be used, I like them a lot albeit not being too much of a Virginia-guy. Surprisingly this is pretty spicy, almost peppery. The Black Cavendish in the cores of the coins is made from dark-fired Kentucky according to Mac Barens description, and it may make for the rich spiciness. A gentle sweetness is in the background, but the bold spice and rich breadiness is dominating all the way. Throughout the bowl a mild nuttiness builds up, which I love, as well as a decent earthiness and slightly smoky peaks.

Roll Cake Spun Cut is very tasty to me. My ranking was: 1. Stockton (love it); 2. Dark Twist (pretty tasty); 3. Club Blend (nah.. too sweet for me). But after having smoked the Roll Cake Spun Cut, Stockton shares the lead with it! It's a spicier companion to Stockton, but very similar in taste and a aroma in the very same vein as Stockton is. With Spun Cut having this nice Burley nuttiness and richer spice; and Stockton having this pleasantly smoky, and a whiff sweeter character. Both having this lovely, bready aroma that characterizes all of the Roll Cakes for me.

To be honest **I really can't make out any flavoring**... not a whiff! And the **Latakia? Maybe..**, there's a slight smokiness in the back that reminds me of Latakia, but I couldn't make the Latakia out as such if I wouldn't knew.

|| Personal rating: 3-stars | Attempt of an 'obective rating' : 3,5-stars ||

This is one of the four curly cut tobacco blends Mac Baren currently produces (Roll Cake, Club Blend, Dark Twist, Stockton) and is the sweetest of them all. There was another curlie from Mac Baren - Latakia Blend, but it was discontinued due to people not liking the small amount of latakia it had. This blend consists of Virginias, dark fired kentucky and cavendish tobaccos. Mapple sugar has been added to the blend to sweeten up the taste and if I'm not mistaken - a little bit of honey topping. Upon opening the tin I'm greeted with very pronounced honey aroma with a some grassy notes from Virginias. The coins look very neat with bright Virignias surrounding darker kernel in the middle which appears to be either BC or DFK. Moisture level is almost perfect for smoking it right out of the tin.

I usually pack the coins in the bowl without rubbing them out. I take 5 - 6 coins, stack them together and roll them up, then insert the roll into the bowl of the pipe. I love smoking them this way because, until the middle of the bowl it's just basically VA tobaccos, but when the mid-bowl hits, I'm getting this smoky taste from DFK. Then after the mid-bowl it's mellowing out again.

Lighting this tobacco is a bit of a challenge. From the start it needs at least two charring lights, but when that's done, it burns pretty well.

I really love the taste, its toasty, smoky spiciness. The extra topping adds to the natural sweetness from Virginias. This is really satisfying smoke. Can give tongue bite if smoked too fast. I can get an hour and a half of enjoyment out of a bowlful of this blend. The strength of this blend is on the mild side. Not much nicotine in it.

The room note is noticeable, but is not offensive. Actually it's rather pleasant.

Would definitely recommend this blend for all pipe smokers.

Tastes like honey, quite sweet with a little of the mac B cavendish 'spice'. You have to smoke this very slowly, too slowly for my liking to get the delicious taste from this. Low in nicotine, not enough for me. DGT's very well.

All in all a pleasant smoke, but if you are a medium paced puffer, or require a bit of nicotine, give this a miss. Definitely not for ex ciggie smokers. I won't get more.

Doesn't bite as bad as Plum Cake, but still shows it's teeth.

This is a fun tobacco to experiment with, as far as the coins are concerned. But other than that, no excitement here. As one reviewer stated, it does smoke like hot air.

not a bad smoke just one that doesnt have much to offer. i would describe this as a netural blend nothing turned me away from it but nothing really stood out and grabbed my attention either. just ho hum