Tobaccos Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Flake

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JimInks (3023)	2015-04-06		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A creamy vanilla smoke that burns a tad slow, and isn't so sweet that it overpowers the smoker. I get a little honey and very light fruit taste that adds a very mild balance to the mix. The brown sugary black cavendish is a little more than a condiment. The grassy, tart and tangy citrusy, sugary, bready, bright and gold Virginias are the base of the blend. They also provide light tangy darker fruit, earth, wood along with slight honey, floral, spice notes. The nutty, earthy, woody burleys are secondary players. It's a mild all day smoke with not much complexity as by intentional design. Has little nicotine. The strength is mild. The taste level almost reaches the center of mild to medium. Burns cool and clean with a very consistent flavor from top to bottom. Leaves little dampness at the finish. Requires a few more than an average number of relights. No chance of bite or harshness. Has a very pleasant room note, and lightly lingering after taste. Can be an all day smoke. People will like to be around you when you smoke it, so expect to be social when you're out and about in public.

-JimInks

33 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Perique (163)	2013-01-18		Mild	Medium to Strong	Mild	Very Pleasant

One of the few aromatics I enjoy. A beautifully presented flake with fantastic vanilla tin note. The rubbed out flake is moist, but burns well. Not goopy like so many commonly available aromatics. Actually tastes like a good quality tobacco, unlike so many aromatics. Room note is a crowd pleaser. Pleasant for a once-in-awhile aromatic smoke. Does not appear to leave a ghost as far as I can tell. Though if one were to smoke this regularly, it may benefit to dedicate a pipe.

Edit: Mother-in-law visiting. Sitting around after dinner. Perfect occasion for an aromatic. I light it up, tin about a year old so plenty of time to dry. And I'm reminded why this is one of the few aromatics I enjoy. Smoker happy, non- smokers happy. Win/win. I'm raising my review from three to four stars in light of the genre: for aromatics, it just doesn't get much better. Dry this one out and you will be pleased.

Another edit: months later. Decided to light this one up again. And I'm reminded that this is a unique blend - an aromatic for those who like tasting tobacco. True vanilla not just in the room and tin notes, but on the palette. Yet the Virginias are right there with the topping. What a great blend - royalty among aromatics.

32 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipestud (1829)	2006-02-18		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Fans of Vanilla aromatic pipe tobacco blends will find this to be quite pleasant. It has a smidgen of a tobacco taste, yet is loaded with enough vanilla to please the palate.

I have tried many "Vanilla" enhanced tobacco blends over the years and this may just be the best yet. It burns clean and mostly dry all the way to the bottom of the bowl. This is not a biter either.

When reviewing tobacco types, I try to judge each blend on its own merits and compare it against its own genre. Would I prefer this to a hard punching straight Virginia? No. Would I prefer this to most vanilla flavored blends? Absolutely. Therefore, I do recommend MacBaren's Vanilla Cream Flake to my friends who enjoy quality aromatics, particularly those laced with heady doses of Vanilla.

29 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	samwell711r (9)	2014-06-11		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm a long time aromatic smoker. Some years ago I smoked a tin of this and kind of liked it, but didn't really make a note of it. Several months ago I thought about it and purchased a couple of tins. Although I still like aromatics the best, I no longer favor the heavily cased burleys that I used to. For a man who is not fond of latakia and still likes vanilla this is a nice choice The appearance is a nice mottled yellow and black, pleasing to the eye. I'm not sure of the portions, but a generous amount of Virginia is used. The tin note is superb. If you youtube this tobacco for reviews you'll find a funny one of a guy opening the tin smelling the tobacco, and then popping it in his mouth and chewing it up appreciatively. Clearly he had cleverly subsituted a bit of beef jerky beforehand but it was funny and this tobacco really does smell good enough to eat. Whatever vanilla blend they use is top drawer. I prefer the the fold and stuff method for packing, but sometimes use the fill and tamp x3. Either way it is to me a little work getting it going, but once it ignites I can usually get about an hour to an hour and 10 minutes per flake, perfect for my one hour commute to work. As good as it smells you can almost be dissapointed that the flavor of the smoke is not as evident, muted. Almost. I find it to be a nice relaxing smoke. Enough vanilla flavor to satisfy my sweet tooth, but with plenty of good acrid actual tobacco flavor. No gurgle, no wet dottle. burns down good leaving the bottom of your pipe damp but not wet. Its like another reviewer said. You don't really give this much thought. It dosen't have the wow factor. Just a good smoke you dont pay any attention to Then one day you suddenly realize, you've been reaching for this tin almost every day at least once and you are horrifyingly out and you miss it while waiting for a new order to be delivered. It does not bite but it can be a little sharpish on the tongue if you are careless. Pretty high quality tobacco. I think this one was done just right. A good companion like a good dog. Not intrusive just a pleasing hour that lets you focus on other things other than the tobacco. Perfect

Pipe Used: Boswell, EJHeberling, Downie

Age When Smoked: 1 year

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

18 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	marosi (70)	2011-10-22		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a wonderful aromatic flake, perhaps the best vanilla tobacco that I have ever tried (this far, as always!). It comes in a nifty little tin with very neatly packed bright VA flakes nestled inside. The moisture content is pretty good right out of the tin, but the smoking quality improves with a little more drying outside of the tin. The tin aroma is fantastic, and smells of rich natural vanilla. The room note while smoking is the same, and equally pleasant.

This has the look of a VA flake that could just destroy your mouth. Thankfully, in this case looks are deceiving, and it is in fact a cool, comfortable smoke when dealt appropriately, meaning no freight train puffing. It rubs out nicely, lights readily, and burns evenly down to the bottom of the bowl. The flavor is rich VA and cavendish with a hint of vanilla. The VA's in this flake seem different than the typical Mac Baren VA, which can lend itself to tongue bite when smoked improperly due to the retained sugars. In the same vein, while this flake smells sweet and wonderful in the tin, it does not taste overly sweet when smoked. This enhances the ability to enjoy the natural vanilla flavor. Some reviewers have noted a "chemical" flavor, and some have gone so far as state that natural vanilla is not used. Numerous retail sources, however, identify the vanilla used as a natural flavoring. While there is nothing wrong with stating what you subjectively taste (I for one taste nothing remotely resembling a chemical flavor, but taste is subjective) it is not correct to state that a blend has or does not have something when you are factually wrong, or simply do not know what you are talking about (how many silly comments have been made about tonquin by reviewers who did not know that such a thing even existed?). love it or hate it, all sources point to the use (and explicitly state) of natural vanilla.

I for one love it and think everything really comes together with this flake. This is a must have for everyone. I think you could even put a pinch of latakia in there, if you are one of those types who cannot live without that flavor, and it would taste delicious. I am going to go smoke a bowl right now!

Pipe Used: Savinelli Spigot

Age When Smoked: 3 yrs

11 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	StevieB (2076)	2017-11-02		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Flake/Classic Flake.

I absolutely adore this, it's been a regular addition to my rotation for years. I reviewed this quite some time back but wanted to re-do it as I didn't like the way it read.

If, like me, you smoke your flake rubbed you won't find a flake that's any easier to prepare than this. The moisture's good and the aroma from it's delectable...... I could just sniff it all day!

The smoke: if you like vanilla aromatics but haven't tried this you're doing yourself a massive injustice. The moment VCF's ignited I'm in utopia! There's no arguing that the vanilla's the main flavouring, yet there's also a slight sweetness behind it. The black Cavendish doesn't clog up the smoke and cause it to be sticky, the Virginia helps prevent this. Personally I think the tobaccos collaborate to form a kind of mild doughy flavour, without the Virginia running away with sharpness/freshness. Every bowl I've had of VCF has burned impeccably, at a cool temperature, without a bite to be had from the smoke.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: great.

If there's any fault with this I can't find it! Highly recommended:

Four stars.

Pipe Used: Wallenstein Freehand

Age When Smoked: Various. New for this review

Purchased From: Black Swan Tobbacconist U.K.

10 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrumsAndBeer (217)	2013-08-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

The things we'll do for love.

I bought some of this hoping to have a mild flake tobacco that I could enjoy in the presence of my significant other. The charring light showed signs of promise and the room note was very pipey. Honestly one of the loveliest room notes that I have experienced from a Danish style aromatic. Unfortunately, that's where all positives came to a screeching and emphatic halt.

I wouldn't go so far as to call the flavor of Vanilla Cream Flake ghastly, but quite frankly it comes close. Overall, the creamy sweetness so abundant in the side stream aroma was to my surprise utterly undetectable in the actual taste. I did not experience any bite, but the dirty-ashtray flavor left on my palate was a whole different form of punishment. To add insult to injury, upon entering the house from my smoking lounge (the garage), my lovely wife simply stated, "You smell Horrible!"

So much for best laid plans.... Did I mention how beautiful the flakes look?

9 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-07-24		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Beautiful looking flake that becomes almost a crumble cake. I could not get this to fold for loading without breaking. No problem there, really. I just found it interesting.

Tin aroma was of a chemically-altered light vanilla rather than a natural extract. This transfered to the taste, unfortunately. I tried this in various states of moisture and in all cases I got an extremely bland mouthful of hot air with almost no flavor. The most taste was on the pipestem. Very boring smoke. The tobacco appears to be of high quality but no tobacco taste comes through. I puffed madly on one pipeful in an attempt to get ANY type of flavor to exhibit itself but it was not to be. So far, Mac Baren blends tend to follow a pattern of "all aroma, no flavor" and this one is no exception (although Burley London is a wonderful deviation, and Virginia #1 is ok at times). I've got Navy Flake and HH Matured Virginia left to try and then I'll probably say farewell to the House of Mac Baren.

8 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ThePipeMonk (11)	2014-10-25		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The Flake and Tin Aroma: Very Dark with strips of bright tobacco in it. The aroma is very strong when you open the tin and retains it even after the tin is open and used for smoking. The moisture content is high in the fresh tin but goes down low after a few days. The rubbing out process even after drying the flake for 10-15 minutes is sticky due to the sugar content.

Preparation: Ive smoked the flake fully rubbed, folded and stuffed, 1/3rd rubbed and the remaining folded in the pipe but the best results as far as I am concerned has been when the flake was fully rubbed and aired for 10 minutes.

The smoking experience: Lights up like a charm. Experienced smokers wont need to relight it after the charlight as it keeps going on after the light tamping. New smokers would need to relight it a bit to keep it going. The room-note definitely delivers a strong vanilla aroma to your nose, but it fails to deliver the same vanilla dose to your tongue. A word of caution, try not to overburn the tobacco as it will result in hot acrid bitter smoke.

The tobacco smokes like a charm, sip it slow or it will turn your bowl into a furnace, if you have properly aired the tobacco it wont go out. Patience is the key when you smoke Mac Baren blends or any tobacco. The taste is pretty straightforward the cavendish gives a mild taste and the VA come out once in a while with the vanilla. You cant go wrong with this tobacco blend.

It certainly is a crowd pleaser and will only get your praises for its room note.

The tobacco degrades gracefully reducing itself to an elegant dark grey ash. Despite being an aromatic, the flake definitely has a strong tobacco presence, its strong and definitely gets you giving you a nice nicotine dose unlike lots of aromatics.

I highly recommend this tobacco to anyone wanting to smoke a high quality aromatics without the hassle of tongue bite, goop or dottle. It's not perfect but it does what it was created to do. It doesn't have the wow factor but not everything created in this world can be epic.

Smoking Companions: Hot sweet green tea with fresh lime juice and a teaspoon of honey.

Pipe Used: Billiard (9mm), Danish Freehand, Peterson Zulu

Age When Smoked: 4 months

Purchased From: http://www.smokingpipes.com

7 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pylet2000 (33)	2017-07-17		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

In my search for an "out and about" blend that people enjoy the smell of, this has basically won the crown. Not only is it pleasant to everybody around you, it's also very enjoyable to the smoker, a double win many aromatic blends struggle with.

In the tin of both flake and loose cut, there's a slight smell of fermented tobaccos on top of the basic cream / fruit / vanilla smell that's not present in the bulk variety. This adds slightly more depth and intrigue to the smoke, and as such I slightly prefer tin to bulk. The difference between flake and loose cut is essentially in form only. Smoked as a stuffed and folded flake seems to encourage a cooler / slower burn, but the flavor / aroma is identical. Due to the similarity of this in flake form and loose cut tin, and the price premium for the flake, I lean towards the loose cut tin as the better buy.

The aroma is nothing but agreeable. Smells excellent, the slight fruit essence being a little more noticeable than any vanilla. I'm not quite sure where the "cream" comes from, but it's fantastic and makes for a smooth mellow smoke. And despite being topped, I definitely taste tobacco as the prime ingredient. The tobacco flavor is mostly Virginia and burley, although the Black Cavendish does add it's expected note. I don't detect the spice of the natural brown Cavendish that MacBaren uses, but the sweetness and toasted marshmallow effect in some of the Roll Cake blends is mildly present.

I have yet to get bitten by this despite plenty of sugar content, but I bet a novice could over-pack and over-draw it into biting. Burns and behaves mostly like a straight Virginia flake, some moisture but not syrupy goop.

All in all, this is the benchmark by which I measure aromatics, the best aromatic experience I've had to date.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NobbyR (79)	2015-03-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

I admit, I have a weak spot for vanilla flavored tobaccos. It's just that since my childhood days I've always associated this particular smell with pipe smoking.

Mac Baren's dark brown Vanilla Cream Flake is mottled with lighter leafs, and has an intensely sweet, delicious tin note that bursts with scents of vanilla without being obtrusive.

You can rub it out or use the fold and stuff method, which I prefer, and which creates a slightly different smoking experience. In a new tin, the flakes tend to be on the moist side, so it's a good idea to let them dry a little. If you even out the surface after the charring light, you can usually get it burning evenly with a single true light.

Enjoyed gently and with care, this tobacco will give you a sweet, mellow, creamy smoke tasting of vanilla with a slight tangy note from the Virginias, and some nutty aftertaste from the Burley. It's easier to smoke it coolly as a whole flake than rubbed out. Also, you'll get more genuine tobacco flavor with the fold and stuff method.

The pleasant room note is reminiscent of vanilla and caramel.

Pipe Used: Jeppesen Ida Bent

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local Tobacconist

Similar Blends: Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut.

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ap (57)	2013-07-26		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Heavenly room note, great tobacco taste , not overly sweet and cheap. This flake is great when you want to please others around you while still enjoying a great smoke!!!!

6 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-05-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Now this is an aromatic I can live with. My tobacco of choice is MacBarens Navy Flake, but this Vanilla Flake, may....have edged it out. It's a similar blend of Virginia's and Cavendish, but the expert "touch", of the Vanilla casing, is both subtle, and sublime. Upon opening the tin, it's no doubt....vanilla. But, when smoked, the taste of vanilla, and slight sweetness, adds to, not detracts from, the Virginia and Cavendish tobacco's. For those tobacco smokers, like me, who prefer the natural taste of quality, cured tobacco's like Navy Flake, Virginia Flake, etc., you may want to give this MacBaren aromatic a try.

5 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Wally Frank Collector (46)	2020-06-27		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Received this as a gift from a friend. Opening the humidor I was greeted by a creamy Vanilla Aroma that had a very pleasant background of very light honey and grass. The Rich Vanilla was in the front but did not drown out the other aromas. The aroma blended well together. Even with the tobacco seeming to be dry enough I rubbed out the flake into small pieces and put onto paper towel for a half hour. It filled the bowl easily. This lit very easily and burned at a steady medium rate that was cool, offered no bite even when pushed and had only two re-lights even though it was sipped slowly. Left no moisture in the bowl. The smoke was creamy and thick and lingered a long time in the air, The room note is very, very pleasant. This can be an all day smoke. The flavor stayed the same through the whole bowl and burned into a dark gray ash.

Upon lighting I was met by a creamy Vanilla taste that was delicious. This not a chemical vanilla that is sicky sweet but real vanilla that is perfect in strength and does not drown out the tobacco or the other flavors which consist of light honey, a touch of grass with a light tart taste that balances and plays nice with the natural light sweetness and the other flavors. There is a touch of citrus also. The flavors know their place and play delightfully together making this a pleasant and very enjoyable smoke. Its not complicated, its not a change the flavor by the sip, it is just a rock solid, great tasting wonderful tobacco that isnt complicated, doesnt pretend to be. It is for enjoying, relishing, capturing your attention only when you realize how good this is and then go back to what you were doing. This leaves a wonderful lightly sweet, real vanilla and slightly tart aftertaste in the mouth and the same after it is finished.

This is not like many aromatics, sticky sweet and goopy. It doesnt drown out the tobacco or other flavors. It is not only a everyday smoke but one for special occasions. This is a favorite also, to be used for special occasions. I found it very relaxing to smoke and relished every sip. Life is good and smoking this makes the day that much better. A 4star out of 4 stars rating. This would be a great after dinner smoke or for a special occasion.

Pipe Used: Dr. Grabow Omega, my 1st pipe from 40 yrs ago.

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Gift from friend

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Tropicalretriever (23)	2020-04-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I can think of nothing better than a good cool smoking vanilla aromatic. That is what you will find with Mac Baren's vanilla Flake. I have tried other vanilla aromatics that were drenched with PG and they were not at all pleasant. Most required drying time and bit. Mac Baren's Classic Flake is a no bite relaxing tobacco with a wonderful room note. It lights well and requires minimal relights. It is now my all day smoke. For a smooth experience, give this one a chance. I think you will be pleased.

Edit: My feelings have changed about this tobacco. My first couple of bowls presented with no bite but that soon changed. Now I get horrible tongue burn from each smoke. Subtracting 3 stars.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Pipes and Cigars

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Lazarus77 (91)	2016-06-19		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Not bad aromatic tobacco with good aroma. Tobacco flavor is medium. Lighting takes a little patience,don't puff too hard or you'll bite your tongue. Mildly sweet, wonderful burn, a pleasure to the bottom of the bowl. Recommended.

Pipe Used: various briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh to 1 year

Purchased From: Local tobacconist store

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Glorfindel (86)	2016-05-04		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

This aromatic has solid VA character folks. A light sweet grassy tanginess that fans of VA tobaccos love. Just the right amount of vanilla to make it a vanilla fans favorite as well. The VAs dominate, as they should here. Moisture level is just right out of the tin, rub out or leave as a flake and stuff it in, either way this is an easy, no-fuss smoke. Simple, flavorful and true to it's name and a great example of high quality VAs. Thanks Mac Baren,,, another winner ,,,,, 4-stars **

Pipe Used: Meer lined briar

Age When Smoked: new tin

Purchased From: pipes and cigars.com

Similar Blends: Planta Danish Black Vanilla Flake.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Maccas (6)	2013-02-09		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Bought this tin from The Pipe Shop in Frome, South West England. Go there if you can. Opened the lovely tin to a wonderful smell. Flakes rubbed out well and packed nicely. The first few sips were quite chemically and left me disappointed. It does settle down, lovely white smoke. Bit me hard - think this is what is called the Mac Bite. not sure if I would bother buying again.

4 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NeoPolis (11)	2022-09-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I’m about 6 or 7 flakes in. This blend is new to me. I was hoping it to be a “new favorite” of mine and it does not disappoint. As usual - JimInks’ review nails the description and I won’t try to recapitulate that here. I have come to enjoy flake tobacco for many reasons - and this aromatic preserves the flavor in a flake, letting you dry it without losing the top note. Still - even without much drying - the flavor is there and good - this is an extremely NON fussy aromatic and an excellent example of a delicate bright Virginia.

I’ve enjoyed how it works in my savinelli 315 KS. The slower you smoke this - the better it is. The strength is not your typical mild. It has been “variable” for me - and oddly so - much like how full virgiana flake can surprise you - sometimes less mild than others. The flakes themselves are extremely delicate. If you expect something all bendy and durable like Erinmore flake you will be disappointed. This is more like a crumble cake where the flakes are more of a “suggestion” than a true flake. I have come to embrace this rather than resist it and store these in a jar I have to remember to keep sideways to maintain the faint whisp of cohesion that prevents total collapse.

There is SO much detail and nuance in this blend. It is subtle - very much worth it. Not to be rushed - best enjoyed when there is nothing much pressing on your mind.

Pipe Used: Savinelli 315 KS

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Bushido (26)	2021-11-24		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I like all genres, but lean toward sweet Virginia’s and flavored Latakia blends/ aromatic English such as Northwoods, Shepherds Pie, Eastfarthing. I’m not a fan of most aromatic burley blends.

I’ve been on the hunt for a good aromatic Virginia, and have often been disappointed.

With this one, I actually found that the taste is better than the tin note. The flavor is a creamy light vanilla with quality Virginia, although the Virginia does seem young and has some rough edges. I imagine a year of age may smooth out the Virginias. Once lit, I find the vanilla comes and goes, interspersed with times where the Virginia dominates, which is a little less pleasant, but minutes later the vanilla comes back. I’m reminded of coffee with a bit of vanilla creamer. You taste mostly coffee but with a flavored sweetness. The vanilla in this flake is light and natural, not artificial tasting. I occasionally taste a hint of something like a faint raspberry or fruit flavor, but maybe that’s what real vanilla tastes like. The last third, the vanilla fades to the background and the rougher edges come out, but it’s not unpleasant. I fold and stuff, which works great with the thin pliable flakes. Fresh from the tin it’s a bit moist. I do have more than average relights, and end up dumping the last 1/5 or so to avoid fighting with relights. Maybe an hour of dry time would help. There is bit of moisture and I find I need to run a pipe cleaner at start of the last 1/3, but no gurgle. I get absolutely no bite, but being this is a Mac Baren, I sip slow. Everyone nearby will love the room note, which is warm and comforting. This could become my favorite social smoke, and it’s everything that I was hoping for when I was disappointed by Pease’s “The Virginia Cream.” I’m still not sure what an “all day smoke” is. Does it mean you could puff this all day and it won’t wreck your tongue or get boring? Or does it mean it’s good any time of day, for both morning coffee and after dinner? Whatever, this is definitely a smoke you could have a couple times throughout the day and find it enjoyable.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ValleyPiper (2)	2020-07-08		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm fairly new to pipe smoking, so read this review through those lenses.

I've come to a place in my pipe smoking journey where I've found most aromatics just a bit blah. In most cases the tin note doesn't translate into the smoke and the tobacco taste is all but nonexistent; at least for me anyway. This tobacco is different though. I find it a very delightfully tasting and satisfying smoke. It's mild and creamy with just enough tobacco taste that you can appreciate the fact that you have in fact filled your pipe with tobacco.

One of my go-to all day blends. Highly recommended.

Pipe Used: Savinelli roma 315

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	oldpaths (6)	2019-12-24		Medium to Strong	Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

This is not only my favorite aromatics but one of my favorite tobaccos. There's a vanilla scent that is different than cooking vanilla, but it's still a sweet smell. I'm not sure I would have guessed vanilla if I didn't know the description.

Even with the topping, tobacco flavor comes through. There is a wonderful balance between the tobacco and the topping. I never feel like I'm smoking candy but it's definitely on the sweeter side. Nicotine level is perfect. I judge aromatic flakes by this tobacco.

Pipe Used: Peterson, Rossi, Savinelli

Age When Smoked: 1 Year

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	HeavyTrees (70)	2019-06-19		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I somehow got a very dry batch of this tobacco recently but usually the flakes by Mac baren come in good condition - ready to smoke - so was mine but it crumbled apart when folding so that I had to carefully rub it out. Guess I got a tin from way back in the shelf and experienced square tins dont keep the moisture as well as round ones do.

Look in tin is nice; dark brown and golden structured flake slices - well pressed with cold smell of real vanilla and a touch of black tea. Lights well and burns evenly without much of attention.

Tastes of VA; sweet and almond-like with much of vanilla and bit of honey flavoring. Sometimes BC comes through but the topping is always present. Bit too much for me. Sweet all over even without a filter and some creamy roasting aromas that I like.

Highly recommended for lovers of sweet vanilla tobaccos as the flavoring doesn't taste fake at all. Room note is very nice even non-smokers adore it.

Pipe Used: Vauen Author; calabash

Age When Smoked: Fresh from tin

Purchased From: Local Dealer

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BROBS (67)	2019-03-18		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Probably THE best aromatic flake I have ever tried.. hands down. It does smell/taste of vanilla, but not so much as to overpower the tobacco when smoking. You can also smell the fruit of Mac Baren's "Modern Cavendish" which is easily recognizable. The flakes are dark with light areas and specks, and rub apart very easily. I have found the flakes in the 1lb box to be twice as long as they are in the tin and rub out to a better shag cut rather than tiny pieces (which I believe are a result of cutting the long flake in half for packaging). Tin note is amazing and I doubt anyone could dislike this smell. Presentation in the tin and 1lb box is very good: wrapped in nice white paper and sealed with a gold tab. As noted the tin flakes are smaller rectangles while the 1lb box comes as a flake twice as long. I prefer to rub the flake out for a more even burn and flavor but it burns just fine as a stuffed flake, too. Charring light gives you a wonderful vanilla taste with a little fruit... at this point you might think there is no tobacco here. The true light gives you the taste of the tobacco while mixing perfectly with the topping. This tobacco will smoke evenly and fairly dry all the way to the bottom of the bowl... leaving only a little moisture and a dark grey ash. Room note is one of the best I have experienced. This tobacco screams high quality throughout and one I plan to keep on hand at all times. One of the few of which my wife approves.

If you want a less aromatic smoke, I like to mix this 50/50 with Golden Sliced!

Pipe Used: Various briars

Age When Smoked: direct from tin/box and jarred for months

Purchased From: smokingpipes.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	rattdogg99 (51)	2018-08-04		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

So, I bought three tins of cream flake a while back and put them in a cabinet I sometimes store tobacco in. Two years later I remembered them. I've smoked these flakes off and on for years but usually within a few months of purshing . I didn't know what I was missing by not ageing them awhile. WoW! This is a totally different smoke with some age on it. Mellow,creamy, soft and absolutely delicious. It's more than I ever thought it could be. I'm having trouble finding words to describe how wonderful these flakes are. Just sit some back for a year or so and see for yourself.

Pipe Used: Various

Age When Smoked: Two yrs.

Purchased From: Pipesandcigars.com

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2015-07-30		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

OK, so...

A while ago I thought I'd live a little on the wild side and try a couple of things that I wouldn't ordinarily have thought to try, not being a lover of aromatics.. So I bought a tin of the Navy Flake, just because it had "rum" in the description, and I also got a sample of this stuff, just thinking to myself that it would end up in a jar, forgotten about, but at least I could say I had tried...

Well, wasn't I surprised..?

Ordinarily, I can't stand aromatics. I generally find them altogether too sweet and claggy in the mouthfeel, but this is an exception to the rule.

I immediately ordered a tin before the 3 flakes I got in my sample had run out....

The tin aroma is sublime, but I have been taken in by this illusion before with aros, so I wasn't expecting much beyond that.

Imagine yourself in a park on a hot summer afternoon, having just bought a 99 Flake. (That's a vanilla ice cream with a Cadbury's chocolate flake in it, to our cousins not of these shores). The ice cream melts and leaves your fingers sticky and sweet-smelling, just at the same moment as you also get a lungful of grass that has been mown and left to dry in the sun for a few days..

That kind of sums up this blend for me. I don't WANT it to be an every day smoke, but just by virtue of the "Madeleine moment" alone, it's a winner for me. I find myself, as a dedicated lover of Latakia and other punchy tobaccos, actually really enjoying this as a mellow evening smoke. What's more, my better half, while not positively encouraging me to smoke it in the house, nonetheless concedes that it does make the place smell fantastic. Further still, I actually am considering dedicating a little, small-bowled Parker briar to this specific aro.

And from someone who ordinarily really does not like aromatics, I think that's quite high praise.

Pipe Used: Parker briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: GQ Tobaccos

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Kraft1994 (54)	2014-02-11		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Vanilla Flake is one of Mac Baren nicer blends. As a new pipe smoker i remember greatly enjoying this blend. The vanilla/sweet virginia flavor kept me very interested and introduced me to the wonderful world of virginia tobaccos and flake cut tobaccos. I would recommend this blend to new pipe smokers. It has enough aromatic vanilla flavor to appeal to any new comer and will help ease then into new areas of pipe smoking. A great stepping stone into the wonderful wonderful world of flakes. However, a downside to this tobacco is the tongue bite. It seems no Mac Baren blend is immune to this. Though this downside will most definitely help new pipe smokers learn the value of patience when enjoying a pipe. Unfortunately the tongue bite plague of Mac Baren is enough to keep me from purchasing this blend. Nowadays I've lost interest in aromatics and have moved on to stronger virginias, burleys, English blends and all other wonders the tobacco world has to offer. Aromatics are now in my past but to new pipe smokers looking to find a wider variety of pipe tobaccos and cuts while learning patients I would recommend giving this a try.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-06-26		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Unnoticeable

This tobacco seemed like a great idea. I imagined a predominantly Virginia Flake, with possibly a hint of cavendish and vanilla. What I recieved was mostly full-fledged cavendish with some fleeting moments of Virginia and vanilla. This tobacco is very smokable in that it was easy, cool burning, did not goop the pipe or have a chemical taste... but that's because it doesn't HAVE a taste. It is sooo boring! Now I'm sure cavendish has its place; I just can't figure out what that is. It is tastless. It is like drinking Bud Light instead of real beer. I guess people want to smoke a pipe but don't want to taste anything. To top it off, my wife couldn't even smell a roomnote... and I was sitting right next to her. You might as well be smoking CBW. At least then you could please those around you if not yourself. Not recommended. Buy something with more substance.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-02-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

When I first tried it, I was expecting something with a little more vanilla in it, and so was a bit disappointed; however, as soon as you get over that expectation, it really is a very nice flake. It smokes cool and smooth, it has a very pleasant creaminess to it without entirely surrendering its tobacco taste. Now here is the thing: as I was packing my pipe once, my little sister happened by and took a smell of the tin. She told me "It smells like fig-newtons!" Now, having heard this, I must say, she was absolutely right. It smells and tastes like fig newtons. I can't even pretend to taste the vanilla anymore. All I can taste is figs. That being said, I like figs, and if you like them too, you will like this!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Xeneize (275)	2010-12-04		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

Good aromatic: very little tongue bite, true vanilla flavor, a tasty Virginia leaf and great burning qualities. Compared to other vanilla aromatics, the flavoring is on the mild side of the spectrum.

A little bitter for an aromatic: I like the high Virginias percentage in this mixture, but their natural sweetness is not enough for an aromatic. More Cavendish or a more noticeable sugar casing would have improved this blend.

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Steerpike (150)	2009-01-22		Mild to Medium	Very Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I've been thinking of trying this for a few years now, but never got round to it. Glad I did, maybe this is the best vanilla aromatic I've tried. I tend not to enjoy the sticky cavendish aromatics so much, but all kinds of flakes, english mixtures and plugs are my kind of thing. This treads the line between aromatic (strong, sweet room note and a flavouring you can taste) and flakes (tobacco flavour, strength, and slow, cool burning) rather well.

The aroma on opening the tin is STRONG! Vanilla, lots of vanilla, backed up by an alcoholic scent (brandy?) and something slightly floral, perhaps rose. Not in a soapy way, this is not lake district tobacco, I think it's something they use to make the vanilla casing more interesting. It is packed very nicely, wrapped in gold paper, the flakes neatly cut, stacked and without excessive moisture. They tend to dry out further, suggesting that they are not soaked with humectants, which is just as well, it burns the better for it.

It lights with ease- one match, if rubbed out. I like to rub it out fully, of smoking indoors- helps keep it lit, with an even burn. If outside, I'd rub it less, or just roll it up, if it was windy. The key to enjoying it, like a virginia flake, is breath smoking. Gentle sips, don't puff too hard or you'll steam your tongue. Take it slowly and gently and you'll enjoy the flavour- there is a tobacco flavour, and there's plenty of vanilla flavour too. This is what I find hard to do with the really sticky aromatics- if you smoke them gently, they keep going out. Not so with this blend.

The flavour does not develop through the bowl, but remains fairly consistent to the end. It burns SLOWLY, and even a small pipe will last a very long time. Nice to smoke while doing something else like watching a film, reading etc. I wouldn't smoke it just to sit down and have a smoke, it isn't complex or interesting enough. But it's a nice tobacco to have going, and people do like the smell!

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Nick (74)	2009-01-05		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This has the exact same tin fragrance as the loose cut version. The flake is a little stronger and less bitey if smoked in flake form. Strong vanilla fragrance combined with quality tobaccos. Dry it out well and most of any bite will be eliminated. Sweet and tasty !

3 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Big Tom (20)	2021-06-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Love it. I try to stay away from most flavored ribbon cut burleys. I usually smoke English/Balkans, Alcohol essence English/Balkans, and Virginia/VaPers. I usually get complaints from the peanut gallery that my great high quality tobacco smells awful and that afterward I smell like cigarettes , from my ex cigarette smoker wife and my daughter. I do not plan to stop smoking those because I love them, but I needed a break, a peace offering if you will.

Enter Mac Baren vanilla.

I was about to light it up and my wife already started in with the unwelcome comments. (I only smoke outside, BTW, so please understand my suffering.)

I prep and light it, and she was like "Whoa that smells amazing! That reminds me of my grandfather."

So, I have found a high quality tobacco that is worthy of my palate and also gets praise and tolerance from the peanut gallery. Win win.

The flakes are loose. I bought a boxed bag (1lb) and by the time I got to the third pint jar that last jar looks like mostly broken flake from having to handle them and placing them into the jar. The first 2 jars are mostly intact.

Gorgeous dark brown color with mottled light bits.

The taste is rich tobacco with a vanilla essence. The vanilla is not overpowering at all but it's there. Apparently it's all in the "room note" which is GOOD for those who may be critical of "stinky" pipe smoke.

You can over tamp it and end up with a blocked draw hole so be careful there. Drying time might help with that. Also, pack it lightly.

I love these other guys who say no chance of bite. Of course it can bite if you go too fast or light it too vigorously. I usually get it too hot and you can get that dry tongue/cat tongue so be careful with that. It's not a foregone conclusion with this one as it is with the roll cake. That one gets my tongue in a mess for no logical reason. Must be the pH on that one. Update: a filtered pipe also works to prevent any aromatic induced tongue bite.

Pipe Used: French briar, meer, filtered morta

Age When Smoked: new

Purchased From: P&C

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	NEWMAN (305)	2021-01-21		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I normally smoke VA or VA/Per flakes but gave this aromatic a try. Good moisture content right from the tin that works well with my fold and stuff packing. Vanilla note is evident in the tin, taste and especially the room note. Consistent flavor but still tastes like VA/cavendish tobacco. Lights easily and burns evenly with few relights. No bite if smoked slowly and pleasant aftertaste. I'll try this one again in the hot summer months.

Pipe Used: charatan; estella

Age When Smoked: unknown

Purchased From: smoking pipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pikey Mick (48)	2020-07-29		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

When opened I find it burns a little hot so I tend to dry it out a lot. Vanilla note is natural and not too sweet. I like to add a pinch of Sam Gawiths Kendal Cream a I find it makes for a more creamy smoke. Virginia's here are sweet and tart and the vanilla is quite pleasant on the palate throughout the bowl. One of the best aromatics I've smoked to date as there is no bitterness that usually spoils the pipe for me in most. The Cavendish is mild and never cloying. Great with espresso. 6/10 for me. Room note is nice and nicotine levels are low to just below medium. Inoffensive and a nice interlude between my usual Va/Pers.

Pipe Used: Molina straight billiard

Purchased From: GQ

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mike Cronis (36)	2020-06-12		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Vanilla and half-and-half cream flavor. Almost like home-made vanilla cake with no frosting. Not very sweet and a natural, non-synthetic vanilla taste. Quite decent. Taste like it smells out of the tin. Slow burn, not too hot. Nice vanilla.

Pipe Used: Ukrainian pearwood

Age When Smoked: 1 month

Purchased From: Pipes & Cigars

Similar Blends: Sutliff Vanilla D40.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Shrink (21)	2019-11-22		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Mac Baren Vanilla Flake Cut

I have enjoyed the MacBarens blends since Nam days ... this is a conforting & sublime tobacco. The quality tobacco is not overwhelmed by the flavours... the aroma reminds me of my Grandparents...my Grandad would seripticously add some of Grandma’s vanilla to his tobacco... not this quality I would venture! This is an aromatic flake of superior quality & smoking experience! It is creamy & smokes cool w/few re-lights. I use the fold & stuff method after modest drying time; the rub & fill/tamp method also works. There is no gargle, goop or wet dottle residue. I get a fruity/creamy flavour & ‘sip’ the smoke - no bite! Room note is as pleasing to others as myself. It lights easily & I get about an hours smoke w/2 flakes. The VA/Black Cavendish & maybe nutty Burleys are harmonious. For those wanting to try an Aro. I am confident in recommending this to you. I’m just finishing a tin 5 yrs. old & a 1 Lb box just arrived ! Try it!

Pipe Used: Briars: Ashton’s, Dunhill, Blatters

Age When Smoked: 5 yrs to new

Purchased From: UK Tobacconist, SmokingPipes.com

Similar Blends: Mac Baren: Vanilla Cream Loose Cut.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ted vig (11)	2019-09-22		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I like this blend. I like it a lot. VA/cav mixture with a medium vanilla topping. The vanilla itself is better than most vanilla topping. It doesn't overwhelm the tobacco but adds to the light sweetness of the Virginia. Smokes as easily as many flake tobaccos. Can smoke hot, depending on your loading technique. The sugar content can act to help it burn easily regardless of loading technique. I like it folded and stuffed into the chamber. If you like an aromatic occasionally and like flakes, this is for you. Enjoy- Ted

Pipe Used: Stanwells, cobs, Peterson's

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Konstantin (2)	2019-08-26		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Nice taste, starting mild, vanila, cream taste after strong flavour of virginian grass taste, middle smoky notes of black cavedish, stricktly backs to vanila. Smoking cool and straight, need to give rest in the middle.

Pipe Used: Rattray's half bent billiard

Age When Smoked: Tin 6 months

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jergy (3)	2019-08-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

This is what an aoromatic tobacco should taste like! The vanilla sent is completely intoxicating right from the tin. However it’s not carried over into the smoking experience. The Virginia’s are smooth and slightly sweet with just a perfect hint of vanilla in the actual smoke. I truly believe the the key to smoking this is drying it out. Look at every positive review....they all dried it out longer than their usual drying time. You’re almost guaranteed an excellent smoking experience if you do. This is one of the most tobacco foward aros I’ve tried, and it quickly made its way into my rotation. Especially in the dog days of summer; it’s just what I’ve been looking for. Great with morning coffee or a mid-day unsweet tea

Pipe Used: Dagner corn cob, assortment of briars

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	SkySoldier (9)	2017-12-30		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Strong

Mac Baren Vanilla is a tobacco I've really bent backwards to try and like, but after many failed attempts with this tobacco, I give up, it's just not for me. This tobacco regardless of the pipe used, smoking cadence and whatever other variables results in an unsavory smoke. The vanilla flavor is present and is actually not bad, its fairly similar to Stanwell Vanilla but less flavorful, however the big difference is that Stanwell Vanilla is a cool smoke, whilst MB is a strong grassy Virginia smoke that smokes hot resulting in a hot and unsavory smoke, the room note also smells like burnt popcorn. I don't like the flavor of the tobacco, and the casing makes it burn too hot. If you want a good vanilla aromatic I strongly recommend Stanwell Vanilla.

Pipe Used: Tsuge Ikebana

Age When Smoked: New/Fresh

Purchased From: Smokingpipes.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mightysmurf8201 (28)	2017-05-29		Mild to Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Tin note offers sweet and slightly grassy Virginias with an essence of Vanilla. This is not drenched in Vanilla flavoring. It is a VA based flake with enough vanilla sweetness to satisfy those looking for the flavor profile. The flakes look and burn just like all the other MacBaren flakes out there. Easy to rub or just as good folded and stuffed. A little drying helps, but not crucial. Burns a bit on the slower side. No bite, and no goop. If you're looking for a decent vanilla flavored tobacco where you can still enjoy the flavor of the tobacco, this hits the mark pretty well. Not something I'll keep on hand, but will definitely pick up a tin every now. Smokes best in briar, cob, morta, and meer, in that order.

Pipe Used: briar, cob, meer, morta

Age When Smoked: 1 yr.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BHince (2)	2017-02-15		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

A delightful blend indeed.

I loaded up a bowl earlier today after not having smoked it for several months and what a joy.

The taste was as remembered - mild and without novelty (something I detest) and I was quite content. But the smoke was quite exceptional! I had forgotten how well it fills a space with it's creamy notes.

Burns cool, and doesn't bite. Perfect for between meals and with blue skies overhead.

Pipe Used: Big Ben Cambridge

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	canvas (337)	2016-04-04		Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

Got this one as an accident (I ordered the non-flake version and was sent this one instead). It was my first foray into a flake cut, which reminded me of smoking the cube cut I once tried... neither of which I was a fan of. Something about the way the air rushing past the tobacco just doesn't feel as heavy or full bodied as the ribbon cut I'm used to (though eventually the bowl packs down into a more familiar smoke). The flake cut takes longer to burn, so if you want a longer smoke, there is that I guess.

Aside from my annoyance of the cut, I was not that impressed with the flavor. While it had hints of vanilla, for something billed as vanilla flavored, there was not much there for me. It wasn't an unpleasant smoke, just didn't strike me as distinct, which I wanted it be.

The small tin was an added bonus as I now use it as a travel tin for my other tobaccos.

Purchased From: Iwan Reis

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DJ CULL (2)	2016-02-11		Mild	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Very good tasting and aromatic flavour, highly recomend if you like Vanilla and aromatic at the same time. Tastes better when you havent eaten vanilla ice cream for a few weeks, and want to be reminded of the flavour.

Pipe Used: Falcon straight with Dover bowl

Purchased From: Lands tobacconist, Stratford Upon Avon. UK

Similar Blends: American Vanilla.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Capt (339)	2016-01-15		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

Let us start with the tin presentation. Beautiful, uniform flakes, almost completely comprised of Va. I truly cannot detect even a spec of black Cavendish on this flake. No difficulty in rubbing out, loads nice too. The tin aroma is of the most unusual scent. Not a true vanilla, but a confectionary type sweet vanilla birthday cake of sorts. MacBaren has been guilty of tongue raping me on just about every occasion we have courted, the tongue bite of the worst degree. However, this blend was tame. During the charring lights, this blend smoked hot, airy, and without aromatic properties. In order to get the subtle vanilla top note to transfer, you MUST only take small sips continuously, and avoid a relight of any form. Keep well tamped, this will stay lit to the bottom of the bowl. However, if you smoke it hot you will be rewarded with nothing but a hot, acrid smoking experience.

Age When Smoked: 3 years

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jolo Josh (6)	2016-01-14		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This would be my first vanilla. I have always been skeptical about trying a vanilla flavoured aromatic due to the countless chagrin about such tobaccos; this had deterred me from vanilla tobaccos . Until now...

The opening of the tin, you could really smell the heaving artificial smell of vanilla slapped onto the tin upon opening. With my guard against it, and having slightly prejudged the tobacco unfairly, I decided to plunge into it.

Surprisingly, the taste deceives my judgement and it tasted remarkably well. When sipping on it slowly, I could really taste the vanilla and I received compliments on the smell.

All in all, it tasted remarkable and I think for any beginners wanting to try a good vanilla tobacco, this one would be a great starter and for a person who tried vaping in the past, I ascertain the fact that this tobacco is on par with those vape fluid. Just let it dry a little though before packing.

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Malaysia

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mr. Motoyoshi (68)	2015-02-24		Mild	Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

More or less the same as the loose cut.

This blend was lost on me. It's a beautiful flake presentation like most of MacB's.

Smells wonderful out of the tin, although not that much like Vanilla. More like a blueberry/strawberry nutrigrain bar.

There's nothing to complain bout the packing or burning, not very goopy at all. The tongue bite factor is minor but it's there. The problem is that I get nothing flavor wise from this tobacco. The smoke coming out of my mouth smells amazing and it almost fools you into thinking that the tobacco tastes good. But it doesn't. It tastes like smooth air. Even on a retrohale it doesn't offer much.

Simply can't enjoy this blend and with the tongue bite factor as well, I don't think I would smoke a free sample of this.

I think Drums and beer has the best review of this stuff. Good if you want to have the other people in the room enjoy your pipe, not good if you want to.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	farhan (5)	2014-08-08		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

A very pleasant aroma and smell when opening the tin. A very promising taste when you start your first sips. But that 's all. Finished ! No more. Before reaching half the bowl there is nothing left of the taste and vanilla. And it gets hotter and hotter . At this stage, for me , a sort of headache and tongue bite starts to dominate, something different begins to develop to be completely disappointing. Never I could finish the bowl so many times I tried this tobacco. Even the room note fades out for nonsmokers as you go on !

Pipe Used: various pipes

Age When Smoked: new

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	natibo (169)	2014-07-30		Mild	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is what I smoke if I know I'm going to be smoking a pipe in close quarters with my girlfriend. It has a great room aroma, but smokes like a flake. Wonderful for an evening out with the lady.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Mville (9)	2014-02-05		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

3 flakes of this were enough for me to decide i had wasted money. Tongue bite with every puff. Dont waste your time with this blend.

Pipe Used: Missouri meerschaum

Age When Smoked: ?

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	codyp (65)	2014-01-27		Very Mild	Strong	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is one of the first blends I tried, several years ago. Thinking back I think I liked it quite a lot.

Now. Things have changed. Trying several hundreds of tobaccos later, not okay.

If your looking for just a good smelling blend, go for it. The taste is pretty good, casing wise. Besides the putrid tongue bite. Also an all day smoke because it is very very light. Which isn't for me. Not saying others wouldn't enjoy it.

With all said, A blend i'm glad I tried, but not for me.

Pipe Used: H.I.S Egg

Purchased From: Local Shop (J & R Fielding Co.)

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	TexasPipeGuy (6)	2014-01-03		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Very Full	Overwhelming

Cut is great. The flake folds and smokes well. I would say the room note is ok but a bit much for me. This tobacco bites hard so watch out. I wont be buying another tin of this again.

Pipe Used: Savinelli Poker w/balsa filter

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Highlands Cigars.com

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2013-11-28		Mild	Medium	Very Mild	Pleasant

Nice smell when opening tin, but that is about it. There were a few moments throughout the smoke when some flavor try to make its way through, but it never made any distinct impression. Threw the rest away after the first bowl. There is some ok Virginia in there but it gets altered by the no distinct chemical "vanilla" flavoring. I will not be smoking this again.

Pipe Used: Dunhill Root Briar

Age When Smoked: no ageing

Purchased From: Faders - Annapolis , MD

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	mdnyc71 (22)	2013-09-20		Very Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Incredible tin note. Probably the best I've smelled. Unfortunately, it bit terribly and had an underlying chemical taste. I tried blending with other tobaccos but could never enjoy it. This one is not for me.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	manno (50)	2013-08-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Update: Prior two-star review based on one tin. I had ordered two and the second now forces me to retract my negativity towards both the quality of the virginia (better than thought -- call it good but by no means great) and the nic level (now adequate for me). High two stars.

I'm with the gent whose posting is immediately below. I'm not a big aro smoker but have a bowl or two from time to time (Villiger Mid-Day being far and away the best I've ever had). This beautiful looking and smelling flake tastes of bad virginia and, to boot, gives you no nic hit as a consolation prize. Moreover, if I'm going to smoke a vanilla leaf let it at least remind me of vanilla (apart from the room note). I have many, many more tins of better weeds in my den that will appease not only my taste buds but my bizarre attraction to the ceremony of taking tobacco from little rectangular boxes. I love to smoke as you all no doubt do as well, and if this tobacco suits you then have at it.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-01-15		Mild to Medium	Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

Not too sure about this... First few smokes I didn't like it, the vanilla seemed too weak. After finishing the tin I have found it smokes best for me fully rubbed out and smoked slowly. The vanilla is very subtle but pleasant. I have got good feedback regarding the room note. This being my first danish aro, I wasn't expecting the very subtle flavour, but I think I like it. Enough nic to keep me happy, but not a heavyweight by a long shot. I will buy more of this to properly figure it out, once you smoke it for a bit it sorta makes a bit more sense.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunner525 (66)	2012-01-10		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Basically this version is much like the loose cut, except I found its flavours intensified a bit. My guess would be the pressing of the tobacco increased the intensity of the flavours a bit. Definately reccommend the fold and stuff method with a bit of drying time before smoking. Then it smokes like a dream. Great blend and the Mrs. loved the room note, she noted it from about 100 feet away even.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-09-25		Medium	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant

Many Aromatics bite me, no matter how slow I smoke. It is a pleasure to find one I can smoke with little or no bite, full tobacco flavor with just the right amount of gentle vanilla sweetness. There are many cloyingly sweet vanillas out there but this is not one. Rich tobacco goodness. Nicotene level seems good. It won't knock you over but it will leave you satisfied. A+

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	ADz Pipes (7)	2011-09-08		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

The best vanilla tobacco period - so far - the loose cut was good but on a recommendation that I try this, well, its superb, more flavour than the loose cut - burns to ash, no bite, I rub it out carefully, not too much then take a bit of time to pack it, and the reward is the perfect vanilla. The tin aroma is pretty good, but NOTHING in comparison to the smoke, - if you are an aro fan, with TASTE - get some or - get outta here!!! (on my 2nd tin - alright already - ordering more soon) I Youtubed my review too.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2009-10-16		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I prefer Dan's Blue Note if we're talking aromatics, but this Vanilla Flake seems to have it's fair share of followers so I gave it a shot. I'm a novice pipe smoker but here is what I've found... the first bowl of it burned my tongue something fierce. That was obviously due to user error. Well, user error and overly moist tobacco. This stuff needs to air dry for at least 30 min before smoking for best results. It really needs to dry up a bit to take the bite off. If dried properly and packed/smoked properly, this is a fine tobacco. Pleasant smell, smooth and sweet taste, but not the worlds best by any means. Try it if you like aromatics, you might dig it. Just don't say I didn't warn ya about the bite. This is a fussy tobacco, but if you can tame it, then good on you.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Hunter (54)	2009-08-26		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Pleasant

As far as I can tell, this is the same blend as MacB's Vanilla Cream Loose Cut in flake form. That cut gives the blend a little more strength and body through the bowl. It is still my hands-down favorite. I am beginning to prefer the flake to the loose cut, and may now start buying the flake by the pound as well.

The vanilla casing it top-quality. Not sugary or hot. It is certainly noticeable in tin, and as other reviewers have noted here, this blend never fails to get favorable comments from passers-by.

Tobacco flavor is not at all missing from this blend either. This is a finely crafted, well-rounded aromatic.

I have to echo other sentiments here about the "MacBaren bite." I have never noticed it in this or any other MacB blend I have smoked. All aromatics tend to burn a little hotter due to the added flavoring. Slow down. It isn't a race. MacBaren makes some of the finest blends around. Take your time and enjoy!

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	the_german (309)	2009-06-17		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

It has been a long time since I could say I actually enjoyed a vanilla flavoured tobacco. After a few pipes of Vanilla Cream Flake, I finally can say it again.

The small tin hints at a very compactly pressed flake. Opening the tin, a nice, almost understated vanilla note sets out to explore the room -- understated, that is, in comparison with the vanilla-with-some-tobacco concoctions that had turned me off anything vanilla over 15 years ago (Black Luxury comes to mind...).

The small size of the slices makes this flake suitable to small bowls; these days, I usually fold, twist and fill my flakes, so for most tinned flakes I need pretty tall bowls. Not for this one, though.

Lighting takes a little patience (that may change once the slices dry out a little), and right at fitst things are pretty mild and mellow. After about half a bowl, things become stronger and sweeter and the room note gains a little more punch. Even from a fresh tin, Vanilla Cream Flake burns down to the last embers without going out if smoked steadily.

Overall, a very nice blend, and another one I would recommend to the beginner who likes things aromatic; particularly recommended for novice flake smokers or even the more experienced smoker who likes a nice, mellow aromatic flake.7

Update 09.06.26: I have smoked this flake rubbed out a few times to accommodate my smallest bowls, and stuffed in that style, the Vanilla Flake becomes more full-bodied, fully sweet and somewhat hard to handle; you need to keep it tamped down well, but I'd say it's well worth the effort.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipe4ever (204)	2009-01-28		Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a decent aromatic vanilla Flake with Virginia/Cavendish, the vanilla flavor is deep and full, the Virginia used here is good quality, the smoke is sweet, full bodied and consistent, not as creamy as the loose cut version.

This tobacco improve dramatically with time, I recently opened a 2 years old tin of this, the smoke was Mellow, very cool, deep and tasty, so far much better than the fresh opened tin I am smoking now. This blend is actually my favorite Vanilla flake tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-07-23		Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Very Pleasant

The flakes were brittle and crumbly. I tried to prepare it in various ways, rubbed out, stacked, folded and cut into small pieces. They were all the same. A hint of vanilla taste and a healthy shot of tongue bite. If you sipped the smoke out of your pipe you would spend most of the time relighting your bowl. A real disappointment,

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Old Schoolr (14)	2006-09-01		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

When I picked out a can of MacBaren Vanilla Cream Flake, the owner of the tobacco shop was excited to tell me how happy she was to have it in stock. She's had requests for it & had been unable to get it for a while. After trying it, I'm excited that she's been able to stock it. The tobacco is a nicely packed flake wrapped in gold colored foil. The can hisses when the seal is broken & re-closes well. The flakes of tobacco resemble MacBaren Navy Flake but darker. The flakes feel dense & slightly sticky. The aroma is sweet, fruity & the vanilla is rich rather than perfumed like some other aromatics I've tried. I don't get any chocolate hints from this as I've heard others say. That's fine, as I can't stand the smell of burnt chocolate. I found that the MacBaren flake rolling method is better for this tobacco rather than rubbing it out. The rubbed out tobacco seems to burn quite a bit hotter than if rolled. A small amount rubbed & placed on the roll helps to get the bundle burning. Error on the side of a smaller roll as forcing a too large bundle into the pipe will not smoke well. The initial taste is a smooth vanilla, almost like liquor. As the tobacco heats up there is more of a toffee aroma & taste. This continues thru the smoke. I get the impression of homemade milk caramel, Werther's candies and Heath toffee as the flavor takes off. There is a nice sweet, slightly toastyness to the aroma. The flavor goes well with strong, black coffee. I've had no problem with bite when smoking the tobacco rolled as opposed to rubbed. The tobacco smokes down to dry ash & I haven't had a problem with wetness during the smoke. The comments from the crowd are all very positive on the aroma. More than the occasional "nice pipe smell", people stop mid-sentence to remark on how good it smells. This is more like a dessert when compared to Navy Flake but it is a regular item for me. In rotation with Navy Flake, Navy Flake makes a slightly better "All Day Smoke" but the Vanilla Cream is a real treat. This is cut above the stand-by aromatics on the shelf. Edited to remove ? marks

Edited 11/22/2011: Still a good choice but I'm reducing it to "3" stars based on the fact that I've grown to prefer some other aromatics that aren't as sweet.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-01-28		Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

As a connoisseur of an aromatic tobacco blend which only means I enjoy a good aromatic Tobacco.

First opening Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake it was neatly wrapped in a gold foil surrounding the pressed Virginia and Black Cavendish tobaccos.

The aroma was not an overwhelming, sickening, sweet aroma, but rather an aroma of mellow Vanilla. The flake was easily rubbed out and just as easy packing my pipe, took two matches to light my L?Anatra Freehand. The first quarter to half way down the tobacco began to present itself as a very mild but enjoyable smoke to the bottom of the bowl as the tobacco mellowed out for a relaxing smoke.

The next day I smoke the flake in a Stanwell Brandy Glass witch presented itself as the same as that the previous day. Later in the evening I packed a Wessex Brandy Glass, smoked it about a quarter of the way down and laid it to one side for a few hours for a GDT that I absolutely enjoyed as it took me hard to put the pipe down. The next morning I picked up the Wessex and re-lit what was left of the VCF and to my surprise an even more delightful smoke as it lost no aroma or taste and really I enjoyed just as much if not more of the original first bowl of Vanilla Cream Flake. I will say I thought the VCF smoked better in the smaller bowl than the larger L?Anatra.

The comparison between the Loose Cut and Flake, the Loose Cut requires no rubbing, and the tins are larger, for just a fraction of the cost less you could purchase two 50 gram Vanilla Cream Flake. I like and enjoy both the Loose Cut and the Flake and will most likely keep both on hand. There is one thing that may discourage the pipe smokers from the U.S., there is a shipping and handling cost that could range from $20.00 to $30.00 depending on who are ordering the tobacco.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-10-22		Mild	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

This tobacco can be awful or wonderful. I have had bowls that were hot, flat, and unpleasant. I have also had bowls that were extremely smooth and flavourful. I have gone through two tins of this flake, and have yet to determine a proper packing method.

When it is good, it is very good, but when it is bad it is horrid.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pagercat (40)	2002-10-21		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm not into aromatics but I do love the Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut. It has a great taste and odor with a real tobacco flavor without feeling like you're smoking a bowl of cake icing. Since I like the loose cut so much I decided to try the flake version.

The flake is basically vanilla Navy Flake. Similar look and feel. This is much more mildly flavored than the loose cut and it seems to have a slower-burning quality. This is a nice change of pace for anyone who enjoys Navy Flake.

I never rub out flakes. I like to cut, bend, pack and light. This tobacco responds well too this method but it does require more relights than Loose Cut.

Since this is only available in Germany (or via an international e-store) and can be a bit expensive I don't think this is worth the trouble for using as an everyday smoke. If you like Navy Flake and would like a bit of a change then this might be for you.

2 people found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PaPiper (35)	2023-01-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A fine Classic Flake with good tobacco taste with a hint of vanilla and a nice touch of sweetness. The flavor is well rounded for a Vanilla Flake and pleasant. THe quality of the flake is not too moist or too dry. After 6 months+ it is still flavorful and with a slow even burn. The coolness of the smoke and flavors of the flake are extremely well defined. Tried it fresh from delivery to letting sit as well. I find this to be a regular favorite in my rotation.

Pipe Used: Rattray’s Butcher Boy

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Smoking Pipes

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Peterson314 (39)	2022-08-03		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

First impressions: This blend grew on me as I went through the bowl. I usually like more complex blends, but this one is simple and has a very pleasant and consistent taste throughout the bowl. It also stayed consistent through all different temperature changes. The vanilla added to this mix is just about perfect. It's there, but it doesn't even aim to take center stage. I only had to relight it a few times, maybe twice, before I hit the very end of the bowl. There was no dampness in the bowl at all. The nicotine in this blend didn't start to affect me until I was almost done with the bowl. The aftertaste is pleasant and not overwhelming. Nuttiness and vanilla.

I gave this blend 3 stars because it's an enjoyable smoke and I am happy to have it in my cellar, but I don't yet know that I will replace it once I am done with this jar. I have only just cracked it and it grew on me through my first bowl, so that opinion is subject to change.

Pipe Used: Peterson 314

Age When Smoked: 30 months

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	LoutreMJ (14)	2021-04-18		Very Mild	Very Strong	Very Full	Very Pleasant

Très vanillé, en flakes très faciles à manipuler. Un peu humide malgré tout. Il s'agit d'un excellent tabac vanille, même s'il faut savoir le ménager, car tirer trop fort dessus vous mord un peu la langue. J'en ai fumé une boîte lors de la période de Noël précédente (2020), et ce tabac a vraiment contribué à donner une ambiance "Noël" à mes vacances. Je recommande fortement ce tabac vanille aux fumeurs et fumeuses d'aromatiques.

Pipe Used: Bruyère

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Deutschland

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	DrT999 (317)	2020-05-02		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

The underlying VA is there, but the main point of this is the vanilla. The flakes are easy to break up or fold. Those fans of OTC vanilla-flavored blends will find this an easy transition, while others will likely find it neither overly-sweet or overwhelming is the vanilla. Those who get some bite from Cavendish may find it present here as well, but only a bit.

Pipe Used: cobs, meers, and briars

Age When Smoked: 10 months

Purchased From: Tinderbox

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipe_saint (2)	2016-12-06		Mild to Medium	Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant to Tolerable

First it could be good to know my preferences. Otherwise my review would be quite useless. I'm an aromatic smoker but never really liked the European style aromatics. In all cases I think they are quite poor in flavor and rich in tongue bite. I had tried blends from Peterson, Rattray's, Ashton, Solani, Sam Gamwith and Macbaren and thought I just had to learn to pick up the taste. Pretty much gave up. And then I tested some American style aromatics and boy the difference. Rich round flavors and a mellow smoke. Favorites are 1-Q and and also from Lane, Dark Red.

So yesterday I thought I should try my first European vanilla tobacco, hopeful that it was the vanilla that I just had an easier time picking up the flavor from. But same here. Tongue bite and no actual taste of vanilla. I think all European aromatics pretty much have the same "non taste" regardless the flavoring. Solani Mystery X tastes the same as Connoisseur's Choice. And that one in return reminds me of Ashton Guilty Pleasure and so on.

So if you have the same experience as me... No need to try this one. If I'm gonna buy a tobacco from European manufacturers I'll to stick to an occasional "va/per cavendish" tobacco. Like Marlin Flake or Brown Sugar Flake (although that one has oriental instead of perique).

Pipe Used: Refbjerg slightly bent Bulldog

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: Danish Pipe Shop

Similar Blends: All other flavorless European style aromatics. Regardless flavor..

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Cumarinophil (108)	2015-03-28		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This Vanilla Cream Flake was introduced soon after I started my pipe journey. It was one of my first flakes ever, however, I ended up rubbing them out completely at the time, but quickly preferred their flavor to other Vanillas on the market (Stanwell, Danske Club, Planta etc.) for still allowing the Virginias to shine through.

Today, I still buy a tin every once in a while not only for sentimental reasons. Meanwhile I prefer the fold & stuff method for revealing a more intense spectrum of flavors, a bit more strength and very slow, cool burn especially in tin walled Stanwell Featherweight pipes without filter. To me, the traditional MB casing is very present all the time, making it appear more like a Vanilla-Honeydew flake, without melting your tongue though. The flake seems to have a tendency to cake in the final quarter of the bowl.

What makes this flake stand out among other aromatics is, that it actually ages well, with the flavors almost completely preserved for a long time even in already opened tins. I find it to be a perfect companion when I go on a longer trip together with non-smokers.

Pipe Used: Various

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	doc pipes (107)	2014-10-20		Mild to Medium	Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I am generally not an aro guy, but this blend is a favorite of mine when I want a tobacco that will smell great and not offend friends and bystanders. The vanilla is strong out of the tin, and these tightly packed and neatly cut flakes are beautiful with various browns and black. The vanilla comes through in the taste, and the underlying Virginia is clearly quality. Not the driest burn, but generally not acrid towards the bottom of the bowl as some aros can be.

Pipe Used: numerous

Age When Smoked: 3 years

Purchased From: iwan ries

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Geronimo Von Klaus (76)	2014-09-09		Mild	Very Strong	Mild	Tolerable to Strong

Ugh!! Get it away from me. Quickly.

Hot, dry, cloying and so unbearably sweet that you cannot even get a hint of tobacco. The initial plume that came out of the bowl on lighting stung my nostrils, my initial draw stung my whole palate for about 5 seconds, and the smoke was a rancid cloud of bubblegum-inspired hot mess.

Nothing redeeming about this. Halfway through the bowl I pitched the hot-mess into the ashtray, and picked up the tin and deep-sixed it into the trash.

Avoid.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Informative (3)	2013-01-14		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Opened a 50g tin of this and was very pleased with the usual Macbaren Vanilla Cream smell. A nicely couloured dark virginia and cavendish was appealing to the eye. Rubbed out the damp flake and put er straight into the pipe. One charring light and she was roaring. The smoke was thick, white and milky, resembling that of a spray from a very taught snatch. A delicious sweet vanilla was the initial taste and then mellowed out half way down the bowl to a more subtle taste. Very easy to maintain and smoked down to a white ash. Now I tried the fold and stuff but found that I couldn't keep it lit as it was a bit damp. So rubbing the baccy out worked alot better. Room note was incredible and made my woman a bit hornier than she already was. A very fine tobacco from Macbaren and one that I will be smoking regularily with some drying time. Rating would be a 4 star out of 5.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	pipelicidad (26)	2012-11-23		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium	Very Pleasant

I suppose a blend of this sort, so heavily cased and aromatized, must've been designed for the Danish winter, when people smoke in closed environments because of the cold and a nice and friendly room note is much appreciated. In this context, this flake really exceeds, it has a very well done vanilla-fruity flavor, perfectly married with a nice Virginia leaf (which is somehow present in the smoking experience, though not explicitly). Despite being a heavy aromatic, Vanilla Flake doesn't feels like smoking a candy (I'm thinking in Prince Albert Vanilla Cav., and similar cheap aromatics), but something nicer, it's really a tobacco, but very mannered. Compared to his sibling, Vanilla Cream Loose Cut, both of them are very close, it's just a matter of which cut suits you better, flake or ribbon. Like some aromatics of this kind, Vanilla Flake must be smoked slowly and cautiously, or it can be very aggressive with the tongue. For me, this tobacco is like a dessert I fancy only once in a while, when I smoke it in the right mood, it's superb.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-08-02		Mild	Medium	Medium to Full	Tolerable to Strong

One of my favorite aromatics that the girlfriend/wife will always love. The only complaint I would have is the tongue bite that can get a bit annoying, and the lighting is a little difficult at times. However it is still a great tasting tobacco that is almost an every day smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JustOneforMe (28)	2012-04-26		Extremely Mild	Medium	Extremely Mild (Flat)	Pleasant

I have now smoked several Mac Baren offerings and will not review them any further since they are extremely not to my liking. If interested in my thoughts about their line of tobaccos then just see my review on Burley London, it pretty much sums up this vapid weed give or take a slight aromatic difference (vanilla, cherry etc...).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2012-04-12		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I must say this is the best Mac Baren product I have tried yet, and maybe the pleasant surprise is why I am giving it a more favorable rating. I find most Mac Baren products to be hot, tongue biting, and chemically, but not the case with this blend. Smooth, but after two or three bowls in one day my throat does begin to hurt. I found some vanilla in both the taste and aroma, which made this a winner by my standars. I really enjoy the flake cut and the preparation it takes to get my next bowl ready. The tobacco smokes all the way down without relighting. Not a bad choice, but when I really want a nice tasting vanilla I will stick with Stanwell vanilla, the best I've found so far.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Jallen49 (25)	2012-01-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Strangely enough, when I bought my tin in spring 2009 I absolutely hated this blend. It burned hot hot hot, and I could never even really detect the vanilla. Over the years I have come back to it several times and still to no avail.

Today I was in a different mood, and decided to give it another go (having not tried it for at the least 6 months, probably longer). Today was just different, and I don't have the first clue why.

The tobacco was smooth, cool (especially for an aro), and actually tasted like vanilla this time! Plus, the note was completely marvelous. I don't have the slightest idea why today's experience with it was so different. I used the same pipe. Maybe the bit of age did something, but surely nothing that significant from the last time I tried this some 6 months ago. Maybe it's just me going crazy, but today, I really enjoyed this blend.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-12-05		Mild	Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Appearance is a brown flake. Tin smells of vanilla. Tastes lightly sweet with, of course, vanilla notes.

Lightly sweet with a nice vanilla flavour, but still biting even with a slow cadence. This is one of the nicer vanillas in re flavour, but also comes with the dreaded Mac Bite.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Ronnstein (29)	2011-08-12		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I sometimes find myself at work looking forward to getting home and taking 1 1/2 flakes of this blend and packing it into my Ascorti Business pipe and relaxing after a full day of putting up with people. Mildly sweet, wonderful burn, a pleasure to the bottom of the bowl, and at the price you can get it from P&C.com, it's well worth it.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	bence (34)	2011-06-09		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I like it better than VA no1., less flavoring, more natural taste.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-05-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

A surprising flake, flavorful and inhabited with a decent dosage of Vitamin N.

Burns nice and slow, releases tobacco taste despite the very present vanilla casing.

Just 1 thing: I recently opened a 1 1/2 year tin, and it took on a slighly salted side. So, if I may give an advice, try to smoke them ASAP after purchase.

Overall, a nice flake. I will rebuy.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-03-24		Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm a big fan of Mac's vanilla creme loose cut, so I decided to give the flake form a try. This review is going to be a comparison between the two for the most part. Since this is a review of a favorite ya can't blame me for this disorganized rant.

First off, the tin note wasn't as strong or pleasant as with the loose cut, witch was a minor disappointment (very minor) still the amazing true vanilla smell that hooked me. Flakes were a little moist so let them sit for a while before loading. I used the 'fold and stuff' method that Mac' recommends, seems to be a bit quicker method of packing; just take a couple flakes and stuff. A word of advice that I learned a little to late is using a pipe tool to push the tobacco on the walls of the pipe towards the center before lighting, or else you may have the tobacco burn in the center leaving the sides un-burnt.

The flavor was pretty much the same although the topping seemed a little lighter, letting the taste of virginia's get more of the spotlight. Quarter way through the bowl I felt the 'mac-bite' so many complain about, but that was mostly user error: the flake burns a heck of a lot slower so smoking too fast will just heat the tobac up really quick. After I slowed down I got loads of nice blue-ish tinted creamy smoke that just kept coming, and came it did for 1.5 hours. Near the end of the bowl the topping was pushed a bit further back and the strength of the tobacco increased to give me a nice nicotine buzz that I've never had from an aromatic.

All said and smoked, the flake version of my favorite aro' tobacco has earned a permanent place among my other tins. Is it better than the loose cut?- Maybe- but if it is better it is better in a different way (better vitamin N and longer burning) It wont replace the loose cut in my rotation, but I will always have a tin or five on hand.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	John Frum (19)	2011-01-31		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

Just coming to the end of a tin of this tobacco, and ordered another online. Have grown to like it over the past year. Was not sure at first, as it seemed to smoke too hot, but since using the MacBaren-recommended "fold-and-stuff" method, it's much better behaved. I find the smoke benefits from letting the flakes dry out somewhat also.

This is a sweet smoke, staying in my rotation for sure, really like it. Enough "N" to satisfy, good balance of flavours, especially nice to smoke indoors as the aroma is fab. Puff gently and enjoy! I'd say give it a try.

A year on: am upgrading this one to four stars because it's grown on me so much. I agree with some other reviewers that drying out is the key with this tobacco, that and slow sipping. I like it fully rubbed out and well packed.

If you take the time to get to know this one it is no less than amazing, IMO.

30.11.12 Update: Downgrading to three stars after a long struggle. This is a strange beast indeed! It seems from the other reviews that it bites some folks but not others. It surely does bite me, unless I'm extremely careful with it, and have abandoned it for the foreseeable future, as I value my tongue. I found it impossible to smoke straight away, even with a bit of judicious drying. The only time it seemed to work for me was after I'd put it away for a year, after getting badly bitten. I got it out on a whim, and it was pure bliss! It reminds me of that old rhyme - when it was good, it was very, very good, but when it was bad, it was horrid. I just think that no pipe tobacco should make me work that hard, or wait that long. It's an enjoyable hobby, right?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	radioisotope (17)	2011-01-09		Very Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

I got this because I thought it would be a great compromise with my wife, her liking the vanilla and me liking a flake tobacco with mild flavoring. Well the wife loves it but to me it's kind of flavorless. Mild on tobacco and mild vanilla. Especially when you get towards the bottom, the vanilla all but disappears. When I got it from the Tobacconist it seemed awfully dry so I tried to humidify it. Maybe I got a bad batch?

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	KahveDelisi (73)	2010-12-21		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

I don't like aromatics much but I like this one in a small sized meerschaum or sometimes cube cut the flakes using a scissor and add small portions to other blends to experiment.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Doctor Max (29)	2010-12-12		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Like with the other Mac Barens, very nicely presented tobacco in a little golden, black and off-white tin, and the tobacco is wrapped in a golden coloured wrapper. The tobacco is a nice, thinly sliced, tightly packed flake. Very strong tin scent of vanilla, milk chocolate and fudge, bordering on artificial. Unfortunately this doesn't come across too much in the taste for me. Upon lighting, flavour is barely noticeable; a bit like puffing hot air. It comes on better and better through the bowl though, and towards the end I get really quite pleasant, albeit weak, dry, teak-y vanilla flavour with a good tobacco bitterness. Room note, on the other hand, is a very pleasant, un-smoky rich vanilla tone. Seems to be a hit with the non-smokers around, and leaves a pleasant faint sweet vanilla scent to the room the day after.

I find it works best with the fold and stuff method of packing. Two flakes works fine in a corn cob. Like that I usually go through the pipe without relights (save the charring light and my habitual relight after the first 3/4 of the bowl). Rubbed out it tends to smoke a bit hot. Never had any problems with tongue bite though (nor have I with any other Mac Barens). Nicotine is hardly noticeable in this one (which of course can be a good thing sometimes).

I think for me the main problem is the mis-match of tin scent and flavour. A tobacco that smells this strong and sweet in the tin should live up to it in flavour. This on is just a little bit too much on the bland side. Overall it's not too bad though. I will certainly finish the tin, but not sure I would buy it again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-25		Medium to Strong	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the best aromatic tobacco.

Mellow and sweet.

Tastes as it smells.

More than 70% high quality VA.

Good body.

Good Vitamin N.

Burns slow and steady(if you pack right).

Absolutely no tongue bite.

-If this tobacco bites your tongue, you seriously have to reconsider your packing/smoking method. My wife is a none smoker and this one doesn't bite her tongue, she likes it and gets a few puffs when I pick this one to smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-09-14		Medium	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

This is the best aromatic flake I have smoked so far, mellow tobacco taste is accompanied with a sweet and mellow casing, High quality virginia with round and creamy vanilla cavendish, I didn't rub the flake completely , just broke it into long thick strips and rounded them lightly into a ball and stuffed into my pipe, No tongue bite , sweet and mellow virginia taste, goes into my favorites.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	PipeLover (16)	2010-08-31		Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

Im new to pipes (about 20 bowls in) and everyone told me to get aromatics to start with, but I find English and Virginia blends more to my liking for some reason. This one is kinda in between.

Although in my opinion reviewing tobacco is pointless, since not everyone uses the same exact tin to review, and each harvest is different from the one before (heck each bowl is different that the last) and no two people have the same taste buds. I will attempt to "describe" my experience with this tobacco.

I purchased 2 tins and a bulk pack of this one. I think the tins are better tasting so I will go with the tin version. I like it. It has a very pleasant and relaxing vanilla room note even for the smoker. If I smack my lips and tongue I can detect a faint taste of vanilla, and more of a coffee after taste. There is a dominant tobacco taste which is good. There is tongue bite if you puff too fast, and there is slight tongue bite when you light, since you puff faster ( I do). But when you sip, the bite goes away. I used this with a cob, both with a filter and without. More taste and bite without a filter. Taste is consistent to mid bowl, then milder the rest of the way, that can change with the next flake. No goop, nice white ash, good smelling bowl residue. Wife loves it, she said it smelled like a cookie factory in Denmark.

Finding a good all day, and a good aromatic is very frustrating and expensive, but this one goes in my "I like it" drawer and will be smoking more. Overall its good 3.7 out of 5.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-08-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I'm not an aromatic smoker, but I've been looking for a tobacco to smoke in public or around other people that will not be offensive and still have real tobacco flavor. Well, this is it!!! A wonderful aroma that's been a hit with just about everybody yet real tobacco taste that keeps things interesting. Even fully rubbed out I had no problem with bite as long as its sipped, which gets the most out of this smoke anyway. A really high quality "hybrid" tobacco!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-07-28		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Medium	Very Pleasant

This is a splendid cased flake!

The tin aroma is vanilla. The moisture content is minimal. The flakes feel like they are almost dry.

However,despite this impression and despite the fact that there is only about 25% of Black CA, it still smokes kind of slow.

It has a soft, delicious vanilla taste. And my wife LOVES the room note!

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-06-16		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Another blend that is permanently in my rotation as much because of my wife's enjoyment of the room note as my enjoyment of the flavor. Almost every time I light a bowl, She-Who-Must-Be-Pleased says, "Is that your vanilla? It smells good!" It is always a good thing to please Herself.

Don't get me wrong, as much as I fear She-Who-Withers-With-A-Look, I would risk her wrath if I didn't enjoy this blend. Fact is, I do. Enjoy it, that is.

Moisture content in this blend is everything. Too much and it will bite like Cujo and taste like Cujo droppings. Too little and it won't taste bad, just not very aromatic. I just finished a tin that must have been opened more than most because the last few flakes were quite dry. There was very little vanilla flavor left, but still a very nice Virginia taste. And apparently a good bit of that appealing room note.

I'm afraid I can't give it 4 stars. It's a bit too mild and has a bit too much tongue bite for that. But I'll give it a solid 3. Far better than any other vanilla blend I've tried.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-05-26		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

Interesting flavor. Don't know if I would call it vanilla, exactly, but a kind of sweet, woody taste. I find it very pleasant, whatever it is. It is mild, and the smallest puffs yield the best flavor for me, with no nose-exhale necessary.

I like aromatics, and find this a good one. If you are a fan of such things, give it a try.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Fubber (14)	2010-05-01		Mild	Mild	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

A nice burning flake that has a very subtle hint of vanilla at the end. For me, a fine every day smoke. Does not seem to bite at all, unlike some of the other Mac Baren tobaccos I have tried.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-02-05		Mild to Medium	Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

The executive summary for this blend: It's a mild tasting flake, it packs, lights and burns well but if you're smoking it because you like the flavors that come through with aromatics, then this isn't for you.

As with most other Mac Baren blends, this one is composed of a high quality tobacco leaf, the tin aroma is fairly nice and one would expect the smoking experience to taste much like the tin aroma; however, this is not the case. The flakes come out of the tin just moist enough to fold and stuff, yet dry enough to light normally. Even when smoked aggressively this tobacco hardly bites, but then it hardly tastes like anything either. I was expecting some vanilla flavor, maybe not a Captain Black White dousing of vanilla, but it's actually quite lacking. Even exhaling through the nose can't pull any flavor out of this tobacco. I will continue to smoke the remainder of this tin but I doubt I'd be buying another.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Griswold (21)	2009-10-06		Mild	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

This is the tobacco that I invariably reach for when I fancy a vanilla-flavored pipeweed. The flavour is not applied so heavy as to overpower the tobacco taste completely when smoked and the tobacco itself is of good quality.

As for the roomnote, this is what a lot of (non-pipe-smoking) people associate with a pipe! A real crowd pleaser.

Recommended if you like good-quality vanilla aromatics, otherwise steer clear.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	newsmoker1977 (1)	2009-07-02		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

I find this blend much more pleasant after several months of aging in a sealed jar. Just for kicks, I bought about 8 oz. of VCF about 10 months ago and didn't really care for it then, but seems to get better with a little age.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Beer (345)	2009-04-25		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild	Tolerable

I am usually not a lover of aromatics, but sometimes I want to reach for something sweet. Since MacBaren uses quality leaf compared to other brands of aromatics, I gave this one a try. The fact that it was in flake format was a bonus, too.

First of all: this is one incredibly slow-burning tobacco. If you fold the flakes like the MacBaren website shows, a couple of flakes will last at least a couple of hours... so be sure you have some time to enjoy your pipe! As a result, it burns cool and dry, which is certainly a nice thing: this is not a scorching and goopy aromatic!

The vanilla flavoring could be more intense and sweeter: this one smells rather natural, but I also detect some hint of alcohol in it, and something that smells like fermented bananas. Other vanilla blends I have tried are much sweeter and intense in the flavoring department. It WILL still flavour the bowl easily, though, so keep it for a dedicated pipe...

At the match, as I said, the tobacco burns great. And the smoke actually tastes of tobacco. I would almost be tempted to say that it tastes more of tobacco than of vanilla, which is quite a feat for an aromatic (they usually either only taste of the flavoring, or of hot air). Problem is that, like other MacBaren tobacco, it is a very mild tobacco. Good, but it leaves you wanting something stouter. Anyway, it has some nice body and mouthfeel, and it is a nice Cavendish and Virginia blend... simply, I just wish it was more flavorful.

Room note is VERY sweet and persistent. If you like vanilla, all right. But my wife said that it's a bit more intense than she would have preferred: sometimes even too much of a pleasant thing can be too much...

Overall: a vanilla flavored flake was a nice idea, and it's a quality tobacco. But in the same genre, I prefer the German blend called Sweet Vanilla Honeydew.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Dr.sadik (120)	2008-12-20		Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Medium to Full	Pleasant to Tolerable

one of the best flakes in the aromatic world that i have encountered. although similar to the loose cut however there are few differences basically it burns slower (oh the intelligence!)secondly which i might be consider as a con is that the room note not always appreciated but certainly tolerable. the taste is fuller and you feel the blend hold its body perfectly with a considerable nic kick to it (as oppose to normal aromatics) the tobacco taste is more dominant than the flavoring added but you can defiantly taste the sweetness and get that creamy sensation. to me its a safe zone tobacco and i would certainly recommend it. ( i pack it through folding method however breaking the flakes down help with more even burning)

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-06-21		Medium to Strong	Medium to Strong	Full	Pleasant

ouch!!! this stuff BITES!! and but quick!! strong, spicy, sour, hot, biting and unklike what i have come to expect from the house of MacBaren. A disappointment all around. The vanilla is indeed there. The tin is very neat, as a consolation. It will be nice to keep after this nicotinic rat-poison is smoked or relegated to an old shoebox. Sorry to have to be so negative regarding a MacBaren offering. :\

i liked the planta danish black vanilla, for this type of thing

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-01-19		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I would like to preface this by saying that I am not primarily a smoker of aromatics. I tend to lean toward latakia blends and the like. I picked up a tin of this at the recommendation of a fellow pipe smoker.

I found this to be a bit too mild for my tastes. The vanilla is definitely noticeable, and is not overpowering. It still leaves plenty of room for the tobacco flavor to come through. My experience with this blend was that there just wasn't enough tobacco flavor to fill in that gap, but the flavor that was there was definitely pleasant.

Filling and lighting was easy enough with this blend. I used the fold and plug technique and it lit fairly easily and kept burning quite nicely through the smoke.

For an aromatic blend, this is quite nice, but it doesn't pack much of a punch other than the bit of vanilla and tobacco flavors. not as good as the non flake vanilla cream as I have heard.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	flaminbill' (57)	2007-12-29		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I like a vanilla aromatic once in a while, but this stuff just bites and stings like a bee. It's a shame because it has a pleasant enough taste and a wonderful room aroma.

I used one ounce of this as a blender in a 7-ounce blend and it justs dominates the blend. It certainly has a presence, and the bite transferred to the blend as well.

It is presented well, has a nice smell in the tin and the moisture level seems correct.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-06-20		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After unwrapping the gold foil within the tin you are presented with delightfully dark flakes of tobacco flecked with gold. The tin aroma reminded me a little of a pleasing mixture somewhere between home made creme brulee and white chocolate. Having roughly rubbed out a flake between my fingers, I packed it into a Peterson system 314 pipe that I have dedicated solely to aromatics. It took three attempts with my old boy lighter to get the tobacco alight, but afterwards it burned evenly and well all of the way to the bottom of the bowl. The flavour of vanilla is present throughout the smoke, though it did fade in and out of intensity midway through the bowl. But having said that, the vanilla really does blend well with the mellow taste of the Virginia and Cavendish mixture. I must say that I enjoyed this Mac Baren offering much more than I thought I would and I will definitely be buying this excellent vanilla three star offering again.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2006-05-08		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

This time my Mac Baren flame thrower came with a vanilla kicker...pass

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-12-27		Very Mild	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

I bought this tin, last morning as I was wandring along the streets of Stockholm. I longed for a great aromatic, to beginn the day in a extraordinary fashion, so I went in the tobaccoshop of the block. But to my bare disappointment, I was neither amused nor intrieged by its rather repulsive smell. On the other hand, the taste was entirely different. Vanilla embraced my tounge by the second bowl and I feel as if I was in elysium, BUT that feeling disappered as s quick as it appered. What I'm trying to say is that, Vanilla cream can be awsume but most of the time, it's even more flat and boring than Borkum Riff (no, I think I exaggurated but you get my point).

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-10-21		Mild	Mild to Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I am an latakia lover, but decided to give this a try because I had heard good things about it, and wanted to try a nice mild sewwt aromatic. I was really disappointed. The tin aroma was nice but thats where it ended for me. Nothing special I feel this to be a very flat tasting smoke.

1 person found this review helpful.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Buyak_3000 (2)	2023-02-02		Mild	Medium to Strong	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

upon opening, a very pleasant vanilla aroma emerges, the tobacco is drier even with additional moistening, after lighting, this aroma relatively disappears, but you can feel it there, the smoke is thick, full, cool, the tobacco burns well throughout the smoking period. I smoke tobacco, but I won't buy it again, it's not one of my favorites, but for those who like aromatics, maybe yes

Pipe Used: poker

Age When Smoked: 34

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	muddflea (2)	2021-10-13		Medium	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

Blends that have added scents are added for room note, not taste. The taste is the tobacco used. Novice smokers are always let down because it doesn't taste as the labels scent says, The Virginia's used in this and all Mac Baren's blends is of the highest quality, seeing they have boat loads stored. This is a great blend, if you know how to smoke a pipe and enjoy Virginia's with a touch of Cavendish, you'll love it

Pipe Used: Deep and Thick Briar

Age When Smoked: 2 years

Purchased From: B&M

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Sonic Ox (2)	2021-10-10		Medium	Very Mild	Mild	Pleasant

I really like this tobacco. I wanted to love it. I have added it to my rotation. I am primarily an aromatic smoker but like the ritual and preparation of plug and flake tobaccos. I am always on the lookout for plug and flake with pleasant casing. I'm not too keen on burley blends as they usually are a bit cigarette like to me. I really love Cavendish style Virginias and this Mac Baren Vanilla flake ticks all my boxes. I just wish the vanilla flavor carried into the smoke more strongly. I got a 1.75 oz tin from my local shop. The packaging was great. Tidy flakes in gold envelope inside nicely shaped tin. The flakes are perfectly shaped. One flake is exactly the right amount for most of my pipes. I sometimes fold and stuff but I like to cube this one. I use a VERY sharp knife and cut the flakes against the grain for very small cubes, almost granules. I pack the cubes into my bowl using the three hand method so its more loose at the bottom and tighter at the top. This seems like really high quality tobacco. The tin note and room note are fantastic in my opinion. I've had people ask what it is because they like the smell. It's a sweet, vanilla smell as you would expect. I left my packed pipe sitting in my guitar studio overnight as is my habit. The relative humidity in the studio is 40% which is great for my guitars and is what I like my tobacco to be right before smoking. I like about 65% for storing/aging tobacco. This stuff burns slowly for me and I sip it. I haven't experienced any tongue bite. It took several relights to finish the bowl. The middle third of the bowl is my favorite. I find the smoke to be cool and flavorful but a bit thin. Also the vanilla flavor could be MUCH stronger for my liking. I think if there were a bit more Cavendish I would be happier. Still, it's my favorite flake to date. It's fun to prepare and is a pleasant, mild, all day smoke. The nicotine is barely noticeable and doesn't make my head swim like 3P (my favorite plug so far). I think you'll enjoy this if you like Lane 1Q or Captain Black original. It's nice to find a flake with an aromatic bent. I'm still looking for a sweeter one.

Pipe Used: Luca Vannetti bent w/9mm filter

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: Local tabbaconist

Similar Blends: Lane Limited 1Q.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Chojin (17)	2021-09-20		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Pleasant

These reviews are more so for my reference in my venture into pipe smoking. More noticable flavour and smell. Nice sweetness not too overpowering. Can be blended well with other tobaccos. Good room note. Recommended but there's better things out there.

Pipe Used: Briar

Age When Smoked: New

Purchased From: TobaccoBlends

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	JKOD (30)	2021-04-27		Extremely Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Pleasant

This is an OK smoke, but if you like Virginia’s it might speak awesome to you? The vanilla isn’t going to set any records in the flavor department, at least for me, but you do get subtle sweetness and some of that is just because of the Virginia and cavendish.

I smoke Virginia’s only on rare occasion, and this is no exception. Virginia’s seem to take time to master and maybe I just don’t have it yet. They are lighter in many respects - but they also seem to burn hotter. So, mastering how to smoke it seems to matter. I try, oh do I try.

With this one having a vanilla topping and some cavendish and burley... the added tobacco can’t be much considering this, at least IMO, is closer to a straight Virginia.

Comparing to soda... this is like club soda to 7-up if 7-up is to Dr. Pepper.

Is it sweet - yes. Does it really taste like vanilla? Not to me. More like sugar. I don’t see keeping this in stock other than what I have left. Maybe one day I’ll smoke it and say - wow, look what I’ve been missing. But, most likely I’m going to say “yeah, I tried that - it wasn’t for me.”

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Demosthenes (13)	2021-03-06		Mild to Medium	Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

I was really pleased with this tobacco when I received it. Wrapped in gold paper, it was greatly impressive. The scent of the flakes was wonderful, and probably one of the best vanilla notes I have encountered.

Then I decided to light up. The first few puffs were great, then came the the famous bite. My tongue felt roasted. So I put it away for about a week and tried again. No luck. The burn would not abate and was worse than before. All I can say it must be me - the way I pack it or something. I will keep the box and let it age.

Pipe Used: Peterson

Age When Smoked: Fresh

Purchased From: SmokingPipes.com

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	BigNick (59)	2015-03-08		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I've recently smoking the loose cut of vanilla cream and I have found a few differences. First of all, the tin note is so tasty I just want to eat it. It crumbles and packs very well. It keeps lit rather well. The aroma is pleasant, I really enjoy walking back into a room after having smoked this blend. When it comes to taste and flavor, it is a bit bland. There is some slight sweetness from the Virginias, and a little honey & hay like, but it is more than subtle. The vanilla is very mild, it comes through in small whiffs and doesn't stay long. When it is there, it's very nice and, to me, tastes like malted milkshakes. I always find some dottle at the end, but it's not particularly wet. For the most part, the loose cut and the flakes are very similar with minor differences, but those minor differences make a big impact. All in all, it's nice, but could have been a bit better.

Pipe Used: Andreas Bauer calabash meer, MM Washington

Age When Smoked: 6 months

Purchased From: Palm Smoke Shop, Victorville CA

Similar Blends: Mac Baren - Vanilla Cream Loose Cut.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Grovesy (32)	2014-10-02		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant to Tolerable

After reading so many positive reviews I had to give VF a try. Smell from the tin was amazing, charring light amazing, as I progressed through the bowl....meh. The blend, to me, tends to get a little cigarette like I you progress through the bowl. Not terrible, but I dont think I will buy again.

Pipe Used: various

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	cigarcohiba (36)	2013-10-26		Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

Aromatic. A mild to medium "artificial" flavor and not vanilla. Pleasant room note. Mac Baren score /4 (Strength 2, Flavor 4, Roomnote 4)

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2011-06-06		Medium	Medium to Strong	Medium to Full	Very Pleasant

Thanks to Macbarrens excellent quality , everything else tastes terrible to me! I love this stuff , had to order more.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-28		Mild	Mild	Mild	Pleasant

found this to be a good vanilla blend. The tin aroma is plesant but it loses a bit of flavor about halfway through. burns very well using the mac barren fold and roll or rubbing out all the way. Everyone enjoys the room note of this and get many complements on it. would recommend to any smoker from beginner to seasoned pro.

Nobody has rated this review yet.

	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-10-11		Mild	Mild	Medium	Pleasant

Maybe its just because im a fan of vanilla or maybe its because this is a quality product but i did enjoy this product. I was very happy with the consistency of the burn. The room note is always pleasing to even to those who run away from the smoke. Mac Baren definitely hit it out of the park with this one. No bite just a nice relaxing smoke when your in the mood for an aromatic.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2010-02-25		Mild	Very Mild	Very Mild	Very Pleasant

I was looking forward to the heavily cased vanilla flavor that everyone seems to say about this one but it wasnt there maybe i got a bad batch but inside the tin smells great and even better when lit but im just not tasting anything close to vanilla, all in all this is a great tobacco just dont expect much vanilla. I much rather smoke the loose cut than the flake

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	gunnn (4)	2008-10-19		Mild to Medium	Strong	Full	Very Pleasant

WARNING you must LOVE vanilla in order to enjoy this. overpowering vanilla and if you arent careful a ton of tongue bite.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-07-05		Mild to Medium	Medium to Strong	Mild to Medium	Very Pleasant

This is another tobacco I order by the pound. Having said that, it would not be my first choice as an all day smoke. Indeed, if I smoke more than a couple of bowls of the stuff in a day, I find myself trying to put a bandage on my tongue at night. This certainly can be the infamous Mac Baren Tongue-Bite-In-A-Tin if not treated with respect. So why the recommendation? Because it's about the best at what it tries to be. A heavily cased blast of vanilla. I knew the room note was pleasant, but one day when my wife was feeling adventurous, I got her to try a churchwarden loaded with this (She is a cigarette only smoker). She hated it. But I was in heaven. The room note was flat-out amazing and I was salivating like Pavlov's dogs. No wonder she likes it when I smoke this stuff. So if you have a significant other (or you're in the market for one), give this stuff a try. 1 star for nicotine, 2 stars for taste, and 4 for room note.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pseudo Nim (128)	2008-05-15		Mild	Extremely Mild	Very Mild	Unnoticeable

I have tried a few tins of Vanilla flake, keep finding it too dry, and too mild, although the Vanilla does eventually get through, tried spicing it up with a little Woods Navy Rum (100% proof) perhaps a little too much rum, burns a lot better though, only Two stars for this at the moment, maybe I'll get the Rum / Tobacco ratio right and update this.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2008-04-08		Mild to Medium	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant

A pretty good vanilla blend. I loved the way it was packaged. It was made to look like the tobacco of Kings. The taste is a little to mild for me but it is a smoke that can be for those evenings on the porch when you want to contemplate life.

It smells very good as the room note but the taste sways to more tobacco than vanilla which is fine but a little vanilla every once in a while wouldn't hurt. 3.5/4 stars

UPDATE=

4/7/2008.

I am upgrading it to 4 stars. It has gotten better over time and I am enjoying it more and more!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2007-12-28		Mild to Medium	Medium	Medium	Pleasant

I have been looking for a good vanilla tobacco and I love flake virgina so this seemed like a good match for me . It is. I love to smoke this tobacco it gives a very nice smell to the room which helps with the wife and I do not fine the flavor too strong I smoke it in a small acorn pipe and it manitains it characters throughtout the pipe. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good flake with a nice flavor that does not over power the tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Pipepundit (168)	2005-12-17		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Pleasant to Tolerable

Improves the vanilla no end, but kills the tobacco.

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2004-03-09		Mild	Mild to Medium	Mild	Very Pleasant

One word: HOT. Tried this in a couple differnt pipes and it smoked hot and bit like crazy!! Maybe its me, but I have a tough time with this blend. Smells great, tobacco seems to be of high quality, but not my cup of tea. Seems to mellow a bit as the bowl burns down - aroma is very nice. Tough getting past the bite though!!

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	Reviewed By	Date	Rating	Strength	Flavoring	Taste	Room Note
	Emeritus Account (30125)	2003-12-16		Mild	Mild	Mild	Very Pleasant

A good, mild smoke. Relatively inexpensive as well. I smoke it on occasion, and it hasn't disappointed me yet. Fans of Captain Black pipe tobaccos will enjoy it.

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