Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.