Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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?