Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

this is nice hight quality tobaccos for english smokers who wanna smoke some aromatic to fresh the taste. when you open the teen you smell very pleasent notes of vanilla, honey, raisin cake. extremly mouth watering aroma and you can taste this aroma in your tobacco. sweetness of tobacco is very mild. if you smoke hotter, you can taste the earthy, sweet (like honey or vanilla) and nuttiness of burley . it is not chamical gloopy at all. you taste natural tobacco and topping is not over powering. room note is very pleasent and like vanilla cake. yummy.

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

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.