Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Flake

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!

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

Such beautiful flakes, not that dense, really good tin presentation. A mix of yellow and dark tones. It requires some relights if you don´t dry it out a bit. Cool and comfortable smoke. The tobacco flavor is so good, tastes as a really good tobacco. The vanilla fans will find here one of the best options in the market. The fold and stuff method gave me more than 1hour of good smoke with just a flake. It last more than when rubbed out. IMO this is not the kind of aromatic that can satisfy the ones who really crave for strong aromatics, for me just hit my sweet tooth spot. I´d consider this one as a light aromatic. Won´t consider it as my best aromatic but i´d consider as one of the best tobaccos i´ve smoked. It can be a everyday smoke for the one who not crave for nicotine. 3 solid stars. Go for it dude.

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.