Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut

I have been looking for the best vanilla blend I can find. My standard for this used to be C&D's Vanilla cavendish, but (due to a recent change in body chemistry and meds) I cannot stand that smoke anymore (and I used to love it!). So I have been working my way through newer vanilla blends and I find them. I was quite impressed with the quality of the tobacco used here; it wasn't the typical aromatic fodder. The flake that this tobacco used to be is still evident in the loose-cut version, and adds to the smoking by helping to control the burn. This is a very nice aromatic, but I find that the aroma is gone fairly quickly. However it leaves behind a fairly tasty, but monochromatic, tobacco behind the vanilla. I think that anyone upgrading from drugstore aromatics, but isn't ready for a truly "unflavored" tobacco will find this enjoyable. I recently used this, as Bear put it in his review of GLP's BC, as a party tobacco. Even my cousin, who isn't fond of smoking at all, enjoyed the smell and I enjoyed a tasty smoke.

I recommend this blend if you are looking for a change-of-pace aromatic. The tobacco appears to be a rubbed out flake with noticeable bits of plug mixed in. The aroma upon opening the tin is eerily like that of Blue Note; indeed, I put a tin of BN and this side by side and I could detect very little difference. Vanilla Cream has, however, more real tobacco taste and punch than Blue Note and is an overall a more satisfying smoke. The topping maintains a strong presence throughout the smoke, only burning off near the very end. MacBaren's blends are often considered to be tongue-biters, but I found this relatively bite-free. Overall, this is a heavily flavored, but satisfying aromatic. I would recommend it to those who are looking to step up from Captain Black-type tobaccos or to smokers of non-aromatics who are looking for a little variety. This is sold in flake form in Europe, but unfortunately the flake is not available in the U.S..