Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut

I've been a pipe smoker for over 20 years, and this has been my favorite tobacco for the last five years. A unique vanilla flavored tobacco that isn't so topped or cased that I feel like I'm smoking syrup.

I buy it by the pound, have it dedicated to a Peterson B42, and it always comes at a great moisture level. If you like vanilla aromatics, this is about as good as it gets.

This isn't a complex blend, but sometimes I get a cinnamon or maple flavor.

A great place to start for those who might want to venture into aromatics without feeling like they are going to smoke a blend whose flavoring is going to mask bad tobacco. It's quality leaf, with a quality topping.

This is a really beautiful tobacco. One that's very foretelling of Mac Baren brand of blends. The note is quite elegant and regal with a light colour and the crest of HH in the top. Upon opening the tin, you're welcomed with a sunshine of light virginias, and a seeded earth black of Cavendish. The tin aroma is reminiscent of fresh bakery at a local patisserie. It is in excellent moisture content out of the tin and I recommend you smoke it as so without drying as it will take away a bit of the flavour and aroma. The tobacco cut is excellent, it's a mix of long ribbons and broken flakes, it backs well and can pack tightly without hindering the draw and it leaves a little bit of nice aroma on your finger tips. Also a dry draw test reveal the flavour profile in a teasing way. Upon first light the ribbons catch a nice kindle, but the flakes require a bit of attention.. But once lit, it stays so, and burns well to a perfect, white ashy bottom with a few to none relights. The body of it is quite medium and the aroma makes me inhale the smoke with my nose to get more of it. And the taste is pretty nice and never overpowering. It gives me hints of Vanilla and some creamy, pastry flavour as if it is a freshly made croissant baked with honey. I thoroughly enjoy it, despite my lesser tendency towards aromatics and I see this making my rotation.

I had difficulties with this blend the first few smokes. I guess it was depending on my expectations on a vanilla tobacco. This one is far from your standard OTC Vanilla cavendish. And that may have been the thing. After a few bowls I really got to it: this aroma is far more on the real vanilla (dried vanilla fruits) side than on the nowadays normal artificial vanillin aroma we are so used to. After this epiphany I more and more enjoyed this tobacco, I even bought expensive vanilla fruits from Madagaskar and made some deserts with it, just to come closer (again) to the real vanilla taste of my childhood.

Personally, I only like the tobacco when I smoke it with an active-charcole-filter. Without or even with a balsawood filter I cannot stand it.

And beware: this tobacco is after all a typical Mac Baren (thankfully without the honeyish "MB flavour", because they used their modern Cavendish). Therefore, also this one smokes very hot, gets very bitter and harsh quite easily, it even gets a charcole taste quite quickly and burns the tongue on a regular basis.

Nonetheless, I enjoy this tobacco, and it also goes well with a mild to medium roasted black coffee.

EDIT: I bought a second tin (as well as a tin of the flake), and this one is a bit older than the one I have reviewed here (that was quite fresh out of the factory). I have to say with this about 9 month old tin I find it much milder, mellower, less harsh, and even the slight spiciness is much more rounded and more in the background. So, I would recommend to let the closed tin age for 6 to 9 months, it seems to be worth it. Now I like to smoke it without a filter too, in fact, I prefer to smoke it without a filter now. I would give the blend now a 3.5 out of 4 stars.

EDIT: I was told that it is not called vanilla friut but vanilla beans.

This is a must try for aromatic fans! assuming you like the flavor of vanilla. i love it so much... i'm craving for more. One of the best room-notes an aromatic can deliver. it's sweet, it's vanilla topnotch! case closed. I'm going to buy me another pouch! right now! 😉

**** Stars for Aromatic-Fans!

This is a well done Vanilla and a great price for what you get.

Bite? I don't experience it with the Mac Baren blends I've tried. Everyone's body chemistry is different and we all get bite occasionally with differing mixtures I suppose.

Though I must say, I smoke MacB exclusively in meers. I'm less and less a fan of the briar these days.

OK, for the review! The Vanilla top note is solid and lasting, the way I like it. Quality Cavendish mixed with about equal amounts of VA. A straight-up no-frills vanilla smoke.

Complexity? Nahhh, and I'm glad of it. I never want to say about a vanilla aromatic that... "it changes character mid bowl, then becomes nuanced toward the dottle" --- phfffft! Poppy-cock! That would be just plain ridiculous to my tastes anyway....

Do you want your steak to change flavor while you eat it?

Do you want your beer to mutate mid glass?

No and No, and neither should tobacco do these things.

This smoke is the same start to finish as it should be. It is a good quality tobacco, and you get 100g for the price of most 50g blends. That alone is worth 2 stars. But since I like this quality, unpretentious smoke, I'll give it 4 stars.

Vanilla lovers apply here!

Good Draw to You.

Ethan "Glorfindel" Dickey

I opened the tin and the smell was a good sign, subtle but very good. The room aroma was quite pleasant for all in the area. The taste was subtle, creamy tobacco with a nice vanilla note in the background. Good quality base tobacco and a light topping, should be tried by anyone remotely interested in aromatics, as this is quite tasty.

Best-of-breed vanilla. While bordering on an almost candied aroma in the tin, to the match this blend is sweet without being sugary, tasty and aromatic from top to bottom.

Colorful, well-pedigreed tobaccos with just the perfect amount of topping make this an all-around delightfully pleasant smoke suitable for all-day. MacBaren put considerable time and effort into this blend and it has truly paid off. For aromatic and Cavendish lovers, this is a real treat.

Great vanilla aromatic without overpowering the flavors of the tobacco. Cool dry smoke, easy to pack. Great room note that always seems to bring out complements from others around you. As a new smoker I found this blend to be a huge step away from more heavily flavored blends. I would say this blend broadened my horizons away from one trick ponies into more complex blends hunting for the notes described by more experienced reviewers.

I love aromatics and I really enjoy smoking a pure vanilla aromatic every now and then, so it was only a matter of time before this got into my radar.

Being bought in a pretty fresh pouch, the tobacco was pretty moist, but not soaking wet. I've applied to this the same technique that I use with every aromatic: unsealing the pouch/cracking the tin open and let the tobacco "breathe" for a few days or a week. The smell of the unlit tobacco is a true delight: sweet, perfumey vanilla and fruits, with a hint of sweet liqueur.

Mechanically, I have no problems with this one. Once at a decent moisture content, it's easy to work with. Takes the flame very easily, doesn't bite, smokes dry, cool and doesn't require many relights.

The smoking experience is highly enjoyable. A nice, creamy vanilla flavor that's not strong. And this has many qualities that sets it apart from other vanilla aromatics that I've smoked before (and I've smoked a lot of them over the years): the topping is not overly sweet, nor does it taste artificial. And, while the vanilla takes the center stage, it also shares the spotlight with the component tobaccos, which are allowed to have a go.

The grassy Virginias tone down the Black Cavendish, while the Burley balances out the sweetness. It's not sticky or gloopy and I've found the taste much smoother, creamier and more enjoyable if smoked with a filter. Also, the vanilla flavor is much more prominent in a retro. The taste is consistent from top to bottom, burning down to a fine, gray ash. The room note is a delight as well.

A top-class vanilla aromatic of the highest quality, well deserving of its reputation among aromatics in this genre. Highly recommended without a second thought.