Mac Baren Vanilla Cream Loose Cut

I have been trying quite a few new tobaccos as of late, most of which have been heavily reviewed on this site. So I have felt that one more similar review was unnecessary. But this tobacco has driven me to comment.

I purchased this tin because of the reviews that I had read here earlier this week. I opened it immediately after geting in the car. the tin odor was wonderfully vanilla. vanilla fudge vanilla. the casing was deffinately heavy. but I did not let this stop me. I packed my first bowl very easily , and lit it. A rush of vanilla hit my tongue. There was not much tobacco flavor there. but I kept an open mind. as I drove the 45 minute drive home, I found that hints of sweet virginias started to shine through the thick casing, but never came to the for front , the casing held on throughout the bowl.

As for bite there is bite but it was the mildest biter that I have ever experienced in an aromatic it was only a slight distraction.

Over all this is a tobacco that will definately please the women and that is a nice change of pace from straight virginias, which have become my preference.

Mac Baren's Vanilla Cream Loose Cut is an excellent tobacco. It has no bite, a great sweet tobacco taste, wonderful room note, and is easy and enjoyable to smoke. Lights and burns well. Great stuff.

I gambled on this one. More curious then anything.

Tin aroma: The sweet aromas from a bakery.

Room aroma: My son says that it reminds him of Banana Nut Cake or some kind of muffins.

1st light to top 3rd or so: Vanilla, but not syrupy. More like a vanilla butter. Creamy like it's name implies.

Middle 3rd: Still a vanilla butter with a caramel/walnut essance.

Bottom 3rd: The VA kicks in gear and the vanilla, butter & caramel are in the distant background.

For someone who stays clear of candys; this one wasn't bad! ...The quality VA really saves this blend. ...The vanilla is not a syrupy candy. ...It's a nice butternut kind of taste.

This one can be smoked all day. ...A very good change of pacer.

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..