Mac Baren Virginia Flake

I decided to venture more into the MB line, and since I like virginia flakes, even some scented ones, I gave this a full tin go after looking at the other reviews, but with caution.

P&T magazine gave MB's Navy Flake a nod over this one, due to the extra flavoring here, but Navy Flake is also scented (but less so than VF). Indeed Navy Flake is more of an all day smoke, due to the just slightly sweet taste and coolness from the burley. But if you have a sweeter tooth, Virginia Flake has the advantage. Navy Flake, for all its goodness, is bland by comparison.

Virginia Flake does smoke somewhat cool if and only if you pack the unrubbed flake firmly. (You can sense its willing to be hot and bite if you rubbed it out fully or packed it too loose.) But smoked slowly it does not bite or get too hot.

It starts out quite sweet, with a nearly dense honey taste aided by the bright virginia sugariness. The sweetness lightens a bit duirng the bottom 2/3's of the smoke. I found it to be a somewhat wet smoke, using my pipe cleaner about three times. (I used a medium, straight Von Eryck pipe, but an early model that a cleaner would not run straight through, so a better pipe may help in the future. Still, tasty.) It's more of an occasional, small hit of the wet honey taste rather than a steady stream of aromatic stuff. I could still taste a slight tang from the bright virginias used, so the underlying tobacco is of high quality.

The taste was somewhat medium rich to me, and that's why I stuck with it. Other honeydew flakes used for comparison include G&H Glengarry (lighter, more natural, and smoother), Erinmore (richer, fuller), CAO's Vanilla flake (similar but cooler), and Solani's Virginia Flake (fuller and dryer) or Long Golden Flake (very cool, round, dry and tasty). I might try MB's Virginia Flake again, and in different style pipes, due to the interesting richness that develops.

Reservedly recommended to bright flake fanciers and light aromatic buffs who want to venture into flakes, but with cool heads.

When you open the can, you get a pleasant aroma of cooked ripe red fruits, dried figs, chocolate, herbaceous, citrus, hay. When you light the first third, a nice smoke of baked bread, citrus, hay, grassy. It is easy to smoke, you have to smoke it slowly, with relaxation and peace. Leaves some moisture. It is recommended dry, but not crunchy, at least for my taste. The room note is nice and cozy. Satisfactory ride to the end, until the last third. The ignitions depend on the humidity with which you want to tobacco. Pack by gravity. Highly recommended.

Tin note of dark fruit, sugar and spices. Tobacco is a flake of marbled orangish brown, tan and a little dark brown. Moisture content is great. Flakes rub out easily. Burns slow with a few relights. The strength is medium and nic is mild to medium. No flavoring is listed but seems to be a mild sweetness that fizzles out around the halfway point. Taste is mild to medium and very consistent, with notes of sweet vegetation, sugar, spices, floral, wood, bread, zesty lemon grass, earthy, orange peel, tart sour citrus, slightly acidic, mildly savory, slightly spicy, a tangy dak fruit background note, and a peppery retro. Virginias are leading with Flavoring supporting. Room note is pleasant to tolerable, and aftertaste is great.

Tin note is grass slightly floral and just a bit sweet. As with most Mac Baren tobacco the presentation is outstanding in the tin. I personally don't rub this out, but just break the flakes in half and put them lengthwise in the bowl snuggly. The tobacco lights very easily and stays lit. The smoke is mild if puffed gently and does not bite. This is a straight Virginia with a very lite topping. I had read the topping was cider vinegar and sugar water, but the vinegar does not translate into the smoke just a slight sweetness . Easley an all day smoke. Not complex but an excellent Virginia. 4 solid stars. If you like Virginias this is one to try.

Many tins in the MB line seem to taste similar to me, and they smoke in the same fashion as well. They taste bland...are HOT/Tongue-Biters...and smell like potpourri. I cannot recommend this product.

Smoke in peace, brothers and sisters of the leaf.

I have now smoked several Mac Baren offerings and will not review them any further since they are extremely not to my liking. If interested in my thoughts about their line of tobaccos then just see my review on Burley London, it pretty much sums up this vapid weed give or take a slight aromatic difference (vanilla, cherry etc...).

I've been smoking heavy burleys and English all winter. Yesterday I decided that it was time for a summer smoke, a nice VA flake. I purchased a neat little 1 3/4 oz/50gm tin of MB Virginia Flake. Opening the tin I was greeted with a luxurious looking presentation of gold overleaf and two very nicely packed rows of thin light colored flakes. The tin aroma was appealing too. Maybe honey smell,and or grassy but I'm not sure but it was pleasant. The flakes rubbed out very nicely and since it broke up so easily I thought it'd be nice for a fold and stuff kinda thing. The flakes behaved nicely as I stuffed two flakes in a medium sized bowl and they took a light easily. Now, knowing MacBaren's is known to smoke hot and people say they've been bitten by MB, I started smoking it very slowly from the start, just about breath smoking it. MB VA Flake treated me very kindly. This to me is a straight up VA Flake so I'd suggest one not expect much more than this. If you know VA's then you know not to espect alot. However, I was delighted with this little tin and was a great change up from the rigorous heavy demands of winter/cold weather requirements of pipe smoking in my opinion. Lighter weather lighter tobacco for me. I'm giving this baby THREE stars here. It presents itself very well in its class. I'm still backing up my days with a heavier Nic hit but this stuff's nice.

Nothing speacail just a stright Natural Va. Unlike most mac barens this one has a naturaly sligthly sweet taste, very nice, grassy, hay like aroma. If you like natural simple tasting Va flakes like myself a tin of this will serve you well.

Your no thrills basic virginia flake also makes a good blending tobacco with perique.