Mac Baren Virginia Flake

After finishing a tin of much beloved Samuel Gawith Full Virginia Flake and being impatient for the arrival of the next import I thought I would give Macbaren's Virginia Flake a try as it is readily available to me. The quaint little yellow tin, the gold paper inlay implying 'luxury tobacco' awaits, the beautiful way the flakes are presented, the rich summer grass aroma - it all bodes well. Sadly for me, all I got was a very unpleasant saccharin, stale baccy taste in my mouth vividly reminding me just why I packed up cigarette smoking and moved to pipe smoking in the first place.

Comparing this with the Gawith FVF is like comparing a two day old, cold Big Mac (found under the sofa) to a three star Michelin restaurant T-bone steak. (UPDATE: I would 'imagine' having never eaten anything from under my sofa, two days old or otherwise - at least not from Macdonalds.)

This was a big disappointment to me. Visually everything about this is spot-on to prepare you for a wonderful Virginia experience, but the taste falls well short of the expectations you will have built up before light-up.

The problem, and really the only problem, with this is that it lacks the sweetness that nearly every other similar blend would have. Heck, the HH Pure Virginia delivers much more sweetness than this one and it certainly has no assistance from any toppings or sweeteners.

I don't know whether this is topped or sweetened, but if it is, then it needs more. As I stated earlier, this was the only fault I could find on this. It is a classy presentation as would be expected from MacB. The flakes are just the right size and humidity. They rub out effortlessy, easily take a light and need few relights. It is also easy on the tongue and actually has a decent amount of nicotine. But, none of this really matters if it lacks flavor.

It would make a great blender if you wanted to put the effort into rubbing out all the flakes, but the end result would leave you thinking that you should have just bought some C&D ribbon cut Virginia instead. That move would save time, money and deliver a better tasting virginia. I can't help but objectively give this a one star as the competition for Virginia Flakes is too high for there to be any room for this one.

Now then. This is a nasty little rascal of a blend.

It looks so cute in it's tiny little yellow tin. And it smells just like a good virginia flake should smell, with an economical oblong of tightly stacked brown, unassuming flake.

But that's what it wants you to think.

It's a little nasty sleeper that will come to haunt your worst nightmares. Oh sure, the flake is nicely moist and breaks up, just as a good flake should. Packed lightly and ready for a nice virginia smoke just like the old boys of yore. You know, the ones you remember as a kid, thinking 'nice smell but I'll stay on cigarettes'.

You char-light, take a puff and ye gods ! What a narsty surprise awaits your poor old tongue. It's an assault and battery on your mouth. It's brutal death metal only orally induced.

It'll leave your taste buds in pieces and your tongue cut into shreds. You smoke this one at your peril. It took days and countless bowls of Stanwell aromatics and DT's Choo Choo train to help heal the evil that this little devil inflicted on me. Shaking hands dump the contents into the ashtray and you half expect your best glass (and expensive) pipe-ashtray to start melting from the poisons contained therein.

And yet the rest of it sits there, in it's smart little tin, smugly laughing back at you for being a big jessie. None but the bravest of smokers should attempt this blend, even if it did only cost 6.80 euros from Spain. I'll be having words with you, my dear son.

Yes, this is the assassin of all virginia flakes and only the noblest and gentlest of pipe smokers will make friends with this one.

I'm off to hug myself better with Capstan's Blue Flake, also made by Macbites. I mean MacBaren's.

It's the back of the cellar for you my lad, under strict guard.

After Samuel Gawiths FVF, this tobacco is a disaster. It was bone dry in the tin, and needed a lot of rehydration. The flakes break up into incredibly thin stringy strands, and remind me of cheap cigarette rolling tobacco. It drys out almost immediately once rubbed out, and has a slightly bitter smell to it.

As with all the Mac Baren tobacco I've tried, there is instant tongue bite which no matter how delicately sipped intensifies as it is smoked. It burns extremely hot and fast, and after only a few seconds, my pipe is very hot to the touch. No matter the moisture level I've tried, this characteristic is impossible to avoid.

An unpleasant bitter flavour (once again, comparable to all the MB I've tried) is all that awaits, and it is a truly disappointing smoke. I picked it up as I am so fond of Sam Gawith's Full Virginia Flake, and hoped that this might prove to be on a par with that, perhaps playing a slightly different tune. Different it is, but for me, a dischordant cacophany. Any pipe I smoke it in is tainted with this bitter tongue bitey experience after several bowls of better tobacco.

One to avoid.

i've been trying different tobacco but this is probably the worst tin i bought.

packaging & aroma when you get from opening the tin is great! when i smoked this, i thought it was good the first three puffs then it took 360 to "what in the world am i smoking?"

the taste is probably truly mild or more like smoking cheap cigarette tobacco. if i had a choice between smoking this or not smoking, i will chose not smoking at all.

i highly recommend picking something else to try.

When I first lit my bowl, I was wondering why people didn't like this tobacco. While it wasn't a straight Virginia, the flavoring was applied with a fairly light hand. Light citrus and honey notes, along with a little tobacco taste. A little wet, but no biggy.

Then it nosedived into eaux de crushed Marlbaro Red Butt. Absolutely terrible. The worst part is, being a poor college student, I'm gonna have to smoke the rest to justify the purchase.

During the Renaissance Period, no one would dream of taking a bath more than one time a year - at max! Instead people sprayed on litres upon litres of sweet perfumes to hide their natural body odour.

Where's the tobacco in this blend i ask? Are MacBaren trying to hide something here? Bad quality VA leaf perhaps?

The flavouring is very pervasive and the nicotine level is extremely low. If you puff on this a little to hard, you will get punished. But it burns well, even the most unexperienced of novices should be able to keep this one lit, and the presentation is of course (as always with MacBaren) very beautiful.

I think MacBaren is trying to imitate the traditional English "soap-flavouring" as seen in Light Flake and others. They do not succeed at all. I agree with the esteemed Pipestud; it's bland, it's hot, it has no guts. My advice: Try Navy Flake from MacBaren instead, if you like this brand.

Jakob Kiilerich, Denmark

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...).