Mac Baren Virginia Flake
(2.58)
Manufactured from choice, fully ripe and matured Virginia tobaccos - mainly American. An elegant flavor with a full and pleasant mild taste has been added.
Notes: Introduced in 1979.
Details
Profile
Strength
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.58 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 27 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
A very classically styled bright and red Virginia flake (although, knowing Mac Baren, I might suspect that there also is a slight touch of burley). It smells and tastes like an English flake with just a hint of sweet flavoring (honey, sugar...) to betray its Danish origin. Very "reference" virginia flake, IMHO.
It is predictable from start to finish: no surprises, neither of the unpleasant kind (it burns slow, cool, with no bitterness, sourness or tonguebite, very smooth) nor of the pleasant one (it is good, but without peaks of excellence). A mild tasting flake with a medium body, sweet, only slightly grassy and hayish. Similar to Capstan (but without its sour fruitiness) or Marlin Flake (but not as deliciously sweet), or Full Virginia Flake (but not as fragrant and complex). The problem, IMHO, lies in the fact that it's also rather undistinguished: it doesn't excel in any department, while undoubtedly providing a solid good smoke. With so many virginia flake alternatives, one has to go looking for nuances to tell the winners from the simply OK stuff. And IMHO the three tobaccos I compared it to above shine with more personality, more "juice", more complexity, more satisfaction. The difference is not huge, but it's there. Somewhat it can be comparable to some similar Fribourg & Treyer flakes: good, but not the best of its kind.
Anyway, far from being bad: if you stumble upon some tins at a good price, cellar them away because it is enjoyable and without specific faults other than not being the best of its class.
It is predictable from start to finish: no surprises, neither of the unpleasant kind (it burns slow, cool, with no bitterness, sourness or tonguebite, very smooth) nor of the pleasant one (it is good, but without peaks of excellence). A mild tasting flake with a medium body, sweet, only slightly grassy and hayish. Similar to Capstan (but without its sour fruitiness) or Marlin Flake (but not as deliciously sweet), or Full Virginia Flake (but not as fragrant and complex). The problem, IMHO, lies in the fact that it's also rather undistinguished: it doesn't excel in any department, while undoubtedly providing a solid good smoke. With so many virginia flake alternatives, one has to go looking for nuances to tell the winners from the simply OK stuff. And IMHO the three tobaccos I compared it to above shine with more personality, more "juice", more complexity, more satisfaction. The difference is not huge, but it's there. Somewhat it can be comparable to some similar Fribourg & Treyer flakes: good, but not the best of its kind.
Anyway, far from being bad: if you stumble upon some tins at a good price, cellar them away because it is enjoyable and without specific faults other than not being the best of its class.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 14, 2016 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Tolerable |
This was the first flake tobacco I ever bought back in 2009 as a new pipe smoker, so you could say I have something of a sentimental attachment to it. Two or three tins of this and I was quite well hooked to the amazing world of pipe smoking. The tin design, the arrangement of the flakes, the tin note and the subtlety sweet VA notes in the smoke... there was enough there to capture my newbie imagination.
Sentimentality aside, however, now that I've sampled maybe twenty or so different Virginia flakes, this is objectively speaking not a very good example of its genre. There is a pleasant grassy taste in the first third of the bowl with some citrus notes, but it is too eager to bite and needs extremely slow sipping to burn down gently and not produce a harsh, cigarette-like taste after mid-bowl. Some reviewers have mentioned sweetness in the blend, something which I can't really find here any more.
I will always come back to this blend once every couple of years for nostalgia's sake, but there are several VA flakes I'd recommend before this one.
Sentimentality aside, however, now that I've sampled maybe twenty or so different Virginia flakes, this is objectively speaking not a very good example of its genre. There is a pleasant grassy taste in the first third of the bowl with some citrus notes, but it is too eager to bite and needs extremely slow sipping to burn down gently and not produce a harsh, cigarette-like taste after mid-bowl. Some reviewers have mentioned sweetness in the blend, something which I can't really find here any more.
I will always come back to this blend once every couple of years for nostalgia's sake, but there are several VA flakes I'd recommend before this one.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 29, 2016 | Very Mild | None Detected | Extremely Mild (Flat) | Unnoticeable |
I am a Virginia flake smoker and I think that I have tried them all . This flake would not be my top choice or even near the top . Frankly , it is very grassy and sort of tasteless . It provides some first class tongue bite and is to be smoked only in moments of extreme need . That being said , it is a very useful product . I use it to mix with Samuel Gawith rain forest tobaccos to bring down the moisture level . Since it has little noticeable taste it does not change the excellent SG but it does provide enough dry kindling to light up and enjoy the flavor or great but way too moist tobacco . I always keep a good supply of this in my pipe room and couldn't smoke without it . Pretty yellow can too .
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Oct 26, 2013 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a lightly-topped Virginia flake that comes well presented in a neat rectangular tin. The flakes rub out easily and it can be smoked straight out of the tin, but it needs to be sipped or it'll bite you. One of the claims made for it on the tin is that it's slow-burning. It isn't, though; not in my experience, anyway.
What I said in an earlier review of MacBaren's Navy Flake applies here, on the whole. It's all right, but rather ordinary, I found. Apart from a rather nice, though very subtle, honeyish note it doesn't have any distinguishing qualities to speak of. A decent all-day smoke, but not something that the connoisseur is going to want to linger over, I think. Somewhat recommended, but I wouldn't queue to buy it. Perhaps it needs a more sensitive palate than mine to appreciate the nuances.
What I said in an earlier review of MacBaren's Navy Flake applies here, on the whole. It's all right, but rather ordinary, I found. Apart from a rather nice, though very subtle, honeyish note it doesn't have any distinguishing qualities to speak of. A decent all-day smoke, but not something that the connoisseur is going to want to linger over, I think. Somewhat recommended, but I wouldn't queue to buy it. Perhaps it needs a more sensitive palate than mine to appreciate the nuances.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 28, 2022 | Mild to Medium | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Quality flake here. I bought a box of it 8 years ago and let it age. Finally just getting around to trying it, and Im’ afraid I’m rather disappointed.
You have to sip this tobacco slower than any other I’ve tried to avoid the bite and loss of flavor. You can get creamy smoke out of it with a subtle marshmallow-y sweetness. But it’s too prone to becoming harsh or bitey if you aren’t careful, even with a lot of age.
You have to sip this tobacco slower than any other I’ve tried to avoid the bite and loss of flavor. You can get creamy smoke out of it with a subtle marshmallow-y sweetness. But it’s too prone to becoming harsh or bitey if you aren’t careful, even with a lot of age.
PurchasedFrom:
Beehive Cigars
Age When Smoked:
8 years
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 15, 2020 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
In everything it reminds me of the Capstan Gold Navy Cut: the aroma in the opening of the tin, the cut of the flakes (although they are smaller here), the size and color of the tin, its lack of flavor ... Some say that Mac Baren in his day he took this work out to compete directly with Capstan. I can neither affirm nor deny it. In the smoke the flavor is completely bland and flat. Sometimes I have seemed to perceive a hint of a rush of sweetness, but it has vanished so quickly that I do not know if it was the product of my imagination. You have to smoke it slowly because otherwise it tends to heat the bowl and sting the tongue. It can be a good tobacco to mix, in that it also resembles the Capstan Gold Navy Cut ... I will not repeat.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 05, 2014 | Medium | Very Mild | Medium to Full | Pleasant to Tolerable |
The only Mac Baren from myself that I almost gave 3 stars.
It was a solid Virginia taste, that burned slowly, but sadly not cool.
I would definitely recommend this a beginner smoker to flakes because it easy to light and keep smoking. Plus the Virginia taste is definitely one a beginner smoker should come around to smoke for the first time.
Two stars.
It was a solid Virginia taste, that burned slowly, but sadly not cool.
I would definitely recommend this a beginner smoker to flakes because it easy to light and keep smoking. Plus the Virginia taste is definitely one a beginner smoker should come around to smoke for the first time.
Two stars.
Pipe Used:
AKB Freehand Meerschaum, H.I.S Egg Bent
PurchasedFrom:
Smoking Pipes
Age When Smoked:
New
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 11, 2014 | Mild | None Detected | Mild | Pleasant |
This is an alright Virginia flake. Sweet, sugar hay flavor. However not immune to Mac Barens tongue bite cures. Overall, its an alright Virginia. Not even in the same ball park as Samual Gawith, Dunhill of any of the other legendary flakes. but, Its a good low cost starting place for beginner pipe smokers.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| May 15, 2022 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Taking a whiff off of the tin I get the smell of a fruity chocolate topping. The flakes are of a mahogany color and moisture ready to smoke.
I get more hay than grass, no sweetness, citrus notes and a bit of tongue bite especially when I look for more flavor by puffing fast. By mid bowl, the dark fruit flavor replaces the citrus one and remains the same for the reminder of the smoke. When blowing the smoke through the nose, the chocolate topping is really there and I ask myself if I' m not smoking a very light Aromatic. There are moments that are really bland and the nicotine never picks up. A redeeming quality is that it could be a starting flake for a beginner or somebody who likes light topped flakes.
Virginia lover
I get more hay than grass, no sweetness, citrus notes and a bit of tongue bite especially when I look for more flavor by puffing fast. By mid bowl, the dark fruit flavor replaces the citrus one and remains the same for the reminder of the smoke. When blowing the smoke through the nose, the chocolate topping is really there and I ask myself if I' m not smoking a very light Aromatic. There are moments that are really bland and the nicotine never picks up. A redeeming quality is that it could be a starting flake for a beginner or somebody who likes light topped flakes.
Virginia lover
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 07, 2020 | Mild | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
Presentation: Yellow label with black trim and text. I love the paper on the inside that hold the tobacco, it is quality.
Cut: Beautiful signature Mac Baren flakes, solidly pressed and very clean looking but also rub out super easily. A touch on the moist side.
Tin note: General light sweetness, maybe a little grassy.
Tasting notes: Tart citrus, slightly sweet grass, earthy, extremely faint fruit. The topping leaves a certain film feeling on my tongue, feels cheap and chemically. I wish they didn't put it in there because it ruins it. I also wish there was more red virginias in here.
Mechanics: Might bite due to topping.
Extra Remarks: What is otherwise a very pleasant mild to medium VA blend has been tarnished by a topping. Maybe I'm extra sensitive to them or something but it ruins the blend. And to be clear, my contention is not that the topping is too strong, just simply that it tastes and feels bad while smoking. Besides the topping, I can tell it is quality leaf and potentially enjoyable to some. 2 stars.
Cut: Beautiful signature Mac Baren flakes, solidly pressed and very clean looking but also rub out super easily. A touch on the moist side.
Tin note: General light sweetness, maybe a little grassy.
Tasting notes: Tart citrus, slightly sweet grass, earthy, extremely faint fruit. The topping leaves a certain film feeling on my tongue, feels cheap and chemically. I wish they didn't put it in there because it ruins it. I also wish there was more red virginias in here.
Mechanics: Might bite due to topping.
Extra Remarks: What is otherwise a very pleasant mild to medium VA blend has been tarnished by a topping. Maybe I'm extra sensitive to them or something but it ruins the blend. And to be clear, my contention is not that the topping is too strong, just simply that it tastes and feels bad while smoking. Besides the topping, I can tell it is quality leaf and potentially enjoyable to some. 2 stars.
Pipe Used:
IMP Straight Billiard Meer
Age When Smoked:
Fresh from tin
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