Mac Baren Virginia Flake

I bought a pound of this on sale, as the sale price of a pound was about the same as the regular price of 3 50 gram tins. Smart shopper or village idiot? Well... neither, exactly. I'd classify this as a "good" but not great smoke. I'd grade it about 2.5 stars and rounded up due to the leaf quality.

This is a pleasant mild smoke that doesn't offend as long as it's smoked slowly. Whatever casing might be in there burns off at the match or in the drying process, much like MacB's Navy Flake. This tobacco is neither complex nor does it develop down the bowl. It's just a nice friendly smoke when you're not in the mood to try anything new and your taste buds don't want to be overwhelmed. Mildly and pleasantly sweet, but not as sweet as Virginia #1. I've smoked about 6 oz of this and I'm going to age the rest for a couple of years. I wonder if the mildness might give way to a bit more zest with some cellaring.

This has been available on-and-off since I was a teenager (NOT yesterday) but I have the impression that the tin was somehow different. I remember first trying this at the same time as THE ORIGINAL SOBRANIE Flake ("Pure Virginia") in the green étui, and thinking this hotter and rather more syrupy.

But taken in its own terms, this is a quality product, as all of Baren's offerings, beautifully put together. The flavour is lightest Virginia, lightly sweetened. I like it better than ORLIK's Golden Sliced, because this has no burley. The burley there is meant to aleviate BITE. It also makes the taste duller. If you wish to avoid pernicious heat with M. BAREN's Virginia Flake, don't rub it out at all: just stuff it into the pipe whole; it will burn slower. This tobacco is a perfect tutorial on slow puffing and restrained smoldering; smoked that way, it is among the better light flakes.

If you want to taste this without the sweetener, or see what the sweetener adds to a blend of this sort, try FRIBOURG & TREYER's Cut Blended Plug.

As I continue to work my way (slowly) through the extensive Mac Baren's line, I held off on this one for as long as possible because I knew it was a flavored Virginia Flake and I was hesitant to try it. It is a very light tasting Virginia with a sweet and unusual top dressing that I liked. It was beautifully presented in a handsome tin, and the flake itself was marvelously put together. It stayed lit well (all Mac Baren's tobaccos seem to burn with no problem,) and burned cleanly with a superb aroma. If light and sweet is your go-to type of blend, I think you will really enjoy this.

In what I believe is becoming my reconciliation with Mac Baren's blends, I gave a try to Virginia Flake. As with Golden Ambrosia and Virginia No. 1 I was rather surprised to taste a very gentle, mild, yet flavoursome tobacco. Certainly sweet, Virginia Flake is not at all cloying or syrupy. I find it a mild sweetness, almost natural, with a slight honey undertone that does not interfere with the tobacco taste.

Golden Virginias neatly pressed together to form beautiful, pliable flakes this tobacco represents a prime example of the Danish tobacco manufacture tradition (a la par with Stokkebye and Larsen's flakes). Of course, if you are used to Gawith, Dunhill or Mc Quaid's flakes, you may find Mac Barn's far too mild and flavourless. But if you take the time to puff in slowly and calmly you will be gratified by a very elegant and gentle tobacco. This is perhaps a mid morning or early afternoon smoke, that goes down well with tea or sherry. It has a very inviting aroma, with a nice aftertaste.

This is a pretty decent blend. Mild yet flavorful, Virginia Flake is ideal as a simple, any time of day tobacco. A semi-citrus, semi-grassy Virginia flavor comes through strong from beginning to end, melding smoothly with a slightly honey-esque sweetness. Smoked as a flake, the flavors are darker, with a slightly more musty taste. Rubbed out, this flake really shines. Fresh out of a tin, it may have the tendency to bite. But taken slowly, this tobacco is one of the hidden treasures of the tobacco world...

This is a great, fairly easygoing Mac Baren Virginia blend. I went through the tin pretty quickly, so you won't hear many complaints from me.

Tin note of sugary fruits. Not like it's been artificially flavored, but natural Virginia note. Recognizable Mac Baren tin aroma.

An initial hint of toastiness, but then moving towards a beautiful fresh fruit flavor. Not as bright-forward as some others. Instead of pure hay-grassiness, it carries a bit more depth, slight spice, sugar, a dark fruits.

I'm not sure if flavoring is added, but if it does it's extremely mild. The sweet fruit flavor comes, in my opinion, mostly from the natural Virginia leaf. However, Somewhere during the end of the first third of the bawl, the flavor flattens up a bit, suggesting that some kind of flavoring was indeed added. Once that happens, it does dole it a bit, but at the same time a bit more of body and spice are felt.

Comes in fairly wide and very thin typical Mac Baren flakes. My average pipe takes about half of a flake to fill up. Very easy to rub out, load, and light. The moisture is almost perfect out of the tin, but I took 20 minutes to dry them after first opening it. If you keep them in the tin, rather than jarring them up, then they'll reach the perfect moisture after a day or two.

It smokes slow and should be sipped to fully enjoy the flavor. While it can be an all-day smoke, I think that it'd be more appreciated if it's smoked occasionally. If you get a slow and steady cadence there's some chance that you won't need to relight at all and you won't experience any tongue bite.

Mild in body and strength.

To sum this up, this is a very nice blend. I don't think that I will ever not feel like smoking it. However, my main issue is that loss of flavor around the end of the first third of the bowl. It still tastes good from there, it just transforms before I would like it to. I would've been happier if this kept the sweet fruit taste throughout the bowl or at least half of it. Still, the whole bowl is very enjoyable. Three stars.

I feel this blend is very similar to Virginia #1 but with the topping toned down. Whereas Virginia #1 is the absolute opposite of what you would want to give a newbie, Vir Flake is much much more forgiving of careless technique and does not have the same ability to cause 3rd degree burns on a neophyte's tongue.. (and yes I was that kid, and yes I couldn't smoke for a week after that). The flake burns slower, cooler and the slight hassle of dealing with a Flake for a new smoker may seem daunting at first, the learning experience of smoking a Flake will broaden your horizons. Very similar to OGS to me as well without Perique.

This tobacco is a pleasant smoke - presents well in the tin in a nice layout. The flakes are easy to rub out and to load. Stays lit and burns to a fine white ash. No bite detected but could produce that effect if 'rush-smoked'. Taste is creamy and spicy from mid-bowl with a certain tanginess about it - sort of lemon grassy, like notes of Citrus. If no flavouring was added, as is generally believed, this could well be attributed to the 'Mac Baren way' of processing its Virginia(s).

Another fine flake offering from MacBaren. Perfect moisture content, and ready to fold, or rub out (as I do) and smoke. Excellent Virginia flavor....not too strong, not too lite. And can be had for $7 - $8 per 50g tin, so can't beat the price. This stuff really shines when smoked in a cob. Will be part of my permanent rotation, along with MacB's NF and Orlick's GS.