Mac Baren Virginia No. 1
(2.78)
In 1955 Virginia No. 1 was introduced to the world’s pipe smokers, and today Virginia No. 1 is one of the Mac Baren Classics. The natural sweetness from the carefully selected Virginia tobaccos, are to be enjoyed every time you light up this magnificent blend. In addition to a slow, cool smoke this ready rubbed blend gives you the slightly sweet smoke. Try the Virginia No. 1 and find out for yourself why Virginia No. 1 is reckoned as a Mac Baren Classic Blend.
Notes: Introduced in 1957, according to Mac Baren's website. Introduced in 1955, according to the tin description.
Details
Profile
Strength
Mild
Extremely Mild -> Overwhelming
Flavoring
Mild
None Detected -> Extra Strong
Room Note
Pleasant
Unnoticeable -> Overwhelming
Taste
Mild to Medium
Extremely Mild (Flat) -> Overwhelming
Average Rating
|
2.78 / 4
|
Reviews
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Displaying 101 - 109 of 109 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 04, 2008 | Mild | Extremely Mild | Very Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I have been dancing back and forth between the Stokkebye Luxury Virginia flake tobaccos. Luxury Twist, Navy, and Bullseye. I'm not always in the mood for perique so that knocks out Navy and Bullseye. In addition you almost need to be running on a treadmill when you light up Bullseye as to not be shocked by the increase in your hearts rate. My favorite point in the progression of the bowl when smoking Luxury Twist is at the very end when I taste the "grassiness" or "Earthy Hay" flavor from that virginia blend.
When going to replenish my tobacco supply today I decided to turn in a new direction and try a totally different brand.
I was taking a huge risk in my own mind buying Mac Baren because of former reviews I have read on this site referring to the brand as "Mac Blowtorch". I'm no stranger to tongue bite alternating between aromatics and non and sometimes even concocting my own blends between the two.
So being a pipe smoker just as you are I took another risk. Committed myself to a $10.40 100gram tin of Mac Baren's Virginia #1. I figured it being approx 25% more expensive by weight than by purchasing the same amount of Bulk PS Luxury Twist Flake.
On to my review... Upon opening the can I lowered my nose to the tobacco as I assume we all do to experience it's unlit personality. Sweet, Bright, Fruity, and Earthy. I keep seeing images of the blue box "Old Advertiser" smoking tobacco comes in if it's still being made. There is something kin to this with that tobacco.
Anyway...I dug my fingers in and noticed the tobaccos moisture content was slighlty dryer than I would consider a description of the word "tacky".
Still sitting in the parking lot of my local tobac shop I packed a small to medium sized Ducca Carlo bowl (Cheap Savinelli). That's my traveling around town pipe, I like to smoke my Nording Signature at home when I have the luxury of my hands available to me to manage it's massiveness.
Upon my first puff...Pure bliss. Not a whole lot of flavor here..but as smooth as it gets. I think the reason I am so happy with this virginia offering is due to that Earthy Hay flavor I have been searching for. I am leaving the lid off my tin to allow the moisture content to drop as I am noticing the need to relight more than I am use to however, this is truly nice.
No bite whatsoever. Room note...very mild but, it did sting my nose one time right after I lit it when the smoke wafted up into my face. I can definately see myself buying more of this if the mildness doesn't force me into something more substantial. I would have to say this has about 2/3 the flavor as Luxury twist and about 1/10th of the flavor of Solani 633 however that has perique so it's probably not a very good comparison. I will continue to work on this one to see what I am thinking in a few days. Burns to a nice salt and pepper ash.
When going to replenish my tobacco supply today I decided to turn in a new direction and try a totally different brand.
I was taking a huge risk in my own mind buying Mac Baren because of former reviews I have read on this site referring to the brand as "Mac Blowtorch". I'm no stranger to tongue bite alternating between aromatics and non and sometimes even concocting my own blends between the two.
So being a pipe smoker just as you are I took another risk. Committed myself to a $10.40 100gram tin of Mac Baren's Virginia #1. I figured it being approx 25% more expensive by weight than by purchasing the same amount of Bulk PS Luxury Twist Flake.
On to my review... Upon opening the can I lowered my nose to the tobacco as I assume we all do to experience it's unlit personality. Sweet, Bright, Fruity, and Earthy. I keep seeing images of the blue box "Old Advertiser" smoking tobacco comes in if it's still being made. There is something kin to this with that tobacco.
Anyway...I dug my fingers in and noticed the tobaccos moisture content was slighlty dryer than I would consider a description of the word "tacky".
Still sitting in the parking lot of my local tobac shop I packed a small to medium sized Ducca Carlo bowl (Cheap Savinelli). That's my traveling around town pipe, I like to smoke my Nording Signature at home when I have the luxury of my hands available to me to manage it's massiveness.
Upon my first puff...Pure bliss. Not a whole lot of flavor here..but as smooth as it gets. I think the reason I am so happy with this virginia offering is due to that Earthy Hay flavor I have been searching for. I am leaving the lid off my tin to allow the moisture content to drop as I am noticing the need to relight more than I am use to however, this is truly nice.
No bite whatsoever. Room note...very mild but, it did sting my nose one time right after I lit it when the smoke wafted up into my face. I can definately see myself buying more of this if the mildness doesn't force me into something more substantial. I would have to say this has about 2/3 the flavor as Luxury twist and about 1/10th of the flavor of Solani 633 however that has perique so it's probably not a very good comparison. I will continue to work on this one to see what I am thinking in a few days. Burns to a nice salt and pepper ash.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 19, 2008 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is one of my favorite Virginia blends. In the can it has that ?barn? smell that many Virginia?s have. Burning in the pipe, it has a nice, subtle, and natural sweetness. Can it bite? Indeed, which is why I gave three stars rather than four, but if you sip, it can be a wonderfully relaxing experience. I find myself grabbing this tin when I get back to my office after lunch with a nice cup of tea as I ease back into the grind. I wish the folks at McB could figure out how to make this (and nearly all their other tobaccos) a little less "bitey."
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 11, 2008 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
I purchased a few oz. of this from my local tobacconist's bulk bins just to try it out. It has some bite like most VAs, but good technique will help eliminate this problem.
The flavor has some depth thanks to the variety of VA used in this blend, and it smokes easily down to a fine gray ash. The taste is much improved by rubbing it out a bit more than I usually prefer.
As a VA this is pretty good and I think it stands up there with other straight VA blends I have tried and it is not very pricey. I will buy more of it, and so I give it 3 stars. (I prefer Gawith's Best Brown, for frame of reference.)
The flavor has some depth thanks to the variety of VA used in this blend, and it smokes easily down to a fine gray ash. The taste is much improved by rubbing it out a bit more than I usually prefer.
As a VA this is pretty good and I think it stands up there with other straight VA blends I have tried and it is not very pricey. I will buy more of it, and so I give it 3 stars. (I prefer Gawith's Best Brown, for frame of reference.)
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 25, 2008 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
After reading other reviews here I thought I was in for a real let down with this blend...Not so. My tin was at the perfect moisture level and lit with one match. I found a mild,sweet, Virginia taste which was there right to the bottom of the bowl. There was no bite and I didn't find this to smoke hot, although I smoked it slow. I'll definitely buy another tin of this in the future.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Nov 27, 2007 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Medium | Tolerable |
Im just getting away from aromatics after coming back to the pipe about 2 months ago. I explained to my tobacco guy what I wanted out of a smoke and he gave me some suggestions. This was one of them, and I have been thanking him for it.
All my pipes are small to medium bowls, so my smoking experience is based on that.
Lights and Burns great.
The intial light can be a little harsh on the mouth if you go crazy puffin to get her lit, but after that, ohh... yummy is all I can say.
For being new to Virginias, this experience will keep me with them. Naturally sweet without any goopy casing... and it changes on each area of the tounge. No bite here, but Im a slooowww puffer. If you savor this tobacco, she will be nice to your stamp licker. Room note is odd, and my better half compared it to burning leaves, so unfortunatley, this cannot be a regular in the house.
All in all... I love this blend. It will no doubt be in my regular lineup and lead me to try additional Virginias.
Enjoyed a bowl of this while refinishing a fine side table I got at an antique store for $5. Great while working.
9 out of 10 here.
***UPDATE 11/27/07 I have had several more bowls of this, and almost finished the ounce I have purchased. It can definetly be a tounge biter, even for a slow puffer. It seems the first 1/3 of the bowl is destined to be hell, after that, not bad. Im gonna have to down this to 8 out of 10 and 3 stars.
All my pipes are small to medium bowls, so my smoking experience is based on that.
Lights and Burns great.
The intial light can be a little harsh on the mouth if you go crazy puffin to get her lit, but after that, ohh... yummy is all I can say.
For being new to Virginias, this experience will keep me with them. Naturally sweet without any goopy casing... and it changes on each area of the tounge. No bite here, but Im a slooowww puffer. If you savor this tobacco, she will be nice to your stamp licker. Room note is odd, and my better half compared it to burning leaves, so unfortunatley, this cannot be a regular in the house.
All in all... I love this blend. It will no doubt be in my regular lineup and lead me to try additional Virginias.
Enjoyed a bowl of this while refinishing a fine side table I got at an antique store for $5. Great while working.
9 out of 10 here.
***UPDATE 11/27/07 I have had several more bowls of this, and almost finished the ounce I have purchased. It can definetly be a tounge biter, even for a slow puffer. It seems the first 1/3 of the bowl is destined to be hell, after that, not bad. Im gonna have to down this to 8 out of 10 and 3 stars.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Aug 25, 2007 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Another beautiful tobacco from MacBaren. This a ready rubbed VA with big flakes. The smell is nice and full, just a tiny sweet, the tobacco all golden.
But it's an all VA that didn't age much, so yes, you can expect a tongue bitting tobacco that will go flat after a while, quite quickly to be frank. But you can't expect miracles from a straight young VA with no Périque, latakia or turkish tobaccos to complement it.
If you're kind of experienced, you will like the tobacco, but not the smoke. Way too mild! BUT for anybody starting off, this will prove rather tasty, until you get higher in the smoking league.
But it's an all VA that didn't age much, so yes, you can expect a tongue bitting tobacco that will go flat after a while, quite quickly to be frank. But you can't expect miracles from a straight young VA with no Périque, latakia or turkish tobaccos to complement it.
If you're kind of experienced, you will like the tobacco, but not the smoke. Way too mild! BUT for anybody starting off, this will prove rather tasty, until you get higher in the smoking league.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 13, 2006 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
I could smoke this morning, noon and night. It's mild, unobtrusive and just a nice smoke. It has the honey sweetness to it, as others have mentioned many times before. As much as I love Rattray's Red Raparee or spicier blends, I appreciate the simpler smokes as well. There is nothing fancy about VA No 1, which is part of its charm to me. You want Virginia, you got Virginia.
Bite? What bite? I believe bite is caused by chemical reactions that we have different reactions to. Me, I can puff this just about however I want to and never get bitten. The same goes for all of the MacBaren offerings. They all behave nicely. In fact, the only time I got bitten, was when I started smoking the pipe. I don't think it has anything to do with mastering the draw. I believe it's biology through and through.
To VA lovers, go ahead and give this a go. You might like it, you might not. Personally I will be having a lbs or two in storage for those simple days.
Bite? What bite? I believe bite is caused by chemical reactions that we have different reactions to. Me, I can puff this just about however I want to and never get bitten. The same goes for all of the MacBaren offerings. They all behave nicely. In fact, the only time I got bitten, was when I started smoking the pipe. I don't think it has anything to do with mastering the draw. I believe it's biology through and through.
To VA lovers, go ahead and give this a go. You might like it, you might not. Personally I will be having a lbs or two in storage for those simple days.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 24, 2005 | Medium | Medium | Mild | Pleasant |
This one is the first virginia I ever smoked. The first time it gives me very much tongue bite. Normaly I am a fast puffer but that is not done with this blend. After smoking a few bowls an slowing down my puffing speed I found it a nice sweet tobacco. I rub it out a bit more for easier packing and lighting. I smoke it in a big bowl with slow pufs. The first minutes after lighting it is sharp to the tongue but more towards the bottom I really enjoy it. There I didn't always have a opened tin I say it is an occasional smoke for me.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2003 | Mild to Medium | Extremely Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is another pleasant tin of weed from our fellow Brothers of the Briar- MacBaren!!! They are certainly one of the most consistent tobacco manufacturers out there. I find their tobacco to contain some sentinmental factor that takes me back to the time before I smoked a pipe and just wished that I did whenever I was around someone who was. That being said, this is a tasty VA with just a touch of honey, very similiar to the technique they used with Burley for Navy Flake. I still prefer NF more, but this is a nice change of pace. Although MB blends do smoke a little warm sometimes, I am amazed at their reputation for tongue bite, especially when compared to some other brands out there like McClelland. This is good pipe Baccy!
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