Mac Baren Virginia No. 1

Went out on the back porch this evening and smoked a bowl of it in a Captain Black billiard that I just refinished last weekend. I watched a spectacular thunderstorm while smoking with my dog at my side. I smoked it right out of the tin. The first third of the bowl was very light tasting but yet substantial. I'm not good with comparing smoke to other foods or substances, but I thought I smelled or tasted a hint of honeydew melon along with the proverbial Virginia hay aroma in the first third. This first third was very refreshing to the palate; kind of the way you feel after taking a shower after a long, sweaty day at work. The smoke really came into full glory in the second third, like the sweet spot on a cigar. The light, subtle smoke of the first third slowly changed to a full-bodied delight. Virginias have a tendency to bite my tongue when I smoke them, but this tobacco is very mellow, yet tasty and satisfying. This tasted so good that I couldn't slow myself down, but still didn't get bit! This is my first experience smoking a really old tobacco and I was skeptical about the hype, but I must say that this was an exquisite smoke. The second third was so tasty I didn't want it to end. I didn't feel too great of a nicotine hit, but just what you'd expect from a typical Virginia. The third part of the bowl was almost as good as the second. Still, I couldn't put the dang thing down it was so tasty. It smoked all the way down to ash; I only had to relight one time.

I really enjoy this tobacco. The more I smoke of it, the more I like it.

TIN: Smells a lot like dry hay, but not terribly strong. The tobacco has a perfect moisture level...I only needed one light.

TASTE: A mild/medium blend, naturally sweet and pleasant. It isnt complex. It isnt groundbreaking. It's just plain good tobacco. Puffing too hard may deliver some tongue bite but relaxing and taking it slow is a good remedy. I'm pretty sensitive to nicotine, and to me this was a medium nic blend. The flavor also wasnt sour like some VA's tend to be. I have to say, when you puff this slowly, it produces some wonderful room notes. This is also one of those blends that gets better as you smoke through the bowl. It developed a rich quality not unlike dark chocolate or toast.

This for me is a great all-day blend. It is terribly consistent through the entire bowl, which is much appreciated. I will say though, you will smell like smoke after enjoying this blend, so if you dont want to communicate that you're a smoker by your scent, you want to smoke this after you're done for the day.

Oh and in closing, if you want the best experience, smoke in a cob.

Out of the benevolence of his good nature, a friend gave me this amazing tobacco. I fell in love with it. It was so hard not to constantly engross myself with this blend. It was down to earth and hearty. It reminded me of summer and wheat. It's a very simple tobacco, it consistently stays the same from start to finish. It burns into a a nice white/light grey ash. Simply put, sinfully delicious. I highly recommend.

This baby is Suh-weeet! Yeah it's a MacBaren's and it'll smoke hot on ya. However after 'learning' how o smoke VA it's wonderful. When I first opened the tin I was impressed. The stuff smelled realy nice. I'm not very good at labeling aromas but after reading several reviews on different things I have to say it's a sweet, dreamy, haylike aroma in the tin. The really nice part that I like is when firing up a bowl of VA #1 I get a nice full feeling/atmosphere, calming and very pleasant and comforting. Continuing to smoke 'er slowly/sipping/breath smoke style, this blend just keeps on giving. VA #1 needs some drying time in my opinion, almost to slightly crispy then she'll spark to life. I'm giving this one a strong 4 STARS.

If You wanna try siple, straightforward , sweet Virginia, then Va no.1 is perfect. My favourite non-thinking blend. No bite, simple, sweet, creamy, burns to ash and leaves little moisture in a bowl.

If you are a lover of Virginia tobacco and you don't like this, something is wrong. It is the epitome of a wonderful Virginia tobacco. Sweet with slight tastes of fruit and sugar without being cloying or wet. The best smoke is derived from smoking gently and slowly and savoring the incredible aroma, just as with any good Virginia. I currently buy it in bulk and have used it for decades from the tin and I can not notice a difference in taste or quality between the tin variety and the bulk.

Hay, Grass. I was searching for a no-nonesense, no pretence simple clean tobacco. Far away from the snobby other tobaccos. And this is it. It's like a Fender Stratocaster.

This is a very good Virginia tobacco. It loads well into a pipe. It lights well and burns smoothly. It has the sweet taste of a very good Virginia and is refreshing after smoking heavy Latakia blends.

Every time I smoke this I wonder why I do not try this more often. One of my favorites using the ole corn cob. It has a wonderful aroma and a nice sweet taste that mellows out to a pleasant grassy note. Slightly bites but not really enough to matter. My Nov 2012 lb bag says it was introduced in 1955 vice 1957 as stated in this web's description.