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 21 - 30 of 54 Reviews
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 27, 2014 | Mild | Mild to Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant to Tolerable |
This is a review of 2 oz of the bulk version.
It says ready rubbed but there are bits of flake tobacco here. Has the typical hay like smell of VA with a bit of sweetness. Came a little dry but packs very easily and lights just the same.
There is a nice sweetness at the beginning of the bowl. Through the smoke there are high and low notes. High being the honey and lemony flavors and low tasting like a graham cracker. I would swear there is some white burley in here that provides the cracker flavor and helps it smoke cool.
The slower you puff the more honeyed cracker/bread flavor your get. This will bite if smoked too fast and you'll only get the lemony citrus notes.
Burns to a nice ash with little to no dottle at the bottom of the bowl.
Not a bad smoke but for the same money you could get a nicer VA IMO. I probably won't be buying this again.
It says ready rubbed but there are bits of flake tobacco here. Has the typical hay like smell of VA with a bit of sweetness. Came a little dry but packs very easily and lights just the same.
There is a nice sweetness at the beginning of the bowl. Through the smoke there are high and low notes. High being the honey and lemony flavors and low tasting like a graham cracker. I would swear there is some white burley in here that provides the cracker flavor and helps it smoke cool.
The slower you puff the more honeyed cracker/bread flavor your get. This will bite if smoked too fast and you'll only get the lemony citrus notes.
Burns to a nice ash with little to no dottle at the bottom of the bowl.
Not a bad smoke but for the same money you could get a nicer VA IMO. I probably won't be buying this again.
Pipe Used:
Briars, cobs and morta
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2013 | Medium | Very Mild | Mild to Medium | Very Pleasant |
A straight VA with multiple 'personalities'. VA No. 1 in the proper bowl and smoking technique can be a satisfying, rich, and sweet smoke. This blend is prone to getting hot and having tongue bite.
The room note is very sweet and pleasant honey + VA aroma. Rubbed out with some drying time, this tobacco will ash almost completely.
I give it a rating of 2 since it's problematic, but it would be a 3 when it's at its best.
The room note is very sweet and pleasant honey + VA aroma. Rubbed out with some drying time, this tobacco will ash almost completely.
I give it a rating of 2 since it's problematic, but it would be a 3 when it's at its best.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jul 29, 2013 | Mild to Medium | Very Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
My 7oz tin was from the 80's so it was almost 30 years old. I have yet to get my new tin in the mail, so I will do a review of the new blend when I receive it.
The 30 year old tin: The bite was horrible, whether puffed slowly or quickly the acidic bite was too much to handle. The Virginia sweetness was present but subdued compared to a modern blend. My recommendation is to let this tobacco age 10 years but no more, 30 years and this is over the hill. Perhaps airing out this tobacco and letting it breathe some oxygen over the next month or two will solve the bite, I will update when I get to that point.
The 30 year old tin: The bite was horrible, whether puffed slowly or quickly the acidic bite was too much to handle. The Virginia sweetness was present but subdued compared to a modern blend. My recommendation is to let this tobacco age 10 years but no more, 30 years and this is over the hill. Perhaps airing out this tobacco and letting it breathe some oxygen over the next month or two will solve the bite, I will update when I get to that point.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Apr 11, 2012 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
Tin note is a nice smell of Virginia with a note of honey. I always love the smell of this tin, but the downside is I smoke to fast for this blend. It burns hot for me and I don't have the patience to smoke slower. It blends with others well and imparts a good virginia to others as a blender.
When I happen to get some good out of this, it has a nice taste, but nothing complicated, just virginias with a touch of sweetness. It has a nice price for the amount you can get in a tin, but I don't see me buying it again. Maybe one day I'll give it a retry, but for now, it has become a blender.
When I happen to get some good out of this, it has a nice taste, but nothing complicated, just virginias with a touch of sweetness. It has a nice price for the amount you can get in a tin, but I don't see me buying it again. Maybe one day I'll give it a retry, but for now, it has become a blender.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 02, 2012 | Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Mac Baren has a long history and a dazzling array of tinned tobaccos, available almost everywhere, with the aim of providing something for everybody. However something bothers me about Mac Baren tobaccos in general: Firstly, they almost always smoke a little hot. Secondly, most are a little too mild and one- dimensional in my opinion. Virgnia No.1 really should be better than it is. Unarguably the Virginias are of excellent quality with a sweet and subtle but tasty dressing. Once again, it's the lack of strength that lets this otherwise fine tobacco down.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Sep 23, 2011 | Mild to Medium | Medium | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
McB Va. No 1 … Danish style Virginias were never my first choice, but of the ones I've tried Va. # 1 is pretty good, especially it's reasonable cost. I found this stuff can get harsh and irritating to the tongue if not smoked sloowly, and for me a bowl or two, once in a while is about the extent of my use of this tobacco. I don't see myself buying any more of this stuff, when I finish this tin. There are too many other VA's I enjoy more. IMO this would not be a good choice for a beginner. My personal rating, 1/5
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 09, 2010 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
A solid tobacco. Not extraordinary. I like this slightly less than Original Choice as it lacks complexity. Still, I enjoy smoking this blend.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Mar 01, 2009 | Mild to Medium | Mild | Mild to Medium | Pleasant |
This is an interesting virginia, somewhat mild. Typically, I prefer fuller virginia flakes, but this is good. I found that the "grassy" or "hay" flavors characteristic of virginias are, although present, somewhat toned down here and the honey casing does not really come out until the last third of the bowl.
It is a fairly simple and enjoyable smoke which I'll recommend to people who are experimenting with virginias or those who like the fuller versions but feel somewhat overwheelmed. I probably won't buy it again since I like "spicier" virginias, but I can see how some guys could adopt this as an all day smoke. I burns slow adn evenly, it's easy to light and it does not bite. I've never experienced the severe bite that some reviewers here experience with Mac Baren Blends.
It is a fairly simple and enjoyable smoke which I'll recommend to people who are experimenting with virginias or those who like the fuller versions but feel somewhat overwheelmed. I probably won't buy it again since I like "spicier" virginias, but I can see how some guys could adopt this as an all day smoke. I burns slow adn evenly, it's easy to light and it does not bite. I've never experienced the severe bite that some reviewers here experience with Mac Baren Blends.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Jan 11, 2009 | Very Mild | Mild | Mild | Pleasant |
Well it need to age a yr. or two then maybe it will be smoother just a little rough right now.Ill give it some time its sweet enough i will say that.But like most golden flakes it bites abit.
| Reviewed By | Date | Rating | Strength | Flavoring | Taste | Room Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Feb 20, 2007 | Mild | Very Mild | Mild | Pleasant to Tolerable |
*I rated this a two star blend, mainly due to its being so mild and one dimensional. However, given that this stuff is so inexpensive and easy to find, those merits could rate it another star if you are looking for a mild va. without high expectations.
I recently was afforded the opportunity to sample an ounce of this, and I'm afraid that it didn't quite meet my expectations. It is, as the manufacturer claims, a mild smoke. The pouch aroma is faintly sweet and grasslike, but there was no detectable topping to my nose.
Lighting was easy, and once charred the tobacco stayed lit. Absent was MacBaren's predeliction to bite the tongue while attempting the char, so this was a pleasant surprise. Also absent, however, was the charactaristic spiciness of a young virginia, as well as the deep rich overtones of a ripened virginia.
Overall, the mild temperament of this tobacco may make up for its lack of richness for the novice piper. For those seeking a rich va. experience, you may wish to take a pass on this one.
I recently was afforded the opportunity to sample an ounce of this, and I'm afraid that it didn't quite meet my expectations. It is, as the manufacturer claims, a mild smoke. The pouch aroma is faintly sweet and grasslike, but there was no detectable topping to my nose.
Lighting was easy, and once charred the tobacco stayed lit. Absent was MacBaren's predeliction to bite the tongue while attempting the char, so this was a pleasant surprise. Also absent, however, was the charactaristic spiciness of a young virginia, as well as the deep rich overtones of a ripened virginia.
Overall, the mild temperament of this tobacco may make up for its lack of richness for the novice piper. For those seeking a rich va. experience, you may wish to take a pass on this one.
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