Mac Baren Virginia No. 1

Packs and burns very well, a nice virginia, but a little rough around the edges for me. I'll stick with va. flake instead, much smoother smoke.

Update: 7/31/17:I learned with this one, very important IMO, do not buy in bulk. I get the 9oz. tin/250g. Nice sweet, natural va. Nice one for in one of the corn cobs while working around the yard or garage. Since it is pure va. it will just keep getting better with age. Upgrading to 3 stars, will always have around.

Upon opening the jar of this aged bulk buy I get the aroma of a straightforward sweet virginia. The broken flake is a mix of brown and golden virginia that is not too wet or dry. If i pinch a bit of it together and let it go it separates fairly quickly; just perfect for packing.

Pack this tobacco lightly by just sprinkling the tobacco in and making sure there are no clumps and tamping as you fill (standard method of very light, light and medium firm tamps). charring light, tamp and relight and it will stay lit pretty much all the way if you are concentrating, otherwise just relight and tamp as needed. SIP, Do not Puff this tobacco! Keep a pipe cleaner handy as the cumbustion produces a lot of water.

Taste on initial light is a light, sweet hay flavor. The smoke is alkalinic in the beginning and it will bite if you puff. If you are patient these light, small sips will reward you with a subtle flavor. About 1/3 the way down the bowl the tobacco has stoved a bit and you an take a deeper sip. The taste is a bit fuller and can be felt on the nose exhale but it does not lose that sweet hay flavor. The last third of this is what all the patience you have exercised was for. If you have been an attentive student you will be able to puff to your hearts content (within reason of course) and the flavor of bite-free sweet virginia will come bursting through leaving you wishing you had reached for that extra large bowl. When smoking this tobacco i tend to hold the pipe to my lips and take constant little sips (the first 1/3-2/3) and pace according to taste and bowl heat. If smoked this way the bowl and smoke will remain cool throughout. Smokes all the way to the bottom to a dry and grey/black speckled ash with no dottle.

I like this tobacco and reach for it when I just want to smoke and clear my mind by concentrating on the smoking process. I think this is a great beginner tobacco for those new to virginias. It is mild and you will learn how to pace your sips or this "teacher" will smack your tongue with its biting ruler. Master this tobacco and the world of delicate virginias and orientals will be a brand new tasting experience.

As of late I have gone back to this tobacco. It is sweet and easy to light. Packs ever so nice into my pipe and leaves no bad after smell. In all it is a nice change for me in the smokers lounge.

From someone that normally prefers english blends, every once in a while I will find a Virginia that I enjoy. MacBaren's straight Virginia is a simple, mild, enjoyable smoke. I do not detect any flavoring, just the simple natural sweetness of a straight virginia. Although I think there are a couple virginias that deliver more taste, I would not pass this one up. Funny, I smoke like a chimney I had no tongue bite. My wife loved the room note. Packs and smokes well. Worth a try.

I walked into the JR outlet that happens to be on my commute home, looking for something 'new', and ended up with something quite 'old', that is, MacBaren's Virginia No. 1, which has been in continuous production since 1957. Having never tried this classic, I gave it a whirl. I have a special affinity for Mac Baren's Scottish Mixture which was a great fill-in for those times when I could not get my hands on the "Scottish Ribbon" blend from the late, great Connoisseur Pipe shop on Sixth Ave in NYC. ... V No. 1 has a similar slice cut, which has a certain heft and richness that is very appealing. The smoke, as described by others, can "bite if pushed", very true. It has a wonderful tin smell, but opens up if you transfer it to a ziploc. It is sweet up front, but gets a bit heavy as things heat up. It's a great smoke for a colder day, and should be enjoyed very slowly.

I came back to this tobacco after trying several other Vaper type tobacco and initially I was quite negative towards it. After a few popes I had to revise my opinion and I was beginning to like THE initial simplicity of this brand. You have to be patient while smoking it and at mid bowl a very broad band of various sweet tastes is coming in. The brand is toen building up his taste up to the end of the bowl, only leasing Some grey ash in the pipe. I keep this tobacco in my rotation, just have to check how it evolves throughout aging.

Upon opening the tin, I am met with a delicious scent reminiscent of dried figs. There is no detectable top note or flavoring. The ready rubbed Virginia flake is golden brown in color and is ribbon cut. The individual strands are long and still caked together somewhat, so you will need to rub this tobacco some more, before filling your pipe. I would recommend using a wide bore bowl to smoke this. The moisture content is just right, so that this tobacco can be smoked right out of the tin. After a charring light, the tobacco lights nicely, but you must be careful not to tamp you bowl too tightly, or you will not get an adequate draw. This tobacco has a typically smokey-sweet Virginia taste which is very pleasing to the smoker. The room note is pleasant and decent. The tobacco smokes dry down to a fine grey ash, leaving no dottle.

This is one of the first tinned tobacco's I tried and really enjoyed , I still smoke it on almost a daily basis. The flavor is mild and lightly sweet ,not much complexity. It can bite if pushed so best to take it slow.I recommend it to anyone looking for mild all day virginia.

Here's yet another tobacco that I've really mixed feelings for. When I first tried this tobacco, it blew me away. That is to say the first half of the bowl was magnificent, then, around half way through, the experience changed—a green three-headed monster appeared and took a sudden violent slash at my throat! The taste and side stream of this baccy are one of the best I've ever had, up front that is, but by the back end it delivers a harsh burning bite which can really put a guy off. If this tobacco had better overall smoking characteristics it would be an easy four stars, still, if you can manage to take it slow and easy, Virginia No. 1 delivers a good enough smoke for three stars.

A pity, this tobacco could have been a real meat eater!