Mac Baren Virginia No. 1

EDIT 2/5/2016

I just got around to finishing the tin that I opened a year and 4 months ago. I have decided two stars to be a good rating, but it is tottering on the three star mark. Here is my justification for choosing two stars. It is a fine Virginia, but it does have a light topping to it. I think this is what makes it such a firepot to the beginning puffer.

The topping is good, kind of a honey sweet type topping. I would prefer a bit more citrus ala a Dunhill Flake. The topping slightly reminds me of the topping that is on Peter Stokkebye's Luxury Twist Flake, but I like that Virginia better than this. This is problematic as that is a much more attractive leaf for several reasons. One of which is the cool flake presentation, another would be the price for that cool flake presentation. .

The topping of LTF is likely a little stronger applied than that of VA 1, but I find it to be a more pleasant smoke. I believe I only rated LTF at three stars as I prefer my Va's to not be topped or very lightly so, like a Dunhill Flake. Thus this will remain a two star in my book, but I did enjoy the experience in retrying it. I just won't be buying more.

EDIT 10/6/14

The dangers of writing a review when you are a new smoker. Three years into pipe smoking, I decided it was time to reevaluate this one. My earlier review tells you how this will effect the beginner's palate.

I had my first bowl of the new tin yesterday and it smoked fine. It is bitey, but did not do the harm as the bowls I had when I first started out. It tastes hay sweet as Virginia should. After one bowl, I can't really give it a three or even a four star as of yet, but I am adding one star as it is better then the one star I previously gave it.

Also, still not recommended for the beginner.

Original Review 2/21/12

The only thing good that I have to say about this blend is that it led me to this site.

My baby steps into pipe smoking started with some store blends in bulk from my local B & M that were terrible, followed by the popular OTC brands that had taste and aroma but nothing of substance. The owner of the B & M, who has little knowledge of pipe tobacco, suggested this as he said it was a popular one. He had a lot of it and I wonder if he was really just trying to get rid of it to a naïve fool like myself.

The appearance was that of hay. I rubbed it like an amateur and smoked away. It was ghastly and strong and it torched my mouth. So much so that I started to search the internet to see if I had a serious medical condition. And this is where I learned of tongue bite. In a narrower search for Tongue bite, I happened upon TR and the rest has been smoking bliss.

I tried blending this with several mild OTCs in hopes that I could somehow salvage this diabolic blend, but to no avail. Into the bin I pitched the remainder.

I have since learned how to puff lighter, but I can't imagine it would have much of a difference with this weed. I have also smoked much finer Va blends and have realized that Va does tend to irritate my tongue a bit so, although I enjoy them, I must restrict my use not to exceed one bowl a day. For that bowl, I would prefer something much better than this. Right now that something lies in the Esoterica Line by Germain.

I see that some other reviewers do enjoy this. I imagine you must have mouths like leather. Perhaps the types who could down a gallon of tabasco and not feel it. People much tougher than me. lol

A mild, sweet, aromatic straight virginia. It is topped with various sugars, PG, rum, licorice, and unknown flavoring as per the German BMEL website: https://service.bmel.de/tabakerzeugnisse/index2.php?detail_id=104932&site_key=153&stichw_suche=Arnold+Andr&zeilenzahl_zaehler=164&NextRow=50

I think it is all bright virginias and they are very good. Flavor is mild and some added sweetness from the casing/topping. You also taste some of the added flavors in the background throughout the bowl. The virginias are a little muddled by the added flavors, but it is still a pleasant, smooth, mild smoke with a touch of spice. Very mild nicotine.

I consider myself to be an experienced Virginia smoker in all of its formats, be they ribbon, ready rubbed, flake and all of its delightful breedings...red, bright, stoved, brown, golden...

To my palate, this is the tobacco equivalent of Globalistic Warminating. For those of you in Rio Linda, this means HOT.

Not just the bite factor, which is significant, but also in the bowl warming realm, which is off the charts trying to keep this lit. I've tried it dried to the point of being brittle, breath smoked it. You name it. It still burns hot.

Good raw material, handled with professionalism. Just not to my liking.

I consider myself a fan of Mac Baren tobbacos, being a regular smoker of some of their blends. I tried this in a pouch initially and whilst I wasn't overwhelmed by it, I considered it a reasonable, good value, everyday virginia that did the basics - decent consistent sweet flavour, not too strong and little bite.

I subsequently bought a tin of it and it seems to be a different tobacco. Drier, with a more monotone "salty" flavour that burns exceedingly hot. I was reading a good book and before I knew it the tobacco had bubbled the finish on the high gloss Vauen billiard I was smoking it in. I quickly dumped the load and let it cool. The pipe was a well worn number of mine with good cake that I have smoked many tobaccos in - luckily the finish didn't blister and pop but now it no doubt has a weak spot.

Not to be put off I next tried No1 in an unvarnished, stained pipe. Sipping the smoke still made it burn uncomfortably hot to the touch. This stuff is just too much hassle.

Warning - this tobacco can seriously damage your pipes.

UPDATE - I dried some of this tobacco out overnight and it was better - smoked a lot cooler and less harshly but still a slightly acidic dry smoke

When I was in that "tweener" stage of moving from all-aromatic blends to trying out more "real tobacco" blends, VA #1 was suggested by my pipe-smoking mentor. Out for an evening of imbibing good liquor and enjoying a good pipe, I gave it a whirl and was interested.. so much so that the next day I bought one of the 100g tins. This was an immediate mistake, as the tobacco right out of the can is a bit too bright, a bit too bitey on the tongue and somewhat flavorless. So I cellared it.. for about 5 years...

... 5 years later...

My goodness! What a change some time can make! The tobacco has mellowed out very much from it's out-of-the-tin state. Visibly, the leaf has gotten a bit darker, the aroma a bit richer, not so sweet and honeyed as it once was. In the pipe the flavor is stronger and more complex, less cloying, the bite nearly all but gone(it will still bite if you're a huff-n-puffer). This definitely isn't your dark matured or stoved VA, but it is much changed from what came out of that 100g tin five years ago.

I can't recommend this as-is, but if you're willing to put some away and while your time with other pipe-fillers, VA #1 will serve your taste buds well at some point down the road.

It does exactly what it says on the tin: 'golden, sweet'. Initial tin note: honey. Or rather: 'HONEY!' Nice looking and feeling thick rubbed strands, came a bit moist or rather 'sticky'. I was initially delighted by this mix. Smooth, sweet, all VA taste. But them I smoked a bowl too quickly out on an early morning walk. It bit me hard and made my stomach growl with hunger. We fell out because of this, and on my next smoke I wasn't feeling so generous. It was thin, too sickly HONEY monsterish, no depth. I could taste the honey for hours afterwards. We reconciled our differences by my throwing in a tin of black cavendish, with the Va 2:1 dominant. Bite has gone, taste is filled, honey has taken a back seat. Now that mix is one of my regular evening aro mixes.

This nuclear concoction has fried my tonsils more than once. The taste is great, although on the mild side. I have no problem in packing or lighting it, but I now believe I would have to be comatose in order to keep it from biting. Too bad,,,, a nice, quality,and easily available tobacco that I can't come to terms with.

As a returning piper, I found the initial package scent so enticing I could hardly wait to get the honeyed mixture into a briar for a go. Right away it bit me, as others have noted, even in a small Yelo Bole. After a few more nips, I hit upon the idea of mixing it with some of my remaining stash of Macbaren's latakia blend, and voila; no more bite. I mixed it 1 part to 3 parts latakia. It makes both blends easier to take.

Been on a Mac Binge as of late and of course had to give the straight VA a try. Solid looking broken flake. Smells like honey and hay. Takes a light pretty easily and has all the great quality characteristics of your average MB blend.

I taste a little bit of fruit, hay, and sugary sweet honey. I think there's a little burley in here too as I can get a bit of cocoa and wood as well. Pretty simple. Mild body and nicotine. Pretty much a one/two note smoke. Does bite if your not careful. Burns downs easily with little trouble like most all Mac Baren blends.

My only problem with this blend is that I found it quite boring. I think there are simply other cheap/bulk all-day VA's that I prefer (see similar too), however it's definitely worth a try if you like straight VA blends. The body was just a little bit too light for my tastes. I found myself craving a bowl of golden extra or Scottish mixture halfway through this smoke because I think it does everything here but better (of course with the addition of more toppings and burley). If you want straight VA from MB I think your better off with the HH blend, which adds a lot more body for just a few dollars more.