Mac Baren Modern Virginia Flake

The idea with this blend was to create a blend with a pleasing room note that has a taste of a nice Virginia flake. Personally I think Mac Baren hit a home run with this one.

As soon as the seal is broken you're greeted with a wonderful aroma of raisins, apricots, and hay.

The flakes are cut wonderfully thin in the size of a stick of bubblegum. They're very easily folded and lightly rubbed out to load. They are a bit in the moist side, so it's a good idea to pack the bowl and let it sit for 10-20 minutes.

After a bit of drying time it takes a light really well. A char and true, a tamp, and you're ready to go. It burns evenly and cool to a nice white ash. You can easily fit one and a half flakes into an average sized bowl. As long as you sip it this one doesn't bite.

The apricot flavoring is noticed on the initial light up, but for me it faded away quickly. The majority of the flavor throughout the smoke is a pleasant sweet straight Virginia for me.

The fruity apricot casing is more noticed in the room note. It's a nice light fruity tone that's pleasant to those around you.

Overall it's a wonderful blend.

If you're an aromatic smoker looking to get your feet wet with Virginia blends this would be a good one to check out. If you're a Virginia smoker looking for a blend that has a more popular room note give this one a try.

Mac Baren - Modern Virginia Flake.

This has surprised me! I wasn't too sure what to expect, will it taste like a fruity aromatic or a lightly embellished blend? I am pleased to have found the latter to be applicable.

From the tin the moisture is superb. The fruit is a lot stronger in the tin note, the smoke is prominently Virginia. It's not as heavily cased with pineapple as I found Rattray's Malcolm Flake to be. The apricot offers a sweetness that reminds me of fruit jam, it's not gooey or gloopy but subtle and tasty. I don't get much nicotine from this, mind you, I don't smoke for N so that suits me! The other two tobaccos are very light in the taste, I find it quite tricky to acknowledge their flavours. I can't identify much fruit in the room note, like the taste it seems Virginia rules the roost. When I smoke a bowl of this it can be enjoyed without the constant need to keep re-lighting, it only wants the odd tamp.

I wasn't too sure how to rate this when I had my first bowl, three or four stars but after a few bowls it has me hooked, highly recommended.

I smoked this blend three different times (as I do with all my reviews before writing). First, I love how this flake is sectioned off into three small flakes. This makes it great if you want to have a quick smoke or a larger smoke. Its definitely drier than most flakes, but this only makes it easier to light and smoke. There is no bite at all. The flavor is that of the natural sweetness of Virginias mixed with the right amount of spices and some noticeable honey notes. This blend is a fantastic flake and would be a great start for someone who is just venturing into the flake tobacco world as well as for the veteran flake smoker.

I've avoided Mac Baren Virginia blends for years because of many reviewers who report how badly they bite, but decided to give this one a try at the recommendation of a pipe-smoking colleague. I'm glad I did!

It's a bit of a crossover blend, a touch aromatic ... and it is delicious, fruity and pleasant, with a mild pineapple/apricot topping that is interesting, lightly applied, and never competes with the core Virginias. The burley adds some body and the cavendish rounds everything out nicely.

It smells great. And it's easy on the tongue, with no bitterness or bite, even if you increase your cadence, which you will because the flavor doesn't get tiring. Smokes dry and smooth and leaves no dottle or goop. I've smoked it in a variety of pipes of varying sizes, and the results are consistent.

Modern indeed!

Upon popping the tin, you are greeted with nicely prepared flakes about the thickness of bubble gum that smell almost as fruity. They are pliable and with an ideal moisture content to permit my fold and pack technique in all bowl sizes. Burns evenly and cool without condensation or the need for relights. The fruit topping dominates the 1st 1/2 of the bowl but the grassy VAs still come thru. If you don't prefer aromatics, maybe pass on this one but I'll keep this around for the not days of summer.

Three very smart rows of dark brown flakes with a mild, not over the top fruit note. Deep inhalation and I get fresh (not sugary/artificial) apricots and something else fruity which may be the pineapple. All in all very nice.

Very easy flakes to work with and at a ready to smoke moisture content; it's what you can expect from Mac Baren! I am thoroughly enjoying this offering. I don't get any individual fruit taste per se; just an overall, mild sweetness and not an overly sugared fruitiness as one might expect. The taste of the Virginia was very enjoyable and totally different from OGS and Capstan Yellow. It was more along the lines of Capstan Blue in its fullness and lack of hay/grassiness. No bite, no moisture, doesn't smoke hot.

4 stars across the board and one I would be happy smoking several times a day, every day. Thank you Mac BAren!

This is the best Virginia flake I have had. Complex enough in flavor to continually satify, the Virginia tobacco provides a fine flavor,easily beating a number of options in the market.

To me the tin note is very comparable to Erinmore, but the difference is in the smoke! The flakes are beautiful especially in the 1lb block, before they are separated you can see every leaf. I fully rub out (or at least mostly) my flakes and this one does so easily. Upon lighting I get a nice sour Virginia flavor and don’t really even notice the toppings as they meld with the Virginia perfectly. It’s tangy. The flavor stays fairly consistent to the end burning to a clean grey ash. The room note is not bad and less cigarette like than say Golden Sliced. Also has very little spice when compared to a lot of other Virginias and doesn’t bite at all. Nic hit is mild, much more mild than Erinmore and I like that about it. I was worried when they used fruit in the description as I usually dislike fruity tobaccos. So far I would have to say this is toward the top of my list of Virginia flakes and that includes some at twice the price! Very glad I tried this stuff and plan to keep it in my cellar.