Mac Baren Modern Virginia Loose Cut

The first thing you notice when you open the tin is the sweet fruity topping and Virginias. The yellow and dark Virginias offer some citrus with a few grassy notes and a little earth, and comprises the majority of the tobacco (70%). The dark cavendish is Virginia based, and adds a citrus note with a touch of honey, and bare hit of spice. There’s a little burley (10%) that is nutty with a slight sweetness. The tobaccos are pressed for thirty days and the flake is very easy to break apart for folding and stuffing in your bowl, or rubbing out as you please. The topping is apricot and a hint of pineapple, and is noticeable in every puff, though it’s not strong enough to overwhelm the inherent properties of the tobaccos. I also get a mild fig taste. The topping slightly diminishes after the half way point, and the tobacco flavor is just a little more obvious from then on. The only difference between the flake and the loose cut is the the loose cut is slightly sweeter after the half way point than the flake. The flake is just a mite fuller in regard to the Virginia. It’s a mild to medium very smooth and rather creamy smoke that burns at a moderate pace with few relights, no harsh or dull spots, no bite and no dottle. The nic-hit is mild. Has a pleasant after taste and room note. An all day smoke.

-JimInks

A very flavorful and somewhat spicy Virginia mixture. The topping operates entirely behind the scenes and in my opinion is perfectly done. The overall effect is reminiscent of quality fruit scented black tea. The tobacco flavor is bright, slightly sweet and focused, with an elegant peach like high note on the finish.

I spent the entire Thanksgiving holiday weekend smoking this and with every pipeful, it delivered a tasty & well balanced flavor. Modern Virginia is well behaved with no bite. It's easy to load and it burns perfectly.

This is a good smoke with a great room note. The sweet tin note may say otherwise but this is not an aromatic. It is however a good, easy going Virginia mixture with a Danish flare.

Recommended.

Review based on a small free sample, so weight that as you see fit.

This is a light aromatic, but an aromatic nonetheless. It is described as apricot and pineapple in the description here on TR, but I would never have identified the flavouring as such and even now when I know what it is supposed to be I find myself wondering about it. Personally it reminds me of candied fruit and is a smell more reminiscent of sweet shops than a fruit stall.

It is not a broken flake. McB calls it a 'Loose Cut'. It's a short cut ribbon.

Anyone hoping by the descriptors 'flake' and 'apricot and pineapple' that this is in anyway like the Grandfather of those terms, Erinmore Flake, will be sadly off track. This smokes nothing like Erinmore, and has none of the depth of that esteemed tobacco. This is a Virginia based light aromatic that despite being bolstered by some Cav and Burley, never reaches deeper than mid range notes.

As would be expected from a Va based aro, this burns without relights, but hot, fast and wet.

For me personally this is a one star tobacco, but for its intended market it is probably worth three stars because it is certainly better than the average entrant in this genre. I'm splitting the difference and giving it 2 stars.

This is one of those mixtures that is liked for what it is lacking. There is no chemical taste, propylene glycol, excessive toppings or casings and if you are in the mood for a blend that isn't loaded with Latakia or perique, this might be just the stuff for you. I can barely detect the fruit topping if I'm trying really hard but it is very subtle. It has a natural tobacco taste that is flavorful and slightly sweet. If you would like something similar to Carter Hall that isn't loaded with PG this mixture might be what you are looking for.

Mac Baren - Modern Virginia Loose Cut.

Tin note's fruity and sharp, and although the paper which surrounds it's heavily stained it's not too wet. It's currently badged as Broken Flake but the cut's a steadfast ribbon.

The toppings are a little heavier than mild, especially the apricots, it tastes like the aromatics are heavier than I found in the flake version. Like the Modern Virginia Flake the Virginias give a lot more flavour than the Burley, I detect only a smidgen of the Burley. The Virginia Cavendish brings a honey-sweetness, curbing the alacrity from the fruity topping. It burns consistently, but I think it goes a little quickly. I get no tongue bite.

Nicotine: mild. Room-note: pleasant.

This isn't bad, but I prefer the flake version. Somewhat recommended:

Two stars.

Gifted by a good friend. Thanks D.

Pretty nice smoke. The Virginias and Cavendish hold a slight lead over the Burley. Nice notes of hay, citrus and nuts. There's a fair amount of sweetness. The topping is light and I can identify the apricot, but the pineapple eludes me. it does seem as though there is something else there, just can't nail it down. Overall it's a very pleasant profile. My only issue is that it can burn a bit warm if you aren't careful. 4 stars for the flavor, minus 1 for the heat.

Mild to medium in body and taste. Mild in flavoring. Burns very well.

I got a free sample of this with a tobacco order. The bag smelled like the nail polish remover that my wife uses. Against my better judgment I set aside my loathing for Mac Baren and loaded a small bowl. Imagine burning cardboard that has been soaked in Fruit Punch Kool-aid. There isn't a toothpaste on Earth that can get that taste out of my mouth. The only reason this toxic concoction deserves a review is that it might save someone from having to try it. It really is *that* bad.

I just finished my first half ounce sample I got from smokingpipes for stocking up on dunhill blends. I've been smoking this out of a MM Morgan cob I used some time ago for a tin of moontrance and it seems to be working nicely with it.

The tin note and presentation are both pretty good. Fruity, maybe a dash of vanilla. My gf didn't mind the smell of it in the pouch, so that's a plus. It's nice and fluffy in the pouch I got. I know it come in tins as well but, I haven't bought one as yet. Predominantly golden in color, with some strands of burley and the "modern" macbaren cavendish popping up as black flecks all throughout it. It's moisture content is almost perfect straight away, however I still let it sit for ten minutes first.

On the charring light I got fruity, sweet Virginia and a slight hint of paraffin wax. I know right? Anyway that's what I took away from it. Kind of like a fruity candy.

I figured out after the first bowl it required a slightly firmer hand on the packing. It burns a bit fast if it's packed normally. It doesn't bite unless you push it to that point. Which, is much further than most macbaren blends in my experience. It has a fairly clean taste to it in spite of the topping. They did that part very well. I would maybe call this a light aromatic in the sense it has on a slight topping which does not dominate the flavor at any point that I noticed.

All in all, this is good. It smokes easy, and has lighter flavor that would most likely be nice in the morning with coffee or tea. Also the room note is more pleasant than I had thought it was. I got compliments from the gf. Of course I normally smoke English mixtures these days so, it could be a comparison issue. It's worth trying this one if you like Virginias, or aromatics.

Nice new offering by Mac Baren! This just might be my new go-to when I'm in the mood for something a bit more aromatic than my typical straight VA preference. The Virginias are very mature and definitely are in the driver's seat. The remaining tobaccos compliment them very nicely and the fruity topping is very pleasant.

I wouldn't consider this an aromatic. It's more of a natural tobacco with a slight fruit topping that dissipates to near non existence midway through the bowl. Love it.

This is a pleasant mild Virginia with just a touch of Cavendish, and Burley. Though I tend to prefer something a bit stronger, I really did enjoy this weed. The quality of tobacco is easily noticeable and the slightly sweet taste makes this one easy to get puffing away at. Having said that if you do smoke it hot it will bite but not nearly as bad as some straight Virginia tobacco will. I would recommend giving this a try if your not looking for an overwhelming nicotine buzz, just a relaxing smoke perfectly blended with the right proportions.