Mac Baren HH Bold Kentucky

HH Bold Kentucky
MacBaren

Delightfully strong blend with a huge proportion of Dark-Fired Kentucky aided by some smaller amount of Bright Virginia.

This is stronger than HH Rustica, which is saying something. Not for the faint of heart. Use a smaller bowl and eat first.

The Kentucky has a dry, earthy taste and yet a pleasant aroma. The Virginia adds just a touch of citrus. There is a mild casing as per the blend notes; think of casing as ‘salt in the soup’ as opposed to flavoring. That is, casing (if done well) supports the resident tobaccos in a blend. I don’t believe casing is necessary but I accept that MacBaren cases all of their blends.

HH Bold Kentucky comes a tad moist in the tin. It is easy to rub out.

For lovers of Kentucky this is a winner.

4 out of 4 stars.

Well, if you like a natural straight mixture this is for you. Virginia/Kentucky, wow! This is a top natural blend. Not natural aromatic, but simply natural. In my personal opinion better than its most famous sibling (HH Old Dark Fired). Very balanced blend it has no defects. Three characteristics: natural (no flavoring), strong and full-bodied (but not overwhelming), tasty (pleasant and satisfying). Only for experienced pipe smokers. Not for beginners and not for aromatic blends’ lovers. In my personal rating system (from 1 to 10) my score is 10 and four complete stars.

Rich flavor, burns very nicely and evenly. I like the depth of flavor of this particular tobacco but the whole HH Burley family is great. It's a pretty regular choice for me but be aware this one packs a nicotine wallop, so go slow and maybe follow a meal with this one until you know what to expect.

I would start with HH Burley Flake first if you are unsure about what your nicotine level tolerance is, it is considerably milder.

Very good tobacco. Tin note is smoky and earthy. Came moist and the flakes are about the size of a stick of chewing gum. I used two rubbed out to fill my pipe. Very smooth smoke considering the components. Id liken this to Old Dark Fired but bold kentucky is smoother in my opinion. Despite this being strong flavored it is not harsh or bitey.

Nic hit is pretty good. It'll creep up on you. Very smoky and slightly earthy. Is it as good as ODF? Yes. Is it better? Not really. Is it worth the price of a tin vs ODF bulk? No.

For my money Id rather just buy ODF ready rubbed bulk.

20230313 edit: as an autopilot smoke, it's pretty good. I think my original review was on point, mostly burley-esque, with some not quite smoky DFK characteristics from beginning to end. A single flake smoked after breakfast has got me feeling pretty good, maybe ¾ through the bowl. I think it's appropriate to peg this one as strong, maybe medium-strong by strong accounting for my non-herculean tolerance levels. This may be near the top of my simple, strong burley type category, maybe not as strong or easy to pack as five brothers but certainly more pleasant.

Only note I get from the jar is ketchup, not in a bad way. Taste is full but mellow, if that makes any sense; not a lot going on in terms of flavor, mostly a pleasant and lightly sweet natural tobacco taste which I associate with burley. It will bite if puffed too hard, but nowhere near some other strong KY forward blends I've tried. Just an extremely satisfying and strong natural tasting blend without a ton of complexity. I'm eventually going to decide on at least one blend to rate 4 stars which fills this niche, and this could end up being it.

My favourite so far, full and rich tobaccotaste, burns allright after drying it for an hour. Very high in nicotine, actually got a bit nauseous after smoking a full bowl. Might be my standard pipe tobacco.